#either way i need MORE

[sunnyrmrez]

Three mimir

[makingshortstorieslong]

A little zine about how I (still) have trouble saying the word aromantic.

I've never made a zine before! I was inspired to try it because @queerliblib mentioned a zine making night in an email. That hasn't happened yet - its on June 26th - but once I had the idea, I couldn't wait, lol. It was nice to put something down on paper and have the finished product to hold onto.

Image descriptions under the cut:

Page 1: Three tiny speech bubbles say: "Do you have a bf? Do you like anyone? What's your type?" A big speech bubble says, "Oh, I don't date." The big speech bubble comes from a heart colored like the aromantic flag. 

Page 2 says: I could say: "Actually, I'm... ...aromantic." ...aro." ...aromantic asexual." ...aroace."

Page 3 says: But there are a few problems:

aromantic: Has been misheard as "A Romantic".

aro: Opaque if you don't already know the term.

aromantic asexual: A mouthful! And sounds...scientific?

aroace: shares The Big Problem: it may require a vocabulary lesson!

Page 4 says: It doesn't actually come up too often! Which is fine. My coworkers, my neighbors, and strangers don't need to know I'm aroace. I just wish I could say it sincerely when I do want someone to know. 

Page 5 says: I always have to smile - laugh - hedge. "Oh, well, actually, I'm kind of like, aromantic? Basically just not interested."

It's been more than 8 years since the first time I said it out loud!  I'm certain of it, but I still can't say it like I mean it!

Page 6 says: The most memorable time I said "I don't date" the guy I was talking to asked "Oh are you asexual?" and I said "Yeah, actually. And aromantic." And we moved on.

That was nice. 

Page 7 says:

The times I've lead with "I'm aromantic" -- well, there's only one I really remember:

"I didn't use to think that was a real thing." 

Other than that time -- even if I use the word, I always explain what it means first! 

Page 8 says: I just hope that one day I'll feel like I can say, simply, confidently: "I'm aromantic" and "I'm aroace."

The words "I'm aromantic" are big and dark green, the color of the top stripe of the aromantic flag. The words "I'm aroace" are big and bright orange, the color of the top stripe of the aroace flag. Three hearts below the words are colored to look like the aromantic, aroace, and asexual flags. 

[extravagav]

Too🤨 many?? Too🤨🤨🤨 many dudes????? How many dudes are there normally sanji?🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨

[dewarism]

forget a girl dinner i need a fucking girl buffet

[factual-fantasy]

Recently I've been thinking a lot about Breakdown and Knockouts friendship and how it started, since they seem so different. Also how their re-written pasts make the transition from con to bot a lot more seamless/plausible.

It was only after all the line art was done that I stopped to think "They probably have canon backstories outside of the Prime show that I should look into.💀" But by then I had already brainstormed a bit too much for them--😅

That being said, the general idea I'm starting with is that Breakdown and Knockout both bonded over having joining the Decepticon cause for similar reasons.

For Breakdown, he had a huge family and a large circle of friends before the war. When the political stuff between OP and Megs started, Breakdown never really looked into it. He was never the "smart type" anyways. "Not like I'd even understand any of that political slop." He'd say.

Instead he got the info filtered to him through his friends and family. All of which were devout Decepticons. He trusted that they were more intelligent than him so he believed all that they would tell him about the Autobots and Optimus. Eventually becoming a devout Decepticon himself.

When the war began, of course he joined the cons with his friends and family. Why would he ever fight against them or question them?

By the time he had lost his loved ones to the war and had no one he loved to fight along side.. and by the time he really began to think about what he was fighting for and was questioning the morals of the cons.. he felt like it was far too late. He had killed one too many Autobots by that point. And his fate as a con was sealed.. there was no room to question what be believed now. He had no choice really, he was a con and that's that.

For Knockout it was similar. He didn't have a huge family or group of friends, but he did have a handful of people whom he highly respected and loved. When the politics came about, Knockout wasn't really sure he wanted to be a con. But his cowardice and anxiety ruled over him. He didn't want to turn against his loved ones who chose to be cons, and he felt like he had more protection with the cons then he did the Autobots.

When the war broke out and things got real, Knockout was terrified. Clinging to the little family he has left with the cons and doing everything he could to stay useful.

By the time his loved ones had all passed from war and he had no reason to stay with the cons. It was FAR too late. He felt like with the amount of aid he's provided to the Decepticons, there was no way he could join the Autobots. And he couldn't possibly survive on his own as a rogue. So for his own survival, he had to stay with the cons..

After learning of their similar backstories and feeling trapped with the cons, Breakdown and Knockout became very good friends.

All of this to say, this comic was supposed to show a bit about what my BD and KO's friendship looks like. Under his confident persona, KO is rather emotionally fragile from this war. And occasionally he has these nervous breakdowns over all the stress and loss..

Since he's become friends with Breakdown, he's never had to face these times alone. Somehow Breakdown always finds him, with a energon refill in hand, and talks him through it. BD thinks he's just really good at distracting KO with small talk and that's what settles him.

The truth is, its Breakdowns genuine sympathy and kindness in these moments that makes him feel like everything's gonna be ok.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

The Yiling Band Tour!

[azuronel]

my predictions for the end of book 7

EDIT: part two here

[reasonsforhope]

100% have been perusing your climate change masterpost, and understand you're probably swamped so feel free to delete of course. But if you can find the time, is there any kind of hope to give in fighting climate change now? Can we save ourselves against the oncoming steamroll?

You hang in there too. Thanks for finding the hope among everything else. It feels so bad rn but I have to believe it can change. I hope it can.

Yeah actually I do think there is hope.

Things are going to get rough. Things are going to get worse before they get better, both for the climate and for people living in the US (and for people living in lots and lots of other countries that will be affected by the US election results/the ways the climate will worsen as aa result).

I haven't posted about this yet because I didn't want it to come to this, but now that it has, here's something that people have been quietly saying/research has been showing for months:

-via Reuters, November 6, 2024

Renewables, especially solar, are just too powerful to be stopped. They just too much cheaper and too much better, and that's only going to become more true, not less.

Also, I think (and hope) it's actually inevitable that at some point, we'll get to net negative carbon emissions. I think it's like solar: the technology, cost, and planet all make it feel like an inevitable technological trajectory, the same way solar tech is on an exponential trajectory. (IF WE WORK FOR IT, OBVIOUSLY, but also so, so many people ARE working for it, have dedicated their lives to working for it)

I sure fucking hope that's the case, anyway.

(You can find my masterpost on going net negative on what that actually means here)

It is gonna happen more slowly and shittily than I hoped, but I do think it's going to happen.

And if we can get to net negative emissions in time to save ourselves (which I think we will, the rates of advancement in many of these areas are very impressive), then we'll be able to slowly start to undo and heal lot of the damage.

[ganondoodle]

Crawls into your inbox to say that I already love love loved your design for Tenna, the way you draw all of him and his RCA/AV cable tail is so inspired, but then you go ahead and give him some body fat too??? I am going respectfully woof woof bark bark AWOOOO (okay no seriously thank you for your beautiful art, I could eat and drink it).

qwq!!!!

idk if you can call it body fat when its a screen projection/special effect on a stick bug robot BUT i obviously meant it to read as that fnsdjkfbdk thank you so much!!!!

i was a bit worried my version of him would be too far from canon and also .. possibly understood wrong but either way i tried to go for like ... what i found interesting mechanically and what i would call dad bod? i guess?? like older and not super buff but also ... well, like an average dad lol

made some quick (sadly not colored but its way too late again and i uh .. still have a job i need to get up for in time) really rough doodles just for you

[starry-bi-sky]

mmm throwaway conversation between Dan and Danny that popped into my head that I had to write out:

"You spent ten years being a one-man mass extinction event, then went back in time and fought me, and lost." Danny snarls, arms crossed and throat tight. His mouth pulls back to bare dagger-sharp teeth, and his eyes burn with the familiar thrum of ectoplasm heating up behind his eyes. "If I didn't believe you were half of Vlad before, I do now."

His other self -- and really, can he even call him that? He's half of Vlad too. Two halves severed from each other and welded together to make a new whole, -- snaps his head over to him. Wild-eyed and furious, he looks unlike the man Danny fought before, the one unruffled and untouched, unbothered by the world around him. It's familiar, but not like the way a reflection is.

"What's that supposed to mean." The Other hisses, matching Danny's scowl one-for-one with fangs much bigger and sharper than his.

But there's a reason lions fear hyenas. Danny matches the rumble in The Other's chest with one of his own, and shoves his face close to his. "I don't lose."

[goosesartblog]

and other lies to tell yourself (ID under cut. it’s a long one)

[ID: A digital fan-comic for Sky: Children of the Light. The first panel sets the scene: a once-homely room, now in ruin, washed in a blue light. Two figures sit huddled beneath a table. The first, the Nesting Guide, and the second is their mentee: dressed similarly to the Guide, with short-cropped hair and a chime hanging off their belt, the Stalwart Apprentice sits in their mentor’s lap. The second panel is a close-up of the Nesting Guide’s face over the Apprentice’s shoulder, sweat running down their face as the apprentice says “Umma, I’m scared”. The next panel shows the extent of their fear, eyes haggard behind their glasses, trying to bury their face in the Guide’s clothing. The Guide responds, saying “I know, little one.”

The next panel shows the Stalwart Apprentice’s hand wrapped around the Guide’s cloak, gripping it with fear as a growl rings out. “Umma,” they start, before being cut off. “Teth told me something, when I was younger.” Says the Nesting Guide. Their face is shown, afraid but set. Teth, the Forest Elder, is then shown standing with the hand up, feeling the raindrops. “I’d asked them how they never get hurt, when we walked in the rain.” Continues the Nesting Guide. “They said that every member of the kingdom had a spot, somewhere in the forest, where the raindrops would never touch them. It was only a matter of finding it.”

The next panel shows the Guide with tired eyes, pressing their Apprentice’s face into their shoulder. The source of the blue light, which was once to their right, is now almost head-on. “I think you have a spot like that.” they say.

The last panel is a wide shot of the room, showing the destruction. Pieces of broken architecture are strewn around, and the back wall is half-missing. The room, and the two inhabiting it, are now completely shrouded in red.

The Guide finished their sentence: “In my arms.” /End ID.]

[carebeardean]

Charles has always left Edwin little notes slipped between the pages of his favorite books, in his science equipment, places he knows Edwin loves. Just silly things—post its that say “hi Edwin :)”. doodles of Edwin with his nose stuck in a book. reminders to stock up on wolfsbane. but.

Then, post canon, Edwin tentatively starts dating people. And it’s ridiculous, because Edwin’s right there, all the time, but Charles..misses him a bit. And his heads a mess, and he can’t sort out what the hell he’s feeling most of the time, and whenever he tries to say any of it out loud it comes out rubbish.

So. He writes down some of the shit he can’t say right, and because he’s a coward, hides them so he doesn’t have to see Edwin’s face when he reads them.

then Edwin starts writing back.

Neat lilac blue little envelopes appear in Charles coat pockets. In his bag. Once, in his shoe? Some nights, Edwin will clear his throat and mention something from a letter, offhand, like they’re just picking up conversation, and Charles can pretend they are. That they always have talked about the basement, the belt, the nameless fear that chokes him every time Edwin walks out the door with someone else on his arm.

Sometimes he can’t. The words get stuck in his throat. Edwin’s not mad, he’s maddeningly, stubbornly kind about it, which is worse.

Some nights they trade. A secret for a secret. Charles learns about the novels Edwin used to hide under his mattress, about all the lonely years before Charles got there. About Simon.

Meanwhile, Edwin is losing his mind, because Charles has accidentally stumbled onto what was a fucking courting ritual in his time. Love letters were something engaged couples treasured for years, kept and reread over and over. (Edwin does. keep them in a special box, will take one out and trace the words, tuck it in his breast pocket for courage).

Edwin would rather have to reattach a limb again than lose Charles trust, all the dark and beautiful things he shares with Edwin only. He knows—knows Charles doesn’t mean to make him fall more in love with him.

[dapper-lil-arts]

Fanart of @punkitt-is-here's fursona! Thank you for putting big fluffy stuff on main 🙏

Also Idk what's wrong with me but when I saw this cute art Punkitt made the barbarian painting was the FIRST thing I thought of. lmao

[inkyrainstorms]

A Good Day To Die (not anymore. Now it’s epic brawl+taco+fireworks day) (why do you ask)

@aroace-get-out-of-my-face *throws this at you and runs away*

They’re so ridiculous absolutely my favorite idiots. Total of one brain cell between them when they’re together. Ch. 4 for A Good Day to Die(Again) did something to my brain chemistry

[tvlandofficiall]

i don't talk about her enough but i love elnina. muppet woman. with how on-and-off she and lanino are i hope she and queen have a fling at some point in castle town too. tvworld darkners just can't stop falling for queen.

[pianokantzart]

Movie Mario and how he was so calm (albeit indignant) about Spike mocking him and insulting him, but the moment Spike insults Luigi, Mario gets aggressive and starts making threats.

How Mario was able to put up with his family making fun of his TV commercial and plumbing business, but the moment his dad suggested that he was sabotaging Luigi’s life he emotionally shut down and isolated himself.

How when he was trapped in the belly of a giant eel at the bottom of the ocean he was mostly upset that he couldn’t save Luigi, blaming himself for putting his brother in danger.

Like, GOD do I need more Mario and Luigi working together in life-threatening situations in the sequel. I simultaneously need both Luigi proving to his brother that he’s competent enough to be responsible for his own safety, and Luigi getting badly hurt and Mario absolutely losing his shit.