#this was basically confirmation....right?

[sparkly-trashfire]

OP is right. I also did a lot of bullshitting and skimming Sparknotes, but I still learned. As someone who works in higher education, I can say with absolute certainty that not building those skills, that literacy, is hurting students. I see it all the time.

I work in the reference department at a university library. My job is supposed to be helping students navigate our resources and work through complex research. Instead, I spend my days confirming that AI generated references are indeed fake for half the professors on campus and holding students by the hand to walk them through their very basic class assignments because they cannot comprehend the written directions.

They cannot problem solve on their own. Half of them don't want to try. They expect us to do it for them. It's...sad.

And now we're being undermined by our own university because there's a shitty AI chat bot on all our web pages that gives bad information. We ran a test asking about research help, and it referred students to the library homepage. But THEN. Then it recommended bad search terms and referred to the completely department. Sigh. I love living in a red state with draconian policies.

OP's point remains though. AI is making people dumber, which is the last thing we all need.

Whenever I think about students using AI, I think about an essay I did in high school. Now see, we were reading The Grapes of Wrath, and I just couldn't do it. I got 25 pages in and my brain refused to read any more. I hated it. And its not like I hate the classics, I loved English class and I loved reading. I had even enjoyed Of Mice and Men, which I had read for fun. For some reason though, I absolutely could NOT read The Grapes of Wrath.

And it turned out I also couldn't watch the movie. I fell asleep in class both days we were watching it.

This, of course, meant I had to cheat on my essay.

And I got an A.

The essay was to compare the book and the movie and discuss the changes and how that affected the story.

Well it turned out Sparknotes had an entire section devoted to comparing and contrasting the book and the movie. Using that, and flipping to pages mentioned in Sparknotes to read sections of the book, I was able to bullshit an A paper.

But see the thing is, that this kind of 'cheating' still takes skills, you still learn things.

I had to know how to find the information I needed, I needed to be able to comprehend what sparknotes was saying and the analysis they did, I needed to know how to USE the information I read there to write an essay, I needed to know how to make sure none of it was marked as plagerized. I had to form an opinion on the sparknotes analysis so I could express my own opinions in the essay.

Was it cheating? Yeah, I didn't read the book or watch the movie. I used Sparknotes. It was a lot less work than if I had read the book and watched the movie and done it all myself.

The thing is though, I still had to use my fucking brain. Being able to bullshit an essay like that is a skill in and of itself that is useful. I exercised important skills, and even if it wasnt the intended way I still learned.

ChatGTP and other AI do not give that experience to people, people have to do nothing and gain nothing from it.

Using AI is absolutely different from other ways students have cheated in the past, and I stand by my opinion that its making students dumber, more helpless, and less capable.

However you feel about higher education, I think its undeniable that students using chatgtp is to their detriment. And by extension a detriment to anyone they work with or anyone who has to rely on them for something.

[cherry-smokes]

Bittersweet

Pairings: Jake Seresin x OC, Bob Floyd x OC (could be read as an ‘x reader’ fic the world is your oyster) Word Count: 1.3K Notes: I don’t know shit about the Navy. But I have a big imagination and I know how to type so here we are. Mood boards

═══════════ ⋆★⋆ ═══════════

The sun has just begun to set over North Island. The humid San Diego air making khaki uniforms stick to backs uncomfortably, and yet, there was an air of excitement surrounding the area. Something sharp, like a live wire waiting to be cut. A bunch of Naval Aviators waiting on the edge of their seats to see why they got called in and reeling with pride at being chosen. The Hard Deck is in full swing. Jake “Hangman” Seresin is bent over the pool table, giving Coyote a run for his money. Cocky and smug, his lively mood only gets better when he sees a few familiar faces making their way through the crowd.

Phoenix, two men he doesn’t recognize, Cutthroat, and his goddamn favorite ray of sunshine Sweetheart.

“Well what do we have here.”

He’s always been sweet on her, no pun intended. When they were in the academy he couldn’t help but linger around her. Soft, too kind to everyone, with her sweet southern ways that she always said weren’t southern because “Kansas is technically part of the Midwest". She was adored, every single time her name was mentioned it was followed by the comment “oh she’s a sweetheart.” Part of him felt jealous, like a petulant child. He had gotten used to being the only person who called her that. She was perfect. Not a single flaw about her except for one massive, obnoxious, pushy, loud-mouthed thing.

Cutthroat. The two women have been inseparable since the moment they met. He doesn’t understand how someone that lovely could be so close to someone that vile. Cutthroat got her call sign for being ruthless. She worked tirelessly, had an insane sense of control, pushed herself past her limits and held no mercy while in the air. He will never say it out loud but she’s fucking good. She’s also a pain in his ass. He’s not shocked to see her here with Sweetheart. The two of them work seamlessly, they’re basically a package deal. People swear they share a goddamn brain up in the air.

Cutthroat puts on an exaggerated smile. “Hey Jackass! Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“It’s Jake actually.”

“Is it?”

“And here I thought we were special Coyote. Turns out the invite went out to anyone. Even those suffering from memory loss.”

“Wow I haven’t even been here five minutes and you’re already trying to suck my dick.”

“You’re not my type, I like them a little sweeter.”

He locks eyes on Sweetheart. Who’s more than used to their bickering. She can’t remember when their feud started. She assumes it was sometime in the Naval Academy. Jake, is unfortunately great at what he does, and worse her best friend is the most competitive person she’s ever met in her life. The cherry on top is that neither one of them knows how to keep their mouth shut.

“Hey Hangman.”

“Sweetheart. Wanna introduce us to your buddies, anyone I should be jealous of?”

She’s never taken his flirting seriously, he’s never given her a reason to. So she brushes it off and gestures for the boys to introduce themselves.

“Payback.”

“Fanboy.”

Phoenix speaks up from beside them. “You boys are looking at the only other Naval Aviator on active duty with a confirmed air-to-air kill.”

Hangman finally shifts his attention back onto the girl with the sharp teeth. “Bet that’s still a hard pill to swallow huh Cutthroat?”

Her eye twitches. “It would be if the other guy wasn’t in a museum piece from the Korean War.”

That wipes the smirk right of Hangman’s face. Thankfully for him Coyote backs him up, “Cold war.”

However, Payback and Fanboy don’t owe him any loyalty.

“Different wars, same century.”

“Not this one.”

Sweetheart’s never been one to bicker. She doesn’t particularly find the same enjoyment out of it as her front seater. Frankly, she also knows that if she doesn’t stop them now this will go on all night. “Does it technically matter?“

Cutthroat nearly gets whiplash at how fast she turns her head. “Does it ma- yes. Yes it does matter Sweetheart. Technicalities are important it’s not the same thi- who’s he?”

Everyone’s attention turns to a blue eyed man sitting on a stool. Brushing peanut shells off his thigh, his eyes look up through his glasses, suddenly shy at being the center of attention.

It takes a lot to catch Cutthroat off guard. Something strange bubbles up in her stomach. Like nerves but, not exactly. Maybe she's just hungry. He’s quiet, hasn’t bothered speaking up or making himself known up until now. She notices he’s not drinking, and doesn’t seem to be here with Hangman. He’s handsome, in the way that he could probably sweep you off your feet if he would just smile at you.

Coyote’s the one to ask. “When did you get in?”

He almost stutters before he responds with an accent that Cutthroat can’t seem to place. “Oh, I’ve been here the whole time.”

He gives a soft smile and suddenly the woman doesn't think the feeling she's experiencing is the kind of hunger she thought it was.

Hangman turns to the group. “Man’s a stealth pilot.”

The man cuts in. “Weapons systems officer, actually.”

“With no sense of humor.”

Cutthroat crosses her arms. “I don’t think it can be considered a joke if no one laughs Bagman.”

Sweetheart pinches her arm, to which the woman yelps and swats her hand away. Sweetheart turns to the unnamed man then, “what do they call you?”

He swallows hard. “Bob.”

Payback laughs softly. “No, your call sign.”

“Uh…Bob.”

Cutthroat rubs the sore spot on her arm as she tilts her head at him. “Cute.”

Bob looks at her. Briefly. He has a feeling if he looks her dead in the eyes a little too long he might burst into flames. Phoenix comes to his aid as she begins asking if he’s her new back seater. Sweetheart takes this as an opportunity to get herself and her own front seater a drink. Dragging her away from the pool table and towards the bar.

From behind them. Two men in their khaki uniforms watch them walk away.

═══════════ ⋆★⋆ ═══════════

At the bar Sweetheart turns to look back at Hangman. “Why do you still have such a bone to pick with him?”

Cutthroat orders their drinks. A beer, something sweet, and two shots because Sweetheart can never get out of them. “Because he’s an asshole?” She says it like it’s the most obviously thing in the world.

“You haven’t seen him in years, have you ever thought that maybe he’s different now?”

Her friends eyes narrow. “Did you seriously not witness that entire interaction?”

“Well you were egging him on-“

“Are you taking his side-“

“I’m not taking a side-“

“It feels like you’re taking a side-“

“You’re being childish-“

“I’m being childish?!”

“A little bit! I love you but you’re holding a crazy grudge.”

“Sweetheart, there’s a reason why they call him Hangman. Guys like him don’t change.”

Their drinks land in front of them. Sweetheart grabs hers and thanks the woman behind the bar gently. “I think you’re being pessimistic.”

Cutthroat grabs their shots, handing one to the girl. “I’m being realistic.” They clink them together, tap them on the bar, and throw them back in unnerving synchronicity. Sweetheart chokes back a cough as she looks back at Hangman once more. Bent over the pool table. She stops to think for a moment. Be realistic maybe. “Maybe I’m just saying all of this because I forgot how hot he is.”

Cutthroat winces. “Ew gross. Don’t say that, that’s disgusting.”

A soft laugh leaves her friend. “Don't bullshit me you have to admit he's good looking.”

Cutthroat shakes her head, taking a sip of her drink and looking over at her peers. Watching Bob make conversation with Fanboy. “He’s not really my type.”

Sweetheart follows her gaze. "Seriously?"

Cutthroat looks back at her friend, defensive as always. "What?"

Her friend laughs and picks up her drink, standing up. "You'd eat him alive."

Cutthroat follows her as they begin walking back towards the group. "Only if he lets me."

═══════════ ⋆★⋆ ═══════════

a/n: short little introduction, just so everyone could get to know our lovely leading ladies!

[caralara]

Hey Cara! I’d love to hear your thought on this weekend and where you stand with your views of them being together now? I know you mentioned a while ago you thought they had recently gotten back together based on some anons. I’m struggling to wrap my head around everything because on one hand this weekend has been amazing in terms of “confirming” to me Larry is real. But now with Harry kissing someone it seems like maybe it actually isn’t. Like Harry has no reason to stunt or closet himself anymore - they’re no longer tied to contracts apparently and he is famous enough to not need a stunt. It’s really thrown be off because all I’m thinking is Harry went onto Louis “turf” and made out with someone - that doesn’t seem very tpwk. I’m so lost on what to think… help?

hi love!! How are you?

I can totally see how it’s confusing, and that the “celebration” in the fandom doesn’t sit right with you especially after the stunt harry did in the end!

So here’s my breakdown of it :)

As usual, I invite you to look at the bigger picture: to me, this wasn’t about “confirming Larry is real” per se, to me this weekend was a lot of different things, but mainly to test the waters into different directions.

I had expected the McDumblinson content, and was actually a little surprised they kept it so lowkey, but then again, it makes sense, bc to me it wasn’t meant to change anything of the current situation, just reconfirm McDumblinson and be in the news with it.

What I did find very very interesting is that louis went full on babygate signalling with his outfits - the buzzing cap, the kid super The End shirt, the bee football jersey, the sunglasses, the dancing skeleton… that was crazy! He didn’t do it in 2024 or 2023, he did do it in 2022 like that too, when I initially thought he was going to end it (but then broke his arm derailing all plans…)

So we got a few days of bbg signalling, then meaningless outfit on the day he’s stunting with Zara and harry gets confirmed at the location, and then the lovesick amiri hopeless romantic shirt after harry’s stunting.

This is telling me the whole weekend was carefully planned. But for what? I think it was testing the waters of having harry and louis together in A Situation, but keeping them Super Straight™️ while being in that situation together and reawakening all the larries by that… feels like a first test run for when they’re ending babygate (larries will reawaken in full force screaming they were right and H & L will have to be super straight through it all, heavy stunting on both sides to keep babygate ending from implicating Larry is real and louis knew all along that Freddie wasn’t his…)

Especially seeing the article that’s confirming who the mystery woman is H was “snogging” (if you can call that a snog lol) insisting it was a one off thing, this feels extremely coordinated. Louis and Zara stunting, creating content and articles together, Harry conveniently being filmed walking along glasto being friendly with Rob Stringer, Louis liking the Larry reel (he liked a post “accidentally” a couple months ago and we all went crazy (when has that ever happened before, king of cryptic social media usage???), same now just a couple days ago with the tanning video, setting up the probable deniability of him liking anything “at random by accident,” him liking a LARRY REEL of all things, right in the morning just a few short hours after the Harry Ella stunt kiss, leaving the like there for the time most Brits and Europeans wake up and check the notifs, and only removing it after almost three hours, and then going out wearing THAT amiri shirt (hopeless romantic - either meant sarcastic about McDumblinson / Ella/Harry or as in “hopelessly devoted” in the Larry sense) (it’s a funny coincidence it’s basically a screenshot of the video of how harry looks at louis there lol but I don’t think it was planned down to that detail bc the video was uploaded while louis was already at glasto and had already planned wearing that shirt), louis NOT wearing signalling clothes while spotted loads with Zara right before harry was stunting, Harry’s kissing video coming out scheduled at exactly 10 pm, and the only video from the VIP section that got out like that….

It feels extremely coordinated. The Larry reel like and all that followed doesn’t feel like a “rebellious don’t wanna stunt” kind of move, but a carefully planned testing of the waters with everyone involved, harry and louis and their teams, and that does reconfirm to me they’re together and working together on ending babygate (once again lol). They need to be able to pull off the balancing act for Ending It - antis need to believe louis never knew Freddie wasn’t his, ergo he needs to be believable straight for them, and he needs to have enough doubt in larries that they don’t cause so much of a ruckus that the scale tips and the headlines read “larries were right - it was a stunt all along” - and that’s a difficult thing to do.

They’re a team. They know very well how the game works by now and which strings to pull to get a result. They’re both settled, refreshed in their relationship, energy and priorities. Evidently ending babygate is important to them. Coming out not so much (anymore), at least definitely not for louis, if you ask me. They’re talking, planning, making sure it all works out. It will feel like they’re playing us, but it’s for the greater good to end the worst stunt they ever had to endure. It really is making me more and more hopeful!

And a little side theory of mine: Glastonbury has always had a babygate significance to louis - it was the first time he went rogue during babygate, calling the paps on himself while holding Tamara bells hands and effectively taking control of the stunt and sabotaging the plans to marry him off to Briana. I think it symbolises autonomy regarding babygate to him. And that’s why I think they chose Glastonbury to do the first reaction tests.

Also, I don’t think you’re ever “too famous to stunt” alot of the a list celebs are occasionally doing stunts. It’s just part of the entertainment business now. And as long as harry is with the azoffs (and that’s as long as he wants to make music publicly), he’ll have to stunt. It’s just how it is. And you saw the video - harry did the bare minimum, plugged up sunglasses on hands to his side. It really was just a way to achieve what they wanted, nothing more.

I hope you could find some solace in my view of the weekend? Let me know what you think!!

[twilightofthesandwiches]

i don't think carol can be the knight because the knight would actively die from being in the light world for that long, especially in daylight, and carol was not showing any signs of physiological pain when we saw her

and it can't be rudy either because his pain is too long term to be accounted for

...

You see, a big reason why I always try to keep an open mind and remember all the information we just don't have yet, is that it's very likely that at this point in the story, any theory about the Big Endgame Revelations will include a few unconfirmed assumptions or probable-but-not-confirmed implications ... and when one is extremely attached and emotionally invested in a theory, it's very easy to lose focus on what has been actually textually confirmed in the text, what is a probable implication and what is just a headcanon at this point.

That is to say, there is no definite textual evidence right now that the Knight would die or experience pain from being in the Light World for a prolonged period of time.

It's true that the moments that are confirmed to be them operating in the Light World (moving the captured Undyne to the Shelter Dark World, making the First and Third Sanctuaries and probably hiding behind that door in the Church) are extremely brief, and Ralsei does point out that the Knight tend to only operate in the Dark Worlds

And speaks as if sealing the Fountain will basically take care of the Knight problem for now.... But we have no way to know if that means "the Knight cannot sustain themself for long in the Light World so they'll have to flee back to the Shelter" or if it's more like how Susie clearly interpreted the line, that in the Light World the Knight is kind of a loser who is genuinely afraid of getting jumped by two teenagers.

... Or it could be something else entirely that's making the Knight run and hide from Kris and Susie in the Light World. When Susie started talking about how if the Fountain is sealed "it's over" for the Knight, they just started laughing. She took it as confirmation that she's right... but...

(And of course, it's important to remember that another factor in Ralsei saying what he did is that he's actually trying to urge Susie and Kris to seal that Fountain as soon as possible in the hopes they can avoid seeing Final Prophecy, so his observation is inherently biased as well)

At this moment we have nothing to even establish the possibility of a being who is Lightner enough to be in the Light World for any amount of time and create Dark Fountains, but also has to be in the Dark World to survive. That's just not a thing that Exists in our current understanding of Light and Dark. It's absolutely not an unreasonable assumption to make, and I highly doubt that we finished learning all there is to know about how Light and Dark work. After all, we didn't know of the possibility of the Dark resurrecting Lightners as Darkners before Gerson showed up either.

But... it's important to remember that this is an assumption that came mostly as explanation and support for folks' "Dess is the Knight" theories. (Similar to how "Rudy is the Knight" folks have their own theories as to how the Dark World could temporarily cure his illness). It's not confirmed in the text yet. The fact that it's probable that we'll get some new revelations that break our current understanding of how Light and Dark works also means that we can't fully expect how they'll be broken.

Again, I am trying to keep an open mind. It is entirely possible that Dess is the Knight as a being stuck between being a Lightner and a Darkner. It's possible that Dess is the Knight but she's also just an ordinary Lightner and there's a totally different explanation to her behavior. It's possible that Dess and/or the Knight are this sort of oxymoronic metaphysical being while also being totally separate entities. It's possible that Dess is the Knight while a totally different kind of oxymoronic metaphysical being than what any of us could imagine.... There is so much we can speculate on, and so little we can definitely disprove.

Anyone can pick whatever Theory seems compelling and solid to them at the moment, but it's still important to distinguish what we know, what we don't and what we assume.

[elainsgirl]

To clear up the air of whats going on - because we certainly are not going to allow Gwynriels to take charge of the narrative which they’re obviously twisting to make elriels seem bad and bullies,

A Gwynriel artist made an elriel fanart that had the same pose as a commisioned art by a popular gwynriel commisoner - lets call her Hatie. Hatie, saw this fanart and took it to her stories saying how it was copied etc. Mind you, the pose idea isn’t original one bit, with elriels using the pose before this gwynriel.

This is said Pose - even if the gwynriel fanart was “completely original with 0 reference” the pose used is not original.

I’m not going to share the Gwynriel fanart, but here is the elriel one:

You can definitely say inspiration was taken, which the gwynriel artist was ok with but here is the difference:

Azriels wings are more tucked in, the pose is more upright instead of laid back and the background is also different. The thing thats copied is the bracelet but honestly? Not the biggest deal but whatever.

This artist, credited the gwynriel artist not the commisioner which obviously Hatie couldn’t deal with, so she took it to her stories complaining, fine. But then, since she can’t keep elriels out of her mouth, said this:

Which obviously triggered elriels, do you know there is countless fanarts I can pull up where elriels’ aesthetic, canon scenes and og fanarts are used by gwynriels? You dont see us whining about it.

Hatie is known for being a hypocrite because she, herself, has copied someone else’s original art Idea for a gwynriel fanart without giving them credit until weeks later when Elriels started to reblog the og art, only then did she message the artist:

But this is only part of the truth:

She didn’t ask for permission as she claims;

It was basically telling the artist her art was used as inspiration. Thats it. That is all that was shared and no actually, its not unprofessional of the artist to share the DMs as it was to clear the air over what actually happened. Permission was asked by an elriel, and granted by the artist. It was done in the correct, polite manner.

The gwynriel artist had no problem with the elriel fanart, instead of taking it stories, a polite DM to the artist would have avoided this whole mess. But ofc, this opportunity was used to mock or even bait elriels.

No elriel - unless they’re trolls - are sending any sort of threats or harassment as the other side are claiming. They’re talking about the situation and clearing the air,

you cannot accuse people and expect them to simply take the accusations with no response, that is just being naive.

Its not creepy to ask an artist for the full story which she willingly gave, Antis need to understand that elriels are now sick of them constantly starting drama and baiting elriels - which people from their own side have confirmed they do. Elriels have every right to set the record straight which is the only thing that happened.

[basimdasasonst]

asgore knows the shelter code

idk if this adds anything to the current convo around chapter 5, or if anyone's even mentioned this yet, but i was replaying chapter 4 and i realised something

this dialogue that susie gives, as to someone that would know the code to the shelter, perfectly matches a description of asgore:

in chapter 4, if you talk to alvin directly after the sermon, he talks about asgore going to church in the evening, praying:

in chapter 4, as we've all seen by now, asgore is directly affiliated with carol -- she gives him (excess) money/housing, taking pity on him in exchange for him gardening (?). but, that explanation never sat right with me:

in chapter 2 if you go into the police station while undyne is there, and then click on a poster on the wall next to napstablook asgore is specifically mentioned as having been part of the police force before "being removed" for unknown reasons -- i've taken "there's no need to read any more" as a direct intervention from kris to keep the player from finding out why, rather than a "oh we all know what happened already lets not":

it's basically all but officially confirmed that chapter 5's gonna be about asgore and "a field of pink and gold" but i wonder if the reason it has to do with asgore is because he knows the shelter code/the greater implications of that. the better question is -- why does he know it? does undyne know it? -- did the knight take the wrong person? why did he get removed from the force? etc etc

[boiledprawn99]

Did you know I'm also a writer? Sort of. Anyway here's some more Pressure thoughts:

I saw some new dialogue between Painter (P) and Sebastian (S) today. P mentions that it's been two days since the lockdown started, and that S hasn't gotten any sleep at all during it. There's more to it but I want to focus on the "two days" thing.

It makes me think about the amount of time the game actually takes place in, and the game's story itself.

(Warning: long and probably very incoherent thoughts about Pressure's in-game timeline, mechanics and lore implications.)

Pre-WTW, we knew P and S were trying to slow the EXR-P down so that they didn't get the Crystal, because S needed more time to negotiate/find a way out for both of them. But, post-WTW, as soon as we reach S's shop, we have the option to tune the radio and find out that Innovation Inc is already confirming that they're going to collect the two. I'm assuming this radio change isn't something that happens after you play for a few times, and it's a part of the story that's existed before the player first steps into the Blacksite (more or less).

Then, during the Ridge, we find P at the dock mentioned in the radio broadcast, waiting for pickup. It seems that when the Blacksite loses power and everything goes offline, that's when "skies are clear"...? I'm sure, in any other circumstance, Urbanshade would notice a foreign vessel docking at the Blacksite and grow suspicious of it, especially if they're out for S and P.

So, if S needs the optimal time to escape being in the short time when the Crystal is obtained to when the backup power comes back online, why bother trying to stop the EXR-P from getting to it in the first place? If that's when the skies are clear, why still bother trying to halt the EXR-P?

This made more sense pre-WTW, when we (the player and S) had no confirmation if Innovation Inc had picked up on S's negotiations. But, post-WTW, the timeline's been changed so that Innv has already confirmed this deal before the player even reaches S's shop (again, the radio).

But it couldn't all happen that quickly, right? S still has to gather data, negotiate, set traps and scavenge. He didn't kill one guy, set a bunch of anomalies free, and then just go right to contacting other companies.

The player is in a time loop of sorts, we know. The question is: does time progress outside of that loop? When the player dies, does everything rewind back to how it was, minus Seb's and the player's memories? Evidence: grand encounters being reset, player spawning back at the docks. Contradictory evidence: Navi remembering if you've been to the Firewall or Abomination grand encounter. Or does the player respawn without everything being reset, and time still runs normally (like, a respawning immortal being type of situation). Evidence: S mentioning he found your corpse, Navi remembering you. Contradictory evidence: dying with the Crystal sets it back to where it was (wouldn't it just be on the ground with your corpse?), data respawns back.

Of course there's things that are just for gameplay reasons. Nobody can hold that much data (all those CDs, USBs, files, tapes... where do they go?). The player spends all this time trying to win, and it's only canonically been two days, allegedly. The timeline's still fuzzy, a lot of things are based on RNG, so you could get certain dialogue in places where it may not make a lot of sense? And, of course, it is a game.

The secret third option is that it is, canonically, a game. Of some sort. Lopee has crazy amounts of control over the narritive of Pressure (seen mostly in the bad ending), and we can assume he's the one that "resets" everything when the player dies. I see some people are linking it to Deltarune, with the player and Gaster, and like, yeah, that's basically what's going on here if we take everything at face value. Pressure is literally a game, we're not pretending we're a character in some fantasy universe like SCP: CB or Control, we are a Player piloting an expendable and there is an entity in this game making sure everything goes to plan for its own amusement, or in Urbanshade's favour. There's obviously a universe outside of the "game", but right now, everything inside the Blacksite has been literally gamified. Pressure is not a story, it is a game.

So anyway even before Worth the Wait I've been wondering what Pressure would be like if it was told as an actual story with a coherent narritive and timeline. What if the protagonist (which was the player) wasn't some vessel for something else? What if they were just a person, randomly selected by Lopee to play in his game and ensure Urbanshade wins? What if they could talk and react to everything happening to them?

Anyway yeah I'm making an AU and writing a fanfic, but whatever.

[rasqberrypetalpostcards]

028.

why we long for hugs we pretend we don’t need an essay about unspoken touch, hidden yearning, and the quiet desperation of holding yourself together for too long

there’s a moment in everyone’s life where they realize they are touch-starved. sometimes it comes quietly, like a breath you didn’t know you were holding. sometimes it crashes through you, suddenly and without mercy — in the middle of a bad day, or a tender movie scene, or a conversation that hits too close to the truth.

you sit there, still and blinking, realizing you want someone to hold you. not in the vague way, not in a poetic metaphor — you want literal arms around your body.

and maybe you laugh it off. maybe you roll your eyes at yourself and keep scrolling. maybe you bury it under sarcasm and stubbornness and all the other ways you’ve learned to survive.

but the ache is still there. soft, steady, insistent.

and it’s not going anywhere.

we pretend we don’t need it because it feels childish to admit

in a world where independence is glorified and softness is suspicious, wanting to be held feels like regression.

you’re supposed to be fine on your own. you’re supposed to self-soothe. you’re supposed to be emotionally literate, mentally resilient, strong and centered and capable of sitting with your feelings.

but sometimes, all the mindfulness in the world doesn’t replace the basic human need for touch.

sometimes you don’t want to analyze your feelings. you want someone to pull you into their chest and let you fall apart without explanation.

and it feels stupid to want that. to say it out loud. so you don’t.

you carry the weight and smile anyway.

hugs feel dangerous when you don’t get them often

if you’re not used to being held, the idea of it becomes almost unbearable. not because it would hurt, but because it wouldn’t.

because if someone wrapped their arms around you right now, you know you’d melt. you’d break. you’d stop pretending to be fine.

and maybe you wouldn’t know how to stop crying.

because that’s the thing about touch — it speaks a language older than words. it bypasses your brain and goes straight to the ache you forgot how to name.

and when someone touches you kindly, it reminds you of everything you’ve been missing.

we want it most when we say we don’t

how many times have you said “i don’t really like hugs” with a shrug and a forced smile? how many times have you joked about being too emotionally repressed to handle affection?

how many times have you watched other people hold each other like it’s the easiest thing in the world, and pretended it didn’t hollow you out just a little?

you’re not fooling anyone. especially not yourself.

because wanting to be held doesn’t make you needy. it makes you human.

and pretending you don’t need it doesn’t make the need go away. it just makes the loneliness harder to admit.

touch is the first language we ever learn

before we know how to speak, we know how to reach for someone.

as children, we’re held constantly. soothed through touch. reminded we are safe and real and loved by the warmth of someone’s arms.

and then we grow up.

and suddenly, we’re expected to be okay without it.

and maybe we are, mostly.

but that doesn’t mean the need disappears.

it just gets quieter.

quieter until it bursts.

the longing becomes a kind of background music

you go through your day brushing it off. you find comfort in weighted blankets and long showers and laying very still in the dark.

you learn to mimic safety.

but it’s not the same.

because nothing replaces the feeling of another heartbeat near yours. nothing replaces the silent permission to stop pretending and just be.

and sometimes the absence of that feels like a physical bruise.

one no one else can see.

we don’t ask because we don’t want to be denied

the fear of asking to be held — and hearing “no” — is deeper than most people realize.

because it’s not just rejection. it’s confirmation.

confirmation that maybe you are too much. maybe your neediness is real. maybe no one wants to hold what you carry.

so instead of asking, you pretend.

you laugh, you say “i’m fine,” you keep busy.

and the ache just waits.

but you deserve softness without shame

you deserve to be held like you’re not a burden.

you deserve affection that isn’t conditional.

you deserve the kind of hug that makes you forget how tense you were until someone softened it for you.

you deserve to be pulled in, not pushed away.

and you deserve to stop pretending you don’t want that.

one day, someone will hold you like they already knew

they’ll wrap their arms around you and you won’t have to explain anything.

they’ll feel the way your shoulders drop, the way your breath stutters, the way your whole body sighs into theirs like it’s finally allowed to rest.

and they’ll know.

they’ll know that you went too long without this.

they’ll hold you like they’re trying to make up for lost time.

and maybe, just maybe, you’ll start to believe that softness can stay.

hugged in bubble wrap by, R.

[blueskittlesart]

Dear Big Brother

kind of a sequel to this comic

[mintaikkcorpse]

My favorite part about these recent Cookie Run updates is checking the shipping wikis and seeing the ships go from "fanon" to "canon."

[eviltransmasccatboypili]

TO THE ANON THAT AAKED FOR PRINCESSZAM CORONATION OUTFIT, I AM SO SORRY BUT I DELETED IT BECAUSE IM STUPID AND DONT KNOW HOW THIS APP WORKS......

but i did draw it

this is also the second version cause the entire reason i deleted the first one ALONG WITH THE ASK. UHM. IM SORRY- is cause i wasnt happy with the first drawing.. i hope this is satisfactory

YES MY REQUESTS ARE STILL OPEN :D I LOVE POTENTIALLY MAKING PEOPLE HAPPY WITH ART

[moriipoda]

in search for the next L.O.O.T.?

[antigonesghosts]

What I loved about Cinderella's Castle is it is so entirely about Ella. We know starkid can handle a show with tons and tons of characters but I found it quite refreshing for it to be so wholly her story? I think it was a lovely choice for this show and man Bryce did such a perfect job of it, she is truly such a star

[abitofboth]

……if foggy or karen die I’m gonna be so mad

[phoebebuggers]

guys if we get a scene of will sleeping on mike's bedroom floor next to his bed paralleling the scene in s2 where mike spends the night on will's floor while he's possessed i am going to go fucking insane. in a good way

[krisdreemurrs]

yall remember when jinx kidnapped caitlyn and vi and asked vi to kill cait to test to see if vi still loved her. or when she acted on instinct to protect her sister and killed the only person who really understood her. I think abt it so so often