#that's not a given nowadays so i'm very appreciative of that

[red-dragon-archfiend]

Kirby Star Allies is one of, if not my absolute favorite Kirby games, and I recognize while it's on paper one of the weaker entries in the core series, it appeals to me personally on multiple levels and I think I should revisit it more

[yandere-wishes]

Who are your fav authors on here, why and what are your fav fics from them?

Anon, I don't think you're aware of the beast you've just unleashed!

So strap in cause this is going to be long.

Right off the bat, we have, @thefudge. I'm trying so hard not to sound like a deranged fangirl right now. But trust me when I say that I am OBSESSED with every single thing they write! I have read their fics SO SO many times and It's impossible to pick a single favorite one. So here are my top 5

Waiting for the barbarians

Within you is everything I am

I won't be these clothes I burn

His little dead wife 

god complex

Honestly, guys go check out their work they have so many stories spanning countless fandoms. They're literally the ones that got me into Star Wars in the first place! @thefudge I SWEAR I'm not a crazy fangirl, I just really love your writing and works!!

@yandere-romanticaa goes without saying, I've been a HUGE fan of Ana's since literally forever. She was actually one of the Yandere blogs that inspired me to start writing on Tumblr. Again I can't pick just one of her works I love so here's a top 5 list

Wanna Be yours 

Yandere! William Moriarty 

Yandere! Miguel O'hara

Yandere! Nikolai #1 and #2

Yandere! Dazai comparisons

She writes for so many fandoms and updates very frequently. She's also such an amazing and fun person so hearing her stories is always a treat!! Love you lots bestie!!

@fragileheartbeats is another amazing author I love her frigid aesthetic and how it adds a layer of etherealness to all her stories. Her scenarios are magical and written in such a way they evoke such sweet feelings. Honestly reading her stories makes me feel like I'm wrapped in a blanket with hot chocolate watching as the snow silently falls outside. 

Cute little things that melt their hearts (jjk) 

White Swan (jjk) 

How it feels to be loved by them (jjk) 

First kiss (jjk) 

When they become dads (jjk) 

These five are my TOP FAV works from her they're honestly so well-written and utterly adorable!! Guys I'm not kidding go follow her, she is literally my wify!!

@irresistible-revolution

I'm new to their work. BUT "A Coffin Made of Glass" is so beautifully written. It's dead dove yet so utterly bewitching. It takes place in the space between famous Star Wars scenes and gives a more in-depth view of the character's actions and sentiments. 

@spacexseven, omg where do I even begin? Okay, so they just have such a natural way with words. Their stories flow SO smoothly it's honestly astonishing! They've written two Childe fics, "Broken Vows" and "Mandatory Obligations" that I'm wholly obsessed with. The dialogue they write also feels so natural and forthcoming, it's absolutely enticing!!

@rrairey another author whose work I've recently gotten into!! If you're a Sukuna fan then her blog is the place to go. 

Love

Sukuna vs Plushie (a literal BANGER!!)

Gojo vs Plushie

Trust

Bracelet

Seriously, go check out her work!! The way she writes dialogue between the characters and the reader is so utterly perfect. It makes you feel as if you are right there saying those exact words. The scenarios (although) fictional feel so real thanks to her wonderful writing style. 

@dear-yandere needs no introduction, she's a staple in the yandere community. Her stories always blend love and creepiness to a perfect extent. Can I take a moment to just appreciate how poetic and GORGEOUS all her stories are?? Like seriously!! "Almost god" is my favorite fanfic of ALL TIME!! And don't even get me started on "Cry for Me"!! 

This turned out long I don't think anyone was expecting an essay. To be honest I consume more fanfics than published books nowadays so I guess it's a given to have such a long list. 

[plaguenevermore]

So, there's, not an easier way to really, come out and say what, exactly has happened in my personal life, I haven't made a serious post like this in a, very, very, very long time but, uh

On October 26th, at, exactly 9:20 am, my dad passed away due to his congestive heart conditions, and AFIB, which is a type of heart arrhythmia or abnormal heartbeat. Due to this, fluids, and blood weren't cycling through his body correctly and it caused severe issues to occur such as his kidneys to fail in what was, literally hours, to the point where doctors attempted dialysis on him quite exactly the moment I left the hospital when I visited him, however, it, didn't do anything and, he basically crashed in a day's time after being in and out of the hospital multiple times around the sum total of 25 days, more than, I think.

Now, I'm, clearly not doing the greatest after all of this, of course, I loved my dad, dearly. He was a kind, accepting, wonderful man who had his of course, crotchety old man moments, he was 72 when he passed, yet that never diminished any of the love in his heart that he had for me, and my mom, and just, everyone he ever met.

But I'm gonna ask YOU ALL for, help, and I know given the current situations cycling throughout the world, that I am, nothing but a, droplet within this sea of, completely deserving people begging for help due to the genocide, people going through their OWN problems, and I can understand that seeing the word, fundraiser, or, GoFundMe, can be a bit taxing, and jarring nowadays, however, yes, that's what this entire thing is.

My mom began a GoFundMe to help myself, and her, out after my dad's passing, and if you can donate that would be, WONDERFUL, I'm never, ever, gonna force anyone to just, shovel money into my direction, but it would be greatly appreciated if you have us in your thoughts and, maybe just, toss something in our direction.

Thank you for taking your time out of your day to, skim over this, I know I talk a lot and don't know when to shut up, but, for something like this, I'm hurting, and I need to just get off of my chest how much this is, affecting us.

[3-aem]

I just wanted to say I really like your art and appreciate that you share it with us. I know there are very vocal people out there who bring up past mistakes, but I and many others have seen you take accountability and change. I think this nk person is just chronically online and likes drama. Some people just cannot accept the fact that people can make mistakes and then grow. There is a common mentality nowadays of "once wrong, always wrong." Your work is beautiful, and we can see the hard work you put into it.

I'm normally a quiet reblogger but I'm sending this because I want you to know you still do have a lot of people who support you and your work!

i am relieved to hear this. all i want is to show i have taken accountability and changed. all i want is to prove my work is not ai. as long as my followers understand that i can feel some peace.

i want to be clear that im not saying i feel my mistakes were whatever. im also not sitting here buying into the belief that person is jealous. i hope i am making that clear. what i did was hurtful to some people, i want to acknowledge that. i have sat with this a long time. i eventually determined this to not be fair. especially line “whom you all love so much” which heavily suggests a gripe with the wrong thing, and not a genuine care that i have taken accountability.

i did not just remove the piece, i paid the artist double the profits and it was agreed upon and settled. i reached out to artists to apologize and ask for permission to keep certain works up. this is well documented.

but knowing this, because I told them Directly and they acknowledged they read it first, nk still proceeded to send two more callouts and linked a post where they accuse me of being ai and selling copied work for profit.

these are very heavy allegations that can destroy an artist and so it needs Ongoing substantial proof. Nk could not provide any but treated it as such. its careless disregard. so i agree they wanted a reaction. they do not actually care even if they claim to have followed me back at one point. like that means anything given the rest of the context.

the fact is i have lost many many mutuals and friends from this. i have since experienced multiple cases of using the same reference as another artist and being accused of copying and stealing from them because of this. See yunonai, that one draco malfoy fic, and that sad suguru where he’s touching his eyes. i no longer have the benefit of doubt for a lot of people. i can work on accepting that as my fault, my problem. but i cannot accept what nk specifically did.

the final straw for me was not that i woke up with a vendetta to settle. it was seeing other artists and creators doing the same things with no consequence. it was seeing them take far less accountability. while i sit and try hard to make things right only to be told repeatedly its not enough.

[pastelpinkalien]

My thoughts on subcultures and fashion

Alternative subcultures used to be so much more than just fashion, but right now it seems like people confuse the subcultures themselves with the fashions they're associated with.

Alt subcultures used to be about ideologies, lifestyle choices, social attitudes and often taste in music. Style was just one aspect of a subculture that was used to express yourself.

Nowadays it feels like people forgot about these aspects of alternative subcultures and primarily focus on the fashions. You see a lot of people calling others "not authentic" for not dressing a certain way, when in reality the way someone dresses and expresses themselves is a very personal and individual thing. The different alt subcultures influenced each other's styles, often making it hard to tell them apart just by looks. Some individuals within a subculture share its views but choose not to adopt the specific style, and that doesn't diminish their belonging to the group.

On the flip side, there are individuals who are solely interested in the fashions, without engaging with the people or identifying as part of the subculture - and that's perfectly fine. People have the freedom to dress and express themselves however they like. It's not okay to police others based on their individual style.

I remember when I was younger, I wanted to belong so badly. I tried so hard to be something I'm not. I used to listen to goth bands, even though I didn't like them, because I thought it was wrong to like the fashion when you don't like the music, given that it's primarily a music-based subculture.

Now I know that it isn't wrong to appreciate certain aspects of the goth style without actually 'being goth.' It's perfectly fine to admire elements of a subculture without fully identifying with it.

We shouldn't feel the need to change who we are to fit into a specific group. That's not what these subcultures are about. We should celebrate our individuality and beliefs, finding a sense of belonging in that authenticity.

[withered-rose-unbreakable-lotus]

So you want to listen to Alice Nine? (prt. 2)

Moving on with my suggestions for potential new Number Sixes, cause summarizing their work in one post was impossible, let's dive into the next era.

The "Golden" years, imo. The time that solidified them as the Princes of PSC (2008-2013 From "Mirror Ball" to "Shooting Stars")

I wouldn't like to talk about how things were in Japan, cause I wasn't there, but let me tell you foreign Number Sixes were going crazy about them in these eras. And the songs were super strong, like banger after banger, it made sense. (I almost had to separate this era into 2 more parts, cause I couldn't choose. There is so much to find here as a first listen imo)

To this day, this song gives me chills. The melody, THE PIANO WITH THE DRUMS UGH! xD Easy listen, fun song, back to full on anime song vibes but with elegance and...just listen. xD

It honestly saddens me that there are people nowadays disregarding how good this song is xD. I will admit though I don't like its live version. *nods* But the studio version is fun. And back when I became a fan it was EVERYWHERE! xD It was one of the 2-3 songs YT felt like suggesting me when it wanted to show me Alice Nine is an option close to my likes too. :P Also excuse me, but if you enjoy a good solo, you might as well choose this. Hiroto gets a solo, Tora, gets a solo and Saga as well. And Shou gets highs, hello? I get my fix on Nao solos from other songs, though. :P It's not bad here, on the contrary it keeps the rhythm fun and upbeat, it adds playfulness, it's just not given as much time to shine alone as I'd personally like.

Behold. The Anthem xD. Listen, I can tell you for a fact this song was super popular with Japanese fans as well, it'd become a joke. This was also the opening to the band's livestreams for the longest time and at some point they wanted to change it and hesitated but I don't remember if they eventually did. I still remember Tora questioning it xD. Is it time? Should we finally do it? xD I never expected such song would hold so many memories for me 13 years later but here we are.

Finally! My starter pokemon! xD This song made me their fan. It has everything I personally love, it had darker visuals than their usual, moodiness, mystery and soaring parts for grandeur. It's such a beautiful song, like a fairytale. Oh and Hiroto's solo. ;;

I was ready to make a funny visual here for you, but I chose mercy, cause I'm blabbering anyway xD. This is a very catchy song. I dunno if it has the power to make you a fan but it will definitely have you dancing around.

Another favorite in the foreign fandom from what I had seen back then. In part 1 of my Alice Nine recommendations, I had mentioned I'd talk vocal skill in a song in this part. This is the one. If anyone of you here sings, I'd like you to try sing this song while making sure you maintain as much of Japanese accent you can master, follow Shou's tone and get all the highs without running out of breath. If you've been singing for years you probably can do it. Personally, while I'm not a pro, not even close, I was surprised I ran this out of breath with this one, and my throat hurt. On the first bridge specifically. Cause I'm an Aguilera stan too so I know that when I run out of breath, the song is hard xD Like, you can't tell me he didn't have skill to sing this. Now live....this is the kind of song that strains your voice and well, with the years, it has lost lots of its oomph cause of Shou's struggles with his voice. But even back when he tried to hit every note and was way closer than nowadays, you could hear the pain. Very difficult song but very beautiful nonetheless.

This might or might not be a good first for you, it really depends on your taste but this to me is one of their most magical songs.

I personally wouldn't necessarily suggest this as a good first cause I took a bit of time to appreciate it more, myself, but look at the views. It was popular for sure, I remember that. And I admit it's catchy.

See for me this is better for a starter than Blue Flame, but it depends on taste. They both were popular when they came out but Blue Flame had more people's heart. It also had very strong imagery of the members, maybe that added to it. Anywho, I'm more of a "Heart of Gold" person. :P

And we close this era with Shooting Star. This one was a cute song for me, and I think it's easy to hear, that's why it's here. I wanted to add 2 more songs before that but tumblr limits me.

So I'm adding it here as honorable mentions: Do check "Daybreak" and "Himitsu" as well.

That’s all about this post, guys. Again, I’d have loved to do it all in one go, but tumblr... Next and final era in part 3.

I hope you find sth you like, if not, it’s ok, you might enjoy sth from other eras. But well, if you still don’t find sth, we all like different things, it’s alright, but yeah, this was an attempt to entice more people listen to one of my favorite bands, Alice Nine (their mid era, according to my understanding, at least, during which most of their songs seemed to be popular in both the Japanese and Western fandom).

[imonthemoonitsmadeofcheese]

Friends

I wanted to write more for Ikora week but I am so damn sick. I offer instead a handful of older Ikora-involved stories that I've never posted to Tumblr. This one is from Season of the Witch.

Link to Ao3 if you prefer to read it there.

“Drifter, what are you doing here?” Ikora Rey looked up in surprise as he entered her office.

“Oh hey, Rayray. I was just passing through. Thought I'd stop by. See how you're doing.” He walked in and sat down in one of the chairs on the other side of her desk, as though he did this all the time and this wasn’t the first time he had ever set foot in her office, as though this wasn’t a high security area that he had no clearance for and should not be capable of waltzing around in.

Ikora made a mental note to search through her room to ensure she still had all her belongings after he left.

“I'm fine, thank you.” Ikora carefully flipped her data pad face down on her desk to ensure the Hidden reports she had been reviewing on it could not be ‘accidentally’ read. “You've never …stopped by before. Why now?”

“Are ya really fine though?” He leaned forward, looking her in the eyes, smiling gently. “It's gotta be stressful watching someone you've known and cared for for so long turn into a hive god.”

So he wanted to talk about Eris. Everyone wanted to talk about Eris nowadays. Very well.

“It's not permanent.” A simple response. One she had given several times now to several people.

“We don't know that. She don't know that. And if she don't know that, we don't know that. But she'll be ok regardless.” He leaned back in the chair, seeming to enjoy how comfortable it was, his eyes wandering about the room appreciatively.

Ok regardless? What a thing to say. Then again, it was a very Drifter thing to say. His casual acceptance of terrible outcomes for other people was legendary. It seemed a bit callous, even for him, though.

“Will she?” Ikora had understood that Eris and the Drifter were friends now, potentially even closer if some of the more outlandish reports were to be believed. But for him to say that, did he even like her at all? As if becoming the one thing she’d devoted her entire existence to eradicating would somehow be acceptable to her? Was he actually that much of an asshole?

“Yeah. It's Eris. She's in her element. She knows what she's about. You, though, you've seen it happen.”

And there it was, the infamous coin had appeared, tumbling across his knuckles. The Drifter’s signature habit. At least he wasn’t bouncing it off of anything in her office. Yet.

“And watchin’ someone you care for transform into something else can be its own personal kind of hell. Ask me how I know. Can make a person feel powerless and alone, all kinds of awful stuff.”

His response was oddly empathetic. As though he and Ikora were old friends, not adversaries. And his plainly stated clear faith in Eris was a refreshing change from everyone else Ikora had been dealing with. Perhaps he wasn’t that much of an asshole.

“I thank you for your concern.” A tactful answer was best, yes. Was this visit some form of olive branch? But why?

“Takes one to know one, sister.” He winked.

The coin abruptly disappeared. Palmed into his hand, no doubt. Ikora had not previously witnessed his slight of hand up close. She had to admit, he was good. She stretched out her fingertips to lightly tap the face down data pad to make sure it was still there and had not… wandered.

“Ya know,” he continued, “sometimes the best thing you can do for someone in this type of situation is to put aside your fear and be proud of them, grateful you get to be one of the ones there to support."

“I… thank you for the advice.” What was his goal here?

“Advice? I ain't advicing nothin'. Just chatterin'. But I gotta say, when I found out it was the Vanguard's most powerful warlock looking after Moondust, making sure nothing gets in her way while she's doing her thing, I felt better. So, yeah, thanks for being there, from me, specifically.”

From him specifically? What did that mean?

“You're welcome.” Ikora kept her expression neutral, trying to discern his motivation. “How did you get in here anyway?”

“Airlock was open… but, speaking of getting in places, I gotta go. If you need anything though, you know how to find me.” He got up from the chair and started to walk out the door.

Ah, there it was. He was seeking to profit off of the situation. This was a commercially motivated visit, then. A reminder of his… services. Strange that he'd pick a time like this but perhaps he was especially strapped for cash.

“I'm sure you'd offer a fair price if I did.”

“Now, don't go spreading this around, but if it's to help Moondust, it's on the house.”

Ikora blinked, no longer trying to hide her confusion.

“I did not expect that from you.”

“Ha! Me neither, truth be told, but life is strange sometimes and things you didn't think could happen to you suddenly do. I'm all in on that wild beautiful badass witch, so if you need anything to help her, anything at all, you let me know, and I'll make it happen, you got that?”

Ikora’s eyes went wide at the overt affection in his description of Eris. Wild beautiful badass witch? Did he actually just say that? Was he being genuine?

“Drifter.”

“What?”

“Thank you.”

“Welcome. Although… there is one more thing.” He paused at the threshold of the room. His hand on the doorway.

Ikora’s eyes narrowed. “Yes?”

“I was thinkin, the Vanguard's most powerful warlock might be there for more than to just keep shit outta Eris' way.”

What was he getting at?

“Might be someone thinks there needs to be someone there to interfere if things get too dicey. Someone might even use the phrase ‘to put her down,’ as the case may be.

“I…”

When he said the phrase, ‘put her down,’ his expression and voice shifted. His friendly facade dropped and he stared into her eyes, watching her. Digging deep. He was searching for something. A snake attempting to determine whether or not what was in front of it was prey.

Ikora was instantly on high alert. Void energy ready in her fingertips. Her muscles tensed.

“Trust Eris.” Drifter spoke firmly and clearly, an edge to his voice. “If you ever think you should do… that… Don't.” The way he said the word “don’t”… it was like he was giving her an order. She’d never seen him so… assertive. Almost aggressive. No… protective.

“It won't come to that.” She gave him the same answer she’d given everyone else who had suggested it. The words were now practiced in her mouth, an affirmation of her faith in her friend. As though she could speak her faith into being.

“It won’t,” he agreed. “But don't ever make her wonder whether or not you're on her side… and, something you should know.”

What else? What was going on here?

“Yes?”

“I am… on her side, that is… and in anything that involves sides, Eris’ side is the side that I am on. So I will kindly ask that you also don't make me question which side you’re on either.”

Ikora felt a chill creep over her. This wasn’t a business visit or an olive branch. This was a warning.

“Are you… threatening me?”

His face immediately softened. “Naw.” He broke eye contact and his voice became gentle again. “Eris trusts you.”

He looked back at Ikora and his eyes were no longer cold and flat. “She loves you, even. I ain't about to go threatening anyone she cares for. You wouldn’t hurt her. Eris trusts you and I trust Eris. We’re cool.”

And just like that, he was back to the overly cheery ‘normal’ Drifter persona again, all smiles, like he was trying to sell you a used sparrow that would break down five minutes after you left with it. Harmless, shifty, with no hint of the menace he’d just shown moments before in her doorway.

“She needs you,” he continued, “and therefore I need you. And, seriously, we should be friends, because we really are both on the same side, here.”

“I see.” Ikora’s mouth was dry, watching the chameleon carefully for his next change in demeanor.

“Glad you do!” His eyes sparkled, as though they hadn’t just been the dead eyes of a killer considering its next victim a moment before. “Later!” He gave her a cheerful wave and walked out the door.

She heard his coin ping off the floor and walls of the hallway a few times, growing distant as he left.

Ikora stared at the open door for a few more minutes before she pushed a button on her desk. “Get me a full security audit of my office and the surrounding sectors for the past hour. Now.”

[y-rhywbeth2]

In a recent post you mentioned that nowadays, Myrkul covered death by natural causes.

Once again, I'm curious what Myrkul gets out of the Absolute hoax. Not a lot of natural death happening there.

The first time I played, the Lord of Bones seemingly held power over necromancy, given his contribution to the plot. But that's mostly Velsharoon's job, isn't it?

Could Myrkul use the Absolute's power to steal divine influence from Velsharoon? Is that even something he wants?

Moreover, would Velsharoon care at all that Myrkulites were raising an army? Considering he serves Mystra, would he have known / been alarmed by undead brains getting implanted with Netherese-powered atheism tadpoles?

I'm laughing at the idea that Velsharoon, who is listed as one of Jergal's enemies, might have been the first whistleblower against the Dead Three's shenanigans. (Also possibly the result of Kressa's necromancy getting repeatedly foiled by the first True Soul being a Deathstalker of Bhaal who just wouldn't stay dead.)

Not a damn clue. Myrkul's current domains are entropy, age, the elderly, death by natural causes, funerals, and he is basically patron god of the undead. If we were establishing an undead empire of sapient undead and powerful necromancers, that would likely further Myrkul's goals and his priesthood would ally themselves with necromancers and the unliving to guide them - it'd also be something Bhaal would be on board with, although Bane's going to insist on putting his brand name on a few hundred if he tries that. I don't see any alhoons in this mind flayer army though.

(While there has been some brief mention of one temple planning to conquer Calimshan (literally or metaphorically, I'm not sure), his lot aren't a military order and Myrkul doesn't direct his worshippers to rock the boat without cause because he doesn't have the follower numbers to waste.)

I would assume he's looking to recover his power by revisiting his mortal adventuring days (it worked the first time). He's a thousand-year-old former Greater Power and Lord of the Dead who has lost almost all of his offices to younger powers, forcing him to borrow a portfolio from Bhaal; Kelemvor is god of the dead and has the funeral industry covered (and Jergal serves the office of the Fugue Plane, so that's a potential 'ally' lost for Myrkul). Velsharoon ascended and became patron of necromancers and is associated with the undead. Most of Myrkul's worshippers are coming from humans, and the current generation of humans associates those deities with 'his' domains. He's also not in a great position to run off an pick a fight with Kelemvor, as far as I can see.

(I can also understand why Bhaal took this path... And why are you here, Bane??)

Considering that necromancy and undeath aren't heavily involved in the squid army, I don't think it concerns Velsharoon much past perhaps not wanting Myrkul to gain power, although it's also been said that Velsharoon writes Myrkul off as a has-been who should be put in a retirement home, so he might not be paying attention.

While Velsharoon encourages lichdom and undeath amongst his followers he also apparently doesn't care that much for undead, who are just tools and his necromancers tend to brand those under their control with his holy symbols as a flex. Myrkulytes who revere the undead as holy very much do not appreciate that, and as such Myrkul apparently has custody of the undead after the Second Sundering and they like him significantly more. (Hard to say what's going on with Velsharoon right now though, because he's not on the list of deities for the Faerûnian panthon rn (although it sounds like he's still around).

As for Mystra:

'While he professes service to Azuth (and through him, Mystra), Velsharoon actually encourages his followers to kill followers of these deities when they have a chance in order to vaunt his own power.' - Magic of Faerûn

If there's a way for him to gain standing from whistleblowing, maybe, but I don't think he bothers to communicate anything useful to her most of the time.

-

Strangely I actually root for Myrkul to win here, as Old Lord Skull is the more sympathetic of the evil monsters. Aside from just generally having more style; Both gods are revered by necromancers, and their priests aid necromancers and try to get them to follow their god's teachings on the topic. Velsharoon is patron of necromancers (= undead are tools and servants. Surrender to death is Bad), Myrkul the undead (= the undead are those who have entered the holy state of death, their continued power of the living is proof of death/Myrkul's might and is holy and we should aid them in their goals. And taking a comforting stance to the dying with accepting that death is natural, not to be feared and inevitable is Right and there's (hopefully) a better place for you far from the suffering and trials of life).

[skylarbee]

After seeing a post where it said that Miles no longer posted photos of him and Alex, I thought the same thing, they never appear together again, whether on Miles' IG or elsewhere, even if they are at the same party etc... Just a little hasty hug on stage and that's it. It seems like there is a fortress that has been built around Alex, (or that he himself built) As if they should no longer be seen together. This is why I am more and more skeptical about the possibility of a TLSP3, as if they had gone "too far" (and I'm not just talking about "milex") that saddens me, in done there I need to be reassured haha! Sorry for this rambling but I really appreciate your point of view and your analyzes ;)

first of all, thank you anon for your kind words, i really appreciate them!! <3 and don't worry about ramblings as you must know that it's all i do when answering an ask and it's what i'm gonna do now 😂

yeah, it is is saddening (and sometimes concerning) that we basically never see them together nowadays, but i think that if they were actually trying their hardest to hide then we wouldn't have spotted them at the scott walker tribute concert for example, or at that party or whatever where miles is in the background (where they both knew they could be photographed together at any time), or miles wouldn't have said many times that alex goes over to his place or they have dinner and such, or alex wouldn't have asked miles to support them in ireland (and the fact that these were the last shows... of course he wanted to end it with a bang -this could be interpreted in more ways than one-), etc. i thought that the hug in london was very very sweet and so intimate, and even the one in ireland in the dark was cute (the lack of sntm was weird), not to mention alex singing to and pointing at miles so unashamedly (c'mon, he must've known people would figure it out but didn't care). zackery's wedding was a weird one as they were seated apart from each other, but there is no way that they didn't talk to each other - there just isn't any evidence.

i know there are people who say that this is done deliberately by alex's pr team and because they saw the effects of the eycte tour and don't want people to start going crazy over them and ignore louise in the meantime and get the rumours starting about his sexuality... i'm not sure whether to believe this or not. it seems a bit too far-fetched, but who knows 🤷‍♀️ i wouldn't be too surprised it was at least a little true.

speaking of evidence, we know how hard louise tries to show off and exploits her boyfriend and how silly it all looks in the end... to me, miles not posting about alex just means that what they have is reserved for them and them only. the pictures miles has in his phone with/of alex are just theirs, their memories are just theirs, whenever they hang out and the moments they share are just theirs - and this is so important. love, in whatever form, shouldn't be used as a tool to make others jealous or to post in order to gain likes or get people talking - it should be something more private, more precious, something to share between the two of you that is yours only - this should be enough for happiness. maybe after eycte and the fans' reactions they decided to keep their relationship and their private life a little more private. besides, it was always the girlfriends that posted alex a lot and not miles, and i'm not sure he wasn't too big of a fan of that, given... well, everything we know about him, and this interview from 2016:

Like Chung, Bagley has been known to post a lot of pictures of herself looking impossibly attractive on Instagram. There she is posing with her dog, posing naked in the bath … but never, as far as I can tell, posing with Turner. Is that because he’d rather not be there? “I don’t recall submitting that request, but I’m not sorry about it if I’m not on there.”

i think that miles is just simply respecting what he knows about alex and his dislike of social media, and he knows that posting photos with alex would only result in getting more likes than usual and people saying that he's profiting off of his fame. alex and their relationship means more to him than a few likes and reposts.

[boyswhowawa]

The Undead Of Winter, Introduction

The Undead of Winter

two slugcats, forever bound to walk the world

things that will forever haunt them echo on the icy winds

things that will forever hurt them watch in dark shadows

but there is never a lack of hope for healing from the things that hide on the edge of your reality

[ A bit more info, Character references, and a special message at the end under the cut! ]

first things first,

The Saint, also called Wallow, White, or Blender

This little guy has gone through. Far. Far too much. But we'll see how things go for him from here

(Pronouns are He/Its)

The Artificer, also called Beasty, Bomber, Heretic, or Booster

This not so little guy has also been through a lot, she's become something a bit more than a little violent rodent nowadays though...

(Pronouns He/She/They)

almost Immediately when I shared the Saint's design with some friends, my friend @draagu (sorry if tagging's not alright let me know and I will nnot do it again) was like "I wanna hug him" (since then I've had at least 5 people say the same thing lasjdfl;akdfjs;aljsf [As they should this man needs many hugs])

so I doodled that

here's a goofier doodle of the two

also featuring a little cameo from some art by @pookapufferfishjsad;lfkjasdf because I did these twos' designs while me and pooka were doing some drawing together

(which was still really fun oh my goodness I'm excited to do it again sometime)

and now!!!

A little bit more of a serious (?? ish??) note

The Undead of Winter is a project I'm really excited for

it's not gonna be anything too massive, but I just hope all who choose to watch and view enjoy the show

this project is going to be very personal for me, I'm leaning on writing styles that comfort me, and choosing to share them because I think it'll be nice, and one thing that comforts me is big angst, and what follows, the big healing

so this is your warning that this one might hurt a little, but it's not my intention to leave you hurting reading this, and i'm sorry if it does

if you're interested in reading along, I'm gonna be tagging all posts related to it with #RW The Undead Of Winter, as well as #RW TUOW

also if you wanna post thoughts or anything like that, please, feel free to come into my asks, or post anything like that with those tags, I really appreciate anything, wether it's constructive criticism, just some gushing about stuff if you feel like it, some feelings it may have given you, or if you doodle anything

I wanna see all of that, preferably, ajsdl;fkaj

I'm gonna have fun doing this

thanks for bearing with me rambling

and i hope you have a good day

[that-imp-with-weed]

Many years ago I was a big fan of MH series. Can't say that now I love the dolls as much as I used to in my childhood, but they're the important piece of nostalgia for me. Also cartoons about monster folks will always be in my heart.

Now I'm watching their new reboot and absolutely agree with ppl who say dat nowadays MH have been turned into the dolls made ONLY for children despite the experiments with bodies complections. There aren't any goth and emo vibes else. Only colourful vanilla-looking teenagers.

For example, my dear Abby... I appreciate the fact that she was given more thick build body as a yeti, but this very innocent and simple appearance for firstly daring and independent ghoul really disappointed me( She worth wearing more unique clothes with interesting prints and fur due to her connection with winter ❄

New Bombinale looked gorgeous in the first concept)

I have big hopes for fans who will make cooler OOAKs devoted to their fav MH characters.

P. S. Thank you for noticing she still has got fangs) Also it was useful to explore concept-arts) I haven't been in fandom for a long time, so there were some difficulties, huh

[starkfish]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @meduseld! Because while I haven't written in awhile, I sure do love *talking* about writing :D Under the cut

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

A nice round 50.

2. What's your total ao3 word count? 337,459

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Nowadays not really any, lmao, but BACK IN THE DAY I was obviously primarily an ASOIAF writer, but I've also written for Harry Potter, Law and Order SVU, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Taken, and American Horror Story. And I loooooove talking about those fandoms that I write less frequently about so feel free if anyone had any questions, I would lap that shit right up.

4. Top five fics by kudos:

we're men of snow (we melt one day)

Rivers and Roads

this house no longer feels like home

And Maybe Someday Love

to stand outside your virtue (this one is probably the biggest surprise in the top 5 for me)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I was/am good at responding when a fic is newly posted but I'm not very good at it now, which is a shame on me because I still read and love every comment and I think people who take the time to leave comments on fics that are years old are super super rad. Usually I see it and get all giddy and then forget to respond and then feel weird responding much later, which is silly of me. I don't get a ton of comments anymore but I'm going to try and be better about answering because I do appreciate them!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Definitely Measures, that one is just an angst fest in general. Or hmm, A Myth of Devotion is a close second.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Aahahaha this is just making me realize how death is involved in like...all of my fics? So maybe Rivers and Roads since Ned and Cat get to be together at the end, despite the DEATH AND WAR around them? Or maybe that my lips would build a castle which finds Jon and Sansa together in Winterfell despite all the DEATH AND WAR THAT WAS AROUND THEM. Or maybe Wedding Bell Blues which is a fun modern AU despite the fact that Lyanna is unhappy in it. What can I say, I enjoy my angst.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not a lot, although I did just recently get someone angry that I tagged Ned/Ashara in 'Wedding Bell Blues', and honestly they weren't completely wrong but they were so obnoxious about it that the tag is staying there out of spite. And of course I used to get the requisite Catelyn hate but even that was pretty few and far between. My stuff is usually what it says on the tin and AO3 is a little bit more self selecting than other sites of the past.

9. Do you write smut?

Awwwww yis especially SMUT WITH FEELINGS.

10. Craziest crossover:

I'm not really a crossover babe, alas.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes, someone took 'Measures' and basically rewrote it word-for-word as a Downton Abbey fic and someone recognized it as my work (...actually was it you, @meduseld??) and brought it to my attention. Lmao also back when I was on a Desperate Housewives livejournal (BACK IN THE DAYS) I had a couple of ESL writers take parts of my fics and use them in theirs and the mod of the LJ community got SO MAD at me when I was like "...hey please don't do that!" But the incident with 'Measures' was definitely the most blatant.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, and I think it's very cool! I would never attempt to translate it back though lol. But it is very touching to me that someone would like my work enough to want to take the time to translate it so others can enjoy it. I'm always fine with it as long as proper credit is given. I have also had a podfic done on a Lyanna comment fic and that was also extremely cool! The person who did that had a lovely reading voice. =)

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not a published fic but I've done roleplay-y writing with a few friends before which was always fun!

14. All time favorite ship?

I don't know if I've penned more words, thought more thoughts, spent more time for any other ship more than Ned/Cat. <3 A close second to Elliot/Olivia in Law and Order SVU for goddamn longevity though. Still dragging me along, twenty years later.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Sadly I doubt I'll ever finish 'these are hard times for dreamers' because back in 2019 I only had the vaguest idea of where I wanted to go next and that has only gotten worse with time. I have also had a Lynesse fic half-written on my computer for probably like...five years at this point, BUT I think that's more likely to get finished at SOME point just because it is already around 4k words. But who knows WHEN.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Character work, especially internal thoughts, setting a mood/scene, etc.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action scenes, getting from point A to point B to point C, especially concisely versus needing ten thousand words. I also think my dialogue is hit or miss, especially in a longer back-and-forth conversation.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I'll reference it if need be but usually try and avoid because I don't speak any other language fluently and don't want to make any foolish mistakes.

19. First fandom you wrote in?

Lmao SAILOR MOON (Geocities 5ever) and also I wrote some Pokemon stuff. I'm not even a little sorry.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I think it's 'we're men of snow (we melt one day)' which makes it especially gratifying that it is my most popular. There are still bits I would clean up if I were rewriting it but on the whole I'm so pleased with how it turned out and it was also really nice that it was a gift for a friend for FandomAid (@catelyngrant) who gave me pretty free reign to do whatever I wanted. So I'm glad I was able to deliver something that I'm very happy with because she deserves it! I am also very partial to my Lysa Heroine Big Bang fic, 'The Girl in the Mirror'. I love writing Lysa and this was the most complete thing I ever wrote about her, and I loved getting to flesh out her backstory. Much as it is super fun to play in the AU sandbox, it is also a ton of fun to examine a part of canon that is left uncovered in the source material. Tagging @catelyngrant, @apprenticemockingbird, and anyone else who may be interested!

[seriouslysam8]

thank you for another amazing chapter. we all appreciate you and your writing so much, and we’re so lucky you take the time out of your day to create something so great.

i started reading this for hinny and i’m hooked because of blackinnon, idk how you did it but you’ve made me a fan of a ship i hadn’t even given much thought to before.

but this chapter!! i feel like sirius does respect tegan and obviously feels warmly towards her, and like he said she’s the perfect woman, but not for him. and he’s staying with her out of a mix of needing a sense of comfort, guilt because his hearts not really in it, but also maybe as a barrier between him and marlene. because he wouldn’t be able to justify not being with marlene if tegan wasn’t in the picture, and like you delved into in the chapter he’s scared to be with her because he cares about her. and that shows to me that marlene is the one for him because he doesn’t feel that way with tegan (at least not to the same extent). also the whole part where was thinking about how marlene is the person he wants to share all the parts of his life with had my whole heart because in my mind that’s one of the most important things to have in a relationship. someone who you not only trust to tell stuff to but also want to.

but ahhh the way you described it all was amazing. as a blackinnon fan (bc of you) i adored this chapter but also i cant wait for hot girl christmas not only bc of jealous sirius but honestly marlene deserves to have her own fun too.

and the scene at the end with cepheus and harry and sirius was so domestic and sweet i loved it

You know, when I started writing Brumous, I very much wanted it to be primarily a Hinny story. It still is. There's still a lot of Hinny. But I'm a thirty-something year old lady so I gravitate and find writing adults way easier than I do teenagers nowadays. So I find myself gravitating to more Sirius POVs and more Sirius centric storylines. The more I wrote Sirius' little love triangle, the more I just loved it.

Anyway, I'm really glad people are enjoying the Blackinnon aspect of the story and I've converted some people to ship them. I find giving Harry two loving godparents just makes me happy because I want that cute little cabbage to be happy, you know?

I'm not going to lie, I have the itch to write more Blackinnon centered stories and/or one-shots in the universe but I don't have any ideas right now.

[bite-the-bloody-hand]

14,15,17,18,19 for the romance asks <3

Look at you spoiling me~ Thanks for being so patient <3

For the Amorous Asks game (I'm still playing!)

If your OC were to dress up to show themselves off to their best advantage, perhaps for an existing partner, or in the hopes of attracting positive attention, what might they wear?

We all know who Zell's existing partner is, so let me just break down how he goes about Ruining Daeran's Life.

Zell would play on the courtly sensibilities Daeran introduced to their little situation. There is a very 'look but do not touch' interplay going on with them, therefore Zell's main goal would be making him want to touch without being too obvious about it; subtlety to counter Daeran's theatrics. Invitation and enticement rather than bombastic overture.

Naturally, the outfit would be preceded by a bath and doing something with his hair. If he couldn't get the same kinds of herbs Daeran had procured, he'd go for something like cedar and juniper to evoke a similar effect. His hair would be neatly plaited into a single braid, but the end would be ribboned in such a way that anyone daring enough to get close could pull on the end and undo the braid.

Instead of going for flash accessories or something flamboyant, Zell would dress down significantly. His usual traveling gear is eye-catching, showy, and oversized to make him look more intimidating, but made of very practical materials. For this he'd reverse it: Simple shirt, trousers, and boots - but the materials would be exquisite. Silk-cashmere blend for the shirt, crushed velvet trousers, kid leather boots; all tailored. The tailoring would be especially important - he knows Daeran would spot the difference.

The capstone of the outfit would be a heavy, comfortable cloak with enough drape to let someone catch a glimpse of what he's wearing, but one would have to be deliberate about getting at what's underneath.

As previously stated, there would be no flash accessories here. Just the key necklace (naturally); his belt buckle would be fashioned to look like a rose. As for whether he'd have an actual rose on his person - technically yes, if you count the lip balm he made from distilling petals months prior. What I'm saying is this man is premeditating a murder.

Would your OC be happy to be given flowers by an admirer or partner? What would be their favourite to receive?

Zell adores receiving flowers, and roses happen to be his favorite. (Amusingly, this was a thing long before I rolled him for Wrath of the Righteous, so That Scene pretty much clinched the romance.)

Flower gifting is important to Zell on a personal level as well as a romantic one. Growing up in Hongli it was common to bring flowers - both decorative and useful - as a gift when visiting someone. He had a hobby of pressing samples brought by distant friends and family when he was a younger child. Nowadays he will take cuttings from campgrounds or significant places he's visited in the Worldwound. He tries to cultivate from these, so he can keep the unique new plants thriving.

He also makes it a point to leave rose cuttings in certain secret places when he revitalizes the land.

Receiving the gift of roses from Daeran completely threw him, to be fair. He appreciated it both as a truly funny harmless prank, and as a genuinely thoughtful gift. He hadn't told anyone his favorite flower, or even that he'd be the kind of person who would enjoy them, but to walk into his usually cold, austere office to see it just bursting with flowers was pretty excellent experience, actually. Second only to seeing how pleased and smug his friend looked giving him such a silly present, and have it be well received.

Would your OC ever be confident in making the first move? Or do they prefer to wait for the other person to do so? If they are in a relationship then who made the first move in that instance?

That all depends on the situation and what you consider a 'first move.' Zell is a flirt AND a slut who's comfortable with being assertive if it's a completely casual thing - but anyone propositioning him would have to be straightforward about their intentions to fuck or else he'll just be yes-anding whatever banter gets thrown at him until last call. That's why he likes flirting with Daeran early on; the idea that it would turn into anything more serious seemed completely off the table. Live and learn, amirite?

In the very rare instance where he's romantically interested in someone, he's much more subtle about it unless he's absolutely, unquestionably certain it's reciprocated. Even then, he prefers to make his interest known and open things up for the other partner to take the next step. Relationships make him wary, primarily because it's rare to find someone who doesn't go in on either the sexy vampire crap or the gods-touched hero nonsense. He's much more into someone who would pay attention to what he's really about, rather than what reputation or stereotype precedes him.

So who really made the first move between them?

What was your OC most surprised to find out about themselves in terms of sex and/or romance? Or perhaps what will they be surprised about in the future?

Zell has always been a huge brat, but has never been in a situation where he's forced to concede an argument and then gotten rewarded for it.

This is a scene that exists entirely in my head, related to the mask answer from that other ask game. Mid-act 3, after the birthday party, but just before the Notadate. During a particularly heated argument about the beloathed 'muzzle,' Zell finally agrees to put the thing away permanently. Daeran's responds to the concession with 'good boy' and carries on as if he didn't just blow an entire city block worth of Zell's praise kink into orbit. Was it intentional on Daeran's part? (yes) Probably.

That alchemizes with his growing knightly devotion to everything Daeran has going on and. Let's just say he's not too pissed off at Harmattan when all that comes out in the wash. He gets it, okay?

Is there a couple who your OC views as having a particularly healthy or admirable relationship? Would they hope to emulate this kind of relationship?

Hands down, it's got to be Anevia and Irabeth. To be fair they're one of the few canon examples of a living couple we interact with more than once so it's not really a fair pool but even so.

Zell appreciates how different Irabeth and Anevia are as people, while still having no problem completely having each other's back. The love and trust between them is so obvious, but it especially hit him after coming back from the Abyss and hearing that they'd agreed to be parted again, even after they'd been torn apart by circumstance twice before. That GOT him. A love that doesn't smother, that trusts, that's built on years of understanding; isn't concerned with anyone else's opinions, just genuine. To him, that is the stuff that works.

Ask me more!

I am also still playing the Knight Commander game

[crusherthedoctor]

📞 a character others dislike but you don’t?

♠️ favorite protagonist?

🕷️a character you feel is underrated?

📞 - a character others dislike but you don't?

Elise has gained more appreciation over time, but you still get people who think she's to blame for everything wrong with '06. She was a decent if underdeveloped character who simply wasn't used in the story that well, and anyone who thinks turning her into a Not-Sally is the only way to fix her isn't trying.

There's also Zor and Marine, both of whom I will always defend. Isn't it wild how I can barely remember anything from The End's three minute tough guy Reddit copypasta, yet everything Zor says is solid gold... shout out to IDW for missing the point and making him an unironic tryhard like every other villain in the comic. As for Marine, people act as though her character development never happened, which isn't helped by Flynn being one of those very people, and I don't understand why they give her flak for her stereotypical accent, yet make no such complaints about Bunnie.

For a couple of non-Sonic examples: King Sombra kind of went through the same arc as Elise in retrospect. As in, nowadays he has more open fans, but back when he made his debut, he received a disproportionate amount of flak for being a mostly silent villain, and the way he was used. I personally appreciated what they were going for with him, mainly cause of how they conveyed his Crazy Prepared defenses and the like, and honestly, by the time FiM concluded, I think he ended up better off than certain other villains lmao.

And of course, Moneybags. Not counting the first game (cause he didn't exist yet), I don't consider it a true Spyro experience if Winnie the Shit doesn't pop up in increasingly improbable locations to make deals in exchange for, *ahem*, a small fee. He also has some of the best lines. ("What are you going to do, sue me?")

♠️ - favourite protagonist?

Gex is unironically a better written character than everyone in Frontiers and IDW put together. This realisation makes me want to drink tap water at Jerry Garcia's.

Tails has always been my main bro out of the Sonic good guys, cause of how smart he is and how much he wants to help. :D It's also why I'm vocal about how much I despise it when fans double down on reducing the franchise to Just Furry DBZ due to super forms and whatnot, since it means Tails and other characters not named Sonic/Shadow/Silver are guaranteed to be treated even more like they're not good for anything meaningful. >:|

Then there's Spyro of course, which I know will be considered ironic to some given my complex feelings on Sonic, but truth be told, Spyro isn't really that similar to Sonic beyond some snark. He does admittedly act like a dude with tude in the first game, but it's clear that he's younger in that one. From the second game onward, where he's slightly older, he's considerably more chill... at least compared to Bubsy and many others from the 90's. And speaking of, despite his dialogue consisting entirely of WOAH, I respect Crash as well, since it was the bandicoot that got little me into the world of video games.

And many things change, but my fondness for Fluttershy will never die. Just as I have a preference for funny robot-loving villains who nonetheless remain a legit serious threat instead of being a joke, I have another preference for kindhearted quiet characters... which is why I also enjoy Trip... and Tikal... look, we all have our types, I'm sure you can sympathise. ;P

🕷️ - a character you feel is underrated?

The Hard-Boiled Heavies have mostly been pushed aside since Mania came out (aside from that one IDW story, but that's not a blessing), and it makes me madder than YouTubers who pretend they're mad because there are villains with dialogue who have less personality than these guys. They're so much fun, and despite all of them having the same Egg Robo template, their designs remain distinct from each other, even in silhouette form.

I also took to Ariem early on. Like the Heavies, "underrated" refers to general lack of fandom buzz compared to other characters, since although she appears to be quite liked, the acknowledgement given to her is somewhat limited due to her being stuck in an Android-only game for the time being. Some people also have an obsession with comparing her unfavourably to either Sage or Lanolin, for reasons I can probably guess in both cases. Me? I love her design, and her interactions with Cream and Knuckles are cute. :> I know it's not likely, but I hope she appears elsewhere so that she can be brought to more fans' attention... provided she doesn't get IDW'd.

Finally, a more complicated example: Metal Sonic. Now yes, he's very popular and beloved, and remains so to this day, but during the last couple of years, I feel I've been seeing two growing sides in the community when it pertains to him: the side who loves Neo Metal Sonic, and believe he's only a threat in that form like Flynn apparently believes (given how he often turns regular Metal into a jobber), and the side who consider him lame or essentially worthless because of his minimal characterization compared to others. He might not say much, and he might be a hedgehog-shaped tool of Eggman's ambition rather than a complete person of his own, but I believe there's a lot you can do with Metal that wouldn't require turning him into Usurper the Elf Shoes. OVA Metal ain't S-tier for nothing.

[triaelf9]

FYI re the toxic chemical event and train derailment post. OP's initial post has been fact-checked and found to be inaccurate, hyperbolic and alarmist. While the spill, the fire and the chemical fallout IS absolutely catastrophic and awful, it's unclear how likely the scenario laid out in OP's post is. Most experts following updates from the EPA website have tended more towards "bad, but not life-extinguishing and not likely to be as far-reaching as initially feared".

It's infuriating that the derailment and extent of the damage was preventable and indeed that this is exactly what the rail unions were trying to stand against and highlight as recently as last November. This is an horrific environmental disaster caused almost solely by capitalism and corporate greed, cutting corners and sacrificing maintenance and regulatory adherence for the sake of maximising profits.

But it is probably not quite as bad as OP made out, and their catastrophising and spreading of alarmist misinformation isn't going to help the people of East Palestine, nor the unions and environmentalists fighting for better regulation and working conditions to prevent further environmental disasters.

For anyone who can afford to and wants to help, there's a reputable GoFundMe that seeks to provide relief funds to the residents of East Palestine to help ensure access to safe drinking water and financial relief following the recent evacuation and associated loss of income and additional expenses:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/relief-for-east-palestine-after-train-derailment

I've gotten a number of messages on this, but this is the one I'm sharing b/c it acknowledges that it's an issue outside of just the chemical aspect of it (which is why I shared the post) but also gives a way for us to help. Thank you for this message!

My main issue with this all is that the news coming out of this IS so slow and so varied in info (everything I've seen says something different) b/c I'm used to hearing about this sort of thing the day it happens, or at least within the week, but given twitter shit and the state of online news sharing, I feel like we're being let down in terms of media coverage, for those of us not in the area. To be clear, not all of us live in America, or have access to American TV and news coverage (especially b/c so much is region or paywall locked nowadays), but have family there and care about folks in the area.

I really do hope it's not as bad as initially feared, but I get why people could be panicking, given how recently those in charge have been...pretty shitty about handling recent bad situations *cough pandemic cough*

I do appreciate the heads up, as it's important to get all the information we can, but it's very difficult when we CAN'T get all the information, when it's getting harder to verify even media sources, and when this sort of thing isn't really clear about fallout until years later.

But I understand folks getting frustrated at the spread of misinformation. It was same for the Fukushima situation when no one here bothered to check up on any of the info of that, and Western media wasn't really reporting anything other than worst case senario.

We're all susceptible to misinformation!

Also, if I don't answer right away, you don't need to send more messages, time zones are a thing, and I live in Japan so I'm likely not awake ^_^;;