#LISTEN TO MY RAMBLES

[riley-summers]

While Riley, Xander, and Lindsey all read very much as repressed bisexuals, it's important to note that they're all three different flavors of repressed bisexuals.

Xander doesn't even know what bisexuality is. He clearly wants Spike (and also Angel and Riley to some extent) but he likes girls so he can't be gay... right? He just has no clue that being bi is possible. I think if Giles (elder bisexual) sat down and explained bisexuality to Xander, he might Get It. Then again, he's also got some internalized insecurities about his own masculinity, but I think with time, once Xander figured out that he was bi, he would be able to accept himself, and be happier for it.

Riley knows that it's possible to be bi, and probably knows full well that he wants Spike (and Angel... and Graham...) but he just. Does not want to believe it. "I'm not into men. I'm not gay. I'm not gay. If I say it 100 times it will be true. I'm not gay." I don't think Riley needs it spelled out for him like Xander does. He really just needs time to accept it. Riley is fighting demons and the demons are bisexuality.

Lindsey knows that he wants to screw Angel. He wants it so bad. He probably knows what being bi is. Lindsey to me reads as the epitome of "Yeah I'm probably bi but I have a job right now so i dont really care about that." (the job in question is trying to get into Angel's pants beat Angel). I actually think Lindsey might be the least repressed of the three, I think he's fully aware of the fact that he wants Angel, especially by S5 of AtS.

[reignsserene09]

reignsserene09 Sonetto HC regarding her Parade Garment (in connection to that one AU I wrote)

when she wears her Parade Anthem outfit, she gets injured brutally (but doesn't die because Arcana holds her mortality basically hostage and that she is unkillable)

there was one scenario where she was stabbed through and through with the parade flagpole (with the flag attached) and guess what she was wearing? her parade anthem garment

this orange haired, green eyed woman still wears her all white (and some gold accented) outfit even when she knows it can lead her to her demise

this mf knew she would be hurt but wears it regardless of what bad juju shit it has ��🏻‍♀️

[thsc-stuffs]

Remus & Riella Playlist Analysis

I SAID I'D DO IT FUCK IT HERE GOES NOTHING here's the playlist! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7rHcxumJVqcFaJ2gQhTm98?si=1827a6c6b9254fa8

These are just ones I have particularly big feelings and words for, a lot of these songs are just on here because Sweet Love Songs or they have Vibes

Monster | Imagine Dragons - They both struggle with their inhuman natures, and feel they'll be seen differently for it. They both worry the other will fear them. { "If I told you what I was, would you turn your back on me? And if I seem dangerous, would you be scared?" } - Riella has always had a sense of Otherness, both in her Siren heritage and her being trans. All she ever wanted was to be like her sisters, but achieving that meant facing that she was different. It meant facing the 'monster' within her. { "Ever since I could remember, everything inside of me just wanted to fit in" } - Remus didn't want to live his life as a werewolf. He accepted the offer to be turned out of desperation, while believing he was going to die, but now he has to face what he's become. He's spent his entire life running because of his otherness, but that's not what he wants. { "Can I clear my conscience? If I'm different from the rest, do I have to run and hide?" } - Both feel that they've become monsters, literally and metaphorically. They've killed, hurt, lied, and they've both tied these things back to their inhuman natures. They see themselves as humans fighting against the 'monster' of their inhuman parts. { "I'm only a man with a candle to guide me- I'm taking a stand to escape what's inside me. A monster, a monster, I've turned into a monster. A monster, a monster- and it keeps getting stronger!" }

King And Lionheart | Of Monsters and Men - Pretty self-explanatory. Sweet love song. Specifically feels like their growth over time, how they've fallen in love and looking back on how far they've come from the beginning. { "Though far away, though far away, though far away- we're still the same, we're still the same, we're still the same." } - Their time on the airship makes up a major part of their relationship!! So many romantic and emotional moments looking down on the world!! { "And in the winter night sky, ships are sailing, looking down on those bright blue city lights- and they won't wait, and they won't wait, and they won't wait. We're here to stay, we're here to stay, we're here to stay." }

Will I Find My Home - Acoustic |Juniper Vale and Vian Izak - OH BOY. Remus and Riella both left home far too young, misguided and unsure, against their better wishes- Remus wishing his father was still around, Riella being taken against her will. They didn't get to leave on grand ambitions, nor with some brilliant moment of freedom- they ran with blood on their hands. { "I left the nest when I was far too young; never set my flight for the sun." } - Riella has already been hurt by love, her ex being the one to sell her out, so she's so wary when she starts falling for Remus. Is he worth the hurt? Her love for him could be her glowing freedom, but would it be her downfall once more? { "Are you worth getting lost over, love? If I offer myself will it lift me up? Are you worth letting into my heart? If I go and get caught will I fall too far?" } - Remus watched his home fall apart. He's so desperate to have that feeling back, but he doesn't know where to start- except here is Riella, and here is love, and isn't that the same? { "Will I find my home, will I find my home- my home in you?" } - Over time in the clan, and in their relationship, they start to find their own passions and ask themselves if the risk may be worth it. They're learning to think it could be. { "Icarus thought he'd find his place a little higher; it's curious, the flame of the fire." } - Finally, after so long, they admit their love. It's a safety net beneath their fall, the catalyst to their growth and strength. They trust and love each other endlessly, unconditionally. No matter how badly the world burns them, they know the other is safety. { "Be my place to land when I'm tired- when my feathers are burnt by the fire. I surrender myself to your arms, just hold me tighter." }

Second Child, Restless Child | The Oh Hellos - Remus song time! He has big feelings about his childhood and how it's led to his view on the world in adulthood. { "I was born the second child, with a spirit runnin wild, runnin free. And they saw trouble in my eyes- they were quick to recognize the devil in me. See, I was born a restless child, and I could hear the world outside callin me." } - His need to get away was what led him to the clan, after all, and that led him to Riella. { "Can you hear it on the wind? Can you feel it underneath your skin? You've got to go on, farther than you've ever gone! You've got to run far from all you've ever known!" }

I have to break up the text block, so: COMMENCE CRANE WIVES

The Garden | The Crane Wives - This one's mostly Riella, babyyy. She's watched her world fall apart too many times, sometimes she can't help but feel like she's taken the wrong path in life. She worries that she's trapped Remus and herself both within the danger of the clan, and that someday her Karma will come for her. { "My stone, my shield, my steady hand. Hold your light to the darkness in my head. Put your ear to my heart or set your teeth against my throat- give me something pretty to wear beneath my blood-stained clothes! My darling, the devil knows my name!" }

Can't Go Back | The Crane Wives - The lyrics speak for themselves on this one, with it being both of them to the other. { "It's time to learn to be more forgiving of yourself, and your sins. And those mistakes you've made- you've got to try and take the lessons away from them, and leave the rest behind." } { "All the self-loathing in the world won't change a thing. Cause you can't go back, darling. The time has come for moving on. You can't be always tryin to dig up what you've already buried- you've got to carry, carry, carry on." } { "It's not fair! (When have you ever known the world to be a fair place?) It's not fair! (All things end and all things change.) It's not fair! (You'll look back and laugh someday.) It's not fair! (Or, at least, you'll learn to be okay.)" }

Curses - Live | The Crane Wives - Another vibes one, this time Riella @ Remus about her whole Siren thing. She's lost and scared and confused, reaching out to him for comfort and reassurance that he still loves her despite this. { "There's a fire in my brain and I'm burning up- oh my, oh my. Keep running for the sink but the well is dry- oh my, oh my. Every word I say is kindling, but the smoke clears when you're round. Oh, stay with me, my darling, when my walls start burning down, down, down..." } - This change is a echo of her life before, of the family who abandoned her, and it's just as hauntingly familiar as it is horrifyingly new. She hasn't ever gotten to unpack those feelings, nor the realization that Sirens are predators, and now they're haunting her. She no longer feels at home with herself, not until she can work through this. { "This house says my name like an elegy- oh my, oh my. Echoing where my ghosts all used to be- oh my, oh my. There's still cobwebs in the corners and the backyard's full of bones! Won't you stay with me, my darling, when this house don't feel like home?" } - She feels that she's doomed, and that Remus will be dragged down with her. Riella's terrified what this all will mean for them, yet begs for Remus to stay by her side through this. { "Oh, ashes ashes, dust to dust- the devil's after both of us! Oh, lay my curses all to rest- make a mercy out of me!" } - Despite her fear, she can't deny the changes taking place, that she's unlocked her Siren and there's no turning back. All she can do is pray that Remus doesn't turn his back on her. { "This tired old machine is a-rumbling- oh my, oh my. Singing songs to the secrets behind my eyes- oh my, oh my. All my aching bones are trembling, and I may yet fall apart- won't you stay with me, my darling, when the war starts in my heart? When the war starts in my heart!" } { "Oh, ashes ashes, dust to dust- tell me I am good enough. Lay my curses out to rest, make a mercy out of..." }

How to Rest |The Crane Wives - Another Riella one? Another Riella one. This one is her singing to her past self, looking back on her reluctance and refusal to love again. Her younger self had hidden away, convinced enough walls built around her heart could protect her, but the Riella of the present knows better. { "Go on, stack the cinderblocks in a cold sweat. Build yourself a citadel amidst the foothills of regret. And though you've convicned yourself, you're safe and sound within- the thing you fear the most never need get in." } - She remembers how much the isolation hurt, how badly she missed love. Having her family and boyfriend cut her off hurt so much, and hiding away was only making it worse. { "You'll miss the sun. The warmth of another's embrace- you'll need room to run, and something to chase. And that thing you fear will coax you out of that unholy place- cause all you've ever wanted is an escape." } { "Those of us who vow never to love again, to love again, are making liars out of honest men. It's not something that you put to bed, hang your head and just forget; no, love don't know how to rest. No, love don't know how to rest." } - She looks back on the years of heartache and suffering, both before and after joining the clan, to the hours spent trying to forget and force herself not to love, and she laments to her younger self; { "Darling, when you've tired, you will see. There's no safe place, no sanctuary. It's not just child's play, a game of hide and seek- don't make it harder than it has to be." } { "Here's the truest thing I've ever known- the heart is just a muscle with a rhythm all its own. It doesn't stop when you decide not to move on! The heart knows nothing of your love or of your loss! So life just keeps on ticking by, compelled by instinct to survive, and love's the only thing worth being alive for!" }

Turn out the Lights | The Crane Wives - Light-hearted comfort, directed at each other! Pretty self-explanatory! { "You don't have to believe every single thought that tumbles through your head, just cause it sounds like you talkin! Sometimes all you can do is say goodnight, and tuck your demons into bed, cause they're not worth fighting. Turn out the lights on your racing mind! Turn out the lights on your racing mind! What good has ever come of it, what answers will you find? Turn out the lights on your mind!" }

[lazylittledragon]

can't believe we're all adults being forced into the club penguin level of censorship in 2024

[reasonsforhope]

"For most people, a rat is at best an unwelcome guest, and at worst, the target of immediate extermination. But in a field clinic in Tanzania, rats are colleagues—heroes even.

Far from a trash bin-dwelling NYC street rat, the African giant pouched rat is docile, intelligent, easier to train than some dogs, and for East Africans, the performer of lifesaving tuberculosis diagnoses every day.

400,000 new cases of tuberculosis (TB) were estimated to have been prevented by these rats, whose sense of smell would make a bloodhound take notice. As [TB is] the number-one killer among infectious diseases worldwide, many of those 400,000 can be translated into lives saved.

“Not only are we saving people’s lives, but we’re also changing these perspectives and raising awareness and appreciation for something as lowly as a rat,” said Cindy Fast, a behavioral neuroscientist who coaches the rodents for the nonprofit APOPO.

“Because our rats are our colleagues, and we really do see them as heroes.”

APOPO uses giant pouched rats to sniff out traces of TB in the saliva of patients. In parts of Tanzania, a saliva smear test under a microscope by a human may only be 20-40% effective at detecting TB.

By contrast, a giant pouched rat like Ms. Carolina, a now-retired service rat who worked for APOPO for 7 years, raised the rates of detection on TB samples by 40% in the clinic where she worked.

Pictured: An APOPO employee with one of their trained rats

It would take 4 days for scientists to analyze the number of samples that Carolina could screen in 20 minutes. For that reason, when Carolina retired last November, a party was thrown at the clinic in her honor, and she was given a cake.

TB is sometimes thought of as a thing of the past—a disease for which doctors used to prescribe “dry air,” leading a modern sense of humor to muse at the antiquated, pre-antibiotic medical advice.

But it remains the number-one cause of death globally from a single infectious pathogen, and Tefera Agizew, a physician and APOPO’s head of tuberculosis, told National Geographic that once people see what the nonprofit’s rodents can do to slow the spread, they “fall in love with them.”

3,000 times in her career did Carolina detect one of the six volatile compounds that can be used to identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and she got a hero’s send-off to a special compound to live out the rest of her days with her closet friend and sniffer colleague Gilbert, in a shaded enclosure dubbed “Rat Florida.”

“We’ve made special little rat-friendly carrot cakes with little peanuts and things on it that the rat would enjoy,” Fast said. “Then we all stand around and we clap, and we give three cheers, hip hip hooray for the hero, and celebrate together. It’s really a touching moment.”

APOPO has made headlines for its use of these rats in other lifesaving tasks as well: landmine clearance.

One of the world’s great underreported scourges (a lot like TB, coincidentally) is landmine contamination. There are 110 million landmines or unexploded bombs in the ground right now in about 67 countries, covering thousands of square miles in potential danger. Thousands of civilians are killed or injured by these weapons every year.

GNN reported on APOPO’s demining efforts using pouched rats back in 2020. One rat named Magawa alone identified 39 landmines and 28 items of unexploded ordnance across an area the size of 20 football fields.

If at the start of this story you didn’t like rats, maybe Magawa and Carolina will have changed your mind."

-via Good News Network, March 31, 2025

[eydilily]

For the reqs, any pearls or gems ? I love them in your style <33

a gem and a pearl! <3

[potato-lord-but-not]

ep 50 save me

[cloudfishcg]

referring to the cleanup arc

[eliounora]

adulthood is actually just an eternal cycle of cleaning your kitchen. other rooms you clean and they're clean for a while, but the kitchen you clean and it's messy again right away. you are the sisyphus of cleaning your kitchen

[opikiquu]

[juniemunie]

[Abandoned by the Lightners, his heart became cracked with hatred.]

Hitting a lil' too close to home?

[evilrobotalienclown]

kiss alts and cast commentary my beloved

[lazylittledragon]

listen i need you to know that you can have the most ridiculous reasons to perform self care if it gets you to actually do it. i just became the owner of a beautiful floral floor length satin robe and if that's really all it's going to take for me to shower every day and do my skincare and brush my teeth then so be it

[applebees4prez]

rewatching neverafter knowing gerard was never properly socialized and spent most of his life as a frog makes me feel so much. of course he’s awkward and weird! of course he’s going to say the wrong thing! he was a frog for a huge part of his life! he literally didn’t have anyone to converse with from the end of childhood until the beginning of his adulthood. he missed out on some incredibly formative years.

also “outside is scary inside is safe that is why castles are built! everything is good in here!” from a man who was only safe once he was allowed inside and suffered intense trauma for years uninterrupted while being forced outside goes so insane. it only makes sense that he added “and flies” to elody’s list of threats. flies represent the worst part of his existence. he is unsafe when surrounded by flies and forced to use them as a source for food. gerard is forced to learn that you can be unsafe anywhere. he can be a frog anywhere, even in a position of royalty that should grant him to utmost comfort.

[minalots]

ARE YOU IN PAIN LIKE I AM?

(Now on inprnt!)

[capseycartwright]

i’m just a girl, standing in front of a fandom with a poorly made canva wedding invite, asking if they like the sound of marriage of convenience may.

due to overwhelming real life grief i both cannot engage with this show rn and need a fun distraction, and as a girl who loves a silly thematic hook and a bit of alliteration: i bring u ✨ marriage of convenience may ✨

truly the only criteria is buck and eddie deciding a marriage of convenience is the most sensible thing they can do for each other and then silliness and romance ensue. the details are up to you clever lovely people.

i even made an ao3 collection for it here. so if you also need a distraction and a reason to write a marriage of convenience fic for buddie, please take this as your sign. it would make me very happy.