#watch-the-system-burn

[hyakunana]

Encounter V — Reverse Boost

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[sillygoofyqueer]

More rambling about Shui Qingbo!!!!

Shui Muyang made it onto Zui Xian peak, literally one of the best peaks for them to be on because hey, their father ran a hospitality business, they knew how this stuff works!! Partying, flattery, keeping people's cups filled - they were pretty smug about it all, considering they hadn't even really been trying to get accepted, it was just their natural charm that won their shizun over (of course, they were very charming). They stepped onto the peak confidently, ready for the tea ceremony so that they would become an official disciple!- Only to be quickly disappointed when their shizun told them that Zui Xian was not actually all about alcohol production. What did that mean? Well, apparently, the founders of the sect had decided that it would be a good idea for one of the peaks to focus on the more...shady side of running a sect with politics entrenched so deeply into its foundations. Meaning, to put it simply, spies. Killers. Poison makers. Literal child assassins. Oh, but they still made wine though, that was okay, and they were in charge of planning all major sect events because god forbid they didn't keep up their disguise. When Shui Muyang heard about this, they declared it to be (the xianxia equivalent of) false advertising, thoroughly disappointed with this turn of events. Their shizun had laughed and agreed, but she had also told them that they would become a disciple of Zui Xian Peak and swear an oath to keep the secret, or they would be killed. After all, such a huge secret could never get out of Cang Qiong. Out of curiosity, they asked about what would happen if they made the oath but then tried to tell someone. They were promptly told that if that were to happen, telling someone outside of the sect would lead to their instant, violent death due to the constraints of the oath. Shui Muyang took the oath, feeling truly disappointed at this turn of events but only distantly bothered about it all. Then they let themself be led to the disciples dorms and promptly got dragged into a fist fight because they were new and this was how they 'tested a newbie's resolve'. As if these disciples didn't expect them to snitch right away - they were good at keeping secrets, but they also knew when it would benefit them and when it wouldn't. Shizun rewarded them with their own room. They didn't see the other disciple that they fought with again. All in all, they truly took to this peak like a duck took to water, which likely wasn't all that good in truth, but they had always been a bit disjointed from the life around them. This was probably due to the fact their soul floated between the realms of life and death (or whatever had been said about resentful energy), but Shui Muyang didn't really care about such things. Watching someone get killed in training became just another part of their day. It was quite satisfying to take down an opponent double their size armed with nothing but a needle (one of their favourite training exercises). When they had first told Shizun that gender was stupid, she just nodded and said that it was a good thing they thought that, because they had much more options for undercover missions then. That was the thing about Shizun - she could be kind and understanding one second, but the moment there was a slip up in training or a mistake in their general lessons, it was no shock to be beaten or whipped. They had asked about it (seemingly in the minority of people who weren't shit scared of her), she said that there was no room for mistakes or errors on her peak. Which Shui Muyang found funny, because they were most certainly an error to their parents and a mistake to fate, but they were making themself quite cosy on her peak. Of course, training was fun and they found that cultivation wasn't so bad after all - even heightening their sensitivity to resentful energy - but when they were asked to help out in the breweries dotted around the peak they genuinely relaxed. (I'LL YAPPER MORE LATER, IT'S TIME FOR EDUCATION)

[yardsards]

a tactic of abusive parents that i don't see brought up very often: convincing their victims that child protective services are evil and that foster parents would certainly be even more abusive than their current circumstances

[thirdtimed]

he was only ever meant to watch

[hubbaslubba]

i actually think it would be cool to have a video game which has dating mechanics and one romance option clearly prefers someone else over you IF they were leaning into it or maybe exploring the unnatural transactional nature of those kinds of systems and whether typical video game mechanics are an adequate way to represent human bonds etc etc

but… this really wasnt what they were doing with lucanis and neve lol

[knightofkestrels]

I want a Pokemon game for adults (don't even mention P*lw*rld) that features an adult MC that like, skipped out on the whole "pokemon journey" thing as a kid but has realized they hate their job, don't like where they are in life, and that they actually DO want that Pokemon adventure actually!

It's a fresh start, and sure, there's a bunch of kids around, but kids bring a fresh perspective that's actually kinda nice, and the MC can impart wisdom to the kids when they have interpersonal conflicts and such. They get to be a mentor in some respects, but also get to learn from the kids as well.

It would also make sense if MC comes with one or two Pokemon already - maybe one related to their job, maybe one they got as a kid but never really did a lot of training with (so it starts at a higher level but could get quickly outpaced if you don't work on leveling it).

That's the kind of thing THIS adult really wants out of a Pokemon game "for adults".

[stillthesunkenstars]

hell screen

[unexpectedgeese]

Smirke’s taxonomy is good, actually. Fight me.

No ok but like I WILL go to bat for the Smirke Taxonomy of fears you guys have no fuckin clue what’s up. Neither did Smirke but like

OK SO. The Smirke taxonomy makes no fucking sense if you’re using it as a straight-on categorization of fears. Control and spiders? How are those the same thing? Why is FIRE its own damn category? Yadda yadda BUT THAT’S NOT THE POINT.

Because yeah, Smirke was trying to categorize fears– But what he actually did is categorize HOW THEY MANIFEST.

Like;;; human fear is infinitely varied and complex. You’re never going to be able to slot it into simple categories. We’re afraid of EVERYTHING– the unknown and the known and the concrete and the abstract and the truth and the untruth and spiders and heights and being forgotten and it’s like!! A nuanced outlook on how the fears manifest in avatars and the like is crucial for any actual study but it’s a NIGHTMARE for filing systems. Could you imagine running an archive and having to pinpoint the exact fear for every single statement? “Ooh, is this story where a man is killed by spiders driven by a fear of spiders themselves, oor more what spiders imply?” You’d never get anything done!

But What you CAN do. Is categorize the fears not by what they’re fears of, but by how they manifest in the real world. Because! The manifestations of the fears are driven by the way we as a society talk about our fear! And so grouping fear manifestations and avatars into categories based on how we talk about them is a GENIUS way to circumvent the complicated-ass fear identity question in favor of a more pragmatic, top-down approach to the varied dreads that stalk our everyday lives.

Like, when you’re addicted to something? You’re ‘caught in your own web’. When you don’t know what’s going on? You’re ‘being kept in the dark’. Having a mental health crisis, well, I think you might be ‘spiraling’, my friend! 

Are the everyday struggles of life getting you down? You’re ‘under a lot of pressure,’ seems like. ET CETERA ET CETERA! I could go on! But the POINT is– the language we use to talk about and understand out fear can be used to group said fear into categories based on how it manifests, and SMIRKE’S TAXONOMY IS PERFECT FOR THAT.

And not because that’s how it was intended– No, Robert Smirke is STILL a fucking hack, I’m not disputing that. His whole ‘balance’ schtick was stupid as hell. BUT ALSO! 

Because his taxonomy is so popular among avatars and such, the very EXISTENCE of ‘the entities’ as a concept has skewed the cultural zeitgeist in such a way that Smirke’s taxonomy is more correct now than it was when it was created.

Which!! Is so cool!! Like. Yes, the Smirke taxonomy is objectively a really shit way to classify fear. Most individual ‘entities’ have conflicting fears associated (being watched and watching yourself? C’mon, Eye. You can do better), and there’s some odd overlap too (there are SO MANY fears that incorporate ‘the unknown’ in some way). But when attempting to classify the  physical traits and such of a manifestation/avatar? Smirke’s got you covered, baby!

To summarize: While Smirke’s taxonomy sucks ASS when you try to apply it to the psychological specifics of any given avatar, or fear, or what have you, it’s great for classifying the physical. The cut-and-dry 14 entities give a really good intro to the world of fears, work great for any kind of filing system, and give a good big-picture view of avatar politics. 

[thegoblinpit]

Me? Trust the government?

[bigshoeswamp]

every day i go to work and come back and work and study and i can't stop thinking... is that it

[cinemaocd]

For my UK mutuals

As requested I'm not interacting but I have a lot to say about surviving extreme weather as American who has survived half a century of extreme weather in the midwest.

I lived in uninsulated attic bedroom without ac as a child and these are things I learned to do when I was little:

Close up the windows and shut the blinds as the day is heating up. Wait to open things up until after the sun goes down. Use fans to circulate air into the house early in the a.m. when it's colder outside than inside. Use your fans to circulate air around the house during the heat of the day. Use your fans to push air OUT of the house again in the evening. If you push air out an upper story window it will draw some colder air from below.

Save activities/errands for evenings and early mornings. Stay out of the sun as much as possible. Use umbrellas for shade. Wear a hat. Lose fitting clothing in a breathable (cotton, linen, light weight wool) fabric is much better than exposed skin if you have to go in the sun. If you want to go to the beach go early in the morning or in the evening. Don't swim in the heat of the day. If you are in charge of when you work, avoid doing it in the heat of day. If you run a shop, cafe or other business, change your hours to avoid being open during "siesta hours" (2-5 p.m.) If possible try to work from home to avoid commuting during the heatwave. The more people on the Tube the hotter it's going to be down there.

Cars left in the sun are subject to the greenhouse effect and will be much hotter than outside temperatures. Open your car windows and doors before you drive and run the fan to push the hot air out. If you are traveling carry the following: Cold drinking water, a sports drink, nut milk or cow's milk are preferable to soda, coffee or tea but any of those three are preferable to nothing. Even if your vehicle has a.c. you still need more hydration to deal with the heat.

Also useful for travel: bandana or towel (more on that later), sun hat, handheld fan (for when you are stuck in traffic). In America they sell these shields that you can put over your windshield to prevent the greenhouse effect. Not sure if they sell them in the Old Country, but here is a tutorial for making one out of cardboard. All of this stuff (minus the sunshade) would be useful on public transport.

That other post talks about how its bad to wear wet clothes in the sun because water acts as a lens but wet clothing can be your best friend in the shade! A bandana dipped in cold/cool water and wrapped around your neck will keep you cool until it dries. For sleeping I often place a cold bandana or washcloth on my face or forehead. You can dampen a towel and sit on it (this is a great trick for long car rides in the heat) Alternatively: Hot water bottles can also be COLD WATER BOTTLES. Just add ice. They make ice trays that make skinny little shapes to fit into water bottles, and they can help turn your hwb into an ice pack.

Cold/cool showers and baths especially right before bed if you have trouble sleeping in the heat. Kiddie pools or animal troughs in the shade are great for keeping people and doggos cool.

Cranking your fridge to its lowest setting will make it cool more but the heat that is pumped out of the fridge goes right into your house. Keep your fridge at the warmest temp you can get away with. Likewise televisions and computers pump out of a ton of heat when they are running.

IF YOU LOSE POWER

The temptation to rely on your refrigerator/freezer is obvious but the first thing that happens in a heat wave in America is the power grid goes down.

Think about buying a solar powered fan now, before the grid goes down...

Make sure you have batteries charged ahead of time.

If you rely on candles or lanterns for power outtages, consider a source of light that doesn't add heat to the environment, like a solar powered LED lantern.

Another piece of equipment that could literally save your life: a marine cooler.

If/when the worst happens: take some large frozen items out of freezer/deepfreeze and put it in a cooler with some essentials from your fridge. Deeply frozen food will keep those other things cool for a day or more (depending on your cooler). Try to keep the fridge and freezer shut then after you have filled your cooler so that the remaining cool air will keep things as long as possible. If you go multiple days without power you may need to throw everything out anyway, but you might get away with it if you are careful and have a good cooler.

A marine cooler kept out of the sun will keep ice for days. We started camping with one and we no longer have to do any kind of mid-trip ice stock up. Also: block ice will stay frozen so much longer than cubes. If you have the space in your freezer, buy some now and stash it before you need it.

Fresh fruit and vegetables that don't require cooking are a great way to get more liquids and feed yourself without making your house any hotter or using electricity. If consumed quickly they don't need refrigeration either.

This is a wacky one but hear me out: hammocks. If you can hang a hammock do it! Sleeping suspended like that air circulates around your body and you will be so much cooler. I was in tropical Mexico a few years ago and all of the houses had hammock hooks built into the walls to take advantage of the cooling effect. Bonus: you can pretend to be Captain Jack Aubrey while you're lying there...

[hyperfixation-or-death]

A series of headcanons:

Victor Deslandes was a Gifted Child™ in elementary school, and hit burnout in middle school.

Sam Deslandes was a Gifted Child™ in middle school, and hit burnout in high school.

Bilal Belkebirs was canonically highly academically and professionally successful before time traveling back to save his friends. However, in the post-canon timeline, he experiences burnout in university due to feeling somewhat directionless.

Romane Berthauds, in the timeline she and Victor traveled back from, had no friends and decided to focus most of her time and effort into academic success. The Romane from Bilal's timeline also put a lot of effort into schoolwork, but after her mom died, her studying habits became really unhealthy and excessive as she tried to cope with the loss. Post-canon Romane does not experience academic burnout (she has sooo many other problems, though). However, the Romane from Bilal's timeline (who the show unfortunately doesn't acknowledge again) will have a midlife crisis at some point.

[lunasilvis]

good morning, another fine day for scaring the dutch windmill village bourgeoisie by flashing 'em my carhartt, dickies and dr martens apparel 6️⃣6️⃣6️⃣

[lenjaminmacbuttons]

gonna write a slasher where the final girl has did

[bunnyb34r]

I really wasnt expecting that anti-apple post to get notes sgdgdgdg I feel so validated 😭💕

[thefandomlesbian]

The US says, "We don't have a healthcare crisis, the pandemic is over and everything is fine again," and meanwhile I'm running a fever with a positive COVID test being asked if there's any way I could come in to work the COVID unit because there is literally no one else.