#this isn’t super relevant to the topic at hand

[secretly-a-catamount]

Narratively, Malcolm Fade’s life began when he met Annabel Blackthorn, and it ended when she put a knife in his heart.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for deadnaming my ex-friend as a coping mechanism?

I’m trans (ftm 18) before people immediately vote YTA. That doesn’t make me automatically correct, but hopefully it convinces people to actually read the story. (Or you can skip to the TDLR)

Not going into detail because it’s not super relevant. When I was younger, I had this really shitty manipulative friend. All the typical stuff, told me they would hurt themselves if I left them or did something they didn’t like, said my other friends were faking their mental illnesses, that I wasn’t actually trans / was faking, lied about having cancer etc etc whatever. Sounds really obvious they were bad news looking back but you know how it is.

Me and “Mila” were both friends with them, and both managed to finally cut them off with each others support, about 2 years ago. Needless to say, this relationship really fucked both of us up.

Last year, Mila moved a few states away. We still keep in touch over text, and occasionally the topic of Ex-Friend comes up, especially if she’s going through a breakdown. About the same time she moved away, Ex-Friend came out as non binary and goes by a new name.

I still have to go to a smallish school with Ex-Friend. It’s difficult being in the same room as them so you can imagine why this is the problem.

However, since coming out, they look pretty different and have a different name….it’s kind of easier to pretend like I don’t even know them.

I also know they were probably really going through it when we used to be friends, and in a lot of ways it feels better to attribute all those bad actions to their Deadname, someone who doesn’t exist anymore, and I never have to see. Separating “Shitty Ex-Friend” from “Person I have to see most days at school” really helps me like…go to school and exist in the same place as them without totally breaking down.

So if me and Mila ever talk about them, I refer to them by their deadname (still correct pronouns, if that makes any difference). Mila does know they came out as NB (I mentioned it to her), but doesn’t know that they changed their name so she isn’t complicit in this or anything it’s 100% on me. I don’t deadname them to anyone else if I ever need to talk about them, just Mila.

I know this is a stupid coping mechanism but does it make me an asshole?

On one hand, I don’t think people need to be “good people” to be correctly gendered — intentionally deadnaming someone because you don’t like them is shitty. On the other hand, that’s not why I’m doing this, and my actions aren’t realistically impacting them or any other trans person, because I’m only using their deadname with one person who lives very far away, won’t ever run into them, and won’t talk about them with anyone else.

TDLR; I still call my manipulator by their deadname while talking to one specific person about them, because it helps me pretend that they’re a different person when I have to be in the same small school as them.

[poorvikasmartgadgets]

Discover the Apple iPhone 16 Pro: A New Era of Innovation

Hey tech enthusiasts! If you’re ready to dive into the future of smartphones, let’s talk about the brand-new Apple iPhone 16 Pro. This powerhouse is not just an upgrade; it’s a leap into a realm where personal intelligence meets cutting-edge technology. Whether you’re eyeing the iPhone 16 Pro Max or just curious about what makes the iPhone 16 Pro stand out, stick around as we explore what makes these devices the hottest topics in the iPhone 16 series.

Design That Wows

The iPhone 16 Pro is crafted with Grade 5 titanium, making it incredibly durable yet impressively light. Available in stunning colours like Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, and the new Desert Titanium, these phones not only look sleek but are built to last. The refined micro-blasted finish is not just for aesthetics; it adds to the phone's strength and durability.

Unmatched Display

Prepare to be dazzled by the display. The iPhone 16 Pro Max boasts the largest iPhone display ever—a whopping 6.9 inches of Super Retina XDR brilliance. And the iPhone 16 Pro isn’t far behind with its impressive 6.3-inch display. The thin borders and new display technology make these screens feel like a natural extension of your hand. It’s not just about size; it’s about experiencing every pixel with breathtaking clarity.

Performance Like Never Before

Under the hood, the iPhone 16 Pro packs the A18 Pro chip, which is a game-changer. With a 16-core Neural Engine and a 6-core GPU, you’re looking at top-notch performance whether you’re gaming, editing videos, or multitasking. Apple’s focus on efficiency means you’ll get up to 4 more hours of battery life, so you can keep going all day. And with up to 2x faster hardware-accelerated ray tracing, your gaming experience is about to get a whole lot more immersive.

Camera That Captures It All

The iPhone 16 Pro introduces a new 48MP Ultra Wide camera, giving you super-high-resolution photos and incredible detail. Whether you’re capturing a sprawling landscape or snapping a close-up, the new 5x Telephoto camera lets you zoom in with clarity. Plus, with 4K 120 fps Dolby Vision, your videos will look cinematic and professional.

The addition of Camera Control gives you more flexibility with your shots. You can easily adjust settings like exposure and depth of field with a swipe. And when it comes to audio, the four studio-quality mics ensure that your videos sound as good as they look.

Apple Intelligence: Your Personal Assistant

What sets the iPhone 16 Pro apart is its integration with Apple Intelligence. This personal intelligence system helps you with everything from writing and editing text to managing your schedule. It even helps Siri understand your context better, so you get the most relevant assistance without sacrificing privacy. And speaking of privacy, Apple’s on-device processing ensures that your personal data stays just that—personal.

Enhanced Productivity and Creativity

For those who love to be productive, the iPhone 16 Pro offers tools to streamline your tasks. Whether you’re rewriting text to perfect your tone or summarizing transcripts from meetings, these features make work a breeze. The Image Playground app allows you to create unique images from scratch, and Clean Up helps you perfect your photos by removing unwanted background elements.

A Whole New Level of Accessibility

The iPhone 16 Pro isn’t just smart; it’s accessible. Features like Eye Tracking allow you to navigate your iPhone just by moving your eyes. Music Haptics sync with the rhythm of your songs to provide a tactile experience for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. And Vocal Shortcuts let you set specific actions with customized sounds—making your iPhone even more intuitive and user-friendly.

Environmentally Friendly and Future-Proof

Apple’s commitment to sustainability shines through with the iPhone 16 Pro. The phone uses recycled materials, including 95% recycled lithium in the battery and 100% recycled gold in the USB-C connector. The packaging is also 100% fiber-based, reducing the carbon footprint.

Offers and Availability

Ready to get your hands on the iPhone 16 Pro? Keep an eye out for the latest offers and deals. Whether you’re interested in the iPhone 16 Pro Max or the more compact iPhone 16 Pro, there’s bound to be an option that fits your needs.

Final Thoughts

The Apple iPhone 16 Pro is more than just a smartphone; it’s a glimpse into the future of mobile technology. With its robust design, impressive performance, and innovative features, it’s set to be a game-changer. So, if you’re looking to upgrade, the iPhone 16 Pro series is definitely worth considering.

[nemurii-the-sleeper]

Week 4:Is blogging still a thing with social media? Or is it just dead?

In today's digital world, platforms like TikTok and Instagram have become really popular, capturing people's attention with their visual content. With the rise of short videos and eye-catching images, blogging is still relevant. Despite the shift in how people consume online content, blogging continues to be valuable in the digital landscape. Here's why: Digging Deeper: Why Blogging Stands Out

Blogging lets you dive deep into topics in a way that short-form content just can't match. A blog post can really dig into a subject, offering thorough information and insights that you can't get from just watching videos or looking at photos. For example, a blog post about sustainable living can include detailed explanations, links to research, and practical tips that go beyond what you can learn from a quick TikTok video.

According to Wenger (1998), long-form content like blog posts really grabs readers' attention, helping them remember and understand the material better. Being able to provide such detailed content makes blogs super valuable for education, in-depth reviews, and complex tutorials. SEO and Getting Found

So, here's the deal - blogging is a big deal when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO). When you have well-optimized blog posts, they're more likely to show up in search results, bringing in organic traffic to your website in the long run.

Let me break it down for you. Let's say there's a company that regularly puts out blog posts about its industry. That company is more likely to rank higher on Google, which means it's gonna catch the eye of potential customers who are searching for info in that industry. This kind of discoverability is something that quick-to-disappear social media content often misses out on.

In a nutshell, blogging can really boost your presence in search engines, leading more people to your site in the long term.

Building Authority and Trust

Blogs are a great platform for establishing authority and credibility. By consistently publishing well-researched and thoughtful content, bloggers can position themselves as experts in their fields. Bubphapant & Brandão (2023)point out that authoritative content is highly valued, contributing to a writer’s reputation and trustworthiness.

Take the example of Neil Patel, a well-known digital marketer whose blog is packed with valuable insights and strategies. His blog not only brings in traffic but also solidifies his status as an authority in digital marketing.

Connecting with Your Audience

While social media platforms are great for quick interactions, blogs allow for deeper engagement and community building. Comments sections on blogs often host in-depth discussions and enable more thoughtful exchanges compared to the fleeting interactions on social media platforms. Cuban (2010) emphasize the importance of such interactions for building a loyal and engaged audience.

Freedom and Control

Bloggers have complete control over their content, which isn’t always the case with social media platforms. Changes in algorithms on TikTok or Instagram can seriously affect content visibility. On the other hand, bloggers can manage their own platforms, making sure their content reaches their audience without depending on third-party algorithms (AIContentfy Team, 2023).

Making Money Moves

Blogging offers various ways to make money, from placing ads and affiliate marketing to sponsored posts and selling digital products. This variety gives bloggers multiple revenue streams. According to Maven (n.d.), successful bloggers can create sustainable income sources that outlast the temporary money-making opportunities on social media.

For instance, fashion blogger Chiara Ferragni monetized her blog "The Blonde Salad" through various channels, including collaborations, advertisements, and her own product lines, turning her blog into a multi-million dollar business.

Working Hand in Hand with Social Media

Instead of seeing blogging and social media as opposites, it’s beneficial to view them as complementary. Social media can drive traffic to blogs, while blogs can provide detailed content that supports and expands on social media posts. A fitness influencer might share a workout routine on Instagram, along with a link to a detailed blog post explaining the science behind the exercises and offering additional tips.

In Conclusion

Even in the age of TikTok and Instagram, blogging remains a relevant and powerful medium. Its ability to provide depth, enhance SEO, build authority, foster community, offer control, and generate diverse income streams ensures that blogging stays. As digital consumption habits continue to evolve, the relationship between blogs and social media will likely enrich the online content landscape, offering the best of both worlds.

References:

Bubphapant, J & Brandão, A 2023, “Content marketing research: A review and research agenda,” International Journal of Consumer Studies, vol. 48, no. 1, viewed <https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12984>.

Cuban, L 2010, “Rethinking education in the age of technology: The digital revolution and schooling in America,” Science Education, vol. 94, no. 6, pp. 1125–1127, viewed <https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20415>.

Maven n.d., Monetization Strategies: Generating Income as a Creative, viewed <https://maven.com/articles/monetization-strategies-for-creators>.

AIContentfy Team 2023, “The power of community building through blogging: engaging your audience and building relationships,” AIContentfy, viewed <https://aicontentfy.com/en/blog/power-of-community-building-through-blogging-engaging-audience-and-building-relationships>.

Wenger, E 1998, Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity., viewed <https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1998-06054-000>.

[mocha-studies]

03.17.24

Hello!

I’ve had a massive backlog of assignments that I’m several weeks late on handing in. I used to have a dream of going to graduate school and into Clinical Psych, but I lost my way as a result of life’s challenges. That doesn’t mean I can’t start again! After all, I’m human too! So my goal for today is to work on my assignments, hopefully finish at least one.

My topic of matriarchal spaces throughout time but concentrated within South Asia and Africa is giving me a hard time. It’s hard to find papers that are relevant but also, it’s hard to say what I want to say because it’s so niche. I don’t have anyone that’s done it before me to look at, so I’m kinda struggling with how to go about it. In times like these, I think it’s best to go with how you feel, and just blurt out whatever comes up in your head. I do have a fear that the professor will dismiss my situated knowledge and perspective even tho it’s backed by research. I’m still super traumatized from that professor that insisted on calling me a settler even though I was born in the country lol, not to mention it reduces the nuance behind colonialism and immigration. Come to think of it, isn’t that prof just perpetuating white supremacy agendas from within the gender studies department. Kinda wild ngl. She sucked for giving me a 70 in the course, it’s kinda shocking how profs can get away with being so biased and bell curving. Is it an academic institution at that point or just a factory for molding brains into a specific shape and way of thinking? Idk :/ I do feel better after writing :) maybe this is what I needed all along, an outlet for my rambling, overactive, ADHD brain. Anyways, I will update my progress as the day continues 💕

[zorbasmedia]

Mastering the Game of SEO: The Programmatic Approach Unveiled

You know, pumping out top-notch, lengthy articles for your site is one solid way to climb the Google ranking ladder. But let’s be real, it can suck up a lot of your time, money, and manpower. So, what if there’s a shortcut? Enter programmatic SEO — a surefire way to make some serious waves in the search traffic world.

In this article, we’ll discuss what programmatic SEO is all about and how you can dive right in. 

What is programmatic SEO?

Programmatic SEO is like turbocharging your site with content that’s designed to zoom up the search engine rankings and attract loads of organic traffic through lots of long-tail keywords. This means poking around for a ton of keywords related to your theme or industry, crunching some numbers and analysis, and then letting automation tools do the heavy lifting to churn out fine-tuned, valuable content that hits all these keyword topics.

So, it’s like mass-producing keyword-centric content while keeping it good. Big-time websites, like mega online shops or seriously chunky blogs that want to chase down thousands or even hundreds of thousands of potential keywords, will find this strategy super handy. But hold up — before you dive in headfirst, remember that your content has to meet Google’s standards of relevance and quality. Google’s got a pretty sharp nose for sniffing out low-quality, cheat-the-system content, so make sure you’re playing by the book!

Is programmatic SEO an easy thing?

Stepping into the world of programmatic SEO isn’t necessarily a walk in the park — like anything worth doing, it does come with some challenges:

Content quality. While programmatic SEO helps you scale up content production, it can be hard keeping that balance of quality and quantity. With the freedom to produce lots of content often comes the tempting shortcut of producing not-so-great quality. And Google doesn’t play around with that — you’ll find yourself chilling at the bottom of the SEO pit.

Technical know-how. Programmatic SEO isn’t just about writing, it involves some serious programming and data analysis skills, too. If you’re not tight with tech, it could be sort of like trying to read a book in a foreign language.

Resource intensive. It’s also quite hands-on in terms of time and resources. Developing and fine-tuning your programmatic SEO strategy, not to mention maintaining and updating it, will take up a solid chunk of your time and probably require some heavy lifting from your tech team.

Algorithm changes. Google’s changing its algorithm more often than most of us change our socks. So, you have to stay pretty agile and reactive, always ready to switch up your strategy and keep up with Google’s new preferences.

Capturing the user intent. Finally, it’s super important that you’re not just honing in on the keywords but also the actual intent behind those specific searches. This means making sure your content isn’t just keyword-filled, but is actually answering the queries and needs of the users. Remember, it’s not just about satisfying machines, but humans too!

How to create programmatic SEO pages?

Creating programmatic SEO pages requires a combination of technical skills, audience understanding, and thorough keyword research. Here’s a step-by-step process you can use:

Keyword research 

First things first — you have to play detective and dig up a truckload of long-tail keywords that make sense for your business. 

Finding the right keywords is what kick-starts the whole programmatic SEO game. What you have to do is sniff out the main term and any add-ons to see if there’s a decent amount of search traffic for keywords that not only make sense for your stuff, but could also rake in some profits. You’re not really looking for that one golden keyword with thousands of searches every month — your goal is to scout out thousands of keywords with a sprinkling of search volume. These are likely to have less competition. It’s a numbers game — the more you have, the better.

You can use tools like: 

Ahrefs

SEMRush

Google Trends

Keyword Planner

You’re looking for stuff like search volume, competition level, and overall relevance.

Analyzing User Intent 

Okay, so you’ve got your list of keywords… now you need to get into your users’ heads. What the heck are they looking for when they type in these search terms? The answer will guide what kind of content you need to whip up. Could be informational, navigational, transactional… you name it.

Template development

Before you start stacking up a content library, you have to figure out what your page will look like (this helps you understand what kind of content you’ll need). Tailor your page to satisfy what your users are after, and ensure it’s packed with accurate and useful info. Skip this step, and you might risk Google giving your pages the cold shoulder.

Pick any tool you’re comfortable with to sketch or design your page — there’s plenty of them out there.

You know what else? Don’t shy away from scoping out other sites that are killing it in search results. Analyze them, figure out what they’re doing right, then sprinkle in your unique flavor (all while keeping user experience at the top of your mind). The more time you spend nailing this step, the smoother the rest of your tasks will roll out.

Automated content generation

Up next, put on your coding hat (or snag a developer buddy) to create a script that’ll spit out unique pages for each keyword. It’ll take your templates and plop in the specifics for each keyword. And one golden rule here — make sure your content is quality and genuine, not just crammed with keywords.

SEO promotion

Pull those keywords you’ve found and jazz up your page’s stuff — like titles, meta tags, and the alt-text for pictures. Doing this gets your page ready to hit the big time in search results by helping the search engines see just how relevant your content is to someone’s search.

Here are a few key bits on your page that you have to spice up:

Meta tags (like your title tag and meta description) should casually and naturally drop those specific keywords in a way that grabs attention.

Headings (we’re talking H1 and H2 tags here) should have keywords tossed in to make a nice, neat breadcrumb trail for users and search engines to follow.

Image alt-texts got to be optimized using the right keywords to boost the chance of your content popping up when someone’s doing an image search and increase its accessibility.

Link building

Alright, you’re going to want to toss in some internal and external links into your stuff. Why, you ask? Because they’re like a cherry on top that provides extra resources and amp up your credibility.

Internal links are like tour guides on your site, pointing visitors to cool articles or pages you’ve got that they might dig. They not only delight your users but also give search engines a better look at your work.

Now, external links — they’re a different ball game. They help beef up your material’s authority and trustworthiness by opening up additional resources that back up your points. Squeeze these in wisely, and you’ll level up both the quality and relevance of your content. Simple as that.

Monitoring and Updating

Alright, your pages are live! Now keep an eye on the ball. Tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, or fancy SEO software can help you keep tabs. Watch how your pages are ranking and keep an eye on user stats to tweak on the fly.

By keeping an eye on a couple of key things, like:

how many times your pages get checked out

how many peeps hit your site and then bounce right off

how engaged folks are when they’re hanging out on your site

how many of them are doing what you hope they’re going to do (that’s your conversion rate) — you can get a real handle on what’s happening

This info can help you spot the tricky spots where visitors are throwing in the towel, and you can switch things up to make their time on your site a lot better. 

Conclusion

We covered a lot here about programmatic SEO, but remember, it’s all about juggling both quality and quantity. Find those money keywords, understand what your users are really looking for, and keep your content top-notch and user-friendly. It might feel like you’re walking a tightrope, but with the right strategy, tech skills, and some patience, you’ll be hitting those SEO targets quicker than you can say “long-tail keyword.” Keep an open mind, be ready to adapt, and most importantly, remember you’re serving real people, not just search engine bots.

Interesting headings:

Affiliate marketing case studies

Bonuses

Reviews

[peachy-lemon83]

I really like it, I’ve also noticed there are a lot of things he does just not as much or only around certain people. He doesn’t over explain random things a ton anymore. He tends to keep it more relevant and more focus on helping the team. When he does throw out some not necessarily super important to the case know it normal feel like “do we think it could be connected?? Give anyone any ideas???”

He fidgets a lot more subtly with his hands over his whole body and gets a lot more zoned out in his own thoughts. Previously he still did that but it felt more vocal about the thought process. I’ve noticed he tends to repeat the thing he’s trying to solve while thinking about it but almost all of the aloud thoughts are when it’s actually a solid trail/connection. Almost like he has to convince himself that this is a good solid thing to show the team (and I can’t help but remember how everyone feels very distrustful about his mind the whole prison arc, like everyone acts like Reid himself did when he was very heavily distrusting of himself bc he’s worried he’s crazy. I can hear the “are we sure he hasn’t actually lost his marbles?” In the back of their heads lmao)

He’s somehow back to being kind of shy and awkward one on one with people but he isn’t nervous about it, like it comes of kind of aloof? (which honestly could also fall under it’s some of the people who have been there the longest left, Hotch and Morgan, but he also feels this way with JJ and Rossi as well). It’s almost like he’s not quite sure how this changed version of him is supposed to interact with them. Especially when it’s not a happy or adrenaline type moment. Almost like he’s not quite sure how to interact with them outside of cases anymore. While at the same time he seems aware of them a lot more. When he kind of has differing opinions with Rossi he seeks Rossi out and apologizes. When JJs being really awkward, he keeps glancing/staring at her but doesn’t force her to talk to him.

Not to mention he feels like he’s learned that anything he says to any unsub that’s not to calm them down is just going to be used against him, like even trying to de-escalate the situation he’s calm but he doesn’t have the same facial experiences as before, he’s still more stoic. Like it honestly feels like “you think your the worst I’ve seen” when he’s dealing with some of the unsubs.

I love after prison Reid’s hair and him in general but I also miss the excited rants over random topics. Somehow after prison Reid seems softer and more gentle at the same time. Especially when speaking to victims or kids. And the moments we do get of him being happy or talking to the kid who also likes to learn random stuff feels so much more genuine and almost shy like he’s a little nervous to show part of him that again.

okay y’all. spencer reid fans buckle up, cause i have some thoughts. i wanna talk about post-prison era reid. we all love him, but i've been having some major thoughts about it. one of the main things about post-prison era reid, is that he masks so heavily, and none of his autistic traits are shown anymore. now i'm all for trauma making a character mask more, but cm didn't really view it like that, and i dont like that. another thing about post-prison reid is that he no longer gives any fucks and will fuck you up. i love this, because it personally feels like, after years of being ridiculed for his autism and how it affects him, he fights back against it. you can try and ridicule him, but he's gonna put up a fight, and you're not gonna win. a lot of people like post-prison era reid because of his hair- which is completely valid,, fluffy haired reid is amazing. but i feel like we as a fandom are not talking about the drastic changes in his character enough. yes! post-prison reid is awesome! but let's talk about why. how he went through trauma and it changed him fundamentally. how he masks so much he's almost unidentifiable. everything that made reid him before, doesn't anymore, and reid has to figure out who he is without that. he has to figure out IF there is a him without it.

in conclusion: post-prison era reid is so so interesting, and we as a fandom don't go into WHY post-prison reid is, if not the best, one of the best, eras of reid enough.

[alwayswriting101]

You already know, I’m asking about Flora and Helia ❤️☺️

Both in a way. Flora reaches for him unconsciously and Helia just happens to wake up in time to catch her doing it and pull her close.

Cuddles in each other’s arm.

I actually think that in a case like that they’d be drawn to reality TV, like “The Real Housewives of…” Something about watching rich people having fights over complete nonsense really grounds them somehow haha.

Helia makes the pun, but Flora laughs (even though it isn’t funny. It’s just to encourage him).

They both give each other encouraging words (you’re so great, you’re ready, you can do this etc). Helia encourages Flora more often than she does to him (because she requires it more).

Slightly off topic but one of my headcanons for this couple is that Helia is super wealthy and Flora isn’t/wasn’t. So I imagine whenever Flora (has to) buy some elegant clothes for like a gala or something Helia brings her to a high-end store and insists that she shops there and doesn’t focus on the price tag. She feel uncomfortable wearing the clothes but Helia hypes her up and insists that she deserves them. So Helia hypes up her new outfits.

There’s this once scene in the Hallowinx! comics where Helia is dressed like a werewolf and tries (and fails) to scare Flora. So i imagine most of their interactions are like that. On the rare occasion Flora does try to scare Helia he is actually scared but pretends that he knew she was there and she didn’t scare him.

The art section. Mostly Helia explains why this paint brand is better, or the purpose of X tool, and Flora stands there writing with the sample pens on the paper pads (something I LOVED doing as a child)

Helia picks Flora up some seeds or tools; things she can use to improve her garden. Flora gets Helia food from his favorite resturant (I imagine he’s a foodie at heart).

Lmao, it’s so funny because Flora canonically runs into his arms all the time. I think it’s adorable.

I’m actually not sure, I’m not into music like that. But something cute and romantic for the each of them. And also I’m getting strong Hozier vibes from Helia (not relevant to the quetion at all but something to add in)

Helia teases Flora by kissing every part of her face before going for her lips.

Flora loves the small quirks Helia has as he paints. The arch of an eyebrow while focus, the strokes of his hands, the crazy standing/sitting positions. She finds it cute. Helia enjoys it when Flora talks to her plants like babies, he finds it funny and adorable.

They both snort at each other making the other laugh harder and soon enough they fall into a fit.

Helia can cook (actually pretty well), but hates cooking, so Flora does the majority of it. Helia will clean her tools and beakers from her garden/lab.

Thank you for the questions!

[novamirmirsblog]

Speeding

Word count: 906

Genre: fluff

Request: yes

Warnings: swearing, car accident

Summary: Maybe speeding isn't all bad...

A/N SPEEDING IS DEFO BAD - PLEASE DON'T DO IT!

You weren't speeding per se, but you definitely weren't going the speed limit. It wasn't completely your fault, you were running late for a team dinner back at the tower. You had been doing paperwork when you received a reminder from your phone that you were late for said dinner. Sure, you should have set a reminder for like 15 minutes before you needed to leave but you tended to ignore those.

There was a light mist of rain covering the road and the sun was beginning to set. You checked the time and sped up even more when you saw you were close to half an hour late. You asked your car to send a message to the group chat, telling them that there was traffic. You continued to cruise through the few cars on the road until you saw a deer jump out in front of you. Obviously you slammed the breaks on - you weren't about to kill Bambi. Your wheels span and swerved due to the wet road and spun you out into the other lane. Another car slammed into the boot of your car, causing you to spin again, throwing you into a ditch. You let out a groan when the car finally stopped moving, calling 911 and telling them all the relevant details. There was just one other group of people to call...

You dreaded the reaction you were about to receive when you hit call. The phone rang once before it was answered.

"Hey baby! could you tell the team I'm going to be late for dinner?" Sirens sounded in the background and you were eternally grateful you had called Natasha and not a super soldier or a witch who could probably read your mind through a phone.

"Why?"

"Oh! I was in a car crash." Before Natasha could complain (and you knew she would) you quickly told her "Well would you look at that the paramedics are here gotta go bye!" You hung up and turned your phone completely off.

You were cut out of your car and transported to the closest hospital, the paramedics having no doubt contacted Stark (who was annoyingly your emergency contact after a bet gone wrong).

~~~~~

It took Natasha and the team 20 minutes to get to the hospital that was 40 minutes away from the tower. You didn't really have any ground to stand on though considering you were in the hospital because of speeding.

"What in the hell Y/n." You were a pretty fearless person and you prided yourself on the fact neither Natasha, nor her scary Black Widow persona made you bat an eyelash however in that moment, you were shitting yourself.

You opened your mouth to explain, ignoring your other teammates plea's to just keep quiet but Natasha cut you off. "No. You sit and you listen." Natasha was deadly calm. It was terrifying. "How dare you. Why the hell were you driving so fast? Why were you not paying attention to the road? What the fuck is more important than driving safely!" Natasha may have started off with a quiet anger but the more she thought about how wrong things could have gone, the louder and louder she got.

You didn't want to admit it, but it was strangely hot seeing your teammate swear. "What do I do for a job?"

"I'm sorry?" Natasha didn't look sorry one bit.

"I said" You paused long enough to see Wanda shake her head furiously at you, a worried look in her eye as she knew what was about to unfold. "What. Do. I. Do?"

"What the fuck does that have to do with anything Y/n."

"Well considering I was in a similar bed a month ago for a gunshot wound, you'd think you'd calm down a little." That was obviously the wrong thing to say. "I constantly put my life at risk and this was a minor crash. I broke no bones, I'm not bleeding, dying, under someone else's control, so I see no reason as to why you're so antsy." You were frustrated and confused. You didn't understand the reaction you were being given. The only reason the hospital had called Tony was because you refused to turn your phone on to call a cab.

"Yes but I'm always there with you! I, to an extent, control what can and can't hurt you but a fucking deer in the road when it's wet and slippy causing you to crash because you're an idiot who drives too quickly I can't control!"

"Well I'm sorry I didn't want to be a Bambi killer!" Things were certainly getting heated and you saw a couple of your other teammates try to move towards the door.

"Well I don't love Bambi do I! I'm in love with you not a fictional deer!" Natasha shouted at you, her face nearly turning the shade of her hair.

"WELL I D- wait you love me?" You were fully prepared to defend Bambi and his mother but that topic could be revisited.

"I- Yes."

"Pay up grandpa." Tony extended his hand to Steve as the super soldier fished out a $50 note.

"I think I love you too..." You looked at Natasha, choosing to ignore the bet Tony had dragged some other poor soul into.

"How about we get out of here and go get some proper dinner. Just the two of us."

"Yeah. That sounds nice."

[nekropsii]

hey wait a second thomas hewitt is a valid troll name

Yup!! He’s also literally the most Vriska-type Slasher to ever exist. It’s actually pretty interesting. I’m going to infodump about Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies largely unprompted, now. Should this be put on my literal dedicated Horror blog instead? Yes. But for now, it’s a relevant topic to this blog, so who cares.

Content Warning: References to/Conversation About Violence, Gore, Self Harm, and Cannibalism.

Ok. Nerd rant time.

His life sucks so fucking bad that you can really see how and why he got to where he is now, and you really want to root for him, but… He descends into doing some things that are so sadistic that you really get emotionally torn between whether or not you should like him, lol. Personally, I love him to pieces. He’s prime Leatherface. They really nailed down the core of what makes Leatherface such an interesting character, while also getting super dark, violent, and serious with it. I recommend his Timeline if you can stomach some pretty gnarly gore. And when I say pretty gnarly, I mean it’s really fucking gnarly. They went a lot farther with it than the Original Timeline, and the name Texas Chainsaw Massacre fits here more than ever.

I think the really heavy gore and violence suits it, though. The change from the Sawyers to the Hewitts definitely did the story well- the Sawyers are kind of hard to take seriously, they’re really goofy, and the bulk of their strengths as individual characters and as a family lie in comedy. This is why Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is the best movie in the fucking world.

The Hewitts, though…? Jesus fucking Christ. Not only is taking them seriously not a challenge, they’re downright terrifying. Their shared overt sadism goes above and beyond whatever was going on with the Sawyers, and that sadism takes itself much more seriously. This shift in tone is best shown by comparing both of these Timelines’s versions of Leatherface.

Fun fact, for the uninitiated. Leatherface is often touted as the “Big Bad” of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He is the iconic Slasher to come out of the franchise.

Now, what if I told you Leatherface isn’t who you should really be afraid of? Because Leatherface isn’t a “Big Bad” or anything. Yes, he’s definitely large- consistently clocking at over 6 feet tall, and built like a literal god damn fridge- and he’s definitely… Well, trying to kill and eat people, but he’s not at all the scariest person in the franchise by any means. Leatherface is designed to be kind of a sympathetic character, actually. He’s consistently a troubled disabled man who gets pushed around and bullied/abused by his family members constantly. He usually kills because he’s either scared, or ordered to do it.

You can see this the most in the first iteration of Leatherface, named Bubba Sawyer. Bubba is genuinely… Really fun to watch. I say this in the least infantilizing way possible, but he’s kind of adorable. He’s the softest one in the family, and acts as a “Mother Hen” type character. Despite his staunch loyalty to the family, they still really treat him like shit. He’s afraid of the outside world, because he’s been locked away from it his entire life. Threats to the family drive him into a panic, and if he fails to protect them, he spirals into a breakdown. He’s a sweetheart, if you ignore the whole “Murder and Cannibalism” thing!! I couldn’t fix him and I don’t want to, but god knows he’s a neat little dude.

Thomas Hewitt, on the other hand? He’s a different case entirely.

His backstory is fucked up, but very sympathetic. Mother died in childbirth, and he was thrown in a dumpster and left to die. He was then found by the Hewitts, who adopted him and raised him as their own. He has a pretty severe skin condition that led to him getting bullied really, really badly growing up, and now he has such a high level of self hatred that he’s noted to have a “penchant for self mutilation.” You can see his self harm scars in TCM: The Beginning, if you look. Him getting treated so horribly by everyone around him, as well as his family being… Well, the Hewitts, led him to develop a rather interesting trait for a Leatherface- actual real Sadism. He is so, so interesting to watch.

Sympathy is at the heart of Leatherface as a character. He’s never the worst person in the family by a long shot, and oftentimes is intentionally written in a way where if you take a moment to try to view the movie from his own perspective, he’s just terrified and trying to protect himself and his family. He’s desperately, horribly afraid of losing everything he’s ever known. He’s the only Slasher I’m aware of that acts not out of Malice, but out of Fear.

Tommy really likes to test that notion of Sympathy, and that’s why he’s so god damn fun to think about for me. Every element for a perfect Leatherface portrayal is there, they just took the aspect of Sadism in the entire family and cranked it up to fucking 100. I love this bitch so much. He does some severely fucked up things, but you almost want to root for him? They level the playing field really well by making the Victim Cast consist of genuinely pretty mean and intolerable people.

You want to root for the Final Girl, because the situation she’s in is genuinely fucked up to hell and back, but you also want to root for Tommy, because he’s been through the god damn meat grinder and you can tell he’s got no other choice… You don’t want to root for the Final Girl, because the Victim Cast consists of insufferable people, but you don’t want to root for Tommy, because holy shit some of the stuff he does is unnecessary. But also you do, because his design is so kickass it makes up for everything, but also you don’t, because his family sucks and doesn’t deserve to win, but also you do, because you want him and him alone to win. It’s complicated!! I’m absolutely obsessed with it.

Another Slasher with a valid Troll name is Leslie Vernon. I fucking love Leslie Vernon. Do not ask me about Leslie Vernon. Do not ask me about Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon in general. We will be here for several hours, and I’ve already reached my maximum amount of Horror Movie Autism for the day on this blog.

[scandalsavagefanfic]

Hello! I am a huge fan of ur writing. I've loved everything I've read of yours. I've read alot of what you've posted, except for a couple of the tags that are squicky for me (so I'm very thankful you tag very thoroughly). No judgement for the squick, it's just not for me. & when I'm having a bad day, I usually just go thru ur ao3 and find something to reread. I think about Therapy's Bruce & Jason every damn day. While I obvs appreciate ur darker more "problematic" content (I really vibe with some of the themes you write about bc of my own trauma, & so it's very cathartic to read about in a fictional setting), I am truly a sucker for ur more happy content. The Happily Ever After verse also lives in my head rent free. Idk more wholesome stuff just seems more special when you write it. Anyways. I would die for you. But the point of this ask is cause I'm curious as to why you don't like Urban Legends? I'm sorry if you already talked about it here or on twitter and I missed it. I was just wondering because I really enjoy your take on things and would love to hear why you dislike it. I've been enjoying it so far personally, but I am always open to DC comics criticism.

Aw thank you so much! I'm so flattered by everything you just said. You're so sweet ❤❤❤❤❤

I haven't talked about Urban Legends here or twitter (I haven't been very active in either place lately. Just a lot going on and no energy 😔) but I'm happy to do it here.

Before I start though, I just want to add a standard disclaimer and make it clear that if you like it, there's nothing wrong with that and you don't have to let me ruin it for you lol. Like what you like.

That said, since you asked...

I said this when I was talking about it on discord, that there is a difference between hope and expectation. I always hope that a new story centered on Jason (or anyone really, but things have been especially egregious for Jay for 15 years) will be good or at least treat the character with a minimal level of respect (to be honest, the bar is super fucking low). But my expectations always temper my hope, to keep it from getting unrealistic. Because my expectations are based on experience.

The long history of Jason Todd, since even before his resurrection, has been one of retroactively trying to make him "a bad seed" in order to absolve Bruce of any responsibility in his death.

I don't even expect DC or their writers to start honoring the fact that Jason was not an angry, reckless Robin (and less of the later than Dick or Tim and definitely Damian). There plenty of ways that retcon can be folded into his history and be compelling and sympathetic. And if they're going to stick with that retcon, I'm only asking that they do it in one of those compelling and sympathetic ways because Jason was 15 when he died, heroically, in one of the most selfless acts in comics, to save a woman who literally handed him over to be brutally murdered. He was 12 when Bruce plucked him off the streets, he'd been homeless and fending for himself for at least two years. I personally think that Jason's story hits harder for him and Bruce if their original, canon relationship, of Jason as starry-eyed and eager to learn and absolutely devoted to Bruce and Bruce to Jason, is preserved. But Jason's origins does leave room for a meaningful interpretation of him as angry and frustrated at the lack of meaningful results of Bruce's methods.

And that's really where my irritation at stories like Batman: Urban Legends, Cheer and Batman The Adventure Continues has it's roots.

Every time one of these stories comes out, I think (or hope, rather) that this will be the one that remembers and respects the origins of the Jason and the Red Hood, that takes into account the changed sensibilities of comics readers in the 30 years since Jason's death and the subtle, 20 year, retroactive campaign to make him the "bad Robin". The "born bad" trope is played out and literally no one likes the message it implies. That some kids are just bad eggs and there's nothing parents or the adults around them can do. Especially when it's played as the kid's fault. If Jason's time as Robin is going to be characterized by anger, then it should be rooted in anger at the social injustices he witnessed as he grew up in an impoverished, crime-ridden, area and the horrors he faced raising himself when every day was a battle for survival. There are topical, meaningful, stories to tell with that backdrop.

But those are never the stories we get.

⚠⚠ Spoilers for Batman: Urban Legends, Cheer ⚠⚠

I'm particularly disappointed in Urban Legends because for the first issue, it looked like that was the kind of story we were going to get. I was put off by the first flashback of Jason being mesmerized by Bruce's guns, and I got that feeling in my gut that it was a bad sign. Jason depicted as impatient and overconfident and the scene with the guns is heavy-handed foreshadowing that got my spidey-sense tingling. I had a inkling then (in the first three pages) of how this story was going to play out, but it was early and I could still see many narrative paths that could lead to a satisfying story. My concerns were soothed somewhat and the little flame of my hope fanned, with the flashback of Alfred scolding Bruce, with Barbara's concern for Jason. A bit of worry returned with the way Jason ruthlessly pursued an addict who didn't appear to be a dealer and with the ending of the issue. The stuff with the addict sat wrong with me but the ending was tempered some by how despicable Tyler's dad was written. The scene was clearly set so that the reader could sympathize with Jason's decision and the scene with the addict could be brushed aside as a side-effect of comics over-the-top need for constant action, so I still held hope.

Issue 2 made me uncomfortable and it's where my hope starts to take a backseat to my expectations. I can dismiss Jason's self-deprecating internal monologue as unreliable narration, except that the flashback reinforces his thought process to explicitly show that it's not unreliable narration, and should be taken at face value. Jason faces physical abuse at the hands of his mother's drug dealer and when the flashback continues later, Jason kills the drug dealer. To be clear, this is a pre-Bruce Jason. His mom is still alive. He's like... 10. He kills this guy for shoving his head into a wall and implying Jason's mother paid for her drugs with sex. This is a scene that serves a single purpose. To show that Jason has always been prone to violence.

In the spirit of full disclosure, there is the small chance the drug dealer might not be dead. But the story obviously wants the reader to think he is, and it hasn't done anything to change that yet.

Starlin already did this story with The Diplomat’s Son in 1988 and he did it infinitely better. AND that’s still technically canon. So now I’m supposed to believe that Jason lost his cool bad enough to kill two douche bags before his sweet 16? Like it’s totally normal for abused kids raised in poverty, who’ve led hard and heartbreaking lives to just... haul off and kill people? That’s bullshit, and when taken with the Jason in the third issue, who is little more than an idiot thug, this story is really doubling down on some fucked up stereotypes.

Which brings us to the most recent issue. I went into this installment with very low expectations. I thought this story was going to be about Jason, through this experience with Tyler, a young boy with a similar background to Jason's, coming to the realization that Bruce's way is the best way and that Bruce did his best by Jason.

That would be annoying (in no small part because it takes increasingly absurd levels of plot armor to keep Bruce's no kill rule relevant, let alone irrefutably right). But I can probably live with that, if only because maybe if Jason officially falls back into line with the Bats crusade, maybe I'll get stories that treat him with respect, stories that don't relegate him to comic relief, dumb brute, or a background body with no lines in a story about the Joker burning Gotham (like Jason would just fucking stand there quietly for that).

And that may still be where the story is going, Jason realizing Bruce is right.

But holy shit do I not have the right words to describe how fucking insulting and gross issue three is.

From start to finish--including the flashback--Jason is written as cruel and fucking stupid. Like straight up dumb.

The entire issue is Bruce explaining the fucking basics to Jason like it's his first day. And Jason flies off the fucking handle and terrorizes a doctor he knows isn't a part of making the Cheerdrops, beats the shit out of some random addicts, and finally, when he can't accomplish anything on his own because he's a dumb brute he calls Barbara for help and rushes in with no information where he's promptly incapacitated and must now wait to be rescued by Batman.

This panel is the least of the issues sins but I can’t screenshot the entire story but it’s representative of the tone for the whole issue (and retroactively tainted the prior two issues).

This is beyond insulting. The only conclusions Jason comes to in this issue are the ones Bruce leads him to by talking to him like he can’t make the simplest connections. And like... in this story Jason can’t make the simplest connections.

This (and the Jason throughout the entirety of this issue) is a far cry from the Jason we fell in love with in Under the Red Hood, who was competent and strategic and intelligent enough to seize control of Gotham’s underworld from Black Mask (who’s no fucking slouch, he’s the first and only person to unify organized crime in Gotham) AND elude and manipulate Bruce until the time and place of his choosing.

This is a far cry from even the Red Hood and the Outlaws Jason who is competent enough to fight the League of Shadows and Ra’s al Ghul (among very dangerous and skilled others) and smart enough to create antidotes for mind control nanotech viruses.

As he should be, by the way. Jason Todd is one of the best, most comprehensively trained fighters in DC’s stable of non powered vigilantes. He’s not irrational or hot headed. He’s pragmatic, tactically minded, and patient. He’s a detective. Right now. Has been since he was 12. Bruce doesn’t have to make him one because he already is. 

Jason is not a stupid thug who uses his fists because his brain doesn’t work. And I can’t tell you how so very exhausted I am by this narrative. 

This is actually the most egregious example of Jason’s skills and intelligence being not just undermined but dismissed entirely. Even Morrison’s Jason had some degree of competency. 

The one, single redeeming factor of this story is the art. It’s beautiful. And Marcus To is a godsend he seems to be one of only a couple of artists who remember that Jason was a child when he was Robin and I’m literally only buying this book because of him. 

Anyway, I’m sorry. I didn’t want that to come out so... um... passionately lol. I’m just very very tired. My intention with this isn’t to ruin it for you, if you like it, that’s fine. 

But this issue shot this story to the top of my "Vehemently Despise” list. 1) Batman: Urban Legends (Cheer), 2) Battle for the Cowl/Morrison’s Batman and Robin, 3) Batman The Adventure Continues.

I hope the next issues somehow salvage this dumpster fire. But I’m not expecting it.

(Damnit. That sounded harsh again. To reiterate, I’m not trying to judge anyone who enjoys it, I just personally hate it and you asked me why lol 😅)

[thestarsanctuary]

hi! I was hoping you could do a Bakugo, Midoriya, Todoroki and Kirishima (separate) with an s/o that has Tourettes, preferably they/them pronouns please. I hope you're having a good day <3

Of course! I was gonna take a break in the middle of my (unspoken) break aka me being lazy, but this request was so nice I- I had to 😔✋🏾 it was definitely the heart. It got me.

MHA BOYS WITH AN S/O THAT HAS TOURETTES

TW FOR ODD LOOKS AND STARES/BULLYING(ISH)

BAKUGO

Bakugo wasn’t really sure when he first met you about why your head was twitching or why you were repeating the sentences Aizawa had said sometimes, as he didn’t know you had tourettes. He never even spoke to you like the others did so you never had the chance to tell him until Kirishima did.

When you two started dating he started seeing patterns of when you would get to stressed and start jerking or spouting out random things you heard from youtube videos, he did his best to make sure you knew he was there for reassurance, whether it was a hand on your hand or just pure presence.

There were times when you would have ticcing fits and he would have to sit and rub your back and watch you, and in those times you realized he really was there for you.

He likes to do this thing where he rants on about things he doesn’t like to try and distract you- I’m not sure how he has so much he doesn’t like but every time it’s a new odd topic....sometimes it can literally be something like how he hates trees because when it’s fall he has to rake up the leaves and you have to say

“Bakugo they literally help you not die.” It really is a mystery sometimes how he’s so smart.

Sometimes you can be a bit upset with your tics. It’s not that you’re insecure or that you’re ashamed, but they’re difficult to deal with. The control that you could have isn’t there and that’s stressful in and of itself, and in those moments Bakugo realizes the best thing he can do for you - is make you understand that you are just like the rest of the class and the rest of the people in the world.

“Listen it doesn’t matter if you’re different because to me you’re still cool, you’re still funny, you’re still incredibly sarcastic and while I don’t enjoy that for the most part- you’re my extra regardless of whatever you feel. Get that bull out of your head.”

I mean, he wouldn’t date anybody less than the best.

MIDORIYA

Midoriya is the predictable character in the relationship. He researched about Tourettes and what he could do in times when you needed him, I mean he’s not perfect but he’d rather know something rather than nothing.

You tended to be the one who was more of a risk taker, and sometimes your tourettes got in the way of that- which could frustrate you to no end then causing harsher tics like hitting or yelling, and those were the times Midoriya tried to get anything too dangerous either out of your hands- or just out of the way so you didn’t get hurt, he was smart with it.

Other times he could be too much for you, almost treating you like a kid so you had to remind him that you know and understand precautions, but that you also want to live like everybody else and that is nothing short of your business.

You’re favorite activity with him was when he would help you study because he made it so fun for you. It could be hard to pay attention in class sometimes and do your work after school so Izuku would come over and assist you. He would make sure you guys took breaks and that you understood the topic at your own pace.

“Izuku can you like- give an example?”

“Well it’s just kind of- wait what is an example-“

In many situations Midoriya LOVED holding your hand, like he did it at any time, any place. It was something he thought wasn’t too much in public and it was reassuring for you both. When you’re tics got too much you could squeeze his hand, and other times when he wouls get anxious or something would happen he would squeeze yours. It was cute and handy!

There were instances when Midoriya definitely had his mistakes with your tics and how to deal with them but he was willing to take his time and learn because who would he be without his perfect person stayin’ by his side?

KIRISHIMA

Kirishima is probably the most sympathetic with your tics because he stay prepared for them. It’s never been like “Kirishima can you” but it’s always been more like ‘Kiri how do you always know’ and there’s never been an answer that he gave other than ‘I gotta stay ready for my lovely lover~’

Kirishima likes to do this thing where he goes “neck” after you have a rough day with your tics and with massage your neck for you or your back, depending on how your tics were. He likes takin’ care of you, and it’s not like he doesn’t know you can’t take care of yourself because hey, you didn’t get into 1-A by being a pushover.

Sometimes you’ve had times when people in school just aren’t all that accepting and Kirishima will clap back unprovoked.

“Sometimes I think about how sad you have to be to make fun of them and dang man, you got a therapist?”

Other times you’ll basically respond for him, like I said, you can DEFINITELY take care of yourself.

Whenever you’re in the car or on the bus on a trip in the case that you’ve gotten real excited (which is natural being around your boyfriends and your friends at the same time) he’ll play this playlist he made of your favorite songs and sing to distract you. Does he sing well? That wasn’t the question- but he does sing, only for you though because the other students keep dissing him.

He has a reflex of rubbing your back during free period or at lunch. I don’t think this is relevant but it’s something super adorable, and sometimes he just gives you his hand to look at and play with when you have anxiety as well to keep you calm.

Also irrelevant but other times he’ll facetime you before you guys go somewhere and ask what to wear because he wants to match with you, and it’s so cute because you could lie so hard and he’d believe everything you say.

You two are kinda a power couple like- you both can hold your own but also are such nice people, good job makin’ the rest of 1-A feel lonely guys.

TODOROKI

Todoroki is a simple guy. He doesn’t want to overcomplicate things for the most part because “why would I act like your guardian, if I’m literally your boyfriend” and that’s that.

He tends to try and keep you calm, as it’s something pretty simple for him, he knows a bunch of tactics for distractions or when those are obsolete, he’ll just sit there with you, and maybe rub your back or get a water bottle for when it’s done, he just never wants to do too much because he knows your capabilities, and he knows your limits.

He is also a large hand holder. Mostly because he doesn’t like the idea of PDA for the most part, and he doesn’t like leaving your side either, because you’re very comforting to him. It’s a given we all know he needs love and comfort please.

There have been times when people look at your because of your tics in public and Todoroki has had to give a little glare back because of the disrespect being blatantly put out. In rarer times you will both glare at the same time, those are the coolest moments of you as a couple.

Shoto doesn’t really care much for your tics only because he’d rather just make sure you’re ok then watch Avengers rather than treat you like a child if anything, and that’s because you told him first that you wanted a boyfriend not a babysitter (speakin’ facts) and at first he didn’t understand and he thought you didn’t want his help but soon understood otherwise.

Some cute things I like to think of are that he likes to put on your favorite songs when you’re anxious and try to dance for you. It’s not good- let’s start with that, because he’s kinda...stiff, but the attempt is absolutely adorable (and oh so funny).

Other things are he likes to call you cheesy nicknames when you’re cuddling because he likes your reactions everytime, because according to him, yeah he said it himself, you are very adorable when annoyed. Don’t @ me!

Overall he just loves spending time with you whenever he can, you’re truly a safe-haven for him.

EL FIN

-

Alright tourettes is a real thing y’all, so I didnt make this rainbows n cupcakes bc im sure that’s not always how it is.

If anything in this is offensive or too much for somebody I can take it down and re-do it! I’m not too sure how it is bc it feels kinda repetitive but we’ll see I guess, and thanks to the person who requested my day was fine thanks 😩✋🏾.

I also included some things I like to do (play with hands and listen to music) because i have anxiety and I known that can worsen tics and can also come with tics (a lot of ppl with tics have adhd, anxiety, or some sort of disorder along with it)

- SS <333333

[kanohivolitakk]

Since its 3Hs anniversary some really cool things I like about the game that aren’t talked about enough because the fandom is too busy arguing who is right and who is wrong

The worldbuilding just. 3H has honestly one of my favorite fictional settings. Its just both expansive but also genuinely interesting. I have spent HOURS thinking about the world and made so many ocs its not even funny. I love thinking about the setting of the game so much.

I LOVE the puzzle like way the game explains its world and story. Like I know some people don’t like it because it makes the game a bit too convoluted but personally? I LOVE 3Hs way of not telling everything but rather giving hints and clues the player has to piece themselves. It makes the games world feel more interactive and feels so satisfying. Then again I enjoy that kind of approach to worldbuilding

In general I love 3hs fragmented story and the way how the story is placed in many different fragments. It is geniunely rewarding to replay the game from another storypath and notice the foreshadowing Would’ve the story been probably better had it been just one storypath? Honestly yes. But 3h is ambitious and one of the ways it is is with its fragmented story structure.

The structure of White Clouds is criminally underrated honestly and gets way more hate than it deserves. I love how the first few chapters set up the world of Fodlan and show injustices/conflicts of the world with chapters like the chapter where you face off Lonato for instance. Then the next few chapters are spend in deepening the mysteries such as the conspiracy against the church and the mystery regarding TWSITD. Then Jeralt dies and the last few chapters are spent as “beginning of the End” so to speak, as things clears to the intense climax.

On related note I LOVE how the game handles perspective and how the lords are the respective ways we view the story. I know so many people say “WHite Clouds is same on all paths” but I do feel that’s kinda the point. The story is the same but there are differences that come from the way each of the lords is strongly characterized and has different values, worldviews. The subtle changes on what are focused on in each route also foreshadow what will be focused on each route, which I think is super cool.

Even beyond the lords and routes the game does explore the idea of perspective well. I do think 3h has this very “everyone is the hero of their own story” type of approach to perspective and it shows it well. Each character believes they’re in the right and you can get this view that they view themselves as right. Even Agarthans who are the designated villains have this sense they think they’re in right and that the Nabateans were evil.

The way how games routes being divided into having a different focus is very cool. I love how AM is a smaller scale personal tragedy, how CF is a battle of ideals and how VW explores the world and reveals deeper mysteries. I also love how all of these are related to the lords ideals and worldviews: Dimitri is the most conflicted of the lords so he gets the most characterfocused story focused on . Edelgard is the most ideologically driven so her path focuses on her ideals and battle of wills against Rhea. Claude is the one who is the most freespirited and wants to know the truth so his route focuses on revealing the mysteries.

Also the way the houses characters reflect their respective routes storyline and central themes: Black Eagles are nobles that have conflicting relationships with nobility reflecting Edelgards goal, Blue Lions are all united with the trauma of Tragedy of Duscur, and Golden Deer are a house of misfits who give this “ragtag group who will save the universe with POWER OF FRIENDSHIP and this cool gun I found” vibes which fit the route PERFECTLY

I LOVE how the game plays with and subverts a lot of Fire Emblem tropes. While it does play some tropes straight (dad death and evil cult manipulating behind the scenes) it does do a lot to break from series conventions and playing with ideas to make a more ambitious story. The way it either subverts expectations (The evil emperor being female well intended extremist, Rhea being the Gharnef/Medeus instead of the Nyna archetype she’s presented as), twists familiar tropes to their natural extreme (Dimitris arc is basically the natural extreme end of stereotypical FE lord) and other similar things make the game feeling so planned out, like the writers understood FE stories and wanted to make something that challenges FE while still feeling like it.

The way how every major player acts as foil/pararell to another player is so GOOD. Every faction leader can be compared to the other somehow and that just makes the game SOOOO fun to analyze, trying to find all the similarities and differences and pararells is so rewarding.

A more specific example on this is how i love how the game plays with the idea of holy/sacred weapons. While normally these weapons are artifacts from goddess that defeat dragons, here the holy weapons are bones made from dragons and just???? HOW METAL IS THAT????????? It’s just such a neat way to subvert the idea of sacred weapons. Rather than being blessed creations of the goddess, they are weapons of destruction made by the villains.

I ADORE THE GAMES science fiction elements. I know people say they feel out of place but personally, they make the game memorable for me. I still remember the first time I saw that scene with nukes. I especially love the heavy implication that Sothis isn’t a goddess but rather a powerful alien. It makes her character much more interesting

I know a lot of people don’t like Agarthans but can I just say their backstory being “forced to hide after their land got conquered and desiring it back” making them a dark mirror not just 3h lords/Rhea but FE lords as whole is SO FUCKING METAL. This is what I mean with 3H writers knowing their tropes like back of their hand.

I love how in Part 1 sometimes you’d talk to two characters in Monastery at once instead of just one. It’s something I miss in part 2 honestly.

I love the small sidequests such as the fishing tourney and White Heron cup and wish Part 1 had more of them, it would’ve made the school part feel more alive.

I LOVE how some missions (esp paralogues) have subgoals that you can clear to get better rewards. I wish the game had been more clear with them or even made them main goals of maps sometimes.

I LOVE THE WAY Paralogues act as small gaiden stories that show more of the games world and characters. Its a neat way to let the sidecharacters shine and reveal some neat secrets of the games world and story.

The gameplay loop is honetly fun and satisfying. It is rewarding and while it gets tiring towards the end overall its a good gameplay loop.

I ADORE the aesthetic of Shambhala. Its just so sleek and sinister. The cyrillic letters spelling different words is so cool. Shambhala is my favorite map in the game and the aesthetic is a big reason why.

The games soundtrack is so good!!!!!!!!!!  But not only that I LOVE the way its electro elements subtly hint of Agarthans being in control behind the scenes. This is especially cool in Road to Dominion where the electro parts are barely noticeable yet present. but other tracks have subtle electro vibes as well.  The other way the games music tells the story (such as use of leitmotifs or how the monastery music changes once Jeralt dies) is great as well.

I love how 3h can be read as an allegory for reformation era and reneissance. Its such an interesting way to read the games events and compare it to a real historical periods there’s quite a bit of f

In general I ADORE the cultural references of the game. There’s surprisingly lot of way the games world is based on real life and the details are just *chefs kiss*

THE GAME IS DENSE WITH THEMATIC IDEAS. Besides the perspective the game tackles ideas of how trauma can affect a persons psyche and worldview  (as well how a persons trauma affects the way they interact with the world which in turn can affect the world as well), grief, societal values, historical revisiniosm and so much more. The game tackles SO MANY topics in an interesting manner, it is thematically just as dense as it is storywise as well.

I also love how the games thematic parts work in harmony with the story rather than one overshadowing with the other. Its super refreshing honestly where a games themes and story are both rich and I don’t have to pick one over the other.

Lastly I ADORE the games central message (or at least what I see as the central message anyway): The world’s fucked up and most people want to fix it, but what they deem fixing differs and because of that they go into conflict or outright war rather than trying to find a common ground. Everyone wants a better world but no one can agree what a better world truly means  so they fight over it. It was a theme that not only resonates with my personal values but also hit me REALLY hard when I first played it as it’s a theme that I found incredibly relevant and reflective of our own world during the time I played the game for the first time.

So yeah. I made this post since there’s SO MUCH neat things about the game, its gameplay and story that sadly get swept under the rug in favor of either arguing  which lord was right/wrong or complaining how the game is an unfinished, rushed and overambitious mess. Is 3h perfect? Hell no. But it’s a game that I hold near and dear to my heart and does genuinely SO MANY THINGS RIGHT, I’m sad no one talks about the genuine strengths the game has anymore, instead just complaining.

I’m not even joking when I say that 3h should be up there as heralded as one of the best, most ambitious and complex JRPGs alongside Xenogears, the first Xenoblade game, Suikoden and Trails series as whole along other such games. Its a shame the games reputation is less like those games and more like Persona 5s where everyone focuses more on its flaws and the fans being annoying than the fact the game does geniunely A LOT right. It’s just that good, ambitious game I love so much.

[tamhrayis]

I brought a theory from Reddit.

Disclaimer:

I am here to not disrespect the author by any means. I simply have questions as a person who is reading it and pointed out which parts are confusing. It’s up to you to believe this theory or not.

What’s more, reborn Ymir will be in the same position as 2000 years ago – the Founding Titan's shifter. BUT, this time she's free. Therefore, once she pops out and gets her abilities back, she can do whatever she wants with them. She no longer needs to be commanded by royals, which gives her the ideal opportunity to conclude everything. [How does Eren know that an infant can assist him in such an endeavour?]

Well...Ymir was definitely not free, but Ymir wasn’t born with her abilities. She got them because of hallucigenia attached to her back when she fell into that water in the tree. She wasn’t born special.

Another point. How Ymir being born with titan powers will stop the cycle of hatred?

Zeke’s death was a necessary distraction, deliberately included by Isayama to divert our attention. It tricked us into thinking that the baby inheriting Zeke’s titan is relevant as it would help Eren resume the Rumbling. But that’s not the case. The child will indeed inherit the Beast but what’s important here is the baby inheriting the Founder (what Isayama tried to hide behind Zeke’s death). Also, his death served the purpose of stopping the Rumbling as it is not needed anymore. Most of the world's population is already massacred. [What was the point of Zeke dying? Will the baby inherit the Beast Titan?]

Hm...Yeah, Zeke’s death indeed helped to stop the rumbling, because Eren could reach the Paths because of him and killing him stopped the whole process, but why would Isayama make such a distraction at the last third chapter of the whole manga? Shouldn’t he kill Zeke before, so Eren and Historia’s plan would work and it had more screen time?

“In a vision, Eren saw that Ymir will be reborn after his death. He told Historia that he has to figure out which random child will inherit the Founder”. [“What would you think… about me having a child?”]

Which vision? Ch.1 or after kissing Historia’s hand? Ch.1 vision was Eren and Mikasa’s shared dream and we still don’t know what exactly Eren saw while kissing Historia’s hand.

Of course it’s safe to say that it was his future memories, but it yet has to be revealed.

Random child. How Eren can predict that the baby will be Historia’s? Does he know how many pregnant women are there on Paradise? Okay, let’s say that it’s FT and Paths magic, but can he control which child will be born with Founder’s powers?

It would also explain why Historia didn't appear in Ch. 138 – if Isayama showed the baby coming out seconds after Mikasa decapitated Eren then it would’ve been obvious what’s going on.[“What would you think… about me having a child?”]

Chapters are 45 pages long. Why Isayama didn’t cut out some panels and didn’t put it here? Why not to show it right after the kiss page? Distraction?

Moreover, Ymir is smiling at Eren and Mikasa not simply because she saw affection. Yes, she does care about bonds but another thing could be that Eren's plan downed on her – she connected the dots and figured out that it's now her turn to contribute and complete the mission Eren wordlessly gave her. I believe next chapter will start with her disappearing from inside the Founder's mouth and switch to her being born. [“What would you think… about me having a child?”]

Okay! I agree with the part that Ymir smiled at Mikasa and Eren because of the affection they showed to each other and the part that she will contribute to the “mission”.

They showed affection to each other. Why would Eren show affection to Mikasa if he is having a child with the woman he loves?

What about the hallucigenia? Will it still stay there or disappear with her?

Immediately after she cries for the first time, all Eldians will perhaps be summoned in Paths, where Eren will be waiting. To their surprise, he will announce the end of the Titan Age. Then, Ymir will make the command and Paths will begin collapsing. Eren will hold her in his arms as all traces of titans disappear. "You're free." will collectively be directed to Ymir and all of her Subjects. [What will happen after she is reborn?]

Hold on. Can the power of Founder be shared between two people? Is it like One for All? If Ymir was born with FT, doesn’t that mean that Eren no longer has FT, AT and WHT? How Ymir can summon them? She is an infant. She doesn’t have a proper consciousness to purposely summon everyone into Paths. Where AT and WHT will go? To random Eldian children or Ymir?

It has always been suspicious as to why Eren teased Zeke about them not reaching "the part where he eats their old man". It's strange that Grisha gave Eren the power of the titans when beforehand he begged Zeke to stop him. The only logical thing would be that Eren showed him what I described above: the resolution. [What did Eren show Grisha?]

Wait. Why would Grisha be this heartbroken and scared if Eren showed him the resolution? He doesn’t look like crying from happiness. Sure, he was crying because he killed children and others, but why would he look at Zeke like that? He was in literal pain.

What used to be nonsensical before is now super logical. Grisha and Kruger were not helping the Alliance because Armin’s TnJ (talk no jutsu) worked. They aided them because beforehand Eren revealed the truth of what is to come and that they will NEED to kill him in order for Historia’s baby to inherit the Founder. Basically, they didn't feel sympathy for Marley all of a sudden – instead, they were helping Eren in liberating Eldians from titans. [Why did Grisha and Kruger help the Alliance? Why did Ymir revive them if they were going to go against Eren?]

Well...Besides Grisha and Kruger, Marcel, Ymir, Mr. Xavier, Porco and Bertholdt were there. Did they want to help Eren too?

As it has been confirmed by Isayama's notes on Ch. 138, it’s not an AU. So we should probably forget about time loops. It's a dream. Eren entered it (through Paths, duh) as he wanted to convince Mikasa to behead him as fast as possible as they have no time left. Him joining her is why Aaron Yogurt dream Eren got shifter marks on his face and why in Ch. 1, he saw this particular moment. [What’s up with Mikasa’s hallucinations?]

Oh! “A long dream” topic again. I went to the link author put and this is what I see (see below).

Okay, let’s say that he entered it via Paths, but why not to straightforwardly say that? Why to create a dream where they live happily? Why to show this hug, “I want to live with you for the rest of my 4 years”?

I don’t really like the time loop concept myself, because I don’t like time travel stuff, but why then he saw the exact same dream in ch.1? Something is not clicking.

The former will likely return to being humans. There’s no reason for them to disappear as they’re material beings that exist in the physical world – what will be removed is just titanization. Plus, with this, Eren will keep his promise of his friends living long lives. Though, this is something I cannot predict properly and just speculation. The latter will be free from the Curse of Ymir (good luck, Reiner, no dying for you). [What will happen to the titanized Eldians and titan shifters?]

Fully agree! No debate.

There's no question really. I feel like it should be self-explanatory after everything discussed so far. The farmer being Ymir's father would be a more shocking twist than Eren being the dad. [Is it sure that Eren is the father?]

Why wouldn’t Isayama add a plot twist into his story? It’s not hard to do. But Isayama’s plot twists work because he visually foreshadows it or uses characters’ dialogues. He already has showed us farmer. Why he is here? For cover up? Why would Isayama put these words if farmer is unnecessary? Why not to add more information?

To stop the cycle of violence and hate once and for all. If Eren removed titan powers without the Rumbling, most people (especially Marleyans) would’ve still despised Eldians and they would've just been defenseless. So Eren wanted to prevent that. [Why did the Rumbling have to occur?]

I agree with this. Rumbling was a cause for people to work and stop fighting each other as I said here. Rumbling plan was very risky, but it was unavoidable, because Marley is way more advanced and Paradise would terribly lose. Good point!

But why would Historia, who has decided to live for herself agree with Eren’s plan? How would she benefit from it? Okay, she and Historia are in love, but why would she want the person she loves to become a mass murderer? Why she couldn’t stop him? Why she was crying when he told his plan? She is a royal blood after all too! They could come up with another plan which wouldn’t involving Zeke.

I assume it would just die/disappear/go back to the tree it emerged from. [What about hallucigenia?]

Where’s that tree? How it will get there?

In conclusion, the theory isn’t bad, but it would work if Historia and Eren had more set up, the importance of Zeke would be explored a little more here and ch.138 didn’t have clear symbolism between Eren and Mikasa. There’re some holes, but the author gave some good points, which is truly appreciated!

[lucidpantone]

It’s not Ismail being an unlikeable tool that is my problem with this season. It’s the lack of development of anything.

The pacing is weird af and the clips so short and sporadic that they are rarely coherent.

The core of whatever plot there is, to me, is super interesting but there’s just not enough of it.

I love a bit of an anti-hero. But they’ve just not committed to anything. Things get brought up that seem like they’re going to be relevant only to go no where.

It’s like they’ve thrown every idea they had in the writers room at it, but not bothered to expand on any one point nor make any of it flow. Content of the first 3-4 eps could’ve easily happened in half the time.

I will say this ep and the last have been much better but i still don’t really feel like I know much about anything they’re trying to achieve.

I wanna be in Isi’s head way more.

I mean I 💯 agree the pacing has been so off. For example these last few clips we finally get movement but because druck follows the Friday plot movement clip it usually means that Monday-Wednesday we go back to meandering around the season. This is probably my biggest issue with druck. Like we don’t need to stall the plot is moving let’s keep going with it. DONT STOP! I feel like we are finally getting somewhere and we don’t have that many episodes left to the season. I agree the gender issues really should have taken center stage instead of whatever the consti and Lou plot was. I just think we could have easily communicated how toxic Ismail and consti are as friends without lou and 3 episodes following them around just hanging out. I have said from day one that Ismail ends up alone in their season and am sticking to it. Ismail may end up in a situation where sascha says maybe in the future when they grow up but they aren’t there and they aren’t gonna get there in 4 episodes. This season really feels like Arthur’s season to me. Seasons dealing with incredibly delicate topics effecting teens but making the main highly unlikeable and making their LI super like-able. Like I said issue with those set ups is it basically puts the writers in a corner concerning the outcome. It’s clear in druck the outcome is isi being alone and maturing as a person. Not only taking more time to explore what gender means to them but what loyalty and empathy mean when investing in people that care about you. Communicating properly with your family and love ones. Like I said I don’t see how the outcome of this season isn’t Ismail working on himself as a person. It was the same with Arthur and it was the same with Lola (her outcome had to be rehab there was no other option because of the writing). Like you said I don’t mind antihero seasons they just corner the writers into an outcome and so the lead up has to be kinda of perfect. Also concerning the writing the writing room is new and they wrote 1/2 episodes each and handed off and it shows. Some of these episode like you said could have been cut in half. At this point I just want to see Ismail work on themselves at the end. That’s for me the only real valuable outcome.

[sunnydwrites]

Research for Writers: How to Do It

So, you want to write a story involving something that you know literally nothing about. (Cool, same!) We’ve all been there before; if you’ve landed at this post, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’re going to cover the basics of research and using information, as well as verifying your sources, and other ways to reach out.

But first: why should I do research in the first place?

There’s a whole boatload of reasons you should conduct research in your writing. Here are some of the largest or most popular reasons:

You’re writing a story set in a different time period, and you want to be historically accurate.

One of your characters does or knows something you don’t know as much about.

You’re writing about a character who is a part of a community that you’re not in, and you want to be respectful.

You’re doing world-building and want to learn about different biomes and climates.

Bear in mind, these are just a few of the reasons that you might choose to do research - any reason to learn more about something is a valid one! Let’s break down how to do quality research for your writing.

Where can I find reliable information?

Always, always verify your sources. This is a go-to rule especially for doing historical or environmentally-based research. Let’s say, for example, you want to learn about tropical forests. Believe it or not, one of my first stops on the way is going to be Wikipedia.

But anyone can change the information of Wikipedia!

That’s true, but it’s also true that Wikipedia has a pretty high standard when it comes to the information on the website. In fact, you could scroll down to the bottom of any page and get a list of all the sources referenced in the writing of the article; the Wikipedia page acts as an overview, while the references go more in-depth. For example, if I scroll down to the bottom of my “tropical forest” page, I suddenly have several verified sources to reference in my research.

And I can go from there!

But if that’s not enough from you, let’s talk about how to verify each individual source of information. (Note: this is for mostly historical and environmental information, but we’ll get to community research momentarily!)

Is it peer-reviewed?

When was it written, or when was the last time it was updated?

Who is the publisher?

Does the author have any credentials listed?

The more of these questions that you can answer, the more reliable your source is going to be.

How is it different for learning about different communities?

A note, and an important one at that: people are people. They are not subjects to be prodded and studied. 

When you set out to learn about different communities, your first goal should always be to be as respectful as you can. If someone calls you out for disrespectful behavior, the fact that you’re doing research is far from an excuse. Listen to the people you’re learning from.

Additionally, before you do any interviews, try to set a few parameters for yourself.

Can the questions you’re asking be answered by a Google search?

Has the community you’re asking already answered your question or questions?

Inform yourself as much as you can on your own before turning to others to answer your questions. Other people don’t exist to educate you. I, for example, would be happy to answer questions about PTSD affects my life. I would find it annoying if someone were to come to me and ask what PTSD is, because that’s question has been answered a thousand times over and the answers are accessible.

Facts can be searched and found in articles; opinions and experiences usually can’t unless you’re searching on a blog or in an interview. Ask people how the community they’re a part of might affect some of their life experiences, and ask for their opinions.

For example, I’m writing an autistic character in a new cyberpunk project, but I myself am not autistic. I reached out to the r/AutisticPride subreddit (with approval from the mods) and asked a few questions, including:

What would you want to see in an autistic character?

Is there anything you really don’t want to see in an autistic character?

Is there anything that you believe is especially important in the writing of an autistic character?

And there were lots more questions, but those were some of the most bare-bones questions that I asked. I did my best to keep each question as open as I could to allow for expansion on the part of those who answered, and everyone was super helpful!

If you’re looking for places to reach out for research regarding experiences of people in a certain community, I’d highly recommend Reddit. They have groups and communities for almost anything you could imagine over there! Or you could also check out different blogs and tags on Tumblr, as the user base here is also incredibly diverse. Reach out as much as you can!

I have information and completed research. What now?

Firstly: organize, organize, organize. Take notes on everything and save the links to every resource that you used, in case you need to reference it later. Organize your sources and remind yourself what each resource helped you with, and save them all.

Once you have everything organized, it’s time to sort through what’s really relevant and what isn’t. If you’re creating a tropical rainforest for a new fantasy world, for example, you may not need the name of every small town in a tropical forest in Brazil. If a bit of information is influential to something you’re including in your own work, keep it. If it’s not, feel free to throw it in something of a discard pile (although I am somewhat in the mindset of “keep your discard pile on hand, just in case”).

And now you (hopefully) have a lot of information that you can use! You also (hopefully) know more about that target topic than you did before, and you (hopefully) found some methods for research you’ll be able to apply in the future. Best of luck, and happy writing!

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