#then releasing them willy nilly

[respectthepetty]

Negligent arson

AND LITTERING!

[whateverisbeautiful]

♥️Reveling in Richonne - TOWL

#34: The Trapped (1.04)

gif cred: @machonnes

Who knew it would take getting trapped to help Richonne finally let some of that tension between them get released 👌🏽...

After Rick basically breaks Michonne’s heart far worse than he tried to do in ep 3, the two still have to work together to make it past these walkers. And one thing about Richonne is that adrenaline-heavy activities always seem to bring them closer together..and also get them in the mood. 😌

So Richonne is in a hall taking a bunch of walkers out like only they can but then they both go for the same walker at the same time. A rare moment of Richonne being in sync but not in sync.

gif cred: @perryabbott

Michonne looks at Rick and says through gritted teeth, “I had this.” And then Rick is all snarly and defensive saying, “I had this.” And I was like if this man does not fix his tone. 🙃 He already has eight strikes at this point. Plus I was like…Rick, why are you having this annoyed energy with her, when you’re the one who has been doing the most hurtful stuff?? 😑

gif cred: @perryabbott

And then Rick wants to try it even more by removing his blade from the walker and splattering some of the gunk on Michonne’s face. Now y’all, this was nawt funny to me when I first watched it cuz I was so in my feelings. 😂

gif cred: @perryabbott

I quickly could see the humor people see in it of course, but when I was in the thick of my feelings during that first watch my extra self was like excuse me Rick, didn’t Father Gabriel go blind getting that stuff in his face?? 😑 Out here all willy-nilly with your wife.

Lol, I was all out of strikes to give at this point.

But, now watching this, I smile because these two are genuinely comedians together. 😂

Michonne looks at him ticked and says, “Really?” And fortunately, Rick has enough sense to know he was wrong for that when he says “Sorry” and then quickly scurries away to kill more walkers. That was cute I admit lol. 🤭 Rick looks like for a brief moment he finally realizes he tried it and is in trouble with his wife.

gif cred: @perryabbott

I also like the use of clashing red and blue light in this scene both for the visual and because I feel like Rick has been associated a lot with red light throughout TOWL and Michonne with more of blue lighting - i.e the difference in their lights during the tunnel scenes in ep 3.

And the way these red and blue lights are making purple here (fittingly, the color of royalty 👑) it’s almost like it paints the picture of how Rick and Michonne are clashing but still somehow on the verge of merging and coming back together. That might be an extra-as-hell observation but hey I told myself I was gonna try to write out every observation I have. 😋

gif cred: @figmentof

So then Richonne run up these stairs as the building continues to aggressively buckle and crack. A walker nearly grabs Michonne and Rick tells her to hug the wall with that irritated tone again and I was very much not here for that, cuz like why does it sound like he's scolding her or something? 🤨

I get Rick is also antsy cuz he’s not trying to have anything happen to her but still I feel like this was giving early season 3 Rick when he’d occasionally have that little posturing sternness with Michonne...and we’ve done come too far to be reverting back to that.

Michonne retorts, “I know that” cuz she doesn’t need the reminder. And then that huge chandelier comes falling down on them. That chandelier ends up being a blessing in disguise y’all, cuz Richonne needed something that was going to snap them out of this funk.

And whenever I hear Michonne still yell that concerned "lookout!" I’m just like aw even when Rick is being mean as hell she still looks out for him. 😊

gif cred: @ricksmarlene

After the fade to black, it’s shown that the chandelier has trapped Michonne’s leg so she’s stuck. I do like that the first thing we see is Rick right by her side tucked away in that corner with her because you know he probably was real panicked thinking this chandelier hurt Michonne and of course, he wants to try to fix it.

At first, you just hear their breathing and then Nat comes to his girl’s aid once again when Michonne uses his lighter to see better. Rick asks if she can move her leg and Michonne softly says, “Yeah it’s just trapped. If I can just…” and she tries to lift it but this thing is heavy and it won’t budge.  

gif cred: @nerd4music

Rick says, “Okay on the count of three” and they try to lift it together but it still won’t budge. They can see and hear walkers coming up the stairs and so Michonne shows that she too can make unserious statements like Rick when she says, “You should go.”

But that’s not even remotely an option to Rick so he doesn’t respond to that and just tells her, “Grab that. Handle those, while I get this thing.”

Michonne says, “Rick, how? There’s no time. You’ve got to go.” And I knew no matter what version of Rick this is, no version’s leaving her here to die. He’d rather die 1000 times himself than let that happen.

gif cred: @coolpartytimefan

There may be a part of Michonne that is genuinely telling Rick to go because she doesn't want the love of her life to die here on the stairwell if she can't break loose. But I also could see that, because Rick has been continually suggesting they have to just part ways and essentially never know each other's fate anyway, she might be feeling like 'What's the difference between leaving me here now or leaving me later?'

However, above all, she knew Rick would never just walk away from her here because they love each other and because - do I even need to reiterate it? - Richonne are...

I like how once again, Rick does not even address the idea of leaving her behind and just starts talking about how the bolts are holding this thing together. And when a walker comes Rick swiftly takes it out and then intently returns to trying to remove the bolts. Michonne turns some walkers into a kabob using her stick and when it gets particularly dicey Rick comes through to give her a knife to use. 

More walkers start making their way closer and so Michonne again tells Rick, “You’ve gotta go.” And this time Rick does respond to it and I love the response.

He just looks right at her and tells her, “That is never happening.” Y'all, I was so mad at him and then I heard him say this and was instantly smiling. This was a heartwarming line.😊

I like how Rick didn't just want to say 'that's not happening," but rather said 'that is never happening" because he knows there are literally zero scenarios where he'd ever abandon her in this state.

gif cred: @nat111love

Now, don’t get me wrong, I still felt some major apologies were needed from Sergeant Major Grimes after the gym scene, but it was nice to hear him say he'd never leave her here, especially because you know that’s what he was thinking in his head every time Michonne suggested he should go.

Rick immediately positions himself to be on the other side of her so he can shield her and take out the walkers. And Michonne is glad Rick was able to articulate that he’s never leaving when she says, “I just needed to hear that.” 

All along she knew telling him he needed to go was crazy and not something they’d ever do. She just needed Rick to see that. She turned this near-death experience into a helpful learning experience for him lol. And the lesson of the day: We don't leave each other behind. 😌

I love the way this episode uses Michonne being literally trapped by the chandelier to parallel Rick being trapped by the CRM. And just like Rick said he’d never want to leave Michonne trapped like this, she’s not trying to leave Rick trapped in his form of imprisonment either.

Honestly, Michonne should have a counselor certificate because all her methods this ep are slowly but surely helping Rick deprogram and see the light. 👌🏽

They keep trying to lift as Rick takes out walkers and eventually they’re able to get the chandelier off her together. I like how the only way it works is through Richonne working together and how with Michonne in a state where she can’t save herself, she’s able to have Rick here wholly determined to protect her. 😊

gif cred: @coolpartytimefan

And while of course for us we have no fear of either of them meeting their demise in this scene, it is technically a life or death situation and it’s nice seeing Rick be so committed to either saving his wife from this situation or dying trying.

gif cred: @nat111love

Michonne stands up and Rick again checks on her asking, “You okay?” Michonne looks in his eyes and says, “Yeah. Thank you.”

gif cred: @machonnes

And then the Rick we know makes a return as he softly and sincerely tells Michonne, “You never have to thank me ever.” 😭 I loved this line so much when I first heard it and love it every time since. 👏🏽🥹

I appreciate how much Rick feels like protecting her is not a burden or obligation. He literally feels that it’s his design to do so. So to Rick, thanking him for this is like thanking him for breathing.

And it’s just really sweet to me that Rick who is known to thank Michonne every chance he gets for everything, doesn’t even feel Michonne needs to tell him thank you once. Like he really said never ever. 🥲

gif cred: @nat111love

He knows and reveres the absolutely priceless gift Michonne is in his life and in each of his children's lives and that’s more than enough to him. So yeah that line was great. 🥰

And Danai knew what she was doing because I wasn’t sure how she was gonna be able to get Rick back in good graces after the gym scene but “that is never happening” and “you never have to thank me ever” were very effective in reminding of the lovable man Rick is underneath who he's been presenting to be the last 30 minutes.

As disappointed as I was with Rick's gym behavior, those two lines on the stairwell made me check myself and say let me not forget that at the end of the day...

He's not completely in the clear yet, but these moments were signature Rick Grimes, loving and being there for Michonne and it was refreshing to see that undying devotion.

That bonding moment of nearly dying together on a stairwell brings Rick and Michonne more in sync as they run upstairs and take out walkers. It’s nice to see them a bit more in unison. It’s like getting literally unstuck from that chandelier made them start to get a bit more unstuck with each other as well. 

Rick notes they need to go back to the room since that side hasn’t started bumping and shaking yet…but honey, it will. 😏

And it will all be because of Richonne and their much-needed, highly anticipated, long-awaited, so-hot-it-could-melt-your-screen, unforgettable moment of reconnection. 😌👌🏽 

[steviewashere]

Debrief

Rating: General CW: None Really Apply to This One! Tags: Established Relationship, Married Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Hurt/Comfort, Deep Breath Exercises, Dialogue Heavy, Eddie Munson is a Sweetheart, Eddie Munson Loves Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington Loves Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington has Seizures (Not shown), Steve Harrington has Migraines (Not shown), Stressed Steve Harrington, Neurodivergent Steve Harrington, Not Really Said But it Is Implied, Negative Stimming (Hair Pulling), Teacher Steve Harrington

For the @steddielovemonth prompt: "Love is helping them unwind after a rough day."

💕—————💕

It was a bad day when Eddie hears the front door slam close. The first telltale sign that Steve’s had it rough, that he’s worked himself up, that he’s thinking too hard and too fast and needs to unwind. What comes next is the groans and the huffs and the irritated little sighs. The slamming of his thermos on the dining table. A chucked briefcase. Sneakers that, from where Eddie can see on their couch, get creased on the heel from how Steve takes them off. Never a good sign.

Just as he rocks forward to stand up from his comfortable cushion, Steve comes careening around the corner. A lukewarm plastic bottle of water in his left hand, glasses unfolded and dangling in the other. His hair is standing up every which way, as if he’s been pulling at it for the last little bit. Dress shirt untucked, sweater vest already absent from his body. He’s removed his belt somewhere in the time it took him to get home. So his pants are threatening to fall off his waist. But he just rushes over to the couch and plops down unceremoniously. Eddie leans back in his spot, attempting to nonchalantly lay about his space, waiting for Steve to start the conversation.

Really, he shouldn’t let Steve continue to be worked up. But, for the sake of who Steve is and for the sake of an argument-less night, Eddie has to indulge.

It’s not even three minutes later that the water bottle is crumpled in Steve’s grip, empty, and carelessly thrown onto their coffee table. Eddie turns down the volume of their TV as soon as Steve huffs.

“I fucking hate this new principal,” he seethes. Here we go, Eddie thinks, though calm. “She just drops into my classroom without giving me any sort of warning. Gets all my kids excited to the point they can’t calm down. Her fucking heels were practically stomping about the tile. And she is so demanding!” Steve’s elbows are set heavily on his knees, pressing down hard enough to leave an obvious divot in his pants. His fingers are splayed over the sides of his face, itching to move into his hair.

Eddie turns towards him a little. But he doesn’t say anything, not yet, at least.

“Fucking—“ He cuts himself off with a groan. “—Going through my lesson plan! Tsking under her breath whenever she sees something not up to her standards. Grumbling that certain things were going to be too hard or too long or too…Ugh!” There his hands go, wrapping around tendrils of his hair. He tugs hard enough that the skin on his scalp stretches with the movement. “At least my previous boss would wait until after the students left the classroom! At least she’d fucking explain in length why certain things weren’t working. This new principal, she just fucking takes it upon herself to scratch things out all willy-nilly—AND—she doesn’t consult me about it first! Doesn’t even explain! Doesn’t give me the chance to explain! I just—I don’t—“

This is the time where Eddie has to cut in. He leans into Steve’s space little by little. Enough until they’re warm at each other’s sides. His hands cover the backs of Steve’s. “Let go, honey,” he whispers. And waits, squeezing at Steve’s skin until he does release. “There we go,” Eddie murmurs, “Take a deep breath for me.”

He stutters through an inhale, but instead of exhaling—“It’s so stupid! Who the fuck does she think she is?! And none of the other teachers like her! They all think—“

“Steve,” Eddie murmurs firmer, “You need to take a deep breath.” Inhale and exhale. Then, Eddie states, “Stress causes seizures and migraines, sweetheart. She isn’t somebody worth getting sick over.”

“She’s my boss, Eddie,” Steve whines back.

Eddie runs his palms soothingly up and down Steve’s arms. Some of the tension seeps from his shoulders, but the rest of his body is pulled taut like a brand new bow. “I know,” he whispers, “but she doesn’t matter to me. You matter to me. And you getting sick over somebody like her only does harm.” He ducks down and meets Steve’s eyes. They’re shiny with tears, red on the waterlines, squinted to avoid crying. “You can tell me about what happened, but I’m going to help you, alright? You remember how we do this?”

Steve sniffles. One of his hands wipes at the bottom of his nose, coming away wet with snot. He grimaces, but sucks on his bottom lip in thought. When it comes to him, he mumbles, “Deep breaths. Quiet voice.”

Nodding, Eddie whispers, “You got it, love bug. Take another deep breath and then tell me what’s bothering you.” He brings a palm to settle over Steve’s chest, rubbing in slow circles over his heart. It’s beating hard and fast under his palm. Unsettling. Pressing a little into his sternum, Eddie requests, “Go ahead and lay down on the couch.” He stands from his spot and waits for Steve to elongate. Once his legs are stretched out and his head is cushioned on one of their lousy throw pillows, Eddie settles on the edge of the middle cushion, close to Steve’s hip. He keeps his hand on Steve’s chest. Doesn’t crowd his space, but the heavy weight of his arm is reminder enough that he’s there.

Steve closes his eyes. Hands rested on his belly. Fingers splayed instead of tugging at one another. The inhale lasts for four seconds. And Eddie’s proud of the way Steve holds it, the entire seven seconds. Not once giving up on it. When he exhales, his eyes flutter back open. He finds Eddie’s face, gives him a tight smile, and nibbles on his bottom lip. His eyebrows raise in silent question and Eddie simply nods in response.

“The new principal at my school made me angry today by vetoing my entire lesson plan,” he states calmly. “She had asked for my schedule for the day, which always includes my plans. And I watched her sit at the back of the classroom. With her stupid—“

With his palm, Eddie presses down lightly on Steve’s chest. “Deep breath, Steve,” he commands softly. They avoid using words like stupid when Steve debriefs like this. As soon as his tone goes sharp, his heart rate elevates, the louder his voice gets, the more frustrated he is, and then the whole day crumbles around them.

Another four seconds. Then seven. And eight on the release. Steve asks for permission, Eddie grants it to him.

“She pulled out a ballpoint pen, not a pencil, and marked out things on my plan she didn’t like. Which was most of it,” he relays, “And that made me irritated, not angry. But then a kid asked her what she was doing. So she told this kid the truth.” His hands spasm lightly on his belly as if attempting to bunch his shirt, but he prevents himself from completing the action. “And he said really loudly that the principal was ‘Giving Mr. Harrington a bad grade.’ That shouldn’t embarrass me, but it did. Because—“ He stops to take a deep breath of his own, not even prompted by Eddie.

He smiles to himself as Steve closes his eyes and inhales. Does the whole exercise. And clears his throat to continue.

“—Because it made me feel like I did a bad job. Like I—Like maybe I failed?” He questions rhetorically, searching for the right word. And decides that, yep, that was right. “It made me frustrated that she couldn’t keep that confidential from the student. And it only made me angrier when the kids began to laugh and tease me. I shouldn’t be so—“ He stops himself with another groan.

Palm press. Breath. Exhale. Permission.

“I got so overwhelmed, Eddie,” he admits. Completely shameful. “I didn’t know how to reign them back in, even though I’ve been doing this for nearly ten whole years. There wasn’t any yelling or anything, but she was scolding me with her eyes. Made me feel like—“ And instead of a groan, there’s a sniffle. Small and polite, but there. “—Like I was getting reprimanded by my dad. Which is so humiliating. And I just felt…Small. Like I wasn’t there at all. Wasn’t a teacher. As if I—As if maybe I didn’t deserve to be there today.” And at that, Steve crumbles a little further. Tears sluggishly leaking down his face.

Eddie rubs his thumb over Steve’s chest. He aches. “Oh, baby,” he breathes. “You deserve to be there, Steve. You’ve worked hard for your job. For those kids. I’m sorry she made you feel that way, sweetheart.” He presses lightly once more on Steve’s chest. “Take one more deep breath, alright?”

As Steve does what he’s told, Eddie gently lays his hands on either side of his face. Thumbs wiping away at the tears. He’s surprised that Steve lets him, but then again, today was rough enough. Probably didn’t want to make it harder on himself.

“You know what I think, Steve?” He questions.

Steve hums in response, eyes finding his, big and wet and tired.

“I think she’s very unprofessional,” Eddie states sure. “I think that you did your best with what happened. It’s not your fault that the students acted the way they did. It wasn’t okay of her to tell that student your business. And it definitely should’ve been a conversation she had with you outside of classroom time,” he immediately validates. Because, yeah, this whole situation is bullshit. And you know what? Eddie kind of hates this principal, too. Maybe he has a little bit of a bias, but that doesn’t matter. “She shouldn’t make anybody feel that way. You know what I think you should do? And fair warning, it’s kind of a big scary move.”

“What should I do?” Steve asks, his voice raspy from crying, but calm and curious.

“You need to talk to her boss. Explain to them what you told me. Calmly, by the way. You have to keep your head on your shoulders,” Eddie explains. “But I know that you can. Because you seem a bit better, right?” Steve nods. “Just rung out now, huh?” Again, Steve nods. Sometimes the words are too big for his mouth, the emotions having already been large enough for his chest. “And that’s okay,” Eddie tells him, validating again. “I’ll order in our dinner. Put on a movie. And we can just cuddle. I don’t expect anything more out of you.”

“Okay,” Steve tiredly mutters. He does sound small. Like he’s a teenager all over again, not well into middle age. “Will you help me figure out the words to explain again? Just so I don’t make a fool out of myself?”

“Of course,” Eddie agrees. “But I think we should do that tomorrow after your day, okay? I think today’s been enough of a burden for you.” He runs his palms down the sides of Steve’s neck, over his shoulders, down to his hands and holds him gently. “I’ll grab your pajamas. You get comfy. And remember that I love you. And you’re enough. And you do such a good job at what you do.”

Steve smiles softly at him. “I love you, too,” he whispers. And that, in itself, is enough of a thanks for Eddie.

💕—————💕

[genericpuff]

someone responded to me on reddit with their own theory as to what's going on with the eisners so i'm gonna share it here because it's worth reading 🍵

like there's definitely the aspect of it being a Webtoons Originals at play as well, I obviously can't feasibly prove that WT's is paying out the Eisners for their wins and that's not an accusation I wanna be throwing around willy-nilly, but the brand affiliation alone almost definitely factors into it all (and it definitely doesn't help the Eisners seem legit when they keep awarding the same comic 3 years in a row).

There was also a comment I found in the /r/comicbooks sub from the perspective of a former judge-

Considering how much work it would take to properly read the entirety of the nominees - as most webcomics are long-form and will require starting from scratch - I wouldn't be shocked at all if the win came down to "well we know this one won last year, and it has 6 million subscribers, so yeah, that one". Again, I don't want to accuse the judges or the organization of anything, but I do think at best the results of the judging are going to be affected if not outright stunted by the process itself.

All that said, it doesn't take a genius to look at how LO has fared over the last three years and understand that even from a purely objective point of view, nothing about the comic stacks up against the other nominees. It's dumb af because I'm seeing some people arguing "well there were only FOUR other nominees, which one do YOU think should win? you don't read those other four comics?? well then OBVIOUSLY LO deserves the win!" because... no? That's not how that works? It's such a strawman argument to justify defaulting the win to LO just because people on IG might not have ever read a comic like Matchmaker or Asturias before. Just because the people complaining about the LO win might not be familiar with the other nominees doesn't mean those nominees aren't bringing more to the table than LO. Which a lot of them very much are. Shit, Evan Dahm alone has been creating comics online since like the mid 2000's (??) he's an incredibly prolific creator with a lot of successful works under his belt, but apparently LO should get the win anyways... because LO's readers have never read 3rd Voice before? Come on. This is like that time when TOOL beat out Taylor Swift in their album release sales and a bunch of Swifties were upset because they had no idea who TOOL was, meanwhile all the dedicated middle aged dads were over the moon to finally see some recognition for a classic band that absolutely 100% deserved the spotlight after going so long without a new album. Swift has more than enough victories under her belt, she'll live lmao

At best this was definitely the "retired athlete on their way out" win, as a pal so gracefully put it-

And really, that last sentence really does get across the essence of LO in a nutshell - it's celebrated for being a story that never really existed to anyone who never actually looked closer. A lot of the things that the comic is praised for is often made up by an audience of people projecting their headcanon into what they were reading, because without it the comic had nothing to say. LO has to be good, because that's what they were told from day one, because if it wasn't good it certainly wouldn't be advertised this much or winning all these awards or getting all these merch opportunities or getting all this 'jealous' hate... right?

[frownyalfred]

Hey Res! Please ignore this ask if it's too troublesome or bothersome

I saw you had an guide for non-drikers writers that wanted to write about a character who drink. I was wondering if you could the same about guns?

I read synchronicity and I loved it how you used Jason's knowledge with guns to control the narrative and pacing. I don't know if you have actual technical knowledge on handguns (I think it's a no? But maybe you do?) But any tip is nice

Thank you a lot 🩷

Hi anon! This is such a fascinating question and I hope I can provide a somewhat plausible answer. I am familiar with some guns and have shot a few in my lifetime, but I am far from an expert.

Some things I think writers need to keep in mind while writing their firearm-related scenes. For clarity, I'm just going to call them guns below.

Are you thinking of a specific gun? Make sure you know its full name but ALSO make sure you know its nickname. Your character might think of it as "the Berretta" instead of its full name, etc.

What does your gun fire? Does it take shells, bullets, cartridges, etc? Shotguns, for example, don't fire bullets. That's a common mistake I see.

How do you reload said gun? Is it easy? What parts of the gun do you have to touch? Reloading a shotgun is MUCH different from reloading a handgun, for example.

Most guns get hot and release gunpowder residue when shot. They're LOUD. You can have several cascading things happen to a character who fires a gun or is near a gun when it fires: ringing ears, the smell of gunpowder, the hot feeling of the gun's muzzle, etc.

Even the best sharpshooters miss shots. IRL shooting is HARD, especially when moving. Different guns have different benefits to shooting style, stance, targets. Firing a handgun willy-nilly will rarely result in accurate shots, even if you dual wield (which is silly, this is SO hard).

Stance MATTERS. If you've ever seen Hannibal, there's a scene where Will talks about his choice of shooting stance with Beverly. They bicker over Isosceles and Weaver, which are two standard stances. One uses a triangle between your arms and the gun to brace for the kickback of the shot, while the other moves that brace to one side with a different grip. Will eventually chooses the latter stance because of a past shoulder injury. (GIF of Will struggling with his original isosceles stance)

If a gun isn't properly braced when fired, it will kick back and hit you. Sometimes in the face. Yes this has happened with me and a rifle. My first day shooting cans, I had a huge bruise on my face AND on my chest where the rifle butt kicked back.

If your gun uses bullets, there are different calibers. If you've ever watched Mythbusters, you can see why caliber matters -- it depends what or who you're shooting. Are you trying to penetrate armor? Are you sacrificing accuracy for power? Different guns use different calibers for numerous reasons, and guns can be altered to use other ammo as well.

With respect to discussing caliber while writing: It's all VERY complicated if you don't know guns, so make sure you're not giving too much detail if you can avoid it. That's a very easy way to spot a lack of experience with guns, in my experience. Your reader doesn't need to know the caliber just because the character is shooting a gun -- but in an autopsy, sure, the caliber is relevant.

You will lose your hearing eventually if you fire guns close to your ears unprotected. It's not sexy, and it also causes something called tinnitus. The real pros wear ear protection.

In terms of realism for writing, here's a couple rapid fire busted myths: You can't dodge bullets unless you're superhuman. Bullet wounds to the legs/arms/shoulders can absolutely still be fatal. Cardiac arrest caused by being shot is usually fatal, and CPR doesn't really help on its own. "Running out of shots" depends on the gun AND the modifications someone has made to it. You can't always tell just by looking at a gun what it will do. Silencers are rarely "silent" and are heavily regulated.

Injuries: Some bullets tear through bodies. Some aren't high enough caliber to do more than go in and lodge in some tissue. Some fragment and bounce around in weird ways. Depending on how gruesome you want to get, there's a lot of different ways to describe gunshot injuries. I've always been the kind of person to google images for better understanding, but I understand that's not for everyone. I think NYT or WaPo did a good piece on traumatic gun injuries a few years back, complete with an interview with an ER doc from Chicago (?). One thing I learned there -- sometimes people lose their legs, or both legs, after being shot in their leg.

In terms of describing how someone uses/fights with guns, I know the John Wick movies are a little cheesy, but they are staged by people who REALLY know their guns. They talk about what he's using usually before the scene starts, and there's very few frills when it comes to stance, firing, etc. John does a cool trick in the first or second movie where he ejects a casing one-handed away from his face, a notoriously hard maneuver that most people usually do with two hands to avoid getting burned. I highly recommend watching the John Wick movies for blocking ideas.

Which reminds me -- holding a gun sideways is a terrible idea. For many reasons. Stance, casing ejection, stability, etc. Someone can use it against you.

Never point a gun at something you're not willing to shoot. Well-trained characters should follow this rule religiously. If they were soldiers, agents, etc, they will know this rule.

Similarly, multiple people with guns will "clear" a room before entering. They will be trained for something called crossfire, which is when someone is downrange of their gun and could potentially be shot. A group of characters bursting into a room without clearing their shot is a nightmare. This is how people shoot their friends or random civilians.

I hope someone more knowledgeable can add onto this! These are just some big things that stick out to me when reading. I highly recommend checking out Mythbusters, John Wick, and even Hannibal for some semi-realistic shooting references. Good luck!

[crashing9against9the9walls]

Before any of y'all could begin to dunk on Olly, may I remind you all that Israel once urged the BBC to pull out Olly Alexander for petitioning against Israel's participation in Eurovision since last year.

I get what Queers for Palestine is urging him to do but to put him in the pedestal ALONE like that and not call out for all the other artists (or at least the other LGBTQ artist) is just so infuriating. And the worst part of it is, whatever he does will not be enough for them. He already release a statement and it wasn't enough for them (it had likely gone through many revisions in order to get past the BBC). Had he remained silent, people would start accusing of of being complicit despite the fact he's been vocally pro-Palestine from the beginning.

Also, I feel like people are not getting the financial and legal consequences of him or any of the other artist just withdrawing all willy-nilly especially since they are all under contract with the broadcasters*. Like, some of them might be working part-time job, some like Silia are still in High School, some literally have music as their only source of income and we all know that's not enough to cover the legal fees and potential lawsuits that would entail. Also, there's a huge risk of being blacklisted, not only in the broadcaster from ever returning to the song contest, but also in the entire music industry, which is already hard to enter/make it. On top that, poorer countries like Albania or Moldova just couldn't afford to do that and jeopardize everything.

It's literally just impossible to win.

This whole mess is a lose-lose situation where nobody but Israel wins. Like, if they do withdraw, that's exactly what Israel wants because less competition for them. But if they compete, that's also what Israel wants because it meant validation of them being there even thought everyone wanted them gone.

All and all, this is literally the EBU's fault by allowing Israel compete in the first place. They literally created a impossible situation where, one way or another, the artist will be thrown under the bus.

Tl:dr... BLAME THE EBU, NOT OLLY!

Edit: * I just really need to put the one out there.

[spacedace]

hey in your tags you mentioned a “batfam leverage au” can u explain what that is

Happily! :D

So I'm not sure if you're familiar with the show Leverage, but the quick summary is that it's about a group of "bad guys" (a hacker, a hitter, a grifter, a theif and the mastermind that directs them all) that help people who have been hurt by the rich and powerful by using their skills to pull heists and cons on the bad guy of the episode to ruin them and get back whatever was taken/right whatever was made wrong.

It's an amazing show that I can't recommend enough, very clever, very funny, big found family vibes and an OT3 that's *this close* to being canon (and has been supported by the writers). The heists are amazing and it's all around an AMAZING show.

Anyway, the BatPham Leverage Au is basically just: a collection of DP & BatFam members join together to make a robin hood heist team like in the show Leverage. I have a couple versions of the BatPham Leverage AU rattling around my head, but most fleshed out right now are:

Business of Family - the Uncle Oz AU (Penguin Adopts Jazz & Danny): My plan for this story is for Jazz and Danny to decide to start running heists in Gotham on the people in the city that tend to fly under Batman's radar but who are still very much doing a lot of harm to the city and it's people. The Leverage AU part of this story is going to have Jazz as the Mastermind, Jason as the Hitter, Tim as the Hacker, Danny as the Thief/Maker (basically engineer), and Elle as the Grifter (shapeshifting Elle for the win lol).

Another Leverage AU I've been thinking about for awhile but that I haven't turned into a story yet is one where Team Phantom (Danny, Jazz, Sam, Tucker & Elle) are tasked with finding and returning various Infinite Realm artifacts that have ended up in the mortal world. And for some reason Gotham has just so many Infinite Realm artifacts in it. Like most of the artifacts in the world are in Gotham for some wild reason (it's Gotham there doens't need to be more of a reason).

They're on the run from the GIW/Fentons, so they're trying not to advertise any ghostly/liminal powers if they can help it, so they largely do heists without powers (minus Tucker doing all his hacking and everything from the Ghost Zone and some occasional invisibility/intangibility when it's called for, but they really do try and keep any power use to a minimum).

In this AU, Jazz is the Mastermind (again, because I love that role for her haha), Tucker is the Hacker, but that's when I can't quite decide who should be who.

I love the idea of Sam being a Hitter, but I think she'd be able to play Grifter pretty well knowing the rich as well as she does, Danny would love being a Hitter and being able to fuck some assholes' shit up while being completely feral but he could also still be a good Thief. Elle could go either Grifter again, but I like her as a Theif in this one, maybe running into Damian in the vents while she's trying to get into a vault or something lol. (I think it'd go with Danny: Hitter, Sam: Grifter, Elle: Thief, but I have no idea if that'll stick if/when I ever write this lol)

Whatever the team looks like, because there are so many artifacts in Gotham & because they can't just use their powers willy-nilly to grab them and run, they're going to be in Gotham for a long time, possibly years. Which means they need some kind of side hustle to pay the bills, which leads them to doing more heists, but this time on various rich assholes that deserve to lose a bunch of money.

Eventually they get on the Bats radar, and there'd be some fun cat & mouse back and forth with the BatFam trying to catch the Phantom Crew (Danny shouldn't be allowed to name things, but he already told Red Robin that was their team name before anyone could stop him). Eventually the GIW do show up and things start getting even more complicated (and maybe someone activates an artifact, resulting in a powerful entity being released in Gotham that they all have to team up to fight).

I have no name for this au other than the DP X DC Leverage Au, but I do know that'll have plenty of Anger Management, Brain Dead (or really Brain Dead + Everlasting Trio, don't know what the ship name for that is), Serious Chaos.

It'll also have Batman aggressively trying to adopt them all because he doesn't actually have anything against them stealing from these assholes as long as they don't hurt anyone. They're acting outside of the law yes but they're doing it in order to give justice to those who have been made victims by the system and he's all about that (the real final battle of the story is between Bruce & Selina who both want to adopt the Pham, who would like to know if they get a say in any of this - they don't).

[the-magpie-collective]

[Part 3/3]: It gets worse

Part 2

Because yes, the writing gets worse.

First, it's very clearly implied that the pact has already been broken when Mizora first arrives in camp in Act 3. Mizora offers Wyll a new pact to both herself and Zariel: 'Option one. I show you the way to your father. I guarantee him no harm except that from you and your allies. And you pledge your soul to me and the archdevil Zariel in a pact eternal.' A warlock cannot have more than one pact in DnD, the mechanics do not allow for it, a soul cannot be forfeit twice. But then she goes on to state: 'Option two. I break your pact. You are freed from your duty but retain your devil form. Your father dies by his enemy's hand.' So his pact isn't broken? Which is it?

Why didn't they write something like, 'Or Option one. You rescind your request to have your pact broken, I offer an alternate boon, and you continue to pledge your soul to me.' Why would you ever write it like that if that Pact isn't broken? Why does Mizora need to break the Pact if it is? It makes no sense.

As if that isn't bad enough we come to my least favorite part: Addendum F.

Addendum F. 'The Absolute must be avenged for the soul-binder's detention at Moonrise. The soul-bearer retains his gifts until such time as the Absolute is slain.'

What?! What do you mean Mizora can just add on addendums willy-nilly to the Pact without even so much as needing to run it by Wyll first? How the fuck does this make any sense? If Mizora can just add whatever she wants to Wyll's pact then why would she ever actually break it? Why not have Wyll dress up as a clown every full moon and run around terrorizing children? Why not use Wyll's pact to make every single soul in Baldur's Gate forfeit to her? 

This addendum is so stupid. I hate it. The only reason for it to exist is so that the in game mechanics make sense and Wyll doesn't have to be respecced as something other than a warlock at the 11th hour. But if that's the case why not just add something into the six months clause? Easy fix to add 'Clause Z, Section Thirteen: 'If the soul-binder consents to separation, she will release the soul-bearer from all obligation and rescind all gifted powers within six months. Like really why? What possessed them to add this addendum? Why make it seem like Mizora can change the Pact at any time and for any reason? Were they so oblivious to their own writing that this is the only way they could think of to patch that potential plot hole?

I just can't.

This is Wyll's narrative Arc and the writing is so slap-dash. It doesn't make sense. The player feels like they have little to no choice in the outcome. Wyll has no choice in the outcome. The stakes feel pointless because there's no reason why breaking Wyll's pact should endanger his father. The path the player has to follow is inane. And when we get to the end we find out it was all pointless anyways because the pact is clearly whatever shit Mizora makes up on the spot that comes to her mind because that's the only way any of this makes sense. This is the level of writing I'd expect from a DM who suddenly needed to pull something out of their ass, not a team of writers who have had plenty of time to sit down and plot out a story.

In the story they built there's no point in Wyll struggling to escape. This isn't a 'well, Wyll's story was hastily rewritten' issue. This is a bad writing issue. No attention or care was paid towards making the narrative crux of Wyll's story actually make sense. No one bothered to make Mizora's pact make any sense. You cannot tell me there wasn't a planned ending for EA Wyll to break his pact; I won't believe you. The writers clearly just didn't care to make it make sense.

Mizora's Pact might just be the symptom, but it really shows how poorly Wyll's narrative arc was written.

[moongurl95]

Personal October 🎃Challenge 💙

saw this on Twitter but feel more comfortable posting on Tumblr 🫣 so please don't mind me reintroducing my baby B and maybe using this as an appreciation post as well 🤭

let it be known that i actually share the same first name with my baby Beatrice and i kinda just chose her last name, Hayes, from my writing pseudonym willy-nilly just cuz i was hella excited to start playing Hogwarts Legacy at the time of its release back in Feb. 🎮

Lo and behold, the further i played the game (took me a month to finish my first playthrough of her every night after my 8hour job), a backstory for Beatrice started coming up in my mind. 🤔

Suddenly, Beatrice Hayes wasn't my in-game avatar anymore but more like a younger sibling id protecc at all cost (yes, i am one of those players who played dress up with their MCs and even leave her back in the safety of her dormroom after each play session) 🙃

ive grown unexpectedly attached to her enough to start an actual fanfic (never done that with any fandoms ive been before), with our bois from Slytherin being the final nail and hammer on the coffin of my hyperfixation 😵

Also haven't started a Gryffindor playthrough after all these months (i'll get around to that eventually 😅) but here are my other baby MCs/OCs with my quick HCs of them:

on my 2nd playthrough, meet MC Cerestina Anguis 🐍 only daughter and youngest to her two, accomplished older brothers, Cersei was considered a 'defect' among her privileged Pureblood family before she came late into her Magic at 15. Motherless and with only a father seeing her as a mere pawn for marriage, Cersei does have moments of vanity, but chooses to rise above it in order to make a name for herself and find independence using her newfound Magic. Unbeknownst to her, Cersei was also promised to Ominis at a young age due to their "shortcomings" while still being of the Pureblood lineage, the young Gaunt himself is none the wiser. They meet at Hogwarts, angst ensues. But that is a story for another time 🤣

my 3rd MC, Phoebe Fidelis 🦡, is as loyal as any Hufflepuff can come as long as you can stand her chaotic crup energy on most days. Raised in a loving family of Halfbloods consisting of her parents and brothers, Phoebe was mostly content being the "Magicless middle child" until she turned 15. So other than learning to control the lycanthropy that runs in her father's bloodside, she also has to learn to wield this "Ancient Magic"?? So much for catching a break. 🥹

wanted a baby boi for my House so here's my Ravenclaw OC, Anthony Reinhart, a transferee from Beauxbatons, not much is known of him or his ulterior for coming to Hogwarts, though he may end up being a connection to Beatrice's past... 🤫

[ae-neon]

Fourth Wing

Chapters 1 - 3

Disclaimer: Much like SJM, I have no love or like for RY, they get no money or support from me for reasons I feel are obvious

Here's the good, the bad and the complicated

The good:

I didn't have high expectations, I know what this book is, I know almost all of the plot of the two books released so far via spoilers in general bookish spaces and it's...doing what it does.

I'm not a dragon enthusiast but they're a welcome element to the story.

Mira is hot. And caring.

The bad:

A little more editing might have been needed. Already made posts about "The Continent" and "The parapet"

RY is more concerned with info dumping Poromiel geopolitical trivia than making the immediate setting feel real, I spent so much time trying to understand the map and it turns out North is at the bottom? Like who does that?

Authors who include drawn out wars in stories please realise countries cannot afford to let candidates and cadets die willy nilly and that many more people should be reproducing to feed the war machine. Sparta failed, stop gloryfying them.

Authors of romance, romantasy and especially "enemies to lovers" please invest in suspense and character building. We do not need to see the mmc in the first chapter when we hardly even know the fmc 😭

It would have been more impactful if Dylan started killing people out of desperation than to have both Dylan (a walking death flag) and Jack (a cartoonishly evil person) be exactly what they looked like at first glance.

The complicated:

On the topic of Violet's disability and how that's incorporated into the story

I wanna say that I don't have EDS, I cannot understand the disability rep to that extent. That being said, I have a weak lung and some issues with my autoimmune system which really impacted my school life and experience with exercise.

I'm worried, given things I've heard about the story, that it is not about dealing with disability but escaping it.

Violet is especially sensitive about being perceived as weak but it doesn't seem like RY is gonna make her confront the reality of that or circumvent it, since we're told Violet lives with disability but we're also told Violet is almost exceptionally fast and agile. (both of these require muscle strength so...)

She climbs 70+ stairs holding a heavy backpack and acts like being winded is "proof" of her physical condition being worse than others but that seems completely normal?

Again, I could appreciate Violet's complicated feelings around Mira and Dain's concerns if I was sure the story was intentionally going to address this - as part of the frustration and other mental processes of dealing with a body you feel you cannot use the way everyone else does - but so far Violet's experiences seem so dimished.

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

How can you tell if a reptile sanctuary is legit or if it’s a hoarder? What are the red flags?

Great question!!

Before we get to the red flags, here are green flags to look out for. Not every legit sanctuary will meet every item on this list, but you do want to look for a pattern of these things.

Is the sanctuary accredited by ASA (American Sanctuary Association) or GFAS (Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries)?

If they're not accredited by ASA or GFAS, are they a registered non-profit organization (501c3)?

Do they have legitimate partnerships? Look for parterships with AZA-accredited zoos, universities, and conservation organizations. In the US, many legitimate sanctuaries partner with the humane society in their state.

Do they do conservation work? Legit reptile sanctuaries might be involved with breeding endangered species in partnership with AZA-accredited zoos, re-releasing rehabbed wild native species, etc.

If they participate in the breeding of endangered species, do they cite a species survival plan as developed by an AZA-accredited zoo? AZA SSPs always require that endangered species either be added to the captive breeding population for conservation purposes or be released into their native range. Animals bred for SSPs won't ever be used for commercial purposes, like photo ops.

Do they do educational outreach? Legit reptile sanctuaries will often host courses and seminars on snake safety, wildlife conservation, and general reptile knowledge.

Do they heavily limit public interaction with animals, if they allow it at all? Legit sanctuaries are not petting zoos and will never behave as one, and visitors can only interact with animals in an educational capacity.

Now, here are the red flags. 🚩🚩🚩

The animals aren't kept in appropriate conditions. If reptiles are being kept in racks (without medical reason, like for a snake recovering from injury), you know right away it's a hoarder and not a sanctuary. Look for large enclosures with lots of enrichment, allowing reptiles to engage in natural behaviors.

The animals don't look healthy. They might look too skinny or too overweight, or have obvious wounds.

The facility is too small to comfortably house the amount of animals there.

The "sanctuary" breeds reptiles without citing an AZA SSP. Sanctuaries have limited space and resources, and a legit one will never breed reptiles willy-nilly - it takes space away from reptiles who need it!

They buy, sell, or trade animals. Animals are surrendered to sanctuaries, and a real one will never buy reptiles or sell them. Animals at a sanctuary are usually there for life. Reptiles surrendered from the pet trade might be rehomed, but the facility will never sell dangerous reptiles (like crocodilians or venomous snakes).

They allow extensive public interaction with the animals - think things like allowing visitors to take pictures with baby alligators.

On that note, they use the animals to turn a profit. They might sell pictures with reptiles, or charge visitors to hold them.

This is one of those things where it's important to trust your gut. If something feels wrong with a sanctuary, it probably is!

[shmowder]

wanna play more with the Edwardian era period-typical homophobia and the Pathologic world. Specifically, where you end up being their gay awakening. Yulia and her "roommate" or Andrey and his "midnight friend"

Rubin, who's so deep into the closet that he found Narnia. Only for you come along willy nilly, on a random day, and accidentally trigger the major gay awakening of his lifetime. You're a guy, a man, you're a whole man and yet when you press your hand to his and make a passing comment about how big his palm is, blood immediately rushes downwards, leaving poor Stakh standing there in astonishment as the realisation sinks in, the many implications of this sudden revelation.

For some characters like Peter and Eva, it wouldn't phase them, but what about the more repressed and straight-lined characters? How would Alexander Saburov react to realising that his new right-hand man is extremely easy on the eyes and maybe he can't help but imagine you in a dress—the most lovely lavender fabric, a flower behind your ear as you look up at him with those mesmerising eyes—although the tailored suit you're wearing is doing wonders to your figure.

Or Maria, who helped tie the lace of your undergarments one time, and the memory of the shiver running up your spine at the coldness of her fingers has been etched into the forefront of her mind. She always knew women could enjoy each other's company, courtesy of the friends she keeps, but she never thought she'd end up fantasising about dressing you to the nines, whisk you away on a grandiose date, only to be the one undressing you at the end of the night.

Maybe even Artemy, who's not the same sheltered young boy anymore, the army opened his eyes and piqued his curiosity. He's experimented during his days of service—a generous amount—but always chalked it up to the lack of women around, soldiers were only human, and they needed to find release somehow. Not sparing it any thought beyond sex. Sure, he can see himself sleeping with a guy, but he never imagined he'd end up falling in love with one, let alone have his face flushed at the mere idea of marrying you, calling you his husband and the love of his life.

Or you could be Victor's friend back from his university days who sent him a letter out of the blue inquiring about his well-being, a suggestion to drop by, for old time's sake. Your handwriting is the same as he remembers. The smell of cologne on this paper is oh so familiar, one he associates with sleepless nights spent cramming for exams, nursing hungovers together from the most absurd substance, that lipstick you got him to wear after he lost a bet only for its stains to end up littering your neck. All those memories came rushing back, the involuntary flutter of his heart as he brushed his thumb against your signature at the bottom of the letter. "Signed, yours," a sentence so short shouldn't have this strong of a reaction on a man his age and status, and a widow at that, but gods, he is only a man.

[orii-blogs-stuff]

So... How does the Temple work in Demiverse?

using this blog to plan for my Demiverse meets cannon fic

Before I go any futher, special thanks to @aubdrewanchel for helping me with the Temple layout!

Below is the blueprints of the Temple in the Demiverse:

Ground Floor:

1st floor: (White Robed Rooms)

2nd Floor: (Blue Robed Rooms)

3rd Floor: (Grey Robed Rooms)

Temple Hierarchy:

Head Priest (Demigod)

High Priest (Demigod)

White Robed (Demigods)

Blue Robed (Nobles/people with Mana)

Grey Robed (Commoners/people without Mana)

What does the Temple do?

The Temple does many things such as:

The Head and High Priests keep the Duchy Foundation underneath the Temple safe, not that they'll be thanked for that seeing the the Aubs and their heirs forgot their is a route to the Foundation via the Temple-

Dedication Ritual to fill all the Duchy's chalices

Make sure every Geibedom recives their fair share of Chalices

Collects taxes and transfers those taxes to the Aub's castle

Hunt down extremely violent feybeast throughout the Duchy to keep the commoners safe

Philanthropic work such as running hospitals and schools

Hold up! You said the Temple hunts down Feybeasts? How do they do that?

The Temple funds it, White Robed are allowed to become 'Adventurers', in groups of three - five, these Adventurers are sent out to various Geibedoms where they patrol the countryside to make sure dangerous feybeast stay out of cities/towns/villages (they don't kill feybeast willy-nilly, overhunting could lead to huge ecological impacts).

Adventurers are important, not only do they provide security to the countryside due to a certain recent civil war - many Knights Orders have decreased in size so it's difficult for the Nobles to keep order in the Duchy - but they also help the Demigods because to release mana in a safe and healthy way Demigods need to participate in their parents domains, making this a good outlet for - e.g, children of Leidenschaft.

How is the Temple funding all of this?!

The Temple gets to keep 20% of the taxes they collect, rest goes to the Aub, but 20% is still a huge amount of money. They also get plenty of donations as well.

Why do the Grey Robed have a school within their floor?

Can't have stupid workers can we know? If the Grey Robed cant read then how could they possibly understand what their superiors would want? If their Blue/White Robed wasn't present to give them orders, were they supposed to just sit around and no nothing?!

So ya, they get an education, learning how to read and write and do basic maths, some even learn poetry or music to entertain the White/Blue Robed or even act as teachers if they're skilled enough.

EDIT

One thing I forgot to add is that the Cathedral contains All the Gods, not just the supreme couple and the Eternal Five, I'm talking them, their subordinates, their Subordinates' subordinates, Chaosciper, Mestionora and Erwaermen.

Imagine your a little Commoner/Noble, going to be baptised, you're shit nervous and you walk into this big hall and there's these large ivory white statues as tall as 12 feet and 299 of them, all staring down at you as you enter the temple for the first time....

[jayessar]

This video came out two years ago, so I can now bring it up without people jumping me in the public.

Not only it's just not good, the worst part of it is the shocking amount of uncredited art, especially considering that the author credited their sources.

It's just disrespectful, plain and simple.

So, I decided to find and credit every author I can, since I can't stand this sort of thing.

Either way, let's begin.

Instead of timestamping where specific artwork appeared, I'll just write in which section they appeared.

jgr vs jsr - https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/15837155

pots is playable - https://www.tumblr.com/jsrf-inside/138005975042/so-i-made-potts-the-dog-giant-d-i-was-messing (have no clue if it was posted on the actual jsrf-inside blog, so yea)

different names for different releases - https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/652648 (author deleted the art, but it is their)

In the same section appears edit of artwork made by Lesean Thomas for Girls of Gaming volume 5

tier 2 - https://www.deviantart.com/lordwong/art/Gummmm-3191374

jsr billboard in blah blah blah - https://konkonkonna.tumblr.com/post/105559062635/cosmicremix-i-know-im-not-the-first-person-to (this is a reblog, author wiped their blog)

the scrapped wii game - https://vgboxart.com/view/35875/jet-set-radio-future-wii-cover/

https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynada/art/Dreamcast-136486127

tier 3 - https://www.deviantart.com/lordwong/art/This-is-Corn-3264351

dj k rap - https://www.tumblr.com/sulkymonkey/634633936856907776/dj-professor-k-jet-set-radio

cube's original design - https://www.deviantart.com/theinfamousmrd/art/Cube-Jet-Set-Radio-169727501

beat has whatever condition - https://www.deviantart.com/fryguy64/art/Beat-Jet-Set-Radio-316764100

ereki shirt - https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2068703416545342&set=a.864913143591048.1073741829.864559183626444 (take the speedpaint too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPuXCyd9ZAY)

tier 5 - https://www.deviantart.com/parororo/art/Jet-Set-Radio-Mew-491206262

coin died - https://www.tumblr.com/dedtoot/629700991997050880/them-art-is-based-on-this-unused-texture

clutch is coin - https://www.deviantart.com/royto-krowler/art/Clutch-Jet-Set-Radio-Future-119256643

gorillaz noodle thing - https://web.archive.org/web/20151025040607/https://tremendousrexx.deviantart.com/art/Jet-Set-Radio-The-GG-s-Radio-Days-540098911 (woow author deactivated IMAGINE THAT)

nb noise tanks - https://www.deviantart.com/tabu123/art/Noise-Tanks-514955886

tier 9 - https://www.deviantart.com/eisu/art/GG-on-the-Go-27875236

So yeah, that's all i could dig up. If you know the source for more images, or noticed a mistake in this post, then please tell me and I'll edit the post.

What's the moral of the story here?

Respect artist's work!

Just because they are uploading pretty images for free, doesn't mean that you can just take them all willy-nilly. As a fandom based around an art based game, that has a lot of issues with crediting its own developers, we should know better.

Special thanks to my friends, saucenao and the Hokuto no Ken OST that was blaring while I searched for art lol.

[delphiniumjoy]

Okay, I’m looking through a list of herbs for spellcraft, killing time at work, and folks.

You need to be

FUCKING

CAREFUL

So many of these lists refuse to acknowledge the chemical and biological realities of many of these plants. So allow me, your friendly neighborhood autistic witch with a special interest in POISONS to give some safety basics:

Firstly, just fucking google everything before you use it. Yes, everything. Did you know nutmeg is a toxic hallucinogen in high doses? You do now! Especially with how many plants are listed in herbiaries and grimoires by common name it is vital to learn that fly agaric (sometimes just listed as toadstool, which I would like to punch Scott Cunningham for) is amanita muscaria, which can make you trip balls and then kill you. Even just find the Wikipedia page for your herb. Does it have a “toxicology” section? That’s your first clue!

Okay, now you know what it is. You know you’re looking at berries from atropa belladonna, deadly nightshade. You should be safe as long as you aren’t stupid enough to eat them, right? WRONG. Many toxins can be absorbed through the skin and mucus membranes. Just because the blog you found only listed it with a tiny footnote saying not to eat it doesn’t mean you should handle it willy-nilly. Wear gloves. Wash your hands/tools/surfaces. Dispose (carefully) of every stray bit of plant matter that isn’t safely secured in a spell jar or something. Avoid burning anything, as toxins can be released in the smoke. Belladonna is the example here, but you should take this precautions with any toxic spell ingredient. Better safe than sorry.

Speaking of gloves, you might want to wear them with otherwise harmless ingredients too. Did you know citrus peels and juices contain phototoxic compounds? So do aliums (carrots, onions, garlic). If you’re doing your rituals in the Sun, you can get awful burns when the UV light hits those juices on your skin. Again, research your ingredients! Even if you think it’s stupid!

Now, if you want to use toxic herbs as entheogens, that’s at your discretion, but use A LOT of discretion. There are plenty of safe and legal psychoactive substances you can use without worrying about possibly killing yourself. If you’re determined to use a deadly plant, be VERY aware of any potential interactions with your medications or any physical or mental conditions. Be EVEN MORE aware what the effects of overdose and dangerous poisoning look like and SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION. Also, when you get to the ER because you’re high on mandrake or whatever, tell them what the hell you took. Antidotes aren’t really a thing irl, but they need to know what sort of supportive care you need to best recover.

This is far more immediate and serious than a spell backfire or impostor spirit or whatever people try to fear monger about in witchy spaces. A bad interaction with powerful toxins can and will cause illness and death. This information should always be on your mind for basic, mundane safety, second only to fire safety (and only second because you’re gonna be dealing with it less often)

Do your research and don’t die!

[dreadnotau]

It’s been a hot minute, hasn’t it? This time, I come bearing actually good news!

Firstly, I’d like to thank everyone for their patience during this hiatus, and welcome all the new people! It always surprises me when the blog still gets notes and follows, even though it’s inactive. I have to say, though, the hiatus was completely necessary. College takes a lot out of me (who would’ve guessed), and I can’t imagine keeping up with comic uploads during it (more on that later), and while it hurts that I haven’t been able to continue my passion project while I study, I’ve made a lot of genuine improvements to my art and I hope that’ll show with the pages that’ll release shortly (and maybe with some projects I do in the future, ooo).

Oh, yeah, pages will be releasing again! When summer break started, I also slowly started chipping away at the comic again, but didn’t want to start uploading again until I had some pages ready a-la backlog in case of emergencies and blah blah, if you’ve read my announcement posts before, you know the story. The problem is, I glanced at my calendar the other day, and realised I REALLY don’t have that much time to spend dicking around and bouncing between projects willy-nilly, not if I want Dread Not Act 1 to actually wrap up soon. Which, I really do, because… there’s 3 other Acts after it.

I already have 2 pages ready to go, so the new upload schedule is as follows: This Saturday (8.) I’ll release one of the ready pages, then I’ll release the next on Tuesday (11.), and from the Saturday after that (15.) and on, I’ll be releasing pages weekly again. Yes, weekly, not with an extra week gap between them. This may prove catastrophic, BUT if my calculations are right (even though I’m bad at math), Act 1 should wrap up completely by the end of October.

The last page(s) SHOULD release on the 21st of October, if I don’t fuck something up royally. And that absolutely can happen, and I suspect it will, because October is when college starts, and if ya’ll remember oct. of 2022, you’ll know I absolutely DIED in October and handled absolutely none of the schedule well. I hope I’ll be better prepared this time though, and it’s a risk I’m willing to take to finally see this through to the end. BUT! Absolutely don’t be surprised if the last few pages end up having longer breaks between uploading them (even though I would HATE that for the comic’s pacing), because school just be like that and I can’t help it, for the most part.

Thank you all again for your support, and I hope this summer is a good one for all of us!

Bonus: