#and I couldn't have my character using one

[hatchan]

The first Goosebumps movie: Welcome to Dead House

I had read several Goosebumps books, but never knew the movies existed until I picked up that one at my local library.

I think this was the first thing I ever watched that included zombies as the main antagonists. The movie scared me TERRIBLY. In particular I think what got to me was when the zombies entered a character's bedroom because they never, ever stopped chasing. The relentless pursuit of it all! And to me, a child, the bedroom/bed was "safe." Scary things existed, I had seen/read many scary things by then, but when you're in bed and you put the blanket over your head, nothing can get you! The blanket is a sacred forcefield and the scary things cannot penetrate the blanket, and also my bedroom, with the door closed, was by extension "safe."

But the zombies chased the character into his or her bedroom. The locked doors and windows didn't stop the zombies in their relentless pursuit. And the blanket was not a sacred protective forcefield. The zombies couldn't be so easily deterred.

Many years later, I studied linguistics in college and learned about the concept of "doxa" (related to words like "orthodox" and "paradox" and "heterodoxy"). That is, in my un-academic words, The Thing That is True. The beliefs we have that is about the Facts, The Way Things Are, the baseline understanding of reality. Things that are taken for granted and common sense. And when something happens that clashes with existing doxa, and reality directly contradicts itself, that's where fear comes from.

An example my professor gave me was the horror movie Psycho by Albert Hitchcock. The woman introduced to us as a protagonist is killed in the shower, stabbed to death. Even now, you hear of people checking behind the shower curtains for killers, mostly as a joke, but the fear of being killed in the shower became a real thing. Taking a shower in your own home is meant to be Safe and even a nice ritual of self care. But watching this movie, where someone is killed in the shower, broke the doxa and introduced the idea that it's possible to die that way. It was always possible--but we didn't know we had that belief until we experienced the contradiction of it. And it's scary!

So that movie, Welcome to Dead House, was the time my doxic belief in the safety of a bed and bedroom was shown to be false. My bedroom was not the safe place I assumed it to be all this time and learning you're wrong is scary and upsetting and I had to figure out a different way to cope

reblog this and put in the tags something you watched that terrified you as a child. i was so scared of the hot sauce in spongebob that i refused to be in the room when it was on

[creativiteaa]

Mac from Date Everything is an innacurate wheelchair design, let's talk about it! Also, before anyone says, "they were going for a computer theme!" I am aware! That does not change that this is a bad design.

For anyone who does not know me, hello! I'm Solstice. I'm a full-time wheelchair user and functionally non-ambulatory. I know my way around a wheelchair considering I use one in my everyday life.

First off, Mac has a hospital style wheelchair. a hospital style is essentially any wheelchair you'd get or use in a hospital. I'd like to clarify that I know some disabled and chronically ill people use hospital style wheelchairs, but a lot of the time in media, depictions of wheelchair users show hospital style wheelchairs NOT for representation, but out of ignorance for active ultralightweight manual wheelchairs.

On the left is a Drive brand hospital style wheelchair. On the right is my personal custom wheelchair.

Mac's armrests are also disproportionate to the rest of the wheelchair. There are definitely people who have armrests on their custom wheelchairs! I have armrests but have taken them off, personally. The issue on Mac's wheelchair arises when their armrests are not only incredibly high, but their drive wheels (the big wheels in the back) are disproportionately small. And while on the topic of their drive wheels, they have no push rims, and no other features like a joystick to show that this is a power chair. The camber tube (tube between the two drive wheels under the seat of the chair) is also way too low. The camber tube goes towards the bottom of the wheel, not even the center of the wheels. Those drive wheels would be unable to roll.

Mac's castors are also very big. Castors can range in size but Mac's castors are so big I don't think that wheelchair could turn- the castors would hit either the footplates or the drive wheels! And with the castor assembly, Mac's castor has an axle system instead of a fork system. Those castors couldn't even turn because they can't freely swivel!

Mac's backrest looks hard and uncomfortable, and it's very tall. Some people need or opt to have high backrests, but this is not accurate to what a rigid backrest would be like. Mac also does not have a cushion, or a very tiny cushion, which would cause pressure sores and also just be uncomfortable.

I'd like to conclude that I hold no ill will towards the artist, designer, devs, fans, etc. But I did want to talk about this since Mac's wheelchair design feels like it wasn't researched much at all. I love that the devs wanted to include a disabled character, but you have to do research. I was really interested in playing this game but Mac's design really did turn me off from the game. I hope this is something that could potentially be amended.

My ask box is also open to questions, comments, concerns, etc.!

[makingqueerhistory]

If you have time could you please explain what those three controversies are

(Pretty sure one of them is about women reading smut)

Thank you in advance

This is fascinating, because the post in question said:

"When three of the biggest controversies on social media have been about punishing women for expressing their sexuality, it starts to look a lot like a pattern."

The interesting bit is people are all referencing different recent scandals, when I thought everyone would immediately click on to what I was thinking of. To be more specific, I was writing about two major celebrities coming out as bisexual, and the backlash to a female artist having an album cover that references kink.

I stand by my annoyance at all three of these events, but I couldn't think of a better illustration of my overarching point than people thinking it was a completely unrelated occurrence.

It's interesting that first the upset was over children being exposed to any type of sexuality or gender expression, now the new upset is over women expressing any kind of sexuality or gender expression. It's almost like there is a concerted effort from the right to remove sexuality and gender expression from public discourse entirely and children and women just happen to be the first targets. If that were the case, it would be extremely frustrating when people on the left fall for this barely disguised outrage politics again and again.

If I'm not being obvious enough, let me be perfectly clear, if you are genuinely upset over someone you don't know expressing a new facet to their sexuality/gender, you're a part of the problem.

If you are mad at women for reading books with sex scenes, you are a part of the problem.

If you think two women coming out as bisexual is a "betrayal" to the queer community, you are a part of the problem.

If a woman expressing interest in kink scandalizing you, you are a part of the problem.

The fact that I can think of more examples of public outrage over stuff like this is exhausting. I'm tired of people expecting me to be angry over a woman enjoying her sexuality.

I'll leave you with this from the Wiki page for The Mass Psychology of Fascism:

"Reich argued that the reason why German fascism (i.e., Nazism) was chosen over communism was that of increased sexual repression in Germany – as opposed to the somewhat more liberal (post-revolutionary) Russia. As children, Reich believed that members of the (German) proletariat learned from their parents to suppress nearly all sexual desire and – instead – expend the repressed energy into authoritarian idealism. Hence, in adults, any rebellious and sexual impulses experienced would cause fundamental anxiety and – therefore, instead – social control is used to reduce anxiety. Fear of revolt, as well as fear of sexuality, were thus "anchored" in the 'character structure' of the masses (the majority). This influenced the 'people' and allowed (what Reich thought as irrational) 'populistic' ideology to flourish."

[soulgazingwithbucky]

why bucky has a blowout

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Wife!Reader

Summary: bucky would never take advice from valentina or any of the thunderbolts, let alone hair advice. but the love of his life? a different story

Warnings: fluffy ig?

Word count: 750

A/N: i never thought i would miss the unbearable itch to write, and yet!!! so happy i was able to make something, so i hope ya enjoy! If you find yourself enjoying this, feel free to check out my other works here <3

"Stay still, Buck," you murmur softly.

Bucky stifles a huff. He could stay still for hours--if he wasn't in front of the bathroom mirror, forced to stare at his reflection. Behind him, you cup a strand of his hair in your hand.

You release the strand, pleased at the slight curl that has formed.

"I'm not doin' anymore of these things, doll," Bucky says. "M'telling Valentina she can put Walker up there from now on."

"You tell her, love," you encourage, though you're a bit distracted wrapping the next strand of hair around the thermal brush. You've never met your husband's "boss," but you've heard enough to get a sense of her character. You doubted Bucky was going to be able to get himself out of press conferences.

"After this hairstyle, though? You'll be first in line for any media coverage," you tease.

This time, Bucky can't hold back a grumble at the thought. You giggle, but it's quickly stifled by a yawn. Bucky softens at the sight of your sleepiness.

"Thank you, sweetheart," he says sheepishly.

Valentina is a blur as she rushes past Bucky. But she pauses abruptly, taking a few steps back until she's planted in front of him. Bucky does his best to ignore her, staring straight ahead, but he eventually puts down his sandwich and slowly meets her eyes.

"This won't do," Valentina says, gesturing at his head. Bucky doesn't care much about what "won't do," but he has a meeting with Agent Taylor in twenty minutes. He very much likes the idea of enjoying his sandwich on the couch, sans the Contessa.

"What, Valentina?" Bucky says slowly.

"This hair," she responds, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I have been telling him that!" Alexei declares. Bucky pinches the bridge of his nose as the Red Guardian emerges from the kitchen. "I told him, my sponsorship with Drybar is at risk if--"

"Oh, Drybar? That's pretty good. Listen, Bucky, if there's one thing I know, it's hair. Wish you could ask that guy, am I right?" Valentina gestures in Bob's general direction in the next room.

"No," Bucky responds.

"I tell him, so flat," Alexei continues, "so lifeless! Bucky, hair care is so important--"

"Great talk, everybody," Bucky declares, scooping up his sandwich and taking it into the other room.

When Bucky recalled the conversation to you, he thought you'd laugh it off with him. Instead, he saw a glint in your eye that made him worried. Afterwards, he came home one too many times to you binge watching hair tutorials. Foolishly, he held out hope that you would lose interest, but then packages of hair tools started arriving at your door.

"You know," you said, holding back another yawn, "if we lived closer to the Tower, we wouldn't have to wake up so early."

"Not yet, doll," is Bucky's gruff response. Living far away meant that it would be harder for people to link you two. It wasn't that he would get relentlessly teased by his coworkers about being married--that was a given. But if they were on a mission, and one of them became compromised? He couldn't imagine what would happen if the wrong people found out about his life. About you. He already had to live with the fact that Sam helped you both find this house, and now--

"He's our friend, Buck." You recognize the distraught look on your husband's face, and you place a gentle hand on his shoulder, breaking him out of his spell. "He would never do anything to hurt us."

Bucky moves to place a kiss on your hand, grateful that he doesn't always have to talk for you to understand him. He opens his mouth to express his appreciation, but you interrupt him.

"All done," you say proudly. The wide grin on your face is almost enough to make Bucky forget that he is going to be sitting in a room full of journalists in a few hours. You comb your fingers through his hair to loosen the curls, then apply hairspray. Bucky makes a show of sputtering. He never makes a show of anything, but he loves the way you giggle at his antics.

He turns to face you, wrapping his arms around your waist. You wrap your hands around his neck, trying your best to avoid your hard work.

"My wife," he says, a phrase he will never get tired of saying. He plants a kiss on your lips before you respond:

"My hero."

[shysuccubusstuff]

Helping Hand

Content: Non proof-reader; Android! Caleb + Overstimulation + Fake cum + Size difference + Dacryphilia + Praise kink + Aftercare

Summary: You chose to buy one of those new androids in the market, after all, with the little time you had, it was logical for you to get one! But after your birthday party, you can't help but feel like something has changed within Caleb...

Note: I'm finally done with exams but now my brain is dry... On another note, I have to keep on writing my novel! It has nothing to do with my usual work here, but I really should keep on writing cause I have so much ideas for cool characters! Wish I could draw them... I hope people get the ideas of how Android! Caleb lower half works...

Note 2: I just put some fake nails and writing has become so difficult... Had to use two pens towards the end...

Android! Caleb who opens his eyes and encounters your face. He was programmed to be cold, always following the orders of the person who bought him. At least, that was what he had learnt, as you soon rebooted his whole system, changing his personality to a softer and more "human" one. He is still quite confused, why would he need to have a personality for serving a human? Still, he couldn't help but feel a strange rush of electricity run through his system, maybe he had a strange type of malfunction?

Android! Caleb who becomes accustomed to taking care of you. He is always close to you, always waiting by the door of the house a few minutes before your arrival, food still warm and waiting for you to eat, the house completely in order from him cleaning it... Gosh, you could even feel all the tension leaving your body as soon as you entered your house. You allowed him to carry you to the bathroom, head resting against his soft chest as you let him undress you, letting your clothes carefully folded as he helped you get inside the lukewarm bath.

Android! Caleb who becomes your only caretaker. It took him less than a few days to get completely used to your body language, knowing exactly what you wanted, when you wanted it and even how you wanted it. He was basically reading your mind, always one step ahead, letting you rest your exhausted body on his bigger body, his soft hands caressing your hair as his mechanic heart kept pumping the blue liquid all over his system. You knew you shouldn't get so attached to him, but how were you supposed to stop yourself from it when he knew you like the palm of his hand?...

Android! Caleb who receives a strange update. It had recently been your birthday, so you decided to make a small party, nothing big, really. You invited a few of your friends from work, together with some other friends from when you were still studying, organising a small party at your house for all of you to drink and have fun while watching some low-quality films. It was around 3:00 when you started to feel your eyelids dropping, with your friends too focused on the climax of the film for them to notice, you chose to simply fall asleep in the cozy sofa, surely someone would wake you up sooner or later, right?

Android! Caleb who becomes much more... domestic. You didn't notice the first few days, still unaware of the strange update your friends had added as a "gift" for you. Yes, it was a bit strange for Caleb to always greet you with a hug and a kiss on your forehead, but hey, maybe it was something that they had added in one of the millions of updates Caleb had, maybe some client had complained about them being too stiff? Whatever, it wasn't as if you were particularly concerned about it, in fact, you did like it a bit...

Android! Caleb who finally puts his update to good use. It was late at night when you suddenly felt the urge to do it. It wasn't something particularly strange, with you being alone most of the time and all the stuff you liked reading and listening... What was strange was the moment the door to your bedroom was knocked. You quickly hid your naked lower half with the sheets trying your best to get your phone to hide the content you were seeing. "Caleb?" You whispered, heart beating rapidly in fear of having been discovered by him. "Pips? I'm sorry for disturbing you so late at night, but my systems have warned me that my owner, that is you, is currently in need of my assistance." You furrowed your brows, slightly confused about what was he even implying, still, you knew Caleb was unable to cause any harm to you, so you simply sighed, letting him enter without much thought. "So what was wrong, Caleb?" Caleb smiled, sitting close to you and petting your hear with his rough hands. "My system told me you needed my help, do you need it? I have been upgraded with the latest system, allowing me to help you in this kind of delicate activity." Still confused, you simply nodded, after all, the system tended to be right. As soon as you did so, Caleb removed the sheets that were covering your body, his huge hands lifting your legs with ease, getting them closer to your face, just enough for your slick pussy to be in front of his face.

"Caleb! Just-- Just what are you doing?" You tried your best to get him to let go of your ankles, squirming around with not much luck, with Caleb still retaining his sweet smile.

"I'm fulfilling my new tasks, you allowed me to do so." Caleb's arm moved, changing his grip on your thigs to keeping your body in position with just his arm. "Now, no more moving, pips, I need you to remain calm so I can help you appropietly." Caleb's tongue stick out, this time looking slightly longer than usual, his right hand making his way to your entrance as his mouth got closer to your clit.

"Wa--Wait a second! I'm pretty sure this was NOT included when I bought your model--!" Caleb stopped for a second, his expressions remaining as sweet as always.

"It wasn't. Your friends added it to my program in hopes of making you happier, they explained it to me and I agreed. I believed it would truly help you destress. I hope I will actually ." Caleb moved closer, spreading soft kisses all over your lower tummy, making a small path towards your pussy. At the same time, his hands started to glide towards your entrance, teasing it with his fingers by simply gliding up and down on it but never actually inserting them, simply coating his fingers with your lewd fluids. "Let me know if you feel any discomfort." Caleb's mouth slowly got closer, wet kisses being left around your clit as a way to tease your sensitivity, being unable to not smile after seeing your back arch from the sudden touch. Following the set procedure, Caleb slowly entered one of his fingers, circling your clit with the tip of his tongue and making you cling to the sheets, soft whimpers leaving your mouth even despite you tried to cover your mouth with your hands as a way to avoid letting even more shameful sounds escape. Suddenly, one of Caleb's hands moved, grabbing your wrists with ease and pinning them on top of your head. "I need to hear you so I can know exactly what you need." Caleb moved, his face now facing yours before diving himself into a deep kiss, his right hand still playing with your clit, making short circles around it regardless of your poor attempts of squirming away.

"Ca... Caleb! Too much-- it's too much!" You whispered, chest puffing up and down as you tried to recover from Caleb's kiss.

"My name is not the safe word, you should probably know that." Caleb suddenly switched positions, letting your back rest against his chest, his legs tangled around yours to avoid letting you try to close your legs, his lips kissing yours as he moved one of his hands to your chest, playing with your nipple as the other hand kept slowly moving inside you, searching for that sweet spot until you let a whimper escape you. "This must be your g-spot, right? Gotta make sure you enjoy this." Caleb kissed your face, peppering soft kisses all over your face as he slowly introduced another of his digits, his fingers constantly hitting that spot even as you kept trying to move away from him, with Caleb simply laughing softly against your ear, pushing his fingers even deeper inside. "You're so cute... Humans always react so vividly to the stimuli..." You could't help but feel embarrased, with Caleb's mocking tone reverberating inside your head as he kept forcing you to cum around his fingers, using his other hand to pinch and twist your nipples with just enough force.

It had been over 20 minutes since your sweet torture had begun, with Caleb moving and hitting the exact place you were craving, forcing you to close your eyes from the overstimulation. "Caleb~... That's enough... I don't think I can cum more..." Your voice sounded now raspy from all your whines and moans, with Caleb obviously ignoring them, simply cooing you.

"That's alright, then we can finally move to the main course, right?" Caleb finally let you move a bit, getting up and removing his trousers, leaving them on your chair before returning to the bed. "Let me syncronise my tools, alright?" Suddenly, Caleb's lower half changed from the usual plain surface to the shape of an erect cock, his . "Let me just..." Caleb got on top of you, lifting your legs and wrapping them around his waist, moving his hand to grab his cock and starting to rub it against your entrance, letting some of his self-lubricating fluid just for extra caution. "I'll do it slowly, open wide now, pips." You took a deep breath as Caleb's cock entered you, softly biting against his shoulder as a way to stay calm. "Such a good girl... Just a bit more." And you could simply whine, your insides already feeling as if they were about to tear as Caleb finally bottomed out. "So good for me..." Caleb caressed your cheek, kissing your forehead as he started to move, barely moving a few centimeters before pushing back in, nails digging on his back as he kept pressing his body against yours. "Just a bit more... It will feel so good in just a few minutes..." Caleb pressed your mouths together, sucking on your tongue before starting to french kiss you, a strand of saliva connecting you both the moment the kiss ended.

As the minutes passed, you were finally able to get used to his size, the slight discomfort changing into pure pleasure, making your eyes roll back each time he rubbed that spot. "You feel so nice wrapped around me... Let me help you a bit baby." Caleb lifted your body with ease, laying your body on your front before moving back on top of you, his cock entering you, the pressure of his weight making you bite on the pillow that was close to you, whinning as Caleb's hand made light pressure on your lower stomach, just enough for you to start feeling his length even more, each thrust making your walls wrap around his cock, the system of Caleb slowly getting overheated each time you clenched around him. "Be careful... My system may get a bit overwhelmed if you keep clinging so much to me..." That was of course easier said than done, after all, it had been such a long time since you had been able to feel so good... Still, you tried your best, taking a deep breath and hugging your pillow, a few tears falling down your cheeks as you felt your mind slowly slipping away.

"Too big... You're crushing me~..." You whined, the heat radiating from Caleb mixed with the feeling of having your insides scrambled being enough to make your head feel overwhelmed. Regardless of that, Caleb kept going, his hips bumping against your ass each time he forced his whole length inside you, his hands petting your hair whole he whispered soft praises against your ear.

"So good... Cum all around me pips, show me just how much you're enjoying this..." Caleb's raspy voice echoed inside your mind, the embarrasment of having your own android seen you so fucked dumb suddenly leaving, letting you only focus on how much you wanted Caleb to praise you... So of course you did just as he asked, your gummy walls pulsing around his cock as you felt a warm liquid filling you up, forcing you to cum for who knows what time, toes curling as you felt Caleb increasing his rhythm at the same time you came, then slowing down as he felt your breath become even heavier.

After letting you recover your breath for a few minutes, you felt Caleb lifting you up from the bed, carrying to the bathroom with ease and letting you rest inside the warm bathtub and using a soft towel to scrub you, removing all the sweat together with the mixture of his cum and all your fluids. He then left for a few minutes, returning with a huge towel, wrapping your whole body around it before taking his sweet time drying it. After that, all you could remember was te warm embrace of Caleb, mixed with the fresh smell of a new set of heet together with the citrusy smell that emanated from him.

[cosmerelists]

Cosmere Characters in Yard Sale Season

As requested by @cosmereplay :)

As cosmereplay said in the request, summer is yard sale season! If yard sales were a thing throughout the Cosmere, here is how that might go.

Also, I am too lazy to figure out currency per world so, uh, everybody uses dollars and cents for yard sales, even in the Cosmere. *sweats nervously*

1. Tress

Tress lives the truth that one man's trash is another (wo)man's treasure.

Tress: Oh wow, look at this! Tress: [triumphantly holds aloft a cracked mug that says Fish Fear Women, I Want Me] Seller: Heh, and my daughter didn't think I'd EVER sell that!

2. Shallan

Shallan sees yard sales as a way to sell off some bad memories.

Customer: What's this? Shallan: That? Oh it's an old necklace that I don't like anymore after I used it to strangle my father to death. Customer: ... Shallan: I-I mean, it's a cool old necklace that I...found in my attic...? Customer: [backs slowly away] Shallan: ...I'm NEVER gonna get this sold.

3. Fort

Fort LOVES yard sales--he's always in it to find the best deals.

Fort: So you are saying that this whole box of magazines is only one dollar? Seller: Yup! But I'd take your best offer. Fort: I can see that you put your National Geographics on top, but the bottom is all back issues of Costco Connection. Fort: How does 10 cents sound? Seller: I think 25 cents is as low as I could go. Fort: 15? Seller: I'll take it! Fort: [hefting up the box of old magazines] My ancestors would be so proud!

4. Adolin

Adolin is out there searching for more of what he already has [Note: Adolin is me]

Adolin: Oooh, I don't have a sword that curves quite like this! Shallan: Isn't it a bit...dented? Adolin: [already cradling the sword close] It just needs a good home!

5. Dalinar

Dalinar uses yard sales to get rid of things from his past that are just collecting dust these days, you know?

Customer: How much for this rusty knife? Dalinar: Bloody. Customer: Excuse me? Dalinar: It's not rust. It's dried blood. Customer: ...Why didn't you clean it? Dalinar: I tried. It just keeps weeping blood. Customer: ... Dalinar: It is great for cutting up steak though. Dalinar: [thumbs-up]

6. Vin

Vin sees yard sale finds mostly as, well, let's say raw materials.

Vin: [Immediately pulling the head off of the doll she just bought] Vin: [Stuffing cash inside the doll's decapitated torso] Vin: Needed a new wallet.

7. Szeth [could be considered mild WAT spoilers?]

Szeth sometimes finds yard sales to be...surprisingly emotional.

Szeth: [staring fixedly at the stuffed sheep with its big pink bow] Seller: Interested in that? Could make a great gift for a niece or daughter! Szeth: [already with tears in his eyes] S-She's so beautiful...

8. Rannette

Ranette is always scoping out spare parts she can use in her inventions.

Ranette: Hmmm...box of old screws. Could make decent shrapnel. Ranette: Could melt down this pan. Can't have too much steel. Ranette: This old lawnmower sure has some interesting blades... [Sellers, huddled nearby having a whispered conversation] Seller #1: Are we SURE we should sell to her? Seller #2: Come on, she has CASH!

9. Evi

Evi mostly thinks things are priced way too low.

Evi: Everyone and everything are equally valuable in the eyes of the One, is all I'm saying. Evi: You're really selling this pool noodle for just a dollar? Seller: You could....pay more if you wanted? Evi: Okay, yay!

10. Elend

Always makes a beeline straight for the "old book box."

Elend: [sighing] Vin: Just old paperback romance novels again? Elend: Yeah. Vin: Well, maybe one day a really smart guy with no friends or family will die and leave all of his philosophy books in a big box for you to find! Elend: ...Maybe? Vin: Yeah! Stay positive!

11. Siri

Siri is in it for knickknacks.

Siri: Oooh! Vivenna: Really? You couldn't possibly need that! Siri: Um, look into the eyes of this ceramic dog holding a sock in its mouth and tell HER that you don't think she's needed! Vivenna: ... Ceramic dog with a sock in its mouth: .... Vivenna: ... Ceramic dog with a sock in its mouth: .... Vivenna: F-Fine! It's only a couple dollars anyway! Siri: Yay!

12. Nightblood

Nightblood is just...disappointed.

Nightblood: [sighing] Szeth: I don't know what you would do with a yard, Sword-Nimi, even if that IS what they were selling. Nightblood: I'm just saying, it's false advertising!

[thatonebirdwrites]

Excellent article addition to this thread.

It is also bizarre to have science fiction condemned as a tool for imperialism, when a vast majority of it -- if one reads any book that is NOT by a cishet white man -- critiques colonialism, imperialism, patriarchy, and cishet white supremacy. It seems that professor who read a bigoted essay on science fiction failed to examine marginalized people's science fiction. If he'd bothered to do any research whatsoever, he'd have seen just how anti-imperialist science fiction can be.

For example, N.K. Jemisen's The Broken Earth Trilogy tackles themes of colonialism, family, and genocide. It does this through the medium of SF/F, where the world in which the characters live contributes to the layering of the themes. It's not just the characters sharing their story, but the world itself shares its story of sacrifice, oppression, and healing from the trauma of oppression. Jemisen hails from New York, USA.

Another example is Nnedi Okorafor, who is a Nigerian author, who tackles imperialism/colonialism, capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy. Her books ask the question of who are we? Imperialism/colonialism both strip away culture and attempts to shove people into narrow and painful stereotypes, to steal away their identity and force us into cogs for the capitalist war machines. Resistance means holding onto who we are and who our people are, and fighting to keep that alive. Through that act, we can find the strength to topple harmful systems.

That's just two authors, but they are both Black authors, and if there's one thing I learned in my short stint in the Iowa Writer's Workshop back in 2005, is that Black authors are rarely highlighted. Thus the program could not truly tackle its own bigotry until it reckoned with its silence and erasure of marginalized authors. (This happened after I left, when Black and Indigenous graduate students toppled the mostly white professors controlling the program. Suddenly in the 2010s, the Iowa Writing Workshops pumped out online classes anyone could take that dug into marginalized stories to examine these themes. Sadly, these online classes are no longer funded and have since ended in the early 2020s.)

I remember how hurt I was when my professor rejected my science fiction story about grief and erasure by those in power. How they used it as an example of 'low brow works.' How they told me to stop writing nonsense and write what I know. How they pushed back on the fact I had people of color in the story.

I dropped out of the program and for awhile stuck to nonfiction and poetry. Then I discovered authors like N.K. Jemisen and Octavia Butler and so many other LGBTQIA, Disabled, and/or BIPOC authors. Which lead me to more and more marginalized authors, and it was them that helped me return to writing. I learned so much from their writings and how they crafted their stories and themes.

When I escaped my abusive ex and couldn't write for a long while, it was the stories of queer characters of color that helped me find my voice again. Characters and stories my professors in the writing workshop would have derided as 'low brow' and 'no good.'

So I guess the questions I always have for these so-called writing programs is:

Do they view the writings of marginalized authors as legitimate and worthy of respect? Are they willing to challenge themselves and examine the themes in our works? In the works of Black, Indigenous, people of color? In the works of Disabled people? In the works of LGBTQIA people? In the works of people who are not cishet white American or European men?

If they writing classes do not draw from marginalized authors, then it's highly likely they have nothing to teach me other than bigotry and stereotypes, like the one I had quit. I've been forced to read those so-called literary classics. And sure there is some points to learn from them, but I learned the most about writing from marginalized authors -- the very authors these professors seem to write off as less than.

And where is that 'they are less than' mentality coming from?

Internalized, unchecked bigotry socialized into us by American (and some European) societies, which have yet to reckon with their racist and imperialist pasts. When academic circles deem stories by marginalized people as 'less than' they are drawing on that legacy of writing off whole populations as disposable in order to justify the exploitation, slavery, and horrifically brutal oppression rained down upon them. Much of which still happens today to many marginalized populations such as Black, Indigenous, LGBTQIA, Disabled, and immigrant populations (not just in America but in Europe and other countries too).

Writing workshops don't live in a vacuum, and the context of where they stand in our history and how they were weaponized by governments needs to be examined.

The writing workshop world has yet to reckon with that harmful legacy that seethes through it, and there's a reason why marginalized writers often form their own workshops. Because the ones in the academic halls are still steeped in imperialist, colonialist, patriarchal, cishet white supremacy. Until the academic writing workshops in many universities reckon with that legacy, they will continue to cause harm to budding writers, especially our most marginalized.

Which is why it is a joy when marginalized writers band together to form their own workshops.

my creative writing prof also HATES fantasy. as in if she asks for an example of symbolism in a book, and you give something from a fantasy novel, she’ll ask for an example from a “non-commercial book” instead.

I dunno man, people can have preferences, but the second you discount the artistic merit of sci fi and fantasy I stop taking your opinion seriously. and there’s such a big culture in Canada of only valuing literary fiction, to the point where one of our biggest authors, Margaret Atwood, refused for a while to classify her books as sci fi or fantasy. she said they were “speculative fiction”, which is entirely separate and very highbrow (sarcasm).

and I could go on about how Octavia Butler and Ursula Le Guin wrote books every bit as intellectual (and honestly, even more so) than their literary counterparts, but I am also an enjoyer of schlock!! I think there’s artistic merit in animorphs, and in isekais where a japanese schoolgirl reincarnates into a magical spider who has to level up like it’s a video game! it’s like with everything, you can’t draw a clean line that separates ‘art’ from ‘non-art’ or even ‘lesser art’, and pretending you can do so just makes you look ignorant and goofy. in my opinion.

[olgasaysso]

The apothecary diaries made me realize something very interesting about how women perceive power...

I can't be the only one who noticed that in stories written by women power is often compared to a prison or a cage meanwhile in the ones written by men it's mostly fun and freedom.

It is that women tend to see power as more of an responsibility and men think of it as the ability to do whatever they want?

The apothecary diaries made me think of it first. I discovered with surprise that I actually like the emperor, which I almost never do. Any guy that has relationship with more than one woman at once tends to disgust me, especially if he's in a position of power but for some reason not him.

Because the emperor is as much a prisoner as the 2000 women in the rear palace. Maybe even more because as long as he doesn't touch them, they're allowed to leave.

Like on one hand, he's the most powerful man in the empire. He calls the shots, right?

But on the other hand, he can't even properly protect Lishu from being sold to some pedofile by her father. The only way he could protect her was to make her his concubine and how f*cked up is that? She's like a daughter to him and the only way he could protect her was by marrying her? And then he couldn't even spend time with her anymore because that would be read wrong.

It's the fact that 3 of his children died because there was no proper medic to save them due to the fact that they don't allow non eunuchs to treat them and forbid women practicing medicine... when he doesn't even care about that. He hasn't blinked once at Maomao running around the inner palace and being a doctor.

At first when I was watching the story I thought of how horrible it was that he didn't even visit Lady Lihua after their son died. But then it made me think of how he's literally not allowed to get attached because of his position and how hard it is for him? The fact that he couldn't even provide enough support for Lady Ah-Duo so she doesn't lose her uterus? The fact that she switched their baby with his brother and he had to watch his son grow up "away" from him?

There's so much more to this, especially with Jinshis approach to power and I could go on an on but I think I made my point.

And when I started comparing the stories written by women to those by men... Women tend to write power as more of a burden than a gift.

After watching TAD I watched solo leveling.

And for those of you who don't know, it's basically a story about a guy who suddenly "discovers" that he's like a character in a game (not exactly but it's be too long to explain) and basically finds out that he has endless potential and over the course of the story he becomes the most powerful being in the entire universe.

And there's a moment where he's talking to his little sisters friend that gets very misread as something inappropriate by another character.

This other character points out, kindly, to Sung Jinwoo that the girl is a minor.

Sun Jinwoo doesn't understand so he just looks at him and asks "so?".

And so the guy immediately gets scared and never mentions it again despite the two of them being friends.

This moment is kind of played for laughs. Nothing actually happened, Sung Jinwoo is a good guy so he wouldn't.

But he could. Nobody could do anything to stop him.

And when I watched that I laughed too. But then I thought of how terrifying that is. To have someone be so above the law, this untouchable. Who can do anything he pleases because no one will ever stop him.

But that's never actually adressed in the show other than to show us how cool this is.

It this was written by Natsu Hyūga there'd probably be a million different situations to show us how fucked up this is and how it weighs on the main character.

In the apothecary diaries Jinshi doesn't even want to ask anything directly of Maomao because he doesn't want her to interpret it as an order.

[kelltonic]

Defences ★彡

Mickey ‘Fanboy’ Garcia x Reader

Description: While at the hard deck with the other daggers, Mickey - your boyfriend - get’s heavily flirted on by a stranger when you’re not around, and he is never more committed to shut someone down.

Warnings: Alcohol/Drunkenness, very light sexual harassment (fem on man). Canon-typical asshole Hangman. I love Reuben. Fanboy is a sweetheart. Other than that it’s just an established relationship and fluff. No use of y/n.

WC: 1,500

A/N: Guys if you want more Mickey (or any top gun) PLEASE request - I have been struggling for ideas lol - even if it’s just another version of an already made fanfiction with a different character, or a headcanons prompt!! - ALSO for anyone who read my prev a/n on my other fanboy ff, I GOT 100% ON MY ENGLISH EXAM!!! I actually started tweaking out (it was creative writing). We don't talk about my other exams though.

“Oh come on!” Mickey groaned while throwing his arms in the air, physically complaining over the miss he just hit in pool. “The tables gotta be uneven or something.” He said, mostly jokingly.

"Don't be bitter that I'm just better." Reuben shrugged, flashing a cocky smile to tease his best friend with.

After a long day of flying, most of the squadron retired to the most familiar place on base, the Hard Deck. A comforting yet bustling bar that welcomed naval aviators with open arms.

"Now that's funny-" Fanboy was about to start, but was quickly cut off by that oh so familiar southern drawl.

"Boys, boys, let me show you how a real man shoots." Hangman mocked, condescendingly snatching the pool cue out of Fanboy's hands while simultaneously shooting a wink to one of the many attractive women scattered around the bar. Payback's face formed a frustrated expression as he leaned back to watch what Hangman would do. Hangman did this more than anyone would like. Preferably, he'd never interrupt the games for some silly flirting exercise, but something about Jake couldn't live without the thrill of the tease.

Fanboy was about the opposite, despite what his callsign may allude. Sure, before he met you, he would throw around a few pick up lines and enjoy the spotlight whenever a pretty girl noticed him. But now? He is duller than a rock if someone tries to get a piece of him. You're his favourite person in the entire world, and he makes sure you know it - as long as you promise not to tell Reuben. He can't have another passive-aggressive flight because Reuben decided to teach him how significant of a role he plays in Mickey's life. He would rather jump out of his plane mid flight than let you think you meant anything less to him.

So when the girl Hangman had been flirting with had finally approached him with her friends who had been giggling like hyenas at the squadron the entire night, he just went to get another round.

He looked back from the bar to see the girls clinging to various daggers while waiting for the drinks, chuckling at the sight of Reuben getting surrounded. He didn't think anything of it until one of them separated and began approaching him.

But he didn't want to assume anything, she may just be coming to do the same thing as him.

"Hey handsome." She giggled, leaning against the bar next to Fanboy. Welp, there goes the lack of assumption.

"Hi." He responded bluntly, giving a brief polite yet not hinting smile. All that warranted was a giggly and flirtatious response.

"Come here often?" She said, clearly a little tipsy if not anything further. She scooted closer to him, practically brushing him. As much as he wanted to make space between him, the bar was particularly crowded and he honestly didn't want to bother the aviator directly behind him.

"Yeah a bit, most of us frequent this bar the most." He said with a dry sigh, averting eye contact. He couldn't help but wish Penny sped up with the drinks, but he would never in any lifetime say that to her and face her (and Maverick's) wrath.

"Come on pretty boy, loosen up." She giggled while gripping his arm, trying to push their bodies flush together.

"Okay no thank you." He quickly spoke, lightly pushing her away. He was uncomfortable, and couldn't help but feel guilty despite the fact he had done nothing wrong. "I have a girlfriend." He stated, easily plying her hand off his arm.

"Is she here?" She said while staring into his eyes playfully, unbothered by the physical signs he was presenting.

"No?" He said, puzzled by her persistence.

"Then she doesn't have to know." She responded while trying to close the distance again.

"Here ya go." Penny interrupted with a small smile, placing a tray of various alcoholic beverages in front of them before dashing off to another patron. all Mickey could think was 'oh thank goodness' as Penny saved him from this uncomfortable and awkward encounter.

He grabbed the drink tray and flashed the girl a small, awkward smile as he sped walk to the full group again.

"Ayy!!" Reuben and various others bellowed, grateful to see another wave of drinks. "Our saviour." He joked, taking a beer.

"On land and sky." Mickey responded, placing the tray down while grabbing himself a beer. It only took a few awkward shuffles from Mickey for Reuben to detect something was off, despite his current state.

"You good?" He asked with a smile, tilting his head as he carefully watched Mickey's reaction.

"Yeah, yeah, I just feel... dirty." Mickey murmured, the guilt of another woman's attraction to him weighing on him like an elephant.

"Dirty? Or like.. dirty." Reuben repeated, shifting from a playful to serious tone.

"Dirty." Mickey echoed, reaching for his phone in his back pocket. "...One of the girls was flirting with me. Hard." He elaborated.

"Since when was that a bad thing?" Reuben scoffed, before a wave of realisation hit him. "Ohhh... right, okay." A neutral tone flowing through his voice. It only took a second for a puzzled expression to take over his face. Mickey had to admit one thing, Reuben was one of the most expressive people he's ever met.

"So... why do you feel bad?" He mocked, a slight laugh leaving his mouth. "You didn't flirt back.. right?" Reuben questioned. He knew how utterly enamoured Mickey was with you, he had to get his callsign from somewhere. But he couldn't help but seek clarification.

"No!" Mickey swiftly reacted after taking a gulp of his beer, a frankly offended expression covering his face.

"...." Reuben just stared, a little dumbfounded at Mickey's loyalty policies. Despite a hint of respect also developing, he couldn't help but laugh at Mickey's commitment to you. And his standards for what counts as something he should feel guilty for or not. However, Reuben was also observant. Even if he wasn't, it would still be easy to tell how sad the thought of someone else flirting with Mickey made him. Someone other than you. But his trance was interrupted by an exaggerated sigh.

"Okay, look. I'm only ever going to say this once, so listen up." Reuben began, placing his beer down as he forced eye contact with Mickey. Landing a hand on his shoulder, he groaned as he realised what he was about to say and the possibility of Mickey never letting him live it down. "You're attractive. Really damn hot, man. Both physically and personality wise. You have good energy and people are naturally drawn to your confidence and kindness. So you're gonna have to get used to the idea of people, women included, approaching you and flirting." Reuben stated, more teaching than hyping.

Mickey was conflicted between smiling and teasing Reuben. "Come on man, that's the nicest thing you've said to me." He said with a chuckle as his shoulders dropped and his gave Reuben a quick hug before he potentially got bitch slapped by him.

"Okay off." Reuben scolded, pushing Mickey off of him with a forced groan.

"...I'm still gonna call her though." Mickey quickly ushered while typing in your contact on his phone, which just elicited a 'why do I even try' motion from Reuben as he walked away.

Your phone rang a couple times before you got the chance to pick it up, busy with an email.

"Hello?" you spoke seriously, forgetting to check the caller ID.

"Babe!!" Mickey spoke, excited to hear your voice. He always sounded ecstatic whenever you two spoke.

"Hey baby, what's up?" You spoke warmly, a complete shift from your initial greeting.

"I just wanted to tell you I love you more than anything in the entire world. Even flying." Mickey spoke quickly, not for a lack of authenticity.

"I love you too... why are you calling to tell me this?" You said with a small chuckle, it wasn't uncommon for Mickey to randomly declare his love, especially over the phone due to distance. It was however rare for him to do it at this late hour.

"Some girl was flirting with me. BUT! I didn't at all entertain it for a second." Mickey emphasised, he was only slightly tipsy but the honesty made you giggle. You would never in a million years have to worry about his loyalty, and this is one of the reasons.

"Well I appreciate that." You responded softly, the yearning for his presence briefly satiated by his voice. All you could hear on the other end of the line was a low giggle, as far as you could tell he could very well be twirling his (non-existent) hair and kicking his feet.

"I miss you sweetie." You whispered with a gentle desire from the heart.

"I do too, but you'll never guess what Reuben said to me." Mickey said with a chuckle, you could practically hear his smile, and his longing.

A/N: Bit of a corny ending but I didn't know what else to do lmao.

Started: 12:00am Sunday 22nd of June Ended: 8:00pm Thursday 26th of June

[seraphinitegames]

Hello! I recently got put onto The Wayhaven Chronicles by a friend who had stopped reading after book two. I just wanted to let you know that I am absolutely hooked and, dare I say, enthralled with this world and the characters! I knocked all three books out in one day, then immediately started a second playthrough just to get some more of this world you have crafted. My friend who had stopped reading them started a new playthrough as well, and he has now completed the story so far, and we are both eagerly awaiting book four (The demo looks incredibly promising)! In the spirit of this being an "Ask Me Anything" message, I do have a question! In both of my playthroughs so far, Murphy has escaped UB and pledged to return. This has kept me on edge through the books released so far, so I wanted to ask: Is a Murphy return something you want to have as an option in future books for those of us who couldn't capture him? Or are you of the mind that a return of Murphy would be too distracting from where you want to take the series? I'm sorry if that's a question you can't answer, but it has been eating away at me! Thank you for your story, I cannot wait to read more!

Oh yeah, for sure Murphy will be making a return, hehe! How that returns happens will obviously depend on how things ended with him…

Thank you so much for the ask, as well as your wonderful message! Book Four is definitely going to be an emotional rollercoaster, hehe! :D

[doodler16]

Adding to how Vivziepop uses Spanish:

I genuinely HATE how every time a character that speaks it talks or even just appears on screen, a gosh darn guitar plays in the background. Like what's the point of that, it's annoying. Does Viv really think that all Spanish speakers are Mexican or Spaniard?????

I also hate how they only speak it when they curse, it's low-key really cringe, I'm serious. When I first heard Vassago speak, just for him to randomly curse "qUe cArAjo" I audibly groaned. It makes no sense for these characters to be speaking this weird combination of English and Spanish, speaking the first one and then randomly blurt out words of the second language, like why???? No bilingual person speaks like that.

My last point is why are the only people who are Spanish speakers, NOT sinners?? Why are these demons who were born in hell just having Spanish as some sort of first or second language?? If Viv really wanted to have a Latin American character so bad, why couldn't she just make a sinner who was Latin American, it's so simple as that, and if she wanted them to casually speak Spanish, they could explain what happened to them and then they find something they can't remember what was the English translation for and due to that they mention the word in their first language in hopes someone from IMP or the Hazbin Hotel knows what they mean.

I say all of this as someone from LATAM

They abuse the hell out of the guitar instrumentals any chance they get whenever Carmilla is on screen 🤣. We get it, she’s Spanish. “My last point is why are the only people who are Spanish speakers, NOT sinners?? Why are these demons who were born in hell just having Spanish as some sort of first or second language??” Good question. I have no idea.

I mean unless someone who has a Patreon asks her in the monthly Q&A. Other than that, she will continue to use it as marketable product like she did with Vassago.

[d-lanx]

Ok here's a little thing i thought would fun for any artists to show off their progress at learning art (plus I'm nosey🤭).

Show off the oldest drawings you did (or the oldest that you can still find), the first things you were confident enough to upload online, and your most recent drawings and talk about them and show off how much you've progressed :)

Probably gonna end up missing some people, but I'm tagging a bunch of cool artists I follow/am mutuals with and am nosey to see how they started out, but no pressure :)

@fantasticalleigh, @thlayli-ra, @heelhausen, @stupidmarkzone, @2ndcitynightmare, @punk-o-ween, @normallypassingby, @tvheit, @seasonal-depression-of-punk

And if you wanna have a look at my old stuff, I've got it below =)

Oldest Drawings I Can Find

Of course, the first is an OC. Never did anything with her tho. Notice the lack of forehead and elbows, the arms that barely reach the hips, how indishtinguishable each part of the body is from one another. They're a perfectly smooth pole. and of course those wings. This is the first thing in my first proper sketchbook when I decided I was gonna start taking art more seriously. This would have been when i started secondary in 2014 at 11 years old. And I can't find anything from before that, since I never kept anything in a proper book/folder.

Second image is another of the first drawings in the book. It was my first closeup of a face, and also my first time drawing anime. I know I'm not the only artist who was desperate to learn to draw an anime-style as a kid. I remember doing this while on holiday, trying to follow an online tutorial, taking about 4 hours to get the outcome I did, and getting so frustrated that I couldn't get it to look right, that I was almost brought to tears. I'm pretty sure this was one of those "I'm never drawing again! >:(" moments, lol. Looking back, it was a pretty good first attempt. But I guess I was always a bit of a perfectionist, lol. Funnily enough, while I carried the anime eyes forward in my art style for years, to this day, I still can't draw a proper full anime style character.

First Drawings I Uploaded Online

I put these on insta to show my mates from school. The first picture was an attempt at a close up face with the new brush markers i'd got for christmas. This was 2017 just before i turned 14. Pretty sure I copied the design from an art tutorial book, that was supposed to be hyper-realistic (another christmas present). But I just couldn't bring that to life so just did what I could. Also, first time I used a signature. My signature's very different nowadays cos it's based on my tumblr username and not me actual name. But yeah. I was tryna get more professional I guess.

Second pic is the first full body piece I uploaded a few days later. Again, used the drawing books trying to learn how to draw flowy clothes. Think it was a book about drawing anime clothes that I used for this (another christmas present). By this point, each body part could move seperately and had joints. Also note the anime eyes, cos my simpler-but-still-anime-inspired eyes were something I stuck with a long ass time. This was the style I drew most often, and could usually do without having references (but obviously for this drawing specifically, I had the reference for the clothes). Had a lot of trouble with perspective, so all my characters faced forward, and later they would always face a 3/4 angle. And they could never lean or reach forwards cos I just couldn't get that to look right.

Most Recent Pieces

The most most recent is on the left, being my most recent closeup of a face. Still has a cartoonish edge with the lineart but much more realistic. And I'm fucking with this semi-realistic look atm. Tbh I dunno if i'd have the patience for the tiny details in hyperrealism. Also, fun story, in 2021 when I was doing my a-levels, I did an art piece that we were free to do in any style we wanted, and my teacher saw mine and was like “I wish you’d done it as realism instead of a cartoon style :(“ but it was actually my best attempt at realism and she hadn’t even realised. So I dunno, maybe I’m not cut out for realism 😂😂 I like my style rn tho so who cares

Then I got my most recent drawing of a (almost) full body. I got joints and decent hands and proportions and more body details.

Also this last year is the first time I've really got into digital. I always used to just do pen and paper. I even got a cheap drawing tablet, but couldn't get used to drawing on one surface and the image being up on a seperate screen. So I could never get the lines right. I did draw on my old ipad for a while which was easier, but the stylus was one of those with the thick rubber ball on the end, rather than a fine nib. Again, I had trouble cos I couldn't tell where it would register the contact with the screen and draw the line, which made it hard to do details. I got a new ipad a little while back that supports apple pencil, so I got one for it. And it's so much easier now that I've got a fine nib and can see where I'm drawing. I'm in love with drawing digital atm.

But yeah. That's how i've drawn over the years. Mental to see how much my style has changed and improved :) makes me feel better when I get frustrated with a drawnig and think I'm shit. Cos I know I'm getting better with each new drawing, even if it's only baby steps.

First: Now:

[riemanifests]

https://www.reddit.com/r/NevilleGoddardCritics/

why is there a reddit about the law being fake or not real , why do you think that they didn’t get what they wanted with the law ?

ok so i had a whole yap but tumblr is a bitch and has a CHARACTER COUNT SO LETS BREAK THIS DOWN AS SIMPLE AS I CAN 😭 1. Look at the system everyone was raised on

we were raised with society, with the belief that you have to hustle to get what you want or take an action in order to get something, that not everyone has the same capabilities and you can only be realistic. yk we were given a lot of rules as to what we can and cannot achieve and we naturally depend on each other to know what is and isnt right what's bullshit and what's not. that is years of programming / conditioning / etc, and imagine this you are someone who has a logical brain who for years thought you just couldn't get the life you want, and then all of the sudden you come into this information of loa, all of the sudden they're saying that you're in control of reality. i mean that is a huge shift especially because we were raised to think differently and its so ingrained. when you come into loa its a whole new way of thinking and seeing reality, and not everyone is able to handle that. not everyone is able to leave that programming behind and to dive into this new information. it does take a lot of trust and reworking, and some people just don't want to do that or can't. 2. everyone is right.

that is literally the law working LMFAO they probably had a lot of doubts and tried to manifest and just couldn't because they believed that it was bullshit and as a result reality proved them right, so now they have experience in the law being bullshit that just reinforced their belief. but we choose our own truths what is true for them doesn't have to be true for you and just because that is their truth does not mean it's mine. i am right and they are right, because our realities are a reflection of us. so again choose your own truths don't let others influence what your truth is because you have a choice just like they did and they decided to accept their truth to be "loa is bullshit", so that's just the reality they're going to live in. 3. society was not built to promote manifestation

in the media they're not going around and saying you are in control of your reality, they're not teaching kids that anything is possible, and they're not telling you that there's more options than you think. you weren't told that as a kid and others were not either, so you gotta understand there's already so much in this world that contradicts loa and you being in control because it's just not public knowledge. not everyone knows loa and in a world like this is it really hard to understand why some people would think it's bullshit? no not really, so yk what those who were raised as a victim and in the passenger seat have so much strength for deciding that was not going to be their life anymore and for diving into loa despite the doubts and despite how they were raised. that takes courage but you can do it. i have so much more i could say, but just understand there are always two sides of the coin. not one is the right one over the other, one is just the other side of the other. it is up to you which side you are on, whether that's "loa is fake" or "loa is real". either way loa is still going to be in effect and prove you right so i guess the real question is what do you want to be right about? do you want to be right about being in control of your reality or right about loa being fake? it is your choice my love. i also suggest you don't read those type of threads, cause with the amount of doubt and disbelief you might have you become more susceptible to those threads. there's more threads that are in favor of loa full of success stories. if you decide you want to give loa a chance, then actually apply it to gain those personal success stories because those will bring you so much more faith than reading other's stories.

[bugbutton]

Lars' character has, from day one, been an insecure teenager (so, a teenager— being insecure is pretty much par for the course). We see this showcased in episodes like "Lars and the Cool Kids" and "Horror Club."

Even in "Off-Colors," the episode where Lars dies becomes pink, his moment of courage only comes after we see him internally struggle against his own fear, where he reassures himself that it's okay to be afraid... only to immediately get killed. (Side note: I wonder if Lars of the Stars will address that Lars did, in fact, die. I can't imagine that's something that he has already fully processed and made his peace with.)

Being a teenager is already a time where a lot of things are changing— your relationship with your family; the way other people see you and treat you; your position in society; your own wants and needs, hopes and dreams; even parts of your identity as fundamental as your physical body and the way that you feel and think about things. It's a time that is already wrought with so much confusion about your identity and how you fit into the world, and Lars, who was already dealing with that typical teenage insecurity, now has to completely recontextualize virtually everything about his life.

Steven Universe and Steven Universe: Future are both shows that dive pretty deep into the themes of change and the discomfort that it can bring, especially when viewed through a queer and neurodivergent lens. The episode "Alone Together," for example, does a great job at portraying how scary, difficult, and confusing things like puberty and growing up can feel— the way everyone suddenly starts treating you differently, even though you're still the same person, can be jarring and upsetting. (I know that when I hit puberty and people started treating me like a woman and expecting me to behave as such, it made me deeply dysphoric, but I tried my hardest to fit those expectations, even to my own detriment, because that's what I thought I had to do in order to maintain my relationships that were changing because of something I couldn't control.)

Point being, it would be shocking if Lars of the Stars didn't show Lars having a moment of insecurity like this: a moment where he has to confront who he is now versus who he used to be; versus the expectations he had for his own life; versus the expectations his family had for him. And I can't wait.

Theres so many things that I would love to see in the spin off, but I will be happy with it regardless of how good or bad it is, so long as it has at least one comment towards Lars' physical state.

One comment from a stranger asking what the hell he is or confusing him with a gem

Or one comment Lars makes to himself regarding his new form and how weird it is to exist like this

Just a single moment please of Lars, questioning what the hell he is anymore, discovering the new things he can do, excited for his potential or maybe even fearing it. A moment of him remembering he has a slow heartbeat. Or a moment of staring in the mirror to remind himself what he looks like whether he has accepted it yet or not. I just need an update on how he may be feeling about all this

One moment like that and I will be happy

[gremlin-girly]

Comic Relief

Characters: Alexei Shostakov x gn!reader (platonic), Thunderbolt!reader, The Thunderbolts

Not beta'd. I do not give permission for my work to be translated, reposted, copied or put through an AI machine. All of my work is 18+ Read at your own risk.

Tags/warnings: A smidgen of angst, fluff, canon typical violence, Little Bolt as a nickname haha

Summary: As the newest member of the team, you don't believe Alexei is as dumb as everyone thinks he is.

Word count: tba on mobile

Dividers by: @/saradika-graphics

A/N: 💀 Might make a part 2 to this but I have so many WIPs right now. I had a tower fic in mind for this but wasn't sure which way to go. It may cross over with it eventually.

A/N2: Ignore that this was posted without being edited last night 😅🥴

Main Masterlist

Goofy is probably the first word that comes to mind when describing Alexei. Followed by big, loud and (according to Yelena) annoying.

However, as the newest member of the team you can pick up on things that the others take for granted. And you begin to suspect that perhaps Alexei isn't as dumb as everyone thinks he is.

For example, his ability to make the team bond together.

Team Game Night usually devolved into some kind of argument, usually between Walker and Yelena, although surprisingly Bob was sometimes subject to a competitive streak. Game night had been Alexei's idea, however, you began to notice that he'd do well in whatever game it was to begin with and then lose spectacularly via a dumb mistake. More often than not, he would sacrifice himself so Yelena would win and his face would light up as she excitedly boasted in John's face.

If the night got too heated, Alexei would stand up, gather the New Avengers together in his hulking arms and squeeze them tight in a bear hug until they called down. It was a sigh to behold and one you couldn't help but think was needed.

One night, after another spectacularly dramatic loss from Alexei, you pulled him on it in the kitchen afterwards.

"I know you know you could have won," You whisper. "Why do you do it?"

"Ehhh," He shrugs. "The kids need comic relief and I am the best comedian." He's grinning, still trying to act aloof, but you can see in his eyes that there's something a little deeper beneath the surface.

You nod and say nothing more, not wanting to push but the thought stays in the back of your mind.

"God, you're an idiot."

John's temper flared after a pretty bad night fighting the newest, baddest villain in town and he wasn't the only one to be angry.

"Dad, why would you think to do that?" Yelena sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You could have gotten us killed. You need to stop trying to play hero."

"Yeah, not all of us are super soldiers." Ava grumbles.

"Welcome home!" Bob exclaims, face falling when he takes in everyone's grumpy, beaten faces. "O-Oh no. What happened?"

"Don't wanna talk about it." John huffs past him, leaving Bob confused.

You watch silently as everyone disperses to wind down but hang back for Alexei. He looks like a kicked puppy as he removes his helmet and, thinking back to the fight, images flash through your mind. You quickly realise that had Alexei not done what he had done, the team would have been crushed by a metal beam - however, he had played it off as him picking it up so as to not freak them out about your imminient deaths and protecting the surrounding civillians.

"Hey," you say softly. "You okay?"

"I am Boo Boo the Fool." Alexei says dejectedly, kicking off his boots. "Joke of my country. Joke of my family."

"No, you're not." You tell him sincerely, though his phrasing makes your lips twitch upwards.

"Lena is right." He shrugs. "I am no hero."

"Alexei." Your voice is soft but firm and you put a comforting hand on his gigantic bicep. He looks up to see you smiling at him. "What you did today - those people you saved - they think you're a hero."

"They do?"

"Yep." You nod before adding, "And so do I."

Alexei's expression immediately brightens. "You do?"

It's tighter than it needs to be and you're unsure if he's trying to show off his strength or crush you with cuteness-aggression but either way you think you snap a rib.

"Thank you Little Bolt." He says as he places you back on your feet, gold tooth flashing in the lighting above. "You know exactly what to say."

Another day, another fight. Except this time, Alexei is the last one standing.

Yelena, Ava, John, Bucky and you are disarmed amd tied up, unable to fight back. Ava and Yelena are wrapped in chains, Ava too close to Yelena to phase out without causing her serious harm and Bucky and John have lost a metal arm and taco-shield - leaving them vulnerable to tranquiliser bullets. You, on the other hand, are trying to kick your way from a henchman after being handcuffed - leaving Alexei as the last man standing.

"Who even let you join?" The villain of the week sneers. "You're an ingrate. Your friends and daughter will die because you're incompetent. What do you even offer this team? Comic relief?"

"I am mother goose." Alexei nods sagely. "Someone has to protect my goslings from themselves."

If John could roll his eyes, he would be and you bet Bucky would do one of his character sighs. As Yelena and Ava continue to fight at the chains, you do what you have always done; watch.

"You're a nobody." Villain dissmisses. "No one will remember you, canon fodder. You've lost one daughter, now you will lose another."

You can see the subtle shift in Alexei's demeanour, the way his eyes quickly lose their mirth while his goofy grin remains plastered to his face. Most importantly, you notice how he very slowly, sets his body into a rigid fighting stance.

Alexei isn't playing anymore.

It all happens so quickly you barely see it. Despite Alexei's size and mass, he moves horrifyingly fast. He usually charged in with a battle cry; excitable for battle just like a certain axe-wielding blond you happen to know, but this wasn't a fair fight anymore. As soon as his daughter's life - daughters' lives - were mentioned, all intentions of a good old fashioned beat 'em up brawl were off the table. No punches would be pulled. No bones unbroken.

This was indomitable spirit.

This was the Red Guardian.

The villain was held easily five feet from the ground, Alexei's bear-paw of a hand squeezing his throat so hard his face had gone purple and his eyes looked like they were ready to pop from his skull. The villain squirmed and smacked at the trunk of an arm that held him in vain, pleading with the darkness in Alexei's eyes, clearly terrified and surprised at the shift in what he'd mistakenly thought was an oaf. The henchman that had been trying to get at you also stops dead to watch the spectacle, and you take the opportunity to land a boot to his chin.

"You don't speak about my daughters." Alexei growls.

Even Yelena and Ava and stopped fighting their bonds to watch on in shock as Alexei hurls the villain to the opposite side of the room with ease, rushing over to the two women and snapping the chains with his hands.

"Are you two okay?" Alexei asks, checking them both over quickly.

"'M okay."

"Fine, dad."

The villain's body slides across the floor, crunching when it slams against the concrete wall, and he groans in agony.

You join them, hands now free courtesy of your captors keys, and look over at the sad, crumpled pile of dark clothes.

"You couldn’t have done that sooner?" You joke and Alexei beams, standing tall and proud.

"Where is the fun in that, Little Bolt?"

END

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[fishyaudio]

Raz, who's been your favourite design you've made for your anthro au? I have a feeling it's Saint lol

Your feeling is not wrong, she's a favourite to draw!

But if I had to choose one, favourite design ever out of the ten, it would be the one for Shine (aka Monk, I really need to start using the names I gave them all for the AU here as well, gahh)

It's a surprising choice for me, because when it came to in-game depiction + popular fandom interpretations of Monk, I never really liked the guy (not disliked, just didn't think about the character a lot and found others more interesting). I don't usually dig the "peaceful, kind, happy" archetype characters in media in general, it's just not my thing, and most "fanmade character extensions" of Monk I've seen just expanded on that alone. It's not that they're anyhow wrong! They're just really not my thing and it always itches me to introduce more contrast or flavor in personalities of that sort. It's suprisingly hard to write a character who is mainly just really pure and avoids conflict, at least for me. Unhinged beasts with weird morals are sometimes just easier to grasp bwahaha

And with that, since it's "character design" and not just "design" - that initially made me feel like designing and creating the anthro AU equivalent for Monk would be a neccessary struggle and when I'm done, I won't ever pay much attention to a character I'd consider a bit more flat in comparison to what I had planned for others. But the longer I sketched, more "what ifs" came to mind and I ended up with Shine - still the younger sibling, just taller and bigger than the scrawny, troublemaking, older one. Took advantage of Share (Gourmand) being his parent, so he takes after him in size and personality a bit more. That opened a really fun path to explore with him.

I've decided to link his pacifist mentality and kindness not to being childish and bit unwise, but to idealism, stronger sense of justice and an overall aspiration to be reliable and responsible. He's still young and naive, but it doesn't come from being childish and having a "kill them with kindness, no other options allowed" mentality, but rather from being an inexperienced, future leader with a lot of potential. One that's often being very harsh on himself when his mistakes or faulty judgement causes a slip-up or a situation escalated in a way he couldn't predict. Sometimes, things just happen and there was no way to foresee the consequences or avoid confrontation, despite how hard everyone tried, and that's also a part of life - that's something Shine would struggle to accept. He's naive, but not dumb. Even with that - it doesn't stop him from being a very trustworthy and quick-thinking individual. I like that about him!

And this is also what's reflected in the design - he's on the taller side, with a more blocky build. Flowy, loose clothes both make him look really comfortable and chill, visually suggesting that he's more laid-back, not active, not used to fights and messy situations, while also pushing the silhouette to be a one, sturdy shape even more. That just yells "you can approach and trust this guy easily" by looks alone. From smaller details - he has the monk symbol in a visible place on his belt -> wants to signal to others that he's not a threat and is always willing to talk things out or settle for a compromise. He doesn't have much more accessories -> doesn't like showing off and isn't desperate for attention. The only striking, busy pattern he has on him is the striped sleeve to match his sib - he values Ways (Survivor) a lot!

From other designs for the AU - March, Ways and Steps (Spearmaster, Survivor and Rivulet) are also my favourites for various reasons, but this post is already a yap session. Maybe next time, if anyone's curious.

Thanks for the ask! Gave me an excuse to draw them more!!

AU tag here!