#sorry if it came out as ranty

[cursed-rat-of-homosexuality]

Really tickles my brain how much Aziraphale's way of thinking is still so heavily shaped by Heaven's propaganda. Honestly, that's mainly why I really can't see why people are thinking it's ooc. Like yes, I do get that he has indeed come very far in regards to understanding heaven's failures, and seeing the various shades of gray around him. But I genuinely don't think he has come THAT far yet as to be completely unable to leave Crowley to go back to Heaven, having to require some spiked oat milk to be able to make that choice and also making him see Heaven as this perfect thing which he can help improve

Thing is, I don't think Aziraphale thinks it is perfect when he comes to his decision. Aziraphale has seen and time again the several cruelties executed by heaven in the name of an unknown ineffable plan which he can't object to. He has seen first hand and for 6000 YEARS how a kind and caring demon Crowley is. In fact, when Metatron first makes the offer, he doesn't even want to go. He knows how Heaven has failed, and weirdly enough, that's the problem!!! To him those are just systemic failures which he can correct by managing the system itself, but he doesn't see them as they really are, the design. They weren't mistakes, or misshappenings that could be fixed by a careful overseer, they are purposeful in their making and most of the things that made him go against Heaven, would be done again with OR without his presence there. His perception of Heaven is that it has some flaws, but like any other flaw, those can be fixed. That's why I don't think it's ooc. Because at any point did he actually come to the realization that THAT IS THE DESIGN AND NOT A MANAGEMENT ERROR. And that by working with Heaven again, he will be following that design, not remaking it.

And also, the whole magic coffee makes the story so much more... I don't know, uninteresting? Boring? It would not only seem like a backpedal, it would also be removing so much agency and personality from Aziraphale and the other characters. It's so much more fun to have them be flawed in their perspectives, make mistakes and have those flaws and mistakes be exploited by other characters (aka Metatron) than to just have them drink "magic dumb decision juice" that obligates them to follow a narrative. It takes out the intention, the will behind those decisions. It just transforms them into mindless robots in virtue of making them somehow morally superior. Let them fuck up for christ's sake! We know Aziraphale has.

TLDR: Aziraphale is just a dumb bitch and therefore is immune to the spiked oat milk.

[shariasweet]

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚attention

p.sunghoon 𝒙 f.reader | this work of fiction contains smut ⟡ mdni.

wc ::: around 1.5k sharinote ::: nothing much ! im going to try and make a comeback :( i missed you guys :0 this is like pointless and ranty {1:plot 3:smut}

unbeknownst to him , you're feeling needy upon your boyfriend's return. sunghoon promises you his attention , however , when he can't make good on said promise in a 'timely' manner , you take matters into your own hands.

you gently tapped the heels of your feet against the ground. ‘hoon…’ you softly murmured glancing up to stare at your boyfriend. it was embarrassing — needy wasn't even the word to describe how you felt... more like desperate.

you were desperate for your boyfriends attention.

sunghoon had only returned home a couple of days ago , yet he was already working again. this time he sat in the corner of his bedroom , sleeves rolled up jotting down notes as you sat , idly sinking into his bed.

recently , his schedule had been crowded with so many shoots and promotions — yours on the other hand remained empty: you went to class , listening to far too many lectures before heading into work and coming home to your big , empty bed — wishing you could call your precious boyfriend to come over and snuggle you into the duvet.

that’s not all though. you’d wanted to call him oh so many times.

more than 60% of those time with your fingers pushed inside the warmth of your fluttering cunt as you fucked yourself to the thought of him.

‘sunghoon.’ this time you spoke a but louder , the gentle rocking of your feet came to a halt as you stood up waltzing towards his still busy figure. ‘baby , are you even hearing me?’

he stopped — sunghoon slowly tilted his head up , facing you. ‘what do you mean , sweetheart?’ genuine confusion painted his features as you let out a defeated sigh. ‘i… it’s nothing. s-sorry to interrupt. keep going.’ concern washed over him — noticing your solemn tone. ‘you sure , pretty girl?’ nodding , you cracked a sheepish smile , walking completely out of the room and into his living room.

what’d felt like hours had passed of you sitting alone , feet still gently rocking.

you’d wondered how many pages he’d wrote down now — how many melodies he’d listened to , or how long he’d been sitting there smoothly bouncing his knee as his eyes darted from the screen to his paper.

desperate… you’d reminded yourself. wrong as it felt , when he’d invited you over you were expecting more — more than a couple of hugs and soft kisses.

would it really hurt… if you silently dipped your fingers beneath the waist of your shorts and just ever so slightly touched yourself? not that he'd be doing that for you anytime soon.

just enough to get off until sunghoon frees up… it’s not like he’d be done soon. right?

wrong.

as soon as your fingers breached the barrier of your cotton panties , carefully running along your slit — your boyfriend’s footsteps approached. blissfully unaware , as he stood watching you from the living room’s entrance.

you continued , frantically gasping and pushing the tips of your fingers between the walls of your fluttering cunt. you were already sticky — left hot just by watching him work.

‘mpf! hoon…’ squirming , you whined. slowly you slid the full length of both your ring and middle fingers inside of yourself. ‘a-ah…’ a deep exhale rushed past your lips as you attempted to bite back your moans — fingers repeatedly curling further into your sticky , drooling heat. arousal pooled into the palm over your hand. you'd attempted to mimic sunghoon's scissoring motions with your fingers. however , it only resulted in your fingers sloppily thrusting between your gummy walls as you clenched around seemingly nothing.

not that holding back was any use... still in the doorway , stood your boyfriend. sunghoon’s pants seemed to shrink , suddenly suffocating the tent bulging from his pants as he repositioned . he groaned. ‘fuck.’

again , your small pathetic pleas poured into his ears: tiny please please pleases and more hoonie’s. he couldn't take it — listening to your cute cries only turned him on more.

‘are you having fun?’ he’d finally had enough. his cock straining against his briefs as he walked toward you. the condescending tone of his voice brought you to a halt , ripping your fingers from your pussy.

you tripped over your words ‘m… it’s not… n-no.’ desperately , you hid beneath a nearby blanket.

‘no…’ a smile spread across his face as he got closer and closer — swiftly snatching the blanket from your body exposing your naked lower half. ‘look at that , honey… you’re soaked — leaking all on my couch.’ sunghoon frowned. ‘m sorry hoon…’ shame crept over you as you tried covering your face.

‘aht aht… no need to do that now.’ you could feel the warmth of his hands wrapping around your wrists. ‘don’t hide , sweetheart… is there something you wanted to tell me?’

you glanced up at him — eyes glossed over as you batted your eyelashes at the man before you. ‘n-no…’ you squirmed — his hold on your wrists was firm as you felt another one creeping up your side. ‘no? so you didn’t want my attention? ‘s why you’re touching yourself in my living room? calling out my name like you're in heat , sweet girl.’ sunghoon mockingly cooed , his face now hovering above you own as his breath fanned against your skin.

‘should I leave you then and let you continue..? not help you out?’ shit. you’d been caught. however , you'd be lying if you said you didn't want any of this. both of you knew your fingers couldn't compare to anything sunghoon could do. 'no!' the word rushed past your lips. 'no... hoonie 'want you to help me. please...' you were so frustrated that tears breached your eyes. 'aw , my special girl.' his hand flew to strongly grip your jaw. 'did you miss me?'

you nodded. 'i bet , huh?' he began to trail kisses down your face — kissing away your tears before his lips reached your jaw. sunghoon hungrily left a trail of ravishing kisses from your jaw to your neck to your collar-bones. as he reached the top of your shirt , before you could blink it was being yanked over your head. 'mmm...' you hummed , as he continued kissing down your breasts and trailing down your stomach. 'were you good while i was away? did you touch yourself f'me , baby?'

quickly , you nodded again. sunghoon's rich laughter suffocated you as he continued pressing meaningful kisses along your thighs. 'good girl.' he dove into your cunt , nose rutting into your clit as he split you open on his tongue. almost instantly , your fingers became tangled in his dark locks.

whilst you mewed and tugged at his scalp , he made out with your cunt… his soft lips were searing against your skin — fingers digging into your flesh as he held your thighs apart. ‘mh! hoon!’ you let put a squeal as he folded you in half… tongue still greedily lapping up your arousal as he tongue-fucked your leaky cunt. it plunged between your fluttering walls made you shiver , back arching into his embrace.

‘feel good? ‘got all my attention , my sweet girl.’ he hummed sweetly. the vibration sent a wave of shock and pleasure coursing through you body as you let more whining pleas rush from your throat. sunghoon’s lips came up to gently suction your clit as he allowed two fingers to slip inside of you. they dug deeper and deeper within you , searching for that sweet spot buried between your legs in a scissoring motion (much like you had earlier tried to replicate).

as the tips of his fingers kiss said spot you can feel waves of satisfaction crashing over you — the knot in your stomach finally snapping , untying itself. ‘s-shit…’ you squirmed, watching as sunghoon got up.

his chin drenched with slick as he took deep breaths — a smile dancing along his lips. ‘c’mere , sweetheart…’ his hand slid behind your head , you could feel the warmth radiating from his sticky palm as he cupped your cheek. ‘ahhh…’ he teased.

sunghoon lowered a sloppy open mouth kiss onto your lips. the both of your mouths molded against one another. it was a passionate , meaningful kiss that left you chasing his lips as he pulled away. ‘more… fuck , baby… please i want more.’ your arms tightened around his neck — still chasing the sweet tang of yourself left on his lips.

‘relax , y/n. i’ll give you more.’ peck. ‘s’much as you want , yeah?’ one of his hands grabbed your own. slowly he directed your hand down his body — his collarbones , chest , and toned stomach. finally you stopped… feeling something hard beneath your touch. ‘feel that? that’s how fucking hard i am — how hard you got me…’ you tuck your lip between your teeth , eagerly nodding along. ‘feel it…’ you agree. ‘want you so bad… i missed you s-so much while you were gone , hoon. I just wan’ to feel you.’

‘good , baby.’ he cooed , tucking your hair. ‘cause i was planning on letting you.’ he carefully lies you back down before yanking his pants down — cock heavy as it stands against him.

your eyes grow large , watching as you generously strokes himself a few times. pump after pump. the precum adorning his tip drips down the base of his shaft — making it slippery and wet. ‘ready?’ sunghoon grabs your waist — shuffling you closer towards him as he lifts your hips. ‘…yeah.’ with your mouth watering you reply. you nervously await to feel him bottom out inside of you.

he aligns himself with your entrance before slowly pushing his head in. ‘fuck! s’tight as ever , pretty…’ both his hands come to snake around your waist. ‘ohmygodohmygod! hoonie , baby , pleaseee…’ he slams his hips into your own , fulling sinking the length of his thick cock inside of you.

you can feel him throbbing inside of you — your walls clenching and fluttering as he gives you time to adjust. ‘awnnn!’ you whine out , feeling as he slowly drags himself inside of you before roughly ramming back inside.

‘missed your precious little cunt!’ his balls slap against your ass as he continues to fuck into you. ‘s-such a sweet pussy , r-right? y-you’re mine?’

sunghoon felt himself becoming lost — pussy-drunk as he continued to mindlessly babble. ‘yours!!!’ he threw his head back and his hands firmly pawed at your sides — bruising your waist. ‘fuck! agh… s-sunghoon!’ you reached out for him with your nails clawing into his back — only causing him to fuck you harder. you could practically feel that leaky-mushroom tip kissing your cervix.

he bucked into you at a wild , and relentless pace.

‘aw shit… damnit , im ‘gonna cum..!’ he cried. ‘want it inside? stuff you full of me… that way you wont ever miss me again. how ‘bout that baby..? always be full of my cum so im always with you.’

sunghoon laughed watching as you desperately hic-upped. ‘yes! yes! please… ah! cum inside , i’ve been so p-pati… ungh!’ and just like that your boyfriend was pulling yet , another , orgasm from you. the two of you shuddered as he rode out his high. you could feel his cock draining inside of you — once heavy , thick ropes of salty cum painting your walls.

with one final thrust , he pulled out. he watched in awe as your cunt twitched — sticky hot liquid dripped out. ‘ah , ah!’ you hitched as sunghoon took his fingers , pushing his cum back inside of you.

‘always with you.’ he chuckled once more , placing a kiss on your temple before carrying you into the bathroom to get cleaned up.

{additional note!} i dont actually do a wc so i dont know how long this is! hopefully its not too rambly hehe :3

[honeycreammilkshake]

Reading your anons and your answers I think the problem with those fans is that they only accept a character if it's involved with satoru.

Like, apparently you are not allowed to like Sukuna anymore nor like both yuji and sukuna, but you were only allowed to like AND analyze Sukuna when he was fighting Satoru loool

I'm sorry but Sukuna is more than that, sukuna doesn't need THAT fight to be a character in his own, Sukuna also kept analyzing and having cool moments with other characters, just because your favorite character was dead doesn't mean other things stopped existing. This is one of those cases where fans keep thinking the manga is about some secondary character

hi, anon. thank you so much for this ask. i'm going to follow this up by making an unnecessarily long and ranty post nobody's going to bother to read, but i felt the overwhelming need to go in-depth for this anyways. apologies for the length of this.

to start off, i'm going to point out something that will probably get me a lot of hate or at least criticism from gojo fanatics, but i think it should be said for all those out there who keep twisting jkk to fit their own problematic concept of morals.

so we all know sukuna is the big bad of jjk. he's the main antagonist, the evil cannibal monster, a god of chaos and apathy and murder. i'm not here to argue against this, though. it's been clear from the beginning sukuna is a true villain in all of his actions and beliefs. however, we really need to look at the contexts behind how he became such a monster and consider if he's actually the most "evil" sorcerer/curse in the jujutsu world or not.

i'm going to address the underlying problem with the pro-gojo/anti-sukuna fans who twist the story to suit their own views first.

so gojo was born with a tremendous amount of power, so much that he's been branded the strongest jujutsu sorcerer of the modern age. he literally shifted the flow of cursed energy and from the start was set apart from others. it's truly terrifying how much power he has...

so it's a good thing he's a real sweet and caring guy, right?

if only.

gojo is irredeemably self-absorbed, unhealthily egotistical, obsessed with his own abilities, demeaning and insulting to others, brutal to his students and dismissive of their safety, and more than willing to commit mass murder.

when fighting with jogo, for example, he doesn't seem bothered at all by the massacre of innocent people during their battle, and is even willing to sacrifice bystanders all in the name of winning.

he's displayed this same kind of general apathy for the lives of others in his past as well.

in his past arc, it was geto who saved gojo from becoming an actual villain and instead managed to set gojo on the path of becoming the slightly less evil antihero he is today. however, after riko's death, the experience turned both of them on each other as they settled on opposite sides of "good vs evil."

without geto there to guide him, though, gojo would have easily lost his way and turned evil .... so where was a person like that for sukuna?

the jujutsu world is extremely heartless and obsessed with strength. the jujutsu higher-ups were willing to kill yuuji - an innocent teenager who just happened to become dangerously involved with the world of curses and the host of sukuna - as well as risk the health and safety of countless others, sorcerers and normal people alike. the whole jujutsu world is full of corruption and cold, cruel people.

but this is just in the modern world - during the golden age of jujutsu, in the heian era, conditions were even harsher and crueler than they are now. during this time, existence for regular people in japan was demanding, quality of life was very low, and so many died of sickness and starvation. the amount of curses that arose from all this suffering was immense and required the extreme powers of sorcerers to balance it out.

this is the context of sukuna's birth. he came into this world as a child of a starving mother and he himself would have starved if he didn't consume his twin in the womb.

during his conversation with kashimo, who asks if sukuna was born with that much power or if he gained it throughout his life, sukuna himself seems to not know. all he can say is... he was an unwanted wretch.

societal demands and religious fights back then would have led to an overwhelming stigma and dehumanization of anything that people feared or didn't understand... which probably means that sukuna, who was able to be born from the act of eating his own unborn twin, was seen as monstrous from the day of his birth on. and if he was indeed born with such strength and a body merged with that of his twin's, or at least the compacity to become that, he was also most likely villainized for his nature as well.

where gojo was more embraced and highly coveted by the jujutsu world, the world sukuna was born into most likely shunned him and led him to adapt the kind of mindset he has now.

sukuna sees strength as the only means of survival, rising above the cruelty shown to him to become the cruelest himself. this philosophy, which a lot of people at this time believed in - especially in the jujutsu world - shows us that sukuna probably saw his own really option to endure was to become a monster. those at the top are above all the weak feelings and suffering of the ones beneath, after all, or so he believes.

and it seems like so many of the strongest sorcerers still believe in that concept as well. both yorozu and gojo thought they could reach sukuna by challenging him, but in the end... only yuuji ever connected with the king of curses.

(yes i will fit sukuita in here... even if you don't ship them romantically, it's an undeniable fact that their relationship is much more complex than it seems and that yuuji does in fact care for the very monster he's supposed to destroy.)

when sukuna's dying in chapter 268, yuuji makes it clear that he's willing to serve the kind of caring, understanding role in sukuna's life that was most likely never given to him.

instead of dehumanizing sukuna, yuuji actually accepts that sukuna turned out to be the monster he is and says it was all a matter of chance how they became like this.

this a level of empathy, intimacy, and compassion that someone like gojo (and pretty much the vast majority of jjk characters) could never show. sukuna himself seems at a loss for words for this unbelievably caring treatment from yuuji - he's even surprised enough to use the brat's full name.

and i dislike that fans are starting to twist this interaction between them to make it fit their own views of sukuna and gojo.

look, i like gojo objectively. he's a fine enough character and serves an important role in jjk. i'm not against him or his fans, and i certainly don't want to hurt or make light of other people's feelings towards him. however, i do want to point something out that some fans should really know better. so many antis are against us sukuita shippers and/or sukuna fans and their main argument, over and over again, is how evil and monstrous sukuna is and that gojo is obviously better in every way. they claim that because gojo is on the side of good, it means sukuna is the worst in terms of morals (when villains like kenjaku are arguably just as terrible if not more so but dismissed so easily) we are delusional or wrong for sympathizing with sukuna.

so i would like to say to these people... please stop using these pallid, baseless arguments against us sukuna lovers because they're just so inaccurate and keep misunderstanding the whole story. it's more than okay to have your own headcanons and depictions of a fictional character, whether they're sukuna or gojo or any of the others - but do not force that depiction on others and do not force your interpretation of the source material on us just to appease your own opinions.

please be more respectful to others, please keep your own dislikes to yourself instead of lashing out at other fans you could instead just avoid, and please stop being so mean to gege. whether or not he makes gojo return should not be a reason to spread such hate about him. it's disrespectful towards both him and all writers who work so hard to make the content you treat so harshly.

thank you.

[chaifootsteps]

Chai, is it an asshole thing of me to say I wish people would stop pointing and using HH/HB/TADC as examples to prove how “easy” producing your own series is?

Even if your show takes off you won’t get a lot of money from YouTube unless it continuously gets either 10 or more million views per episode and/or a large dedicated fanbases that’ll help back the project to get resources to continue.

Sorry if this is ranty, i’m just getting really annoyed how a lot of people (mostly people who either doesn’t know how hard it really is or thinking it’s easy) still downplay how expensive and difficult it is.

It is not an asshole thing. Viv came from a wealthy family, went to an expensive art school in NYC, and had capital to pour in and a cushion to fall back on if she failed. She was scammed out of her life savings and essentially shrugged it off. The rags to riches scrappy creator story she pushes is disingenuous at best, a flat out lie at worst.

Animation, indie or otherwise, is anything but easy or cheap and it's dangerous to push the fantasy that it is.

[starfall-dream]

i’m a big softie for ketheric bc he’s gone through so much and all he really wanted was to live happily with his family. sorry, if this sounds like it’s all over the place, i’ve never done an ask this big and etc. i love your isekai!au so so much and literally just thought about what kinda dynamic ketheric/reader could’ve had especially if they came from a broken family and on the other hand we all know ketheric would fight all of faerun for his family.

i could totally see the reader become co dependent on ketheric, especially if their companions have still been little jerks throughout their journey so far.

lets say before coming into this world, the reader had a terrible relationship with her family and because of that they start to crave the father/daughter/son relationship they have with ketheric. obviously, the reader will be conflicted knowing HE’S ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THE SHADOW CURSE AND ABSOLUTE. on the other side of the coin they see how much ketheric has lost throughout his life, losing your wife and then your only daughter is a hard thing to cope/deal with. he’s super understanding when the reader opens up to him about being from another world and doesn’t dismiss their claims at all, which makes them feel very touched when still a handful of her companions treat them terribly because of these claims. plus, it doesn’t help that when reader snoops through ketheric’s room, they find ketheric’s letters about his wife and deep down they know/think they can change him for the better. towards the end when their companions come to save them and the fight is happening, i can totally see reader begging ketheric to change and that they can start over, how his wife never would’ve wanted this. or the reader basically confesses how they’ve never had a good father figure in their own world, confessing that he was physically and verbally abusive, they knew that they’d never be good enough child for them but ketheric accepted all of her, good and bad, and treated her as a loving child. which was all they wanted from their dad, to be accepted and loved, which ketheric would be happy to give her.

we know ketheric feels like he can’t be saved and because of that he will still fight us but during the second fight where reader tries to beg him again and he offs himself. imagine the reader is able to grab his hand before he completely falls in and ketheric is holding onto their hand, their grip on him is slowly slipping, all the while they’re crying their eyes out begging him that they can save him and he can be rescued as well. only for him to smile back at them and telling them how much he truly cherished their father/daughter relationship in the short amount of time they did have together before completely letting go of her hand and falling into his own demise.

Please send in long ranty asks, I love them so much.

Anyway, this is kinda how I interpreted Kethrics and Readers relationship. I always like giving my readers some lore just to make them more interesting, so the idea of reader not really having a good relationship with their parents, specifically their father just is so sad and adorable.

I really want to explore readers relationship with the evil three because they're just so interesting, and Kethric is definitely the best villain of the game. By act 2, reader is so desperate for connection that I don't think it would take much for them to get close to Kethric. And since Kethric is already lamenting his loss of Isobel, he seeks connections as well. I think reader knows in the back of their head that Kethric is beyond saving, that he lost himself ages ago when Isobel died, but it doesn't mean that it hurts less when they have to fight him. I know in game, if you talk to Kethric about Isobel before entering into the mind flayer ship, it'll skip his first phase as he kills himself immediately. I imagine something like this happens, where reader begs Kethric not to fight, that perhaps if he hands over his Netherstone to them that Isobel might change her mind and return to him, but he knows that's not possible, it's very bitter sweet.

Again, please don't feel bad for ranty asks, they're literally my favorite thing ever.

[mobblespsycho100]

🍳 bc i love ur takes

I was wondering whether or not I should share a Kabru hot take, Mithrun hot take, or Okonomiyaki trio hot take, so I'm going to share all three (lmao)

Starting with Okonomiyaki trio, I think they should be in a QPR post canon. I think they should get married, but not married for benefits, but like. An intricate song and dance, courting rituals beyond traditionally romantic understanding. I think Toshiro should show up at Toshitsugu's place holding Kabru and Laios' hand and Namari his bestie should be there also and he should go "Oyaji-dono, here are my two partners, The King of the Golden Kingdom and his Royal Advisor, and my bestest friend ever Namari of Kahka Brud, and yes, I'm going to go live happily with them in Melini. Also, we're going to beat you to death. "

I think Kabru has low empathy. Hear me out. He's highly emotionally intelligent, but his affective empathy (feeling how others feel without direct emotional stimulation to oneself) is low while his cognitive empathy (the ability to recognize and understand another's mental state) is high. I think, a lot of people who like Kabru tend to like ignore/brush off the fact that he can be manipulative and cunning because they associate those traits with evil or abusive people. Like, no. I see a lot of NPD traits in Kabru, and he's still an ultimately good/kind person who cares for others. He's a great character, and he has sooo many complex issues. Like, as a Kabru lover with NPD I see a lot of traits in him, and people need to understand that NPD (and other personality disorders) usually develops from childhood trauma... He isn't an awful person because he's manipulative guys. He's very complex. He has layers. Also I think he was totally in the right for "killing" (they show up in the end) the corpse retrievers. Let him enact his justice, they literally JUST tried to get him and his friends to kill each other, and then offered to work together to kill inexperienced adventurers. I would've tortured those fuckers, but Kabru is so kind he just kills them quickly.

People who baby Mithrun or call him ugly, even if its in an "affectionate" way, should stop. Lmao. Like, its literally ableism. No other explanation. Mithrun is a grown ass man (gender neutral). He isn't even an old man by our standards, or elven standards (hes 185??? thats not even close to 400???) he's more like a young man with old man energy not an old man with young man energy. He's clearly a very capable individual, while also being physically disabled and visibly scarred/has facial differences. He even has a prosthetic eye and stuff. Like people who call him ugly... can y'all be normal about irl disabled people? Or does every fictional character exist to be "pretty" and always have to follow like the Western societal beauty standards. Please, just think about stuff before calling Mithrun a dying old disfigured dog or a sad little baby. He's 👏 a 👏 disabled 👏 and 👏 neurodivergent 👏 grown 👏 ass 👏 man who just happens to be a lil emo. or goth (vampirism) just.... goodness gracious. 😭😭😭 stop being ableist people, it's really embarassing

sorry for how ranty / rambly this came off as , I just think. I should speak forever. LMAO Thanks for the ask :] I'm glad people like my takes

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

I’m personally a bit mixed on the senti-kid stuff.

I like it in concept because I’m a big fan of angst and existential horror, especially involving the “am I really a human/person? Am I a monster?” character arcs. Then you add in the horror of “they can have their free will taken away incredibly easily” (and be killed at someone’s whim) and that adds a whole other layer. I know that’s part of why a lot of people don’t like it, but I like the angst stuff a lot.

Having said that, I am still on the fence about it, because as much as I like the aforementioned reasons, I really hate how it was handled narratively. They do address the “can be killed easily” part a little, with Sentibug and Felix, but I think they don’t expand much on it, and don’t really stay consistant with it (like how they treat other sentis- LB controlling Sentibubbler, for example).

But the most glaring part of it for me is: having Adrien be a senti feels more like yet another reason for them to take him out of a significant action role in the story. They already did this with Chat Blanc: “oh he can’t know his dad is Hawkmoth bc he’ll destroy the world!” Then again with Ephemeral, though this time with the obvious use of the amok (Gabriel twisting the ring as he akumatized him). S5 shows him using it more and more, and has the finale with him still in control of the main villain, making it incredibly risky for Adrien to even have the Miraculous. Astruc and other fans can talk all they want about how feather kids are just magical IVF babies, and while I agree that they are human still, it blatantly ignores that having them be controlled by someone that dangerous makes them a huge risk, even if they get their amok (which is why I think there should have been some way to at least break them free of the control aspect, even if not their lives being tied to an object). (It’s also incredibly scary for the senti kid themselves.) Someone whose free will can be taken away so easily can’t be trusted with one of the most powerful objects in the world. It’s harsh, but powers like these, despite how they’re treated sometimes, can’t just be given out like candy to anyone, they need to be given selectively and carefully. Something like this can’t just be put in the hands of someone who isn’t even in full control of themselves. That’s so much responsibility to have. The narrative gave us two huge reasons that the narrative gave us for why Adrien can’t be a part of defeating his father and isn’t fit for the miraculous: 1) he’ll destroy the world, 2) he can be magically controlled and they can’t do anything about it. Why are they trying so hard to come up with reasons for why one of their main characters shouldn’t be in the role they gave him? The senti story would fit far better if Adrien wasn’t Chat Noir- I’ve read a lot of fics where things do work out, but they usually always take it in a direction that the show wouldn’t (in terms of story style and episode outline), so I don’t really think it can be successful in a canon style (though fic writers always surprise me, so I’m happy to be proven wrong).

That’s not even bringing up how Adrien’s arc was all about him obeying his father because he wants approval, not bc of magic, which… I guess can be explained away by Gabriel acting on the assumption that they made him perfect, therefore he doesn’t need to be controlled (like why Tomoe let Kagami keep her amok), but they don’t really address that on the Agreste side- how far is Gabriel willing to go? Why is he using it more now? Did Emilie use his amok? What for and why? Did the couple have a discussion beforehand? There’s just too much left open for the giant hole they created.

Sorry if this came off as ranty, but I wanted to share my thoughts as someone who does like the senti plotline, but still has frustrations with the show’s writing quality and inability to pull it off.

In another show, the sentikid stuff would have been amazing, so I don't fault anyone for liking the concept! It's a fantastic setup for a dark and twisted take on the genres that Miraculous is playing with. I could easily see that more serious show being considered a sort of sister show to Madoka Magica in terms of what it's trying to do.

The problem is that Miraculous isn't Madoka Magica. It's not trying to be a dark fantasy for teens and adults. It's trying to be a rom-com for little kids and the sentikid plotline has no place in a rom-com for little kids. It's way too serious for many of the reasons that you brought up.

For me, the biggest one is probably this point:

Someone whose free will can be taken away so easily can’t be trusted with one of the most powerful objects in the world.

Because sentimonsters do not have true free will, Adrien is a massive liability who should never be trusted with a miraculous. The risk is simply too great. He should also never be with Marinette or anyone else whose job is high stakes as he's a massive liability to them. A perfect sleeper agent who could be commanded to fool everyone until it's too late.

Great stuff if you like psychological horror, terrible stuff if you're here to see the power of love and friendship triumph over all!

There's also the issue of when the sentitwist was introduced. Madoka Magica goes from classic magical girl team show to psychological horror within the first few episodes, which is perfectly reasonable. Shows often take a few episodes to establish their tone. Miraculous doesn't introduce the sentikid stuff until season four, well over 24 hours into the show's runtime, way too late for a massive tone shift!

Add in the issues with how the sentitwist is used to downplay Gabriel's abuse and Adrien's reactions to it and, yeah, this was not a good move. I have no idea how the writing team got the higher ups to approve this twist. I'm still stunned that Disney okayed it.

I do think that Miraculous could have kept its lighthearted nature and done the sentitwist, but it would have required the sentikids to have a way to truly break free. After all, Pinocchio is a children's story and it has similar elements, but we didn't get Pinocchio. Instead we got Ephemeral, the episode where our hero stared his love in the eyes and doomed the world because he is totally incapable of being her hero when someone else has even one of his rings. That isn't a love story. It's a tragedy.

[aelfgyvaa]

Period Drama Costuming - a (ranty) review

I love period dramas. I watch them like my life depends on it, and as a result, I have Thoughts. Period dramas are arguably where costuming becomes most important - here, costume isn't solely a storytelling device, it's a reflection of the specific place and time in which the narrative is taking place. Sometimes it's done well. Sometimes it really - really - isn't.

It's reductive to try and make any sweeping, general rules about how costumes in period dramas should be done. Every show has its own tone and style, and this is important to consider. However, some productions can take this in... interesting directions. We can really only judge each attempt at historical costuming on an individual basis, which - spoiler alert - is exactly what I'm about to do. Below the cut, I've had a look at some bad costumes, some good costumes, and some that don't really seem to fit in either category.

DISCLAIMER!! - This is simply an opportunity for me to rant about something I have a lot of (subjective) Feelings™ about, and is in no way supposed to comment on the overall quality of any of the pieces discussed. I'm also NOT claiming to be an expert on this topic. There are lots of people on here who undoubtedly know more about this than me, and if you're one of them, I'd really love to hear your thoughts!!

The Bad

Reign (The CW, 2013-17)

I've just gotta get this one out of the way. I made it through an almost-entire season of Reign before the atrocity that is its costuming got the better of me. If you'd shown me photos from this show without telling me it's about Mary Queen of Scots, I couldn't have guessed what period this might be set in. Reign's costume designer has stated "I wanted gowns that kept some kind of Elizabethan element, whether it was a nipped waist and extreme silhouette, or if it had a bit of a medieval feel" and uh. Yeah. By and large, that didn't happen. From what I can tell, a somewhat historical silhouette does begin to appear in the show's final season, but at what cost?

Perhaps Reign wouldn't have been as bad if the dresses were at least nice to look at. Instead, they're generally reminiscent of prom dresses - the fabric looks cheap, and the details look so tacky that I can't even endorse the costuming for this show from an aesthetic standpoint. Sorry to any Reign fans out there, but this is almost certainly going to be my most scathing review of the lot.

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The Musketeers (BBC, 2014-16)

I love The Musketeers. I really do. But what the costume department was thinking - especially when it came to the women's costumes - I really have no idea. I mean, a Peter Pan collar?? On the Queen of France??? IN THE 1620S???? Truly something. Constance always looks like she only half-finished getting dressed that morning (why is her hair down. she's married.), and Anne sports some of the most outlandishly ridiculous collars I've ever seen. I don't even want to get into what Marie de' Medici is wearing. It's belts - as a necklace apparently! She also appears to be hiding some kind of gourd under her hair, but alas.

Yes, the men wear pleather. Yes, it does upset me.

The Musketeers' costumes perhaps wouldn't sting so badly if they didn't dress numerous background extras in significantly more accurate clothing. I've spent too much time watching this show and sighing in despair because Noblewoman Number 3 has a more accurate 1620s dress than the literal Queen.

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The Spanish Princess (Starz, 2019-20)

I haven't properly sat down to watch The Spanish Princess through to its conclusion yet, but I do intend to - when she's not fawning over Richard III, Philippa Gregory adaptations can still be good fun, despite having about as much historical authenticity as the Fiji mermaid.

Nevertheless, no one in this show seems aware of what time period they're in, with dress styles spanning from early 14th-century surcoats to some fairly Elizabethan-looking silhouettes. The fabric choices are all over the place, and similarly - although not quite as egregiously - to Reign, often don't even manage to look good. Even from a modern standpoint, this show is colour- and pattern-clash galore. There is also practically no layering whatsoever, with the dresses going on as single pieces without a panel in sight. Admittedly probably easier from a production standpoint, but still.

Don't even get me started on the headdresses. Weird, pudding-cap-esque padded crowns and tiny scraps of fabric like the ones seen on Mary Tudor (an attempt at a French hood? I shudder) are fairly constant, although I have spotted a few passable attempts at a Gable hood.

They do get points for giving Arthur Tudor a fuck ass bob. Thanks.

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The Buccaneers (Apple TV+, 2023-)

When I first started The Buccaneers and saw what its costuming had to offer, I audibly sighed. If you're a fan of visible back-lacing, cheap quality fabrics, and poorly fitting bodices, this is the show for you. The 1870s look is not a difficult one to emulate, and yet The Buccaneers fails rather miserably with its main characters, half of whom appear to be walking around in their underwear, with untied hair and single-layer dresses. Poor Nan only seems to own about two outfits that aren't visibly too big for her.

But by far the greatest crime committed by The Buccaneers' costume department comes in the decision to have multiple instances in which characters appear to be wearing corsets as tops. Yeah. I had a rough time with that one too. Mabel seems a particular victim of this - in both of the images above she looks as if she's been rushed out of the house before she got the chance to even button up her dress. A State of Affairs indeed.

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The Good

Becoming Elizabeth (Starz, 2022)

Although I was slightly underwhelmed with the execution of Becoming Elizabeth's story, this was absolutely overshadowed by its costuming, which is probably one of the most historically accurate depictions of Tudor clothing I've ever seen. With the same costume designer as Shardlake (which is also very well done - a big day for fans of Anthony Boyle's codpiece), it's remarkably clear how much research went into the pieces worn on this show, with some directly recreated from portraits, and others visibly inspired by surviving clothing from the period.

I won't pretend that Becoming Elizabeth's costuming is without flaws - I'm not a fan of Elizabeth's hunting/riding clothes, and she wears her hair down far too often (Catherine Parr appeared at times to have access to a Dyson Airwrap). However, the positives definitely outweigh any gripes I have. We have dressing scenes in which we see the separate layers and panels that comprised Tudor dresses, and the French hoods actually have hoods, as opposed to simply being the semi-circular headbands we see far too often. The royal women wear ermine fur on their sleeves, and I was also a fan of the jewellery.

The care that went into the costumes for Becoming Elizabeth is so clear - I truly wish I'd enjoyed the plot more, if just so that I could spend more time staring at those dresses.

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Emma. (Autumn de Wilde, 2020)

I adore Emma, and its costuming is honestly perhaps the biggest part of that love. The waistlines! The hairstyles! The bonnets! Emma's costumes are proof that you don't have to sacrifice historical accuracy for the sake of stylization - it's by far the most zany and colourful of any direct Austen adaptation, and yet its visuals remain strikingly faithful to the Regency period.

Like Becoming Elizabeth, many of the pieces worn in Emma bear a striking resemblance to surviving pieces and fashion plates from the era. The only problem I've noticed in this was the alarmingly strange detachable ruff-thing Emma is shown wearing in one scene, but frankly, it still manages to fit the tone of the piece.

I'm usually not a huge fan of the Regency fashion depicted on television - I find it rather dull - but the costumes in this movie are gorgeously distracting in every scene. Turns out historical accuracy actually can make things better - who knew!

Is this enough to make me forgive Alexandra Byrne for the costumes in Mary Queen of Scots (2018)?

No.

(I do not forgive ANYONE who worked on Mary Queen of Scots for making Mary Queen of Scots.)

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Firebrand (Karim Aïnouz, 2023)

Firebrand hasn't even been released outside of Cannes yet, and already I am so, so down with everything it's giving. This movie could end up being the dullest two hours of my life, but I'll still sing its praises for one very simple reason - CHIN. STRAPS.

THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS!! The French hoods FINALLY have chin straps!!!! It's only been in virtually every well-known painting of them ever, no big deal.

Although we only have one trailer and a few promo photos to go off of, the costumes in Firebrand look fantastic, with enough layers, fur, embroidery, and hoop skirts to keep me happy for perhaps the rest of my life. We'll see how the movie itself turns out, but it already has a lot going for it in my eyes.

Also shoutout to Henry VIII's absolutely manky leg ulcers in the trailer. That's what I like to see.

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The Outliers

Right. Here is where the hypocrite accusations are about to come flying. But frankly, I said it myself at the start that every period piece deserves to be judged on an individual basis, and the tone and intention of each piece is important in how its costumes are perceived.

That being said, if you think any of the 'bad' costumes deserve to be in this section - maybe they should've tried not being ugly, idk.

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Bridgerton (Netflix, 2020-)

Bridgerton's excuse for its inaccuracy comes not from its lack of effort, but rather from its deliberate rejection of the historical narrative in any form whatsoever. We have two Real People™ in Queen Charlotte and King George III, but even their spin-off opens with a disclaimer that their story will be utterly fictional. Bridgerton does not present an issue like some of the other pieces on this list because it is actively opposed to being historically accurate to a degree that few other period pieces have arguably ever achieved.

Literally nothing about Bridgerton is consistent with history, so it does not disappoint when its costumes aren't either. The clothing does take visible inspiration from the Regency silhouette, but even then it is not consistent, with Queen Charlotte's costumes still firmly Georgian-esque (and honestly, marvellous wigs aside, they're not... bad?). Bridgerton is a historical fantasy before it's a historical drama, and as such it's easy to just sit back and enjoy the costumes for what they are - even when what they are is garish.

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The Great (Hulu, 2020-23)

The Great is first and foremost a dark comedy, not a historical piece. Yes, Catherine the Great and Peter III were real people, and yes, much like in the show, Catherine did overthrow her husband in real life, too. But the similarities end here, as none of the characters in The Great have any intention of resembling their real-life counterparts.

Set roughly in the 1740s, the costumes in The Great are clearly far from reality, but they still resemble the silhouettes we know and recognise as 18th Century. The show is a satirical means of poking fun at the opulent aristocracy, and as such every costume conveys a distinct appearance of luxury. Every single item of clothing worn by the nobility looks absurdly expensive, and the exaggerated ridiculousness of many of the looks we see onscreen are an intentional way of conveying how utterly disconnected the people at court are from reality. From Peter's leopard skin jacket to ladies wearing powdered wigs as hats, The Great's costuming is purposefully elevated from its historical source material, and that is precisely what makes it so good.

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The Favourite (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2018)

Sandy Powell's work on The Favourite is perhaps one of my all-time favourite pieces of costuming. Similarly to The Great, The Favourite utilises clearly recognisable aspects of 18th-century fashion - with ermine fur trim, half-length sleeves, and periwigs - but stylised so that everything conforms to a solidly black and white colour palate.

The Favourite's costumes are gorgeous and evocative of their time period - with well-portrayed mantuas, riding habits, fontanges etc. - all while conforming to Lanthimos' characteristically off-beat style. The shared colour palate really puts the three leads on equal footing in a visual sense, which is key in exploring the relationships that Abigail and Sarah are able to manipulate Queen Anne into developing. Had the colours and fabrics been historically accurate, I believe the movie would have risked making Anne too visibly above the rest of her court, but the striking congruence among the cast successfully solidifies their ability to exploit one another, regardless of status.

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I don't know if there are any conclusions to be drawn from this, I just love talking. If you've made it this far - thank you for reading! I hope you found at least some of this interesting.

I'm always open and eager to discuss this topic, so please do let me know your thoughts - What are your favourite period drama costumes? What piece of costuming made you go OH JESUS WHAT IS THAT???

Anyway, thank you for going down this little rabbit hole with me - my asks are always open! <3

[axnewxera]

// I've been deep in thought the last few days about Rufus and his character. I just started this blog and I'm still fleshing out my muse in my head.

So. I'mma dump some of my headcanon on the character, and this WILL affect how I RP him and this WILL get long and ranty.

(I'm sorry if the format is wonky, I'm laying in bed on mobile. Also spoilers of pretty much all FF7 media ahoy)

In the original game (and arguably in different levels in other media since then), Rufus is definitely presented as a villain.

His big introduction in the original game has him giving off this big speech to the party about how his father was too soft on the world with propaganda and narrative control and intended to instead rule through fear and intimidation. He stages a public execution of our party members late in the game. He tries to take Cid's plane instead of reviving the space program. He sent Cait Sith to act as a Shinra spy on our party (or at least was aware of this, as the Turks actively follow Cait Sith's intel). He bankrolled Avalanche to essentially backstab his father! He's very manipulative and deceitful and you can never quite trust him!

But honestly..... Nothing he's actually done has me convinced that he was ever actually a bad guy.

Yes, he SAYS how bad he is when you first meet him in the original. He definitely seems to WANT to be the big villain of the series. But Sephiroth's greater threat to the planet aside... Rufus is just not that guy.

Is Shinra, Inc. evil? Oh hell yeah. Heidegger, Scarlet? Yup. Hojo? LOL

But almost IMMEDIATELY after becoming president, Rufus started suppressing Heidegger and (presumably) Scarlet. Heidegger seemed to be THE dude for President Shinra. The two were very much in alignment in their goals and methods. And Rufus lowers him by berating him and never taking him seriously. Not to mention the fact that he basically started an eco-terrorist group to get his heartless evil father gone.

Even though he starts off saying how little the common people mean to him, his goals from very early on are to protect the world from Sephiroth, and to spearhead the effort to find the Promised Land. Even his execution of Barrett and Tifa is an attempt to comfort the people (and, I suspect, to draw Cloud out of hiding) - but he never seems too upset that they escaped the attempt. Or that Cait Sith remains on the party after his usefulness as a spy was over.

He comes off as arrogant and tricky, he sure does some mean things... but his intentions are noble, and his known tendency to play both sides of any conflict - secretly funding Avalanche, secretly funding the World Regenesis Organization, whatever amazing shenanigans are going on in the remakes with Wutai and Viceroy Sarruf - has me doubting that the "evil" stuff like the execution were even intended to actually take place. He's pulling strings to get people where he wants them.

Rufus can't just SAY what he wants. Advent Children is a good example - his intentions are much more openly "good", but no one believes him and there's all this doubt and "What is he really up to?" that swirl around his character. When it counted, he seemed surprisingly honest, yet it just pushed Cloud away.

If he came out as the president of this huge evil corporation and laid out his noble intentions to the world, everyone would doubt him every step of the way and his plans would never get done. Not to mention the very likely possibility that Heidegger and Scarlet and whatever supporters President Shinra still had would stage some sort of coup against him in that event. He still has to be a Shinra. So he does it to play the game, give the world or sometimes our party a villain to unite against, and get things done.

I also think Rufus sees HIMSELF as a villain, even though his intentions are pure. He's a Shinra, after all, and was raised by his father to be this heartless embodiment of pride and corporation. All that lying and manipulating and double-dealing leaves a mark on the psyche. He is fully comfortable presenting himself as the villain because he believes that's who he is, but he disagrees with his father's goals and methods so much that he actively sabotages himself.

I'm not sure if any of this was the writers' actual intent or if it's just all my interpretation, buuuuuut that's the fun of RP right? Getting to dig deeper and assign your own spin on the character.

[snowblack-charcoalwhite]

some fans said they set up Aemond with that line about Daemon and it was cringe but what if all his lines are cringe😔 some people are still making fun out of his rant to Cole in episode 9

Hi, and thank you for the ask!

I'd like to begin by saying that I personally don't find Aemond's line about Daemon cringe. Yes, there is something worth an eyeroll about it; but IMO it's not the fact that Aemond considers himself good enough to be able to stand against Daemon - it is that he thinks Daemon fears him.

When it comes to them potentially facing each other in combat Daemon definitely has an advantage thanks to his experience with actually fighting to the death, which is a completely different thing from being trained even by the best of the best. But let's not forget that Aemond has something on his side too, namely youth. And even if we discard this, I still don't think that Daemon is so superior to Aemond as a swordsman that it is ridiculous to even think the latter could have a chance at winning.

However, implying that Daemon would hesitate to face him... Come on, sweetheart.

And yet, even that does not feel cringe to me because it is 100% in character for Aemond. He was bullied and underestimated by his peers, including his brother, for years - and then, still a child, by claiming Vhagar he managed to accomplish a feat no one had thought him capable of achieving. So it's quite possible that from that moment on Aemond felt like he was meant to be the victor - in every situation; him managing to overcome his partial disability and become an excellent fighter surely helped as well. And this must have made his frustration with having to be behind Aegon - at the very least where the right to rule was concerned - grow stronger.

Aemond is dead sure he knows where to find his brother (but he doesn't); he rants about himself being a good candidate for the throne (which quite soon turns out to be quite arguable). And remember this -

He has got off the back of the largest living dragon - of course he would be able to do just as he says and face no consequences. How could it not be true? How could it not feel true? Leo Ashton just nailed capturing this newly discovered aspect of Aemond's personality.

So did Ewan - and I can't wait to see him developing it further in Season 2. One of the most wonderful things about his Aemond is that he combines arrogance and overconfidence (which initially came from the place of insecurity) with vulnerability - sometimes even with gentleness.

Sorry, it got kind of ranty:) To finish this, I would like to say that there certainly are ways to ruin Aemond's character - but as far as I am concerned making him believe in his utter invincibility is not one of them.

[rotating-hyperfixations]

I really feel like young fans of artists are setting a dangerous precedence with labeling every song that sounds similar to one another as a ripoff/plagiarism.

Guts by Olivia Rodrigo dropped today and naturally I gave it a listen because I generally enjoy her music and will support any artist trying to bring rock back into pop a little bit. After listening I hopped on Twitter and one of the first things I see are people comparing All American Bitch to Start All Over by Miley Cyrus. Now I am an enjoyed of Start All Over, I was in Miley Cyrus’s target demographic when that song came out in 2007/2008 as a ten year old girl, hell I still listen to that song today when I’m feeling nostalgic. It’s a great song, however it does not bear significant resemblance to All American Bitch like people make it out to be. The verses and the bridge of both songs are different and while I can understand the chorus having a similar sound, I don’t think it warrants the overreaction people are having on Twitter and TikTok.

Now I’m not saying there will never be merit to people calling out songs sounding similar to the point where maybe it’s plagiarism. However, I feel like a lot of people (specifically young people, like under the age of 24) are calling any songs that sound similar as being “the exact” same, when a lot of times they belong to the same genre and have a similar sound as a result. I think it’s damning that this only seems to happen to young female artists (and probably woc at a higher rate) and part of it is that their fan bases are young like I’ve mentioned and haven’t lived enough to understand that this just part of music (I’d recommend the youths listen to the four chords song to see how similar a lot of songs are). But I think it’s mostly misogyny and this need to put females against each other and prop up one or a few while squashing others that are perceived as a “threat”.

Sorry that got ranty towards the end, I just think it’s a shame Olivia Rodrigo (and some other artists, I’m sure but I admit I mostly listen FOB and 80s and 90s rock, I’m not up to date on a lot of artists) are constantly reduced to false claims of plagiarism simply because they have songs that may sound similar to existing ones because they have a similar chord progression or something dumb like that. When they are writing original music (in an era in which that is so hard to come by) that is genuinely good and should be celebrated as it’s own work and not constantly compared to others.

[spaceacerat]

are these not normal? they were in your tags from this post

Hello! I wasn't sure if you mean blisters, or random moments of pain, so I'll assume both! I tried to separate the sections.

TW: medical neglect, medical abuse from doctors (I think it counts as that anyways, especially under the cut), mentions of skin-based injuries

(I apologize, this ended up turning into a scrambled medical rant because I have a lot of big feelings about how kids/teens/young adults can be completely ignored for even very noticeable signs of disability or issues and grow up suffering for it. I'm also just very tired and feeling weird and am in a ranty mood wanting my pain and suffering to be heard 😭)

BLISTERS:

On the case of blisters, I have little frame of reference for how often normal people blister, but my partners never seem to. Whenever I look into it, normal people apparently blister from shoes being too tight, or hiking or something very strenuous.

If your skin blisters with heat or certain fabrics, from wearing shoes even if they fit, clothing, sleeping, sitting, standing, or walking, or comes off easily from a mild bump into something, it is Not Normal.

My old PCP, when I finally asked him about it, was stunned, and did a biopsy when I had blisters I didn't have to pop. He thinks it's Epidermolysis bullosa simplex, but I can't get an official diagnosis without a genetic test that insurance doesn't cover apparently, and the dermatologist I went to was useless.

I would give advice on how to deal with it if anyone is ever interested, but what works for me probably won't work for everyone.

I don't know how it's supposed to be dealt with according to medical science, and I'm apparently (according to a partners nurse mother) very lucky I haven't gotten an infection. After all, I do it the broke person "here's my value pack of sewing pins and some paper towels" way, not the "I have access to medical resources and specialized sterile needles/bandages" way.

PAIN:

In regards to feeling pain most of the time, I've had one of my partners ask what level of pain I'm usually at, and I shrugged and went "Ehh, most of the time a 1-2, sometimes a pang of 3, a 4-5 if something specific hurts, at worst a 6-9 if somethings wrong like a migraine or whatever." He then wisely told me "You know what level normal people are at most of the time? A zero. Most people aren't in pain unless something is wrong."

I suppose that put things into perspective regarding my health, after years of just dealing with random bouts of sudden health issues I had to deal with usually completely on my own growing up.

(side note, watching something like lord of the rings as a kid, which involved a lot of scenes of them all just walking or running, would make me cringe because "holy shit they must be in so much pain :( they're so brave, and so strong for still walking and running for hours when they surely have blistered by now! I hope they have plenty of sewing needles to pop them when they stop to rest!" because my dumbass couldnt even walk around an amusement park for a day without limping badly and slowly while being told to hurry up by an older sibling, and these guys were walking and running for months on uneven terrain. Still jealous about that >:( )

(more ranting under the cut but about other things I've come to realize weren't normal [AKA specifics about the skin disorder/medical issues] or just makes me mad because suddenly I just feel the need to about my personal medical crap. Maybe someone will see it and see themselves in it. Sorry about that 😅)

in reference of the tag, I meant how I blister. I came out of the womb missing skin, and have always blistered around my body very easily. The docs claimed it was eczema when I was a baby, and they didn't bother looking into it further, but from the few people I have met who have that, they don't show any of my symptoms. Meanwhile I grew up thinking it was completely normal, and that everyone was just walking around in pain and ignoring it better than me.

I can't wear tennis shoes/heels/sandals/flipflops/crocs because the backs always rub my ankles raw and they're too soft so every step they rub around my toes, (or flip-flops would just tear the skin between my toes) but I had to grow up wearing tennis shoes all the time. That meant every night after school I'd come home and have to pop the blisters to drain them before I could sleep. Now I wear flat combat boots with two pairs of socks and it's so much better, but still not perfect, since I can't really walk outside in the summer.

I've blistered from walking, sitting, lying down, being outside in the heat, sweating, sleeping with my thighs touching, all sorts of things. Skin can also come off entirely if I get scratched or bumped into something. One time my leg got stuck at a bent angle because I fell asleep without popping the blister behind my knee, and it dried to the point where I couldn't pull it apart without pain.

Something else about that is that I'm allergic to adhesives and latex. The few times I've 'had' to wear bandaids were hellish, as it would remove the entire top layer of skin with it since it blistered under it. When I had to do an allergy test with the adhesive (dermatologist decided it had to be an allergy, because he's a dumbass), I made them cut them and put them on my arms instead of my back, where they promptly blistered after a few hours and I had to peel them off myself with a leather belt between my teeth to keep from chipping a tooth (because when I say it was incredibly painful, thats a massive understatement).

No one around me cared that I was suddenly having to lean against walls and furniture to get around because my legs wanted to give out from under me due to sudden muscle weakness and a pounding heart/chest pains/dizziness, or the few migraines I got in middle school that made me throw up a few times which weirdly made the migraine go away after enough times doing that. Or my limping from blisters, or the medication side effects that showed up when I started taking antipsychotics.

On note of medication, none of the psychs I went to told me about medication side effects. I was 13 when I started Seroquel (my guess is because they wanted to sedate me because of a whole fiasco, my partners nurse mother was shocked when she found out I was on it at such a young age for what were incredibly mild bipolar 2 symptoms). It caused me to pass out a few times, and I just had to keep taking it despite it actually making my depression/hypomania incredibly bad through the rest of middle and high school, because I wasn't aware I should tell my doctor it was making me worse. Never got bloodwork for it either.

After a while I switched meds, but was still having the worst depressive symptoms and my hypomania got even worse. One of the ones a doc had me try basically short circuited my brain. I had a five second memory if that, was shuffling around leaning against everything trying to stay upright, could barely think or talk outside of slurred words... My family saw this, and just went "You good?" and when I half-muttered a 'yeah' because I couldn't think straight enough to realize I should say no, they just shrugged and asked if I could do the dishes. I shook my head and went back to bed, passing out for 10 hours. Refused to ever take that medication again once I woke up, despite my psych trying to tell me I had to give it at least two weeks to start working properly. Fuck that.

When I show signs that something is wrong and I mention it to someone, and everyone brushes it off, it becomes normalized in the brain. But it's not. Now that I have partners who grew up going to the doctor for their problems, they're horrified, especially when they see me actively struggling with it. I had an episode (sudden muscle weakness/chest pains/pounding heart/dizzy) last month in front of them, and they were seriously debating taking me to a hospital but I kept refusing and saying it would pass because it always did and I wasn't afraid. It did eventually pass after about 7 hours, but not before scaring the shit out of them.

And these were the same signs I showed at work, twice, neither time I went home. I worked as a janitor during one of them, my manager saw but didn't think to do anything. I still managed to clean, but I did lie down and pass out in one of the back offices for a few minutes and just got up and went right back to work because I didn't want to get in trouble.

Also, a shout out to the laundromat I was forced to continue working at when I had covid!! I thought I was dying but they wouldn't let me take work off until I had a positive test, so I was forced to work the place completely alone for 8 hours during the first three days of major symptoms because I was desperate to keep the job and didn't know I could just refuse or call someone!! I mean, have you ever had to wash/dry/fold 200+ pounds of laundry completely alone in one night while every part of you thinks you're dying, and then on top of that having to deal with customers/machine issues, lift heavy trash bags, and clean dusty airvents and the rest of the place aka bathrooms and floors?? It's incredibly awful!! I did my damndest to keep my hands washed to the point where the skin came off a bit on one of my fingers and wearing a mask constantly while trying to keep my distance. Worst three days ever.

[blackkatmagic]

not sure if you've seen the newest ep of the acolyte but if you have did you feel like the moment when sol immediately killed the animal was super jarring? like name a less jedi thing to do than not even trying to find a way out of the situation without killing it when you have a whole squad of jedi backup (wow I realized that came off way more ranty than I expected) but genuinely interested in your opinion!

I haven't seen it, sorry. Life is currently eating my face but I'm really excited to catch up. 😭

[tothepointofinsanity]

About the KyoSaya stuff. I adore character dynamics that bring out each character's ideology by juxtaposition. I adore it even more when the characters rely on each other for balance to be achieved, both thematically in the story and personally for the characters. I think the balance that can be achieved between Kyoko and Sayaka in a "best case scenario" is beautiful, and very good for both of them. Sayaka can reignite Kyoko's passion for believing in good, and force her to care about other people again, getting her out of her entirely self-oriented existence. And Kyoko can help Sayaka take care of herself and learn to be okay with doing things for herself, get her out of her entirely other people oriented existence. Together they could achieve a life of balance, keeping each other in check and being there for each other. A life where it is okay to be naive and want to help others and it is also okay to be selfish and do things for your own sake. Those ideas can exist together, i think. Sayaka in Rebellion seems to have taken Kyoko's ideas more into account. She doesn't hate herself anymore. I love Kyoko because she is able to exist without exterior validation. She lives for herself, and in that way she never has any regrets. However, Sayaka shows her she can't stay totally indifferent. Ideally, they would be able to live together with Sayaka accepting her own nature without hating herself, and Kyoko accepting her own softer side and not rejecting it. I don't know if you know anything about the game Madoka Portable (came out way before Magia Record), but there are some "routes" in that game where Kyoko and Sayaka manage to become close without Sayaka witching out. To me, Madoka Portable is some of the best extra content there is for Madoka Magica. There are tons of great character moments and KyoSaya absolutely rules in it. There's a quote Kyoko says in the game (unless i made it up, which is possible lmao). it's roughly her saying to Sayaka "Let's live the rest of our selfish lives together!". and that has got to be one of my favorite quotes from anything (even if i did make it up. i don't think i did?). God, relationships where you just want the characters to give in to each other, and figure out the rest together. I'm sorry this is SO ranty and all over the place.

The core ideal of KyoSaya being the yin and yang of each other is often highlighted, which I also enjoy.

I would like to think that these two are special to each other as a result — previously, Sayaka had never been actively (or in Kyoko's case, aggressively) opposed to before in her ideology of self-sacrifice as heroism, while Kyoko had never met a more persistent believer in goodness since her own experiences with her family and the church. Something akin to an unmovable object versus an unstoppable force, except both of them play both roles.

They enable each other and it's true that people with strong personalities often clash together as a result of their conflicted views. But it's where the angst and essence of KyoSaya comes in: they have to learn to not only compromise their values, but to also embrace each other to be at peace with the more extreme parts of said beliefs. Coexistence, yes. The scene where Oktavia makes her second appearance, there is a brief moment where red (Kyoko) mixes in with a crying figure of Sayaka to comfort her, before the mixture spills onto the ground, signifying both of their ends were made in this fusion and peace making.

Ah, I heard of the game before, since a while back I wanted to see if there was anywhere I could still play it on. I didn't look too in-depth into it, so I'm pleasantly surprised that KyoSaya would be hinted in it too. "Let's be selfish together!" is...so....one of my favourite embodiments of any couple dynamic ever o_o It makes sense since Sayaka was afraid of being seen as selfish for wanting someone to understand her and her frustrations, which Kyoko does. And Kyoko wants Sayaka, out of all people, to be with her because Sayaka made Kyoko learn to genuinely care and trust someone again. With Kyoko's trust, Sayaka could be less harsh on herself as a result!! The description that they have to give into each other and figure the rest together in a confusing and unforgiving world is quite literally the Most Thing ever.

It's devotion, ultimately. They are devoted to each other. Thank you for the ask, and no worries about it being a rant. This blog is for all Sayaka and Sayaka-related pairings enjoyers alike. ^^

[blubushie]

PSST if you’re looking for media with good rep. The Orville has a great example of an aro x allo relationship. Granted the aro character is a robot, but it’s still amazingly done and they even get married and are very happy.

I'm not actually. I have literally never engaged with media on the basis of it having representation for a group I'm part of. I engage with shit when it looks cool or like it'd interest me or the plot is engaging for me.

Also if I did and it was for an aromantic character I'd not engage with one that has an aro get involved in a partnership like that only cuz I'm tired of how people pull the "well aros can still date and act romantic!!" thing. It's annoying and this is coming from an aro who's dated and likes acting romantic. Too much aro rep (especially in fandom) is aros doing allo shit and it comes off like we're only allowed to be aro/only can be accepted if we perform allonormativity.

Or like people just can't accept/respect aros and just HAVE to push their romantic ideals on us. A character is revealed to be aro and fandoms continue shipping them romantically cuz "aros can still date!!1!" I'm tired of it. Just say you don't care about them being aro and still wanna ship them romantically cuz you like the dynamic. I'd respect you more if you actually just came out and said that shit with your whole chest instead of making excuses for why the erasure is ok.

Sorry close calls with fire make me ranty I guess. I'll take your word for it that it's good but if I get into it it won't be because of an aro character.

[pettyrevenge-base]

Refuse to pay for boiler repair during winter? Okay then…

This was about 10 years ago. Still makes me feel good whenever I think about it.  

I used to rent a house. The landlord lived abroad, so his Brother (nice guy) looked after maintenance and the landlord’s Lawyer (douchebag) looked after the contract/legal stuff. I had the Brother’s phone number as he was my point of contact if anything needed fixing.  

One winter, the boiler broke. This is in Northern Europe, so this is considered to be an emergency repair. I called the Brother multiple times, but it always went straight to voicemail. It didn’t even ring. I left a bunch of texts, and spent the first night shivering under all the bedding in the house as temperatures outside approached freezing.

The next morning, I left more voicemails and texts, but by the afternoon, still no response. By this point, the temperature inside the house was around 7 degrees Celsius. I decided to take matters into my own hands, and ring around for an engineer to fix it. They came that evening, diagnosed the problem (a worn out motor), removed the broken part, installed the new part, and billed me for parts and labour. I texted the Brother to let him know what I had done.  

A few days later, the Brother finally responded and apologised for being out of touch. He had been on holiday. I said no major harm done, but I need reimbursement for the repair. He told me to call the Lawyer and gave me his number.  

I called the Lawyer and explained everything. He was like a brick wall. Totally unreasonable, unsympathetic to the situation, and accusatory to me, saying that I had broken the terms of the tenancy agreement. I said that they had also violated the agreement by not responding to an emergency repair in a reasonable amount of time. Under the circumstances, I felt I had no choice, and hope we can come to some sort of arrangement. He said no. I asked whether we could split the bill - I pay for the labour, and they pay for the part, which will remain in the boiler in their property indefinitely. He said no, and at that point said I should “put this all down as a lesson learned and move on”, and hung up on me.  

I was not very happy, to say the least. The bill was pretty significant, and I had effectively repaired their boiler for them free of charge. Not to mention the inconvenience and discomfort of being without heating in winter.  

I was looking at the engineer’s bill wondering what I could do, then realised - the bill has my name, my phone number, my signature on it, and the part and its cost clearly listed.  

I waited 8 months until the tenancy agreement expired, then moved out (I was planning to anyway). I called the same engineer and asked him to remove the motor from the boiler. He questioned why, but I talked around it, paid him cash, and all was good. It obviously cost me more money, but ended up being totally worth it.  

When I moved out the next day, I made sure everything was spotless, and left the property like a perfect tenant. The Brother came to inspect the property. He had a cursory look around to check nothing was obviously damaged, then bid me goodbye, and I gave him the keys. Thankfully he didn’t check whether the boiler was working. Why would he? He knows I would have informed him immediately had it broken again. Either way, the security deposit landed back in my account a few days later.  

A couple of months went by, and then I got a text from the Brother asking if the boiler had been working okay when I left. I said yeah, why? No response.  

Next day I got a phonecall from the Lawyer. He was furious.  

Lawyer: Did you remove the motor from the boiler?!  

Me: Yes. Why?  

Lawyer: rants about damage to landlord’s property etc  

Me: Sorry, bit busy right now. Please put all of this in writing to my email hangs up  

Later that day I got a VERY long, ranty email threatening legal action. He obviously took some time to put it together, but honestly it reeked of intimidation tactics.  

I waited a day or so, just to be annoying, then replied:  

“Dear Lawyer,  

Thank you for your email.  

Please find attached a document that proves that the boiler motor in question is my own personal property.  

I recommend you put this all down as a lesson learned and move on.

Sincerely,  

OP”  

I attached the engineer’s original bill and clicked send.  

Never heard back.  

To this day, I’m not 100% sure I was legally in the clear, but it was definitely worth the risk, knowing that they had to pay for it in the end.  

TL:DR Landlord’s representative refuses to reimburse me for emergency boiler part replacement, so I take the part with me when I move out, rendering the boiler useless.

Source: reddit.com/r/pettyrevenge