#(which of course includes the need for social connection)

[icewindandboringhorror]

I occasionally wish to reach out to old friends/acquaintances I haven't spoken to since high school/some other even earlier time in my life, but I have SOOO little social energy even for required tasks (like making dr phone calls or etc), I never have any leftover for extra ones, and it would be very odd to message someone I haven't spoken to in like 5 years out of the blue but then take 4 entire months to respond back lol.. My natural curiosity with nostalgia/collecting details of the past/etc. (literally if I were born a little earlier I would definitely do scrapbooking or something lol) is very strong, but, alas, not strong enough to beat out the Social Issues Demons apparently

[an-unraveling-unknown]

Is there a magic system in your oc setting?

kind of??? I'm still working out the logistics of that, though there's some kind of groundwork in regards to the literal fear Locke contains and is powered by (odd lookin red kind of anti-gravity substance, can be extracted and compressed. somehow. can you tell all my attention has gone to the characters themselves) and I'm thinking of applying that to all base-core emotions, emotions channeled into some really light magic or something.

Really, this thing is generally grounded besides the runes Locke got carved down their "spine" at some point that allows them to do some funky telekinesis things

[yeonmuse]

CHROME HEARTS ──but I break them still

❪ CHROME HEARTS ❫ nishimura riki & fem!rea 118O ⋆♱✮ fluff/angst ༯ university au ꫂ ၴႅၴ synopsis──★˙nainais library !! @k-films

℘an᭪ : written, texts & social media threads included in this chapter, welcome to my new tag-list recipients thank you for joining us on this journey. Also this is the first time I’ve written one of my smaus in first person rather than third, let me know if you guys like this better or if I should go back to writing third person reader pov.

CHAPTER 4 | stop aura farming

The art room— the place where all the magic happened, or at least it had been in your eyes. you never much cared for anything that didn’t involve eating, sleeping and breathing art. Art was something instinctive to you, something that had consumed your life from a very young age. When all you knew to write were stick figures and blended colors on an empty white page. You never cared much for your studies– though you always excelled in them nonetheless, aside from bio which you ultimately sucked at. You never cared much for parties or gaining the socialite title that many your age seemed to strive for. Your life was about art, the thing that connected you to a world outside of just your reality that was all plain black and white. The one thing that had always made you feel alive even when life had gotten complicated and heavy.

──Other than the faint noise of a paintbrush dusting against a canvas and pencils scraping coffee toned test sheets, silence hung over the room like a suffocating blanket. To you the silence was gratifying and provided a subsistence needed when working in the artistic atmosphere. You’d always found comfort in silence, no matter how heavy it sometimes got. Many times you’d be so focused that eventually the silence had become so overbearing and weighed that it’d completely devour you. A beautiful yet agonizing thing the quietness could be, and Ni ki had been on the polar opposite of such a spectrum who absolutely hated the silence been the two of you.

The quiet had completely swallowed the room whole, as if the art room had drifted off into its own sector of the universe. Not a squeak in the hallway or sound of faint footsteps in the distance. Not a hum or a yawn from you who’d been completely locked in on your work, it had been completely undeniable quiet. The only sounds cutting through momentarily was the subtle scratch of pencils on paper and brush to canvas and it had remained that way for over fifteen minutes. Initially when class ended and the professor had granted the two of you permission to stay behind and work longer he’d thought it to be the perfect opportunity, alas it gave him the chance to move in, to finally get you to crack and show him what lies beneath your cold and poised surface. All he’d known about you was simply from having observed you over the course of the first semester– the way your brows furrowed when you were perplexed or annoyed, how you’d letyour art consume you as if it were the only thing that seemed to matter..you weren’t just beautiful, you were complex, like a puzzle fit for only him to figure out.

But Ni ki had done all but speak to you within those fifteen minutes you were both sat there. He just sat silently observing, every now and then his focus would shift to his art piece until he’d eventually given up on it completely. To him you were a mere distraction, his desire and hopes for you to spare him one glance, to hear the call of his name from your lips had completely blinded him and yet it had never happened.

Fifteen minutes had long gone and eventually time stamped at five fifteen, feet shuffled on the other side of the art room door and then it swung open, an odd group pouring in seconds later. A sigh spilled from your lips on the other side of the room and you immediately shut your sketchbook, understanding your peace had now been disrupted for the day.

“I told you guys to study without me.’’ you groan, slipping your supplies into your bag and resting your arms on the table as you gave them each a look of disarray.

“Yeah and we didn’t listen so now what.’’ your brother antagonizes, making you roll your eyes at him. You didn’t even have to cook up any responses or clap backs because within seconds mako had been pushing him out of the way to get to you.“Will you move.’’

One person sat in the back of the room every now and then watching the interaction between the seven of you. Ears perking up each time he’d heard you laugh or crack a joke and even though it hadn’t been towards him he found himself smiling. Little parts of you had slightly unfolded before his eyes in the form of your friendships, though just as quick as they’d all come flooding into the room they eventually left, taking you along with them and he was once again left alone to the silence.

“Maya was not lying it was completely dead in there.’’ Melody comments as they’d moved further from the room. “You could have at least said something to him. He did by you those 300 dollar crayons.’’

“Oil pastels not crayons..and what would I even say to him. He asked me out remember it’s still pretty awkward.’’ you respond in defense

“To be honest you’re the only one that’s making it awkward because you have the social capabilities of a mouse. He doesn’t seem like he’s being awkward about it, even if he still likes you. You’re the only one still dwelling on it.’’ Hunter shrugs before taking a long swig from his coke can and tossing it into a nearby trashcan once he’s completely emptied it out.

“For fucks sake can we talk about something other than this guy?’’ Mako complained, turning to face them all and back stepping as you all walked along the hall. “Please i’m begging anything..’’

“We can talk about Chlo and the fact that she’s trying to spend her birthday sleeping and wasting away.” Maya moves in with a swift change in subject and now all eyes are on Chloe.

“What do you mean don’t you want to go out and celebrate with us?’’ you question, brows furrowed and lips shaped into a confused pout.

“It’s not that I don’t want to spend it with you guys i’d just rather sit this one out after all the quizzes and studying and work i just want to sleep.’’ she huffs, a look of exhaust shading over her face.

“Well if that’s the case we’ll all come over and we can sleep and not do anything together. You aren’t allowed to spend your big 20 alone.’’ you inquire, linking your arms with hers and resting your head on her shoulder as the two of you walked.

“Sounds good to me as long as I can sleep.” Chloe responds, resting her head on top of yours and closing her eyes.

“So it’s settled then this saturday we stay in and rest and next saturday we go out to celebrate.” Melody says, her voice bouncing off the walls with how loud she’d been.

“No one said anything about going out next saturday?” Jongseob looks at her through half lidded eyes, brows knit together in confusion.

“No shit, I’m saying it now dipshit.” She responds, starting and endless back and forth between the two of them that seemed to last until they finally reached their destined area for study group.

CHAPTERLIST | PREVIOUS CHAPTER | NEXT CHAPTER

PERM TAGLIST: (entire taglist is updated, to be readded to the permanent taglist please fill out this form) PERM TAGLIST : @dreeki @butterflywonz @sol3chu @nithxhoon @lakoya @iichuuo @letmein2urheart @hollxe1 @tinyteezer @jkslvsnella @i03jae @sunooqvrlsx @addictedtohobi @firstclassjaylee @riribelle @ivyvioletcarson @academiq @claumbeju @bubblytaetae @pkjay @papichulomacy @50-husbands @heartheejake @gweoriz @annybah @iarainha

SERIES TAGLIST: ( to be added to the series taglist fill out this form ) @dazeymazey11 @sillylule @monniemons @deaddcrow @lovenha7 @jul3sml @kikixdia @weepingsweep @amatariki @betda @danlovestay @lisamrrth @hoonberries @seyoungiesleeps @rairaiblog @kiromiix @iheartshopping @starniras @wheretheheckis-ssaki @yunjica @verialuv @yuuuraaa @swimmingthruthecherryskies

[communistkenobi]

Why are people who are so gung-ho about media morality on here also so incredibly inconsistent about it on here? It’s like ‘hey don’t even *mention* xyz game or show or whatever but several of my main interests are things that are even more egregious’. I’m not a fan of anything with that rep in the first place but it’s always been really silly to me.

Because I don’t think it’s a position that is reached systematically or scientifically (I think this is true of a lot of positions people hold - again I’m including myself in this). It’s hard to systematically figure out what your principles are. Nevermind the fact that there are irreconcilable contradictions embedded within these principles. But that aspect is less interesting to me, because I suspect that it’s not actually about the show/movie/actor/etc at all a lot of the time, but rather that mass media provides a set of common and mutually intelligible terms and modes of understanding for people to interact with strangers on the internet. 

This is going to sound like an insane tangent but I promise it’s relevant lol: I had to read Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities for a course recently where he talks about the emergence of national consciousness and identity in Europe through the invention of the printing press. The production of texts meant to be read by many people is much easier to achieve when language is standardised (this is prior to mass standard education), and so to print something “in German” requires a social agreement about what the German language “is,” something he argues wasn’t really a thing in Europe prior to this point in history. So while many people across vast distances may speak many different local dialects that are all roughly ‘German,’ they now all read a singular, standardised “German language.” Anderson argues that this produces an experience of ‘simultaneous time’ across space, where you now feel a sudden connection to anyone who also “reads German” despite them being complete strangers and people whom you will never meet. This is part of his argument of how national consciousness gets cultivated, and allows people to articulate a common identity and set of goals with others whom they share no other bond with (Anderson’s definition of nationalism being “an imagined political community” - imagined in the sense of socially constructed and produced, not as in fake).

And I’m talking about this because I think a similar thing is happening here, but re: mass media. I use the term ‘mass’ media in the sense that it is consumed by mass amounts of people through industrialised telecommunications technology such as internet, television, and radio (and we can include celebrities as mass media here for the sake of convenience). And the internet is an interesting place because you are constantly interacting with an incomprehensibly large volume of strangers, and often these interactions are not in your control (harassment, people ‘barging into’ your mentions or replies, people lurking your blog, etc). In order for this to not be completely overwhelming, even in a relatively niche space like “fandom,” you need some shared set of terms to navigate around.

I think this is what leads to the emergence of the terminology of “pro vs anti,” a universal set of discursive terms that cuts across all of fandom space that allows you to position yourself in relation to a large amount of people you don’t know. It acts as a sorting and filtering mechanism (“proshippers DNI”), it acts as a declaration of belief that can be intelligible to many other people (“fiction affects reality” - an objectively vacuous phrase that is nonetheless freighted with a lot of social meaning to anyone within fandom), and it allows you to “engage in fandom” broadly as an online social terrain, allowing you to move from one fandom to another yet retain common terminology to communicate with others. Everyone knows that each fandom has their own set of ‘local’ community terms, which takes time and energy to learn and requires you to likewise learn the social stakes of each of those terms. Sorry to bring up Supernatural but as an example, you can read someone’s entire orientation towards the show based on whether they spell Castiel’s name as “Cas” (destiel shipper) or “Cass” (wincestie/bronly/J2er) + all the attendant opinions that come with those positions. But that takes a long time to learn, and it’s hard, and it requires you to declare a lot of your own positions re: the local context of a given show or video game, but the pro vs anti divide is universal and therefore extremely helpful in social navigation.

So, much like pro vs anti, I think when people say “DNI if you like irredeemable media” and then you go on their blog and they’re like, shipping South Park characters together, I think staking these moral positions re: mass media has less to do with any deeper principled convictions regarding the moral impact of art or how one should relate to it, but rather that you are engaging in a common discursive terrain that allows you to navigate a basically infinite sea of strangers in order to rapidly locate a common community of people. Again Harry Potter is instructive here - it was popular for a while for terfs to put Hogwarts Houses in their bio, particularly if they are crypto terfs. The ‘common terrain’ of transphobia in online spaces being used here is mass media - if I say Potterheads DNI on my Homestuck blog, I’m not really staking my position on the moral consumption of media, I’m signalling my political allegiances via the common language of mass media. This is perhaps why these stakes are so bafflingly inconsistent, because mass media is serving as a proxy for articulating political positions (which can likewise be inconsistent) as a result of the fact that they are much easier shorthands to communicate belief than outright stating your ideological commitments. Nobody knows what neoliberal means, or socialism means, or white supremacy or cissexualism or capitalism or imperialism or blah blah blah, because these are not part of the common terminology of fandom spaces, so declaring your positions using these terms will not get you very far. but people know that Harry Potter = transphobia, so potterheads dni! 

[astroeleanor]

°💸⋆.ೃ🍾࿔*:･Your 2H Sign = How To Make More $$$ 💳⋆.ೃ💰࿔*:･

Your 2nd house is the part of your chart can show you the best side hustle ideas to increase your income. Look at the sign on your 2nd House cusp, its ruling planet, and any planets sitting there. They symbolize out how you monetize.

The 2nd House is the House of Possessions: movable assets, cash flow, food, tools, anything you can trade. The sign on the cusp sets up your style of 'acquisition' (Taurus = slow‑build goods, Scorpio = high‑risk high‑reward holdings), while the ruler’s dignity and aspects describe reliability, or lack thereof, of income.

Planets inside the 2nd act like tenants shaping the property: Jupiter here inflates resources, Saturn conserves but can pinch, Mars spends to make, Venus monetizes aesthetics.

Because the 2nd is in aversion to the Ascendant (no Ptolemaic aspect), you often have to develop its promises actively: wealth isn’t “you,” it’s something you must manage. So, let's look at the kind of side hustles you can do to increase your revenue!

♈︎ Aries 2H: Physical, Fast, ACTION-Driven

(Aries rules motion, competition, fire, physical activity, force)

Personal trainer or group fitness instructor.

Manual labor gigs like junk removal, or yard work (physical and gives instant results.)

Motorcycle/scooter delivery (Uber Eats, DoorDash): speed + autonomy? Very Aries.

Selling refurbished sports equipment.

Pressure washing services, which is oddly satisfying AND includes aggressive water blasting lol.

Fitness bootcamps in local parks (Mars rules the battlefield… or, in this case, bootcamps)

Pop-up self-defense workshops

Bike repair and resale (hands-on + quick turnaround)

Car detailing (mobile service). You vs. grime. Who wins? You.

Sell custom gym gear or accessories.

♉︎ Taurus 2H: Sensory, Grounded, Product-Based

(Taurus rules the senses and the material world, it’s a sign connected to beauty and pleasure)

Bake-and-sell operation (bread, cookies) at markets. Taurus=YES to carbs and cozy smells.

Meal prep or personal chef (nourishing others = peak Taurus.)

Sell plants or houseplant propagation, you’re growing literal value.

Create and sell body care products: lotions, scrubs, soaps… (Venus-ruled.)

Furniture refinishing for resale.

Offer at-home spa services (facials, scrubs.)

Curate and sell gift boxes (Venus loves a well-wrapped present.)

Do minor home repair or furniture assembly.

Build and sell wooden plant stands or decor (wood + plants + aesthetic = Taurus.)

♊︎ Gemini 2H: Communicative, Clever, Multi-Tasking

(Gemini = ruled by Mercury = ideas, speech, tech, variety, teaching)

Freelance writing or blogging.

Transcription or captioning services.

Resume writing/job application support.

Social media management (multitasking + memes.)

Sell printable planners or flashcards (info = money.)

Offer typing or data-entry services, which are low lift & high focus

Sell templates for resumes, bios, or cover letters, Mercury loves a system!

Write email campaigns for small businesses, you can become the voice behind the curtain.

Teach intro to AI tools or chatbots (modern Mercurial real-world applications.)

Create micro-courses on writing or communication.

♋︎ Cancer 2H: Caring, Cozy, DOMESTIC

(Cancer rules the home, food, feelings. It’s the nurturer through and through)

Home organization services, give cluttered homes and their owners love.

Baking and delivering comfort desserts (cookies = hugs in edible form!!)

Make and sell homemade frozen meals, nourishing the body AND soul.

Offer elder companionship visits (heartfelt and so needed.)

Run a daycare or babysitting service. Moon=family.

Run a laundry drop-off/pickup service.

Custom holiday decorating (homes or offices), make it feel like home anywhere.

Help seniors with digital tools (basic tech help.)

Create sentimental gifts like memory jars or scrapbooks.

♌︎ Leo 2H: Expressive, Bold, Entertaining

(Leo rules performance, leadership, fame, visibility, and the desire to SHINE)

Portrait photography (kids, pets, solo, couples.)

Event hosting or party entertainment.

DJ for small events or weddings.

Basic video editing for others (help THEM shine!)

Personalized video messages. charisma = income.

Teach short performance workshops (confidence, improv) to help others own a stage.

Become a personal shopper.

Sell selfie lighting kits or content creator bundles.

Host creative kids camps (theater, dance, art.)

Make reels/TikToks for local businesses (attention = currency.)

♍︎ Virgo 2H: Detailed, Service-Oriented, Practical

(Virgo rules systems, refinement, discernment, organisation, usefulness)

Proofreading or editing work. Spotting a comma out of place or “their/they’re” being misused = Virgo joy.

House cleaning or deep-cleaning services.

Virtual assistant (email, scheduling, admin.)

Sell Notion or Excel templates. Virgo: spreadsheets.

Bookkeeping for small businesses.

Create custom cleaning schedules or checklists.

Offer “organize your digital life” sessions.

Specialize in email inbox cleanups.

♎���︎ Libra 2H: Tasteful, Charming, Design-Savvy

(Libra = Venus-ruled = style, beauty, balance, aesthetics)

Styling outfits from clients’ own wardrobes.

Become a personal shopper.

Bridal/event makeup services (enhancing natural beauty = Libra.)

Teach etiquette, the power of grace

Curate secondhand outfit bundles.

Custom invitations or event printables that are pretty AND functional.

Offer virtual interior styling consultations.

Sell color palette guides for branding or outfits.

Create custom date night itineraries (romance, planned and packaged=Libra!!)

Style flat-lay photos for products or menus.

Do hair, make-up, nails, etc.

♏︎ Scorpio 2H: Deep, Transformative, Private

(Scorpio rules what’s hidden, intense, and powerful, alchemy, psychology)

Tarot or astrology readings.

Energy healing or bodywork.

Private coaching for money/debt management.

Online investigation or background research (Scorpio = uncovering hidden information)

Teach classes on boundaries, consent, empowerment, etc.

Sell private journal templates for deep self-reflection.

Moderate anonymous support groups or forums.

Specialize in deep-cleaning emotionally loaded spaces (yes, THAT kind of clearing.)

♐︎ Sagittarius 2H: Expansive, Global, Philosophical

(Sag rules teaching, travel, and BIG ideas)

Teach English (or any other language) or become a tutor online

Sell travel guides or digital itineraries, help others travel smarter=Sag

Rent out camping gear or bikes (freedom for rent lol.)

Ghostwrite opinion pieces or thought blogs, say what others are thinking!

Create walking tours for travelers or locals.

Sell travel photography.

Become a travel influencer on the side.

Translate travel documents or resumes.

♑︎ Capricorn 2H: Strategic, Structured, Business-Minded

(Cap rules time, career, limitations, long-term value)

Resume or career coaching, help others climb the “mountain of success”.

Freelance project management.

Property management or Airbnb co-host (passive-ish income.)

Sell templates for business (contracts, invoices).

Create accountability coaching packages.

Sell organizational templates.

Freelance as an operations assistant (the CEO behind the CEO.)

Build a resource hub for freelancers or solopreneurs (structure = empowerment.)

♒︎ Aquarius 2H: Innovative, Digital, Niche

(Aquarius rules tech, rebellion, and the future. But it’s also connected to community!)

Tech repair or setup.

Build websites for local businesses, or anyone else for that matter.

Sell digital products (ebooks, templates).

Run online communities or Discords.

Host workshops on digital privacy or tools. Collective knowledge (Aqua)= power

Build and sell Canva templates for online creators.

Curate niche info packs or digital libraries.

Help people automate parts of their life or business.

♓︎ Pisces 2H: Dreamy, Healing, Imaginative

(Pisces rules the sea, the arts, spirituality, dreams, and all things soft)

Pet sitting or house sitting, caring for beings + quiet time? It’s perfect for this energy.

Sell dreamy artwork or collages.

Offer meditation classes or hypnosis.

Teach art to kids or adults.

Custom poetry or lullaby commissions (very niche tho.)

Sell digital dream journals or prompts.

Make downloadable ambient music loops.

Create printable affirmation cards.

Design calming phone wallpapers or lock screens.

Offer spiritual services (tarot or astrology readings, reiki, etc.)

Thank you for taking the time to read my post!Your curiosity & engagement mean the world to me. I hope you not only found it enjoyable but also enriching for your astrological knowledge.Your support & interest inspire me to continue sharing insights & information with you. I appreciate you immensely.

• 🕸️ JOIN MY PATREON for exquisite & in-depth astrology content. You'll also receive a free mini reading upon joining. :)

• 🗡️ BOOK A READING with me to navigate your life with more clarity & awareness.

[signanothername]

How do you feel about the fandom?

I’m assuming you mean Ut/utmv?

How can I say this in the most gentle way possible hmm..

I genuinely do love the creativity within the fandom, the beautiful art and stories and ideas people come up with, the different interpretations of these characters even when i don’t agree with them or have my own thoughts/opinions, cause that’s what fandoms are supposed to, it’s all of us showing our love for these lil blorbos of ours in each of our own unique different ways

Of course, each fandom has its good and bad side, but to say the ut/utmv fandom is so damn negative to the point it’s suffocating is an understatement

I’m especially weirded out by the pro harassment behavior within this fandom, like, a mf would say “i’m anti harassment!!!!” Then turn around and post/reblog a post with +20 people name dropped to “raise awareness” for whatever little that is worth, you can “raise awareness” by messaging people privately, not make a list where an asshole can easily use it to harass people, and no, saying shit like “don’t harass these people!!!” Does not alleviate any responsibility from you if they do get harassed because of your post

That’s why messages are a thing, and only messaging those who explicitly state they want to be messaged, not jump in into people’s inboxes or messages and telling them shit out of the blue

So many people within this fandom need to learn fandom etiquette, how to mind their own business, and to use the damn block button, you’re uncomfortable with a certain subject? Tumblr has the most handy filtering system, don’t like a person/find them uncomfortable? Block them, blocking them isn’t enough and want to complain? That is what you can use your blog for, feel free to complain on your own blog to your heart’s content (not on other people’s blogs or under their posts if it’s not the subject for it) that’s what friends are for too, go to their DMs and complain till the end of time

Being just a bit bigger of an artist follower wise in comparison to other artists means that I deal with very special cases sometimes, because I’m also puzzled by the way people can get super comfortable with commanding strangers to do things they want or to break basic respectful boundaries like not getting people involved in drama even when they specifically state not to include them (me, I’m starngers, every time I reblog my boundaries post, it’s me implying that I got something that broke my very basic bitch boundaries that day, which says a lot about the fandom, cause i literally only got 4 boundaries stated damn)

That’s why I opt to not get too close to people within the fandom, and am generally careful as to who I let close to me, I’m very certain people might think I somehow have my own social circle within the fandom or have some wide connections they can never get, when in reality I’m isolated af

That being said, idk if it’s young people not knowing any better, or adults who act like children, but the fact harassment is very prominent and also very normalized within the fandom is something that definitely made me seriously think of just getting back to the Transformers fandom (one of the most chill fandoms i’ve ever been part of)

Fandom is fandom, keep it for rambling about blorbos, and learn to mind your own business <3

[drdemonprince]

do you have any advice on navigating a friendship with a former abuser? they are pretty open about their past when asked although not incredibly initially forthcoming about it, which I think is understandable if maybe not the most,, idk,, straightforward I guess. But I do truly believe they’ve mended their ways and try really hard to do right by themselves and other people, but they’ve garnered a lot of vitriol from their former community (and with reason!!) but that community tries to, rightfully, make sure everyone knows about this person’s past, and I have a lot of guilt around being friends with them even though I do believe that they’re different now, I wouldn’t be friends with them if I didn’t believe that. Anyways, I guess im curious if you have any advice or experience with how to navigate any kind of relationship with someone who has done a lot of prior harm, while also trying to honor and respect the people who they have harmed?

I think that people in that situation are in really desperate need of community, most of the time. It is very difficult to work on yourself when pressure to excise you from every social group follows you everywhere you go, and the stories of what you've done have morphed into an entity that exists entirely outside of you, your victims, or anyone who was actually privy to the abuse that you committed.

It's very reasonable for people affected by the abuse & their allies to want nothing to do with such a person, of course. But there sometimes becomes a broader community norm of penalizing anyone who associates with the abusive person in any way whatsoever, and when you're already struggling with entitlement, boundary issues, loneliness, impulsivity, and self-hatred, as so many abusers do, it's hard not to spiral out further from being rendered that radioactive.

I think by being friends with this person you're doing something important. It is far easier for people to grow when they have social incentives to do so and emotional support. In the care of other people, we see our worth reflected. We learn more about who we are and who we *can* be through the interplay of ours' and others' various selves.

I think the best thing that you can do is to offer a space to this person in your life, if you continue wanting to, and building small spaces for them to find connection with people who are okay with that and feel comfortable doing so. Bring the person along with you into new spaces where they can help people and receive help in turn, without constantly being defined by their most horrible actions. Bring this person along with you to somewhere they've never been, with people who have no issue with them -- do a shift together at the local mutual kitchen or community garden, for instance, or a book club, or include them in a cultural practice that you participate in, and share that with them. Do jail support together, or mail books to prisoners. Take both of you outside of your everyday social context and allow them to exist in a new way, in new relations to others -- including people who, like them, have experienced social ostracism and struggle.

While you're doing that, observe them and see how they're doing. Talk with them afterward about how they feel, and anything they're finding difficult. I will trust your judgement here that the person seems fundamentally changed. Just being there and involved in activities alongside them will help you be on the lookout for any red flags, and I do think there is a degree of responsibility on your part to ensure you're not putting anyone else in danger by being around them, but you can do this in a light, nonjudgmental way, and let them grow into that trust that you're offering.

I have witnessed firsthand how healing it is for people like your friend to slowly realize that suddenly there are people that like them, now, and open up to them, when everybody shied away from them or hated them before. I do think that if someone is committed to no longer being abusive or boundary violating around others, they eventually do need to feel that they are accepted by some community, and seen as on par with anybody else. They can't be treated as lesser or more suspect for their entire lives in every social context. The communities they've already harmed shouldn't have to provide them with that acceptance and room to grow. But I think somebody should.

As always, keep an eye on your own feelings and make sure that this isn't too exhausting for you. By keeping the formerly abusive person separate from the groups they've harmed, you should be able to minimize the blowback you get for spending time with them. Not all of our friends need to be friends with one another, and not every social group in our lives has to make contact. It's okay to include your friend in a running group with a few other people you met volunteering but then keep their name off the guest list for your birthday party because associates of their victims will be there. If your friend is truly contrite over their actions, they will understand and respect that some people will never want to be around them -- and most reasonable community members should understand that who you associate with independently of them is not their business.

There may be some people who take a really hard line stance and expect everyone to ostracize the former abuser no matter what, and so you might be criticized or lose friendships with such people. But so long as you are helping to give the former abuser some social connection that is separate from anybody they've hurt, and you're not pressuring anyone to be around them or doing any apologism for them (which it sounds like you have no interest in doing), then you are not doing a thing wrong, and I think it's beautiful to give someone that space in your life. Navigating this stuff with grace, respect, and compassion is a skill that a lot more of us will eventually have to develop than we realize, I think. Life is long, and over the course of it, people change a great deal and do a great many things they regret. We need to be able to move through these things together somehow.

[dissasembled-ink]

Honest thoughts and theories of Deltarune characters so far.

I won't make any fancy intros, I'll get right to it:

Roaring Knight -

I think Roaring Knight is pretty much in a way confirmed to be Dess Holiday, Knight is left handed, Dess is left handed, those are fairly specific odds especially since Dess is not yet present in the game, Carol gets very angry when someone aside Kris touches Dess's stuff.

If Knight is Dess then: may be a mutated, corrupted dark form that can be powerful enough to kidnap Undyne and then speak on the phone about a sacrifice. Of course, being fully conscious and aware of the actions they do.

Kris -

I think Kris is not only in on it, but somehow, being a puppet of The Roaring Knight. Why do I think that? Well, Kris and the soul are very much the same person no matter what we do, Kris seem to not mind unless it's the secret of the shelter. Kris actually formed a bond with Susie, Ralsei, Noelle willingly, we as a player didn't forced them into it, proof is, if you wait in the wardrobe with Susie and Noelle talking, yellow text does trigger Kris's reaction and not usually in a bad way, occasionally blushing to some reactions, not immediately out of embarrassment, but maybe out of flattery as when you speak of Kris being good at flirting, which undoubtedly is our, the Player's cause, Kris seem to not be angry of it, but talking about their skills also triggers the same reaction AND if we wait long enough, Kris enters a state I would describe as trying to catch a breath as without the soul they are very much dying. In the library we find out that the Soul and Human are connected, but Kris and the Soul had to somehow disconnect from one another forming us, the Soul and separate cold and distanced Kris. (A darker theory is that Kris died and we are the soul of someone else giving Kris life for the price of taking control of their body occasionally, but that I find to not make much sense.) However Kris does act on their own, seeing in Chapter 4 where they simply took a breath, without the need of pulling out the Soul they played the piano the way they can do as, let's be real, next to Kris we suck at piano, but both are actually completing one another in things, we socialize Kris more and give them friends and they well...do anything Kris can do best, be spooky, distanced and play very well on Piano (Okay I know Kris is good at a lot of things, I just thought it'd be funny if I said this XD)

Ralsei -

Ralsei is definitely hiding something, theory has it that Ralsei is the horned headband we still probably carry around or is an embodiment of memory on Asriel who will arrive at the city fairly soon, maybe sooner than we thought!

Prophecy seems to indicate someone's sacrifice, what I think this implies is however that all Dark Worlds need to be sealed and only then the Light World is completely safe from The Roaring.

Noelle/Susie -

Somewhere was apparently an indication of the second protagonist next to Kris to be Noelle, however the evidence is fairly weak, but I shall include it here nonetheless, in a year we will return to this and laugh maybe!

Asgore -

I know Asgore seems fairly innocent, but as I replayed Deltarune I kept noticing that- there's something off about Asgore. Why would Toriel leave him over a FLOWER business?! That makes little to no sense. So I think and most likely some of you too that Asgore has a deeper secret and because he couldn't share it with Toriel, Toriel felt betrayed, like he didn't trust his own wife enough, however I think he again, does bad, but means no harm, has actually pure intentions and is just misunderstood. Poor Asgore in this case is getting again cucked by a funny skeleton. (XD)

Gaster -

Although not appearing as of yet, let's go over the evidence. Dark Darker Yet Darker used to play around The Shelter, "Garbage noise" is the Entry Number 17 and nowadays people point out that a little alignment here and there and The Titan looks eerily like Gaster's face.

My theory of Gaster however: Gaster might be but a Darkner in one of the Chapters, maybe a secret boss with a lot of questions of his own, who knows? People anticipate Gaster so much, I think the game would probably get scorched by the toxic side of the community that wants to see the funny goofy man who speaks in hands.

Importance of previous main bosses of Undertale -

There might be little to no importance of characters like Sans, Papyrus, etc. as the story doesn't include them aside puns and Toby giving in on the Toriel x Sans shtick, however again, I believe this will not become a thing as Toby has a history of this type of humor and it is funny so far, ngl. Again we need to realize that Sans, Papyrus, Alphys, Undyne...their story is already written elsewhere, their personalities, etc. and it makes you feel more for the characters, despite them being less than a background noise which I find genius from Toby's side, however there's still 3 more chapters so...the reality can still be completely flipped, expect the unexpected in this case.

Importance of secret bosses of Deltarune -

Well we seem to have an interaction between Tenna and Spamton, seems that their importance is only going to increase as talks about them...aside probably the Knight as he is not really a secret, but one of if not the MAIN antagonist of the game.

Jevil - Mentioned by Spade King, Seam and many more in the respective chapter Jevil's included and it's getting more frequent as time goes by.

Spamton - Honestly? He was already a big talking point in the Cyber World, he was like Gaster, but debunked, only others didn't saw him often if at all, aside us and then Susie and Ralsei.

Gerson Boom - Thanks to this boss fight we also learned something, plus it gave us a clue. Dark World can, even if temporarily, resurrect the dead. Gerson is but dust in Alvin's office and yet because it's in the church we are able to communicate with him and he seems to be...himself. Which may be a very own plot device for the antagonists to work with, we'll have to find out.

The ritual -

Something is off about this one. Kris studying occultism, Knight spoke of sacrifice and ritual, Undyne kidnapped for it, Asgore's 7 magical looking flowers, Kris's divided soul between now us and Kris themselves instead of JUST Kris. I think they want something else than to bring The Roaring. Why would Carol, Asgore, Undyne, Dess and Kris want to destroy the world? Even if we divide them character by character, Carol has Noelle, Rudy and maybe still Dess somewhere she most likely cares about. Asgore? WELL LOOK AT THE GUY! He's a lovable dude who would probably put his life at risk for his family. Undyne? Why would Undyne want to destroy the world? She's a natural born hero! Dess and Kris? Even in a gothic phase you would chicken out of something like destroying the world over something stupid. Plus they're not little anymore to not have rational thoughts...unless we take in consideration Kris is broken and Dess probably corrupted, but HEY! You don't have that from me!

Are we the villain all along ?

Honestly, possible, I given it a thought, no matter what side we're on, what route we take, we're still most likely controlling someone against their will on many occasions. Weird route? Yeah that one- is weird, but all the more strange to think that the reason Kris was spooking Noelle in the past might be because of the Soul? Hmmm, maybe, maybe not.

What I think with Kris is that there's like- 75% chance Kris is a good person, has noble intentions as even if Noelle's and Kris's friendship was forced, Kris seems to always care about 2 people in his life so far, at least most discussed. Asriel and Dess. The world and Deltarune practically revolves around them and we're like that nervous cousin, getting ready to meet and greet them.

It's possible what's going on is still way too large for us to assume and we'll have to really wait until 2026 for the next Chapter 5 to give us answers so we would get to the bottom of this in Chapter 6 and 7. I don't want Chapter 5 to be some kind of filler, ending on a cliff-hanger, just because it's only a year away, I really hope Chapter 5 will explain a lot if not the most so we could focus on HOW to get a desirable ending than "What comes next after a year or two?" At least some answers would fit as Chapter 3 and 4 explained little and opened MANY more questions than it answered.

What we know so far (?) -

Dark Fountains can be opened if you have a strong will to do so, not anyone can do it, you really need to try is the way Chapter 4 interpreted it.

Spamton's secrets of Mike are more or less fully explained and serve little to no importance. HOWEVER. It brought a theory (not Mike, but Spamton and Tenna). Spamton is unrecognizable to Tenna, it's not just Tenna ignoring him as he wished to see Spamton, but when Spamton shown, he got "frozen" by Tenna who didn't knew him. The phone call that changed Spamton's life for worse is still on the table as it was not with Tenna, Mike or anyone we yet know. Maybe Gaster? Maybe Kris without Soul? Maybe Roaring Knight? Maybe secret boss of one of the upcoming chapters? Time will have to tell.

Seam for a reason he doesn't wish to share betrayed Jevil and sealed him over The Roaring Knight dispute as Seam seems to be a magician, said by the Spade King. Will Seam betray us? Or is he just going to make us that strong weapon?

Shadow Crystals are a part of The Roaring Knight maybe as yes, we got the shard from the chipped sword, however, we also got a shadow crystal. WHAT does it imply? Maybe I'm overthinking this one though.

Dark Fountains are able to bring back memories of OR the dead themselves back to life. I am not implying Ralsei is dead Asriel, but might be a said memory of Asriel the way Kris remembers. Until Asriel comes back from College we know barely anything of that being true or false.

Kris and The Roaring Knight know each other, they secretly communicate, upon no-hit running The Roaring Knight, Kris gestures that they should speed the fight up, seems like in that sense Kris is showing awareness that the Knight is taking it lightly on us as he recognizes Kris. Either a co-operation or something more. Maybe who knows? Grand twist of the said knight being Asriel or Asgore. Reality can be anywhere again as Toby has the cards and we're just waiting for his play here XD

Gaster is not yet HERE FFS, we're in the middle of Deltarune and we still don't have the funni goop man nor Papyrus, but we have one more Dog sequence where we own him at climbing and he fucking dies XDDD

If I left something out and you would remind me of it, I will include it after EDIT title below all this text lol.

[sk-lumen]

High Value Woman Formula: The 4 Key Pillars

Are you passionate about leveling up, but find yourself daunted by the overwhelming list on how to become a high value woman?

Don’t fret, you’re probably not the only one! It may sound complicated at first glance, but when you truly understand what it’s about, the high value woman formula is… quite simple.

In this article, I will show you an easy and concise roadmap to becoming the woman of your own dreams.

Let’s get started.

Pillar #1: Body

Much like Maslow’s pyramid, in order to have a mind that is clear, a heart that is at peace, and a soul that is fulfilled, you need to first attend to your basic physical needs (and not only).

Getting enough hours of sleep

A healthy diet

Fitness & exercise

Haircare

Nails

Skin

Dental health

Make-up

Pillar #2: Mind

Next ingredient in the high value woman formula is polishing your mind.

Upgrading your looks and physical health is great, but if you don’t follow it up with a mindset glow up, you’ll find yourself repeating the same mistakes, and bumping into the same limiting beliefs and bad habits.

Planning goals and keeping track of them

Improving your mindset / develop a growth mindset

Confidence

Embrace failure

Reading extensively to broaden your mind and your education (includes financial education)

Courses, trainings and masterclasses

Listening to podcasts

Watching TedTalks or insightful documentaries (if you’re curious about my recs for TedTalks/documentaries, let me know in comments below)

Pillar #3: Heart

So you’ve leveled up your appearance, improved your mind, now what? Now it’s all about your heart and your emotions. Think about all the things that nurture your emotional dimension and makes you feel appreciated, seen and heard!

Building a support system (friends, family, therapy)

Therapy

Healing your attachment style

Journaling

Self Love

Setting boundaries

Being your authentic self

Speaking your truth

Embracing your journey

Feeling & processing your emotions

Pillar #4: Soul

Last but not least, I’m a spiritual woman, and these are my personal beliefs which some may or may not resonate with. If that’s the case and you’re happy with just the 3 first pillars, that’s perfectly valid and you can skip this section.

But I do believe you have to take care of your soul. You can have the looks, the money and your self-concept in line, but you might still feel empty, unfulfilled, like something is missing from your life… if you ignore the spiritual aspect.

For the girlies that need a deeper connection to the divine, to God, the universe, here are a few action steps.

Joining a community that resonates with you

Prayer

Yoga

Meditation

Various spiritual practices that align with your beliefs

Detoxing from social media, toxic people or environments

Conclusion

What do you think about this list, did you find it helpful? Are there any essentials you’d add to the list? Let me know in the comments below.

This is a topic I believe many women (and not only) would benefit from, and I’m passionate about helping my readers become their best selves.

So, I’m currently working on an in-depth guide that expands on this topic/article, complete with practical steps you can implement in your daily life, in order to become a High Value Woman.

💖 If you want to be the first to hear about the HVW ebook's launch make sure to join my Soultribe! 💖

🎀 More glow up articles and guides on sklumen.com 🎀

[fanauthorworkshop]

Applications now open!

The Spring 2025 Fanauthor Workshop is a 7-week writing course led by Betts (@bettsfic). The workshop lends a supportive space to writers who identify as fans to receive constructive feedback on fanfiction, original fiction, or creative nonfiction.

Art by @emimayooo 💖

Where & When

We meet weekly over Zoom. You can apply for one of two sessions:

Group A: Wednesdays from Apr 9 - May 21, 12-2pm ET [See what time that is in your time zone]

Group B: Mondays from Apr 7 - May 19, 6-8pm ET [See what time that is in your time zone]

What

FAW is a feedback-oriented workshop with the occasional generative session. This means that each week we read 2 pieces submitted by participants, offer written feedback, and discuss them over Zoom. You'll be able to sign up for the week you would like to workshop your own piece, which can be anything under 6k words.

There may be weeks where, in lieu of workshopping, I present external readings and writing exercises. These sessions will be dependent on the number of participants. For example, if we have 10 participants and 6 workshop weeks, that means one week will be devoted to a reading discussion and generative activity.

I developed a workshop model that focuses mostly on affirmations and positivity, as well as descriptive over prescriptive feedback, which is to say, describing one's experience of reading rather than prescribing solutions to perceived problems. We also present improvement-oriented feedback, but avoid negativity, judgment, and pedantry. Week 1 is spent going over the workshop model and how to give feedback.

About FAW

The first FAW was held in 2017 as an independent study in my MFA. I restarted it in 2022 and since then have led 11 sessions with a total of over 55 participants, about half of whom have participated in the workshop more than once.

Participation in the workshop includes entrance into the FAW community, an active Discord server where we host:

Ongoing accountability meetings during which we chat over Zoom about our projects and set goals for ourselves every other week

A monthly longform writing workshop, where writers can workshop any story between 6k and 100k words

A short story club, where we read and discuss original short form works

Birthday movie nights! We also have weekly TV show streaming and a few co-op games running

Scheduled write-ins and impromptu writing sprints

A group quarterly progress tracking sheet that accidentally turned into a micro social media platform

And there are always other things going on, like international snack exchanges, craft exchanges, support during the looming deadlines of fic exchanges, and so on

We also chat about writing and craft, offer resources, and share many, many pet photos. Or as emi likes to say, "Pay the pet tax."

In addition, participants of the workshop receive:

A one-hour consultation with me to go over your workshop feedback, come up with a plan for revision and/or publication, or anything else you’d like to discuss regarding your writing

Open enrollment in future workshops

Priority sign-ups for other generative workshops

Eligibility

Anyone over the age of 18 who considers themselves a participant of fandom and who is familiar with fanfiction may apply. A stable internet connection is also required.

Cost

The cost of the workshop is "pay what you can" with the recommended amount of $300. To be as inclusive as possible, I don't want money to be a deterrent for anyone interested in participating.

At least partial payment (or notification of nonpayment) will be requested prior to the start of workshop via PayPal, Venmo, or Wise.

Application requirements

To apply, you will need:

An informal cover letter discussing your fan history and goals as a (fan)writer (more specific instructions on submittable)

A short sample of your writing, either original work or fanfiction. This may be previously published/posted

You can apply via submittable. Applications close March 9th.

FAQ under the cut

FAQ

Are there any content restrictions to what I can workshop?

The only restriction is word count (max 6k), with the following caveats:

If you workshop a piece in a form other than prose (for example, a script), your peers may not be able to offer constructive feedback on that aspect of the work. Participants are asked only to have a familiarity with prose.

Content warnings are required for each piece (if applicable), and participants who are uncomfortable reading certain subject matter may abstain from your workshop.

What is the time commitment of the workshop?

As a participant of the workshop, you'll be asked to:

Workshop any piece of your own prose up to 6k words, which will need to be uploaded to the group folder one week before your workshop.

Read 2 pieces per week, write out your individual crit, and attend the workshop itself.

What is the timeline of the workshop?

In week 1, we go over the syllabus and do a writing exercise. Weeks 2 through 7 will be a workshop, a discussion of an external reading, or a writing activity. Prior to the start of workshop, you'll be able to sign up for the week you would like to workshop your piece.

Structure of the sessions:

Question of the day

First workshop

Short break

Second workshop

We'll go over my workshop model and the syllabus in week 1.

Do I have to participate in the Zoom meetings (camera and mic on)?

Attending the workshop itself is required, and everyone is asked to offer at least one note of positive feedback on each piece, so mics are necessary. Cameras are preferred but not required.

You can't asynchronously participate, i.e. read the pieces and offer written feedback without attending the sessions. For those who don't want to attend Zoom sessions, I plan to run an asynchronous session in summer.

Can workshop participants submit to OFIC Magazine?

Yes! Part of the reason I run the workshop is to inspire and promote the original work of fanwriters. You can follow us on tumblr @oficmag.

Who is running the workshop?

@bettsfic! In short, I lived a dreary cubicle life as a banker until I found fanfiction at 24. I loved it so much that I quit my job to get an MFA in creative writing. I loved the MFA so much that I became a writing teacher. I have some publications, awards, an agent, and 2 million words of fic on ao3. I don't have a book out yet but I'm getting there.

Currently I'm a writing coach and freelance editor. I also have a lowkey writing-related newsletter. And I've been answering writing advice asks on my blog for 10 years.

If you want an idea of the kind of writing activities I create, last summer I worked with @books on a workshop series which includes craft essays and some fun prompts.

If you're interested in my original work, my short story "Not If, When" is a good representation of my writing. For something darker, check out "Shut Up and Kill Me."

What is the workshop like?

Check out G's experience of attending the workshop. And here's some feedback from previous participants.

One final note: I'm working on updating the copy about the workshop on my website and move it over to OFIC's website. This post and Submittable has the most updated information on the workshop. If you have questions about discrepancies (or anything at all), you can shoot me an ask, DM me, or add me on Discord (I'm bettsfic there too).

[lukolabrainrot]

This is going to be long, I am sorry.

So, recent posts, we are all talking about them, assuming things, trying to find 5 differences and all that, but certain comments sparked a thought in me which I would like to share. What if we all are looking into timeline in the wrong way? Now I would need someone with an actual knowledge of how this promo contracts works to confirm or correct or entirely contradict my little theory. Is there a general timeframe in a contract during which L would have been supposed to post about this hotel or is a truly specifically established day? Now hold that thought, I would like to explain why this theory even came into my head and it’s a bit lengthy.

I think we all notices certain patterns and features in behavior of some less pleasant individuals in L close social circle. And even though we don’t have any concrete proof we have some pretty damning evidence that something went wrong post Part 2 premiere and more importantly during the “happiest” Italian gateway in relation to those particular individuals. We can see it clearly in their behavior during and post that, in pictures as well as drastic behavioral pattern changes. Not going to elaborate on this we have all been here during that and there are more than enough of in depth analysis on various platforms, this lovely blog including.

One such evidence which makes me pretty certain that something happened is actually N herself. There were many, many ways to post about her close friends’ birthday, but she specifically chose those pictures and that phrasing. She could have even just post those cute pictures with some other words, but no, she mentioned paparazzi and friends protecting friends. Along with someone mentioning L leaving two days earlier than his friends (not a 100% fact I concur but definitely possible), this makes me believe he truly learned something to shake those relationships, perhaps some kind of betrayal? And we know that N is protective of people in her life, even as just a friend if he shared the situation with her, I can totally see her wishing to throw some shade on people who put in jeopardy her friends’ safety and privacy. (I would have done exactly the same thing) N just coincidentally had a very convenient, easily deniable way to do just that.

Now I truly do believe that likes on SM mean nothing, just from my personal perspective. We also know that L followed and liked J posts on SM for a while even after a break up. This situation though seems different, A is different. I saw someone make a comment that L likes seem almost like a little reminder to A that he still can see what she is doing, we all know SM games she enjoyed playing promoting their supposed intimacy. At that time I dismissed it because it seemed too far fetched, but what if not? I mean, if he finally comprehended her shadiness, as well as some other people’s, what if he finally sees the bigger picture?

And after this essay finally comes my timeline idea. What if it was not A who posted before L, but he who posted after her? Now read that again. When she just posted a day before L, everyone immediately assumed that it looks like Cypress, and that even though she tries to make it look like someone tall is filming her, something didn’t seem quite right, ergo A playing games again. And is it not strange that her first hazy but more or less direct hint at him being in her life still, came after N and L had some interaction on SM (her posting him, and him liking her post for KS), as well as whole JD situation taking attention away from her? What if L saw it and decided to use his promo to clarify any assumptions. “I am in Spain and I am alone,” he connected it to Bridgeton and made sure to emphasize that he is there by himself. This, of course, is just my little theory. The reason I even came up with it is because I never saw similarities in those pictures myself, and I think L expected people to realize that. Which is why he posted another balcony pic after people started commenting on similarities to As’ post, with one towel, one cup, one person. Now I am not trying to be purposely obtuse or in denial, I genuinely do not see anything beyond passing similarities that can be found in many Mediterranean resorts. And if you look closely at the balcony pictures that most seem to be basing their views on, I suggest you look again. Truly. At picture of L in a cap standing in front of balcony with greenery, take some eye measurements. We know he is approximately 185cm high, the greenery is somewhat at his hip area, A is shorter than L but even still that greenery would not be almost reaching her breasts. But as I said, just my opinion, my observation.

.

[intervex]

Teratical: a coining for people who want to resist/subvert ideas of "monstrosity"

Teratical: an individual whose appearance is stigmatized in a way that society frames as "monstrous", who is critical of this framing and seeking to reject/resist/subvert ideas of "monstrosity". A solidarity-building term for liberation-seeking minorities that are the subjects of teratology: intersex people, disabled people, fat people, people with disfigurements, etc.

The term rhymes with "emphatical". The word teratical is presently an obscure word in English which means “incredible, marvellous” and shares the root terato- (monstrous) that is used in medicine. 😯

Speaking back to teratology

This is a backdoor way of reclaiming of the root terato- (monstrous) that is used in medicine. Teratology is the study of congenital “defects” and continues to be an active subfield of biomedical research. Some related terms include: teratosis (having such a congenital difference), teratogenesis (the development of a teratosis), and teratogen (an environmental substance which causes teratogenesis).

The scope of teratology as a discipline has long included intersex people, people with disfigurements, and a large variety of disabilities. It includes environmental teratoses (e.g. fetal alcohol syndrome) and genetic ones (e.g. Down syndrome). It’s worth noting that teratology has consistently included the study of people whose “monstrous” traits emerged over the course of their life span. Intersex variations which first become apparent at puberty have reliably been within the scope of teratology: congenital means you were born on this path, not necessarily that it was visible at birth.

While fatness, madness, and acquired disfigurements (e.g. burn survivors) haven't consistently been within the scope of teratology, the point here is for us teratical folks to reframe the conversation. I don't see a need to limit ourselves to the traditional scope of teratology. Fat people, burn survivors, mad folks, and anybody else who feels the spectre of monstrosity can use the term.

Why coin this term?

Because I want a way to talk about the shared history of intersex, disfigurement, and disability. I want a way for us to talk about our common political struggles. And I want a way to do it on Tumblr without invoking the Discourse around the term crip. 👀

There’s an academic niche which takes a critical disability lens to the concept of monstrosity (monstrosity studies), and I think it’d be nice to be able to tap into that while working to build solidarity between the intersex, fat, mad, disability, and disfigurement communities.

@scifimagpie contributes a verb form, teraticalizing: to subvert notions of monstrosity in ways connected to disability/intersex/fat/etc justice/liberation. In the same vein of how queering and cripping are verbs used to subvert binaries and ideas about ability.

Flag details

The flag is inspired by the Disability Pride Flag and the Crip Pride Flag. Its stripes represent:

Yellow: the affirmation model of disability. Our existence is not a tragedy. Our lives and our unique viewpoints are valuable. Our bodies are beautiful.

Blue: the social model of disability. It’s not us who are the monsters: the monstrosity we face is the oppression we face.

Olive (yellow-green): the eco-social model of disability. The social model focuses on how the interactions we have in our daily lives disable us. The eco-social model winds back the clock to point out that we can be disabled by social decisions made long before we were born. For example, lead pollution in POC communities is a social cause of disability. I think of this model as “social determinants of health” meets environmental justice meets disability studies.

Purple: the social construction model of disability. “Disability”, “intersex”, and related categories are created by humans, and who is and isn’t included in the categories changes over time and across cultures. Beauty is also socially constructed.

Cerise (pink-red): the radical model of disability. Disability is socially constructed, but in practice we disabled people don’t actually get to control the definition of disability. So let's focus on who experiences ableism. Ableism does not act alone: it shares a deep history with racism and cisheteroperinormativity. 

You can learn more about these (and other) models of disability on their Wikipedia page! (Full disclosure: I created and wrote the bulk of the text in the article 😅).

Sub-coinings

While I'm in term coining mode, I thought I'd get the ball rolling on some subtypes:

Interteratical: teratical in a way that is linked to being intersex (e.g. “bearded lady” presentation of hyperandrogenism, Klinefelter’s)

Neuroteratical: teratical in a way which is neurological, such as tremors, paralysis, seizures, dyspraxia, autism, etc.

Musculoskeleteratical: teratical in a way which is musculoskeletal (e.g. brachydactyly, hip dysplasia, kyphoscoliosis)

Syndesmoteratical: teratical in a way connected to a connective tissue disorder (e.g. EDS, Marfan’s)

Dermoteratical: teratical in a way which is dermatological (e.g. albinism, vitiligo)

Fat-teratical: teratical in a way which is linked to being fat

Mad-teratical / psychoteratical: teratical in a way which is mad/mental

Enviroteratical: teratical in a way which is linked to environmental causes (e.g. lead)

Genoteratical: teratical in a way which is genetic (e.g. Down Syndrome, CAH)

Cryptoteratical: teratical in a way which is unknown or unclear (credit: @scifimagpie)

Racioteratical: teratical in a way which is amplified by being racialized

Flags and additional subcoinings on demand. 💜

Tagging for archival: @disabilityflagsarchive @disabilityflags @mad-pride @varsex-pride @radiomogai @liom-archive @interarchive

[marshmallowwitharubberband]

One interesting comparison/foil I enjoy between the Twin Prides of Yunmeng is the relation between their perceived social awareness vs actual social aptitude.

Meaning, Wei Wuxian *seems* socially unaware, with his rule breaking and penchant for pissing off people, but actually he is very socially apt. He knows exactly what to do or say to get people to do what he wants (for better or for worse) and uses that ability numerous times. He is not unaware of social norms, he just picks and chooses which ones to follow at his convenience. His fatal flaw is his overconfidence, of course, but said confidence is not entirely misplaced.

Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng is overly aware of all the social norms, hierarchical customs and what is expected, but is so socially inept it's painful to watch. He is incapable of communicating effectively or bonding with his peers, for what we see. He's usually seen running behind Wei Wuxian to scold him for his misbehaviors, but he's rarely seen actually interacting with other disciples outside his sect (let's remember the merry adventures with NHS, LZ and the Wen siblings, as well as Yanli attending the lectures and his whole mess with Wen Qing —for which I'm grateful for bc my queens deserve more screentime but I digress— are all an invention of CQL and not book canon) without WWX acting as a social lubricant. And it ends up having terrible consequences for him.

Jiang Cheng spent the better part of the lectures being on WWX's ass about pestering Lan Wangji or getting in trouble with Nie Huaisang, or talking to Mian Mian, for fear of making the sect lose face. But in reality, Wei Wuxian was fulfilling the actual intended purpose of attending the lectures: making connections.

From a political point of view (though maybe not the Lan point of view), having all the heirs and disciples mingling for half a year is a networking opportunity one would be a fool to waste.

Proof of that is how said connections and friendships saved Wei Wuxian more than once throughout the story, including hauling him back from the dead.

Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng's hissy and angry way of going about life, while kinda justified, was so off-putting that even some readers can't stand him. His "first my sect, then my sect, and last, my sect" attitude is admirable, but in the end it costed him any potential alliance he could have had without depending on his sister's marriage.

Poor guy was left out of the Venerated Polyc- er, Triad and had to get his sect back with pretty much his bare hands because he did not cultivate (haha) any useful alliance or relationship with other clans when he could have. So, when he needed it the most, he was left alone.

No one of the other sects cared enough about him to intercede in his favor and Wei Wuxian, his social lighthouse, was too busy being a broody drunkard —and, later, a boogeyman— to be of any help. Which left Jiang Cheng, essentially, stranded.

All this to say, I want an AU where Nie Huaisang feels so bad for his friend's prickly wet cat of a brother that he drags Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng into a sworn brotherhood of their own and it changes the course of everything

[nebulamorada]

Please sit with me and listen to me talk about a Marshall Mathers x reader where they deal with an unexpected pregnancy

You had never really connected with motherhood, with any of the ideas and positions that surround the word, of course, you respected women who chose that for their lives, you were in favor of childhoods being cared for and protected, firmly believing that the first step to that is not having a child who could not be given the stability deserved in any case, whether economic, emotional, etc.

Maybe it was the environment in which you were raised, maybe you knew that there were conditions in you that would never be good for you to develop the role of mother, was it how invasive the changes of pregnancy were? or perhaps the social pressure that it all entails. You did not overthink it and, although you did not make any decision lightly, you had everything decided.

Finding Marshall was perfect for it, at his age and with years of parenting that included three girls, his share of fatherhood had been more than paid, so in the initial situation of the relationship, one of the things that were raised due to the age difference was children within the couple, both being honest with each other and happy that, although for different reasons, both agreed on a middle point under the same desire. To be just the two of you. Although of course, all plans have a margin of error.

And the blood tests that were positive for pregnancy that you had in your hands were the ones for both of you.

You had been feeling bad the last few weeks, Marshall insisting that you check it out, being dense enough with the subject to convince you to get some kind of check-up. That had led them to this… that and those weeks of vacation just both of you in that place with the spacious jacuzzi, of course.

Marshall, despite his conflicts about the situation at hand, tried to be understanding of whatever decision you chose to make, offering all the support you might need, promising to find a solution to whatever scenario you were working with, without making it clear if he wanted a particular decision. You, on the other hand, felt that even putting forward the option of an abortion was something that would be accepted. Your family had certain concepts that went against it, the press could find out about it somehow, and you had read thousands of articles and comments about how after the process, regret was generated that almost always ended in depression or some disorder. You didn't want that baby, but the idea of ​​not having it was also wrong according to a little voice in the back of your head that you had never heard before.

Marshall was again the voice of reason inside your head, keeping a cool head by laying out all the possibilities, taking the time to develop each one, especially the one that included abortion, noticing the way you avoided the subject. He wasn't going to force you to do anything, but he wanted you to know that it was one of the options you had. The security in his words, the restraint in his touch, and his understanding behind any decision you made, gave you enough confidence to make the option you considered most correct.

And when everything was done, you spent days waiting for a feeling of guilt and regret that never came. The feeling of relief and peace was arriving as soon as things went back to routine, Marshall still had doubts about being away for too long, but assuring him that everything was fine, he was skipping it little by little, still texting throughout the day and sending blurry and out-of-focus selfies, knowing that at least they would make you smile. Obviously, both of them were not unaware of the elephant in the room and although neither felt guilt or regret, accompanied the process with the help of a professional, with whom you were able to ensure that nothing that happened had to generate guilt and that not having it did not make you a bad person.

You liked your life the way it was and it was only fair to give the infant the chance to have a family that wanted and loved him the way he deserved. There is nothing to reproach in that.

[yurimother]

'I'm in Love with the Villainess' Anime - Episode 1 Review

An astounding and hilarious first outing for the series with the power to revolutionize Yuri

We are finally here, the long-awaited and much anticipated first episode of Platinum Vision’s I’m in Love with the Villainess anime aired on Tokyo MX and is streaming everywhere outside of Asia with a plethora of dubbing options, including English, on day one on Crunchyroll.

The first outing covers most of the events of the light novel’s first chapter, or the first three chapters of the manga, at a rapid but steady and not overwhelming pace. At this rate, the anime should be able to cover much of the series’ first arc, or the first two out of five books, in a single cour. Perhaps a bit less, depending on which of the story’s various adventures it elects to include. This is an exciting possibility, to be sure, as the story is a character-driven, socially mindful, and expertly written and, despite its fantasy setting, an exceptionally relevant tale of romance, socio-economic inequality, and of course, queerness.

While the first arc of Villainess is a triumph, it would be a shame not to see at least some of the developments from the extra chapters that lead into the second story, like (spoilers for the end of volume 2) Rae and Claire’s wedding and their adopted twin daughters May and Aleah. If we are lucky, perhaps they will appear in the final episode or, dare to dream, a second season (end of spoilers).

Now, onto the show itself. For those who, for whatever reason, have not read Inori’s masterpiece, I’m in Love with the Villainess follows Rae Taylor. A salary worker who dies and is reincarnated as the protagonist of her favorite otome game, Revolution. However, Rae has no interest in any of the game world’s three eligible royal bachelors and has eyes only for the game villainess Claire François. Armed with exceptionally magical ability, Rae sets out determined to secure a happy ending for her beloved Claire against the coming revolution and perhaps win her heart in the process.

Now, the opening of I’m in Love with the Villainess is the series' weakest moment in all mediums, which, considering episode one’s outstanding quality, only highlights just how superb the Yuri masterpiece is as a whole. Even with its need to establish the setting, characters, and premise of the series, the premiere managed to be an excellent introduction and set the bar high with lots of laughs, entertainment, and service between our two leads.

I watched the Japanese audio, and Yu Serizawa and Karin Nanami are fantastic in these roles, with Serizawa playing up Rae’s teasing adoration and borderline masochism at full blast, and Nanami explicitly giving voice to Claire’s arrogance and frustration. She even manages to deliver a perfect Ojou-style laugh to seal the character’s elite status and lean into the show’s use of otome tropes. And having the leads sing the excellent opening and ending themes is just icing on the cake.

Speaking of tropes, while Ironi’s original work is a genre-defying masterpiece that broke the Yuri mold, it is never afraid to play with the genre’s iconography and its otome game setting. Every other scene had another allusion, including to the book’s cover. As always, I am likely overeager to see connections, however intentional they may be, but the academy’s halls harken to otome staples, the bells and strings of the first scene's soundtrack conjured blistering memories of Strawberry Panic (perhaps a sacrilegious comparison to make but I digress), and even an areal shot of the campus was another check mark on my “Scenic Yuri” theory.

Now, as mentioned, I’m in Love with the Villainess has to establish the groundwork here, and narratively, these are the weakest moments, often direct exposition, with a few exceptions like Rae’s conversation with her roommate Mash about maintaining Claire’s attention. The narration is at least accompanied by relevant and creative, if perhaps limited, animation. But to their credit, these moments are succinct, existing only as long as they have to in order to provide the necessary information and get out of the way for what matters most: the characters.

Rae and Claire are front and center from the very get-go, and there is little time wasted in showcasing Rae’s intense bottom energy or establishing Claire’s elitism and bewildered anger towards Rae’s excitement in the face of Claire’s carefully calculated cruelty. It is a montage of silly and fun competitions between the two that had me laughing and smiling all the way through, as the Yuri was present in full force, and gives glimpses at the mutual obsession the women have for each other that will soon blossom into a wonderful romance.

These early story beats have a light tone and focus on the bullying, teasing, and rivalry between Rae and Claire, a dynamic that previously and understandably made a subset of readers somewhat uncomfortable. However, assuming the anime unfolds in a similar manner to the manga and light novels, the narrative will explore meatier, heavier subject matter and a far deeper lesbian romance, all without losing its sense of fun and adventure. The next episode or two will be incredibly telling - as the source material is perhaps the most profound and forthright depictions of LGBTQ identity in Yuri, and that all starts with a pivotal conversation that, if it is included, will be coming up shortly.

Overall, I am incredibly excited for this series. The first episode is everything I had hoped for out of an adaptation of one of my favorite works of all time, save the animation, which is average at best. While there is a lot more to see, and we will have to wait to know if I’m in Love with the Villainess lives up to its incredible potential and source material, I am extremely hopeful. We have one of the funniest, most thoughtful, and queerest works of Yuri transformed into a stunning anime project unlike anything that has come before and offers the chance at not just a new Yuri “gateway” but to continue the work of its source material in revolutionizing the genre.

Ratings: Story – 8 Characters – 10 Art – 5 LGBTQ – We shall see… Sexual Content – 3 Final – 8

I'm in Love with the Villainess is streaming on Crunchyroll with English sub/dub.

Review made possible by Avery Riehl and the rest of the YuriMother Patrons. Support YuriMother on Patreon for early access, exclusive article, and more: patreon.com/yurimother

[susanghanmessenger]

The Men We Want and the Women We Love to Hate: Gender Roles in Mystic Messenger

Mystic Messenger (수상한메신저) is a 2016 otome game developed by the South Korean indie game company Cheritz. It was an immediate hit upon release, largely due to its unique format for the otome genre as a whole: the game takes place in real time over a period of eleven days via a series of chatrooms, texting, and phone calls with each of the love interests.

The story centers you as the main character (hereafter referred to as "MC") accidentally downloading an app that acts as the main chatroom for Rika's Funding Association (hereafter referred to as the R.F.A), a charity organization that fundraises through throwing parties. Rika, their namesake, has since passed away; in her absence, the remaining members attempt to keep the parties going in her memory, but without success. You agree to become their new party coordinator and begin organizing right away, bonding with the rest of the members and gathering guests for the party, all while gradually unraveling all of the locked away secrets the organization is hiding.

I'll be primarily addressing question three of the assignment, albeit on a broader scale to include ways in which the game regards femininity:

How is ideal masculinity presented in these games? What aspects of virility, behavior, values, physical beauty, social status, and more are being offered up to the consumer? What are these men fulfilling that is “missing” in mainstream culture?

Heavy spoilers for most of the game under the cut.

One of the more interesting aspects of Mystic Messenger is the way in which its core cast is characterized. The R.F.A members tend to cater towards certain fantasies or archetypes as is typical for the genre—Jumin, for example, appears on the surface to be a shoe-in for the "wealthy CEO" trope—but due to the game's long-form format are afforded a deep emotional complexity to flesh out, individualize, and humanize them all in a way that's difficult for similar games to fully achieve. This is, of course, all part of the fantasy, as their complexity at its core stems from and centers around their roles as love interests, which itself is tied to their overall gendered appeal.

Let's continue to look at Jumin as an example:

Jumin's character is very easy to get the gist of within having a couple of chats with him; he's stoic, calculating, cautious, and logical, taking his work and his role in the organization seriously. But he is also is obsessed with his cat, unflinchingly deadpan and sardonic in his humor, and at multiple points is willing to put his entire career on the line for the sake of helping the members of the R.F.A. As the player becomes closer to Jumin and begins his route, however, cracks quickly start appearing under the surface and Jumin begins to unravel. You learn that Jumin is naturally a deeply sensitive, emotional man, and his seemingly cold and uncaring attitude is just a front to protect himself under the fear people will only want to be close to him for personal gain due to his status. This eventually caused him to develop a crippling loneliness and paranoia and, in turn, is the reason for his obsession with cats: he was given his own cat by Rika, one of the only people Jumin had ever let into his life, to help with this same loneliness, and after her passing, his cat became a projection of the complex emotions he felt towards Rika due to his inability to process his grief. This is why, when his cat runs away, he has a nervous breakdown; he's not losing his cat, necessarily, but being "abandoned" by the last bit of Rika he's able to connect with. The MC, ideally, is expected to be supportive and understanding, gently helping him learn to process his emotions while emphasizing the need for balance and trust before eventually starting a relationship once he's more stable.

This multifaceted nature isn't unique to Jumin; every single main love interest offer a spectrum of different traits and fantasies. However, the struggles of each and every character—707's guilt, Yoosung's grief, ZEN's anxiety, Jumin's self-doubt, literally everything V and Ray have going on the entire time—are framed by the very nature of the game as not something that's part of their personalities and lived experience separate from gender, but rather a byproduct of the masculinities they're meant to represent and stand in contrast to. For example, 707's trauma and sense of humor, while integral to consider when engaging with his character, can't be divorced from the fact that traditional masculinity discourages men from outright displaying vulnerability.

Mystic Messenger is also unique in the ways in which the identity of the MC is approached. As stated before, Mystic Messenger is chatroom-based; none of the characters know what "you" look like until the day of the party. So when you're interacting with them, deepening your bond and getting to know them, the characters have no reference. They're falling in love not with your looks, but who you are as a person—your kindness, your humor, your support. This is part of what set it apart and made it popular, and while there is a faceless, nameless, stand-in MC, anyone can be her. I say "her" since, by virtue of being an otome, you are assumed to be feminine (the game goes as far as to mock initial insistence of masculinity) and, as such, your interactions with the R.F.A. members—and, by extension, how their character traits feel to the player—are seem through this lens. MC is kind, nurturing, selfless, patient, quick-witted, emotionally intuitive; she is a passive figure who solely exists to comfort and be pursued. She's the ultimate desirable woman, in stark contrast with to many of the other women in the game. Rika, Echo Girl, Glam, Sarah, Jumin's mother—they are framed as obstacles; jealous, manipulative, villainous. They subtly embody the "wrong" types of femininity: those that are too sexual, too confident, too emotional, too controlling. MC can be anyone she wants to be, and her association with the player inherently uplifts her—but even still, she must be a woman in a way that's non-threatening, that downplays her own being in support of the man she loves.

It's through the MC that the very traits discussed with the male love interests earlier are codified as a kind of masculinity, since these struggles are inherently filtered through a romantic lens and shaped by the influence of the MC. It's not about being a man; rather, it's about the romantic fantasy of a masculinity that's seen as desirable. None of their traits are inherently "masculine," and indeed, many jokes are made at the expense of the characters for going against what's expected of them. But because Mystic Messenger is designed to be about what kind of man you want to love, this fantasy is shaped around a romantic idealization of gender roles in the first place.