#sorry this is actually so baf

[kindaasrikal]

I need people to remember that Nya was also in love with Jay since day 1, its just that it wasn’t her biggest priority seeing as she was going through a whole thing called insecurities and finding who she is outside of her brother and outside of her parents and outside of her village and outside of Jay.

Nya loves Jay the same amount, she has loved Jay just as long as Jay had, but her love for Jay wasn’t something she was willing to pursue when absolutely everyone would dumb her down to just that. The same way everyone was already dumbing her down to Kai’s sister the second they all met, and the same way they were already dumbing her down to just the love interest between Jay and Cole even after finding her identity and place as Samurai X. Imagine how much it hit her when Samurai X, and image she crafted so carefully with so much love and attention and pride, was suddenly belittled and mocked because apparently he was actually a she.

And you can’t forget the fact that she was suddenly forced to grapple with another new identity as the water ninja, and then had to deal with all the hate and mockery and belittling everyone was doing as she wasn’t just the water ninja, but the girl ninja. Its not easy to hear the comments people from a whole city make of you because of your gender. Even people from your own gender, and it must’ve been even worse because no one else understood, they knew it was a problem but they still believed her reactions were too over the top. The stress of all of that and then also having someone she loved but wasn’t ready to love with try force another path onto her was bound to stress her out.

Jay wasn’t necessarily an ass during that season, from what i can remember. He was a whole mess yeah, his insecurities making him take actions he wouldn’t have before and try forcing his wants and desires onto someone else who wasn’t ready for it. But he grew and learnt and stopped all that as the season progressed. He had to understand that the people around him won’t just leave or downgrade him, and that he must ease his own anxiety and understand that whatever happens will happen for the good of them all. That doesn’t change the fact that his actions in the beginning was a shi show though, so no wonder Nya pushed him away during that time. Reminder that you can still be angry and annoyed at someone you love, especially when they deserve it.

Not to mention she has never been all that vocal with her affection. Not like Jay. You know she cares and loves you simply through the way she trusts people but shes also been a lot more locked up over her emotions, and thats okay. Because Jay knows (haha, knew.) that Nya loves him just as much because if she didn’t she would very obviously state that. She may not be vocal over her emotions or her love for someone, but she is over her opinions. She won’t just let someone use her or mess with her because she feels bad or that she has too.

Right now, for Nya and Jay’s character, I’d rather focus on the identity crisis that JAY is going through now instead of Nya, and of how NYA is the one chasing and wanting to bring Jay into her life despite him not wanting (not being ready?) to do so. I’d rather focus on her development as a character and now as a teacher. And how Nya is going to change and grow like how Jay changed and grew in Skybound for her. Honestly I would love a lot more focus of developing Nya’s character as an adult who is horrible at being vulnerable and how she will grow, with the whole ‘Nya and Jay!’ Thing just a tad bit more in the background and used as more of a kick up for it. And for us to watch what may happen to Jay as he changes in a new environment with new memories and experiences.

For once, i want to watch them grow separately rather than watch them grow for each other. I know Nya can do that, but it’s only with Jay having lost his memories that he’s now capable of doing that for himself and only himself.

Sorry this was huge throw up of a rant so honestly just believe that this is five random points shoved into one post and rambled in a horrible way

Edit: reminder that Nya didn’t just disregard her feelings for Jay just so she wouldn’t be placed as simply his girlfriend, but also because she had many other worries. Completing missions and making sure everyone lived, being the biggest brain and planner in the team for ages, as well understanding her self outside of her town that she lived in for ages. Kai was able to fond himself easily amongst the other ninja, but Nya didn’t have that. So obviously she, as a 13-16 year old young teenage girl, would rather focus on finding new hobbies and having new experiences than pursuing a love life she wouldn’t even be confident in pursuing in. Jay and Nya are not each other only priority or worry, their love for each other is important to them and who they are, but isn’t the most defining factor or shouldn’t be the most focused.

[mimkyyyy]

Biggest shoutout to that one trolls fanfic I found searching for gold. It isn’t even the best thing I’ve read the but it’s rotting my brain and I need you guys to experience the beauty of this art I’ve made for it. I ended up making an entire PowerPoint deep dive on the story I’m genuinely deranged.

[wwooyology]

istfg that some ppl in the kpop bst community don't understand the damn values of some of these fucking photocards. like wym you want to trade for a pob AND an ultimate vip ld for a damn EXCLUSIVE????? just bc the pc is in high demand does NOT mean it's value is higher. like if ppl are gonna continue to be like this I'd rather just buy a whole new album and take my chances at pulling for the pcs I want jesus.

this is also the second time THIS WEEK that someone has done this to me. I have another person offering me the bow exclusive pcs and istfg they do the same thing I'mma just jump bc wtf is wrong with ppl???

[moe-broey]

I am...... getting A Little nostalgic for Stardew Valley........ but I know it is SUCH a commitment like if I get back into that shit I'm blacking out for a month. I Cannot Allow It

[smosh-fessions]

genuinely don't understand why people think damien seems more eager to be friends w angela and she seems completely uninterested in being friends with him? i'd say damangela is probably pretty low on my list of favorite smosh duos, but i think they seem to like each others' presence equally? maybe i am too autistic to see angela as anything but super friendly and willing to befriend everybody, damien included! damien's just been super busy but i remember late 2021- 2023- during BAF Legacy era, angela, shayne, damien, chanse and amanda were shaping up to be The Team™️- at least to me- and damien's only been excluded from these conversations since the falling apart of Sword AF and damien's VO work has made him step away from smosh more.

i truly don't get the amount of scrutiny damangela gets because trevrasha has just as much "coworkers standing next to each other" energy as damangela but some people act like trevor and arasha could be in love. genuinely so baffled. like, yeah, both pairs seem to like each other well enough and get along and i can see the appeal of it but as an audience member, i prefer them with other people. if anything, i actually prefer watching the angela-trevor/ damien-arasha dynamic more than trevrasha and damangela, but making up fanfiction that damien is creepy and eager to pander to damangela shippers while angela secretly hates him is so odd ESPECIALLY because angela seems like a sincerely accomodating, open and friendly person to everybody she encounters? and wasn't damien the one who actively shut down angela saying she knew his sex catch phrase and called her "bud" and "pal"?? and damien always tries to make jokes with people that don't always land and are awkward, not just with angela but with literally everyone excluding shayne. maybe i'm not seeing what everyone else is seeing but? genuinely so confused? i'm not trying to excuse any of damien's previous problematic behavior, or angela's if there is anything- but they seem to get along and like each other, on an on-screen chemistry level? to me, it feels like a subconscious bias against damien because he has autism but i could just be being totally unfair to people who think differently, i'd be open to hearing people's opinions on this!

sorry for being so rambly i've been stewing on this for a couple months.

There are multiple hours of compilations of them being kind and friendly towards each other, so at this point it boils down to petty fandom drama, I think. It's the "my fave would NEVER like your fave." Its childish bs and I've watched it happen across every fandom I've ever been in.

Certain groups of Angela stans mock damangela relentlessly and they deeply dislike Damien. They're largely on Twitter but it leaks over here occasionally. I find it's best to block liberally if any of them, or anyone in general, makes you uncomfortable with the way they talk about it.

As a fellow autistic person, I also dislike the amount of 'evidence' that gets presented to show that he's annoying Angela is just ableism and nitpicking autistic behaviors.

Damien gets a lot of unwarranted shit and basically anyone who gets shipped with him gets subjected to it in their own manner.

Sorry if my answer is also rambly.

[ask-butterscotch-and-friends]

Goodbye, Silent...

Silent Sweeney is a character I created back in 2017, originally named Silent Bendy.

Back in the days of the old Bendy blog, Silent served more of a purpose. They actually had more going on than Butterscotch (just called Bendy at the time) story wise, and had a lot more people interested in them. They were very much a fan favorite back in those days.

But...I noticed something.

Ever since I created Butterscotch and Friends the way it is now, back in 2021, Silent has served less of a purpose. Story wise, there is nothing note worthy that Silent has done. The focus has shifted where it's supposed to be: Mainly on Butterscotch.

Then I thought about it...when I first started Butterscotch and Friends, originally as a reset of my old Bendy AU, the ONLY reason I even brought Silent along was because I thought that if I didn't, Silent's old fans would riot. But it appears that the fanbase for Butterscotch and Friends is different from the fanbase for my old Bendy blog. More understanding, for one, and also more interested in Butterscotch and Finn rather than Silent.

I've also come to the realization that I have really no desire to write Silent as a character anymore, at least not for Butterscotch and Friends. When it comes to Butterscotch and Friends, I'm more interested in writing Butterscotch, Finn, Lottie, and Val.

So it is with a heavy heart that I have made a very tough decision.

From this day forward, I will be retiring Silent as a character in Butterscotch and Friends. I'm still holding on to Silent as a character and may use them in a separate project, but as far as THIS story goes, Silent no longer serves a purpose and therefore is being retired.

I am sorry to any old Silent fans this may upset, but as a writer I don't want to have characters around that don't serve any purpose. Especially not when they're SUPPOSED to be a main character like Silent was.

This is also a retcon. This change is making it so Silent never existed in the context of BAF, so if Butterscotch and Lottie receive any questions about them they're not gonna know who you're talking about.

TL;DR

Silent served a purpose back in the Bendy days, but doesn't serve a purpose in Butterscotch and Friends anymore, and is therefore being retired and retconned from the story.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, August 13

Willow: Well, there's Scoobyage afoot. Giles called a meeting about our spankin' new menace. Tara: Oh ... y-you should go, they don't need me for that. You can fill me in. Willow: No, no, you have to come. This demon chick is supposed to be really powerful, and I was thinking. Maybe we could try that, that spell, you know, the one to find demons? Tara: That didn't work. Willow: Yeah ... but we only tried it once, and I-I think I got some ingredients wrong. Tara: Well, I-I'm tired. Maybe we can do it tomorrow? Willow: You sure you don't wanna- Tara: Look, my family's here, okay, I can't just- (pauses) Not everything is about your friends and stuff. Willow: Sorry. Tara: No! No, I mean... There's just so much ... going on. It's just ... I'm, I'm really tired. Willow: (nods) Okay. Tara: I'll see you in the morning. You can fill me in. Willow: Great. We'll be demon hunters.

~~Buffy Season 5 Episode #84: "Family"~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Danger in All Forms (Buffy, T, Harry Potter xover) by mmooch

Sugar and Spice (Faith/Wesley/Cordelia/Fred, T) by Kittenwritings

Task Mistress (CUT SCENES) (Buffy/Spike, E) by HappyWhenItRains

Shadows Of The Spotlight (Ensemble, E) by BlueZeroZeroOne

[Chaptered Fiction]

Don't Swerve Ch. 1-2/10 (Buffy/Faith, E) by thisyearsgrrl

Situation Normal - All Faithed Up Ch. 3 (Buffy/Faith, M) by QuillBard

Cheese Board Ch. 1/2 (Buffy/Riley, E) by TheClowniestLivInExistence

The Right Swipe Ch. 4 (Buffy/Giles, E) by DancingAngel0013

Home Movies Ch 25/25 (COMPLETE) (Buffy/Spike, E) by cawthraven

Midnight At The Lost & Found Ch. 2/10 (Buffy/Giles, T) by The_Crazy_Knight

Don't Swerve Ch. 2/10 (Buffy/Faith, E) by thisyearsgrrl

In the Company of Witches and Slayers Ch. 131/200 (Willow/Tara, E) by VladimirHarkonnen (TheLightdancer)

Casts Shadows CH. 1-17/17 (COMPLETE) (Ensemble, M, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner Xover) by arcanedreamer

Along Came Two, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, T) by LilithSwan

East of Nevada, Chapter 14 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Blissymbolics

The Neighbor's Point of View, Chapter 121 (Buffy/Spike, G) by the_big_bad

Task Mistress, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, E) by HappyWhenItRains

I Do!, Chapter 36 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Dusty

A Business Arrangement , Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Desicat

The Dark Fusion Ch. 13 (Xander, DCU xover) by LoneFrog

It’s a Secret Ch. 1/? (Xander, T, Harry Potter xover) by MsSunshine

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:Buffy () by stateofdreaminn

Artwork:Spike () by bertolts

Artwork:Buffy () by tiaragloryart

[Reviews & Recaps]

PODCAST: Never Leave Me S7 E9 by Buffy and the Art of Story

PODCAST: Episode 37 - Taquitos, Kissing Toast, and Khaki Trousers (Faith, Hope, and Trick) by The Sunnydale Diaries

PODCAST: ATS 221 - Through The Looking Glass by Another Buffy Podcast

PODCAST: Episode 125: Gone by Mythtaken

[Community Announcements]

Tuesday: 100 Words on AUs by comment_fic

[Fandom Discussions]

Never Kill a Boy on the First Date Fashion Part Three by theoverlookedoneedits1997

Drusilla says “I see such pretty fire” by ceoazula

i love cordelia chase so so much by comradesummers

Obsessed w Joyce Summers’ wilful ignorance. by duckwnoeyes

The Pack Fashion Part One by theoverlookedoneedits1997

faith literally is into older women as we see with lilah morgan. by lesbianmarrow

actually, if you have any fun thoughts on Anyanka by darkwing-katy

Willow Rosenberg is the type of girl to mock Orpheus for turning around. by duckwnoeyes

I know we’ve discussed the Buffy/Faith dreams as like a shared space by 5bi5

David Boreanaz Talks The Buffyverse.And Importance To His Career by BAF

Xander’s Best Moment by theoriginalbabayaga

Her accent was a crime against the people of the Caribbean by nowlan101

Buffy Season 1 appreciation thread by jdpm1991

My new hill to die on by Calm_Cicada_8805

If Anya had a hen party/bachelorette party. What would happen by M_Partlett

In Surprise, why did Angel jump into the water after Buffy? Wrong answers only by ginime_

Rewatch Thoughts: Riley by Main-Kale-8383

I fell in love with her during this scene. (in a nice way) by sKullsHavezzz

What is one thing you think Buffy the Vampire Slayer did better than Angel? by SafiraAshai

Buffy and the Olympics by Snugglepuffs33

OMG James Is Amazing!! by StrawberryBlondiexox

Buffy’s most profound lines? by lokeyvigilante

Halloween episode season 2 by JewelerDear9233

Becoming part 2 - season 2 by Anonymous

does anyone know how the gift was filmed? by brian5mbv

Cordelia and Connor by Worth_Wallaby5387

Sanshu confusion by bankruptbusybee

Buffy + Angel by Electrical-Host-8526

Most Hated Buffy Character by Think_Web_1353

The Anointed One by nym5

I guess I’ve always been slow on the uptake. by spectacularfreak

And the most adorable BTVS moment award goes to… by No-Grapefruit8778

Team Spuffy or Team Bangel by gamerrat_13

I wish I had even a 10th of the audacity in real life that Cordelia has in every scene by nowlan101

Which revoke invitation spell was more humbling? by InfiniteMehdiLove

The body by Medical-Delivery-439

Veruca by bitchhhcrafttt

What would Buffy from the show think of Pike from the movie if they met? by jdpm1991

S5 E12 by Main-Kale-8383

Season 4 by rickytractor

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

PUBLICATION: David Boreanaz Would Be Open to Returning to the World of Buffy and Angel by CBR

PUBLICATION: 10 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Moments That Hit Different in 2024 by MovieWeb

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Join the editor team :)

[pumpkin-spike18]

✨Weekly Progress 2024 #22-23✨

#22 would've come out last week if I didn't forget my planner when I packed for traveling.

Weekly Progress #22

Updated tumblr tags

Thumbnailed, sketched, refined sketched, lined, and finished [fan project #2] illustration

Submitted forms for [fan projects]

Made work plans for P-M and SFB

Basic o2a2 outline

Fixed SYVNH bug

Generated sprite pieces for P-M and SFB

Fleshed out o2a2 outline

Weekly Progress #23

Coded P-M sprites

Updated itch page images

Made new BWBOK schedule

Copied P-M script into Renpy

Scripted P-M s1-s3

Answered BWBOK comments

Drafted [fan project] posts

Designed P-M GUI

Wrote 100+ words for SFB

A Sky of Falling Birds

As I mentioned before, SFB is my next big project, which I plan to submit for BAF VN Jam. That's... 7/1.

It's okay, I still got... 20 days.

There's a lot of work left to do and not much to show off at the moment.

Pre-Make

Or Pre 🕰 Make (P-M), I haven't completely decided on how to advertise the title yet. It's a "small" project that I came up with back in 2020 and still haven't finished. I thought I'd dedicate a few days' time to it and see how far I'd get. There's still a bit of work to do, but much of it is done.

The art's quite old and the story telling was the original test I did for SYVNH's looping mechanism so it won't be anything novel. The screenshot above is from this game. If he looks a little familiar, don't worry. That's not your imagination.

The Beauty Which Only Beast Knows

My other big focus for this month, we're hoping to finish it for Otome Jam... which also ends 7/1. I've a loose schedule for achieving that, but the team's health is the top priority so we're playing it by ear. It may take a little longer to finish up.

Other!

O2A2: Because I couldn't sit still!! I started planning for O2A2 2024! It'll be another entry into the kill series, but I hope to include some point and click elements to it. Last year I finished 9 VN projects, something I don't want to do again-- but!! I don't want to only finish one project this year!! I've been skipping and fomo-ing all the jams in the first half of the year. Well, no more! I'm going to get some work done this summer!!

Fan Projects: I don't think I need to keep my involvement in fan projects a secret anymore! I took part in the D. Gray Man 20th Anniversary Project, which we actually started work on late last year! I also took part in the Narumitsu Big Bang 2024 event, which... also started work late last year 🤔 Huh, I was really busy back then. Maybe that'll teach me to sign up for too many fan events... (😂 no ofc not!)

Misc: I finished some tedious updating work that I promised myself to do a while back. I'll admit I make my blog easiest for me to navigate, first and foremost. But if there's something that's bothering you, or have an idea to make navigation better, feel free to let me know through an ask! I also updated all of my itch io pages' images. They were originally linked from discord, which changed its policy and broke all direct image links. Thankfully, I had everything labeled in a private server so I could easily retrieve and reupload to update the pages. Yes, I should've done that long ago. And I'm sorry I just... didn't;;

[soupy-girl]

💛Smoshblr December Asks Day 19💙

What are your top 3 fave/dream cast constellations for smosh vids? (so typically 4-6 people each)

Bonus: What are your top 3 smosh ships?

1. sword af/ baf legacy crew u will always be famous! they are iconic i will not be hearing otherwise

2. triple a + chanse and courtney and/or shayne (so the love is blind video is actually peak cinema to me)

3. boysss night!! (chanse, shayne damien, spencer and tommy) i don’t think a video of all of them actually exists but based on the party animals and other games vids it would slay and needs to happen urgently

as for ships…

1. the ship that single handedly brought me back to writing fics… spommy ofc!

2. kimney (they actually are gfs sorry i don’t make the rules)

3. amangela (if kimney are gfs amangela are an old married couple and i love that for them!)

[mithliya]

I could definitely be wrong, but as an autistic person I honestly read the 'different language' thing as just an expression of how it feels to be autistic, not insulting your English. The way my thoughts connect to each other in my head and come out of my mouth is so different from the way they do for people who aren't autistic, and it really does feel like speaking a whole different language. Trying to get people to understand what I'm saying is very difficult and I do have to apologize and clarify a lot, and honestly, it does get exhausting, because a lot of people will refuse to believe what I actually meant because the words I said didn't translate into that for them the way it did for me and it's hard for them to understand that what obviously means one thing to them obviously means another thing to me.

Not saying macro is in the right here, but I also read you saying the part about things 'leading to the conclusion that' as you stating the conclusion as something that you believed to be true--in hindsight and after your explanation, I realize that was a silly way to read it, but it happens so often that I'm more wary of it. I don't think anyone here is intentionally misinterpreting words; this kind of misunderstanding isn't uncommon for autistic people. It's just a pile of misunderstandings.

I started talking way too much, but my point is, I think that was what the 'different language' thing meant--the child comment was uncalled for, but I don't think it was about your English at all. Again, though, I could be wrong.

Hopefully I worded all of this in a way that 'translates' properly. I'm a little tired so stringing words together is harder than it is normally, so if any of this came off wrong, I'm very sorry. I'm honestly not trying to take sides here, I don't feel like I know enough about the whole situation to make any solid judgments on it, I'm just trying to help clear up the misunderstandings because I'm very familiar with how easy it is for these things to happen. Also, I always enjoy seeing you on my timeline, you seem like a cool person and I don't want you to maybe feel hurt over something that came off wrong. (Though in this context, it really should have been worded differently.) Obviously I don't know how you're actually feeling about it, but, well, insults are hurtful. Sorry for stating the incredibly obvious there, like I said my words are not forming well.

Sorry for the very long ask. Hope you're doing well!

but afaik butch-reid'd is not autistic as well is she? i can understand though bc very often im saying things and it feels like people are somehow reading entirely different (which is what they just did to me, funnily enough) but i wish theyd perhaps avoid such comments with me bc seriously the amount of times this week alone that people have made weird comments to me about my english or language abilities is .. too much. i ignored it bc of that bc i was like what is up with this comment why do peopl keep saying things about my language abilities to me -_-

anyways im mostly frustrated now that even after explaining at least twice that i am simply saying that people reading ur words literally does not mean theyre out to get u and trying to misconstrue u and whatever else, & its ok to simply correct them and move on, theyre now intentionally misconstruing me to call me ableist lol. like im supposed to give everything they say the most generous interpretation ever, but even when im clarifying my words repeatedly i dont deserve the same.. its odd. especially when i dont think im saying anything unreasonable when i say "people arent intentionally misconstruing you by reading ur words as they are literally written, youre simply wording them unclearly & can clarify it and then move on. if it requires knowing u personally and already having positive feelings towards u to understand what ur saying as u intend it then it is simply unclear"

anyways thank u anon and i appreciate hearing ur input <3 im just baffled by how i was trying to politely explain sth to them and i got repeated insults in return

[suenitos]

I think people genuinely just can’t really understand the nature of guns in the US. Because for non-Americans, the US is so so influential on a lot of countries, and when things go bad in America politics-wise a lot of people outside of it do start to fear the same things happening here. And so for a country to be so influential and powerful have the gun violence it does… it’s scary. Of course we all know there are so many people in the US who want change and are advocating for it and know the fear isn’t normal, but we also see the Republicans who seem to think their right to a gun is crucial. And with the way Western politics as a whole is shifting very right-wing, I think a lot of people fear the reintroduction of guns in their own countries.

yeah I think you’re mainly right about a lot of these aspects. I also admit I can’t rlly see the outside pov of other countries because I’m ‘merican so it’s like a bit of my own national myopia and also lived experience influencing the way I understand the us. I think it’s very different having to see and experience mass violence constantly around the country (not even just with guns but other things too, with your point on right wing politics) therefore becoming desensitized to it in a way than it is living somewhere where you will not see a gun in public and dont/wont experience that fear. so it’s easier to be like “??!!” with both the physical and emotional distance from these events. violence and the threat of violence does exist everywhere but the us is very unique in the way that some of our accepted cultural values coincide with the continuous ignorance and lack of reckoning/education and honest reflection about our past. also the fact that politics is bought here and is intentionally divisive/more like a sport contributes to a lottt of our issues. anyway. despite its reputation as an influential/somewhat “rich” country you are not guaranteed personal safety at any point during your stay in the us and again that’s true everywhere but you are more likely to die/experience it firsthand because of it here which IS really sad. its just interesting people say “are you guys ok” or “this isn’t normal” when it’s like yeah you’re right oh btw I just read about 4 shootings that happened the past two weeks because this person went to the wrong house/car or just existed outside a Walgreens or asked for help on the train as a homeless person so no we’re not doing too hot rn

[missmorosis]

SIKE

u suck so bad

i think ur favorite thing is to hate on me

for what FOR WHAT

[carolmunson]

ok so my favourite eddie of yours is soft!eddie x baf!gf and i just wanted to know, what do you think is like, the breaking point of the relationship (if there ever is one) like where eddie is sick of not being able to get through to reader and she doesn’t try anymore. after he went with her to the bar to see her ex i think he’s a bit more understanding of why she’s the way she is and obviously he’s a great guy anyway but do you think there’s a point where it becomes too much for him (apart from what happens in buttercup, baby) or will he ever get through to her? he seems to want/need communication for it to work but she isn’t there for that and would rather stay silent

(sorry that was so long ignore me if i’m annoying)

not annoying!

i guess i don't fully have an answer. bad at feelings is like, truly such a self insert and is mostly just a way for me to navigate my own feelings (or lack their of) in relationships and relationships i've actually been in. they obviously deeply love each other and eddie is so truly passionate about being with reader and does his best to understand her and adjusts himself to best suit her needs. but i think at the same time, reader never really does that for him or offers him the same kindness because she feels like she doesn't have to since she was dealt such a bad hand in relationships before (lmao ME). and i think that eventually would really wear on eddie, feeling like his own needs aren't being met because he's so consumed with making sure hers are -- but what's worse is that she doesn't actually know her own needs, so he's coming up short each time.

i think if baf!gf took the time to process her shit and they learned to communicate better (much like how they discuss at the end of le dome de verre where she also gets uncomfortable because she doesn't want to have needs), and she was able to give more, they'd be in a much better place. so i don't wanna say they're end game or that they're gonna break up (since it's really an all over the place collection of vingettes and not really a solid series), but that there's just parts of their relationship that are harder than others.

idk, feelings are weird guys!

[concerningwolves]

Hey I'm doing a short story for class about an autistic girl who discovers she have telekinesis and I want to knows how to portray her properly and how beint autustic affect her powets with makint autism sounds baf

Hi anon! I’m very sorry if I’m answering this too late for you; I barely had time to even look at my inbox in October and November, and then when I got time to do so this month, I got overwhelmed by the backlog. Nonetheless, I’ll answer this and hope that even if it’s too late for your original purpose, something in it will help you (/help anyone else who reads this) :]

AUTISM, SUPERPOWERS & FAIR REPRESENTATION

Okay, so, the basic answer to “how not to make autism sound bad” is approach the story with compassion and/or empathy – but that’s a very broad answer and probably not overly helpful for specifics. I’ll start with the “how to represent autism well” part and then break down the superpower-specific stuff from there.

1) Autism should be an integral part of your characters’ personhood, but not their entire personality

As an autistic, I struggle to define where my autism ends and my personhood (i.e., my sense of the “self”) begins, because they’re so deeply entwined with one another.  Autism is a condition that alters how I think and interact with the world, and therefore profoundly impacts how I perceive both myself and the things around me. That doesn’t mean, however, that my only personality trait is autism. It all gets very convoluted and existential – would I still be ‘me’ if you removed autism? What is ‘me’? Is it even fair to think of autism as a separate Thing? – but it is worth considering if you want to get inside your autistic character’s head.

A trap that allistic creators tend to fall into is “this character likes [X] / does [X] because they are autistic”. For example, I once saw someone say that their OC likes blue because it’s a calming colour and therefore sensory-safe. This is a valid process on its own: I also like pale blue (+ other pastel shades) because it’s a sensory-safe colour! But where many allistics fall down is in not considering that an autistic character’s likes, dislikes and hobbies don’t have to relate to their autism.

Although the show has its flaws, I do think that Sam Gardener from Netflix’s Atypical is a positive example of an autistic character just liking something because they like it. His special interest is all to do with penguins and antartic wildlife/explorations, and he also enjoys art as a hobby because... he just does. That’s not to say these things don’t intersect – he takes a scientific illustration class in college precisely because it combines two things he likes; it’s also fair to say that autism gives him an edge in drawing because autism brain is excellent at grasping theory/technicalities. But ultimately it’s nice to have an autistic character whose interests and personality traits go beyond the stereotypical special interest.

For more on representing autistic characters, check out [this post] where I go into a bit more depth. (NOTE: that post is on my list of things that I want to revise/rewrite/flesh out, so it might change soon, but the basic stuff is still the same).

2) Autism isn’t inherently “bad” – but that doesn’t mean it’s without issues, either

Autism is not the devastating tragedy that neurotypicals like to present, but it does come with its own difficulties and pitfalls that you should acknowledge if you want to write a well-rounded autistic character. There’s often discourse/debates on my dash about whether it’s fair to call autism a disability. I’d say it is – there are definitely aspects of autism that are disabling, i.e., sensory overload, burnout, trouble communicating, etc. – but it isn’t a disability in the way that allistics/abled people think.  

Some aspects of autism are “double edged”, in that they have useful and troublesome sides. Speaking for myself, hyper-empathy means that I’m good at grasping why emotions Do The Thing, which is incredibly useful in filling in gaps in my social sense! But. It also means that I struggle to draw a line between my own emotions and someone else’s, and am simply awful at creating healthy emotional boundaries. As the writer, you create good representation by showing both sides. Let your character have meltdowns! Let them have trouble in social situations! Let them get burnt out or overwhelmed! But also make sure to show that this doesn’t make them inherently burdensome to other characters, and explore the good/neutral aspects of autism, too.

3) So, how would all of this impact superpowers?

A lot of that depends on your world’s magic/superpower system. Some things to consider are:

Does your character need to be concentrating?

Do emotions influence how controlled the power is?

Does the power take a physical or mental toll on the user?

etc.

These are laws you ought to think about as part of worldbuilding, regardless of a characters’ neurotype or ability, but I do believe that autism will have an impact on how a character interacts with their powers. For example, many autistic people have difficulty with fine motor skills and spatial awareness, either as part of autism or due to a co-existing condition [1]. This could theoretically cause trouble if a character needs to gauge personal space/use spatial perception when using telekinesis to direct objects. Where emotions effect a power, emotional dysregulation or rejection sensitive dysphoria could also come into play by disrupting a characters’ concentration or control. 

Make sure to show your character working with or around these sorts of issues, and keep a balance between the pros and cons. If sensory input throws off her concentration, what are ways she can get around that? Earplugs for noise, dark glasses for light sensitivity, seamless clothes, headphones... etc etc. On the more negative side, I can only imagine the chaos I might cause during a meltdown if I had telekinesis: objects flying everywhere, lightbulbs bursting, general pandemonium. That said, telekinesis would be great if I could levitate myself and just hang there without any sensory input. Also useful if I needed to get stuff and didn’t have the energy to move because of burnout, or if I could use telekinesis to “weigh down” a blanket on top of me during meltdowns. There are some really fun possibilities here! 

Another way to avoid showing autism as a burden/something bad is to give your character a support network and/or accommodations in the story. Have your character find ways to work around issues just like a neurotypical person would, yes, but also have other characters be understanding and ready to help. Thriving support systems are just as important as the autistic character themself.

Basically, address the fact that some aspects of autism are difficult to cope with/require aid but don't overtly focus on that, you know? Your character can get upset, frustrated, or be resigned. She can beat herself up! All autistic people live with this feeling of "not good enough". But show her overcoming this, show her with a good support system, and show her being a person as complex and developed as any other character.

FOOTNOTE(S)

[1] general practise in diagnostic circles is to avoid diagnosing with things like dyspraxia if another developmental disorder is present (i.e., autism), but we’re still learning about what the big ice-cream bar of autism actually covers. What traits an autistic person has can vary hugely from one person to another.

[nagitokomaedapizzasuit]

[original copypasta here]

Discovered this godforsaken copypasta recently and immediately thought of this.

-- Please do not repost this. Reblogs heavily appreciated!!

“why dont you take showers” um not once🔂 have🈶 ℹ️iℹ️ℹ️ ever heard🇭🇲 a🅰️ actual 🉑good 🉑🉑 reasonable reason for people👦 to shower🛁. p- showering🛁- people👥, people👶 🛁shower🛁🛁 bcuz 🇮🇹its🇮🇹 a🅰️ trend 📉 .. 👦people 👦 📺shower📺 bcuz its🇮🇹🇮🇹 a 🅰️ trend📉 ....... its🇮🇹 not something that needs to be done🔨, its🇮🇹 not somethin that we can- its🇮🇹 not somethin 💒like💒 drinkin food 🍙 or 🌊water🌊 its🇮🇹 not somethin that we— im sorry💔 its🇮🇹 not something that we actually need its🇮🇹 somethin that people👶 do its🇮🇹🇮🇹 a🅰️ trend📉. people 👥👥 do it🇮🇹 bc other people 👱 do it🇮🇹🇮🇹 🅰️a🅰️ lot of things ppl do bcuz other people👫 do it 🇮🇹 to be honest 👪people👪 like 💙 to follow the 📉trend📉 🆘so🆘 when ℹ️iℹ️ℹ️ was doin it 🇮🇹 and everybody else was doin it🇮🇹 like 💕 iℹ️ wanna do it🇮🇹🇮🇹 ℹ️iℹ️ want to fit in iℹ️ℹ️ wanna do it 🇮🇹 its🇮🇹 just kinda like💓💓 w jordan🇯🇴 👢shoes👢 😦what😦 is so🆘 speshul abt 🇯🇴jordan🇯🇴 shoos💨 and me myself ℹ️iℹ️ was guilty of it 🇮🇹 bc iℹ️ used to want it🇮🇹. 🆘so🆘 ℹ️iℹ️ remember i ℹ️ was desperate 🕑2 🕑🕑 get🉐 some jordan🇯🇴 shoes👠 and iℹ️ when ℹ️i ℹ️ℹ️ 🉐got 🉐 them them bitches was ugly but i ℹ️ still wore em just to fit in so🆘🆘 ℹ️i ℹ️ lost that mentality 🅰️a🅰️ long mf time🕓 ago fuck fittin in fuck what😦 ppl think💭 but yk everybody has🈶 the mentality of wantin to follow the 📉trend 📉📉 so🆘 thats y 🅰️a🅰️ lot of ppl do it🇮🇹 and im speakin fax 📠 even🌜 tho ppl r gonna laff ppl r gonna think 💭 iℹ️ sound 📢 dumb im speakin fax 📠📠 cuz 🤔think🤔 🕝2 🕝 urself u🇺🇸 have🈶🈶 to think💭 2️⃣22️⃣ urself why do iℹ️ showr why do iℹ️ baf why do iℹ️ do it🇮🇹 what 😦😦 am iℹ️ gettin outta doin this a🅰️-am iℹ️ℹ️ going 22️⃣ starve if ℹ️iℹ️ dont take a🅰️ baf am iℹ️ going 2🕑 💀die 💀 if iℹ️ dont take a🅰️ baf 🇮🇹its🇮🇹 not a🅰️ necarity like💚💚 food 🍈 and 🚿water🚿 basically 🇻🇮u🇻🇮🇻🇮 just wastin ur own water 🚱 💷bill💷 bc 🇺🇸u🇺🇸 wanna fit in and ion understand it🇮🇹 bcuz ppl dont know if 🇻🇮u🇻🇮 🚿shower 🚿 or not anyways they cannot tell they cannot from adam and eve if 🇻🇮u🇻🇮 take bafs or if 🇻🇮u🇻🇮 shower🛁 or not 🆘so🆘 y are 🇺🇸u🇺🇸 doing it 🇮🇹 just to fit in and ppl dont even🌓 know if ur rly doin 🇮🇹it 🇮🇹 or not so🆘🆘 .. thats all i ℹ️ gotta say abt that .. think💭 abt what😦 i ℹ️ said for ppl thats constantly wastin their water 🚱🚱 bill💵 ... might actually save💾 urself some money🏦 .. same question❔ “why dont u🇺🇸 take showers” issa 📉trend📉📉 and im not with followin the 📉trends 📉 wif everybody else ....... ℹ️iℹ️ℹ️ actually see👀👀 about five 5️⃣- fiVe questions⁉️ in a🅰️ row asking 🙏 me that same thing 🙏asking🙏 that question❔ 😷ill 😷 click 🔛on🔛 asking🙏 that psh five5️⃣ questions ⁉️ like😻😻 uh- 💏like💏 almost all my questions ❔ ask🙏🙏 that. “why are you always bleeding?” iℹ️ actually don’t know iℹ️ guess its🇮🇹 just — tsk ℹ️iℹ️ don’t know ℹ️i ℹ️ don’t know i ℹ️ do bleed a 🅰️ lot ill😷 bleed 🅰️a 🅰️ lot like💏 a🅰️ lot so🆘 haha 🙈🙈 iℹ️ don’t know i’m actually bleeding ▶️right ▶️ know so🆘 ℹ️iℹ️ don’t know “ when was the last time🕡 🇺🇸u🇺🇸 showered 🚿?” January

[blueikeproductions]

Cyberverse remains a fascinating little isolation to me. It doesn't appear to be that popular at all, outside of its budding fan base, heck it seems to be outright failing in Japan, and yet I see people parading it around as if it's the next Beast Wars. I don't particularly understand why. I can see it was a show made with love, but the story telling is all over the place. Character motivations don't make sense, pacing is all off, the weird obsession with trying (and failing) to make Megatron a hero fallen from grace like IDW? It all feels very amateurish, but devoid of the charm of a fan made product.

I do kinda feel bad for the staff as they tried their best, but were saddled with half of a half of a shoestring budget. On top of being way too ambitious, Cyberverse feels bloated with big ideas that barely go anywhere but horribly rushed to fit the 10 minute mark.

To their credit I think they did manage to tell a decent story with the Quintesson arc, as it feels like that's what they wanted to do in the first place. The lack of interest in the usual Autobot/Decepticon conflict is apparent up until now, as they clearly wanted an IDW style Anti-Vocationist League vs Functionists thing instead. It works, but it feels a bit clunky. Hot Rod and Soundwave as the Bot/Con leaders during the conflict was neat though and refreshing.

On top of a lot of post war stuff that just... kind of happens rather than feeling meaningful.

Cyberverse feels like yet another kids show trying desperately to appeal to adults despite saying for its for kids and it shows. Kids largely want nothing to do with. I see more kids look at Studio Series or Bakugan instead. Toys are constantly on clearance or are peg warming. Even discount stores like TJ Max couldn't get rid of them. The Alpha Trions had a sizable layer of dust on them! Despite Hasbro trying to capitalize on the apparent adult audience CV cultivated with the BAF line, general reports I get point to it shelf warming hard too. Those weird sets with the Quintessons and Monsterbots at Target we're whittled down to three bucks! No one is buying the toys, I'm sorry. Despite trying to trick kids by making Bumblebee the focus in the third phase, it's laughable because the yellow guy isn't even in the show much by that point. It's like Beast Hunters and Combiner Force all over again. And I imagine that will repeat itself in the next thing since it appears to be a trend now.

The only people I saw actively buying them were the show creators, and the same staff had to practically BEG the fans to support the show leagally back when people were pirating the final season. I don't think many listened and most who loved or hated it pirated the show and moved on to Siege, barely looking back.

while I do appreciate the show for trying some new spins here and there, (I rather liked how Maccadam/Alchemist Prime was a fun character, and Quintesson Starscream was neat to name a few) I think the cons outweigh the pros, and I think the fan base is slowly starting to forget about CV now that Netflix WFC is underway (mind you the general attitude is mixed to negative there too, but people seem much more happy with it than CV by leaps and bounds).

I can only hope for the moving forward, but despite the show/toys' reception being Meh to lukewarm at best, there's a rumor the next show is going to still be helmed by largely the same crew. I hope you like losing money, HasTak, because you're gonna be strapped for it if you keep going this route. (And I say this about Netflix WFC too).

with tighter writing, a better end goal, and giving the staff an ACTUAL BUDGET, Cyberverse really could've been great and worthy of its praise. Same with the toyline.

So I can only hope the toy quality improves for the next kid show thing, and offers a plot and characters kids actually WANT. Kids are sticking to the movies and RiD15 from what I saw when it comes to Transformers, so maybe combine aspects of those two if you want your target audience back.