#to the point where i consistently order the same thing just so i know exactly how much money to get out

[therainscene]

[ST5 spoilers ahead. This theory is largely grounded in canon evidence from S1-4, but I will be referencing a couple of old S5 leaks below the cut.]

Stranger Things is a show that delights in escapist fantasy; it's packed with nostalgic references and celebrates the protagonists' love of gaming in order to remind us that we don't need to abandon our childhood interests just because we grew up.

But escapism is a double-edged sword that all too easily turns into an unhealthy coping mechanism, and boy is this show also one that delights in the horror of unhealthy coping mechanisms.

I reckon they'd be missing a trick if these opposing themes didn't crash into one another for the final season.

Vecna seems to be motivated by a desire to help the kids he targets -- he wipes away their tears, he reassures them that their suffering will be over soon -- but he also barely seems to notice or care that he's just making the suffering worse. Which is exactly the attitude you'd expect from a villain who personifies the urge to turn to shitty coping mechanisms.

Since S5 is going to focus on Will's coming-of-age, then whatever Vecna is up to must resonate with Will's worst coping mechanisms.

What better fit for Will "wants to sit in the basement playing games for the rest of his life" Byers than a fantasy world in which everyone is forced to be a carefree kid forever while their bodies rot in the Upside Down?

Think about it: Henry wants to transform the world into something beautiful, but the world he currently seems to be ruling over is nothing of the sort -- is a cold and barren facsimile of Hawkins populated with monsters really Henry's idea of beauty?

Doesn't it make more sense for the Upside Down/Mind Flayer to simply be the hardware that helps him run his simulation of something more relatable -- an idyllic vision of the childhood he wishes he had, populated with all the kids he oh-so benevolently rescued from the fate worse than death that is wake up, eat, work, sleep, reproduce, and wait for it all to be over?

-------------------

We know for a fact that one of S5's episodes is titled Escape from Camazotz -- a reference to the misleadingly idyllic world from A Wrinkle in Time -- and leaked BTS photos from last year show Henry hanging out with a Hawkins child at a mysteriously pristine Creel house.

It's promising, but I'm not a huge fan of using leaks as evidence. They always come devoid of context, and even difficult-to-fake things like BTS photos could be staged by production to throw fans off the scent -- so what does the canon suggest?

One possible hint is that the Upside Down has consistently borrowed imagery from The Matrix throughout the seasons:

But more importantly, this theory is thematically consistent with what we currently know about Will in S1: while trapped in the Upside Down, he retreated to Castle Byers (his escapist safe space), and that's where he was caught, dragged to the library (another escapist space), and plugged into the vines that connect him directly to Vecna.

It's also subtly implied by Will's behaviour in S3 that part of him wants Vecna to succeed: he sticks with El after realizing Vecna is back, despite knowing full well that being able to spy on Vecna means Vecna can also spy on him; and he makes a suspiciously helpful-to-Vecna suggestion about how the party should go about investigating the monster of the week:

Could Will be under Vecna's control here? Perhaps. But I think this is a choice he's making of his own volition.

Consider: At one point Will destroys Castle Byers in a fit of grief that his childhood is over, and this just so happens to be the same scene in which he becomes certain that Vecna has returned.

He has to grow up and face the horrible truth that he's gay and broken and in love with a boy who can't possibly love him back and he does not want to deal with this -- wouldn't he do anything in that moment to find a way to escape back into childhood? Is this not the perfect moment for a seductive voice in his head to start whispering offers?

Bargaining is one of the five stages of grief, after all.

But then, so is acceptance. Will isn't walking the path of villainy here; he's at the temptation stage of his hero's journey.

S4 took him far away from Hawkins and allowed him to work through some of his feelings without Vecna breathing down his neck, and he comes to a very final-sounding decision about it:

He's realized that longing to sit in the basement playing silly games with his crush all day is immature and turning him (in his opinion) into a jealous asshole--

--and now that he's ripped off the band-aid with Mike he's gonna kill that underlying desire once and for all. Right?

Wrong. I mean, that's certainly what he believes at the end of S4 -- but he's still got a whole season of main character coming-of-age shit left to do in this show that delights in escapist fantasy and reminds us we don't need to abandon our childhood interests just because we grew up.

The visual similarities between the Upside Down and the Matrix aren't the only parallels between these two stories -- a theme present in both is the realization that the rules of the world you were raised in are an oppressive lie that you have the freedom to reject so long as you're brave enough to accept the truth.

Much like Neo, Will has a deeper connection to the horrors than any of its other victims (beyond Henry himself), and that connection grants him the gift of True Sight:

Stuck between the View-Master slides is how he describes it. Will can't bring himself to conform to 1980s expectations of normalcy, but he also can't bring himself to retreat into Vecna's time-frozen fantasy and hurt all of his friends.

The solution is to understand that Will's unique position doesn't mean he'll be forced to pick a side and either become a villain or sacrifice himself for the greater good: it means that like Neo he has the power to transcend the rules of false realities.

Will can defeat Vecna without castrating himself in the process, and he can play D&D in Mike's basement for the rest of his life if he wants to...

...just so long as both he and Mike are brave enough to accept the truth first.

[munsster]

i'm so so obsessed with the winter in hawkins series!! i love a loser!steve and the kids pushing the steve x reader agenda

LITERALLY ME TOO! i am so glad u like it. truly nothing and no one compares to poor babygirl loser!steve. and now because i’m crazy, i came up with a billion headcanons for winter in hawkins au.

robin was obviously definitely the first one to notice babygirls longing glances (does that make robin olaf or sven in this situation…)

of course, steve was catching strays from dustin long before but it was all conjecture for like the first month

once robin pinpointed steve’s desperation and utter infatuation with you, she was hooked and intent on finding dumb excuses for the two of you to be alone

aka robin is the WORST instigator and only encourages loser!steve

yes, she thoroughly clowns on him, but her heart says steve x reader ftw

the rest of the kids find out because dustin will. not. shut. up! about it

again, thanks to auntie robin only fanning the flames

(they came up with a group name for their shenanigans: the secret society consisting of everyone who thinks steve is her prince charming OR the prince charming project for short)

(dustin uses the full name every time)

(the main points at meetings include planning your wedding, drawing your future children, and anything anti-brad)

speaking of brad, steve still remembers exactly where he was when you told him you got a new boyfriend

he cried in his car after work that day

robin was in the passenger seat

she cried, too

that was really what spurred loser!steve on

before that, steve was minding his own hopeless romantic business, but the introduction of brad put emphasis on the ‘hopeless’ aspect

honestly, steve’s just glad he still gets to see you every weekend for game night

brad is not invited to game night

you don’t think he’d come even if he was

steve hates brad

regardless of br*d, steve is not shy about complimenting you on anything and everything

sure, it makes him a little blushy thinking about how you’ll react

with that dazzling smile he adores

and yeah, theres a tiny wobble in his voice when he gets your attention

but you don’t seem to notice

and if you do, you don’t seem care

(you always notice, and you think it’s sweet)

“i like your hair like that”

“really? thanks, stevie!”

oh he melts

whenever you compliment him back, he takes diligent notes

one time he wore the same shirt three times in one week just because you mentioned how it complimented his eyes

he also got a big head when you told him his sailor outfit makes him look dashing

sometimes the kids write out lists of really good and not at all embarrassing pick up lines

sometimes these lists suspiciously wind up in steve’s glove box or tip jar

one time a list appeared in his wallet

it’s weird that they practically pickpocketed him but it’s weirder that they had access to his wallet and didn’t take the twenty

robin has a secret scrapbook dedicated to you and steve

it has secret pictures (courtesy of el), ticket stubs, cute stickers, and random receipts

if you couldn’t already tell, everyone is very normal about the situation

steve gets to know you so well that you actually start saying things in tandem

he knows your ice cream order, your coffee order, what temperature you like the thermostat, the name of your first pet

he’s never been good at memorization but it feels so easy knowing it’s all attached to you somehow

he will often bring you random little flowers that seem so small in the palm of his hand

it makes him feel very proud when you tuck them behind your ear

even more so when you let him do it for you

one late summer night, steve hosts a sleepover

OR the kids begged and begged him to either ask you on a date or let everyone use his pool for the night and watch a scary movie and stay up really late and eat junk food

so because he’s a loser, steve hosts a sleepover

and his heart flutters when you show up on his dimly lit doorstep with a gaggle of children behind you

they push past the two of you and barrel straight towards the back door

you warn him, saying you’re pretty sure only two of them brought towels

he chuckles and assures you that they do this every time and he already has a stack set out

you laugh in response and he thinks this is what a heart attack feels like

just imagine how he survived the rest of the night basking in your company and the soft moonlight

you sat next to him during the movie and fell asleep on his shoulder and he swears he’s never been so still

and the movie was really scary

steve wishes brad wasn’t such a dick

especially because he’s made you cry now on a handful of different occasions

steve’s flattered that he’s the first one you call, but he’s heartbroken hearing your choked sobs through the receiver

it’s kind of like a routine the way you always apologize for dumping everything on him and the way he tells you he’d do it any time

for you

at this point, he doesn’t care how desperate he makes himself seem

he really cares about you

steve likes you, and brad could spare a couple teeth

but he knows you love brad blahblahblah que sera sera whatever

he should’ve asked you out when he had the chance instead of sulking and pining

robin still has hope three months into the relationship

she knows for a fact steve still has a raging crush on you

those big brown eyes give everything away

and the way he gushes about your phone calls and your cute sweaters

something happens and i’m head over heels

steve has your gift picked out a month before the holiday season

little does he know, you’ve got his picked out, too

“i saw this in a shop window and thought of you…”

“i remember you mentioning that you wanted one…”

they really are just two losers fated to fall in love

sigh

more like this

masterlist

[mihii-i]

For the request can I please have yandere Topaz x fem reader pet play NSFW one shot? Basically, she trains her darling to be obedient to her.

it wasn’t supposed to end up like this.

Pairings: topaz x fem!reader

CW: nsfw, afab reader, sub reader, dom topaz, yandere themes, not romantic/meant to be romanticized, themes including manipulation and fear, somewhat dark, collaring, pet play, mind break, psychological torture, dubcon (I think?), topaz is ooc bc she would never 💔, use of her real name, fingering, marking, grinding, slight praise (pretty girl), crying, slight sadism, not proofread.

A/N: glad that u read my rules regarding yandere, but for those who didn’t or are seeing this post for the first time THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE ROMANTIC, IT IS MEANT TO SHOWCASE MIND BREAK AND MANIPULATION.

Faint ticking of the clock repeatedly rang within your eardrums as you aimlessly stared at the polished ceiling above you. How long had it been? Weeks? Months? You couldn’t tell at this point. Topaz had you under her thumb for long enough to where time didn’t matter anymore. You squinted your eyes slightly, losing your sanity to the never ending ticking, along with the way you were practically confined to the couch. Hoarse exhales resounded in the room with each uneven breath you let out, the tight collar encircling your throat making it harder to breathe.

It wasn’t supposed to end up like this.

At the time, she just seemed cordial and harmless even. A stark contrast to what the IPC consisted of, not to mention its rather destructive activities. Getting to know her at the time was something you looked forward to frequently, and you often tended to enjoy Topaz’s company. Not to mention you found Numby adorable too. She would often send you gifts—tokens of her appreciation toward you with such a warm smile, that you’d hardly ever question why she went so far as to spend so much just for you. And only you.

Everything was fine. Everything was fine until she uttered that wretched confession. At that moment, it seemed like a harmless “I love you”, smoothly rolling off of Topaz’s tongue as she averted eye contact from you, hoping you would reciprocate her dreadful obsession. What was a polite declination, informing her that her love was unrequited, evolved into a hostile string of screams and frustrated sobs which you can’t even recall anymore.

That encounter didn’t take long to get physical. And before you knew it, your vision was all blurry with a tight collar clamped around your neck, and wrists pushed against the mattress, confined with rugged, prickly rope restricting your movement. Her twisted fascination and so called ‘love’ for you only resulted in her keeping you like a prized possession, just awaiting the day you’d finally feel the same way.

Every day, you would just sit like a helpless animal succumbing to your despair, eyes locked at various random corners of her house and losing yourself in thought. The only other actions beside that were eating and sleeping, occasionally even uttering a word or two to Topaz when you had to. You didn’t exactly have much of a choice for that last part. Topaz had kept you shackled long enough to see your eyes darken to a now soulless shell of a person, incapable of thinking for yourself or doing anything besides basic needs or following orders. She never harmed you however. She could never do such a thing to her sweetheart. Rather, she let you be—letting you realize that you wouldn’t be leaving her anytime soon. She wouldn’t allow it.

Gradually, you began speaking to her more. You clearly didn’t find any joy in it, or maybe you did. Maybe it was just you going so mad to the point where you needed company of some sorts. Weakly inching towards her while she was working or taking care of business while seated next to you, attempting to sit up with what little strength you had in order to hold a conversation with her. In response, Topaz would immediately cut off what she was doing to come speak with you, delighted that her beloved finally started to warm up to her. Every word you muttered during the conversation was fatigued and hoarse, yet atleast you were finally talking to her once more.

A sudden tap on your thigh pulled you out of your dazed state, making you slightly push up your chin to look at your ‘girlfriend’ glancing down at you.

“(Name), you love me..and only me, right?” Topaz began, a reticent and barely visible smile tugging at the corners of her lips. You forced out a pathetic “mhm”, taking a small gasp of air as you had already strained your voice too much from that simple noise. She closed her eyes, breathing out sigh which you couldn’t tell the emotion behind. Perhaps it was disappointment? Relief? Knowing her it could be damn near anything. Suddenly, you couldn’t help but notice her fists balled up behind her back, seemingly grasping a lengthy bundle of dark red rope bunched up in her hands and hidden behind her back.

Revealing the rope cloaked behind her back, Topaz suddenly urged you to sit up, loosening her grip slightly and letting the rope pool down for her to thread her fingers through in an untangling motion. You felt an uncomfortable lump in your throat seeing Topaz scramble around for the burnished metal hook located at the end of the rope, a satisfactory, yet frightening grin crossing her expression as she snaked her free hand around the back of your neck. Her touch felt so soft..so right—like silk brushing along your nape with a grip so gentle. Her seemingly innocent touch nearly made you relax and lean your head back against her hand, almost making you forget the malicious intentions behind her so called loving contact.

A loud click echoed along the room as the prong clamped down and locked against the opening hole, sealing the leash against your throat. A weary gasp fell from your lips upon feeling Topaz immediately tug on the leash, burning the skin of your throat slightly as she grasped onto the rope controlling you like a puppet along with that god awful leather circling your neck. You were silenced by her thumb abruptly pushing against your bottom lip, pressing down on the feverish and worn skin as her index finger slipped below your chin.

“Ah. You’re still not listening to me…not completely atleast.” She muttered, her azure eyes piercing into your gaze as if she was staring directly at your soul. Gnawing on her bottom lip, she thought to herself for a moment, eyeing you up and down as your chest rose and fall with each staggering breath. Silence crowded the clearing for a solid moment, allowing you to briefly snap back your sanity for a moment and feel an uncomfortable pit in your stomach as the gravity of the situation dawned on you.

Topaz clicks her tongue and tuts, still reeling back the end of the leash fastened onto your neck. “Not good enough. Just not good enough.” She grumbled in slight frustration, her grasp becoming tighter as her knuckles grew more pale from her agitated state. Fear fogged your mind upon seeing her so…mad. It was just like that one time. Of course, you knew that she’d never directly harm you physically…yet that gnawing feeling in the back of your mind always told you otherwise.

You stumbled forward at the sudden tug on the leash once more, finding yourself face to face with Topaz, your noses brushing against each other as her hot breath fanned against your cheek. “To…paz..” you drawled out pitifully, suddenly being shushed by her touching foreheads with you and muffling you with her palm as she covered your mouth.

“Jelena.” She corrected with a low, breathy voice. Her intimidating gaze only felt like a spear was twisting in your stomach, adding to your growing apprehension. Nodding in response, you began to cautiously comply with each word strung out of her venomous lips. She bowed her head down to meet your flushed throat, placing a trail of attempted soft kisses above your collar. “Promise you’ll listen now?”

You cleared your throat, looking up at her with dreary eyes as you exhaled deeply. “I’ll listen…Jelena.” You muttered, avoiding eye contact with her. She immediately grasped your chin, fingers digging into your cheeks as she insistently turned your head to face her with a twisted, yet elated smile adorning her lips. “Good.”

Reclining on the couch, Jelena now gave a more gentle tug to your collar, beckoning you to ease yourself before her. Of course, you weren’t one to refuse—you obediently relaxed your shoulders, seating yourself between her thighs with an anxious and fearful pit in your stomach.

The moment Jelena began to slowly strip your clothing down, sliding your shirt off of your shoulder and running down your arm as the fabric glided along your skin, you couldn’t help but feel a sort of..excitement. Were you so mentally far gone that the woman who kidnapped you was arousing such an exhilarating feeling within you? It didn’t matter anymore. No matter how much you believed that you wouldn’t listen to her, your mental efforts were futile. Jelena broke your mind to the point where you knew that you were made to obey her.

Heavy breaths slipped past your lips as your clothing was completely discarded in a pile at the foot of the couch, skin flushed as Jelena’s traversing kisses tainted your bare body. Bites and marks littered your rose tinted skin as you whimpered in her grasp, feeling her hand sink between your plush thighs to brush her middle finger along your slit while still kissing your body.

Quiet moans were lodged out of your throat as your head fell back against Jelena’s shoulder, eyes squeezed shut and brows knitted. You couldn’t help it. Part of your mind was telling you not to succumb to her antics, yet your mind blanked the moment you felt her middle and ring finger part your walls as she pushed them in, ridges of her fingers dragging along your cunt clenching around her digits.

Pathetic whimpers fell from your lips every time her fingers curled inside you, each thrust jerking a new noise out of you each time as you clawed at her thighs on either side of your waist. Jelena only smiled against the side of your neck upon feeling your pussy throb around her drenched fingers, letting out a satisfied hum as her free hand brushed against the front of your throat.

Slipping a finger into the blistering leather, she gave a gentle pull as she angled her hand upward, moans falling from her own lips as she ground her clothed clit against you from behind. She relished in your soft whines and hiccups whenever her palm roughly massaged your clit, finding herself overjoyed by your obedience and willingness to do this with her. Waves of pleasure swept over your body at her slick coated fingers scissoring themselves inside you, stretching your cunt out impossibly wide as tears rimmed the corner of your eyes.

Jelena leaned over to whisper in your ear, soft lips brushing the shell of your ear as you craned your neck to meet her gaze. “You’re such a pretty girl, (Name).” She slurred, still gasping out from her own stimulation as the couch grew damp from both of your fluids moistening the couch. Your grip on her thighs tightened, digging your nails into her plush skin, hips bucking up in quickened motions as your climax built up closer and closer. Jelena’s brows furrowed at the sting from your nails dragging along her thighs, but she wasn’t mad. Who could blame you? Especially when your response to her touch was everything she yearned for. She gave a quick pull to the collar to ground herself, breath ragged as her sweaty skin stuck to your own sweaty, bare back.

A choked hiccup was drawn out of you at the tug on the collar you hated so much, hips grinding down onto her buried fingers in your cunt and your expression practically pleading her to not do that again. Neither of you had spoken much, barely even during this moment. Jelena didn’t want to mess up anything with useless words when her actions could show you how much she loved you. After all, words led to you rejecting her in the first place and driving her to such drastic measures.

Shallow breaths circled the room from the two of you as you rode out your orgasm, the collar making your throat all the more uncomfortable and scratchy when you moaned loudly at your climax. Your own soft pants were audible in your ears as your head hung low, trying to recover from your intense orgasm. You curled up against Jelena, breathing slowly evening itself out as the collar made it near impossible to say anything, and only allowing you to nuzzle your face against her white hair to seek comfort.

Jelena rubbed your cheek reassuringly, heart melting at the sight of you all ruined with tear cracks decorating your cheeks and relying on her as if she was your lifeline. Your eyes shot open at the sound of a click, along with the sudden cool air caressing your reddened throat, your breathing becoming suddenly relaxed and more comfortable as she gave you a soft kiss on the forehead.

“You’re finally obedient to me. I trust you now, sweetheart.”

You cuddled up to her, closing your eyes as your breathing evened out altogether. You felt content, happy with her now. Yet, that comfort was mixed with a twinge of fear still lingering in your mind. You would be fine with this now. You’ve spent so long with Jelena that you would’ve accepted your new conditions with her. But there was just one thing that ate away at you like a subconscious knowing that you can’t brush off.

It wasn’t supposed to end up like this.

A/N: I told u this wasn’t going to be romantic and more mind break type shit and I apologize if it’s too disturbing but regardless I hope u like it

also, ik im usually silly with my content warnings but this time I made them a little more serious since this legitimately needs content warnings. BUT this was interesting to write and I did enjoy it!!

@hedgehogthetraveler <3

[sir-phineas-lost]

Claudia Deserves Respect

One of the things I think the last(?) season of The Dragon Prince did right was giving Claudia her due as a character. For a long time now, I feel like both the show and the fandom has had the bad habit of either demonizing or infantalizing Claudia and her motives. Even the corners or the fandom who are sympathetic towards her tend to go on about how she is "emotionally immature" or naive and easily manipulated because she wants her dad back and listens to Aaravos when Viren is gone, but that has never been my read on her.

The big shift in Claudia and Aaravos' relationship this season happens when they are at the Moon-Nexus and Aaravos has a rare moment of introspection and vulnerability with her, confessing that he doesn't really believe that Viren is going to be there. This is obviously very surprising for Aaravos to admit because he has no reason to do so other than genuine guilt about manipulating Claudia after bonding with her and also breaking her and Terry up, but Claudia surprises us even more by admitting that she has already done the introspection to realize that her dad is not going to be waiting for her at the end of this. This is one of those moments that I have seen people argue makes Claudia a passive puppet because "she just wants Aaaravos to tell her what to do" but I disagree. It is important to know that until this point Aaravos has not given Claudia any reason for why inverting the Moon-Nexus would be a good idea other than the vague suggestion that Viren might be there, but she has already come to the conclusion that he isn't on her own. When she answers Aaravos with "Good question. Why don't you answer it?" she is not making Aaravos think for her, she is telling him: "I know you didn't suggest this for my benefit, I know you have an agenda, now spill it". In this moment, Claudia demands to hear exactly why Aaravos is doing this and she decides that his is a cause worth pursuing. Aaravos was open with her and she decided for herself that she is 100% on-board with tearing down the entire structure of the world and making the cosmic assholes suffer.

This is also not demonizing her in any way because it is perfectly in-line with her previously established good traits. Claudia has consistently been the most vocal about voicing the injustice of this world in how poorly the elves and dragons have treated humanity so tearing down the cosmic order is not framed as her just wanting the world to end but her usual way of standing up to injustice by breaking taboos.

Her last big scene of the arc is her confronting Soren and Corvus on top of the Storm Spire where they chased her down with the intent of killing her and she lets them go saying that she is still herself, still nice. This is also something I see a lot of people framing as negative because it is Claudia "holding on to a false image of herself" but I see it as her confirming something about herself. Claudia has changed a lot, but the one thing that remains true about her is that she is nice. She will prioritize her loved ones over all else, but when she has an opportunity to be good that doesn't conflict with her larger goals, she will take it. In this moment she is furious with Soren, who all but confirmed that he will kill her when he gets the chance and not even a sworn oath from his king will stop him. She has every reason to toss him off the edge to be broken the same way their father was, but she doesn't. When Claudia is in control, she chooses to be kind, even to people who are never kind to her.

So if this is the end of the show, I am glad with the position it left my favorite character, because it respects her in both her motives and her autonomy. She is still out there, still scheming to bring down the injustice that our heroes won't even acknowledge. And she is confirmed to not do this out of blind devotion or even blind love for Aaravos, but a genuine conviction in that goal. And above all, she is still the wonderful person who proves that you don't have to be a paragon or follow the arbitrary rules of "good" to be a good person. To just be "nice".

[mayakern]

I have three skirts from the old factory and one from the new factory, the new fabric was a little disappointing in the beginning, but it's since grown on me since it doesn't pill at all and is way cooler in warmer weather! I just bought three new skirts for the sale since I love them so much

i totally understand ppl who prefer the vibe of the old skirt material, but the new material is MUCH higher quality. the old skirts were a polyester faux jersey and had a looser weave and lower thread count, making the material much more susceptible to wear and tear and to pilling in the wash. our old factory also did not have the same certifications for quality materials that our current one does, and several times we caught them trying to switch fabric on us without saying anything, which is suuuper shady.

and as mentioned yesterday, towards the end of our working relationship their defect rate became astronomical. it was truly horrific: bad sewing, stained garments, garments that had already started to pill/fall apart. it was truly heartbreaking not just as someone whose business was relying on this product, but as someone who (while designing/selling clothing) strives to create as little garment waste as possible. we had to sell bundles of defective skirts at a steep loss just in the hopes people could repurpose the fabric for sewing projects so that we could minimize our garment waste. i cannot overstate how devastating this was to me on a personal level. there was even a while where devin and i weren’t totally certain we could keep designing and selling clothing.

our new factory not only has certifications for their ethical labor and high quality materials, but they are consistent in both the materials they use and the quality of their sewing. we know when we order a certain material from them, we will get exactly what we are expecting. they make a lot of their fabric in house and when they do special order things, because they are certified up their entire supply chain, we can feel confident that not only is the material up to par quality-wise, but it was also made ethically.

a lot of stuff has come out in the past few years about shein clothing containing lead or other harmful chemicals, or period underwear containing pfas, etc, and while based on the price point we were paying for garments and our own due diligence looking into working conditions, etc., i don’t think that was an issue with our old factory, with how much worse things have gotten since COVID, having those third party certifications and having years of records of successful audits by those third parties is absolutely invaluable to us.

[toskarin]

forewarning that this is mostly just an observational ramble

one thing I've gathered from looking around older western fantasy otaku sites is that, presumably in large part because of the order in which things entered mainstream consciousness, sauron is talked about pretty consistently as the final boss of the lord of the rings

technically, this is true of everywhere, but I want to emphasise that it is extremely common to see younger fantasy otaku a decade or two ago use ラスボス when explaining who he is, as a primary descriptor

[before going any further on this, it probably bears mentioning that the japanese translation of lord of the rings is a bit divisive. when it comes up, it's either in the context of how impressive the translation is (skews older) or in how unreadable it is (skews younger), because it's translated into antiquity prose. apparently exceptionally so, even for a fantasy novel, so it was very much extreme nerd shit]

a big part of this is, of course, just the idea of the final boss having more awareness than tolkien at the time the movies were coming out. I imagine almost the exact same thing would happen more or less anywhere that video games hit mainstream nerd awareness before tolkien did, but there's something else that I think might have something to do with it, because if you're looking at old enough threads, you notice that not only is sauron being explained as the final boss, but this is being mentioned in contrast to morgoth not being the final boss

which seems a bit random (morgoth doesn't exactly come up enough in lotr proper to cause this confusion), if you don't know that angband, where morgoth is the final boss and sauron is just the midboss, was pretty popular with western fantasy otaku. well, popular in the way that cult classics are, but you know how it goes

with that in mind, it makes sense that it was (at one point, before tolkien was more accessible through other channels) something people called each other fake fans over

so in a kind of interesting way, namedropping sauron in fantasy otaku spaces that skewed younger (for a time) was almost equivalent to namedropping morgoth in western fantasy nerd spaces. that all kind of stops being the case once you have the peter jackson movies immediately at hand, though

there's also the fact that, because it's a little harder to read lord of the rings in japanese, someone who's casually into the book is much more likely to also go ahead and read the silmarillion, which helped rings of power get incredibly popular with older audiences in japan when it came out. as a fun side effect of all this, there's a bit more morgoth x sauron shipping around

[darklinaforever]

I don't understand some people's obsession with the age difference between Edwin and the Cat King.

Yes, Edwin is a perennial 16 year old.

But the Cat King isn't even human. He is literally a cat deity. And as someone @jaks21 pointed out to me in the comments, the Cat King has the overall behavior of a cat : "I think it's also being forgotten that the cat king isn't human. He can shift into human form, but he is essentially a cat. This is all cat behavior. They have absolutely no sense of personal space (unless it's their own), they like the thrill of the hunt and they like to play."

Soon people will talk to me about zoophilia maybe ?

Beyond that, the Cat King's behavior seems to be quite immature most of the time as well.

So why are people absolutely trying to categorize him as a straight-up adult when he's not a human being ? Who tells you that his brain works like a human's ? Who tells you he's not a baby compared to other supernatural beings ?

It's all well and good to judge Edwin for his reality on the show, but give the same courtesy to the Cat King in this case, otherwise it just seems designed to unnecessarily lower the ship.

Also, if we want to speak realistically... since the Catwin plot revolves around Edwin finally coming to terms with his sexual orientation through his attraction to the Cat King (even if we know that there is also an important emotional context involved ) well it seems to me that Edwin is exactly the age of consent required for sexual relations, namely 16 years old.

Sexual maturity is not the same as legal age making you an adult and I feel like people often confuse the two.

I also find it paradoxical to say that Edwin, who lived more than a century, is judged as not being able to date an almost immortal divinity (because yes, one day the Cat King will no longer have his 9 lives and will therefore die for of good) clearly outside human norms because he happens to be a Cat King and not having at all the behavior of an human adult, or even of a real human, under the pretext that Edwin has his brain blocked at age 16 years old.

But many people will also say that Edward in Twilight cannot love Bella, a teenager, on the pretext that he has lived several centuries due to being a vampire, even if this type of vampire in this universe mentally stops evolving at the age where they were transformed, making Edwin an eternal teenager of 17 years old. Yet he is considered disgusting for wanting to be with a human teenager of almost the same age mentally ?(Be careful, I'm not saying that Twilight is an excellent and brilliant story, I'm just talking about the context of the age difference between the protagonists and the ridiculous discourse around it)

The battles over the age difference in fiction featuring supernatural beings are almost never consistent. And for good reason, I find it useless !

Because most of the time, the supernatural creature does not meet human standards in order to be associated with the younger person (at least if this person is actually younger, in the term of non-majority, because otherwise, as long as everyone is an adult we don't care). Or if it is not the creature that follows a particular pattern, we are for example transported into a universe inspired by a particular era, where the legal age is then different.

So, we must stop judging imaginary beings as if they were human adults, it makes no sense.

Yes. Edwin has been a 16 year old ghost for a very long time and technically cannot mature beyond this age. Tragic. But in the show, which is not the comics, it doesn't really matter. Edwin remains a character with an arc and evolution. So he has undeniably experienced things as a ghost that allow him to change and evolve in his own way.

Of course, it can be confusing, but Edwin's case aside, the Cat King does not meet human standards. And he clearly doesn't behave like a human. Even less that of an adult human. So stop judging him as such.

Essentially the Cat King resembles in his behavior a mixture of... well, a cat, since that's what he is, and a form of immature teenager.

That the Cat King is older than Edwin doesn't matter if he doesn't have a maturity greater than Edwin.

Once again, the Cat King clearly doesn't have the mentality or maturity of most healthy adults of our world. So why absolutely try to judge him as such ? Again, that doesn't make sense.

The Cat King is a being to be judged outside of our realistic standards.

Plus, being uncomfortable with the Cat King & Edwin relationship because Edwin is 16... seems ridiculous again.

Although I would love for the show to make Catwin canon in the future I doubt that will be the case (but good if it happens !), as things stand the Cat King only seemed to be a tool to allow Edwin to open up a little more about himself, in particular about accepting his sexuality, even if not only that. So, since the sexual aspect is very much emphasized in this relationship, it must be taken into account. And Edwin is a 16 year old teenager. Not only do adolescents inevitably have a period of trouble linked to sex, but in fiction the treatment of sexuality is sometimes done through a creature outside the norms of reality, therefore fanciful, often morally dubious.

It’s a classic trope in the world of fiction !

And if that makes you uncomfortable... well I don't know what to do for you.

Again, as I said before, Edwin is of the required age of consent in terms of sexual relations.

So how does it shock you to see someone old enough to explore their sexuality find themselves in a sexuality-related scenario with the classic trope of a fantasy creature to do so ?

This kind of controversy is beyond me! We're talking about fictional characters of a supernatural nature !

[ladysomething]

I unironically think Max and Charles may have conspired in some way too! It probably wasn't even that explicit, but it was mutually beneficial to both of them for Charles to win as many points as possible. Max didn't have the car to do it anymore himself, and Checo wasn't going to be any help. But Charles was consistently peeling points off Lando and McLaren while being further back in points than Lando thanks to that awful post-Monaco stretch, so he was basically exactly the teammate Max needed: not an immediate points threat for the season but very much an immediate driving threat in individual races to fight when Max couldn't. Then Charles wanted to win for himself and Ferrari, but specifically I would bet almost anything that as an ego thing he could live with Max getting his fourth WDC but over his dead body would Lando get one before he did.

Whether they explicitly discussed it idk, but I always felt like they both recognized they were effectively on the same team. They were going through it in that Zandvoort cool down room together. Max also said Monza was a low point for him, but it had to be a massive relief to see Charles win and realize someone could minimize the damage.

it's so hard to say whether it was something they actively talked about, or whether it was just something Charles took upon himself.

I could kind of believe that, particularly because it was mostly Charles that was the one doing it, right? But, then, Brazil ........... Max like pointing out Charles' mistakes .... like we all know they debriefed after that race. and, sure, they did still fight against each other, but imo it wasn't an agreement like "I will help you win at any cost", it was more of a ... "if it can't be me, I will NOT let it be Lando" kind of situation.

so, yeah, Charles wasn't not racing Max, he was just helping where he could. and Max was helping him where he could, in order to maximise Charles/ferrari points, and minimise lando/mclaren points.

but anyway, yeah, you're right for their reasoning. I think it absolutely worked in their favour to help each other, and I would bet any money that Charles thought of it in those terms. Max MAYBE thought of it in those terms. there is a possibility that they talked about it together, but I bet it was almost in a joking "ha ha, wouldn't it be so funny if .... ha ah jk ... unless 👀" kind of way.

long story short, I've thought it for pretty much the entire second half of the season, and it only became more obvious. people have actively been commenting on how they're acting like teammates.

[total-drama-brainrot]

TD World Tour Alenoah AU... Where Noah is immune to Alejandro's fake charm... Instead, Noah gets charmed by the true Alejandro's quirks and dorky interests like dinosaurs and puppets... How would Alejandro feel about Noah only liking Alejandro, when Alejandro is being himself?... Especially since Alejandro's family shuns him for being himself? 🦕🦖🦕

Now you're speaking my language.

One of the most common running themes in all/near enough all Alenoah central AUs is having Noah be the first person to see past Alejandro's persona and actually appreciate the person he is, or at the very least prefer the real Alejandro to his mask of perfection. It's one of the draws of the ship itself; the idea that Noah, being the blunt person that he is, can and will wage a war of attrition against the walls Alejandro has built up around himself- not just to keep others out, but also to repress the more authentic aspects of himself to himself- in order to reveal the person beneath.

I touched on this a little bit in a previous post concerning this AU, but Alejandro and Noah both see glimpses of the other that they try so valiantly to hide- in Noah's case, Alejandro sees hints of the scheming mindset he's pretty much supressed under layers of apathy and sloth (as Noah's laziness is one of his biggest character foils, alongside his snarky attitude), and in Alejandro's case he reveals tid bits of information about the Real Alejandro, not the persona he's usually portraying himself as, which is enough to humanise him in Noah's eyes.

They both become People Of Interest in each other's eyes, because they're both puzzles to be solved. Alejandro's curious and competitive to a fault so he'd dedicate himself to unravelling the layers behind Noah's stony exterior, as he'd see Noah's continued distance as a challenge. That's a given. But the topic at hand here is Noah's interest in Alejandro.

Because Noah's not exactly competitive, so why would he be so interested in unveiling the real Alejandro? That's simple; Noah values authenticity. Look at his friendship group, it consists of people who are unapologetically themselves. Noah is also unapologetically himself, in all of his sarcastic glory. So of course he's see flickers of the real, authentic Alejandro and his natural inquisitiveness would be piqued- a novelty for him, as Noah's staunch apathy generally tends to override any semblance of curiosity.

So Noah goes out of his way to make notes of the small interests Alejandro offhandedly mentions at one point or another, like palaeontology or puppetry or even his fifteen-step skincare routine- things that Alejandro shows genuine excitement or passion over that shines through the cracks of his perfect persona. He sees the dorky giddiness Alejandro experiences when Noah lets him ramble on about how Jurassic Park was incredibly inaccurate from a scientific standpoint but monumental for people's interest in palaeontology (or something along those lines, I don't know I'm not a dinosaur nerd) and suddenly the annoyingly flirtatious faker he's spent the better half of his time on the jet is A Whole Ass Person with interests and passions and a sense of depth he's been so bereft of until now. Suddenly Alejandro's more than just the antagonist of the show Noah's working on, he's an interesting person that the bookworm finds himself wanting to know more about. And, perhaps, he finds himself growing genuinely fond of the person behind the mask.

And he uses those notes to prompt Alejandro into sharing more of himself, the real authentic Alejandro, in the privacy of their interactions.

At first, Alejandro's fairly oblivious to what Noah's doing, since he's so caught up in his own enjoyment of Noah's company plans to essentially do the same to Noah that he barely notices his own tricks being used against him.

Of course, he's also just elated at being able to infodump to someone who isn't outright penalising him for doing so; not that I think Alejandro is even aware that what he's doing is infodumping, nor the fact that he's so obviously autistic, because his family is a particular brand of awful that would never let him get a proper diagnoses and in all likelihood forced him to mask/supress his symptoms.

It isn't until Alejandro realises that he's shared a lot of information about himself that he (as a Burromuerto) is expected to keep close to his chest, and he sees the glimmers of satisfaction in Noah's intelligent eyes, that the archvillain catches on to the fact that he's been played. But the thing that really catches him off-guard isn't the trickery, it's the fact that Noah's done nothing with the uncharacteristic displays of vulnerability.

Alejandro can't understand why Noah hasn't taken advantage of his "weakness" yet. Inevitably leading to him confronting the assistant, as Alejandro isn't the type to "let sleeping dogs lie" so to speak, and he's still very much so in the one-track mindset of winning the competition- thus he assumes that any show of vulnerability can and will lead to his untimely elimination. But when he practically demands that Noah reveal what he's been planning, why he's been sneakily collecting information on him, all Noah can do is shrug his shoulders and say;

"I guess I just like seeing the real you. That's all."

And Alejandro doesn't know how to respond to that. No one's ever wanted the real him, he's always had to play the role of the perfect son, the perfect brother. He doesn't understand.

And like most people when they're faced with a foreign concept they have no basis of behaviour for, he lashes out.

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

This shot is going to haunt me for at LEAST the next couple months. Like. It's driving me insane. And it's all because of one stupid, tiny detail.

The blood drips on Vox's mouth

Now, there are 3 reasons this is bothering me so much. 1 is obviously the fact that THEY ARE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HIS MOUTH, 2 is that there's no real reason the blood drips would be appearing in this moment, and 3 is that this is part of a sequence where VAL AND ANGEL ALSO BOTH HAVE PINK LIQUID DRIPPING FROM THEIR MOUTHS.

Now, there are possible, very reasonable explanations for the blood drips(which I feel the need to clarify have been CONSISTENTLY on the left side of his mouth in every shot except for like one other): it could be an animation error, simple as that. It could also be that they just switched the sides so the blood drips would be more noticeable, but I'm not really sure why they would do that? Because A, I edited the screenshot so that the blood drips are in their normal position and it literally looks fine

And B, why would it be extra important for us to know the drips are THERE unless they have some kind of significance in the context of Poison? Every detail in an animated show is deliberate because each panel literally has to be drawn out. If they flipped Vox's blood drips to the other side in this scene in order to draw attention to it, then there's a REASON behind it, there is something important going on here.

I think it's also important to acknowledge the only OTHER time Vox's blood drips have been on the right, this shot in the finale:

Though in this shot there's also an extra drip on the left, and the two on the right are both different sizes, which. Isn't how they normally look. The drips in this frame just overall look a lot more natural then the usual ones? Which I haven't added a picture of yet but they look like this

Two, same sized red stripes on the left side of his mouth. Anyways those are the only two times they look different, and the two moments have literally nothing in common so I can't figure out why they would be different THERE. The best explanation I can think of for the one from the finale is that a story board artist made an artistic choice(hence the drips looking significantly more natural, mor like Alastor's at the end of Stayed Gone), and then it never got changed or corrected or whatever because the frame where his face is right up in the camera last for like a split second. But Idk. That explanation doesn't really apply to the Poison shot because they look EXACTLY the same aside from being on the wrong side and the Poison shot lasts a lot longer than the close up in the finale does.

I would also like to point out that the drips switching sides is NOT a Val make out session exclusive, because when they're making out in the finale, the drips are still on the left. Like you can see the right side of his mouth in this shot and it's completely drip free.

That was a LOT of text for just one section but ONTO REASON NUMBER 2!!!!!! There is no reason Vox would be doing the fucking mouth bleeding thing in that scene.

Those blood drips only appear on Vox's mouth when he's really, REALLY worked up. The times we see them he's typically REALLY angry or REALLY excited. Like, emotions that would typically cause an adrenaline rush. And there's no real reason he would be having an adrenaline rush in this scene? Like unless wanting to make out with someone real real bad gives you an adrenaline rush I wouldn't know I'm ace. But even if that IS the case, shouldn't the drips disappear after Angel interupts them?

There's no energy in his expression when he looks at Angel, no real evidence that he's feeling anything beyond "ugh this guy again". No reason he would still have the drips. And it's not even really an animation thing, because there was plenty of time to get the drips to subtly go away in this shot. But no. They stay for the whole time. Also, while looking through GIFs to find one of this scene, I noticed that Vox literally NEVER has the blood drips when he's frowning. There a couple shots where it would make sense for the drips to appear(like when he calls Adam a pussy for not killing Al), but they don't, and in all of those shots he's frowning. So for this to be the ONLY TIME the blood drips don't dissappear when he stops smiling? Idk seems kinda sus.

Now. The final, and possibly most concerning reason this scene won't leave me the fuck alone: Angel and Val are drooling to.

(IM SO SORRY FOR THE HORRIBLE QUALITY I HAD TO GET THE SCREENSHOT FROM A LOW QUALITY REPOST OF THE MUSIC VIDEO OFF OF YOUTUBE-)

It's really, really subtle, like to the point where I didn't actually notice it until I saw somebody else point it out, but in the scene where Angel is breaking down after all the SHIT Val put him through over the course of the Poison music video, he has a little bit of neon pink coming out of his mouth. He then wipes it away, looks at his hand, and turns to look at Vox & Val.

And Val has it to. All three of them have the same bright pink dripping from their mouths. And granted, Vox & Val are in a very limited color pallette, and the red in Vox's design got swapped for that same bright pink, and his drips are usually the same red as his eyes, but the fact that it's the same color as the spit(?) coming out of Angel & Val's mouths should at least be a little noteworthy, right?

ALSO!!!!!!! I literally just now put this together- the pink substance is coming off of the right side of Vox and Angel's mouths, but the left side of Val's. It's a small detail, but given that the main reason this scene is driving me up the goddamn walls is that Vox's drips are ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HIS MOUTH, there's gotta be something to it.

Anyways, these points have all been driven into the ground already. Everybody and their mother have been taking this scene and analyzing it, saying the same shit I just did in a bunch of different ways. I'm rehashing all of this because it's relevant to the conversation, but at this point it's kinda like just pointing out the obvious. BUT! I do want to try bringing something new to the table, something that might ALSO explain why Vox's drips are on the wrong side(again, same side as Angel's), so bear with me here:

I've pointed this out before, but Poison is a pseudo dream sequence. It's constantly cutting back and forth between Angel living it up vs him suffering extensively. This is the most obvious during the dance sequence with the giant blue screens(which I cannot provide a GIF of bcuz I have already reached the image limit for this post-). The very obvious dichotomy is meant to show us how Angel uses his mask to cope with the constant abuse, he literally says he's dissociating in the song, but it ALSO means that a lot of the stuff we're seeing in this sequence isn't literal. The scene with Vox and Val might be part of that.

Vox and Val are in a very different color pallette from everything surrounding them. They're both colored in dark blues and neon pink, purple & blue. The demon beside them, however, is not. That demon is colored more naturally. And while, from a technical stand point, I think it's mostly just to make sure Vox & Val pop and are the center of our attention, it could ALSO mean that this is specifically a part of Angel's dream sequence. It's how Angel sees them. And Vox's drips are on the wrong side.

Now, I don't wanna say that this means Angel feels that Vox is in a similar situation to him, because it feels. Weird. But then again, this shot is the only thing we have on Angel's view of Vox! We know plenty about how Vox views Angel, it's not like. Specific. It's just pretty obvious that Vox Does Not Like Him. But we have nothing concrete on Angel's view of Vox(or Velvette for that matter but that's not relevant rn). Which is interesting, because Angel DEFINITELY has oppinions on him. Vox is dating Valentino, Angel's abuser, and never does anything to stop the abuse. That's gotta lead to some built up resentment, y'know? But all we have right now to show us Angel's view of Vox is something that, if you look deep enough, seems to imply he feels more empathetic towards the guy then anything else? Again, Vox and Angel's pink drips are on the right. Valentino's pink drips are on the left. Vox's blood drips are almost always on the left. But they aren't here. They're on the same side as Angel's. You see what I'm getting at here? Wether Angel is RIGHT about Vox being "on the same side" as he is remains to be determined, but still.

Anyways, I could just be over thinking this. I have a long, storied history of taking small details that are probably just mistakes and blowing them completely out of proportion. Ask literally any of my friends abour Bird Teeth and they will confirm. Plus, I'm probably gonna end up over thinking this shit for all of May and completely change my mind on what the reversed blood drips mean, I have a tendency to do that. But for now this is my theory; the reason Vox's blood drips are on the wrong side of his mouth in Poison is because Angel views Vox as being in a similar situation with Valentino to the one he himself is in. Not the exact same, but similar enough to warrant sympathy at the very least.

[dimalink]

Bufcolor – this is a new word

Game about different colors. You need to collect/build columns with colors. Fill every column with its own color. Control with keyboard. Arrows and space. And, also, there is a buffer. It is additional little column, where you put a little cube, that you do not need now. Buffer contains only one little cube. It is need for exchange.

For a long time, I wanted to make lots of small games with Basic. And, this time, I achieve this point. It is, exactly this kind small game. About different colors. Little cubes. There are several columns. For example, 3 or 5.

And, also, there is little column number 6 – this is buffer. Withing this you put little cube for exchange. In buffer it can be only one little cube. And you need to set all the colors in columns, except buffer with same colors. First little column with green, second with red. This is about you. You select colors. But only one idea – each column need to be with its own color. With the result. In this case you complete the level.

This kind of entertainment can be with Ms Dos, Nes, MSX, other 8 bit computers in 80s. It is funny thing, entertainment for engineer at the evening. To collect columns.

There are several color palette. And two types of visual view. First – it is simple columns. Something like to down view. Everything is straight. Second - it is isometrical. Something like pseudo 3d. With some angle. So this way it is more beautiful. But  a little less with understanding. Amount of columns is different from 3 to 5.

I had for a long time lots of ideas. I think they are for Basic. Ideas for simple games. And so this is a moment of realization – it is here. With using of Basic. This is one more small game.

Title is consist with two words. But it is as a one word. New word. Bufcolor. This is after word buffer. And color. This is all the idea. You collect columns with colors. And you need one more little column as buffer for exchange. And here it is to appear a new word – bufcolor.

So, how it is cool to know how to programming with Basic. With suing this language you can do realization of lots your ideas. For example, computer games. Spirit of 80s. 8 bit computers. This is just amazing. Once again, little plus goes to side of the Basic. And dialects of Basic. Such as Free Basic. This time for this thing. And amazing code editor – Gvim.

Little columns and colors. And, also, a buffer for 1 little cube. To replace little cubes, when all of them are full in columns. With most beginning, they are filled with chaos order and random order. And you need to sort them. And to have a situation – that every column is with its own one color. You need this buffer. It is very valuable term. Without it - it will be impossible. And buffer -it is so minimal length little column with 1 little cube. You can put in buffer only one little cube. But this is enough. To start to make exchanges between little columns.  

Select little cube. Put in a buffer. Later, select little cube from columns and put it to the empty place. Later, take from buffer little cube, which is already there and put it at the empty place in columns. For example, this way.

Control is simple. With arrows from the keyboard. And space to select a column. Or cancel your selection. Select you made and next do move. This is a fantasy, dream about little columns and different colors. There are max columns with 5. And number six for buffer, always 6 -it is buffer. So, palette is with 5 colors. But colors for little cubes are random way to go. So, every time you launch -you see different color picture.  Firs little cube was green.it is now red during next start. And alter blue. So, neat again – some else color.

And yes - have your excellent Basic day!

Basic Pascal version 1.18 "Duckling" – most newest version. In this version there are 4 new games! Puddles at Countryside, Duckling Pseudo 3D, Road to Countryside, Duckling Goes 2D. And even more retro games! It is a pack of retro games with modern versions of Basic and Pascal.

It is now in development new version Basic Pascal pack games. This game will be included in a new version.

Basic Pascal: http://www.dimalink.tv-games.ru/games/basicpascal/index_eng.html Website: http://www.dimalink.tv-games.ru/home_eng.html Itchio: https://dimalink.itch.io/basic-pascal

[halliescomut]

I'm gonna ramble about Toph for a minute

So, to be upfront I didn't watch the first season of the Live Action ATLA, bc once you get on Mike and Dante's bad side in terms of Avatar media, I'm out. I'm sure season 1 is fine, but just want to be clear that I didn't watch season 1 and have no plans to watch season 2.

We've gotten confirmed casting for Toph, which as one of the most beloved characters, was very heavily discussed and anticipated. Miya Cech was cast as Toph, and by virtue of her age (she very recently turned 18) is portraying a slightly aged up version of the character. I don't necessarily have huge issues with the ATLA characters being slightly aged up as long as age dynamics are maintained. Meaning everyone has to be aged up the same amount. I remember the rumors that Katara was going to be older than Sokka, and that would have DRASTICALLY changed their dynamic. and I do maintain consistent concern that when you are aging up specifically female characters to be older it's because you intend to sexualize them.

Here it does seem like her being older is a bit more related to the difficulty of containing the og ATLA storyline to it's original timeline of like a year or so. So in order to have Toph's age match Aang's as the actors themselves age throughout the filming, I would get that and be fine with it. Her overall character arc is not one that I think requires her being 12 at the start. Though we don't have specific confirmation of Toph's age in the story, so she could be playing 13/14 or true to the actress's age. (My hope is that it's not that large of a jump, and that it stays in line with Aang's age in the series.)

But to get into the femininity thing, which was everyone's big issue with the quote- I would say it depend on exactly what they mean by that. A lot of people very specifically brought up that the few times we see Toph dressed more 'feminine' are when she's with her parents, and then to attend the party in Ba Sing Se, where she is restricted in her ability to do or say what she wants. I would agree that those outfit designs are more feminine in that they specifically reference traditionally feminine styles of clothing from the cultures that influenced the Earth Kingdom, but more specifically they are rich people clothes. They are elaborate, layered, and likely physically heavy with embroidery or detail, because they are intended to convey wealth by showing that they have the ability to afford to purchase or commission that type of clothing. Her preference for a less elaborate style, to me, was more related to her ability to be more physically independent in that clothing. The elaborate outfits are literally restrictive, especially when combined with her disability. They also inhibit her physical range of motion for bending.

We've seen that other characters can be feminine and dress in feminine styles that don't interfere with their bending or physical movement, like Katara, Ty Lee and Suki.

Ty Lee I think is an excellent example of that. She not only dresses more feminine in terms of style, but also dresses in what is modernly considered a very feminine color. While there's not really a lot in the way of masculine or feminine colors within the ATLA universe, where instead each nation has a traditional color palette, Ty Lee does very specifically stand apart in her pink, as opposed to the darker red, black, and gold of the Fire Nation.

This feeds into my next point in that, in many ways, the concept of a feminine style in the ATLA universe is based around visual aesthetics, and because it's visual, Toph just doesn't have much interest in it. We know externally that blind women can and do care about the aesthetics of their clothing and how they present to the world, but they also often have to put function over fashion, especially in regards to maintaining independence. It's doable and even desirable to wear vaguely ridiculous high heels when you know you're going to have a person next to you helping you navigate, but when you're just trying to walk from the bus stop to the store on potentially shoddily-maintained sidewalks, sneakers or just flats in general are going to be a better option. But this is where the character being initially developed by men feels relevant, because i do think for them it was as simple as "I can't see it, so I don't care about it."

Her age also factors into it for me. I didn't really get interested in 'being feminine' until I was like 13/14 years old. I would wear skirts on occasion, and I did like them, but the whole sort of process to looking 'girly' wasn't something I enjoyed until I was a teen. that was when the process and final results of braiding my hair into specific styles became something I found interesting or rewarding. That was when I started to be more interested in following trends, and such, so a 12 year old Toph not really caring much about the clothing she wears beyond it's utility make a lot of sense to me.

Additionally, if you apply that concept of femininity to her behavior, it becomes more apparent to me that in a lot of way putting off being feminine was a lot more about rebellion. Because there is kind of the running joke within Book 2 of her being very gross, but it does feel more like that was an overcorrection to put off the very narrow expectations of her parents, which was based not only on her gender, but also her status as a noble. We don't see nearly as much of that in Book 3, which would indicate that it's not really a permanent aspect of her personality.

We don't see it very clearly, in fact I struggled to find a good shot of it, but in the finale when we get that final scene of the gAang, Toph is wearing a more formal, and arguably feminine outfit, but it's still not to the extreme of what we had seen when we first meet her. It's a balance, specifically for a formal moment, but I think it more clearly shows how she would choose to dress in moments when she wants to dress up. And really, even the choice of clothing for the Ba Sing Se party is both feminine and toned down from the general opulence of Toph's daily wear for staying in her own home.

I would say that the biggest point people have brought forward is the story from Tales of Ba Sing Se, where we see Katara and Toph engage in 'traditionally feminine' activities like the spa, having their hair & makeup done, and her sort of rejecting it after encountering the Earth Kingdom mean girls on the bridge. But the activities and all are something she enjoys and has fun doing in the moment, because she's doing them with Katara. Even if she might not choose to do them on her own, she doesn't demean their value. And her anger and sadness at the words of the other girls is more about not really having friends who knew and liked her for who she is. Toph's journey starts with her wanting recognition from her parents as someone who has value and ambition beyond what they want for her. It becomes her truly recognizing her value, and that the people who really matter also recognize it.

But the very last part of that scene is Katara validating Toph's desire to feel pretty. Women like to feel pretty. Our value should never be based upon our physical appearance, but we can still want to feel pretty. Katara's compliment would be meaningless if we didn't also know that she values and loves Toph as a entire person.

So I don't have any particular issue with a live action adaptation and this actress portraying Toph as more feminine than we've seen, because I don't think it's entirely outside of her character. But it does all come down to how exactly that change is portrayed through either styling or the story. I just think it's disingenuous to act like she fully has no interest in appearing feminine, when I feel that's patently not true. It's just that she wants to be judged on her skills and abilities first, and never relegated to the sidelines because she's a noble, a woman, or disabled.

I feel like this could be laid out better, because I don't really feel like it flows, but it is what it is.

[andreeashifts]

Shifting with a logical mind

I promised myself I wouldn’t turn to Tumblr in search of information or advice or whatever the hell because I’ve been so overwhelmed with information in my search for that one shift that I got lost in the infinite amount of possibilities of what I could do (and what could be wrong). That said, I have no idea how Tumblr works and I’m not particularly thrilled to be on here, but after a recent post I made on Reddit, I ended up saying I’d give it a chance. So here’s a repost of what I wrote on there: 

I’ll start this post by saying that I am not exactly looking for advice and please for the love of god do not mention LoA to me. 

Here goes nothing. I’ve found out about shifting in 2020 and now here we are over 4 years later. You could say I am a seasoned shifter in terms of information, but in terms of experience, I am the babiest of shifters. In these 4 years I haven’t had a shift (accidental or intentional), nor a mini-shift, nor a significant attempt, nor anything really. And you might think I thought of writing this post to complain, but no, mainly I’d just like to know if there is anyone with the same experience as me and WHO MADE IT. I figured a lot of things about myself in these 4 years when it comes to what DOESN’T work for me. I have aphantasia, my brain is unable to produce sensory experiences (can’t use the 5 senses stuff), I don’t lucid dream naturally (only managed to lucid dream about 5 times in 4 years and it was accidental), nor astral project (never did), I don’t even dream most of the time and my dreams aren’t particularly vivid, my mind doesn’t react to subliminals, nor does it react to hypnosis, using feelings doesn’t come naturally for me either. So that leaves me with very little options and I’m not particularly intuitive, nor creative. And I’m one of those shifters who have consistently tried (probably over 100 tries a year, not to be dramatic) and experimented. I won't bore you with the things I have tried, but let's say I tried almost every method and mindset under the sun until I outright stopped trying this that simply did not pair up with my mind. Given all I’ve mentioned, I realize that during a good amount of my attempts I used tools that weren’t for me.

Point is, I have a very logical mind. It functions in a conceptual way and it needs proof to leave me alone. And that’s fine, I don’t mind it, except it doesn’t create the best conditions for shifting. On top of that, I ended up dealing with obsessional doubt about shifting and other things related to this reality. The whole package really. In order to adapt to my brain, I’ve done my research on shifting and looked into science and spiritual concepts which ended up burning me out more than anything else. So I tried to figure it out and make it into a more logical process. Just…nothing gives. I know my stuff though. I KNOW everything there is to know about shifting (the “necessary stuff”) although I’ll argue you don’t need much to shift. I understand it all and yet I've been stuck on the how the hell do I bridge the gap between my CR and my DR for years now. Every time I sit myself down and try to activate a semblance of intuition or whatever the hell, I am hit with a painful "I don't know how" from my mind.

I am probably asking for too much by saying I am tired of being told to "trust the process" or to "be patient" or that "everything happens for a reason". I am tired of waiting for something that simply won't fall into my lap because I am wishing it to. I know I am alone on this journey and that if I want to make it I have to figure it out myself. And I keep trying to do that but just nothing happens.

I am also looking to permashift. I am not playing around anymore. I don't care about this reality or enjoying or keeping things balanced. I want out. All I'm looking for is for that one shift. That one damn shift.

Given all this, I’ve gotten to a point where I just wonder if by any chance there are other shifters like me out there and if (gosh I hope so) any of them have shifted. I don’t know, I’m just taking a chance in seeing if there’s anyone out there like me…

[shannonsketches]

3, 10, 15, 20, 24, 25 for the Dragon Ball ask game! <3

3. List your top five favorite characters in order of how much you like them.

This would've been so much easier to answer when I was younger asjdla I'm old now and have more of an appreciation of character writing and roles in a story and I find Toriyama's character writing so charming... I love Vegeta the most but I like Piccolo the most you know what I mean?? Okay I'm gonna try, let me. Okay. Vegeta and Piccolo and Bulma, obviously, Gohan and Trunks probably after that? Yeah. Probably. My emotional support supporting cast.

10. The Dragon Ball series isn’t exactly known for being consistent with its story, its characters, and various other things. Which inconsistency irritates you the most?

I think the thing I'm probably most known for in this fandom now is screaming about how Toei and Toriyama wrote two completely different series' with two completely different casts while sharing the same basic plot. It does genuinely upset me that the former is the version that's most accessible, just because the latter is so, so good. I'm very grateful he decided to do the movies he did and overhaul Daima before he passed, and I'm so happy to see that Yuko and Toya seem to have learned a lot from his tone and humor and adventure writing skills to continue playing in the world he left behind with the full heart for that kind of story that he had.

15. Do you have any favorite ships (canon or otherwise)?

I like all of the canon ships! I also like the TienxYamcha QPP and the TienxYamchaxLaunch reverse Three's Company sitcom situation in which they're both into Tien but Tien's aroace, I think Satan and Buu are cute regardless of where on the spectrum their relationship falls, I like Trunten, I like CauliKale, I like the various Beerus ship dynamics I've seen with Whis and Kai, I think Cheelai should meet Launch,

20. If you could hang out with one character, who would it be?

Ooo~! I think--!! I'd love to hang out with Gohan, but also I feel like my adhd would kick in while he's explaining bugs and I'd feel bad, plus he's always swamped. I think Hercule would be super interesting to talk to if he could turn off for a while a be a person. I also think hanging out with Whis for a day could be a pretty safe and interesting day. Mmbbuuuut I think I'd have to give it to Dr Brief, because I want to hang out with him in his giant animal sanctuary full of dinosaurs and god knows whats.

24. If you could write your own episode, what would it be about?

I think I'd write a flashback episode just kind of about what it's like inside the Freeza Force. I'm really fascinated by the hyper-capitalism/imperialism critique there and the self-sustaining economies of a Freeza planet Metropoles that Freeza will build and then get bored with and abandon, and doing a character-driven snapshot of the entire political system within just Freeza's empire would be super fascinating to me. I think I'd write it from Lemo's perspective, at different points of his life. He was there for so long, you'd probably get to do a lot of cameos of people who worked for Freeza even before Vegeta was born. And he was kitchen staff, so it wouldn't be a big high-octane thing but he could still bear witness to fights, which would satisfy the action element of the show too.

25. What would you wish for with the dragon balls?

I'd wish for every conservative politician in the world to wake up with everything exactly the same except their body is the opposite sex and nobody else knows they were different before. After 120 days, the ones who want to go back to their original bodies will be allowed to and the ones who are happy with their new body can keep it. Call it an empathy exercise.

[remylebeaugambit]

Did you not like X-men 97 specifically because of all the crap Gambit went through or did you not like the other characters and the series in general either?

I’ve actually thought about this extensively and concluded that, spite and grudge aside, I just don’t think it is a good show overall. I stand by the belief that people are still enamored with the idea of a childhood show coming back, intoxicated by nostalgia to the point that they are willing to overlook its innumerous flaws.   

To be fair, the animation is awesome –consistently good and fluid and colorful, it’s great (I don’t exactly love all the characters’ designs, esp the women are not that great, but that’s a minor nitpick), the script, however, is ridiculous, full of inconsistencies and incongruences, so many plot holes and favoritism. Didn’t the old groomer die? How was he alive? Don’t know, doesn’t matter, just roll with it. 

At the same time that the script relied on the knowledge we have on TAS, it also shitted on it. 

I’ve talked about this before, so I’ll try to focus on other details. A lot of the characters are out of character, while others are just there, no reason or explanation. For example, the script dictated that Bishop had a minor role to play, which was to take Nathan to the future, so… that’s why he was there, no explanation of how or why he was back, nada. Then he had a forced moment of glory and disappeared (and he screwed up the only job he had).

Other things like, Storm and Rogue were very close in TAS, but since the disgusting pseudo writer-who-shall-not-be-named preferred Jean and Storm’s relationship, that’s what we got. And also in order for the repulsive, nonsensical grooming retcon to “work” Rogue needed to be isolated, so that was another reason (not that the pedophile retcon worked, cause it did not work at all, it made no sense in terms of continuity and who the characters were. Rogue isn’t Rogue. Her character was assassinated. 

Other things like Storm not even acknowledging her supposed best friend’s death because, you know, “some things end up in the cutting room floor” but there was time for indulging scenes of the old pedo being shaved, who is now more handsome, athletic and desirable than ever, with the biggest dick of all, I kid you not. 

When I say the script is weak, to put it delicately, I mean that not only are the characters not treated or developed well but things are also too easy and rushed. Morph happened to know where Sinister was. So convenient. Since the show plays favorites there are no consequences for favorite characters’ actions. Shady old groomer killed thousands and thousands of people around the globe, and what he did to Wolverine, but that’s just brushed aside, because, you know, he’s got the biggest dick and is the fucking protagonist. In an X-Men fucking show. 

Storm’s episodes were slow and boring. Wolverine had little to nothing to do. Roberto and Jubilee took up too much screen time and nothing meaningful came out of it. And then there’s Gambit… 

So, yeah, Gambit being humiliated and killed off half away through makes me nuts but the whole thing… it’s just not good. Mashing two or three different great comic storylines in one episode is not what I find to be a particularly well written and thought out plot. And let’s not forget all the lies and misleading information during the airing. It baffles me how some fans are still paying attention and taking at face value what the jerk and the insufferable voice actor said/say. Urgh, hate her guts.  

If, and only if, the retcon was retconned and we got something better next season, I might look back and see it with more tolerant eyes, but I know in my heart of hearts that is just wishful thinking on my part; it’s not happening, and it wouldn’t undo all the agonizing weeks of waiting and the subsequent months of never getting it over. I’ve never gotten it over.

[scoops-aboy86]

Fanfic Writer Interview

Thanks for taging me, @steviewashere and @queenie-ofthe-void!

What fandoms do you write in? Just Stranger Things.

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How many words did you publish in 2024? 172,626, which is pretty good for an inaugural total.

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What are your top three fics you wrote last year? I’m cribbing off steviewashere and answering this in a few different ways. Partly, not going to lie, because #1 was hilariously consistent.

Hits:

Secret Admirer | T

Not Dating | M (chubby Eddie)

All About the Bounce in My Step | M (chubby Steve)

Kudos:

Secret Admirer | T

Last Party of the Summer | E (chubby Steve)

Your Smile Is My Favorite | Thing (chubby Steve)

Bookmarks:

Secret Admirer | T

Wear it like a Collar, like a Ring, like a Lock (and Toss the Key) | M (chubby Steve)

All About the Bounce in My Step | M (chubby Steve)

Comment Threads:

Secret Admirer | T

Love Spell (No Go) | M (chubby Steve)

Not Dating | M (chubby Eddie)

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What was your biggest pit of despair moment? Missing a steddiemicrofics prompt in January.

Because, like… the last six months have been pretty bleak what with breaking my wrist, moving while on painkillers, the ringworm and missing two holidays because of it, still the ringworm, being laid out by something that felt like the flu but wasn’t for a week, unexpectedly and unceremoniously getting fired so hard I don’t qualify for unemployment, financial crisis, and maybe having to rehome our second dog because she keeps getting too overstimulated by the cats for us to feel they’re 100% safe around her which is breaking my fucking heart.

BUT. It was the only microfic month I missed amidst all that crap, and I saw it coming at the time and felt it was the insult added onto injury. Like, okay ability to write, kicking me when I’m already down I see. Bastard.

~

What have you learned? That more people like weight gain kink fics than I realized. Like, I’m not doing big numbers, but I am still doing more numbers than I would writing far less kinky niche in a smaller fandom and ain’t that something.

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Did you beta any fics last year? Any faves you want to shout out? I did not, but I’ve had the honor of bouncing ideas back and forth with some cool cucumbers, including but not limited to: @hotluncheddie, @wheneverfeasible, @victorclays, @cherrygyals-blog.

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What three fics from last year did you love? Oh man, my memory is dogshit. Let’s see…

it must be something in the water by rosefire | E (omegaverse). Love me some athlete omega Steve and angst with mutual pining miscommunication. Which I swear is not a real spoiler, it’s in the tags.

I’d Meet You Where The Spirit Meets The Bones by aaliona | E (omegaverse). Also omega Steve. Look, I will never not be enamored with a/b/o fics where the character is exactly the same as in canon and like also there are secondary characteristics in there too, worked in seamlessly without changing anything. I think this was actually the first fic like that I ever read that did that (this list is not in chronological order) and it is secretly the golden ruler I hold all other a/b/o fics. Steve keeping his designation a secret and regardless of his actual designation everyone just assumes he’s an alpha? Yes please. Specifically pointing to him as an example of, this big strong omega has been protecting the shit out of y’all for years and bullshit stereotypes are bullshit? I’m eating it with a spoon. Alpha Eddie is a size queen? I’m using my hands.

At a medium pace by dartlekey | E. There’s something so cathartic to me about Eddie being very cranky while recovering from his bat injuries. And also, of course, there’s the silliness during hot, hot sex. And the bit where Eddie thinks he “needs to introduce Steve to a few bears, get the guy some inspiration for what he could look like, in a few years.”

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What ideas are percolating for this year? Yes.

I know this is not a yes or no question, but… Yes.

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Sending some no pressure tags to: Anyone who wants to, plus anyone I tagged in my answers above.