#which is one of the highest ratings i've seen

[quaranmine]

by the way do you remember at the beginning of september when i was sad because the libby audio book i wanted had like an eight week hold on it? anyway yeah i got the book AND I DONT EVEN LIKE IT

[roboticchibitan]

I used to work at JoAnn's and let me give you a tip. Don't buy fabric there if you can help it. It's overpriced low quality crap. You can absolutely find fabric for just as cheap online and if you're a "have to touch it before I know if I'll hate it or not" person lots of online places sell samples.

Case in point: Robert Kaufman Kona solids. I've seen claims online that the Kona solid quilting cotton, which is the highest quality quilting cotton solids JoAnn's sells, is different and lower quality than the Kona cotton you can get at a quilt shop. I can't speak to the validity of those claims but I 100% would not be surprised if it were true. But let's set that aside and just see how JoAnn's prices measure up.

As you can see, the regular price at JoAnn's is $9.99. The regular price at this random quilting online store I spent 20 seconds on duckduckgo to find is $7.95. Sure, the sale price is 15¢ cheaper at JoAnn's. But JoAnn's is constantly playing this "our fabrics are cheap because they're on sale! Don't look at how much they regularly cost anywhere else" psychological warfare game which I do NOT appreciate.

I'm sure if you looked harder than the 20 seconds I spent on duckduckgo you could find Kona cotton for cheaper than JoAnn's has it and you wouldn't have to wonder about the quality claims. And all their fabric is like this. Maybe a decade ago it was a good deal but now? There's a reason they've gone bankrupt.

Just because I could, I compared fabric wholesale direct's price for solid color polyester Jersey knit fabric, which is regularly priced at $5.99 and is currently on sale for $5.09. JoAnn's comparable fabric starts again at $9.99/yard and that fabric is currently on sale for $6.99. There are 10 colors of the JoAnn's $6.99 fabric and 45 colors of the FWD $5.09 fabric FWD does free shipping over $99 and flat rate shipping at $7.95 for anything below that. Depending on how much you buy, you'll potentially be paying the same or less for the FWD fabric and 1. It's probably higher quality and 2. There's 4 times as many color options.

JoAnn's is good for if you need less than a yard and have the time and ability to go to the store in person. And yeah, if you're shopping in person, you don't have to pay shipping. But the quality of all their fabric is low and the "sale" prices are around the same as a place with higher quality fabric.

I buy embroidery floss and thread at JoAnn's cuz embroidery floss is cheaper in person than on DMC's website and you can't trust product photos of thread to be color accurate. And I buy sewing notions there sometimes cuz it's convenient. But even the scissors I spent $30 on there a decade ago (who knows how much they are now) were $17 at Walmart when I lost the first pair and had to replace them 4 years later.

Also they treat their employees like shit and currently no one besides store managers gets health insurance through them because the only full time position in their stores is the store manager. And even before the bankruptcy they shortstaffed and did everything in their power to avoid paying for benefits and overtime. It was the worst job I ever had and that's saying something because I worked at Walmart and had a "this creepy guy went to JAIL over what he did to me" experience there.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Hi! Sorry if this is a dumb question, but what do you know about reusable covid-safe masks? I've never stopped wearing the fabric masks, but I'd like to step up my protection. I'm also just worried about all the trash single-use masks will produce -- I want to be environmentally responsible too -- but a lot of mask resources don't seem to specify much on reusability/washability. I'd be really grateful for anything you can send my way.

First off, reusable filters don't offer enough protection. You need at least n95 rated material, and washing it breaks it down and removes its electrostatic charge, rendering it less protective. There's no 100% earthy-crunchy green way to give yourself adequate covid protection. What elastomeric masks do, however, is reduce the amount of waste in reducing filter size. This also brings the cost of filters down in most cases. Some companies exist that recycle masks too, but I only have links Canadian examples and I don't know where you are.

There's a lot of elastomeric masks out there. 3M has over 3 dozen n95 or p100 models to choose from. There's even forced-air options if you wanna go for the absolute best protection, but in all but the highest risk and research covid scenarios, it's major overkill.

Because I don't know you or your measurements, I can't tell you what mask will 100% fit you. Personally, my everyday wear is a big-nose model Flo Mask, and for high risk scenarios, I break out my MSA Advantage 300. There's dozens of models and levels of protection out there ranging from full face, forced air respirators to the thong-like B99 B2 that only barely covers my mouth and nose. The zero covid reddit might be a great place to ask people for recommendations based upon your concerns with fitting an elastomeric to your specific face type: low/high bridge, shallow/chubby cheeks, and chin size all impact which elastomeric is likely to get and keep a good seal in use. You might have to buy 2 or 3 before you find *the one* is a problem you may encounter, but of all the elastomerics I've seen, Flo Mask has the best general fit and would be a good starting point.

Basically, even disposable masks will prevent you using even more resources and plastics and such by keeping you healthy and out of the hospital. Someone who uses and throws away 2 or 4 masks every couple weeks (depending on your specific needs, could be a little more if you like sweat at work a lot or something) is far less impact than a ICU stay for covid. Also, you could help prevent covid *and* offset everyone's mask waste by eliminating Taylor Swift since she flies two private jets to all her events which spread more covid than any other superspreader event. (For legal reasons, I am joking)

[oneatlatime]

More Zuko Alone Thoughts

Last season our expository Zuko episode was The Storm, an episode which I loved. It was both a well-written and well-animated piece of media, and enthralling to watch. I don't want to say enjoyable because of the subject matter discussed, but it was certainly good.

This season's expository Zuko episode was Zuko Alone, and I didn't like it. Although it was animated fantastically, I found the characterisation of Zuko in the present day sections to be completely off. I found it embarrassing, awkward, and frustrating to watch. Now, I've seen the rating this episode has on IMDb, so I know this is just my opinion, and a fairly unpopular one at that. I'm also aware that I'm biased because Zuko is not my favourite character. But I want to explore why, in my opinion, The Storm stuck the landing while Zuko Alone flubbed it.

Here's what I think is the main reason: The Storm is Aang's story about his past, juxtaposed with Iroh's story about Zuko's past. Aang and Iroh are our storytellers; Aang and Zuko are the stories being told.

Zuko Alone is Zuko's story of the present, being experienced through Zuko's perspective, juxtaposed with Zuko's story in the past, being experienced through Zuko's memories. It's too much Zuko, and unlike the characters in The Storm, Zuko has no idea what's going on.

Despite his flightiness and inability to take things seriously, Aang is perceptive, socially and emotionally intelligent (as much as a 12 year old can be), and able to be subtle when the situation calls for it. Look at The Great Divide: as soon as he had the appropriate backstory info, he saw right to the heart of the conflict, he saw that it was stupid as Hell, and he saw and successfully executed a way to fix it that relied entirely on an accurate assessment of all involved parties' stances. And it worked.

Iroh has easily the highest perception stat in the whole show, when he isn't being deliberately obtuse. His wisdom is off the charts, if his one liners are anything to go by.

So despite some very (very) notable differences, Aang and Iroh have similarities in their personalities and their perspectives, and importantly for this post, in their self-knowledge.

Then we get Zuko, who has the perceptiveness and subtlety of a mud brick to the teeth, all the wisdom of a bandaid wrapper, and the social and emotional intelligence of something that starts to grow in your sink when it's been too long since you did the dishes.

Aand and Iroh can see the themes, lessons, mistakes, and places for improvement in the stories they're telling, about themselves and others. Zuko is stumbling through both his past and his present. The Storm is compelling because the audience gets to simultaneously learn expository detail and watch Aang and Iroh go through a process of self-analysis, recrimination, and commitment to doing better. It's an info dump with a hefty dose of character building on the side.

Zuko in Zuko Alone is a dumbass blindly stumbling into the same mistakes we've already seen him make, learning nothing in the process (that I could detect - maybe he'll run into the family's older brother in a few episodes and work up the courage to save him based on what he learned during his time with that family, who knows). Zuko has been trained to be a fighter, not a person, so of course he's going to fail at the 'soft skills' parts of being human. So Zuko needs someone with him to do/model that soft skills work until he learns how to do it for himself. But Zuko is alone in Zuko Alone, so the character development that could have happened doesn't.

I don't need morals and themes explicitly spelled out in the narrative; I'm fine with subtext. But Zuko in Zuko Alone so thoroughly misses what's going on in the episode that it's annoying to watch. And there's no indication at the end of the episode that he's learned anything from having missed those things. There's no indication that he's aware that there was anything to miss.

In The Storm, Aang has Katara to bounce off of and help talk him through his story. Iroh's wise enough not to need a foil, but he does have the ship's crew, both as a reason to tell the story and as an audience to play off of. Heck, in Bato of the Water Tribe, Sokka has Bato giving the speech about the lonely wolf to help him understand the point Sokka's dad was trying to make in the flashback, and avoid the wrong course of action (leaving Aang behind). Aang moves on from self-recrimination and Iroh has won back Zuko's crew's loyalty at the end of The Storm; Sokka has finally understood 'being a man means being where you're needed the most' by the end of Bato of the Water Tribe. But Zuko is alone by choice in Zuko Alone, so he finishes the episode exactly where he started, his mother's last words entirely misinterpreted. No wiser, probably unable to even articulate where he went wrong beyond fire = bad in this context.

There seems to be a theme in this show of the necessity of friends and family networks and support. Aang (with Katara's help), Iroh (with the crew as audience and motivator), Sokka (with Bato's help), all come to better understandings of their responsibilities and/or their mistakes by working things out with the help of at least one other person. Zuko ditches Iroh to play at being a lone wolf and fails in a way that's frankly embarrassing to watch.

So the reason I don't like Zuko Alone is that he's doomed to fail from the start. Zuko is (trying to) go about his character development in a way this show has already showed us is opposite to how it should be done. I'm not fond of 'doomed from the start' narratives as a general rule, mostly because to me they feel like a bad investment. If you know it's all going to end badly (because it started wrong), then why bother committing the time and effort the narrative asks of you? (She says, having read The Silmarillion twice).

So if I became Queen of the world tomorrow and decreed that Zuko Alone needed to be changed to fit my personal tastes, how would I do it? The obvious answer is to shove Iroh in there, but it probably wouldn't work anyway, because Zuko is not showing any signs of being ready to listen - REALLY LISTEN - to those wiser than him. I'm not sure if he's even ready to admit yet that there are people who ARE wiser than him. He's already admitted that there are people with more martial prowess than him, like his sister, but I don't think Zuko actually values wisdom enough to see its worth. So it's probably not even on his radar. If Iroh's presence wouldn't work, what about having a removed narrator, like Iroh did for Zuko's story in The Storm? A narrator who is not as thoroughly blind to what's going on in the past and the present as Zuko. Maybe a single episode character, who tells the story of that time a stranger came to town? That might work. It would fit with the genre this episode is paying homage to. Or you could have an interesting juxtaposition, where the narrator character is not omniscient, narrating the present only, and Zuko is completely alone during the flashback bits. That would probably lead to Zuko making the same mistakes anyway, since it's really his past that he needs to work through.

Or maybe I'm reading way too much into this and I just don't like Zuko enough as a character to like a Zuko-centric story, no matter how it's told. Or maybe 24 minutes of second-hand embarrassment is 24 too many for me. At least he's keeping Song's horse bird fed.

[fellow-travelers-fic-recs]

Fellow Travelers Fic Recs | Author of the Month: July

captainquint | @jesterlesbian

Works in FT Fandom: 8

Most Recent:  I Wanna Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart [E, 3K] Hawk tipped his hat politely towards Tim, the way he always did when he rode back into town and stabled his horse at the Liberty Bell, where Tim worked as a stable hand. The pay wasn’t much, but it was steady work, and the off-chance of spotting Hawkins Fuller in leather chaps astride a horse sweetened the pot considerably.

Hawk flashed Tim the look that he understood meant “Meet me around the back,” so Tim dawdled for a few moments more, trying in vain to wipe off as much dirt and muck as he could from his shirt before oh-so-casually strolling to behind the stables, where it met the treeline and provided just the right amount of cover.

Longest Fic:  I Guess I've Got The Christmas Blues [E, 5K] Tim Laughlin stood in front of Hawk, one hand still raised as if to continue banging on the door, his tweed jacked dotted with snowflakes. Water droplets were trapped on his glasses, maybe from melted snow. But with how red-rimmed his eyes were, there might have been teardrops on his glasses as well.

Hawk’s slightly intoxicated reflexes took a moment to spring into action upon seeing Tim. “Skippy,” he grinned, "what, did you miss me that much? I’ll still be here after New Year’s."

Tim’s face screwed up in a look of righteous fury that Hawk knew meant an argument was coming. And before he could react, Tim was shoving Hawk backwards and into the apartment, slamming the door behind them.

“You absolute ass!”

Or, Tim confronts Hawk about his being investigated by the M Unit.

Top 3 Highest Rated Fics:  I Guess I've Got The Christmas Blues

Picturing You Kneeling In Prayer [M, 2K] It's the beginning of Lent in 1953.

“During Lent, we’re supposed to give up earthly pleasures so as to better reflect on Christ in the desert, and his overcoming Satan’s temptations. Speaking of which, you should probably be going.”

Tim slid away from Hawk’s grasp and moved to gather his hat and coat for him. He turned to find Hawk still seated on the bed, staring back at him with a slightly confused look on his face.

“People give up lots of things for Lent, things they consider indulgent or pleasurable. Booze, cigarettes, chocolate. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I gave up… you.”

we'll be on the road like Jack Kerouac [M, 4K] He tried to think of what Tim would do or say. The man who had only spoken to his son a handful of times over one weekend in 1968, but had seemed to understand him far better than Hawk ever had.

The business card felt like it was burning a hole in his pocket.

An idea burst to life in Hawk’s mind. This was an emergency if he’d ever seen one.

“What would you say to coming with me to San Francisco?”

Or, Hawk and Jackson go on a cross-country road trip to San Francisco.

Hidden Gem:  Only The Lucky Ones Come Home [M, 1K] It didn’t make sense. Kenny wasn’t in Italy, he wasn’t in Europe. He was sent somewhere in the Pacific, Hawk wasn’t quite sure. That was the last he had heard. So how could Kenneth Willard be bleeding out at his feet in Velletri?

“You did this.”

The blood in Hawk’s veins turned to ice at Kenny’s words.

Or, Hawk has a nightmare about his time in the war.

FTFR Fave:  All Tied Up With Nowhere To Go [E, 2K] “Are they too tight?” Hawk asked, tugging on Tim’s wrists.

Tim’s wrists were, at that moment, bound to the headboard of Hawkins Fuller’s bed by some carefully knotted neckties. Tim was struck by the thought of Hawk wearing one of these ties to work on a later day, becoming distracted in his office thinking of what they had done with them on this night. His mouth twitched up at the corner. “Hey, are you listening to me?” Hawk placed a hand under his chin and tilted Tim’s face towards Hawk’s own. “This is important. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Tim rolled his wrists and wiggled his fingers to show they were fine. “I’m not made of glass, Hawk, you don’t have to treat me like I’ll break.”

Or, Hawk teases a tied-up Tim

Part 2 of FT Valentine's Day 2024 

Upcoming Work I’m Excited About: Tim in Lingerie Fic Snippet (Tim in Lingerie Fic):  He was pulled from his thoughts by the feeling of Hawk slowly removing his sheer stockings, caressing his calf and ankle on the way down. Hawk took one bare foot in his hand and smirked up at Tim with a raised eyebrow, as if to say, “Remember this?” before sucking a toe into his mouth. The wet heat hit him immediately, and Tim whined high in the back of his throat.

“Hawk, get back up here, I need you,” Tim groaned, already creeping toward overstimulation at the dual sensations of Hawk’s tongue along his foot and the slide of the lace against his skin. He had always been… excitable, and the last thing he wanted to do was spill too soon.

Hawk pulled off his toes with an obscene pop! and rose again before him, bringing a hand to the hard planes of Tim’s abdomen and scratching lightly, teasing.

“You’re always in such a rush, Skippy. It’s not your fault, you’re still young,” he chuckled, “but I think I’m going to take my time with you tonight.”

Thanks for reading!

✨ Please show the author lots of love with your kudos, comments and reblogs of this post!

[nardo-headcanons]

Hey, I loved your Naruto headcanon posts, which makes me crave for more. Any thoughts on Uzushio in future?

Hi darling, I'm so glad you enjoy my headcanons! It's kind words like these that motivate me to do more! So, Uzushiogakure. A tricky one, since there's basically nothing we know in canon, but I've tried to make it work. Also I'm in bed with the flu and a fever rn so please excuse any spelling or grammar mistakes.

Uzushiogakure Worldbuilding Headcanon

People and Culture

Since most if not all Uzushio citizens are Uzumakis, its residents are typically known for their temperament and fiery personalities. Their enthusiasm is almost infectious and they're very loyal and will stick by your side no matter what. Although its last leader was a man, its typically run by women. Women are treated with the same respect as men are, and tought the same sealing techniques. Twin birth rates are high and there have been cases of even triplets or quadruplets. The Uzumaki are sharers, they love to share their food, their ninja equipment, and also their knowledge. Seriously, they're great teachers. Their standards for teaching are high, but they 100% stand behind their students. The longevity of the Uzumaki comes with a downside, though. Due to the faster mitosis of their cells, the overall cancer rate is the highest in the shinobi world. Most of the Uzushio citizens weren't actually full fledged shinobi, and they were a peaceful nation. The Uzumaki also used their sealing techniques on food to enhance its shelf life.

Clothing and Cosmetics

The traditional attire of an Uzumaki consists of various kinds of hanfu and other gowns. However, compared to their real world counterpart, the Uzushio garments aren't gendered. When it comes to hair- and skincare, Uzushio citizens gladly use cosmetic products imported from the water realm, but when it comes to acne prevention, they use a special blend of clay to apply topically, although peroral application is also possible. According to Uzumaki aunties, it is a miracle cure for almost anything.

Nature

Flora The climate of Uzushiogakure is mild, characerized by hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters and colorful falls. Most of the interior countryside is covered in bamboo forests. Bamboo was a sacred plant to the Uzumaki, as they saw it as a symbol of growth and regeneration. Another plant often seen in Uzushiogakure is the ginko tree. During the fall, its leaves are often ejoyed as a tea by the citizens. The coastlines are characterized by rocky beaches. Swimming in the sea however, is not a good idea, as there are whirlpools lurking close to the shore. Since the country is sprinkled by rivers, many citizens commute by boat.

Fauna

In the whirlpool realm, there are a lot of different animals. An animal unique to Uzushiogakure is the big and the red panda. Big pandas are seen as a symbol of good luck by the Uzumaki, while red pandas are seen a symbol of laughter and mischief. In the forests of the whirpool realm you can find foxes, wolves and wild tigers. Another mischievious friend of the Uzumaki is the red squirrel, and they're so beloved by them, it's not a rarity to see squirrels chilling on rooftops or even take the boat together with the Uzumaki.

Food

The national dish of Uzushiogakure is mapo tofu. Enjoyed with rice imported from Kirigakure, it is enjoyed by adults, elders and children. Generally, the Uzumaki have the second highest spice tolerance, coming after Sunagakure. Uzushiogakure is also a paradise when it comes to all things sauces and condiments. The most popular ones are keptjap manis, peri peri, hoisin and miso glaze. Street- and fast food was a big part of Uzumaki culture, as there many food stalls sprinkled throughout the village. Before it was destroyed, Kirigakure Kimchi was a very sought after imported food product.

[rationalisms]

sorry to whack a wasp's nest, and i am prefacing all of this by saying that i enjoyed the game and think there are a lot of good aspects to it, but!

i am genuinely so sick of the way people talk about baldur's gate 3

i don't think it should have won game of the year

it's so, so irritating to see people claim over and over that bg3 is somehow groundbreaking for the genre or some sort of trailblazing star in a charred wasteland that has seen no good release since dragon age: origins. and like, it's not just idiots in the steam reviews and on reddit who are talking like this (though they are fucking everywhere on both. one of the highest rated posts on the bg3 sub for months was some dude literally going "i've never played a ttrpg or crpg and i believe bg3 is a game changer" fucking lol). it's also like. professional video game journalists and reviewers. a lot of them!

and like. dragon age: origins is really not a particularly good game compared to many of its contemporaries and i seriously do not understand the chokehold it has on people but that aside, since it was released we've had so many incredible and amazing crpgs that featured outstanding writing, game design, art direction, music, voice acting, etc. the pillars of eternity duology, underrail, the wasteland series, tyranny, atom, the shadowrun trilogy, the pathfinder duology, even the fucking games larian made before this, the divinity: original sin duology are all doing what bg3 did, and often better than bg3 does it. and that's not even getting into the many, many games that came out before either that still hold up as masterpieces that leave both bg3 and da:o in the dust like planescape: torment or fallout 1 and 2!

in fact, it's really easy to compare larian's previous game, divinity: original sin 2, to baldur's gate 3 because they are incredibly similar in many ways down to the inciting incident being almost a 1 to 1 copy (you wake up captured on a ship and realize you've been shackled in a way thay suppresses your powers and harms you and the first act is dedicated to finding others who this has happened to and getting rid of it). except that dos2 handles a lot of the things bg3 also contains a lot better, like e.g. companion story progression. (it's absolutely baffling to have story progression tied to rests especially when the game goes out of its way to instill fake urgency in the player that can very easily lead to them avoiding rests and makes especially many early game moments permanently missable if you don't happen to rest enough times at the right time. my karlach romance got bricked in my first playthrough for this reason. also compounding this is the fact that even on tactician the game is so easy that you can go ages without needing to rest organically.)

dos2 also unquestionably has the better combat experience because the system was designed specifically for the game and around the games capabilities and limitations, whereas bg3 had to contend with trying to make d&d 5e work in a video game format when that's patently not what it was designed for. the amount of changes larian had to make to the ruleset to make 5e work for a video game should have been a sign that using 5e was probably just not a good choice. (and ftr i felt the same about the game solasta which also uses 5e.) and even with the rule changes and the way larian went out of its way to buff the extremely underwhelming and underperforming 5e martials, character building and progression is still nowhere near as versatile and exciting as it was in dos2 or other crpgs and you still have a lot of empty level ups or repetitive gameplay because you can only put so many rhine stones on a turd.

let me be clear: i don't think bg3 is a bad game. again, i liked it! i think it has some instances of really good writing (mainly in companion narratives and side stories imo, the main story is underwhelming as whole). the voice acting performances are fantastic. larian tried their best to make non-linear problem solving possible in a lot of places which is neat (but also makes the lack of them in other places really obvious and more annoying than it otherwise would have been tbh lol.)

i just hate the way that bg3 is treated like some sort of gold standard when it stands on the shoulders of predecessors who are just as good, if not better, but who get ignored because they don't have fully mocapped and voice acted character models or a 3D camera. there seems to be this complete reticence from so many people to play games that still utilize things like an isometric pov, despite the fact that the games which do so are designed around this. e.g. pillars of eternity and the shadowrun games are some of the most beautiful, artistically impressive rpgs i have ever played and make full use of the isometric perspective in its fullest to create absolutely stunning environmental design which wouldn't have been possible with a rotating camera. just because a technology is older doesn't mean it is worse! people absolutely should get out of their comfort zone more because they are missing out on so many gems otherwise.

also re: bg3 winning game of the year specifically: look, here's why this gets me so tilted. on release? vast swathes of the game were legitimately unplayable. act 1 was mostly alright because it had 5 years to cook in early release with constant community feedback and bug reporting. this was absolutely not true for act 2 and 3. act 3 in particular was legitimately just not working for me (and multiple of my friends). i have a soupy gaming PC that can play other contemporary games on ultra settings just fine, and yet i got as few as 2 FPS and frankly ludicrous amount of stuttering and lag on even the lowest settings while my poor CPU sounded like she was preparing for space flight. it's clear that they just did not optimize later acts at all. they did eventually fix the memory leak issue somewhat in later patches, but the performance in act 3 is still markedly much worse than the rest of the game. (also why the fuck is it like 200GB good fucking g-d learn to compress your shit larian!) and that's not even getting into how many quests were bugged and as a result not able to be completed.

in summary: i paid 60 bucks for something that released in an unfinished state that put my hardware at risk. i spent a lot of money on a game i was unable to complete in the state that i bought it in and that took several months to get to an actually playable state for many people. that is not fucking acceptable.

i am willing to cut larian a lot more slack than i would say, e.g. bethesda, on releasing buggy and poorly optimized games. which is why i was willing to patiently wait for a performance patch to replay it. i am not, however, willing to accept handing something that was patently not finished and did not give customers the product they paid for an award for game of the year.

that's a symptom of an industry that has gotten too fucking comfortable releasing unfinished games and putting the onus of bug detection and quality testing on its paying userbase. that's not my job! i paid for this because i expect a product that has already successfully underwent this process! but apparently games these days don't need to bother with that anymore because it doesn't matter if it's playable on release or not, they can still get a coveted industry award for it anyway.

tl;dr: bg3 is literally fine but i am begging everyone on my hands and knees to broaden their horizons and also the things we deem to be acceptable from gaming companies nowadays are shocking. ok. i'm done. sorry.

[symbioticsimplicity]

Tumblr, I have like...the weirdest question to ask you all. And I don't exactly know how to phrase it.

What...no, I think where exists the sexual being threshold for clowns?

See yeah no I don't know how to ask this, let's--

Here, visuals can only help us:

Here we've got these guys. They have all the classical halmarks of being a clown. Colorful face paint, big red nose, off-putting clashing outfit, the works. On most people's Sexy Meter or whatever, they're rating pretty low. Might even hit creepy for some folk.

But then we've got like, I dunno, this fuckin dude:

Definitely still a clown, and creepy as all hell arguably. But. BUT. There are plenty of people who want to fuck him, I know it, I've seen the fan art.

Could be the monsterfuckers I hear you say. You're probably right, but that's not the only flavor of clown I see folks wanting to get freaky with.

I think I've figured out my actual question now, the pictures helped.

How many clown traits can something have and still be sexy? And which ones are they??? And just maybe, what the fuck is it about a handful of clown traits that makes people lose their shit???

So. We have a baseline. Normal ass Bozo lookin headass clowns.

Now, lets shuffle to the far side of this horrible, horrible scale I need to make.

I would be remiss not to mention her for a question like this:

Arguably Harley has the least amount of clown traits while still being associated HEAVILY with clowns. Previous iterations of her have leaned harder into the clown theme, although she's more of a jester but fuck it same circus.

Regardless of her clown genus, Harley is arguably the best example of the Clown Sexiness cross over bullshit I'm talking about. She was also built with the intention of making her sexually appealing and she happens to have the least actual clown traits.

Now is that...related??

Recently I've been watching a lot of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss (which is probably what triggered this whole clown sexualization crisis nonsense). There are a LOT of characters in that series who resemble clowns heavily and are also still considered to be sexy.

On the lower end of the clown scale we have:

The Morningstars. Both Charlie and Lucifer’s faces resemble clown makeup strongly enough to immediately make one think of clowns. Lucifer is dressed like a fucking ringmaster and both of them are very silly MOST of the time. They're both considered attractive.

But then you've got these bitches:

They are VERY clown. Pretty sure they're based on clownfish even. They SING about being clowns.

Still hot!

But Symbi, I hear you groan, they're traditionally attractive women, of course people think they're hot. That's why. It overides the clown. That's it.

EXPLAIN. HIM.

This fucking dude is AGGRESSIVELY clown. He probably has the highest quotient of clown traits of the regular Helluva Boss cast. He's a weird little gremlin and I KNOW people want to fuck him real bad.

Is it because they've minimized the obtrusiveness of the clown? Moved away from the traditional and into stylization and thus transcended the barriers of clown? Is it cause they're all skinny and white?

I'd probably pack it up there with that as an explanation if I hadn't had to sit through THIS FUCKING DUDE taking over my dash for weeks:

I don't know a goddamn thing about One Piece but I know everyone was so fucking horny about this clown for...just a long ass while.

Now HE has even more prominent clown traits than anyone since Pennywise tbh. He's serving classic clown cunt like he's the last circus in Clown Town. Surely he should have been in the same camp as the baseline guys.

And yet. AND YET my very vivid memory of the fever dream that was watching a chunk of the internet simp for him tells me that's not the case.

So. Where the FUCK is the line?? Where do we stop wanting to fuck clowns? Why do we START wanting to fuck clowns?? Where in the god bedamned hell do ICP fall on this... clown fuckery scale. Please don't answer that one.

I don't know the answers to any of it. I just noticed that people find it sexy when people do the big lipstick with the points at the corners and that shit looks like stylized clown makeup. Now I'm drowning in clowns and questions.

Help.

[yourwakingnightmares]

Jason Todd: Origins, Background, and Childhood

Hi there, yes it's me, crawling out of the woodworks to rant again. Hi.

So, lately I've seen a huge group of people insisting that Jason Todd is...

A) Not Angry Ever

B) Grew up happy and normal, and really, it's classist to assume otherwise.

Now, we're gonna start with this 'classist' bullshit and get it right out of the way. Because it's infuriating, tbh. I spent most of my childhood growing up in a trailer that rarely had running water or electricity because my mother would spend any money she got her grubby hands on, on cigarettes, booze, and drugs.

And I'm not unique, or a special case. According to one Harvard study (1), the highest use of opioid abuse happens "...concentrated in more economically disadvantaged zip codes, indicated by higher rates of poverty and unemployment as well as lower education..."

According to another study by National Bureau of Economic Research, (2) "... Poverty is concentrated in inner-city neighborhoods that are also characterized by high rates of drug use."

This doesn't mean, of course, that every person who is poor, or grows up in generational poverty, is going to use drugs, and abuse their spouse or children, obviously. Many people grow up poor, or even as victims of domestic violence themselves, and don't go on to be abusive, alcoholics, or drug addicts. But denying that there is a huge correlation between poverty and drug use, and domestic violence, is burying our heads in the sand. (Side note: yeah, this is kind of my soap box too for we really need to start doing something about the children growing up in poverty, but I promise, we're getting to Jason Todd.)

Now, as has been established conclusively in canon, Jason Todd grew up in Park Row, also commonly referred to as 'Crime Alley'. This is undeniably, and widely accepted, as the poorest neighborhood in Gotham, with the highest amounts of crime, drug use, homelessness, and prostitution. Essentially, not matter which continuity you're talking about, Crime Alley is a cesspit. This is where Jason Todd grew up, first with his parents, and then with just his mom, then by himself, as a homeless child.

Now, several people I've... ahem... discussed things with lately, have insisted that Willis Todd was really a lovely, lovely person, and that we have no evidence or proof that he was abusive, or an alcoholic. Let me introduce you to a series of comic panels that pretty clearly make the case otherwise.

Or this one...

Or this one, where it says, Willis probably loved his son:

Even a quick google search of Willis Todd will show that the panel above? The one where it says he probably loved his son? That's about the best Jason had. Sure, pre-crisis, Willis was probably great; of course, pre-crisis, Willis and Catherine were also circus acrobats, and Jason was just a blond-haired version of Dick. So I think we can safely say that saying, "Well, PRE-CRISIS..." is kinda pointless and redundant here.

Now, further on, we have Catherine's drug use. While this was made clear in more recent comics...

We also have hints and heavily implied drug use from the 80s comics as well, including this one:

So after growing up with this lovely bunch of dysfunctionality, parentification, poverty, emotional/mental abuse, and most likely physical abuse (or, in a best case, neglect), Willis goes to jail, and Catherine eventually dies of an overdose. Now, canon does get a little hard to follow here, as several sources state she was self-medicating with heroin to deal with her 'illness' (which is usually described as cancer), with others just stating that she used heroin, without giving a reason as to why. But regardless of the 'why' of her drug use... she overdoses, and leaves Jason alone, homeless, in the most violent, crime infested streets of Gotham.

So we've clearly established that, in most continuities, Jason grew up with at best, neglectful parents, at worst, abusive parents (and yes, parentifying your child into having to take care of you is abuse, do not do), and was then homeless for (depending on the continuity) anywhere from 1-3 years (some variations have Bruce picking him up at 11, some at 13, and it's listed as Catherine dying variously when he was 9, 10, and 12).

Now, I want you to imagine all of that. Just for a moment. I want you to try and put yourself into a young Jason's shoes.

When your father is around, he's violent, he yells, he beats your mother, and sometimes he beats you. But when he's around, he brings in enough money to keep food on the table. You have a roof over your head, you have food... At the cost of your physical safety, sure, but you know... He's there, and things are somewhat better.

But he goes to jail, and your mother spirals out of control. You're taking care of her, and really... Either you're stealing to pay for her drug habit, or she's selling herself to pay for her drug habit, and either way, that's gonna traumatize you, while you're trying to take care of her, because she's barely functional, barely even a person anymore.

But then she dies. And now you're all alone. You are -at best -a twelve year old boy, with no skills, no family, and no legal way of making money. You've got limited options, stealing, begging, or selling yourself (and we'll discuss that more in another post).

You survive this, as a child, for anywhere from a year, to three years. Meaning anywhere from an eighth to a quarter of your life, you spend scrambling to find a meal, scrambling to find some place to sleep, trying desperately to survive just one more day, so you can wake up and do it all over again tomorrow.

Now, most of us know at least one small child, or we've seen them in the store. The average ten year old male is about 50 inches tall. That's 4'2". For context, that's about the height of a hockey net. The height of an adult bike. Slightly shorter than the length of an average park bench. Take a moment, and think about a ten year old in your life. Or look at a picture of yourself at ten.

Think about being that little, that small, and having to take care of yourself while living on the streets. Of surviving a New Jersey winter. Imagine what you have to do, on a daily basis, just to survive. Imagine knowing that one bad day could literally mean you starve to death, or freeze to death, or get beaten by someone you have no hope of stopping. Again, in a best case scenario... this is your life for a single year. If we split for the average, you survive two years of this.

What would it take to survive that? What would it do to a young mind, still developing, still learning and growing, not even a teenager yet?

Guess what? Growing up like this? It doesn't create smol cute adorable beans who are happiness and sunshine personified. It doesn't create kids who never get angry, who are just perpetually happy.

Jason Todd was angry, long before he died, probably long before he became Robin. Anger isn't violent. These two things are not mutually exclusive. I can be angry about people starving, I can be angry about people abusing or neglecting their children, I can be angry about a lot of things, without being violent.

I've noticed a disturbing trend of Red Hood fans, who conflate 'Anger' to 'Violence', and can't seem to separate the two. These are the fans who insist that Jason isn't angry, he was only angry after the Lazarus Pit. (In a probably unrelated note, I've noticed these are the same people who insist that Jason's library is full of nothing but classical era feminist literature).

By saying that Jason's not angry, these people are erasing a big part of his characterization, and his early development. They are, in their own way, just as bad as the people who insist that Jason's just a violent little sociopath who kills just because he can. Neither of these extremes take into account Jason's early home life, growing up with domestic violence, then spending a significant part of his formulative years homeless, struggling to survive, and what that would do to a young mind.

[moons-epiphany]

clancy album review

i have finally listened to clancy and watched all the music videos so i thought it'd give a little album review

okay first i'll give each song a star rating out of 5 which will mean:

1 star = i didn't like it

2 stars = it was okay

3 stars = i liked it

4 stars = i really liked it

5 stars = i loved it

(also disclaimer in case anyone tries to come for me lmao - i've been a clikkie since 2016 back when i was a young cringefail teen so just bc i'm not a massive fan of all of their songs does not mean that i hate the band or that i'm not a true fan or anything. fans can be critical of the bands/media they like and in fact i encourage it. okay anyway, let's go.)

album rankings

and, because why not, here's my ranking of all of the top albums so far:

trench (5 stars): you can take this album from my cold dead hands. i firmly believe that this was top's best album music wise. (also the bandito tour was an overwordly experience that i'm grateful i saw twice so i'm very biased towards this album).

vessel (5 stars): my favourite album (despite being second). it's very nostalgic for me. when i think of twenty one pilots i usually think of guns for hands first as both the song and music video are peak.

blurryface (5 stars): i love every song from this album :) also tear in my heart was the first ever twenty one pilots song that i listened to <3

self-titled (5 stars): every song is a banger. ate no crumbs.

regional at best (5 stars): again every song is a banger.

clancy (4 stars): some songs will have to grow on me but i largely like most of it.

scaled and icy (4 stars): i did really like this album and i did like the sound but only after listening to it a few times (and the live stream experience really helped me to like it even more because that slapped).

track rankings

alrighty now for the actual songs themselves. also another disclaimer, i'm not a musician, i don't know a lot of the terms lmao i'm just a sensory seeking autistic and listen to music a lot. also i listened to all the songs first and then watched the music videos (not including the singles - overcompensate, next semester and backslide - though) if that adds anything at all.

1. overcompensate (4.9 stars): okay the reason why i put my album ranking is because you need to know how much i love trench lmao. the bandito sample at the start was the peak of the album for me. the rest of the song is why it's a 4.9 (i'm being kinda petty with this lmao) and not a 5 star song but i have listened to it a bunch of times and it is a banger. also the muscial video created the perfect level of hype for the album, it made me very excited for the rest. a strong opener indeed!

2. midwest indigo (5 stars): now i know it might be silly to have a 5 star song below a 4.9 star song but listen this is my ranking list and i can do what i want ;3*. when this song first played it reminded me of what i call my "don't stop believeing" song. essentially, songs like these make me react like how every white person, like myself, reacts to don't stop believing when it comes on. that song for me is magnolia by gang of youths. as soon as the first note is heard, i am up. midwest indigo is a close second to magnolia. this is the highest praise i can ever give to a song lmao. also the music video is very twenty one pilots to me seen by tyler tweaking on the ice and dancing - remember when i said that guns for hands is the first thing i think of when i think of twenty one pilots and have you seen how weird he dances in that music video? /pos (dw this is a compliment) [*it's second and not first because overcompensate is a certified twenty one pilots song, if you don't know what that means, i can't help you just trust me on this.]

3. at the risk of feeling dumb (5 stars): okay so this song just makes me want to cry because 1) it hits close to home and 2) i'm going through some shit right now and this song just perfectly describes it. i also love the music video, it may be simple** but i really like it. the way that at the end it gives like classic band vibes? like i can think of a lot bands that have had that same shot of very close up to the camera stood on top of a building lmao. [**in comparison to some of their higher production music videos with the special effects and what not]

4. vignette (5 stars): as soon as this song started i liked it. it gave me gang of youths vibes (one of my fav bands, listen to magnolia linked above!!) tyler's vocals in the chorus come throughhh (this means that i loved them). such a groovy and cool song, how can you not like it is the real question. i also love the shouted (or at least in top terms just a slight volume rise lmao) "where do i go from here?". and don't get me started on that little music break oooooh so stimmy. the "(denial)" part after "no-no, not me, it's for a friend" is also hilarious in a way i can't describe. the music video: what was that red piece of paper??? that's a lovely portrait of josh, but tyler, what is that paper????

5. navigating (5 stars): loved this song as soon as it started, i loved the groovy retro almost 80s vibes to it?? and in typical top fashion i thought "oh this song sounds groovy the lyrics must be really sad" and then bro started saying "disassociate" in the chorus lmao. but anyway yes, i instantly adored this song. the song is just so stimmy, i was stimming pretty much the whole time this song was playing. obsessed with the music playing in the background of the verses. also obsessed with the way tyler sings "navigating" idk he just says it in a way that's fun. further, obsessed with the bridge and the bass. so the music video. first of all, why did the aspect ratio change, was that just me? secondly i'm welsh so i loved the daffodil cameo <3 thirdly, WHAT??? WHY IS MY BLOOD HERE? WHAT'S WITH THE MY BLOOD SAMPLE? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THE MY BLOOD SAMPLE??? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN???? HUH???

6. the craving (both versions): listen i'm not rating this, it's a cute wholesome sweet love song for his wife. it would be evil to say anything bad about this and it doesn't really feel like my place to say anything about it in the first place, yk? the song isn't for me. however, the music video... what? there was me thinking they were making a cute music box for their family or something only for it be a box for a bullet??? huh???

7. backslide (4 stars): we now enter the songs that i didn't instantly love, but i'm sure they'll grow on me. i really like backslide but what's stopping me from giving it 5 stars is the chorus, which is complicated. i love the sound paired with the vocals but i just feel weird about it??? idk how to explain it. the music video also doesn't help bc i don't really like the part where he rides his bike through the wind and rain. i get it. i get why. but i just don't really vibe with it??? i'm being really petty about this but i just can't get over it. apart from all that i really liked it. i loved the references in the music video but justice for that meat patty damn.

8. next semester (4 stars): okay not an instant hit for me. it sounded very pop punnky 5sos-y??? which isn't a bad thing but it's not my usual taste. however, i loved the chorus. the vocals and the sound are peak, i love it. also the ukulele part, love love love. also the "oh-whoa-oh" part is amazing too, i'm a massive fan of "oh-whoa-ohs" and i also love it when vocals overlap. i alsoooo love it when there's a group of people singing together :) it's also so catchy? i find myself humming and singing it a lot. the music video was very sweet, having members of the clique there singing along was a lovely detail. the bow at the end too :')

9. lavish (4 stars): this song took me by surprise. it still sounds like the classic top sound but in a way i never expected they'd go, yk? and i think it worked! honestly, there's no reason why this is a 4 star rather than a 5 star, i just feel like the 5 stars are in a different catergory if that makes sense? i loved those better. also the music video for lavish is my favourite out of all of them. it's so fun. the suits and sunglasses. the weird ass dancing from tyler and josh just being there. it's groofy, it's got charm. i love it so much.

10. routines in the night (3 stars): okay i know a three doesn't look great but this song isn't my usual taste in music, nothing necessarily bad on the song or anything. i loved the vocals on this track and i find it catchy because i will sing along to it. i also found it was too cool for top if that makes sense?? like it's very different from the ukulele emo band yk? again, not a bad thing, just not *my* thing though i can see this growing on me for sure. also i see those references in the music video.

11. paladin strait (3 stars): this song is confusing. i like it but there are parts where i don't like it so i averaged it to a 3. i feel like those vocals don't really match the song? i'm not sure. i know i just talked about the good old emo ukulele days but i feel like the ukulele doesn't really fit here?? i did like the "here's my chance" bit, though i still felt like something was wrong about it?? idk. i also really liked the lyrics, they were very sweet and encouraging :) i've listened to this song a bunch of times and still the random ukulele that starts playing jumpscares me T^T it happens so suddenly lmaooo but that part is nice :) then the rest... the fpe???? hello clancy??????? hello???? clancy is still in the thick of it, huh? finally showdown vibes, i'm ready let's go. i've also seen theories about how this relates to the isle of flightless birds which is very interesting and i mean they did play it recently sooooo.

12. oldies station (3 stars): okay when this first started playing it gave me children's song vibes, you know? like it was a kids song or even a song in the background of youtube videos or something. that is to say, i didn't really like it. however, the lyrics were sweet and i liked the line "your favourite song was on the oldies station" :') yeah that hits oof. i also liked the "you don't quite mind" part! it saved the song for me i won't lie. it was very sweet and nice :) nothing really bad to say about it. also the lyric "you're in the crowd at her first dance recital" was very sweet :') as for the music video: yo homies you just killed someone. anyone gonna comment on that at all? and the white pole things moving was really trippy T^T i hated it, it hurt my eyes.

13. snap back (2.5 stars): honestly when this first started playing it gave me like txt / kpop vibes??? not a bad thing as such but just surprised me. however... i gave it a 2 so i wasn't really a fan of this song. though i did like the "i've been praying for my elasticity..." part. that was really vibey :) if we wanna get personal real quick then i'm someone who becomes quite angry and quick to irritation when i'm not doing well mentally and can lash out at people as a result so normally i relate a lot to lyrics like the ones in this but something just felt off about them??? it kinda felt like 'oh i hurt people when i was mentally unwell the other day but why haven't they forgiven me?' type of vibes??? (i got this largely from the lyric "blacklisted from forgiveness") essentially it sounds like an excuse for doing something shitty to someone when you're mentally unwell which doesn't sit right with me.* which i know is referenced in the song itself -> "i have seemed to run out of excuses of why i am this way" which yeah i relate to that because i have said those exact words to myself before, so i get it. i have first hand experience. it's something that i have done before but deeply regretted and don't really want to be reminded by a song. in short, "i am in this and i don't like it." the music video itself was fine i guess but didn't really change my opinion of the song at all. [*also remember that music is up to interpretation, so just bc this is how i see it does not mean that this is the actual meaning, reasoning or the thought process behind tyler's writing. art is subjective and we're all allowed our own opinions and all that jazz. i mean no hate or disrespect when i voice my opinions and only ask for mature responses that contribute to a healthy discussion.]

anyway we got deep at the end there but please don't jump on me bc my opinion is different from yours i beg T^T i left twitter to avoid that, please don't disappoint me tumblr clique :') but i was being serious innit, feel free to add your own opinions onto this :) i'd love to know what everyone else thought!

[vay99]

Chishiya x reader

Between clubs and hearts

Manga/Live action: Alice in Borderland

Side note:

!!!This is a game I completely made up!!!

I've read the Manga and watched the life action, I'll go with the life action for this one shot

Spoiler alert for those who haven't seen/read the 10th heart game yet

/Club 8? What's this? Yesterday it said spade 4 I think. What does this mean?/ as a thousand questions ring through your head you look around to see if there'd be anyone you could ask and looks trustworthy. You see two woman in their mid 40's, who seem pretty anxious, a few guys in smokings, three high schoolers and two that looks as if they were just coming from the pool.

Looking at the table you see phones and a metal chain, the card says to put the chain around your waist. Once it clicked it adjusts to your size, so you can escape from it.

"What the hell."

-Game start-

-Club 8-

Chains were coming out of holes in the wall, with every player having one attached to the one around their waist.

-You're all connected by these chains. To free yourself you need to find the right key out of the box in the middle. But beware, you can only move forward if someone else walks backwards. Work together to free everyone. After one minute the walls will start closing in, you have 8 minutes until the walls reach the middle. Games start in 30 seconds-

"What?"

"No way!"

"We just have to work together, this is an easy game!"

"Easy?" the guy besides you muses. "This could be a heart game as well."

"You seem to know these games quite well." you figure, he and his companion are the only ones that seem calm.

"New to this world?"

"I've had one game so far."

"Mhm, interesting." he nods, removing the hood of his jacket.

"I'm y/n." you introduce yourself, he seems like the only person in this room who seems totally unbothered, being on his side probably gives you the highest rate of survival. Yet he just stares at you, as if he's trying to figure your value.

"I'm Kuina by the way." the girl next to him takes over, she's probably the liveliest person you've seen since you've arrived.

"Nice to meet you." you nod, not sure if you should keep questioning the people around you instead of the game. That seems to be starting now.

The second the game starts the chaos begins, everyone is running towards the middle, the two older women pushed one another back to get further. Not one of them moved more than a step.

"So it began." the guy comments, as if he were a bystander.

"Not trying to disturb your commentary, but we'll all die if we don't do something."

"I agree with her, Chishiya you usually have a plan." Kuina pushes her friend to say something.

"Us three can't do anything. Judging from this room everyone would need to get as close as two meters in front of the wall for one person to be able to reach the middle. Who would trust a stranger like that?" Chishiya concludes, leaving Kuina and you to exchange panicked glances.

"Thanks for the analysis Einstein, but we need a freaking solution." you call him out which once earns a chuckle from the man.

"Okay, I'll trust you." one of the high school girls says, walking backwards, the second she steps back she gets pulled against the wall by those who pull the hardest. Right as she hits the wall hot nails come out, killing her instantly.

"Nooo!"

"I want home!!"

"I don't want to die!"

Hell breaks loose.

"Bloody perfect, now there's hot spikes! This got worse way too quick." you notice, leaning more into your chain as well so you don't loose your grip.

"No one will cooperate now." Kuina says. "Chishiya do something!"

"We have to wait till some more people slip." he casually answers as if he weren't talking about peoples life's.

"I won't accept this. I've seen people push one another into death already." you say as you take tiny steps backwards.

"Are you insane, you'll die a useless death." Chishiya calls out, turning towards you.

"We're gonna die either way, and I'd rather die trying to work together than being selfish like the rest."

Chishiya just looks at you for a while till he turns towards the middle again, chuckling. "You're interesting, I like that."

Another five people die as they got pushed by their neighbors and lost hold, only six people left. According to Chishiyas calculations one person should be able to reach the middle by now, if only one person would've moved during that time.

Chishiya keeps a close eye on one player, who looks extremely stressed. "Kuina, on my sign you run as fast as you can towards the middle."

Earning a unsure Glace from her he continues observing. Until it happens. The guy looses tension, leaning forward, hands on his knees.

"Now!" Chishiya immediately runs back as Kuina sprints forward, pulling the poor guy against the wall and reaching the keys.

"Yes! They have numbers!" she looks around but doesn't see a number.

"Y/n is number 10, you're number 9 Kuina." he says, that guy really did observe everything. The numbers were randomly given as the game started, showing up at the back of your lock. Kuina picks the right keys and throws them to each one of you.

As soon as you've freed yourself you run to Chishiya to figure his number.

"5!" you catch the key and get him free just in time, burning your right elbow during the process.

"We gotta go! The walls are nearly too close!" Kuna warns, throwing the keys randomly to the people. "Sorry."

"We can't just-" you were about to protest But Chishiya grabs your wrist and pulls you out of this hell behind him.

All you hear after that were the painful voices of those who were torn to death.

-Congratulations-

-Game clear-

"We let them die." you breath, sinking to the ground.

"Y/n, I'm not a fan of this either, but we had no choice." Kuina sits down next to you, able to relate to your emotions.

"We all just want to survive, isn't it human to betray others so we can live?" Chishiya asks, knowing that you won't respond. You know the answer, even though you hate it.

"Why don't you come with us?"

That question was the last thing you remembered of that night. The next day you wake up in a hotel room, Kuina sleeping on the bed next to you.

"Where the hell am I?"

"The beach." Chishiya greets you, leaning against the door frame. "You still have eleven days on your visa, so they won't send you to a game tonight."

"I can continue to sleep you mean? Gladly." you fall back into the white sheets.

The following four days Chishiya would guide you around and for the one game you had to participate in he made sure that he'd be there as well.

But during the 10th of heart game you've lost each other. And since he kept you close the entire time he knew that the military section wouldn't hesitate to shoot you. It wasn't a secret that they hated Chishiya and everything related to him. At least Niragi.

"How did I loose them so quickly?" you run around, after the three of you were in the camera room Kuina left to see what Ann was doing and Chishiya wanted to blow up Niragi. Like legit.

You were following him but a huge crowd and witch hunters seperated you.

"Hey witch come here! Don't make us kill you here, then we have to to carry you!" some guy yells as he shoots in your direction.

"Fuck off!" you run towards the smoke, against all your instincts.

Crawling over the ground to escape the smoke you try to find a way out. A window. Being on the tenth floor you knew that you won't survive such a jump, but you had no choice, the fire caught up to quickly so you had to try to jump from one balcony to another until you're on the first floor.

"Kuina!" you run towards your friend who's currently helping out Ann. "Have you seen Chishiya?"

"No, but he doesn't die that easy." she reassures you.

Arisu and Ann explained how to win this game, but Niragi just had to show up and blow everything up didn't he? Aguni threw himself at him and they got lost in the flames. And usually you would've been relieved if there wasn't this tiny problem. Your leg was shot. Your calf. And it was bleeding like hell.

"Y/n!" Kuina and Usagi immediately run to you, adding pressure to the wound. "Stay with us!"

"Make it stop!" you grunt through your teeth, trying to endure the pain. It only hurt more once Usagi put her jacket around your leg as a compress bandage.

As the others burn the witch you walk outside, being supported by Usagi, watching the Beach burn. No sight of Chishiya.

"I'll look for him." you say, trying to take a step but your leg had different plans. You're met with the ground. "Damn it."

"I'll look for him." Kuina says, not waiting for your response and just taking off.

The crowd gets smaller, all the members of beach head off to different directions, leaving Arisu, Usagi, Tatta and you.

"Kuina shouldn't have gone back." Usagi voices her concern, watching the building collapse.

"I told her the same."

"Chishiya!" you can't believe your eyes, he's alive and unharmed, you struggle to get back on your feet to walk towards him. "You're alright, I was worri-" you stop midsentence, surprised by the hug you find yourself in.

"I'm so glad you're alive." he mutters against your shoulder, arms wrapped tight around your back.

"Me too."

"What happened to your leg?" he inspects your leg after loosing the hug, seeing blood all over your foot. "Let me have a look."

"Chishiya?"

"I'm a doctor." he answers calmly, taking a look at your wound. "A bullet, it went right through, it hit an artery."

"It was Niragi."

"He's still alive?" he asked surprised. "But I burned him."

"He should be dead now." you watch Chishiya tighten the bandage more.

"Let's get some medical supplies so I can fix your leg." he says as he sweeps you up into his arms.

"Chishiya being sweet? Now I've really seen it all." Kuina shakes her head in disbelieve, following behind you by a bit to give you at least a bit privacy to talk.

[halfagone]

Magnetism, Cont.

I am currently working on the outline for Magnetism (no I am not unnecessarily avoiding sleep, what are you talking about?) and find myself no closer to figuring out who I want to ship Danny with.

Keep in mind Danny can't be super old because his 'reign of terror', if you will, has only just begun and he's only starting to establish himself as an anti-hero after Everything. At the youngest he can be 16, oldest 24. That age can change depending on who he's shipped with, of course. (The younger he is, the angrier I make him. I make the rules and they will hurt you.)

I've seen a few ships thrown out there, and I've narrowed down a few possibilities. I'll even offer you what their ship dynamic would look like in the fic to help you choose wisely. ;3 Make sure to check UNDERNEATH the poll for the reasoning.

THINGS TO KNOW:

This fic will be rated Mature for blood and violence. And by violence I mean that Danny kills a FUCK ton of people, wow. Also, going along with the influence from the X-men's Magneto, there will be political commentary/deconstruction that can and will influence the tone and manner of the ship dynamics. Also, Ghost King Danny.

Jason/Danny - Anti-hero meets anti-hero, true love at first blood, baby. I think these two would get along the easiest, but they also would be very poor influences on one another. Jason is likely invoking Danny's bloodlust even more, only minimally helping him keep a cool head. However, this could also be a learning opportunity for Jason. It's his turn to see what his friends and family saw from him when he first started beheading people. Could either happen at the start of Jason's Red Hood career, or when he's closer to the family. Very flirtatious, very bloody.

Angst score: 5/10

Dick/Danny - There's a little more friction between these two, but at the end of the day, Dick sees the angry child he had been in the grieving, desperate version of Danny that he is now. Danny is very charismatic, matching Dick's charm. They talk around each other a lot, arguing their points constanly because Dick knows Danny doesn't really want this, but Danny knows this is the only way. Dick could be younger, only just beginning his career as Nightwing to match Danny's rising anti-hero career as well. However, this means we only get kid!Jason for the Batfam (and maybe kid!Tim). You could still have him at 24 like most of my fics, of course. Softer, lots of innuendos.

Angst score: 7/10

Bruce/Danny - Oh boy, here comes the Unhealthy, Unresolved Sexual Tension. The political and moral debates between these two make any onlooker believe they're either about to murder or fuck each other. I believe it was @thatrandomsarahchick that pointed out that Magneto has a thing with Professor X (which, you're not wrong about btw), and there were other choices technically, but the Big Three were the ones that stood out to me the most. I couldn't separate Clark and Lois, though, and honestly I think Danny and Diana would get along... a little too well. And thus, we get lots and lots of UST. Bruce knows Danny's anger all too well, which is why he wants to try to convince Danny to change his path, but Danny sees Bruce as too soft to kill, to do what needs to be done, and they are just so broken up over it. However, this would be set at, the earliest, Year Three so no Batfam other than possibly baby!Dick.

Angst score: 12/10 (Highest Score!)

John/Zatanna/Danny - Now these guys, hohoho, let me tell you... These guys are a shit show and a half. This throuple offers you some of the bloodiest, wildest fight scenes I will probably ever write. If you think Jason is a bad influence on Danny, then you are not prepared for what these three have going on. John is unintentionally egging Danny on, Zatanna is trying not to get everyone killed, and Danny is- quite frankly- unused to this kind of attention. More worldbuilding than political debates, honestly the least interesting of all the proposed ships. But still worth mentioning! Their ages have a wide range, however, with potentially a 14 year age gap between Danny and John, as he is the oldest. Zatanna would be between them.

Angst score: 4/10. Whump score: 8/10

Kara/Danny - Now this one is probably the most unique of the ships, just because it has some of the most noticeable impact on the plot progression. I believe it was @thevigilantspider that first proposed this ship for the fic. So in this case, Kara would have to be new to Earth. She's inexperienced with all that the planet has to offer, still grieving her planet, her people, and her family. She's getting used to how, ah, delicate humans on Earth are and just overall not having a super great time. So she would agree to find out more about this anti-hero to prove herself capable and get a feel of the political scene of the planet. This also means that she gets a very interesting lense on everything thanks to Danny, and it really shapes her as she continues with her possible hero career. I think Danny would be the most... Danny, for the lack of a better word, with Kara. However this means there is bound to be a lot of Emotional Hurt/Comfort.

Angst score: 8/10

(Do be aware that these angst scores are for the couples themselves, not the plot as a whole. The plot will be plenty angsty on its own.)

A great many things to think about. Think hard, choose wisely, my friends.

[theredhairedmonkey]

I've seen a couple posts treating the TOX game handbook like it's the Bible, that it's an accurate breakdown of the show's main characters, and then fighting about what it all means.

On the one hand, some people are arguing "It says Callum cares more about his inner circle than anyone or anything, so he cares more about his friends than morals." But then others are saying "Rayla's Devotion score is #1, so she cares more about her friends than morals."

So I'm just gonna weigh in and say: Guys, my people, y'all gotta read carefully. Specifically the first paragraph about the main cast:

Fans of The Dragon Prince will recognize these key players in the show! We have assigned all of these die ratings, values, and so forth to reflect where we believe the characters would be at the end of Season Three. This way, should you encounter them in your tales and chronicles, you will feel it reflects the natural place where they are in the story. And though Zym is important, we haven’t included him as a catalyst, as he is still a baby dragon and only Ezran knows what his true die ratings are. Feel free to adjust these aspects for your own playing group, including (but not limited to) when the show’s story advances into future seasons.

In other words: "Here's our breakdown of the characters, but it's just our two cents so take it with a grain of salt, and it's just a snapshot as of s3 and they'll likely change anyway."

In short, don't take it seriously, it's no different than a headcanon about where they stood two years and two seasons ago. Imo the real fun is how the characters line up now as opposed to 3x09, since the whole point is that these values are supposed to change over time:

So, in the spirit of fun, here's where I think each main characters' values stand as of s5:

Callum

Here's Callum in s3:

I think he's the easiest to guess because his character growth lines up with which Arcanum he learns. Because Arc 1 was all about him learning the Sky Arcanum, Liberty represented his most important value ("Destiny is a book you write yourself!"). But as of s5, he has definitely been questioning this ("no matter how hard you try, you'll never control everything"), so this has probably dropped. Meanwhile, I think his learning the Ocean Arcanum has opened him up to understanding hidden depths, so his Truth value would have increased to perhaps being his highest one (similar to Lujanne, whose highest value is also Truth).

Soren

Here is Soren's as of S3:

Soren is also similarly easy to guess. His highest value in S3 is Glory, which I think has definitely stepped down (he was willing to hang back in 5x09 and let the trio fight Claudia while he watches over their friends). Instead, I think his Justice value has shot up, especially in light of his standing up for Elmer ("He deserves dignity!"). By the end of the season, I think his highest values are Justice and Devotion.

Rayla

Here's Rayla in S3:

I think, if anything, Rayla's Devotion score is maxed out, but her Justice score has gone up. Rayla is now even more devoted to Callum than ever, centering everything she does around him and trying her best to be his closest companion. But she's also prioritizing stopping Aaravos over her family, so her sense of Justice is higher too. She might still prioritize Callum over their mission, just not over anyone else.

Ezran

Here's S3 Ez:

Ez is probably the hardest to map, just because he hasn't had many moments of introspection or clear moments of growth. But if I had to guess, I think his sense of Liberty has grown somewhat, especially in light of Soren telling him he should have moments to be a kid lest he "grows up weird."

Claudia

And last but certainly not least:

Like Ez, Claudia's change is kinda hard to pin down mainly because she's remained pretty consistent throughout. If she has changed, she has become even more devotional (representing a dark antithesis to Rayla), while her Liberty score has likely dropped. She is, at least for now, chained to the path she is currently on.

Conclusion

In short, neither mine nor the gamecock author's opinions are authoritative, so YMMV here. Let me know what y'all think, but feel free to disagree and, most importantly, have fun!

[chaifootsteps]

So anyway. I'm enraged <3 everything about the music video makes me mad <3 I figured at LEAST if nothing else it was nice that Paranoid DJ got some more recognition. Honestly, amazing for him! He's a stand up chap and he deserves every good thing that's ever come his way. Like Micheal, Ashley and other unsung heros he did SO MUCH for hazbin/helluva and making us fall in love with the characters. BUT. THEY. BARELY. CREDITED HIM. And I am mad. I'm even more mad she did nothing in the video captions other than stick a middle finger up to her haters and the drama of the week. That is not the spirit of indie I fell in love with where she used to thank all her viewers and supporters, staff and collaborators. So instead I decided to look for something happy! SPINDLE'S PRECARIOUS FINANCES: https://graphtreon.com/creator/VivienneMedrano Notice on the graph the steady drop in subscribers Viv has gotten on her patreon since this time last year, 2022. (5.1k to 3.5k) If I'm being generous and looking at her peak a few days ago, (because everyone drops their sub and resubscribes at the end of each the month) she makes about 5.7k a month which adds up to 68.4k a year. Which could sound like an okay salary for ONE person but her patreon says she employs "100+ artists and crew members". that is 100+ people she is paying. I spent forever learning about youtube pay rates tonight. RPM is the term used for the amount a youtuber makes per 1000 ad views and it varies SO MUCH its hard to say what Viv's RPM is. BUT!!! The average rpm for a youtuber is $18. However many many forums have discussed that the category of a video greatly changes its rpm. For example, finance and tech videos have a top rpm due to their demographic (more affluent viewers that advertisers want to target) the younger/poorer the video's audience demographic is, the lower the rpm. Gamers are considered among the lower paid but EVEN LOWER THAN THAT are animators. They make PENNIES. (which is kind of sad because they have the highest effort videos and can't mass produce) I've seen animators say they get about 40 to 60 cents per 1000 views. I have no idea what vivziepop makes from youtube but I think it could be $600-18,000 as an absolute ceiling per 1 mil views.

Again, she has an entire studio to pay. Therefore, MOST of spindles money comes from merch and when you factor in the EXTREME oversaturation of merch with the declining viewers, toxic fandom and obvious loss of interest from die hards (based on her patreon) her merch sales are PLUMMETING. Her vacation money right now is probably from her Hazbin contract. Apparently for first time show runners, they make about $30,000 per episode. That's $240,000 she made for season 1 and will make maybe that much or more for season two. It's a good amount of money!! But with her spending rates, the mortgage on her home (that can't be paid off if she was begging for money to pay her dentist in 2019 and hadn't bought the house yet), her lifestyle and studio are NOT sustainable unless hazbin/helluva is her just her foothold in the industry and not the apex of her career.

While she's living the high life like she's 'made it' her whole career is in a very precarious place and what matters the most right now is her online conduct and the quality of her products to determine if she will find work in the future. Of course on the most pessimistic front, she could probably pull it together and do what she does best and leech off other peoples talents for the rest of her career. (eg stepping back, becoming the ceo of spindle and bringing in a network of indie shows by talented new creators that she can slap her name on as a producer and get half the credit)

Anon, there's not a lot of things I enjoy more than good, hard number crunching at Viv's expense. This is sublime.

Hope you're enjoying that Japan-spanning trip full of tea shops and abused animal petting, Viv, because it was probably the worst thing you could have done for yourself at a time like now.

[dollsonmain]

I did not sleep at all last night. I even went and laid down in the guest room after That Guy got up where I usually pass right out but I didn't sleep in there, either.

I feel like All the Shit.

Long morning ramble.

Sleeping in a night cap is annoying but it's keeping my ends from being fried for longer. My hair's texture was already chef's kiss, now it's double chef's kiss.

-

That Guy said that he has to run the car tax payment to town on his way home from work today but DO NOT try to walk home if he's not there when I get off work because it's going to be nearly 100F and wait for him to pick me up.

He also said he'll have to start looking for another car, which should have been done a very, very long time ago because I could have been working as soon as Son expressed and demonstrated that I wasn't needed by him anymore. Don't take that the wrong way, I don't mean he said "I don't need you." he said things like he'd like to go to the bus stop by himself and has shown that he can be trusted on his own, etc.

I did intend to get my own car (or a truck), but if he buys one and doesn't expect me to pay for it (though he may expect me to pay for it) that lets me put more into savings for later.

I think That Guy is suddenly aware of how difficult he's made it for me to work all this time, which is interesting because I really did think he did it on purpose and then was blaming me.

He was saying that to drop me off and pick me up at the mail room job he'd only be able to work 4 hours a day. Granted he'd earn more in that four hours than I will in 12 hours even with this moderately big pay rate. And I was like yes, that's why I'd been limiting my job search to positions on your normal route (as he'd demanded), but this job pays much more per hour than any of the others I can do locally and I have experience which makes it more likely I'd get in, so it's worth the extra time and effort in my opinion.

$19.23/hr is THE highest income I've seen locally for almost ANY job, actually... There was one federal job that requires a TS clearance that pays like $65/hr, most are paying around $15 with some management positions offering $17 - $24. The gas station I'm at is actually one of the lowest at $10 though there are some places offering $8.50. Because they can.

He did say he'd thought it was a federal mail position and I'd get the Big Bennies and retirement but I'd just be an employee of Goodwill so not get the USPS packet. I'm not the only one that's been confused by how the job was listed.

The actually bennies:

50% Company-paid Health Insurance After 30 days of employment and begins the first day of the first month after employees’ first 30 days.

Company-paid Life Insurance

Company-paid Long-Term Disability (LTD) and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance

Dental Insurance – Guardian Dental

Vision Insurance – Davis Vision

Supplemental Insurances – Colonial Life and Legal Shield

401(k) – The company matches up to 4% of salary and is available for enrollment after six months of employment.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Resource Assistance Program (RAP)

Direct Deposit

Vacation Leave – Twelve days of vacation available after 3 months of employment.

Sick Leave – 6 days that can be used after 30 days of employment.

Personal Days – 3 days that can be used starting on your first day.

Holiday Pay – 8 paid holidays after 30 days of employment.

That's not as good as federal, but is pretty good.

-

It's like he's only just now understanding what telling me to get insurance, which meant getting a job because he won't let the insurance companies look at his finances to prove that I can afford insurance and won't sell a policy to someone with less than $1k in the bank and no income, MEANS.

It means me being even more physically exhausted, in more pain, chores not getting done, falling asleep at the dinner table while eating....

He really did not expect me to throw myself out into the world like i have, and does not seem to have understood just how much of an inconvenience me working would be for him.

Like, he was crunching the numbers because he doesn't want to be thrown into a higher tax bracket even if it means more money coming in overall, but I think I'd be filing separately anyway so I can get back as much as possible without it being on a check in his name.

I wonder if the mail room folks get any sort of tax preparation deals since we're working IN an IRS office... Wouldn't that be nice to be able to say "It's my turn" and go sit down with an IRS prepper and do your taxes in person to be sure they're very correct?

So, I think I mentioned already the hours are 6:30-3 which is kind of nice as I do like getting my day over with early and I'd still be getting up at 3:30 with That Guy anyway so it's not like I'd have to change my sleep schedule at all.

The lady on the phone also cleared up some confusion for me about why the job listing said Goodwill, then IRS, and talking about custodial jobs????

So, I'd be an employee of Goodwill, and Goodwill contracts out those employees to other places, specifically the local Goodwill contracts out to federal and military establishments (the IRS building is on a small National Guard base so I do have to go through a checkpoint and get the car searched which is annoying and I hope I don't have to do that EVERY day, like I hope I get an ID card I just scan and can get in or something...) and their contract has been running so long with this IRS branch that Goodwill's sign is on the building.

The custodial job mention was them pointing anyone that IS severely disabled toward that job instead of the mail room position because the custodial job is slow paced which makes it suitable for people with developmental delays who may need more time to complete a task. But the whole job listing was a mess.

I do need to ask when the next bid is, because I could get hired on, the contract be rebid, and Goodwill lose which would leave me with no work until another contract was picked up, or could also mean a pay cut if they have to undercut another contractor to get the lowest bid and it's good to know what to expect.

She also said that some of the small mail crew, which is about 5 people (to me that is a lot because I'm used to being alone in the mail room) bring in knitting or crochet projects because it's slow now and then. That's generally when I would pick up a broom or a bottle of cleanser but I wouldn't mind crocheting at work :P

Also need to ask about lunch because the work day is exactly 8 hours so unless lunch is paid, I'd not be getting paid for 8 hours of work every day.

-

Anyway I've been feeling the guilt about maybe jumping jobs so soon (my start date would likely be mid August if not a little later), but I also helped find a vendor for something the gas station needed and that helps two people [who aren't me make more money... hm....] so I guess I don't feel too bad.

Manager asked me if I bake because people have been asking for fresh baked goods and I said no, I hate cooking and you can't make me do it, BUT I know that one of Son's classmates' moms bakes and is selling things through the local 7-11 so I'll ask if they'd be interested and they are. They should get in contact with the gas station any day now.

My suggestion is that the baker take some samples to the gas station and go talk to Manager in person, but I'm not the one running the business.

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

Have they said why we are only getting 12 episodes and not 18? Is it the strikes?

I really wanna know why TK started using drugs and how old he was and what was his first coma? In my head it’s an OD at 17

The only information we got about this was an article from November. The decision to do only 12 episodes was clearly strike-related, but the article doesn't have clear answers on exactly why they made that decision. It seems like they were considering doing 6 episodes in the spring followed by 12 in the fall, but then they ultimately decided to go with just 12 in the fall. I feel like it's probably a financial thing related to the strike. Lone Star is an expensive show to make. I've seen a lot of people speculate that this is a really bad sign for the show and means that there's no way it will be renewed for a 6th season. I don't think it's necessarily that bleak. Lone Star is Fox's highest rated and longest running show, after all. I'm still hopeful that we'll get more after the 12 episodes of season 5.

I very much agree with wanting more information about TK's past/addiction. I think a coma from an OD when he was young would make a lot of sense! One thing that I think points to that is what Owen says to TK after his OD in the pilot. He says, "Damn it, TK, you promised me this would never happen again." Maybe he just meant TK using drugs...but I think it would make sense if Owen was referring to an overdose, which would definitely imply that TK had overdosed before.

I think it's probably unlikely that in season 5 we'll get another full episode of backstory for TK like we did in 3x08, but we could very well get some little pieces of information about TK's past that could help us fill in some blanks.