#tldr I found it mid

[xxmothangelxx]

So I finished Cellblock Chaos

It was... meh, I feel like it should have been longer based on what they were attempting to do with the story, we barely had enough time to connect with any of the characters or give a damn about their story lol. I found Amber annoying but she isn't nearly as bad as people make her out to be, Jin Qiu is just... there, he's a less interesting Javid IMO and Toland is pretty cool, I like him. Though his design is going to take some getting used to haha.

So yeah, not the best event to start my dislyte comeback lol, I hope the next one is better. None of the new legendaries interest me enough to motivate me to read through the events I missed tbh, and I just want more Twilight Order content for the next event! So yeah those are my thoughts ^^

[mclennonhater]

can we please talk about The Long and Winding Road cuz oh my god

Okay first of all, Paul was found writing it late one night (possibly at 3am? September 19th, 1968) by Alistar Taylor at Apple. Here's the quote below, but TLDR: Taylor found the song beautiful and said his wife would love it, which prompted Paul to give the recording to Taylor and cut up the only remaining tape right in front of him. So only Alistor Taylor and his wife have the demo. Or whatever.

Exerpt from Hello Goodbye: The Story Of 'Mr. Fixit' by George Gunby from "The Long and Winding Road History" (where I'm getting all this information btw, its a great site)

"The finest example of Paul's songwriting turned out just as Alistair [Taylor] had hoped. It was the end of a particularly difficult week at [EMI Studios] and Apple during which he had been working twenty-hour days. He was feeling the effects of being, virtually, Paul's personal assistant and keeping an eye on things at the office. He was very, very tired and looking forward to spending Saturday and Sunday at home with [his wife] Lesley [Taylor]. As the Friday night session wound down he went in search of Paul to say goodnight. John, George and Ringo had no idea where McCartney was and when he could not be found in the canteen or any of the offices Alistair [Taylor] pretty much gave up. As he passed the cavernous Studio One he noticed a faint light. Stepping quietly inside, he stood in the shadows and listened as the figure hunched over the grand piano picked out a melody and began adding lyrics. The voice was unmistakably McCartney's. Alistair [Taylor] listened intently as the tune developed. More lyrics were added. 'This is sensational,' Alistair [Taylor] thought. Spellbound, he walked over to the piano when Paul stopped playing. 'That is a beautiful, beautiful melody and fabulous words,' he said. 'Lesley [Taylor] would love that.' Paul smiled. 'It's just an idea at this stage,' he said. 'For “just an idea” it's sensational.' Paul looked up to the control room. 'Have you got any tape left?' he asked the engineer who nodded. 'Roll it, please,' McCartney said. Alistair [Taylor] stood by the piano as Paul ran through the song again. Although not the finished article, the fundamental outline and character were clear and distinct. It was, Alistair [Taylor] felt, destined to be a classic. When the song ended he applauded quietly. Paul looked up from the keyboard. 'Glad you like it,' he said. 'Now go home. You look shattered.' Monday morning came round far too quickly for Alistair [Taylor]. He was in the office early and had cleared most things by the time Paul appeared in mid afternoon. He sat down and asked how Lesley [Taylor] was. 'Fine,' Alistair [Taylor] replied. 'Did you tell her about the song?' 'No. I couldn't do it justice.' 'Well you can now,' McCartney said with a broad grin. From inside his coat he pulled out an acetate record and placed it on the desk in front of Alistair [Taylor]. 'That's the recording from Friday...It's for Lesley [Taylor].' 'You shouldn't have. Thank you very much.' 'Give me your waste bin and a pair of scissors,' Paul said. As Alistair [Taylor] handed them to him, McCartney pulled a spool of recording tape from his pocket. 'That's the tape from Friday,' he said as he picked up the scissors and proceeded to cut it into small pieces that fell into the waste bin. 'Now you have the only copy of that recording in the world,' he said with a broad smile. 'Thank you very much,' Alistair [Taylor] said. 'It's my way of saying “thank you,”' Paul said as he stood to leave the office. 'Just one thing, what's it called?' '”The Long And Winding Road,”' McCartney replied."

As you can probably surmise, this song is also about mclennon (like every beatles song if you really think about it). Let's take a look at the lyrics......

This specific road is the one Paul can see from his bedroom at his farmhouse with LINDA. (Excerpt from The Lyrics):

+ his quotes about the song........so........yeah............. (Excerpts from The Lyrics and Many Years From Now)

(Small side note, "Mull of Kintyre" is a Wings song, with these lyrics):

(I don't know man. I really don't know.) (anyway.)

+ John's quote from All We Are Saying

And then what really gets me is when they're recording it in the studio and Paul pissing John off like, 'nonono you have to play bass the way I would play bass on the song about you abandoning me and how I will never find anyone else like you' + George (Get Back, Ep.3, 13:04-16:00)

One more thing, Cynthia Lennon chose The Long and Winding Road as the Beatles song that described her life best (which oh my god. oh my god. can anyone hear me. oh my god)

[dracora-hp]

hiii!! Just wanted to say i adore your jjk au and that anytime i see those two take naps together or gojo is anywhere on suguru's face my brain just goes "oh good god that is so dangerous, noooo satoru honeeeyyyy, dont sleep so close to the mouth thats not saaaaafffe"- i mean neither is sleeping next to a gaint that can crush you on accident mid sleep but i guess gojo is putting all his trust in geto's ability to not move around while asleep.

Both of them honestly trust their sleeping selves far too much. I could never honestly, since i dont even trust my dumbass to not crush my cats while im asleep 😭 i move a lot.

Tldr: how suguru isnt in a constant state of anxiety about accidentally squishing his tiny boyfriend is beyond me but honestly go off queen, you be confident that your tiny mans is fast enough- or the more likely scenario: pout and whine about not being on his shoulder like a parrot.

Sorry for the ramblings lol, im sending this at like, 2am so my brain is in a loopy state. Hope you found my message funny anyhow

This is a coincidence because I just shared this art on my IG😭 Are you from over there or something?

But yeah, you’re completely right. The amount of trust they have in each other is actually insane lol. Although, I imagine Suguru isn’t the type to move much in his sleep🙂‍↕️ And he doesn’t let Satoru just sleep anywhere on the bed. I was gonna make a little list of rules Suguru gave Satoru to minimize the danger.

Also, I actually think him sleeping on Suguru’s face is one of the more safe options. The worst thing that could happen would be Suguru completely rolling over on him, buuuut I think he'd survive if the pillow was soft enough. Overall, everything is pretty risky, but Satoru’s not gonna let that get in the way of clinging to him for warmth. Suguru’s always hyper aware of his little boyfriend, and I'm sure he has anxiety about it at times, but it's something he gets used to :)

Anyways, thank you! I love drawing them having their little naps, and I also love reading these types of messages^^ 🧡

[mikehasfleas]

Life hack for people with short attention spans:

WATCH DUMB VIDEO ESSAYS!!

I am so goddamn serious. If you have a short attention span, the best thing I've found to help with that is video essays. Please bear with me on this post, or read the tldr:

My attention span was, and still is, totally fucked from my years on the internet and my adhd. I would spend hours on tiktok, instagram reels, yotube shorts, etc, and could barely sit through a TV show episode without opening pintrest to get even more mental stimulation.

But fast-forward to mid-fall last year, where I got really into video essays. Started out with 5 minute "storytime stickmen" videos, then 10 minute explanations of game lore bits, then 15 minute videos on punk subculture stuff, etc, and even though I was still using pintrest and reels relentlessly outside of that, after a little while, I realized that I had stopped pulling out my phone mid-video. The videos were actually grabbing and KEEPING my attention, even if I had little to no prior interest in the subject.

And by now, I've finished multiple 2.5 hour long videos on totally random stuff like the characterization of king candy, the making of a now lost-media tinkerbell movie, weird random stuff in fnaf security breach, etc. Now I actually SEEK OUT these longer videos, and even find myself getting involuntarily disappointed when a video essay I'm watching cuts out at 20 minutes! I actually enjoy sitting through long videos now!

And sure, I don't always watch them in one sitting, but if anything that's even better! I can come back to a video I was in the middle of and STILL keep my attention on it!

This is all to say, you can't just cold-turkey your way out of the instant-dopamine-rush of shortform content. It's just not gonna work. But if you do it gradually, you will likely find yourself getting actually INTERESTED in just the act of watching a longer video. And maybe by extension, you'll find yourself being more engaged in things like your classes because you're already GOOD at being engaged with lectures on random stuff, which will likely make you want to find MORE of that class content (the coursework) because you're used to the information being given for even longer periods of time than the classes are.

Now, this won't work for every type of content, and it obviously won't completely fix your attention span. Hell, I'm still addicted to plenty of online shortform content. But it is undeniably helpful to have even just one facet of your attention span be over an hour.

TLDR (since this IS a post directed at people with short attention spans); I used to have a detrimentally short-as-fuck attention span, but I basically exposure-therapy'd myself into enjoying long videos, and it did WONDERS for my attention span. I want to help you do the same.

So please, for the good of your brain,

WATCH DUMB VIDEO ESSAYS!!!

[emma-is-swaggy-and-epic]

Happy valentine's day, i've been getting into sonic.exe lately so here's my rendition of an amy.exe

Watch the SPEEDpaint here!!! [LINK]

LORE UNDER THE CUT!!! (CW: mentions of gore and unreality...kinda, there's a TLDR at the end)

A few years after sonic CD was released, a strange cartridge for the game was created. Seemingly: the game had a mind of it's own; with it having strange anomalies such as aggressively telling players to stop controlling sonic after playing through the first few levels, weird reddish blobs of pixels could be seen in the background that look almost like gore to some people (though what they actually are is unclear due to them being few and far between and seem to be slightly obscured by various background elements) and a notable lack of other characters or enemies. Strangely though, the most well known anomaly related to this version of the game is an unusually distorted version of amy rose; as the years went by and the game became more accessable to the public via online emulators, many have reported her appearence changing more and more as time went on. When the cartridge was first discovered: her design mostly stayed true to her original, classic look though as years went by, she started looking more similar to her modern design (more notably so after rips of the game were posted to the internet). Occasionally, the altered version of amy would appear mid-gameplay and deliver threatening messages to the player about how she hates them, how they're getting in her way, etc. When played using an emulator, the game is known to install viruses onto whatever device the player is using in that moment. When the game was ripped, it was revealed that the name of the file was simply "phantom.exe"

What nobody knows about this version of the game, is that the cartridge was special in the sense that the world inside it was sentient; unlike the other versions of sonic CD: this specific cartridge had contained the actual classic sonic universe as a whole and the game was just a front, almost like another dimension that you cannot enter. All of the anomalies listed were the result of a strange event within the universe; with amy coming across the phantom ruby and it corrupting her, causing her to become a murderous fiend with a jealousy problem. Due to the unstable nature of an entire universe existing within such a tiny object like a game cartridge: amy has become aware of the fact that she is in a video game and is immensely jealous of the player for controlling sonic, although due to them living in another universe, she knows she cannot harm them so she just installs viruses onto their computer instead. After the game was ripped onto the internet and was exposed to a more modern culture than one from the 90's, amy's design and mannerisms slowly became more similar to that of the version of her in modern sonic games.

TLDR: there exists a version of sonic CD where the classic sonic universe just....EXISTS inside it (like the actual one, not just a game) and in that version of the universe: amy found the phantom ruby, it corrupted her and now she's a yandere and the game is now fucked up. Also amy is aware she's in a game and is jealous of the player for controlling sonic so she puts viruses on people's computers

In all honesty, i kinda just had two different ideas for what i wanted this to be. I wanted to make an EXE that is SOLELY self-contained and doesn't involve evil world-destroying gods possessing video games and entrapping souls like most EXEs i've seen (some of my favorite EXE/sonic horror AUs are starved eggman and sink sonic BECAUSE of this subversion) but at the same time: i was VERY married (no pun intended) to the idea of taking inspiration from old loveletter computer viruses and the whole haunted game schtick so i tried to mash them together as best i could, resulting in a sort of doki doki literature club/undertale-esque AU for lack of a better description. While yes, i am aware that yandere!amy rose isn't exactly an ORIGINAL idea (hell, i saw a fairly popular fanfiction called "amy.exe" with that EXACT premise) i mean.....i was (unfortunately) a yandere simulator fan as a kid so i kinda have a soft spot for yanderes, y'know? Besides, what else could you do with amy? You could probably do something with the fact she's into tarot cards but that'd probably get culturally insensitive REAL fast...

If i'm being completely honest, i only threw in the "amy's design and mannerisms changing due to being exposed to the internet" thing because i like amy's modern design more than her classic design and i wanted an excuse to make something based on it lol. Speaking of which: i actually had a tough time getting the preportions right on this, i've drawn sonic characters before and i usually have a tough time with the preportions since the sonic artstyle is so much different than mine and y'know....if the characters aren't drawn in a style that looks even VAGUELY like the sonic artstyle than it's just NOT a sonic character!!! (Also fun fact: amy's design in this is vaguely modeled after a creepy haunted doll bc i LOVE those things)

While doing research for this AU i realized i actually know a lot less about sonic lore than i thought lol, this is my first REAL attempt at writing horror so i hope it's not TOO terrible!!! (And, more importantly, that this makes sense to anyone who ISN'T me) anyway....again, happy valentine's day!!!

[1nk20ul]

I would love to know the birthdays of the other tma characters (particularly Gerry, Micheal Shelley, and Tim)

TMA Birthdays Revealed (Continued)

You've got it.

Let's go in the order that you requested, starting with Gerry Keay.

(This is a continuation of my previous post, where I determine Jon and Martin's birthdays to the best of my ability. Make sure to check it out if you haven't yet!)

Spoiler alert: Gerard is one of the few characters for whom we have an objectively correct/confirmed answer. Just like last time, I'll list all of the results in the tags as a TLDR. Let's begin!

As I said, Gerry's birthday is shockingly the easiest to find out of everyone in the entire main series. However, none of our clues are actually found in Archives. Rather, it's the Magnus Protocol ARG that flat-out gives us this answer. Compared to last post, I feel like I'm being spoiled.

For those unaware, chdb.xlsx (Child_Database.Excel) is a 250-row list of participants in the Magnus Institute's Gifted Child programme. Of these, last names like Dyer, Nolan, Barker, Baldwin, etc. appear, although it's possible some are simply a coincidence.

One we know is not. Behold:

(Yes, his last name is spelled Kaey in this dataset. It's an easy typo to miss in a 250-row document. Don't worry about it.)

According to Chdb, Gerry's birthday is 4th February, 1988. For those paying attention to my original Birthday post, this is exactly two days after my calculation for Jon's birthday, down to the year. This pleases me.

I'll even throw in a bonus for you. Based on his data, he is quite empathetic - yet not very susceptible to peer pressure! You're welcome, Gerrianators.

Let's move to Michael Shelley.

Unfortunately, we're not as lucky this time. Michael's age is just as twisted up as what became of him. Here's what we know:

Michael worked with Eric Delano prior to Eric's resignation in 1990, but was also hired to replace Fiona Law during or after 2003.

Michael's death was sometime between 2009-2011, however was supposedly already distorted in 2006.

Jonny joked on Twitter that Michael "is 92 at all points in the timeline."

There is virtually nothing to go off of here... The month and day are an absolute mystery to us as well. So congrats! His birthday is 92.

Thankfully, Tim is a little bit easier on us.

We need to use Danny Stoker's death as a starting point here. We know that Danny died in 2013 at no younger than 21 years old. Beforehand, Tim spent the previous 5 years at Victory House Publishing. Before that, in 2007, he completed his First in Anthropology at Trinity College. As a Bachelors degree typically takes three years to complete, we can assume Tim was most likely 18 in 2004. The birth year is easy to calculate from there.

For month, all we can do is process of elimination. Let's start with when his birth month isn't. Since the tapes contain no mention of a birthday party like Jon and Martin had prior to MAG 40 (when shit hits the fan), we know that it is less likely to be between September to mid-March, although this is mainly a mix of speculation and educated guessing. We can at least confirm the September cutoff, though, by cross-referencing age requirements for schooling in the UK. Unfortunately, this is where our luck ends. All in all, I think we still did quite well here.

Our final result is April-August 1986. He died at 31 years old. Bonus: He is anywhere from 1-6 years older than his brother. This is not a surprise to absolutely anyone.

A recap of our final results:

Gerard Keay - 4th February, 1988

Michael Shelley - Permanently 92 years old

Timothy Stoker - April-August, 1986

Thanks again, everyone. I have a wonderful time making these, it's great fun! I have a few more posts in mind that I'd like to make, so feel free to leave an Ask. See you next time!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

here's a wild one for y'all. cw for parental death. names have been changed, it is a kinda specific situation but I think only 1 of my family members is on Tumblr so whatever. sorry it got so long, it's a complicated situation and still VERY fresh so my brain is kinda fried lol.

tldr my dad passed away without a will and we want to give his long-distance "side" gf the house he helped her buy. I'm worried she won't be able to afford the mortgage, but don't really want to give her any of the monetary payouts. WIBTA if my brothers and I kept all of the cash?

so late last week (it's Dec 19 as of submitting) my father (60s M) passed away in a sudden car accident on his way to work. I'm (late 20s ftM) his oldest child, I also have a younger brother (mid 20s M) who we'll call Phineas and an even younger half-brother (almost tween, M) who we'll call Aaron.

so I'd describe my dad as a kind and loving but stubborn and stupid man. I would also guess, based on what I know of his love life, that he was polyamorous but didn't realize it due to his conservative Christian upbringing and didn't know it was an option so instead ended up being...well, kinda an adulterer tbh. this isn't to excuse his actual actions bc they were obviously wrong, but is the way the situation reads to me, a polyamorous person.

Dad had a long distance girlfriend (50s??? maybe??? F) on the West Coast (we live near the East Coast), we'll call her Melody. I met her a few years back when he flew Phineas and I with him to visit her. she's a sweet woman from what I know of her. when I got the news of his passing, I was the one who called her to let her know what happened. (which sucked.)

well, what I Didn't know until I was trying to scrape together travel arrangements (I live 5 hours away from Phineas and my dad) was that he also had a Wife (60sF), who we'll call Patricia. (it wasn't a legal marriage, it was "in the eyes of the Lord" as they said, due to legal complications to do with her social security benefits or something. which is why the arrangements for his death fell onto Phineas and I as his adult children. but if he called her his wife then as far as I'm concerned that's what she is.) he didn't really tell me or Phineas about the full nature of their relationship. Phineas found out bc our dad was spending so much time with her that he'd practically moved in w her, put two and two together and asked her to confirm. I never even knew she existed till all this happened. he had told his parents and siblings about her, and they approved of her. we can only speculate why he kept it so quiet to us, she thinks bc of his history with Real Duds that we'd be upset somehow. idk.

so anyway Patricia knew about Melody. my dad was already seeing Melody when he started seeing Patricia. I don't know what he was thinking when he got with Patricia tbh, can't ask him now anyway, but she knew about Melody the whole time. wasn't thrilled about it, constantly told him he needed to tell her the truth and end things, but doesn't truly hold that against Melody herself bc she didn't know.

Melody, however, did not know about Patricia. he was planning to tell her at some point. kept meaning to. still loved her, didn't wanna hurt her, but was also trying to be monogamously committed to Patricia too. he never got around to actually ending things with Melody before he passed, and as far as she knew he was still planning to move out there and get married to her. he even took out a loan to help her pay for her late mother's house, both their names are on the mortgage and deed.

which brings me to my question. my dad didn't seem to have a will (not that we can find anyway), so Phineas and I are the ones in charge of distributing his various belongings and payouts and such. we both agree that we don't have any use for some house across the country, and Melody is already living in it anyway. imo she should just Have It. however, she is also Pretty Poor. I don't know the specifics of her situation (or, really, much about the complications of home ownership?) but I do worry about her ability to continue to pay the mortgage, assuming that's a thing. we're still waiting to hear about all the details and numbers and have somebody who actually knows about that stuff translate it into layman's terms for us non-homeowners (or in Phineas's case, Brand New Homeowner) so we can get a full picture of how all that is going to work legally speaking.

Dad also had life insurance thru his employer. we are still working thru the red tape at his company to figure out who the beneficiary is, the most likely candidate being me as the eldest child. Phineas and I are agreed that we'll at least be splitting most, if not all, the money evenly between us and Aaron. Patricia is INSISTENT that she doesn't want any of it, she wants us kids to keep it bc unlike some of his exes she never cared about his money (he made GOOD money, but still ended up kinda poor due to both being generous to, and having been taken advantage of by, multiple women since my bio mom died. including having to shell out an insane amount of child support for Aaron despite already having a very active role in his life. like he paid more child support than either I or my fiancee even make at our jobs, while also frequently just straight up directly providing for him where he could). because of his income it's looking like a pretty hefty payout.

however, my brother and I are both pretty poor as well. while we don't know the exact amount we're getting, some are speculating a number that, even split 3 ways, would be Life-Changing for us. we're talking 5 figure amounts, more than I or my fiancee make in a year. like we'll still need to work for a living but, for example, it could be a down-payment on a house or a massive safety net for when I'm out of work (I have a steady job but with seasonal unpaid breaks). it could help Phineas afford expensive repairs for the trailer he now owns, which my dad was supposed to help pay for. in the right account with a decent interest rate, it could be tuition for when Aaron goes to college.

I feel like I Should probably toss some of that money Melody's way, esp since I feel so bad that she's getting the one-two punch of finding out her bf died AND also he had a wife she wasn't aware of. but my brothers and I could really use that money as well. I don't know that Phineas wants to send her any, we're saving that conversation for when we know more of the exact numbers. I don't even know how much Dad was paying towards it, or if he even was anymore. plus--and this is kinda a minor detail--but there's kind of a general vibe I'm getting from the Family (ALL 4 of my dad's siblings AND both his parents are somehow still alive) that Melody is kinda...unliked. they love Patricia and were CONSTANTLY frustrated that he was still visiting Melody and frequently sending her money; I get the feeling they viewed her the same as some of his other gold-digging exes so i think maybe sending her Even More Money would look a little weird? like she's already getting full ownership of a house out of the deal. most of them are in agreement that Phineas and I are the ones who get the final say on the bulk of these decisions but they're...a little pushy anyway.

like I said, we don't know what any of the actual numbers look like AT ALL yet, so it might actually be fine. but WIBTA if we just left her the sole homeowner when she couldn't really afford it, and not send her any money? the consensus will probably show up too late to affect our decision but hey, figured the situation would make for a wild ride anyway (or maybe I just feel like that bc it has been for me LOL).

What are these acronyms?

[tonitheloftwing]

Trying to dispel the accusations that I'm unfairly targeting GlobOfChaos for fic theft.

To make it brief, I’ve had issues w/ user GlobOfChaos since about a week after meeting them, but my intention was never to try and create a harassment campaign like was stated. I have a LOT of screenshots saved so I’ll be going thru the entire timeline, even w/ things that seem insignificant, to express why I feel the way I do about this user. If I don’t find something super important and it’s mainly here for context, title will be highlighted orange instead of red.

The Start

I’ll be transparent that from the get-go I never really got along with Globbo, mostly because about a week they joined Charlie’s Discord server, I noticed they had a tendency to talk over people. I was talked over repeatedly by them, and this was my main issue with them from the beginning of February to the end of March. However, I tried my best to be cordial with them, and I figured that they were just bad at reading the room, and I figured they weren’t trying to cause any deliberate harm by talking over people. I won’t give any screenshots of them talking over people here since it would be incredibly redundant and there’s a limited amount of pics I can put in a post, but I can provide them if needed in a separate post. TLDR it mostly boiled down to them interrupting either mid-conversation (about something else) or about 5 seconds after someone finished talking with their own headcanons. And again, this isn’t a Satan-level move. At most, just kind of annoying. Note that at this point I had not discussed with them the way they were making me feel.

Aftermath Of Peppermintpillz

Notice that I said the first time I had a real issue with Globbo was during late March. This is because, around that time, Peppermintpillz was harassing a ton of people in the fanbase, including myself. This isn’t about him, but for context, he had leaked my private NSFW tumblr blog, which included things like lewd images of me and extremely private details about my sex life to his public Instagram, where minors would have access to it. Obviously, this was pretty upsetting to me and I wanted to move on from it.

Globbo comes into play here because there was an incident where they were talking in Charlie’s server, very vaguely, about how “blocking doesn’t always work”. I had issues with Peppermintpillz block evading me by creating alt accounts and having her irl friend message me, so when Globbo said this, I was worried that Peppermintpillz had found another way to access my blogs. Thankfully this wasn’t the case but it kind of scared the shit out of me and I was frustrated with how vague they were being.

Notice the timestamps between each message. This was the main point of my frustration. I was having a full-on panic attack while trying to figure out if Peppermintpillz had shared more revenge porn of me or not, but it ended up being some drama in the classical music fandom.

Boundary Push #1

This requires additional context, that being that I have dissociative identity disorder and one of the two most frequent fronters in our system is an introject of Little Mac. If you don’t know what that means, dw, you can read the screenshots as I also explained what that means to Globbo. (This is Mac writing this rn, hi)

To sum up what happens in the screenshots, Globbo asks what I mean when I say I’m a Little Mac introject. I forget the exact context of this convo but I think I’d mentioned it earlier when I was upset abt something or other, they asked what it meant then, and I asked them to ask me when I wasn’t upset and I’d be happy to explain. I absolutely didn’t mind explaining to them either! I like getting to be open about my identity with people, and I remember feeling kinda happy that Globbo was making an effort to connect with me, when previously the whole thing had been one sided - me trying to be nice to them, but them talking over me as if I didn’t exist.

Then I just explain, and they ask why I got into Punch-Out and why I introjected Mac specifically, which are both entirely appropriate questions, although the first doesn’t really relate to the topic at hand. Also you’ll see in the screenshots that Globbo calls him a bean dip - I have no idea what that means lol.

But then, after I’ve kinda just poured my heart out to them, they… immediately talked over me with discussion of their Little Mac AU.

This was especially hurtful to me at that moment because I had specifically told them not to talk about their reverse Mac AU with me. Reasoning is given in the screenshots: I didn’t want to talk about Mac being a “psychotic” and manipulative person! (Note that psychotic is used incorrectly here. We’re not at the ableism section yet but it is ableism to refer to someone who is just unhinged and insane as “psychotic”, because experiencing psychosis does not make someone unhinged or insane. It just means they experience delusions and/or hallucinations.)

You can see them immediately breaking the boundary that I’d established literally 2 minutes after the initial boundary had been set, and as you can see, I ignored them. You can also see me in the messages above trying to just ignore them and not enforce the boundary, and I’ll be 100% honest and say that I absolutely should have made my boundaries more clear. I REALLY struggle with setting boundaries due to a history of abuse that we don’t need to get into but I acknowledge that I need to be better about this and I’m trying to be better. I tend to feel an extreme amount of guilt when setting boundaries, so enforcing those boundaries is difficult for me. Regardless, Globbo still pushed and broke them.

Ableism #1

This can be summed up briefly by saying that I suspect Globbo does not do much research into the mental disorders they write about and like to rely on people with those mental disorders to give them information for their writing

First screenshot shows Globbo asking if anyone in Charlie’s discord server is bipolar. Somebody is, I know who they were looking for, but I’m gonna assume they’d like to be uninvolved in this. Second screenshot shows them going into my DMs asking me if I’m bipolar. (Later messages are included to show where the convos ended.) This also isn't inherently ableist but it shows that Globbo kind of regards mentally ill people as a resource for them to use for writing rather than actual friends to talk to, which can also be seen w/ when I opened up about my DID and they just... Didn't give a shit. I wouldn't call them ableist if it was just this, but there's more ofc. Also the person w/ bipolar in Charlie's server expressed discomfort with Globbo's actions, saying they felt like they were being treated like a lab rat, but I'm not including screenshots of that since I think they'd rather stay out of this + image limit. They also seem to feel entitled to people's private medical history... but we'll get to that in a moment.

Ableism #2

They fakeclaimed me! To my face! While I was having a breakdown!

For context, I was venting about my moral scrupulosity and mentioned having OCD. I had just recently gotten diagnosed w/ it.

To break this down...

They say they're not calling me a liar, but why else would you ask if I'm diagnosed w/ my various mental illnesses if you didn't think I was lying?

Asking for the status on my medication or diagnoses like this - in an accusatory context - is not appropriate. They are not entitled to my private medical information. Even if they were asking to try to be helpful, it really felt like they were accusing me of exaggerating my symptoms/faking being mentally ill. As you can see, I was being pretty short with them, since I didn't want to give them what they wanted (my private medical history)

This isn't really a big deal but acting like a stress ball is going to cure my debilitating OCD symptoms is pretty comical

We'll talk about them being a psychiatry student in a moment, but as someone who has had various negative experiences w/ the field, the fact someone like Globbo is studying to be a psychiatrist is concerning

Ableism #4

Only context needed is that they dropped this in the main channel of Charlie's server out of literally nowhere

Let's break this down as well.

I am by no means an expert on bipolar disorder but I'm pretty sure that talk therapy has no hold over how frequently you experience manic episodes. Medication can mitigate the symptoms but bipolar is not a disorder that can be cured or go away.

"One less person become a psychopath" is frankly, evil. As I've argued previously, in my opinion, Globbo tends to treat mentally ill people like we're subhuman, like we're fundamentally broken and need to be fixed, and of course as resources for their fic writing. This message is what made me fear for any future clients they may have because it's clear that they're not going into the psychiatric field with the intent to help mentally ill people and advocate for us - they're going into the field with the intention to fix us and make us more socially acceptable to the people who oppress us. They do not view mentally ill people as the same level of human as themselves.

Context Leading Up To The OC Theft

On April 11th I was at a breaking point w/ Globbo when it came to how frequently I was being talked over and how my boundaries were being pushed repeatedly, and after about 4 hours of trying to explain to Charlie why I was hurt, he talked to Globbo about this, and then Globbo and I talked. You'll see me acknowledge in DMs that this was the wrong decision to make, and as I said previously in this post, I still agree with that. I should have been explicitly clear every time I felt like I was being talked over or had my boundaries being pushed, but I didn't do that because I felt guilty.

Context Leading Up To The OC Theft #2

This is basically just my proof that Globbo knew alcohol was a trigger for me. They got told off for talking about how they wanted to get hammered in a server with a bunch of kids in it, so they went to my DMs to do it.

The OC Theft

This has been laid out clearly and I have nothing to add to this other than the fact that Charlie had told everyone in the server they were going to take a break from Discord - after we had spent HOURS the previous day trying to work out my emotions with Globbo and make amends, bro was exhausted and needed a break. Then, of course, as soon as Charlie went offline, the OC theft occurred.

I don't feel the need to defend myself any further bc IMHO it's cut and dry. Globbo stole my OC, and with the context of my personal trauma surrounding alcohol and abuse, took my OC and made her an alcoholic abuser. I shouldn't have to defend why that's wrong.

I also want to note that people are allowed to write whatever the hell they want with any characters in PO as long as it doesn't veer into CSEM territory, but I'm going to address the claims that I'm the fic police further when I reply to FourEyedFella's post. But for now just know that I am not the fic police. Write whatever you want. Just don't use my OC to do it.

Block Evade #1 + Globbo Admits To Stealing!

What it says in the tin. Here, you can clearly see that Globbo admitted that they were in the wrong, that multiple fics were plagiarized, that I can keep my post up, and that their writing is, by their own words, "copy-pasted like". Also they created an entire new tumblr account (with a new email!) to block evade me so like.

Here's the message they sent to Tarte, also admitting that they'd stolen from Tarte. Note that Globbo has been a hell of a lot less forthcoming with the fact they stole from Tarte than the fact they stole from me, but here's that.

Block Evading #2, #3, and #4

I don't have screenshots for this but after I initially blocked Globbo, and their new account, they:

Started publishing anon fics on ao3 to avoid my block of them there

Interacted with Tarte in communities despite Tarte having blocked them because the block feature doesn't work in communities for some reason???

Created an entirely new Punch Out headcanon account, which might have not been to block evade, but definitely did evade blocks

Having to cut them off MULTIPLE TIMES because they kept finding new ways to contact me was annoying to say the least. I just wanted to move on and not think about the theft.

Asperger's Ryan

This kinda speaks for itself, Asperger's + puzzle piece symbol is not cool. However I have since learned that Globbo themselves got diagnosed with Asperger's, which DOES check out timeline-wise since the diagnosis was made null in 2014, and Globbo is 22, meaning that they had 11 years where they could have been diagnosed with autism and not Asperger's. The fact they didn't know Asperger's and the puzzle piece were both extremely harmful to autistic folk kinda proves my point that, despite being in the psychiatry field, they don't do much research into the disorders they write about... like, at all, but I do agree that they might have just not known. However at this point I already had them blocked, I was only checking their blog as a form of mental self harm (not healthy btw don't do this ever) so I wasn't gonna be the one to explain it to them.

So yeah that's my side of what the fuck is going on. I'm not going to go into how this has affected me mentally since I don't want anyone to accuse me of guilt tripping but TLDR it has and I'd like to move on from this? Also I'm sorry to main tag this but since FourEyedFella put theirs in the main tag, I'm going to as well to defend myself

@foureyedfella

[lotussart]

hey so i was scrolling tourh all your posts and i saw that you bielieved in a branch of christianity of some sort but what caught my attention is the side wound that your art sometimes talks about or represents. If you don't mind me asking, what is the significance of the side wound? Is it religious symbolysm or some other thing?

So basically the side wound is mostly compared to two main things: either a vulva or a lactating breast

Disclaimer that i am no scholar or expert on the topic, I'm a guy who likes to read books and papers about religion.

The side wound is the wound Jesus recieved on the cross via the roman solider piercing him with a spear, and as cited in John 19:33-34 (NIV translation)

"But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water."

This parallels the creation of Eve, being born from Adam's rib, and the creation of the church (so he gave birth to the church). I've also seen literature and art that depict him removing the sacred heart from his chest via the side wound and giving it to some women via their own side wound.

It should be said that the blood and flesh of Christ are very important in general. Christ is God given flesh, flesh like humans, and was crucified to save us. His blood washes us clean, but it also feeds us. We're nourished on the flesh and blood like a mother feeding her child. For this reason, the side wound is also seen as a lactating breast. There are accounts of saints and mystics, especially women, who are said to drink from the side wound of Christ. Notable examples that come to mind are Catherine of Sienna, Angela of Foligno, Mechtild de Magdeburg, I think Marguerite of Oignt was also a particularly big fan of the side wound as well.

Caroline Walker Bynum discusses in one of her papers about the gender fluidity of this, of Jesus possessing both masculine and feminine characteristics, which is incredibly based.

And of course I can't make a post about the side wound without mentioning the 18th century Moravian church. The side wound was Integral to the moravian theology and lifestyle. It was the place to enter to meet the divine, to become one with the divine, to find comfort and salvation in. It's also shown that in one of the hymns for boys in the community, they were taught to seek out the wounds of Christ, especially the side wound and the circumcision wound, during times of sexual arousal instead of jerking off. The same paper that talks about this also discusses how because Jesus was human, particularly male, in nature, this sanctifies the human experience, a topic that's come up in other documents and books talking about the incarnation and the wounds of Christ.

TLDR: the side wound is a representation of the humanity and fleshiness of Christ, gender fluidity, and the relationship between humans and God. also probably something about sex i think since a lot of ppl right now see the depictions of the side wound and go "omg that's a PUSSY!!!! that's so HORNY!!!!!" and i think that's also very valid and cool

sources (or at least stuff i read in research for this probably):

-Women Mystics and Eucharistic Devotion in the Thirteen Century, Caroline Walker Bynum

-The Body of Christ in the Later Middle Ages: A Reply to Leo Steinberg, Caroline Walker Bynum

-Little Side Holes: Moravian Devotional Cards of the Mid-Eighteenth Century, Craig D. Atwood

-Sleeping in the Arms of Christ: Sanctifying Sexuality in the Eighteenth-Century Moravian Church, Craig D. Atwood

-The Life of St Catherine of Siena by The Blessed Raymond of Capua (*didn't finish this one)

-A Time of Sifting: Mystical Marriage and the Crisis of Moravian Piety in the Eighteenth Century, Paul Peucker (*didn't finish this one either cause I had to give it back to the library)

-The Flowing Light of the Godhead by Mechtild de Magdeburg (currently reading this)

honorary mention to Immodest Acts by Judith C. Brown cause it briefly brings up the stuff about the sacred heart and the eucharist amidst the lesbianism and other shxt

[giveafike]

Snow Much Fun! -B.T.S

TLDR: snow... in ... Florida...! This is part 5/12 of Azzie's Advent Calendar 2024!

Word count + info: 4k. ON THE DOT! im so proud + including dialogue.

Warnings + Content Ahead: SFW! No warnings : )

Azzie Notes ✚: listen... before you correct me and get all factual w me...be open minded... I KNOW IT DOESN'T SNOW IN FLORIDA...but it has before, so who says it can't happen in your imagination? THIS IS AN AU. LET ME DREAM, BELIEVE IN CHRISTMAS MAGIC. God forbid a girl likes to imagine and have fun. do u hate fun? whimsy? And if you can't get behind this teensy bit of snow then I fear for the next part.... erm anyways enjoy...

————————————————————————

The days blended together in that warm, comforting way only the holidays could bring. You and Ben found yourselves curled up on the couch with his family, the quiet hum of togetherness filling the living room. The TV flickered with a lighthearted comedy, paused mid-opening scene as everyone got settled. The selection wasn’t a Christmas movie, though Lisa had made her thoughts on that very clear earlier.

“Y’all know it’s December, right?” she teased as she settled into her favourite armchair, her hands curled around a mug of something steaming and fragrant. “We’ve got, what, two weeks left to make the most of Christmas movies? And this is what we’re watchin’?”

Bryan chuckled, patting her knee affectionately. “Let ‘em enjoy themselves, Lis. They’ll get to the holiday classics soon enough.”

Lisa let out a mock huff, shifting in her chair to settle in more comfortably. “If I don’t see at least one Santa before the weekend, I’m gonna start taking hostages,” she muttered, though the smile tugging at her lips softened the threat.

Ben chuckled before he nudged you gently before standing. “Hang tight. Gonna grab somethin’, ” he said, pressing a quick kiss to your temple as he walked out of the room.

“Where’s he off to?” Emma asked as she petted Halo while Alex lifted his head up from the phone in his hand, arching a brow as his eyes fell on the paused TV screen.

“Kitchen, I bet,” Bryan said, settling further into his seat. “He’s like a kid. Can’t sit through a movie without snacks.”

Moments later, Ben reappeared in the doorway, a triumphant grin tugging at his lips, and a gingerbread cookie sticking out from between them like a makeshift cigar. His hands were full, one balancing a plate piled high with the rest of the leftover cookies and the other holding a heavy metal water bottle.

“Look what I got,” he mumbled around the cookie, his words muffled but still carrying that signature playful tone as he nodded toward the plate.

Bryan folded his arms, shaking his head with a smile. “You couldn’t wait two seconds to eat one?”

Ben shrugged dramatically, biting the cookie to free his hands before setting the plate down on the coffee table. “Couldn’t let the guy go to waste,” he said, flashing the half-eaten now decapitated gingerbread man with a lopsided smile.

Lisa rolled her eyes, but there was a fondness in her expression. “At least share before you eat them all yourself.”

“They’re for everyone!” Ben promised in a whine, nudging the plate a little closer to the middle of the table. “But y’all gotta admit, they’re best when I bring ‘em.”

“Sure, Ben,” Emma mumbled sarcastically as she pressed play on the movie from the other end of the couch.

Ignoring her, Ben turned to you with a flourish, pulling a throw blanket from the back of the couch. He gave it a playful snap before draping it over both of you, his movements exaggerated for effect.

“There,” he declared, tucking the edges around your legs. “Cozy enough for ya?”

“Very,” you replied, laughing softly as he flopped down beside you, his arm immediately finding its place around your shoulders.

He leaned into your face, close enough that you could smell the faint scent of ginger and sugar on his breath. With a quiet smile, he pressed a soft, lingering kiss to your lips, holding the two of you there for a few seconds, just enough to make your chest tighten pleasantly before pulling back.

“That’s for makin’ these with me,” he murmured, the words low and warm.

Your cheeks heated as you pressed beside him, letting his solid warmth settle against your side. The movie continued on as you all watched, Lisa's earlier mock protests forgotten, but your attention stayed fixed on Ben for a few moments longer. He rested his head in the crook of your neck, his curls tickling your jawline. Without thinking, your fingers slipped into his hair, toying with the soft strands and scratching gently at his scalp, your attention never leaving the screen. The soft, brown spirals swirled around your fingers looping and intertwining, almost as though they were holding onto your fingers each time you went in to massage them. The quiet hum he let out made your stomach flip, his whole body relaxing even more against yours.

“Keep that up and I’m gonna fall asleep,” he murmured, his words barely audible over the dialogue on the screen.

“That a bad thing?” you teased, continuing the slow, soothing motion.

He didn’t reply just hummed again, his breathing slowing as he melted further into your touch. The warmth of the blanket, the faint scent of gingerbread, and the flickering glow of the Christmas tree lights made everything feel impossibly soft and still.

After a while, Ben stirred, sitting up slightly. You thought he might reach for another cookie, but instead, he turned to you. His gaze was gentle as he leaned down, pressing a string of soft kisses to your hairline, trailing down to your temple and cheek.

“Love you,” he murmured, featherlight against your skin.

You turned to meet his eyes, your voice just as soft. “Love you too, Benny.”

His smile was slow and easy as he settled back into the couch, pulling you even closer beneath the blanket. The movie continued, laughter bubbling up occasionally from his family, but the way you held each other made the rest of the world blur into the background. Across from you, Emma was sprawled out with Alex, both of them clearly more interested in whispering to each other than paying attention to the screen.

The living room was warm, lit softly by the glow of the Christmas tree. The angel ornament you and Ben had picked out at the market was hung proudly near the centre, its golden and silver flecks catching the light. It cast delicate patterns on the walls and floor, moving gently as the branches swayed ever so slightly.

Lisa noticed it too, her eyes lingering on the ornament. “That angel looks just beautiful up there,” she said softly, nudging Bryan. “Did you notice it earlier?”

He nodded, smiling. “I did. Real nice pick, y’all.”

“It’s from the market,” Ben said, his voice low and lazy. He didn’t bother lifting his head from where it rested against yours, but there was a quiet pride in his tone. “We thought it fit.”

“It’s perfect,” Lisa agreed, her gaze warm as it swept between you and Ben.

You smiled at her, then tilted your head back to look up at Ben. “Guess we’ve officially contributed to the family tree.”

Ben smirked, his eyes half-lidded with that relaxed ease he only seemed to show when he was home. “Next time, we’ll bring somethin’ even better. Like a big ol' handpainted bauble. That counts, right?”

“Sure,” you replied with a soft laugh, earning a grin from him.

From the other end of the couch, Emma let out a dramatic sigh. “Okay, but why are y’all so cute? It’s nauseating.”

“Jealousy doesn’t suit you, Em,” Ben shot back, earning a pillow being thrown at Ben by his sister.

“Watch it,” she warned, though her tone was playful.

“Alright, enough,” Bryan interrupted, his voice holding the kind of fond exasperation only a father could pull off. “Y’all are worse than the kids in this movie.”

Emma rolled her eyes but leaned into Alex, clearly content.

For a moment, the room was quiet again, the hum of the movie filling the space. Bryan and Lisa exchanged a look, one of those quiet, knowing glances that seemed to say look at this, this is what we built. You caught it out of the corner of your eye and couldn’t help but smile, feeling a little grateful and honoured to be part of this small, happy scene.

Ben must’ve noticed too, because he gave your shoulder a gentle squeeze. “You good?” he murmured, his voice barely audible over the TV.

“Perfect,” you whispered back, snuggling into him a little more.

And there you stayed, wrapped in warmth and familiarity, the angel casting its soft glow over the room. The movie might not have been a Christmas classic, but the moment was simple, cozy, and filled with quiet love. It felt more festive than anything scripted.

Midway through the movie, Bryan leaned forward in his seat, his brow furrowing as he squinted toward the window. The movement drew everyone’s attention, and Lisa raised an eyebrow.

“Bryan, what’s the matter?” she asked, her voice soft but curious.

“Is it snowin’ outside?” Bryan asked, squinting as if he could see through the blinds.

Emma snorted, her disbelief immediate. “Dad, c’mon. No way. It’s Florida. Snow?”

Alex chimed in, shaking his head. “Yeah, no shot. You’d sooner see gators tugging Santa's sleigh along the street than snow falling here.”

But Ben, with that trademark half-smirk, leaned forward slightly, his arm still slung lazily around you. “It might be,” he drawled, his Gainesville accent thick with teasing scepticism. “Y’know, hasn’t snowed here in years, but it’s cold enough tonight. Could be somethin’ out there.”

His words sparked a ripple of curiosity. Emma groaned dramatically but leaned forward on the couch anyway, craning her neck to peer toward the window. “There better not be snow,” she grumbled, “I’m not built for that.”

You couldn’t help but bite your lip in excitement, feeling that childhood giddiness bubble up inside of you. You try to hide it but glance over too, the soft glow of the tree lights spilling across your face as you shift. From where you sat, you caught the faintest movement outside. A soft, almost magical swirl danced in the light of the streetlamps, the flakes subtle but unmistakable.

“Oh my gosh,” you whispered, your eyes widening. “It really is snowing.”

Emma gasped beside you, her earlier scepticism melting into childlike awe as she broke into a smile. “Wait, what? No way.”

The two of you scrambled to the window, pulling the curtain fully aside to get a better look. Outside, the streetlights illuminated a delicate flurry of snowflakes drifting down onto the quiet street. Across the way, the Christmas lights strung on the neighbouring houses seemed to sparkle even brighter, their colours reflecting off the thin layer of frost dusting the lawns and rooftops.

“Wow, would you look at that,” Lisa murmured, her voice filled with wonder as she stood up and joined you.

“It’s not a blizzard or anything,” Bryan remarked, standing now, hands on his hips. “But I’ll be darned, it’s snow all right.”

Ben chuckled behind you, staying where he was on the couch but watching you from his perch. “Told y’all it might be somethin’. Y’all never listen to me.”

You turned to him, your cheeks still flushed with the excitement of the unexpected sight. “When do we ever listen to you?” you teased, making him laugh.

“Fair point,” he admitted, patting the spot beside him. “But it’s too cold to stand there by the window gawkin’. Get back over here.”

With one last glance outside, you and Emma let the curtain fall back into place and returned to the couch, settling easily against Ben’s side. His arm found its familiar spot around your shoulders, pulling you close as you curled into his warmth as his strong hand rubbed your arm up and down.

“Snow in Florida,” you murmured, more to yourself than anyone. “It feels… kind of magical, right?”

Ben looked down at you, his smirk softening into something sweeter. “Maybe it’s a sign. Christmas miracles and all that,” he said with a wink.

You rolled your eyes but smiled anyway, pressing your cheek against his chest and letting the steady thrum of his heartbeat lull you back into the comfort of the evening. Outside, the snow continued to fall, a rare and fleeting wonder that made the cozy warmth of the house feel all the more special.

The movie carried on, but the mood had shifted just slightly. Lisa leaned closer to Bryan, who had draped an arm around her shoulder. Emma and Alex sat side by side, whispering and laughing, their earlier disbelief gone as they marvelled at the snowfall. For you and Ben, the magic wasn’t just outside in the snow or inside the house. It was in the quiet, unspoken connection between you, a warmth that had nothing to do with the blankets or the tree lights. And for now, that was enough.

As the movie carried on to the last scenes, Ben got up to grab a drink from the kitchen. You were mid-sentence, pointing out a plot hole, when his voice rang out, loud and filled with shock.

“Goddamn, the snow stuck!” he exclaimed, his voice high-pitched and bursting with excitement as he came running back to the living room, almost falling over several times.

“What?” Emma shot up from her spot, nearly knocking over the popcorn bowl. “You’re lying!”

“Nah, I’m dead serious! Y’all gotta see this!” Ben called, his voice laced with genuine wonder.

Emma bolted for the front door, you and Alex following close behind, too frantic to even think of how the potential "in-laws" might view you. Pulling the door wide open, you gasped.

There it was, a light layer of snow blanketing the yard, the driveway, and even the street. It wasn’t much, but in Florida, even a thin coating like this was monumental.

“Dad!” Emma spun around, practically vibrating with excitement. “Can we go outside? Please?”

Ben poked his head around the corner from the kitchen, already grinning. “Yeah, c’mon, let us have a little fun! It’s not like this happens every year.”

Bryan looked up from his reclined position, still sat as he arched a brow. He looked at Lisa who stifled a laugh but nodded to the group of you, smiling.

“Y’all act like you’re kids again. But sure, go ahead. Just, wrap up. I don’t want anyone catchin’ a cold or somethin' worse.”

“Yesss!” Ben and Emma cheered simultaneously, already scrambling for jackets and hats, throwing spare ones at you and Ale.

Lisa sighed, though the smile on her face gave her away. “Alright, alright. But bundle up, all of you! Scarves, gloves, the whole thing!”

The house turned into a flurry of motion as everyone raced to grab layers. You hurried to slip on one of Ben's jackets while Ben tugged a knit cap over his curls, half-singing, “We’re goin’ on an adventure!”

Alex grumbled good-naturedly about the chaos but joined in, pulling on mismatched gloves. Emma was the first out the door, her shoes only half on, as she let out a delighted squeal.

The cold air hit your face the moment you stepped outside, but it was worth it. The snow wasn’t deep, just a soft, powdery layer barely clinging to the ground, but it was enough to transform the neighbourhood into a winter wonderland. The Christmas lights strung across the houses glowed even brighter against the dark sky and white snow, while neighbours had begun to step outside, just as awestruck as you were.

“Y’all look at this!” Ben exclaimed, crouching down to scoop up a handful of snow. He grinned, forming a loose snowball. “This is, like, real snow. Not just that slush stuff.”

You barely had time to admire it before Alex sneaked up behind Emma and sent a snowball flying, hitting her square in the back.

“Alex!” Emma spun around, eyes wide with mock outrage. “Oh, you are so dead!” She retaliated with a snowball of her own, smacking him right on the chest.

Ben laughed, clearly loving the commotion, and quickly joined in. His first target? Emma. The snowball hit her shoulder, sending a puff of white into her hair.

“Seriously?” she cried, but she was already giggling as she crouched down to scoop more snow.

“Nothing personal, Em!” Ben called, grinning like a kid. “Been waitin' to do that.”

“Oh, you think this is funny?” Emma lobbed her snowball in his direction, missing him by inches.

Meanwhile, you tried to keep a low profile, standing off to the side, admiring your footprints in the snow, hoping to avoid the crossfire. But Ben wasn’t about to let that slide.

“No hiding!” he declared, turning his playful grin on you. In one smooth motion, he launched a snowball at your leg.

“Ben!” you yelped, laughing as the cold snow splattered against you.

“That’s what you get for standing still!” he teased, already preparing another.

The battle escalated quickly. Alex doubled down on attacking Emma, who alternated between shrieking and laughing as she hurled snowballs back at him. Ben, meanwhile, seemed intent on taking both you and Emma out at the same time, his snowballs flying fast and wildly.

“You’re the worst!” Emma shrieked after a snowball hit her square on the nose, making her freeze. She stood there for a moment, eyes closed, her mouth slightly open in shock as snow dripped down her face.

Ben doubled over laughing. “Oh man, that was perfect!”

“Not funny.” she shot back, though the corners of her mouth twitched.

Before you could react, one of Ben’s snowballs struck you on the cheek, cold and wet as it splattered across your skin.

You stood there for a second, stunned, your hand flying to your face. “Alright, that’s it.”

Emma’s head whipped toward you, her eyes blazing with determination. “You in?”

“Oh, I’m in,” you replied, already scooping up snow.

The two of you turned your full attention on Ben, who immediately held his hands up in mock surrender. “Wait, wait, wait-!”

“Get him!” Emma yelled, launching a snowball that caught him on the arm.

You followed suit, hitting him square in the chest. Ben tried to dodge, laughing as he scrambled to pack more snowballs.

“No fair!” he called out, ducking behind a tree for cover.

“You started it!” you shouted, hitting the tree trunk just inches from his head.

The battle raged on, snow flying in every direction as you and Emma teamed up against Ben. Alex tried to join forces with him, but Emma caught him with a perfectly aimed throw that made him rethink his allegiance.

Kids from the neighbouring houses stood on their porches, laughing and cheering as the four of you chased each other through the snow. By the time the energy started to wane, your cheeks ached from laughing, your gloves were soaked, and snow clung to your hair and coat.

Panting and grinning, you all collapsed onto the snowy ground, the fight finally giving way to exhaustion. Your breath puffed out in small clouds, and for a moment, all you could hear was the sound of your own laughter mingling with the others.

“Alright, y’all,” Bryan’s voice called from the doorway, carrying that fatherly mix of amusement and authority. “That’s enough before somebody ends up with frostbite or a trip to the ER. And I'm not the one drivin' in this weather.”

None of you made a move to get up. Instead, Emma let out a deep sigh and spread her arms and legs out wide.

“Snow angels it is,” she declared, sweeping them back and forth to carve her shape into the untouched white blanket beneath her.

Ben, not to be outdone, flopped onto his back beside her, his long arms stretching as he exaggerated the motion. “Mine’s gonna look like a Wimbledon champion,” he said with a cocky grin.

“More like a giant goofball,” you teased, lying down on his other side to start your own angel.

Alex joined in without a word, still heaving as his movements were slower but no less deliberate. Soon, the four of you had carved a small lineup of snow angels, their winged silhouettes stretching across the yard.

Emma propped herself up on her elbows, inspecting the work. “We gotta sign ‘em,” she said, using her gloved finger to carve an “E” near the feet of her angel.

“Good idea,” Ben said, carving his “B” with a flourish at the bottom of his. “Now everyone knows who made the best one.”

“Debatable,” you muttered, finishing your own initial with a satisfied nod.

Alex added his “A” silently, glancing up with a small smirk as Emma leaned over to nudge him.

As you all sat up, the sound of laughter caught your attention. The last group of neighbourhood kids was a few yards away, rolling snow into giant mounds to form the base of a snowman while the rest of the street stayed dormant, the night slowly creeping up.

Ben squinted at them, then turned to you, his grin mischievous. “Think we could do better?”

“Oh, absolutely,” you replied, already on your feet.

The four of you got to work, scooping and packing snow as quickly as your soaked, frozen fingers would allow. The snowman started small, a modest figure compared to the heavy one the kids were making. Ben insisted on adding his own flair, giving it a crooked smile made of pine needles and twigs for arms that looked like they were mid-dance.

Emma stepped back to admire the work. “He looks like he’s auditioning for a Christmas musical.”

“Better than a boring ol’ snowman,” Ben said, adding a tiny snowball hat to the top of its head.

You knelt down to smooth out its base, adding a scarf you’d borrowed from Emma’s collection to give it a finishing touch.

The kids nearby noticed your creation and waved, their giggles carrying through the crisp air. One of them called out, “Yours looks funny!”

“You look funny,” Ben shouted back, laughing as he threw his arm over your shoulders.

"No need to be fighting kids, Ben" Emma warned as she stopped herself mid-giggle.

"They started it!" Alex chirped in, whining.

When the snowman was finished, the four of you stood back to admire it, your cheeks rosy from the cold and exertion. The little snowman was lopsided but charming, a perfect reflection of the fun that had gone into making it.

“Alright,” Bryan called again from the porch, shaking his head as he watched you all. “Seriously, now. Get in here before Lisa makes me come out there to drag y’all back myself.”

Ben turned to you with a grin. “Guess we better listen before we end up grounded.”

You laughed, brushing snow off your coat as the group headed back inside. The kids were still laughing, the little snowman standing proudly in the yard as a reminder of your impromptu snow day antics.

You all trudged back into the house, your shoes squeaking against the hardwood floors. Your hair was wet, your noses red from the cold, and your hands wrinkled and stiff. Ben rubbed his hands together, blowing on them dramatically.

“Y’all are somethin’ else,” she said, though her smile betrayed her amusement.

“My fingers are gonna fall off,” Emma complained.

Lisa and Bryan were quick to hand out towels, ushering everyone toward the warmth of the fireplace. Lisa had already turned up the heat, and the fire crackled invitingly as you all crowded around it, towels draped over your shoulders.

“Alright,” Lisa announced, hands on her hips. “Y’all had your fun. Now warm up and get yourselves to bed. It’s late.”

Ben leaned down, brushing a quick kiss against your snow-damp, tinted cheek.

“You fight dirty,” he murmured, the warmth of his voice contrasting with the lingering chill of the snow.

You smirked, nudging him lightly. “Learned it from the best.”

You exchanged a glance with Ben, the two of you grinning despite your exhaustion. It had been a fleeting moment of winter wonder, but it was one you’d never forget. As you curled up in bed later, trying to warm up, you were still laughing about your lopsided snowman, you couldn’t help but think that even the smallest miracles could bring the greatest joy. This was the kind of moment that made the holidays magic not just the cookies or the lights, but the love threaded through it all.

[bookwyrminspiration]

in-depth opinions on keefe (trying to return you to your roots: getting asks about kotlc characters)?

I may be putting several additional feet in several additional fandoms but I promise y'all have me prisoner and can send me as many keeper asks as you want <3

I will say these are my personal, subjective opinions! Which do include a bit of bias (TLDR at bottom)

For years I was perfectly fine with Keefe; he's never been my favorite, but he had some funny lines and an engaging presence. Never failed to liven things up. This changed around end of Legacy/Stellarlune.

It's not because I don't ship sokeefe, but because I felt sokeefe's execution was rushed and overshadowing the rest of the story. Wasn't even a full book since Sophie broke up with Fitz and said she wasn't ready for a relationship, yet there they are. I think they, and we, deserved more time. (and yes, Keefe exists beyond shipping, but given how HUGE of a role it plays in his in-text and fandom presence, i find it relevant)

Of course that's not Keefe's fault, but seeing all the adoration for what I found lackluster kinda pavloved me into a general distaste. Especially when done at the expense at Fitz, one of my favorites. Which is unfair, but I did say there's bias. That's not to say I'm mid on Keefe because I love Fitz or that you can't love both, just that personally I'm a Fitz fan, and seeing Keefe used as a direct comparison to shoot him down doesn't endear him to me (and no, not everybody does this, but I've seen it enough to be impacted)

As for Keefe independently, he's following the path of Ro. Too many traits are staying stagnant and becoming repetitive, which is adulterating what I used to enjoy. The way he steamrolls everything--forcing hands to go to Ravagog in Neverseen, running away in Lodestar and refusing to listen, the mercadir incident in Nightfall, the going behind everyone's back thing in Legacy, the running away again, etc. At first it was annoying but interesting, but at this point it's like...we're still doing this?

The amount of time and effort Sophie has to expend managing Keefe is ridiculous. if we could just knock him out for like 2 months I think she could fix everything. it's gone from a facet of the plot's challenges to straight up nuisance like get tf out of her way !!

Others have mentioned this, but the privacy invasion and making others uncomfortable is another thing that I didn't mind at first but became annoying. A joke or overstep here or there is fine; no one's perfect, and if it moves the story forward, sure. But he's constantly pushing and isn't sorry. And the more it happens, the less I can stand the earlier instances. I do my pagethroughs and just get annoyed where I used to laugh

Is there an understandable explanation for several of these points? yes. how the hell would he know how to have healthy relationships and boundaries when he's been set such bad examples? However, he's also being consistently corrected and ignoring that advice. He's given pep talk after pep talk, has fight after fight, and yet nothing's changed.

Do I think he's beyond saving? No. I've spoken with a few people about this, but I think a key thing holding him back is Sophie's "I could never hate you" promise she keeps making. Because Sophie is the main (if not only) thing that matters to him, he's got a built in safety net for whatever stupid shit he pulls, and never faces the consequences he's really afraid of.

If we took that net away, if he faced her genuine distrust and anger and upset and her exclusion and her hatred--without the "but not really just give me some time" vibe. I think that'd do wonders and we'd actually get somewhere. And also it'd be vindicating to see; the nightfall healing center fight is one of my favorite scenes

TL;DR: In summary, I don't hate Keefe. He has potential and I've enjoyed him in the past. But currently the combination of him being used against Fitz, the lackluster execution of sokeefe (imo), the privacy invasion, and stagnation don't do it for me. His kind of character already isn't my niche, and that doesn't help. Does he have potential to become less annoying? yes! i hope he does for everyone's sakes. until then, mild distaste for him.

i will be taking Fitz, Tam, Cadence, and Luzia and playing in the corner, thanks <3

(this is in no way against Keefe fans. kudos to y'all! i'm simply not one of you atm)

[star-to955]

I feel like I need to post about this or my frustration is only going to get worse…

I do not like the direction CoD is going in with VIP features… I was already growing annoyed with the high price, but this has been especially frustrating…

First and foremost, the whole change the app icon feature isn’t really all that new or exciting if you play on the Japanese server because it is a FREE feature that has basically always been there. As in one of the things I did my first week of playing there was dig through the menus to find it. Honestly it’s something I feel I’ve take for granted now that it’s behind a pay wall over here on Eng… I don’t really use it much.

Second, turning old gachas into VIP items feels very lazy to me. I would honestly have preferred it if they had started bringing back old limited VIP items because at least then you would give people who were playing then a chance to get them. Gachas come back all the time, and are a whole beast in of themselves in terms of pricing, so why put them in the VIP boutique? It doesn’t make much sense to me…

As one of my friends pointed out to me, they’re also now making a new category in the contest for using these items, and I’m annoyed about that because already I found it frustrating how much the newer themes were appealing to the VIP items, and it was leading to some pretty… unusual themes that CoD doesn’t have many items for.

Overall, it just feels like they’re disregarding the game itself for a quick buck, and maybe that’s just because I’ve felt like the quality of service has gone down in recent months, but never in my life have I felt so disappointed by something I’ve invested so much in…

TLDR: VIP feels like a way to gouge players for money by providing mid features and appealing to people who pay while making it harder to win anything for those who don’t. Voltage is turning to greed and their games are suffering for it. Rip f2p

THE CARD GACHA OVER ON JP HAS MADE THIS GREED SO MUCH MORE APPARENT! 😭😭😭

So the card gacha just dropped, don’t know how many card pieces you need to get a 5 star card, but my friend and I think it’s probably about 10.

This gacha costs 5 diamonds a roll, which are about the equivalent of 10 gems on English. Buying the VIP package in English wouldn’t give you the number of gems you need to roll 10 times.

Card levels go to level 99 from single dups (for some reason!!! They clearly didn’t do any research on standard card leveling systems!!)

But in order to guarantee you max out a 5 star card, you would need to roll 500 times as card pieces are given every 5 rolls—and they expire btw!

Doing the math, in order to get the 2,500 diamonds you would need to pull to guarantee you get max a limited 5 star card (500 pulls /10 *50 the cost of a 10 pull), you would need to spend roughly $1,300, as their largest gem package is 10,000 yen for 135 diamonds—which translates to about $68!

Voltage is being consumed by greed and I am this close to dropping the game altogether!

Anyways here’s Roy’s birthday card art, no need to pull for it…

[egopathic]

troubled teen industry survivor meeting thoughts/review :)

summary of thoughts (pre-TLDR):

(this was a meet up for oregon adult survivors of childhood institutional abuse that took place a few days ago)

it was amazing. and overwhelming. i felt so lucky to sit down with survivors from some of the most infamous programs/homes of the 80’s/90’s/00’s, hear their stories and share my own. it’s hard to face the fact that this level of abuse actually happened to us though, especially when so much of it centered around making us feel guilty and deserving of the torture. overall- i am so glad i went. it was hard, but validating and it felt like confirmation to keep centering my time around activism against the TTI. if you survived a troubled teen program- go find a meet up near you. some are on facebook, this one i found on the troubled teen reddit.

attendee demographic:

there were about 6-7 survivors including myself there and then a couple partners that were brought along for support. the age ranges spanned from mid 70’s to late 30’s with me as the youngest (mid 20’s). being the youngest was kinda the best case scenario because i got a lot of good advice from everyone. mostly cis women and one cis man. mostly white and indigenous people (which makes sense considering oregon demographics).

program demographic:

there were a variety of group homes, residential centers and even wilderness “therapies”represented, from casa by the sea to second nature to midwest academy and many others. there were both people who did a couple years and people who did a couple months. no one was invalidated and there seemed to be little to no comparisons made. extremely welcoming space overall.

meet up structure:

there was very little structure which i think was actually ideal. it allowed conversation to flow freely and didn’t make anything feel forced. mostly we just hung out in and outside of a nice bar in portland. everybody, including myself drank pretty heavily (i think the situation allowed it) but i think if someone had said “oh i don’t drink” they likely would’ve moved the meetup.

outcome:

the goal of these meetups, as shared by the survivor representative of the nonprofit, is to foster community among a cohort of largely isolated individuals. it worked, and i’ve been offered to join a portland/oregon in general survivor group which is pretty cool. id say their goal was met.

conclusion:

i cannot overstate how worth it this was. genuinely life altering to be able to meet so many strong and courageous people who survived the same hell as me, and then kept on living. i highly suggest getting in contact with survivors unrestrained if you haven’t already.

[creativecuteness]

Okay you guys are not going to believe this or maybe you will believe this maybe I'm just slow and this is common knowledge in the fanbase. However, I was doing my yearly mbav marathon and last night I watched The Brewed; I've always been curious on the timeline of each episode and when they take place during the year I'm a stickler for it because of my fanfiction series I always thought the gang face off against supernatural forces pretty much every week I mean the show is a monster of the week format so in my eyes it makes sense.

However, I do like to think there are slow weeks or months where nothing happens but for the most part, I like to think the gang deal with supernatural problems pretty often. And I was under the impression that season one went from late September to early November or December and season two is pretty much the same timeline unless they went back to school early since it was still warm enough to have pool parties who knows I don't love in Canada.

What I'm trying to get at here is in the Brewed Hick's said he got Latta Latte to Celebrate 100 days until Summer Vacation I've always been intrigued with that line I tried to search for an estimate of the date before a few years ago but found nothing until today.

100 days until summer vacation puts the episode in around February which is kind of insane to me but makes sense, since in the same episode Rory takes his zombie mask from the teacher's lounge and said Hick's took it from him back in September notice how he says September not last month or two months ago. (Yeah, I know that's a stretch but it's still interesting to me, let me cook.) Still the point is from the way Rory spoke it seems like he got that taken away a good while ago which was always odd to me if the episode took place during the last half of the year. But wait there's more, I found out when the gang's midterms most likely took place for episode 13.

According to Goggle, again this could be for the US only but I'm rolling with it. Midterms normally take place mid-October to mid-March (Yes, I know this should be common knowledge to many, but I've been homeschooled my entire life don't @ me.) It couldn't have been in October since the gang just stopped Jesse about a month ago and the school year would've just begun for them for the most part. Plus, in Three Geeks and a Demon which takes place a good few days before the season finale. Benny says they owned an evil tree last month referring to episode 8 Die Pod. So that puts episodes 8, 9, and maybe 10 around January to February I already established episode 11 takes place in February as well; but episodes 12 and 13 takes place in March or around that time. In other words, their adventures are a lot more spread out then I originally thought and more importantly how much supernatural insanity took place behind the scenes.

I don't know if this is entirely accurate since it's a tv show and potholes pop up all over the place if there are any inconsistencies that you can debunk let me know I'll revolute everything.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

TLDR: While doing research for future mbav fanfic entries I discovered that episode 11 takes place somewhere in February and freaked out because I thought the first season's timeline was September to around November to December. I could be super wrong though.

[nnoul]

returning to tumblr (as a tiktok refugee...)

hii yall x3!! i haven't avidly used tumblr since my quarantine ages and with tiktok being gone, now feels like a better time than ever to come back and making this and youtube my main social medias again. insta and twitter both have their own meta-infused issues. i'm really sad about the prospect of it going away. every now and then i keep hearing people say "oh it's just an app, please get over it." say that tone deaf statement to all of the small business owners unable to utilize the platform to promote their products and services, all of the creators who were finally able to make an extra buck with their content, with some even creating a full digital livelihood reliant on their success and brand deals, and all of the other american citizens who used it to connect with others, laugh, and learn something new. the app's wonderful algorithm presented all of these opportunities in a way that just isn't comparable to the other apps that are provided to us in america. i can only continue to hope for the best and stay optimistic for the future of the platform, but as of right now, finding new spaces to occupy doesn't seem like too bad of an idea.

my story:

as for my tiktok experience, i used to post reactionary horror content from 2022 to through to mid-2023 ish? (check out junesreprise on tiktok to see for yourself) and i had a blast carving out my own space in the horror community. however, i severely burnt out with school and slowly but surely grew unable to continue posting. however, i'd post something on my smaller, more personal account every now and then and get that same enjoyment of just connecting with people through the silly little videos i'd make. the algorithm made me feel like i was connecting with people so quickly, finding a small crowd of MY people in what felt like a matter of hours. i've tried platforms like yt shorts and insta reels, but never was able to reach the same levels of success. so of course when i heard about the ban, knowing that i wanted to delve back into making videos when my school life opened up, i was sad. disappointed. i felt like i missed the window, and in many ways, i did.

with it being 2025 now, i've started looking at media analysis in a much more new and introspective light since then, and i'd love to use this space on tumblr, and branch out on youtube to share my findings. i loved decoding horror games and other pieces of obscure media back then, but i really didn't know how to put it in a presentable form without it sounding like i was yapping and rambling on and on. fast forward a couple of years, i now know how to word things effectively :). now all i ever wanna do is sit down and make blogs and youtube documentaries so i can nerd out about all of the media i explore and the theories and connections i make. and i'm beyond excited to share that with everyone here, and on all of the new spaces we find to hopefully create something similar to the same joy and experience we found on tiktok. (like rednote for example, it's actually so funny how fast it blew up so quickly LMFAOOOO i love yall sm)

tldr: tiktok ban sucks on so many levels :(, reusing tumblr and youtube once more as my preferred spaces to talk about horror :3

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for leaving an unflushable poo in someone's toilet? ....This one is gross. Sorry.

I have diverticulitis, which is... a bathroom issue. They thought it was Crohn's for a long time, and many incompetent doctors + health complications later, they found out I had an enormous abscess and a golfball-sized fistula growing inside my colon. As you can imagine, this comes with a plethora of issues I am too embarrassed to divulge in their entirety.

This event happened before I had the abscess surgically removed, so I was mid 20s at the time. A friend set me up with this guy I had met once before at a party (J). It was practically a blind date. Things went well and we went back to his house.

Then it happened.

The gurgling. The pain. I told him I needed to go to the bathroom. As luck would have it, this was the WORST bathroom emergency I have ever had in my entire life. I shat more than I have ever shat. I was worried parts of my body would escape out of me and I would somehow reverse-hungry-caterpillar myself into nothingness.

I spent so long doing the deed and trying to clean it up, it must have been around 2 full hours, and we were both reasonably drunk - so when I went to peek my head in the living room, he was asleep. I tried again to plunge this beast back from whence it came. I was crying. It's quite funny in hindsight but as you can imagine, easily one of the worst humiliations I have ever endured. At one point, I had my HAND and FOREARM down this guy's toilet trying to set free the freakish poobaby I had just conceived in his otherwise impeccable loo (a fancy one with BUTTONS instead of a flush handle!). I even took the top off the toilet and tried to... hand-pump the water, I guess? Desperation.

I finally gave up. The whole room stank like sulfur and purse-sized citrus bodyspray so I cracked the window and cleaned up the best I could. I realized that it was, at this point, best left to a professional plumber, or perhaps an exorcist. I was younger and embarrassed and opted to go home, leaving nothing but a foul scent trail and a very small note (Later referred to by my friends as the Ghost Shitter Calling Card) written on a toilet paper square that said "oops" because I guess I thought that would be funny and maybe soften the blow. It was decidedly Not Funny, however, and to my surprise, he never made me foot the plumbing bill, but he did politely tell me that he was uninterested in going out again. Not that I blame him.

Lots of crying and shame later, and after getting my issues fixed via surgery, I am now wondering if there was a better course of action here. My friends do love this story but some of them have mentioned they would be LIVID if somebody did that to them. I know I am probably the asshole for leaving it like that. I really did try my best, and I do believe any people on here with less-than-ladylike health issues will at least partially understand what it's like, and what I was thinking at the time.

TLDR I clogged my date's toilet and left it like that since he fell asleep. AITA?

What are these acronyms?