#thank you for the opportunity it's legit interesting

[sgiandubh]

Why would Ashley go to follow and stop following Caitriona? After all aren't sam and caitriona supposed to be just friends and colleagues so why do that? They're the ones creating all the fuss for nothing. If they acted like colleagues no one would go looking 🙄🙄🙄 . I don't understand this need to always dismiss Caitriona as if it's oh my god never associate Caitriona with sam. What a crime to see two friends together ! Following Caitriona means nothing, it doesn't define an affair nor a relationship between them so I don't see the point in avoiding following this woman 🙄🙄 !

Dear Following Anon,

You can try to dilute things as much as you want, but you seem to ignore one of the weird Laws of Thermodynamics in this fandom:

Follows and unfollows are important and relevant. Until they aren't.

I do not share many people's mystique in this regard, simply because I happen to believe social media is nothing more than a tool. Whether it is used for promo and/or manipulation is anyone's guess. What is clear is that there are more things than the bits we are privy to via Instagram, very often with an agenda.

In that particular case, the follow clicked with some info I was shared regarding that get together at the Milady's bar. I was also told Ashley did (help) organize the event, which is consistent with her posting an IG story featuring some Sassenach bottles she was delivering 'somewhere' just before it took place.

And then, there's also this detail:

Clearly she knew the owners/bartending team and arranged things.

But perhaps she thought/was told that would be exposing her too much and then changed her mind about following C? I suppose all we can do is speculate, Anon. Fact is Ashley followed her and she doesn't anymore. Anyone's guess, really.

I will respectfully disagree with you about them deliberately 'creating this fuss for nothing'. You probably are a Fencer and, as all Fencers do, you seem to be unable to connect the dots and never question anything you are told. A most regrettable, unpleasant thing that takes away all the fun and permanently closes all the interesting doors and avenues you could explore in this fandom. Your explanation does not hold: if there is nothing, why condone this ambiguity? For clicks? That is ridiculous. C doesn't give a flying duck about clicks and he just has to take off his shirt: mommies worldwide will instantly unite and drool. How Pavlovian!

There is also another thing: C's Stans really seem to have strong, repressed feelings for her, that might go beyond what is socially acceptable from a fan. They seem to display such a deep sense of possession, it often made me raise an eyebrow in disbelief. If we follow this reasoning, then McGill is the perfect, harmless companion: they see him as no serious threat to their fantasies. S is something else and their minds dissociate - otherwise, as Yeats once famously wrote, 'Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold'.

'Following Caitriona means nothing, it doesn't define an affair nor a relationship between them'. Oh, Anon, I hope you didn't imply Ashley and C... come on, get a grip! By now, all the side players must have been gently, but firmly briefed about people's behavior in this fandom: lack of filter, and all. What would you do, if you were Ashley Hearn?

Finally, let me correct something about the timeline of events - thank you for the opportunity to do so:

I did write in a previous post (https://www.tumblr.com/sgiandubh/765519132954329088/seems-sams-mom-has-been-in-new-york-as-well) that the Milady's get together was on October 17th. I was wrong and superficial, albeit in all good faith. It was on October 16th, after C was spotted at the Burberry's 57th Street Flagship Store Reopening VIP Dinner, in New York:

I do apologize for this mistake and would like to thank @mojo106 for rigorously setting the record straight: what would I do without your collective scrutiny? Probably make a fool of myself.

However, the whole rest of it is legit and I am sticking to whatever I could write about it. Never a problem acknowledging mistakes and owning them, here. Warts and all, Anon. Warts and all.

[monterosa-if]

💙 and ☄️ for everyone? glad to see you’re back!

💙 BLUE HEART - do they miss their s/o easily? how do they act when their s/o isn't around?

dr advani misses his s/o desperately when apart - depending on where they are, he would potentially beg one of his bosses at oxford to use their telephone (if the s/o had access to a telephone). failing that, he would send daily letters.

mlle brideaux misses her s/o but will put on a brave face - if you were an acquaintance of hers, you may not realise anything was wrong.

mrs griffiths misses her s/o but would like to keep busy - the house has never been so clean, the appliances have never been so well-maintained, her employer is astounded by the number of extra hours she does, her s/o will be astonished by the sheer volume of crafting projects waiting for them on their return.

if anything, mr lennox goes out on the town even more than normal - he cannot bear to be at home alone once he has grown to share it with someone.

to the untrained eye, srta navarro looks no different during the absence. but she visibly relaxes when she sees them again - it's only then that you would realise how tense she has been.

mr samson behaves similarly to mr lennox but would typically be a little more reckless - he would definitely tail more dangerous individuals to distract himself from missing his s/o.

herr weber would be almost charmingly useless without the thought of his s/o waiting at home for him. his work is a disaster, everyone has to repeat everything 6 times because he is Not paying attention. immediately relaxes when he knows his s/o is back

☄️ COMET - what do people assume about them? are they right?

we're playing with fire here, anon, but i'll definitely answer the first half <3

dr advani: a calm, polite gentleman who is always diplomatic and who never has a bad word to say about anyone.

mlle brideaux: a frivolous hussy who uses her career to gain renown with the aim of finding a rich husband.

mrs griffiths: a callous golddigger who has driven three husbands to the grave.

mr lennox: a feckless layabout who is wasting his parents' money with no regard to the future.

srta navarro: a quiet, mouse-like servant who keeps her head down.

mr samson: an aggressive lummox who is barely suited for civilised life.

herr weber: an incompetent buffoon who seems to go through life unpunished.

[blueberry-pride]

How do you think trey, Idia, rook, leona and kalim would deal with having a sweet and cute s/o who is convinced the boys are the cute ones of the relationship and s/o is puzzled when other people don’t agree with the guys being the cute one? They’re convinced other people have bad tastes. As hcs please :))

Don't Deny It Babe~

warnings: Berry's grammar, semi proof-read and like two curse words

Berry: I greatly apologize for those who have been waiting for these since February from the 100 followers event. And thank you all for the overwhelming support from the last post, love you guuys 🥰

"Are you sure about that babe? I mean..." He chuckled as he scratched the back of nis neck.

Trey would be as confused as the others at first when he heard you claim that he's the cute one in the relationship

Would just have a sheepish smile as he rolls with your antics cuz why not? you're not hurtin anybody but he does get shy when you would debate about it ESPECIALLY with the other Heartslabyul members

Moments like these happened often, which would gradually led to Trey feeling more comfortable and started teasing you about it when the opportunity presents itself. like putting a dash of flour on your nose to have flustered or even calling you 'cutie' at times~

I also see as this goes on that he'd be the one to tell Heartlsabyul or among close friends that you're cute just to see you're reaction. (goodluck (Y/N)!)

"Maybe you should get your eyes checked Pillow, ain't no way in hell I'm...'cute'"

He's the type who wholeheartedly disagrees about your statement more than others. Just imagine Savanaclaw. Ruggie was legit concerned about you when you told him.

He'd do that thing where whenever you guys are walking around campus, his arm is always draped on your shoulders just in case if ever the convo is directed at him being the cute one, he'd clamp your mouth and say farewell to whomever you're both talking with

I also see that when you're trying to convince him, he'd squish your cheeks so you're mouth would be puckered as another way to shut you up (may or may not lead to a kiss) He'd look into your eyes and smirk.

"Now who's the cute one now huh~?"

Even if he realizes it or is just in plain denial (stubborn ass) He'll slowly just let you go with whatever you're spouting about him cuz honestly he likes it when you debate about it ESPECIALLY if it just so happens to be with Vil. "Yeah Vil, don't you see I'm fuckin AdOraBlE?"

"Eh? Sunshine, you think I'm cute?" Kalim's eyes lit up as he looked at you to which you affirmed with a chuckle. Kalim stood up and ran towards the kitchen. "JAMIL , (Y/N) THINKS I'M CUTE!"

You know, we know, the entirety of NRC knows, he's one golden boi whenever you call him cute or talk about it with others.

Give some moral support to Jamil cuz he's gonna be hearing this everyday from now on. "Hey I know we have this important dorm leader meeting to attend to in a min but (Y/N) called me cute again toda-"

When it comes to people that says otherwise, he's likely to pull you out of it before it drags on. He'd chuckle as he drags you back to Scarabia for some afternoon snacks to distract you~

Would start giving you more compliments but not the ones that are generic like "you look good today" but rather he'd say "Y'know I really like it when you do this little quirk of yours. I find it really interesting cuz it's well...you" all said with a genuine smile and a soft gaze. (ma heart)

"Ma belle my heart swoons over your flattery~" Rook smiles as a faint blush grows across his cheeks. I see him being flustered but is just really good at hiding cuz internally he's like 'I've been complimenting other people all my life but now?? You came along??'

Would lovingly watch you argue if people say otherwise. Cuz despite you claiming that he's the cute one, why not you AND him? well just between you two anyway and who cares what other people think!

He's in it for the dramatics both in private or in public so when you compliment him, he'd like put a hand on his chest, go down on one knee and act as if he's part of a play~

you two test Vil and Leona's patience istg

Whenever it's time to print out his photographs of the two of you, he'd write little captions on it "I'm the cute one, she says~" or "there are 2 cuties in this picture." It's corny but this man is in love knowing that you see him that way <3

All I could think of at first is that this man would have war flashbacks to that time he got abducted by Eliza

"EH??" Idia exclaimed. Straight up denial like Leona but I see this fire son of a- would just start talking in immense speed and list down all the possibilities on why he's not.

Remember that one groovy in ghost bride where his hair turns slightly pink cuz everyone was flustering him? yeah his locks went from #3a8df7 to #FA86c4 through majority of your guys' relationship

Though... that's in public. But when its just the two of you in his room, he'll slowly warm up to your claims (along with some persistence from his bro Ortho like him randomly leaving sticky notes with the words 'you're cute, stop it.' printed on it)

"Heh,I mean I guess..." His cocky smile grows. "My archetype in an anime or a video game would be seen as cute~ would that mean I'm your Oshi then (Y/N)-shi~?"

[foldingfittedsheets]

I had an extremely baffling encounter in my complex the other day wherein a nice looking lady was hovering around looking lost and frustrated. I made eye contact and rolled down my window and she hurried over in delight.

She was trying to get ahold of the people in the apartment next to mine and asked if I knew them. I said, sorry, no. She looked so crestfallen that I added, “Look, I’m a stranger and you have no reason to trust me, but if you have something you need to give them I’ll pass it along. I can leave a note on their door.”

She was absolutely ecstatic and said yes very gratefully. She told me she works for a company that just pays you to watch TV and was trying to get them to opt in. My scam senses started tingling as she gave me the pitch for her company but she didn’t ask for info or anything.

She was so grateful she ended up giving me the gift basket she was carrying as thanks for delivering the message. She asked if I’d like the opportunity if they turned it down. I cautiously said yes and took her info to give to the next door tenants.

To my surprise when I looked into it the company was completely legit, no associated scams popped up at all and it’s basically like winning the lotto to be one of their families. I scoped out the neighbor and saw the note and the packages on their doorstep had gone but they never contacted me. So I got to text her and say they didn’t seem interested, but I was.

She came by today to go over everything and talk about it and I’m pretty jazzed for it in general. So like, being a nice person pays off sometimes.

[regulusrules]

Hi there! I've read every Hurt/Comfort Merlin fics you recommend. Thank you!! These were gorgeous. Do you have any other recommendations for hurt/comfort 👉👈?

More Hurt/Comfort? Hold my hot chocolate!

It's physically improbable for me to go through all these at this point😂 but nevertheless! of course I'll rec you some!

1. Give Me Your Fear, I'll Give You My Faith by ironfamjam. I think this fic is one of the best H/C I've read recently. Merlin is cursed to lose all his senses while Arthur could only watch. The desperation you see in Arthur trying to save Merlin.. their communication beyond humane limitations.. the sheer understanding emanating between them.. it was all just amazing. So raw and beautiful. It's also written in TSOA writing style, so the emotions are practically flowing. Kudos to the author for slowly robbing us of our own senses while reading this.

2. The Patter of Tiny Feet on Cold Stone Floors by TheAvalonian. Whenever I get rec asks, I always go back and skim the fics to be absolutely sure of what I'm recommending. But in this one, I didn't need to do that. I read this fic nearly four years ago and it still rings in my heart the same way it did when I first read it. Just the perfect semblance of golden age with proper hurt. It truly did hurt. But the comfort in it made it worth the while. Definitely recommend it if you have time for a long one.

3. Winning A Battle by OhFantasyWorld. Oh how I love this fic. It's just so simply Merlin and Arthur. It perfectly captures the essence of their dynamic while Arthur was still an emotionally constipated prince. It also has a mysterious edge to it that makes it even the more interesting. You're left wondering all fic why Arthur is so sad and so drawn into his misery. Until the very end. And the H/C is 🤌. Really recommend.

4. A Story Behind Each by CaptainOzone. I really am w e a k for Scar Reveal fics. I think this as a trope is very underrated in our fandom. The sheer number of times we see Merlin getting hurt on Arthur's behalf is just insane. So much unused material. I really loved this one for how soft it was. And BAMF Merlin was crème de la crème. If it's a scars reveal AND a BAMF fic, then what more could we possibly ask for?

5. In the woods by transcastiel. A translation of MaryBarrens's fic. If you've been following me long enough, you must know by now how much I loathe S5E5 The Disir. Legit, I cannot even write all my thoughts down here from how much I hate it. This episode was all that went wrong. It was the hamartia of the show. Therefore, anyone who just writes two words as a fix-it for this fic, I'll kudos them to eternity. And even though this one is so short, but God it just perfectly captured what SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED. This was what we deserved. This and nothing else.

------

* Have you read My heart is readily yours? Can't waste an opportunity to circle this one around since I consider it my greatest H/C creation. Or Arthur-in-desperation creation. Or Screaming-in-my-face-worthy creation. I took the hurt to some real extremes, and I don't regret a single thing.

------

Thank you for following my recs! Always happy to rec some more💖

[obsidianpen]

The whole scene with Liam using his Veela magic to get past Hermione’s memories was so creepy, and then him stealing a kiss 😫 Liam, no consent is never okay boi! But then you also revealed Liam experienced abuse due to his creature magic, which is so flipping complex and fantastic character development/choices on your part. Like him doing that is not black and white. And that sure af does not justify him mentally diving into Hermione mind, kissing her while she’s under his influence, but it adds weight to his decision. Ahhhh shades of grey all the way down! I love your writing Pen

thank you anon! Been getting lots of comments on the Liam portion of the last chapter, so I’m just gonna address a lot of them here:

I think it’s interesting how very up-in-arms angry a lot of people are over that specifically. Yes, of course it was morally Bad and it’s totally natural and legit to be super pissed that Liam would do that…. But I also think it’s worth looking at things from his perspective. Is it assault to interrogate a criminal like that in wizarding Britain? I’d say yes (legally in the magical world idk, probably very gray area; it would depend on if there are specific laws in place barring part-creatures from using their abilities on detained criminals… unclear, when things like veritaserum are okay, so yeah idk), but there’s a lot going on in the background that we (you? Hermione? The readers?) aren’t seeing. The real negotiations are happening between Madison and Dumbledore while the minister is out of commission. They’re both willing to ignore a few laws to get what they want because - here it is - they think they are doing the right thing.

well, okay, Madison’s being compelled by the MACUSA too, but he also thinks he’s doing the best thing for hermione by saving her from a trial in Britain. Isn’t even wrong really.

but Dumbledore - easy to see him as evil rn, but remember, he suspects riddle of murdering a poor innocent child! He thinks (correctly!) that riddle killed Myrtle and got hagrid to take the fall. He sees an opportunity to right that wrong, to clear Hagrid’s name, and to prevent someone like riddle - a murderer - from being free in the world and killing again. Because he will. And does, canonically. Dumbledore doesn’t even know about the fact that he killed his dad and grandparents yet!

so enter Liam - he honestly cared about hermione; she helped him get this job he’s been wanting, he thought she was long-time friends with his bestie… he believed all of it and thought they’d have a future as fun colleagues at the very least. Then she suddenly vanished with this creepy (to him - and he’s not wrong) guy who shows up out of nowhere and then he learns not too much later that she attacked Walt, fucked with his memories, and then lied to all of them; Walter gets fired, and then when they track her down, he learns that she also attacked and modified the memories of some witch and her house-elf in Britain (oh and she nearly killed the minister and two other people in her escape attempt)…

From where he’s standing, hermione is not a good person. She’s assaulted and modified the minds of several people, she’s stolen and used some old lady’s gold and name and affluence, she’s invented an entirely new fake identity…

so, when Albus Dumbledore and Lester Madison, two of the most powerful wizards he knows of (one of him is now his boss) asks if he can get these memories from her using a bit of his special brand of magic… what is he supposed to say? When it would, in the end, conceivably save both her (by getting her back to America) and put away a much more sinister wizard (if Dumbledore is correct and this creepy dude that whisked hermione away is actually a killer… and he is!). He may not have been jazzed to do it - he never tried to seduce her in America before, after all, and never would have - but one doesn’t say no to your very adamant new boss and freaking Dumbledore, the guy who defeated Grindelwald, especially not when the ends really do seem to justify the means (to them, at least). And all of this is not even touching upon the very vague hinting at Liam’s personal history with abuse.

anyway, kind of a rant, just had to put it out there because yeah, what Liam did was icky and nonconsensual but what hermione has done to people many times was also icky and nonconsensual and arguably a whole lot worse (imo, of course, but everyone is entitled to think differently there!).

[briry18]

OFF TOPIC! I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS! SORA (Kingdom Hearts) SHOULD HAVE BEEN FEMALE!

Not sure if this is a hot take or just my opinion but I feel like Sora should have been made a female protagonist. Nomura and Disney really missed a golden opportunity to make a fun loving, cute, and diverse female protagonist to offset the gender stereotype we've come to expect from video game females. In terms of video game protagonists we have only a few legit female protags, and the ones we do have are usually intensely violent, compute smart, and sexy **COUGHboobsCOUGH** (Examples: Bayonetta, Lara Croft, Jill Valentine, Samus Aran etc.) Sora could have broken the mold by being the first teenage girl to take the protagonist role in a video game. A spunky, sometimes lazy tom boy who wants to prove she's as good as her best friend Riku who's good at anything he tries; Sora could be the kind of role model girls needed. She could show you don't necessarily need to be objectively beautiful, smart, or physically intimidating to stand strong against adversity and take leadership in times of crisis. Not to mention pairing her with Disney Princesses which are known to be reliant on their men, and garnering her reaction on that would be funny as hell.

This approach would have also saved Kairi's character. Kairi is given this cliché damsel in distress role throughout the series, and having Sora as a role model could have been a great character dynamic to offset that. Allowing both girls to learn and grow from each other; Sora learning to express herself in a more feminine and graceful manner, and Kairi learning to be stronger and take action, would have been a much smarter way to go than this Peach and Mario relationship they have now.

Speaking of Romantic interests though, this could have also given Sora and Riku's relationship an extra boost, or even added some will they/won't they dynamics. Sora clearly feels closer to Riku, despite Kairi being the supposed love interest. And while Sora doesn't need to be a female for this relationship to blossom, let's be realistic, we are dealing with Disney and same-sex relationships is still relatively new territory for them. That being said, they could have also played Sora off as this sort of androgynous female, turning her into a possible LGBTQA icon with her alignment being questioned from having both Kairi and Riku vie for her affections.

There's more I'd like to say on the matter, but I'll leave here, ending with that I love Kingdom Hearts as it is. It is my favorite video game of all time. This was just my opinion on how they could have added dynamic and growth to an already beloved series of characters. Thank you for listening!

[small-but-oho]

Hi! I’m running over here to say THANK YOU FOR YOUR RECENT POST ABOUT DRAMATIC TENSION IN G/T!!!!

I have been shouting into the void about this with friends of mine for YEARS!!

Where did all the fear and angst in the community go?? Why is it all just rainbows and butterflies now? Having light to balance out the dark is great, don’t get me wrong, but I SOOOO agree with you: the entire basis of g/t is its very significant power imbalance.

If we’re all unwilling to acknowledge that then literally what is even the point of making something g/t in the first place? If it’s just two people hanging out… how is that g/t? Where are the stakes? What do these characters want? What are they fighting for? What makes life hard for them that they want to change?

I say this all the time: bad things NEED to happen in fiction. It’s the ONLY WAY to tell a story. Watch any movie or tv show and you’ll see this at play. We want our fictional heroes to struggle, to be afraid and to fight for something because that creates an actual plot.

I, too, am deeply disillusioned by the lack of actual fear and danger in g/t now. Let’s all be honest and acknowledge that being small next to someone so much bigger would be TERRIFYING and not without significant physical and emotional challenges to overcome.

It’s so frustrating when a small character meets a larger one and within .004 seconds they immediately trust them, with their life literally in a stranger’s hands. It’s doesn’t make any sense and leaves so many opportunities for good story telling on the table.

The struggle to adapt to a new environment, to make yourself heard in the face of invalidation, to discover you matter even though you’re different are all tropes that require some kind of unfair dynamic in order to be explored.

I find that journey to be actually super validating! Navigating a dynamic where you feel less than or not taken seriously or surrounded by danger and finding a way to fight through that? Isn’t that quite literally the textbook definition of empowerment and self actualization?

Okay, I’ve gone on long enough, but I just wanted to reach out because it’s so so so refreshing to see someone else in this community actually addressing this!

You rock! Have a wonderful day and keep exploring your story telling, because I think you’ve absolutely got the right idea!

AAAAAAAAAH THANK YOU FOR THIS MESSAGE!!!

I'm so glad you feel the same way ♥️

I legit wonder why this shift towards safe, nonconfrontational works occurred. Is it in reaction to the general state of the world? An influx in new users, who just aren't into fear and angst? Reaction to internet censorship? Idk.

And tbh it's also kinda disheartening as a dark subjects enjoyer. I do wanna write and create works that cater to my interests, but when you look into the tag, it feels like an uphill battle.

So yeah, if you want to, feel free to send me a msg off anon. Maybe we need to cultivate our own little community of like-minded people.

[giaffa]

Get to know me tag

I was tagged by @bich-the-moss, thank you! 💖 (and sorry for the late reply, I forgot this in my drafts 🙈)

Do you make your bed?

Yep, every morning.

If you could, would you go back to school?

I'm very fond of my high school memories but I wouldn't go back to waking up at 6:30 am every day. Hell world.

Can you parallel park?

Nope 🙈 I have a driver's license but I haven't driven since 2019.

A job you had that would surprise people?

I did one year of civil service to help the local associations of ex-partisans and ex-deportees digitalise their archives. I had the opportunity to interview a survivor of Auschwitz, and an old partisan who fought in the Italian Resistance during ww2.

Do you think aliens are real?

I think there's a good probability that we're not alone in an infinite universe.

Can you drive a manual car?

Theoretically? My driver's license says I can. In practice? Not driving for 5 years will make you forget everything.

What is your guilty pleasure?

You can do whatever you want forever and there's no guilty pleasures.

Tattoos?

I have a tiny treble clef tattoo on my wrist, I made it with some ink and a needle when I was 14 to match with some friends lol

I'd love to have more tattoos, but I'm always saving money for concert tickets.

Do you like puzzles?

I get easily bored with puzzles and board games, and my competitivity is almost nonexistent, so they're not all that fun to me. I enjoy them just if the shapes/colours feel interesting.

Any phobias?

I have arachnophobia but the problem isn't the spider, it's the web. With spiders in general my fight response kicks in and I usually get rid of them, but if I see a spiderweb (or something similar like processionary caterpillars) my flight response skyrockets off the charts.

Sometimes I also get anxious if I have a lot of physical mass over my head, like in caves or at the ground floor of a very tall building. It's not claustrophobia or speluncaphobia because I'm completely fine with tight or dark places, it's more similar to thalassophobia (which also gets to me sometimes).

Favorite childhood sport?

Fencing! I took a junior fencing class for 2 years when I was in middle school and it was super fun! I would've loved to keep attending but it was too expensive and the instructor was the most annoying person I've ever met.

First thing you wanted to be growing up?

A witch. I was convinced it was a legit career path, and tbh maybe I was right.

Do you talk to yourself?

Sometimes I do, but I usually prefer to sing or talk to my plants.

What movies do you adore?

Viktor und Viktoria, The Prestige, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Orlando, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

Coffee or tea?

Tea <3

Favorite color?

Red + black + purple combination my beloved ❤️🖤💜

no pressure tags: @curiouscalembour @valleydoll777 @the-paisley @hurdygurdywizard @kissingmonsters @velvetlinedbox @mirillel @sleeeepy-demon

[radioiaci]

I legit think it's honestly a result of younger individuals on this website being so wrapped up in the black and white use of label to justify a narrowed world-view. Like I'm 32 years old and it's taken me a long time to unlearn a lot of biases and judgments I had about identity, sexuality, and everything else. So in that way, I understand why they're so adamant at policing something like a fictional character who they want to remain so one-noted that they don't feel strange for being the one who wants them to be that way. But at the same time, the presence of an identity/sexuality spectrum is something that one eventually comes to terms with as they grow older and realizes that people are very often shifting, growing, changing entities that can experience such a range of emotion, understanding, and sense of self that to slap a perma-label on someone and insist that they can never be anything else seems so restrictive and nonsensical. I am an aromantic/asexual individual who has come to that conclusion over several years of self discovery and investigation. I still have some modicum of attraction to all genders and I love to explore facets of myself through fictional characters that I connect with and can play with like little fantasy dolls in ways that I would absolutely never be interested in experiencing for myself as a real life human being. It just does not thrill me. But to be able to write and craft a character - whether or not it is my original character - that can traverse those obstacles, hurdles, and exploratory notions FOR me is TONS of fun and honestly a very healthy thing to do! I'm not interested in outright bullying children for being prickly and annoying - because they ARE children, for the most part, and I want to give them an opportunity to grow the hell up LOL. But I think that there is room to understand and learn that IT'S OKAY to write about silly little characters in ways that may not necessarily make sense to their original intent - but if they make sense to YOU and you are not producing real harm in that exploration of the character - then, like. Do whatever you want, man. That's not to say that there are not topics which I think very much toe the line as to what's acceptable to share publicly on something like a public website/forum as a silly ha-ha hobby, but there is always room for nuance and critical consumption of media; even unofficial media. ANYWAY. thank you for coming to my ted talk. <3

[retrobr]

Lazytown Shenanigans Pt. 4

This time I've watched "The Blue Knight," and I don't really know why but I didn't find this episode interesting. Maybe that's because I want to sleep, but whatever 🥱

"The Blue Knight"

I want to start with the scene in the very beginning: I'm not completely sure why, but the fact that Sportacus had to play chess all by himself made me feel somewhat... sad? Not completely sad, but I hope you know what I mean. He seemed very happy, but that scene kinda gave me a feeling of loneliness. But enough of the sad things out of nothing..

Thanks to this episode I was convinced that Ziggy is literally the best kid in the gang. He treats everyone very kindly, no matter if someone is bad or good; he even suggested Robbie listen to the story about the Blue Knight together. Isn't that sweet?? 🥺 Also kinda felt bad for Ziggy when kids left him (accidentally, I should point out, but still), and he was sad that he couldn't join them. Why do they keep upsetting my boy :(

Oh and well. Meanswell's Scottish accent killed me; the way he read the story about the Blue Knight made me feel kinda odd. That was something fr 😭

And speaking of the Blue Knight, this is literally the very first episode in which I've seen Sportacus wearing something different from his usual outfit. It was kinda refreshing to see him like that; even though his face was shown only at the end of the episode, I was happy to see him in other clothing even despite the fact that it was only the knight's armor and it was difficult for him to move in it (it was quite a sad sight to me.) My bbg-

And since we're talking about the outfits in this episode, Robbie's disguise as a Purple Knight WAS A FIRE. LIKE OMG HELLO HANDSOME?? His outfit kinda reminded me of Crowley (probably because of the hair and its color, idk). I think from now on it's one of my favorite disguises of his :]

And the fact that he made a GODDAMN DRAGON ALL BY HIMSELF. Guys I mean isn't he a genius?? He makes such wonderful things using only what he has – in other words his knowledge, various pieces of metal and other stuff

Oh and also, a small thing that made me feel somewhat confused: I heard that Robbie called Sportacus a "sports elf" or something like that. So is it a canon fact that Sportacus is an actual elf? I mean I thought that it was just a fanon thing, but now I'm not really sure about it 😭

Some "nice" words about my "beloved" Stingy :]]]. I didn't expect to hear something nice from him, but him calling his friends "peasants" made me choke on the air. And yes, I know that was a part of his role as a king and the game in general, but confidence in his voice made it sound pretty... legit. As if he had a good opportunity to call them that and not get any words of objection in return. Damn I hate this kid indeed-

And finally, a paragraph about some ship stuff (my favorite part 😏). Not that I noticed too many things, but the fact that Stephanie called Pixel a "young and handsome prince" made me smile warmly. Idk they seem pretty cute to me, I think it's a shame that there are no more hints at their relationship. And I quite liked Robbie's and Sportacus' "fighting" scene. They are just goofing around, god bless them 🥺💜

In general, the episode was pretty good, I like the theme of the Middle Ages and the outfits based on this historical era. But still, unfortunately, I can't say that it's my favorite; I felt like there was something missing, u know...

As always, thank you for your guys attention. Please know that it makes me genuinely happy that some of you actually read and even like it, it means a whole lot to me 💜

[treason-and-plot]

REPLIES TO CONNOR FIGURING THINGS OUT AND SOME UNRELATED WAFFLE!

First off, I'd like to express my heartfelt appreciation to @mysimsloveaffair @dandylion240 @hurricanesims @bool-prop @simbico @windermeresimblr @oasislandingresident @pixelcurious @simlicious @simsdada @nectar-cellar @percosim @wannabecatwriter @ninjaofthepurplethings @muses-circle @zosa95 @simsdada @parystrange and @anamoon63 for your sweet well wishes on my flu post. I don't think I have ever had the legit flu before, although of course I have had my fair share of colds and viruses, and it really hit me hard. Worst thing was the fever and the loss of interest in everything. I still feel a bit weak and shaky but I'm 99% better. Thank you again for helping me get through it! I love youse all!🤗 Now, on to the replies to my last story post:

@justanothersimsblog

Why lie about it? Just be the supposedly proud you are of being the side piece

Because it matters to her what Connor thinks of her despite her denials. That's also why she didn't have a cigarette on the way over, in case he smelled it on her ;=)

@wannabecatwriter

Truth hurts, especially when someone smart confronts you with it.

This particular situation must be very unsettling for Saffron, who's used to being the smartest person in the room!

@echoweaver

Well, being that she's a high school student, the other explanation would be that he knows his peers would be creeped out regardless of his marital status -- as they should be.

I don't know if that would be a deterrent to be honest- at least not amongst Aussie men. In my experience they would be high-fiving him and offering their congratulations, as vile and depressing as that sounds!

@queeniecook

Hahaha, I love this!

@oasislandingresident

I am waiting for Saffron to either burst into tears or bust out of there tbh

Saffron bursting into tears would be epic. I can't remember an occasion that she has ever burst into tears! You're probably in a better position than me to remember if it's ever happened, lol!

@simsaralove

There’s no fooling Connor!

Try and fool Perceptive Sims at your peril!

@ktarsims

LMAO - Deny it all you want because you don't want him to know, Saffron, but Connor's very perceptive. You might fool him into thinking you don't know the guy's married, but he's certain of his facts. (He's right, too.)

Also I get the feeling that once Connor has made up his mind about something it's virtually impossible to get him to budge!

@sweetnovember77

First of all, it’s none of Connor's business. Saffy, you do not owe Connor an explanation. Most, if not all, of your mistakes can be excellent learning opportunities. If Connor wants to be with you, make him earn your love. —Not badger you for it. He needs to back off.

Except they are playing Truth or Dare so she kind of agreed to be badgered when she signed up. I think one of the underlying rules of Truth or Dare is that you don't participate in anything that makes you uncomfortable and hopefully Saffy would understand that. And I totally agree that mistakes can be excellent learning opportunities, except Saffron hasn't yet realised that she has made a mistake...which is going to be potentially disastrous.

@kscriba

In a vacuum, if I didn't know Saffy, just based on her answers I would assume it's a sugar baby situation LOL

This made me guffaw! I really can't imagine Saffy being in that kind of situation though because she is so strong-willed and independent. I could actually imagine her being a sugar mama though once she becomes a wealthy and successful lawyer!!

@muses-circle

I can't decide if Connor is honestly interested in Saffron and going about it the wrong way, or if he's doing this to be a smut jerk. He's totally right (and the truth hurts), but at the same time, Saffron's there to hang out...right? IDK, something about this feels off.

I think the first line is true! It may not be immediately obvious because of his good looks and privileged aura, but he is definitely lacking in key social skills. But he does genuinely want to get to know Saffron better.

@batsheba

Busted! Me thinks Saffy do protest too much. Maybe she's a tiny bit embarrassed of the relationship or that Connor so easily figured it out?!

I also think she knows she is protesting too much but feels temporarily powerless to stop herself! Connor has really gotten her flustered. And she feels torn between wanting to stay and being scared she will expose herself further.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WAFFLE:

So I've been reading some of the comments posted in response to that aesthetics poll, and people have had some very interesting and diverse opinions. Here are a few of my thoughts.

As a storyteller my primary focus is on my writing, and editing my screenshots comes a very distant second. I have to confess though I once did try to download Reshade, around the time Sims 4 was released because as a Sims 3 blog I was hemorrhaging followers and I thought I had to up the ante as far as my screenshots were concerned to stem the flow. Anyway it froze not only my game but my entire PC, and I was so scarred by the experience I never tried again. I have never owned Photoshop either. I use Picasa and Pixlr to edit my pics and I'm generally happy with the results although I am envious of certain Simblrs who manage to combine lush photo editing skills with engrossing storytelling! But if anyone ever came into my ask box and criticized my screenshots I would reply that virtually all my creativity is expended on my writing, sorry, and if you're not following me for my Sims story you may want to reconsider that decision!

I'm probably not typical of most of the community either because I don't *get* a lot of the aesthetics that garner hundreds of notes. For content to resonate with me it has to touch something emotional, and a picture of a Sim with no context just isn't going to do that for me no matter how amazing and beautiful the edit. I'm here for Sims stories, and legacies and gameplay that communicate the lives and loves and all the idiosyncrasies and quirks of our Sims, no matter what iteration of the franchise you're into!

[danelamak2]

You drew a possessed Kai a while ago. Do you have an au about this ? If so, could you give us some info :) ?

What is different from the original story line ?

Well, that's an amazing question with a little bit of a disappointing answer, since it wasn't really my original idea. The drawing was for a DTIYS (Draw this in your style) project hosted by @zayrenvie / zayrenvie.tumblr.com , where the whole deal is to redraw someone's original piece in your style.

So, I don't really have an AU of mine, BUT I certainly can speak a lil bit more on the thing as a whole, if that is something that would interest you. Personally, I'm a little bit obsessed with Kai as a character and whenever I see AU's where he was the possesed one in s5, I lose it a little. Because like- think of the potential. All the amazing parallels between the characters that are Morro and Kai and the distinctions. Where Kai chose to protect and love the same kid that had something he wanted, Morro chose to hate him. Why is that? What made them different? Personality? Circumstances? Camraderie or lack thereof? Just. Man. Ofc, we're still talking abt 'Unused potential- the show', and even if we got to see a possesed Kai in canon, it would've propably been fumbled just as bad as Lloyd. (What I mean here, is that I'm kinda salty that despite teasing us with some sort of internal conflict between Lloyd and Morro, we never see it. Sad.) Love that there's ppl out there on the internet, who are willing to do something interesting with the idea.

Anyway, everything I say here has already been said before. I guess this is a good opportunity to make a rec, since I don't have my own stuff lol, but over on ao3 there's this amazing series called 'Alike, Alone AU' by fruitcasket. Their stuff is propably my favourite rendition of the possesed Kai AU. I want to preface that I do not have any connection to said work, series or author, it's just sth I enjoyed. Also, read the tags and warnings.

All this to say, sadly I don't have an AU. But there's plenty of talented ppl who have one, and I like to make art of that sometimes :)

Ps. That was a lot of words to answer a simple question, sorry for rambling. Also, this was my first legit ask, so thank you :D <3

[mirum-wonder]

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

Guess who's back? Back Again… Mirum's back, tell a friend. Guess who's back, guess who's back guess who's back 😂

Well, now then I'm done with my homage to Eminem and you still did not unfollow me after that (because I would), I think it's time to talk about the elephant in the room. It's been four months since I was active here or on any other platform. I've missed shiptember, I've missed inktober… damn… I've even missed my most favorite day in the year which is Halloween… Holy Molly!!!… I've missed a lot of great opportunities to make interesting artworks and engaging content 😭😭😭 It's tragic in deed. Some even may think that I'm long dead or something… but let me calm you down, for all that what happened I have a better explanation! and that is…(Suspense intensifies) … ALIENS!!!!! 🛸 Yes, you've read that right Ladies and Gentlemen, and all other foks… ALIENS!!! 👽👽👽

And you not gonna believe it, here is a video proof POV documentary of how exactly that happened. I's 100% not fabricated legit footage, definitely not a hoax, totally true, totally not done by me in Blender 3D last night as a desperate attempt to get at least something dome for Halloween special, it's officially confirmed by FBI, Fox Mulder, and Agent J from MIB himself. Like C'mon guys, it even has sound of night crickets in it, it just can't be fake.

For those who will not want to spend 21 seconds of their life on watching this X-rated shock content but somehow still made it this far reading my severe case of graphomania paroxysm here is a short synopsis of it:

I was chilling at night in the woods (usual me, it's normal) and then all of the sudden BAM, the shiny UFO appeared and these bald naked guys with oversized body parts (no, not Jonny Sins) started to run around. That could not end well for me, and it never did. The End. I was knocked out and abducted. True story. No Cap.

So yeah, as a trustworthy and responsible adult I'm officially blaming my 4 month social media absence on aliens 👽🛸

Damn… With excuses like that I definitely could become a politician 🤔 At least next time I can blame Aliens while trying to explain my girlfriend why I'm late from the bar on Friday night… and all other misadventures 😂

P.S since now I'm back, I'll try to post my stuff more often 😁 Thanks for your time !

For more of the art stuff I do feel free to check out my Linktree

[practically-an-x-man]

A genie offers your OCs 3 wishes, with some changes. It's all honest and above board, no monkeys paw or evil twists. But, they will forget they met the genie, the genie will watch them for three days and then give them their wishes based on what theyve observed. Do your OCs accept, and what does the genie give them?

Oooooh, very interesting!! Thank you!!

Rae: Nope. The idea of forcibly forgetting the genie is a little triggering to her phobia of having her mind affected, and on top of that... she worked hard to get a life she's happy with, she doesn't want anyone tampering with it now.

Robin: Hm... she'd ask the genie if she can come back later, and goes home to talk the offer through with Peter and Sean and the other important people in her life. There are some things that could be improved, but it also could be a big change depending on what the genie notices, so she'd rather not be the only one making the decision.

Madison: Uhhhh... sure, why not? She's happy with her life, but there are definitely some things that could be easier. She does tell the genie not to make *too* many changes, however - she doesn't want her life uprooted with this wish, just a few gentle shifts to make things easier

Ophelia: No. She doesn't really have faith in magic like this, being a very pragmatic and science-minded person herself, and this almost seems too good to be true. Wouldn't be the first time a supervillain had tried something like this to get the jump on her.

Gia: Yes. Maybe not immediately, since she'd have to be *sure* the offer is legit before she even thinks about agreeing, but once she does... please, fix her life, she's tired of living with the fallout from HYDRA

Jasper: Hm... tough call. On the one hand, they'd see it similarly to how Rae did - they worked hard for a good life, they don't want it pulled out of their hands like this - but on the other hand, if it helps Kyle, they'd be the first to agree. Being brought back from the dead took a toll on him, they know that, and their own empathic abilities are never quite enough to fix that. Maybe some outside magic could be a good thing for him...

Kestrel: Nope. First rule of adventuring: only agree to magical promises if you have no other choice. Even if the offer is fully genuine, their instinct is to be cautious, and their life is plenty good enough without magical help. (Now, if this happened while Warren was still under the revenant's curse, they'd agree in a heartbeat)

Katherine: Hm... she'd do some thinking, a little research and godly consultation, and weigh out the options - magic is not something she takes lightly - but in the end I think she'd agree. There doesn't seem to be any potential downside, either her life will get noticeably easier or the changes will be too small to even pick up on, both of which are fine options.

Quinn: Yes. Yes yes yes. A chance to be free of chronic pain and get back to parkour? In a heartbeat.

Eris: Nope. You think they're going to put their centuries-long life in the hands of some magical stranger, especially a stranger that probably has some *very* different ideas about morality than he does? Pass. He likes his life perfectly well as it is.

Nikoletta: Yep. She's spend her whole life fighting to stay afloat in a world that tried to beat her down at every opportunity, she'd love for things to be easier for a while.

Jimmy: He'd honestly be conflicted. On the one hand, this could mean a chance at a new life, a real life, and that's tempting. On the other hand, the genie could assume Jimmy wants to pass on, and honestly? He doesn't really want that. In the end, I think he'd walk away - it's not worth the risk of being pulled away from the world he loves.

Vivienne: Pass. It's been tossed around by magical forces before, that's how it became a siren to begin with, and she's not inclined to do that again.

[mishacakes]

how did you come about making Tomiko? Like, why did you choose a cat to be your yokai or the colour pink? What made you decide to make Tomiko genderfluid? He looks so unique! If I had never seen that TikTok you made of catfishing people with your cat into watching rottmnt, I would've thought he was a legit character! Like, I've never seen anything like him before! He is that king and the queen of rottmnt ocs and he is the best one I've seen so far! Also, do you have any tips on starting a Tumblr blog? *bows to Tomiko respectfully before jumping out the window*

alright lemme answer those in order

watched rottmnt got hella inspired. i made fancharacters as a hobby in high school and i wanted to do that again. was inspired by leo's "lucky rock" line in "air turtle", so wanted to make a lucky cat girl

I like monsters/spirits/non-human characters and pink is my favorite color. misha make a character that isn't pink challenge. difficulty: VERY HARD.

she's a shapeshifter and imo any shapeshifter character that isn't at least a little genderqueer is a major missed opportunity

and thank you!!! he's very special to me so I'm so happy people enjoy and are interested in her hehe

and tips? uh. just do what sparks joy??? i dunno man i've had this blog since high school i've never given two shits about keeping it in order other than a few tags for my own archival benefits. thanks have a good one!