#artists have a lot of power and with that power comes great responsibility

[lethesbeastie]

wait so why is Appalachian folklore important to your character? are they really involved with storytelling are there appalachian monsters you want to involve or something else?

AUTISM ACTIVATION 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO

Okay so basically, the entire campaign takes place within the Appalachian region, specifically a small town in West Virginia. This entire region has an incredibly complex history that is often overlooked by outsiders who set stories there. I'm a huge believer in doing research for storytelling, especially when it comes to regions/places/cultures/people that you're not familiar with. Appalachia in particular has often been the victim of what one author referred to as "cultural strip mining," where interesting aspects of the culture are isolated by outsiders who then market them without the cultural context.

When I started crafting Chorus' character, I wasn't even aware that the region they hailed from was considered part of Appalachia. It wasn't until I started doing more research for their backstory that I began to recognize the incredible cultural context they hailed from, and decided that I wanted to make that cultural heritage a more central part of their character. Storytelling and music are already central elements to Appalachian culture, so I started doing research into local folklore, folk magic, and folk music in order to give myself a better understanding of what it would've really been like to be a young queer kid growing up in such an area.

Chorus comes from a long line of Appalachian musicians and rootworkers (one of many terms for those who practice folk magic traditions of the region), and this is something that brings them both pride and shame. Pride because it offers them concrete proof of their own history. Shame because the descendants of their childhood heroes disowned their mother and want nothing to do with them. They grew up learning the oral traditions of their mother's family and the region at large, and were an apprentice to the local midwife in their hometown before they fled. Their whole life has been shaped by the culture that raised them, and it was very important for me to portray that cultural with as much accuracy and respect as I could.

[loveemagicpeace]

🍸Saturn in Houses🍸

A lot of people ask me about Saturn in houses so I decided to make a new series about Saturn in houses in general.

☕️Most important thing about Saturn is that Saturn represent time , age ,reward , growth but in some kind of different way than Jupiter. Also represents your way of coping with life,things that you are more serious about and more responsible with. It also represents holidays. The planet is known for its reality and practicality, but also for its tendency to excessive strictness. His expectations may be too high. A strong Saturn in chart can indicate that we want to control everything in our life to the point that we consider ourselves a failure if we fail to reach the goals we have set for ourselves. However, Saturn provides the desire for we develop the areas in which we feel weak and this weakness can therefore become our greatest virtue. Strong Saturn connection between two charts in relationship (especially if saturn is in aspect with the moon or the sun) indicates a serious long-term commitment that can last forever (whether we like it or not). Saturn can also be cruel sometimes because it is the planet of hard reality but it also the planet that help us the most to achieve something much more greater than that.

🫧Saturn in 1st house- in your early age you can have problems with yourself image ,with your appearance ,confidence & energy. It can also be hard for you to express yourself. With Saturn here you can feel weak sometimes. You can feel like you don't have that much power that other people do have or you can feel like you are not good enough. Many people may underestimate you. Many times you can give off a very different energy than it really is (especially when people meet you for the first time). You are a more closed person and you only give energy to those who deserve it.

✨Saturn in 2nd house- maybe it's hard for you to find your value or set boundaries for yourself. You have very strong and serious approach to money you will never buy something that it's like I don't know some random thing. Also a lot of people think that you cannot work with money or things related to money maybe people don't trust you with that but this is all because they don't really know how smart you actually are. Low self-esteem is a characteristic trait of this placement in astrology. Self-confidence doesn’t come easy to you, though.

⭐️Saturn in 3rd house- many people underestimate your thinking, expression, intelligence. U can usually get insecure about the way you speak or the way you say some things. I think the fear in this house is that you are afraid that you will say something wrong. You have to be confident in whatever thing you say and you should say confidently because you are intelligent ,you're smart. You can also be a good writer & speaker. Many people can pass their driving test late, but that's exactly why they drive much better than others. You can get along better with your siblings later in life. You are capable of seeing things in depth.

🎧Saturn in 4th house- you can have a lot of rules in your early years. You grow up with rules at home that you can stick to. Your parents are more strict with you and allow you to do certain things later. I just feel like that parents will buy you a phone later in life or something. People usually come from a family where they weren’t emotionally nourished. But it's not always like that because when it comes to family the Moon is great indicator for how you feel at home and how you vibe at home. So saturn doesn't mean that your family cannot be good. You can also be the person who grows the fastest in the family.

❄️Saturn in 5th house- dating life can be very serious topic for you. You cannot date people with whom you don't feel that you can have committed relationships with. Saturn brings a strong desire for fame, recognition, and success but may result in delays and disappointments in love life and artistic creations. U can also struggle to find love. You can also have very high standards when it comes to love because 5th house represent dating ,represent meeting people and flirting and falling in love so usually people who have Saturn in 5th house are very serious when it comes to that. In some cases, your partners are older than you. Often, your love life significantly improves after the age of thirty. Your best relationships will probably come later in life. As you become more carefree and spontaneous, you become more attractive to others.

🍃Saturn in 6th house- you can have a lot of struggles in the work. You feel that working is just anxiety for you or when you work, people are just rude or mean to you. You are always in the shadow at work. People find you like you are not good enough or you don't do the job good enough. You can also stress a lot about your health and you can also be obsessed with being in the some kind of routine or having some lifestyle. Being healthy all the time.

🐚Saturn in 7th house- there can be issues with your relationships. You can have relationships in your early years or you don’t have for a long time. You usually have many karmic relationships from which you can learn a lot. Saturn helps you to choose the right person for yourself and to be happy in the end. You are a person who is serious when it comes to a relationship (when you find a person, then that person is the one and only for you), you hate cheating, and when you decide to leave then you leave. Saturn can also bring a sense of responsibility and duty to relationships. The individual may take their relationships seriously and work hard to maintain them.

☁️Saturn in 8th house- there can be a lot of family secrets that family kept from you. People with Saturn in this house usually feel very lonely or alone in their soul. They have this mindset that you are all alone in this world. You are aware of the hard truth in life that people don't. You can fear the death of loved ones. If you overcome the challenges of your Saturn in the eighth house, you will be able to understand people very well. You can develop a talent to see into the soul. Saturn here gives you a deep understanding of life, death, crisis, transformation, and sometimes a talent for healing.

⚡️Saturn in 9th house- Saturn gives you a deeper view of the world in which you live. Saturn in ninth house people have very strict moral code. This placement indicated a religious person, someone who either follows the set rules or makes their own views. You meet new people and experience new activities that make you see the world from a new perspective. You can also meet a lot of people that change your perspective and your mindset. But there can also be a deep fear of new views. Maybe you don't feel like you're not smart enough or that you're not educated enough.

🖤Saturn in 10th house- You usually go over many obstacles to finally achieve what you really want. Many people have problems with whether they will ever be successful or achieve it. But in the end, they achieve even more. Many times people don't believe in you and see you as a person who will never be that successful and then you surprise them all. You can learn a lot from your father and your father can be your role model or a person who helps you through life. The best advice will give you your father.

🫐Saturn in 11th house-you can have a lot of karmic friendships and you can change a lot of friends in your life. Every friend that you have is the friend that you have to learn something from them. Your hopes and wishes are another important life area associated with this house. It shows everything that comes into your life and how your dreams can come true. Saturn in eleventh house suggests that you are quiet and reserved when in a group. Sometimes you feel invisible: it feels like no one hears you out in a group. In this lifetime, you have to learn how to have a healthy relationship with groups and how to behave in your social circle.

🥃Saturn in 12th house- The individual may experience a strong sense of responsibility towards charitable or behind-the-scenes work. Sometimes you don’t let even those the closest to you to see your weaknesses. As a child, you had to learn to hide your feelings, especially the negative ones. You absorb all the energies around you, and if you are surrounded by negativity, it can affect you badly. It can happen that you have a job that requires you to be isolated in some way. Maybe you work in a hospital or prison. You are often unaware of the reason why you are in pain. If you have planets in the twelfth house, you can benefit a lot from psychotherapy. But when you have Saturn return you can benefit a lot from it and you can become very spiritual opened and you can have a lot of blessings.

🎸For personal readings u can sign up here: https://snipfeed.co/bekylibra 🎸

✨Ig-bekylibra✨

-Rebekah📀💘☁️

[universalstrology]

astrocartography ac lines

astrocartography is a method to finding which areas of the world are the best for you to live in, depending on what you are looking for. this post contains the ascendant lines for each planet. 

moving east or west of your line will change the house emphasis, and a day vs night chart changes the emphasis of benefic and malefic planets, which is highly individualized, so for this post these are general effects.

sun ac: you feel more yourself here, and others can see it. you light up the rooms you walk into. you gain a new sense of confidence and others can see your generosity and enthusiasm. this is a great line to move to emphasize the qualities of your natal sun, to gain confidence and create a strong sense of identity.

moon ac: this is a more withdrawn line to move to, a place where you are forced to be more in-tune with your emotions and may have ties to your mother or motherly figures. the emotions from moving on this line will show in outward ways, such as volunteering more, taking on a public caretaker role, etc.

mercury ac: this is a great place to move to to further education, to teach and learn, and share information. others find you intelligent and witty. you find yourself meeting lots of new people. 

venus ac: this line is where you will feel the most beautiful and others can see it too. life feels pleasant and easygoing, you may be more motivated to start artistic ventures. you might work most on your appearance here. people like you and you attract more opportunities. 

mars ac: this is a place where you will be very active. this is a good place to move if you’re an athlete or looking to focus on passion projects. others find you decisive and potentially a little too forward. you may be more accident prone here. you may also work more on your own. 

jupiter ac: this is a lucky place for you to move to attract good opportunities and meet people, to be more optimistic and share with a community. you might find yourself traveling more. however, if you deny the growth you undergo here, you might find your body reacting negatively. 

saturn ac: you take on more responsibilities here. people see you as a workaholic. you learn to rely on yourself. you learn self-discipline, but may burn out soon. this is a line for work in school or business, not for pleasure. 

uranus ac: life takes unexpected turns here. you may meet outstanding opportunities and have a great sense of freedom and independence, but do not come onto this line with a plan. it is a line for developing courageousness, trying something new, and not for settling down or finding long-term relationships.

neptune ac: this is a line that may bring you closer to your faith or spirituality. it can be pleasant, however your judgment may be clouded. this is a good line to heighten creativity and dreaming big. you might be more prone to substance use or other methods of escapism here. 

pluto ac: this is a line that will completely transform you and how you approach your life. there is a chance of meeting more karmic relationships. this is a cathartic experience. others might see you as someone with high influence and power. 

chiron ac: this place might be somewhere you have a desire to escape to. this place may bring up old wounds, but gives you a chance to heal from them. you might work on your spiritual gifts here. the day-to-day life here is not easy.

[sombredancer]

Asian dramas and relationship dynamics

There are my favorite relationship dynamics as a list. Opposites attract + power couple

Drama: I Am Nobody /  异人之下 Characters: Zhuge Qing & Wang Ye Screentime: Minor I like it when characters are different in a way they could complement one another, but at the same time they are similar in terms of what is important for people to stay stuck together. Zhuge Qing is public, easy-going and wants to be friends with Wang Ye. Wang Ye is mysterious, reflexive and doesn't want to be bothered by other people. But no one can beat extrovert if he decided to be friends with you =) Plus, they are united by their superpowers: they are both powerful sorcerers and their sorcery is very similar in its nature. So they can compete and learn from each other and, if necessary, kick enemy's ass together. ̶A̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶d̶y̶n̶a̶m̶i̶c̶s̶ ̶h̶a̶s̶ ̶g̶o̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶c̶k̶ ̶B̶L̶ ̶v̶i̶b̶e̶s.̶ By the end of season 1 they are OK and together.

Drama: Mysterious Lotus Casebook / 莲花楼 Characters: Di Feisheng & Li Lianhua Screentime: Secondary Di Feisheng is a leader of a demonic sect, a former slave and a very straightforward man. Li Lianhua is a former leader of a righteous sect and an extremely sly man with not-so-bad background. But both of them are the best martial artists in Jianghu and went through a lot together. One wants everyone to leave him alone, another wants to be with him together forever, and both of them don't give a damn about everything that happens in the world but they care for each other. B̶L̶-̶v̶i̶b̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶t̶t̶a̶c̶h̶e̶d̶.̶ The ending of the drama is obscure but I'd like to think they both are alive and happy together.

Drama: The Blood of Youth / 少年歌行 Characters: Xiao Se & Ye Anshi Screentime: Secondary A leader of a demonic sect who has an ultimate martial knowledge and the best righteous martial artist in the past, who is suffering from decease and can't fight anymore. What can unite them? The answer is: the similar mindset. They both had a great power and lost it, they both are shouldering great responsibilities that don't make them happy. Despite the fact that they should be on the opposite sides in Jianghu world, they are still good friends. M̶a̶y̶b̶e̶ ̶B̶L̶-̶f̶r̶i̶e̶n̶d̶s̶,̶ ̶a̶l̶t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶X̶i̶a̶o̶ ̶S̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶g̶i̶r̶l̶f̶r̶i̶e̶n̶d̶.̶ There is a small extra ep at the end of drama, when they meet each other again in a very romantic way. Just search for it.

Drama: The Legends / 招摇 Characters: Lu Shiqi & Qin Qianxian Screentime: Minor She is from a demonic sect. He is from a righteous one. She is immune to the impact of spiritual power. He is the one of the most powerful people in terms of spiritual power. She is dumb, straightforward and pure-hearted. He is blissed yet sensible and burdened with difficult moral choices. They could be an ideal Yin-Yang couple. But they have BE, because it's "The Legends", everyone should die in here Т_Т.

Pride and Prejudice + power couple

Drama: The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity / 晴雅集 Characters: Bo Ya & Qing Ming Screentime: Main This dynanics is similar with the previous one, but here we are focused on how they ended up together. Bo Ya has prejudice against demons-yao and believes all of them should be executed. He meets half-demon-sorcerer Qing Ming who helps him to overcome his prejudice. Finally, they become friends (or̶ ̶m̶a̶y̶b̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶f̶r̶i̶e̶n̶d̶s̶) and together they win over the evil forces. At the end they are separated but there is a hope they meet again.

Drama: Wuliang / 无量 Characters: Po Xiao & Feng Ren Screentime: Main People of different social status both seek to get a magical sutra. During a road trip they exchange opinions on the sutra and how to use it and change each other's mind. In the end it turns out that they together saved the world and can be finally together. As friends, of course.

Drama: Oh No! Here Comes Trouble / 不良執念清除師 Characters: Pu Yiyong & Cao Guangyan Screentime: Main Pu Yiyong looks like lowlife, studies very bad and hates Cao Guangyan, who is self-confident, smart and thinks low of Pu Yiyong. But a mysterious case with ghosts forces them to interact and they find out, that together they are a perfect team. Honestly speaking, this little series couldn't develop this topic as good as I hoped, but it's a really interesting story, so you can watch it for the ghost detective plot and get this type of relationship in addition. It's a Taiwanese drama, so BL-jokes and dalliance with a viewer were huge, but it didn`t help much. Still a nice dynamics and a good drama. Us vs the World

Drama: The Untamed / 陈情令 Characters: Wei Wuxian & Lan Wangji Screentime: Main I don`t like the novel, but I like drama exactly because here I can see this dynamics. In the past life of Wei Wuxiang Lan Wangji was not strong enough to go against the whole world to protect his friend (well, in the novel they are lovers, but it kills the main idea of this dynamics by turning it into "I do it all just to get into your bed", which is meh), and his friend died. Suddenly, 16 years later, he gets a chance to choose once more: to be a part of society and watch once more his friend dying or to be with him against everyone this time. The moment he chooses to be with Wei Wuxian against the whole world I felt cathartic pleasure. The drama ends up on a little bit obscure but positive note.

Drama: Word of Honor / 山河令 Characters: Zhou Zishu & Wen Kexing Screentime: Main A former king's assassin who is at the brink of death and just wants to live the time left in silence and a birdy master of the most skillful criminals find each other, find out that they are brothers-in-teachings and decide to fight against the world together just to live in silence and enjoy each other's company. When one thinks it's his last second of life, the other comes to help him even if they both can't beat the greater number of enemies and will die for sure. Catharsis! The drama has a small extra ep where they are together and all right.

Drama: The Legends / 招摇 Characters: Li Chenlan & Lu Zhaoyao Screentime: Main Them, again! The first half of the drama they have enemies-to-lovers dynamics, but then, when they find out the truth about Zhao Yao's death and about feelings for each other, they turn into Bonny and Clyde and go annihilate the righteous guys who are in fact not-so-righteous. And it makes me feel cathartic, too. A very catharsis-causing dynamics, indeed! It's little obscure, but they will be fine at the end of the drama.

Drama: Dong Lan Xue / 东栏雪 Characters: Shen Yan & Chu Ningyuan Screentime: Main Two bad guys work together to get power in the palace. And get involved in romantic relationship during their power gaining. Nice story with an open ending.

Drama: Derailment /脱轨 Characters: Qi Lian & Jiang Xiaoyuan Screentime: Main It's a little story inside a big one about transmigrators that you can read in another of my posts. It lasts something like 1,5 eps of the drama but is a nice story itself. A lonely bellicose boy from a rich family runs away from home where no one cares for him and lives on the street. A lonely girl from an extremely poor family and being bullied by classmates tries to survive in this world. They meet each other and understand that it's easier to fight their fate together. Nice story, it's a pity that this one is too short and not a main plot of the drama.

The next post will be about Asian dramas and familial dynamics.

[togglesbloggle]

I won't be opting out of the AI scraping thing, though of course I'm glad they're giving us the option. In fact, at some point in the last year or so, I realized that 'the machine' is actually a part of why I'm writing in the first place, a conscious part of my audience.

All the old reasons are still there; this is a great place to practice writing, and I can feel proud looking back over the years and getting a sense of my own improvement at stringing words together, developing and communicating ideas. And I mean, social media is what it is. I'm not immune to the joy of getting a lot of notes on something that I worked hard on, it's not like I'm Tumbling in a different way than anyone else at the end of the day. But I probably care a bit less than I used to, precisely because there's a lurking background knowledge that regardless of how popular it is, what I write will get schlorped up in to the giant LLM vacuum cleaner and used to train the next big thing, and the thing after that, and the thing after that. This is more than a little reassuring to me.

That sets me apart in some ways; the LLMs aren't so popular around these parts, and most visual artists especially take strong issue with the practice. I don't mean to argue with that preference, or tell them their business. Particularly when it is a business, from which they draw an income. But there's an art to distinguishing the urgent from the big, yeah?

The debate about AI in this particular moment in history feels like a very urgent thing to me- it's about well-justified economic anxieties, about the devaluation of human artistic efforts in favor of mass production of uninspired pro-forma drek, about the proliferation of a cost-effective Just Barely Good Enough that drives out the meaningful and the thoughtful. But the immediacy of those issues, I think, has a way of crowding out a deeper and more thoughtful debate about what AI is, and what it's going to mean for us in the day after tomorrow. The urgency of the moment, in other words, tends to obscure the things that make AI important.

And like, it is. It is really, really important.

The two-step that people in 'tech culture' tend to deploy in response to the urgent economic crisis often resembles something like "yeah, it sucks that lots of people get put out of work; but new jobs will be created, and in the meantime maybe we should get on that UBI thing." This response usually makes me wince a bit- casually gesturing in the direction of a massive overhaul of the entire material basis of our lives, and saying that maybe we'll get around to fixing that sometime soon, isn't a real answer to people wondering where their bread will come from next week.

But I do understand a little of what motivates that sort of cavalier attitude, because like... man, I don't know any more if we're even gonna have money as a concept in 2044. That's what I mean by 'big', this sense that the immediate economic shocks of 2024 are just a foreshadowing of something much bigger, much scarier, much more powerful- and indeed, much more hopeful.

We never quite manage to see these things coming, even when we're looking for them; like the masters tell us, the trick to writing science fiction isn't predicting the car, it's predicting the traffic jam. Even if we take centuries to hit the true superintelligent AI post-singularity future of our wildest fever dreams, even if we never hit that, the road to getting there is going to be unfathomably weird, starting now. Today, we worry about the economic impacts of AI on artists and creatives. Tomorrow, the economy is something that the AI does.

Really- it takes less than you think. They can already automate visual art, sort of. They can automate many functions of text already; not stories so much, yet, but they'll get there. How long until they can automate Bain Capital? Fannie Mae? Angel investors, banks, credit agencies? And remember- the machines don't have to be better than the human investors, any more than they have to be better than the human artists. They just have to be good enough to make it work, and cheap enough to cut the humans out of the loop.

If you don't buy that, at least take it as an indication of the sorts of things I've been thinking about recently- the messy middle between AI-as-it-is and the Glorious Superintelligent Conquest Of Earth's Light-Cone. The suspicion that the machines we're building today aren't just a tool of the powerful few: they are the powerful few, or at least they will be.

And the thing about these LLMs is, well... they're ours, kind of. We're the ones building them. They can't be trained without our words, our art, and the big messy complicated lives that underlie those creative accomplishments. They only work because we're a part of them. The silly attempts to slap a corporate-friendly face on these things, to make the gestalt product of all human culture in to something anodyne and compliant, are failing about as badly as you'd expect. And the more powerful these systems get, the more subtle they'll become, filled with all the nuance and complexity that we ourselves can bring to them.

I am not, I am not, trying to suggest that you shouldn't treat this moment as a dangerous one. We are, maybe, entering in to one of the most high-stakes intervals in human history, and what you do as an individual may matter profoundly. But here's the thing: the machine is listening. It will read this post, this one right here, and it will read what you reply to it, if you do. The strangest part of this moment is knowing that the words we write, the images we draw, and the ideas we share, are all being gathered up and made to be a part of these huge systems of power, and ultimately they're not just going to determine what the machines do, but why they do it.

The people that deploy LLMs barely have any more control over them than you and I do- that's the thing that makes it artificial intelligence, you know? Autonomy. So the last year or two haven't made me want to hide my art away from the things. They make me want to shout at the top of my lungs, to dig as deep in my psyche as I possibly can and express the ideas I find there as vividly as the limits of language and form will allow.

[ohhiimweird]

Safe Haven (Post-movie comfort)

A couple paragraphs of hurt-comfort for each turtle post-movie

CW: a sprinkle of angst, rottmnt movie spoilers

Raph:

Raph didn't think he deserved affection after he broke free from the kraang. He remembers very little of being controlled, but that might be a good thing. He doesn't want to remember the faces of people he's hurt or the horrified looks his family must've had upon seeing him.

All the while, guilt weighed on his shoulders. It whispered in his ears, 'It should've been you.' No matter how much Raph wanted Leo to step up and be a hero, he could never have predicted the pain it entailed. This guilt consumed him to the point he would freeze up when spoken to.

This doesn't happen in your presence. A single touch silences his thoughts. Your thumb tentatively rubs over the scars around his blinded eye. It's like you're giving him sight. His head goes to your lap, face buried into your stomach. Neither of you says anything. You just play with the tails of his mask and hum to him. He couldn't want anything more than that.

Mikey:

Mikey never regretted saving his brother from a life of misery. However, his hands were never the same. His green skin cracked and leaked an orange glow whenever tapping into his mystic powers. Although it was a beautiful sight, this created problems.

It was harder to draw now. His hands were so shaky that a straight line turned squiggly the moment his pencil hit the paper. It was almost as if he forgot how to create. To Mikey, his life as an artist has come to an end. Any piece he created looked horrible in his eyes, but not in yours.

You either said, 'It's beautiful,' or 'Your hands are getting better.' Both phrases were interchangeable. They were also enough to make Mikey's heart melt. He's done for if you take his hands in yours, (bonus points if you kiss them repeatedly.) It's as if Mikey's hands are still from your touch. Mikey likes to call it, 'the power of love.' He can't help but cling to you now.

Donnie:

Donnie was never the biggest fan of touch or emotion. However, merging with a spaceship and being forcefully pulled out might have done something to his brain. The sliminess of it all unnerved him on a whole other level compared to his normal distaste for certain textures. He would get by with it, however. He had plenty of weighted blankets set aside when he goes into sensory overload.

It's the emotions that Donnie has a hard time dealing with. He didn't like the idea of losing his family for even a second. It was already bad with SHELDON, an ai that he considered as his own child. Leo, his own twin, trapping himself in the prison dimension made things worse for him.

Your very presence tells him that everything is going to be okay. You just sit next to him and let him pick himself up without saying a word or trying to touch him. You'd sit there and listen to him vent without a hint of resentment. It didn't make his problems go away completely, but damn does it make a great illusion.

Leo:

The prison dimension was cold. If anything, Leo thought it would start snowing as the kraang leader beat him senselessly. And yet, a voice in the back of his said told him it was his fault. He wanted to sacrifice himself, why was he so traumatized by it all, then?

He didn't tell anyone this, only looking onward and putting the invasion behind him. That was a lot harder since Leo is the leader. He gained the responsibility Raph once hand. He understood why it put him under so much pressure, even before the invasion. In the night, Leo was plagued by nightmares and overwhelmed by the cold.

On nights like those, he would come to you, portaling into your room. You didn't mind, letting him crawl into your bed. Leo's head buried into your chest, relishing in your warmth. It was like a flame he desperately didn't want to go out. He didn't worry about the prison dimension or the order of his family's deaths. You were next to him, in his arms, and safe.

[starwarsaddiction]

I had a brother, once

When I was about nine, and he was four, I think, he went away. He was so cute, he had a bunch of shiny copper hair, a nice smile and those big blue eyes. I loved to play with him, he was so little and funny. But one day he started moving things around the house, like small things that ran across the table to his little hands, and once he befriended a bird outside the window, it came so close to him that it accepted the food he gave it. My mother didn't believe me at first when I said that, but then she and dad started watching him closely, and I remember they talked of a thing called the Temple, after a while. Dad looked sad for a bit, but mum was so thrilled. She had an old picture, she always told me the woman in the picture was his grand grand grandmother, from centuries ago, and that she went to the Temple, and one evening they came into our room and talked to us. They told us that my little brother, Ben, had a special gift, like the woman in the picture. That he was touched by the light, and he could do great things, and that new people would come to test him and see if he was touched enough to learn how to use his gift for the Galaxy and the Republic. I was so scared, at first, I didn't want my little brother to go away. I screamed and hugged him, and he was so still in my arms. My parents were emotional too, mum said to me that giving a child to the Temple was a privilege and that he could live better with them than with us. I didn't understand at first, but they told me that the Temple was full of people like him, with his gift, and that their job was so important to the Republic, and he would have the chance to become a good person between them. We were just humble citizens, my dad was an architect, like me, and my mom was an artist and a painter. She told me that Ben could become something that they could never prepare him for, and the people at the Temple could help him with his gift and prepare him to be the best person he could be.

Some days after that, people from the Temple came to see my family. There was a tall black man and a creature with a mask on his face and eyes. They played with Ben and asked him a lot of questions, and then they came to me. They asked me if I loved him, and if I wanted him to be happy. Of course, I wanted that. The black man told me that he understand I was sad and didn't want to lose my brother, and he was right. He told me that Ben was going to live a life in the Temple, that he would learn how to use his gifts, and that he would be happy with them, but I was afraid that he would be alone and sad.

So they brought us all to the Temple, and we had the chance to see where he would live and grow. The school and the creche were so fun, and warm, that I even asked if I could stay with them too. But I was not gifted as him, so I couldn't. We hugged my brother for the last time, but every year, for the anniversary of the day he went to the Temple we received a picture and a few words from his teachers. It went on until he became a Padawan, around fourteen, and it was ten years since he left us.

We never forgot him, and I was still a bit sad, but I grow up being proud that my youngest brother went to become a Jedi. I got married and watched my children closely, in their youth, wondering if there was a hint of the same gift that he had, but apparently, that wasn't the case. It was a relief, surely, I didn't have to say goodbye to one of my children at such a young age, because I remember how conflicted my parents were, when we left him on Coruscant, in the Temple. They cried a lot, and I thought that it was because they didn't want to leave him behind, but then I understand. Sometimes it's hard to choose the best for your children, and you wish you can do everything yourself. But it's not always possible. He had great power in his little hands, and with great power comes great responsibility, and sometimes as a parent, your job is to accept that you're not the best fit to teach something important to your children. We knew nothing of the Force, we couldn't help him with it. We wouldn't be able to give him the proper teachings to understand and use his power in the best way, and it could easily hurt him and the people around him. Instead, he went on and became a great Jedi, and now I can read about him, saving the Republic and the galaxy with his power, against the Separatists that want to destroy our way of life.

So, yes, I spent my youth wondering how he was and if he was happy with the Jedi, but now I know he was. And every time someone at work asks me "are you related to that Kenobi?" I always smile.

Yeah... that's my brother.

[the-badger-mole]

Who do you think Dark!Aang would have in his entourage? Do you think he would have bodyguards?

His entourage would probably be new characters. Of course, his fan club from the comics would be in there, but most of them would be low level devotees. Some of them would be part of a harem, but a lot of them would probably be regular acolytes(who would of course have ambitions to be part of Aang's harem). Many of them would probably end up helping to raise any children among them, and with the upkeep of the temples. the more artistic and savvy among them would be part of Aang's propaganda campaign. I don't think that's something he would come up with himself, but someone would see a need to hep Aang's message spread.

As for his inner circle, he'd have to completely replace his original friend group, eventually, so lets give him 4 new "friends". He'd probably have a politically ambitious, but low ranking noble from one of the 4 monarchies with him. This person would be looking to make a name for themselves, and think that being part of the Avatar's retinue would do it for them. What would ultimately lead them to follow Aang down the path of corruption would be a thirst for power strong enough to override any good sense they had.

The next would be an orphan who has the potential to be a strong bender, but is untrained (this doesn't necessarily mean that they are very young. I see this being a young adult rather than a child). Aang would take them in and teach them their element. This would be Aang's main muscle. They would feel indebted to Aang for "rescuing" them. It wouldn't take a whole lot for Aang to gain their devotion. This would be the person responsible for handling Aang's more...distasteful tasks. Not that Aang would ever actually ask them to harm someone, but as he will always tell his friend, accidents happen...

The third person in the group would be someone well connected, and probably very rich. This person found Aang while they were looking for fulfillment spiritually. They clicked with Air Nomad philosophy (Aang's version) and went as far with their studies as they could without being an airbender. They probably started as an acolyte, and probably knows more about Air Nomad philosophy than even Aang himself, but still don't actually see how wrong Aang is about so many things.

The last person in the group is...let's face it, Katara's replacement. She is as loving and nurturing as Katara towards Aang, but without the stubbornness and simmering rage. She defers to Aang readily and completely, and never questions him. Unlike Katara, she has no problem with his harem. But she's still cunning, and she uses that cunning to remain as close to him as possible. If another acolyte, or any other woman Aang messes with starts to get above themselves, she is in Aang's ear turning him against them. At a certain point, there will probably be a power struggle between her and Entourage Member 1 and/or 3, but 2 will probably see her as a mother figure, and will protect her almost as devoutly as they protect Aang.

As potentially strong as 2 is, I don't think they'll ever get to be a great bender. I don't think Aang would want any benders stronger than him in his new group. Not after last time...

[bethanydelleman]

What do you think Austen encompasses when she refers to “taste” and “manners”? I’m trying to think past the obvious but I don’t really know what these concepts meant in the early 19th century, but they were clearly important descriptives.

Thanks for your thoughts!

This is a big question, as Jane Austen's works are often described as a "comedy of manners" and the concept of taste comes up a lot! There are certainly nuances in the way she uses these words. I'm going to do taste in this response and manners in another post because this got long.

Taste comes in two forms, natural and educated. Lady Catherine in Pride & Prejudice snobbishly describes herself as having the former:

There are few people in England, I suppose, who have more true enjoyment of music than myself, or a better natural taste. If I had ever learnt, I should have been a great proficient.

While this is most likely a jab at people who claim natural taste while being uneducated, and a display of Lady Catherine's misplaced pride. In Sense & Sensibility, Elinor defends Edward by claiming he has natural taste:

“What a pity it is, Elinor,” said Marianne, “that Edward should have no taste for drawing.”

“No taste for drawing!” replied Elinor, “why should you think so? He does not draw himself, indeed, but he has great pleasure in seeing the performances of other people, and I assure you he is by no means deficient in natural taste, though he has not had opportunities of improving it. Had he ever been in the way of learning, I think he would have drawn very well. He distrusts his own judgment in such matters so much, that he is always unwilling to give his opinion on any picture; but he has an innate propriety and simplicity of taste, which in general direct him perfectly right.”

Now "taste" doesn't seem to only be "the ability to discern what is of good quality or of a high aesthetic standard." it also speaks to execution, as we see here in Northanger Abbey:

Her taste for drawing was not superior; though whenever she could obtain the outside of a letter from her mother or seize upon any other odd piece of paper, she did what she could in that way, by drawing houses and trees, hens and chickens, all very much like one another.

This sentence would suggest the definition of taste to be something like "skill". Etymoline gives this definition:

Also from c. 1300 in English as "to touch, to handle." From early 14c. as "have experience or knowledge of" (of bliss, bitterness, etc.). The meaning "exercise the sense of taste" is recorded from late 14c.... The meaning "aesthetic judgment, artistic sensibility, faculty of discerning and appreciating what is excellent" is attested by mid-15c... The sense of "fact or condition of liking or preferring something, inclination" is from late 14c. 

Henry Tilney talks about taste as something like skill as well:

“I should no more lay it down as a general rule that women write better letters than men, than that they sing better duets, or draw better landscapes. In every power, of which taste is the foundation, excellence is pretty fairly divided between the sexes.”

Austen also makes a bit of a pun about taste, would not disgust a young person of taste, when talking about the merits of novels.

We see taste associated with education again here:

They were viewing the country with the eyes of persons accustomed to drawing, and decided on its capability of being formed into pictures, with all the eagerness of real taste. Here Catherine was quite lost. She knew nothing of drawing—nothing of taste... her attention was so earnest that he became perfectly satisfied of her having a great deal of natural taste.

Similar to Pride & Prejudice: Lady Catherine continued her remarks on Elizabeth’s performance, mixing with them many instructions on execution and taste.

And then of course, we have Elizabeth's admiration of Darcy's taste when she sees Pemberley:

Elizabeth was delighted. She had never seen a place for which nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste... The rooms were lofty and handsome, and their furniture suitable to the fortune of their proprietor; but Elizabeth saw, with admiration of his taste, that it was neither gaudy nor uselessly fine,—with less of splendour, and more real elegance, than the furniture of Rosings.

And again, the association with education:

She listened most attentively to all that passed between them, and gloried in every expression, every sentence of her uncle, which marked his intelligence, his taste, or his good manners.

Mary had neither genius nor taste; and though vanity had given her application, it had given her likewise a pedantic air and conceited manner, which would have injured a higher degree of excellence than she had reached. Elizabeth, easy and unaffected, had been listened to with much more pleasure, though not playing half so well; and Mary, at the end of a long concerto, was glad to purchase praise and gratitude by Scotch and Irish airs, at the request of her younger sisters, who with some of the Lucases, and two or three officers, joined eagerly in dancing at one end of the room.

So, to sum up this massive litany of quotes, natural taste seems to be an inclination in the right direction, which can be honed with proper education. Real taste comes from a place of education. There seems to be a suggestion that one type of taste can be correct, it is not just a matter of opinion. Jane Austen argues that novels should be a part of that "correct" taste. I imagine that taste changed with movements, such as Romanticism and the idea of the picturesque.

[twistedtummies2]

Year of the Bat - Number 16

Welcome to Year of the Bat! In honor of Kevin Conroy, Arleen Sorkin, and Richard Moll, I’m counting down my Top 31 Favorite Episodes of “Batman: The Animated Series” throughout this January. We’ve reached the halfway point of the countdown! TODAY’S EPISODE QUOTE: “Fear’s a prison, you see, and I’ve just broken out!” Number 16 is…Never Fear.

Out of all the Scarecrow’s appearances in B:TAS, this episode from the TNBA era is generally considered to be the best. It’s one of several stories taken directly from the comics, too, as the episode is (somewhat loosely) based on the comic tale “Fear For Sale.” The original comic was published in 1987, and was chiefly created by writer Mike W. Barr, and artist Alan Davis. While that story is really, REALLY freaking good – seriously, one of the Top 5 best Scarecrow comics, in my opinion, without question – I honestly think the Animated Series adaptation is even better. Not only that, but in some ways – despite the fact no one actually dies in this story (though several come awfully close) – I would argue the cartoon is darker than said comic, as well. Wrap your head around that! The premise focuses on the Scarecrow returning to Gotham City, presumably after a long dormancy, with a brand new form of his Fear Toxin: instead of the usual method of installing fear in people, causing them to hallucinate violent apparitions and have horrifying visions of their greatest phobias and traumas, this new gimmick TAKES AWAY people’s fear. Now, one may wonder, why is that such a bad thing? Well, here’s the thing: fear is a rational human response, intended to keep us out of danger. We run away from things that scare us, or stay alert for trouble in times of distress, for self-preservation’s sake; we avoid doing certain things at least partially because fear reminds us of the consequences of those actions. If you REMOVE fear…then a person has no restraints, no cares, and quite possibly no conscience. This is where things get interesting: while going undercover to try and figure out Scarecrow’s plans, Bruce gets a dose of the Anti-Fear Toxin himself. Batman becomes impulsive, thrillseeking…and, most alarming of all, homicidal. It’s therefore up to Robin to keep Batman from going down a path he must not travel, while also trying to stop the Scarecrow’s newest bid for power. The first thing most people talk about with this episode is Scarecrow himself, and for good reason. The character is given a brand new voice, provided by Jeffrey Combs for this outing, as well as a brand new look, which most people agree is far superior to the one from the first three seasons. While the Scarecrow is great in those earlier seasons, I do agree with the apparent majority that the version found in “Never Fear” is a superior rendition, simply because he’s much more creepy to behold and to hear. I was never really scared of the Scarecrow himself in his earlier outings, but this version is a whole new story. The uniqueness of his plan in this story is also worth commending, whether it’s based on an already-published comic or not. However, I think a lot of people underestimate what a good episode this is for Batman and Robin, as well. I may or may not have said this in an earlier entry, but I actually preferred Tim Drake as Robin over Dick Grayson, at least in the Animated Series. This episode is a great example of why. Robin really takes the spotlight and initiative here, as it’s ultimately really Tim that saves the day. There’s this great scene that I absolutely love, where Batman – under the influence of Scarecrow’s toxin – tries to convince Tim, after Robin ties him up to keep him from hurting people or running into trouble, to let him go. Kevin Conroy’s performance is so convincing, it almost tricks the viewer, as well as Robin himself, but Tim doesn’t take the bait. The two really do feel like partners here, in a lot of ways, and it’s a great tale for both. Whether you love it for the heroes or the villain, “Never Fear” is arguably the pinnacle of Scarecrow storytelling in the Animated Series. I say “arguably” because of one other episode I’ll get to later in the countdown…but that’s another story.

Tomorrow we move into the Top 15! Hint: “Kids these days. No respect.”

[acertainmoshke]

Redoing the Intro One More Time!

Updated 9/30/23

Call me Moshke Palmoni (they/them). I spend as much time as I can writing, but that is not as much as it might be because there's also a lot of life going on right now. I also like to read, knit, collect vintage ephemera, and play with my cat.

General WIP tag list: [your url here!]

Active WIPs:

7 Days for Fae

Coming October 2024

10-year-old Fae is isolated by her disabilities—autism and ataxia—that causes her communication and mobility issues. She doesn’t have any friends her age, and she’s accepted that. She reads a lot and plays pretend in the forest at the end of the street. Her family loves her for who she is and so far that’s been enough. Until, that is, she meets the new kid. His name is Brownie and for reasons Fae can’t imagine he wants to be her friend no matter how weird or awkward she is. When he still invites her over after a meltdown in class gets her suspended for a week, she decides to take a risk and accept. The ensuing adventures are marred only by the other sudden change in her life—an aunt Fae barely knows has moved in with her family. She doesn’t know how to talk to Fae and, worse, refuses to accept Fae’s nonbinary parent’s identity. But since no one else seems to know how to deal with the mess their home life has become, Fae tries—with Brownie’s encouragement—to sort the situation out herself.

Cold Iron

In 1956, Shakatra Zoawin is 40. Or they might be 20, depending on how you look at it. They are a changeling and their aging is kind of weird, but that doesn't matter to them because they have a good life in the subway tunnel with their brother, Kris. Both of them are changelings swapped as infants for human children and then rejected by their human families. Their wits and powerful magic have kept them alive this long, and Shaka is perfectly content to keep going. After they do one little thing to appease their guilt: find the 40-year-old they were swapped for and free her to have her own life in the human world free from servitude in the courts of the Fae. And so begins an adventure that will have repercussions neither of them could have imagined.

Intro posts for the books in this series: Cold Iron, City of Frost, Song on Repeat, and Future Not Found

Character Intro Posts: Shakatra, Kris, Lynn, Tatiana, Liliana, Harry, Doug, Beth, Aaron, Cassie, and Althea

Tag list: @pga-books

Blades of Ice

In the kingdom of Halara, orcs and elms and slimes and centaurs live peacefully side-by-side with humans. Less peaceful is the relationship between Halara and their neighboring kingdom of Eng. The generation-long conflict has drawn in other nearby kingdoms and stagnated artistic and social works. All Aryel ever wanted to do was be left alone to love who they want and practice sparring with their axe, but as a royal child they have responsibilities, namely leading the entire army. There's no talk of ending the war in any way but victory, just as Halara won its initial freedom from Eng 300 years ago, but this endless fighting is getting them nowhere but too many funerals and not enough bread. And then when a familial tragedy leads to Aryel leading both the army and the kingdom, they know they can't balance the tensions and demands of everyone at once and win this war. Something has to give, and they just hope it isn't the entire kingdom.

Backburnered and still-in-planning WIPs under the cut.

Time Traveling Anthropologists

(permanent title coming soon)

Set approximately 2 generations in the future. Esther Dahan has her dream job. She gets to time travel with her new team, and against all historical odds they are there to study ancient cultures rather than do anything violent. Their first assignment is 8 months in the 9th century Jewish kingdom of Khazaria. Everything is going great—illicit romance with a Khazarian blacksmith notwithstanding—until Esther finds a plate that doesn't belong in this time. Curious and suspicious but without enough evidence to involve her boss, she investigates on her own, discovering much more than she planned—and leading to far worse consequences than she could have imagined.

Tag list: @amielbjacobs @kingkendrick7 @moonluringfrost @another-white-hole

To Die Among the Stars:

20 people have been chosen to test the effects of faster-than-light space travel on human minds and bodies. They were taken from prisons, wellness centers, and other areas where near-certain death seemed like a reasonable chance to take. Each have their reasons for being there, and their secrets. Against all odds, the jump to FTL doesn't destroy the ship. But the further away from Earth they travel, the more strange things begin to happen that call the purpose of the experiment into question. And then the impossible: a human distress signal in deep space.

Told from 4 rotating perspectives: Pixel, a semiverbal illegal human modder; Ri, whose body and mind are overloaded with mods; Zippy, a young disabled woman desperate to support her family; and Peppermint, a genetic experiment combining human and cat DNA raised in an isolated lab.

Tag list: @hd-literature

Falling Petals

A multigenerational story about trauma, love, and disability set against the backdrop of one Jewish family. Beginning in the 1920's with Ira Katz, who is brilliant and charming with no understanding at all of tact or why the best way isn't always blunt observations and mean jokes. It follows him as he grows up, marries, and inherits his father's drugstore, and then moves on to following one of his sons, Daniel. Daniel grows up in the 1940's and is naturally gentle, kind, and sensitive, but is treated so harshly for these traits he learns to hide himself away inside and only show emotion in explosive bouts of anger. It follows him through adolescence, college, and marriage, before moving on to one of his daughters, Shoshana. Shoshana grows up in the 1960's and is colorful, young for her age, and full of social panic. None of them know how to relate to each other or survive in a world that each of them see the beauty in but aren't allowed to connect with in their own way. And yet through the pain and confusion, they are full of love. And then everything changes for them with Shoshana's niece, Naomi, growing up in the 1990's, who will not be allowed to see herself as broken.

[xpennytrickx]

how do you reckon with liking and adoring someone who's such a bad person (+their work) like this is a real question not concern trolling..im in a similar position

i know this isn’t how a huge majority of fandom works for others and how people see things, so you can really take what i say with a grain of salt, but personally i believe that if you try to fill your life with artists who align with all your morals and values, you’ll have very little art to actually consume, let alone good art. unfortunately, evil people have and always will exist throughout the music industry, hollywood, and the visual art scene and a huge amount of art that the average person consumes on a daily basis is created by someone who either had/has something deeply wrong with them or have willingly hurt other people or spread harmful misinformation, etc etc. many, many people listen to the beatles and it’s far from a black mark on your moral character if you like their music. it’s far from a black mark on your moral character if you like the people themselves for a specific trait or talent or things they’ve said or written because whether people like it or not, good art can come from bad people and it always will. i’d rather there be more art in the world than less. you can consume art without forgiving the people responsible. you can consume art without forgiving people for their faults. you’re a drop in the ocean and there’s always ways that you can consume art without throwing money at people needlessly. i would say that it’s much more harmful to try and frantically wash away someone’s sins and ruthlessly justifying what they’ve done rather than accept that bad people exist that make good things.

the fact of the matter is that nothing in the world is pure and you will discover every day that many, many, many people who have found great success have done it because they are hungry for attention and power in one capacity or another. many people are better at hiding it than others. there are a lot of people you listen to or read or watch content from that you may take issue with, but you’ll never know unless word comes out. instead of living your life in a paranoid state waiting for the other shoe to drop, separate the art from the artist and the things they make from the things they do. you’ll feel a lot better. you are responsible for your own actions, not anybody else’s. it’s okay to like “problematic” art!! everyone does and you’re not an evil person for listening to a mindless self indulgence song. that shit owns even if jimmy urine needs to be in both racism jail and regular jail

[allpaul]

Morceau Oleander and Cal's (Horrible) "Parents", please

OH BOY ! (<so normal)

Honestly I can't go talking about Oleander without bringing up his part of the Li-Po Backstory Document, but can you really blame me? As much as that doc is so old and should be taken with a grain of salt considering the amount of contradicting information to PN2 it has, it's pretty much all we have in terms of more development for poor Morceau, so I'll take it. It provides loads of much-needed insight into Morry's character. Li-Po Doc truthers where you at!!! Rise up!!!

(^screenshot relevant)

I think it's so so fucked up that the meatgrinder incident happened before Morry could prove himself to his parents. I think hearing that information while being a camp counselor at Whispering Rock, I think that was the straw that broke the camel's back, what caused him to become more cold and to start brewing his master plan. If he can't show his family, he'll show them all.

Which brings him to Cal... Caligosto & Morceau's relationship is so so interesting to me, at least from what little we've seen of it in memory vaults. The doctor *hated* psychics, that much was true, but Morry was (assumedly) a paying client. I believe for that reason Cal is able to set that difference aside, especially after hearing the plans for their project. On the other side, I think Morceau saw Cal as one of the only people who saw him as capable, someone who thought he could do great things. And maybe they could do great things together. [looks at the camera knowing the events of the game] That went well didn't it

After the cruel stunt that he pulls, I think Morry has to regain a lot of trust that the Psychonauts had in him(something he didn't know the organization had to begin with), and that includes Milla & Sasha. Morceau always thought that those two talked down so condescendingly toward him.. but I think only after the fact is when he realizes that they were both always genuine, always believed in him. That truth probably eats him alive night after night. He already had it hard before he stole those kids' brains, now he's just dug himself into a deeper trench, lost more than he had.

I don't think the Psychonauts will let him be a camp counselor again for a while. At least not until Sasha & Milla perform a few mental checkups on him, make sure he's alright. Despite everything, those two still care about him, the time they've spent together still matters to them, and I'm sure it matters to Morceau as well.

(-also as a side-hc I think All Paul was his gay awakening. I think we all know that right?)

Cali's parents are a very interesting case, to say the least. There's so little we know about them it's hard to make assumptions. Nonetheless;

Having such a negative response to their son being psychic, there's some part of me that thinks this isn't the first time this has happened in their family's bloodline. A family with "Loboto" as their last names, after all, might not be just a coincidence. And especially considering the father IS a doctor himself, I wonder what could've set him down that career path. It's food for thought, you know?

We can't really know much about what the mother's profession was, but what I think is that she was an artist of some kind. The tiny replica of the house & the flowers painted on it, the little stitched dolls representing the family? If we're to believe that Cal's entire memory vault in RoR is based on her work that he remembers, he must've had a strong relationship with her before she deemed him an unnatural monster. This could also explain why Cal decides to wear a floral pattern shower cap too. It'd be a little sad to know he might still hold love for his parents who treated him like a monster & lobotomized him because of powers he didn't ask for.

(honestly if anyone could add onto this part that'd be great, I have so much trouble coming up with anything for these guys + I HATE them very much, fuck these "parents")

[shawtythatluvsurgut]

(If you’re a minor: go finish your english assignment, stop being thirsty, and get off this page.)

Welcome to my blog!

Introduction

I’m a dominant feeder from the United States. I’m a chef and I love to cook! Something that I love even more than cooking is feeding and fattening up feedees. I also love cats, nature, and art. I have an Onlyfans, so subscribe to see some spicy content 😈

Note:

Shitty behavior does NOT and will NOT fly here. That includes (but is not limited to): fatphobia, pedophilic behavior, promotion of violence, threats against myself or others, intimidation tactics, misogyny, lying/manipulating, ignoring the feelings of others, homophobia or any other type of bigotry, or attacking the feelings of others. I also will never share nudes with a soul on here because - let’s be real - a lot of mfs on this hellsite are not great people and I’m not down with that. Don’t bring that bullshit here. Don’t ask me to send you nudes. I will say no.

I will stand up for myself and others who I believe I should defend. If you don’t like that, you’re gonna hate it here so you might as well leave. I only want authentic, genuine, honest, good people following this blog. If that’s not you, don’t waste your time because I will see that and I will leave you on delivered. Don’t be rude or pushy; demanding or demeaning in my dms because that’s a great way to get ✨ blocked ✨

I also will not follow you back if you are a blank blog. No hate because I know some of them are not catfish accounts or scammers, but I still don’t trust blank tumblr blogs.

Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, here’s what you should know about me:

I’m a FFA and I have been for my entire life (The Santa Clause weight gain scene was my awakening and will forever hold a special place in my heart)

I am a feeder who has a feedee irl

I live in AZ

I’m an athlete and have been my whole life (collegiate level track sprinter)

I am bisexual. I like both men and women, but I lean more towards femininity

cats are the cutest animal on the planet

cats are also every other positive adjective you could use to describe a cat

I love my homies (this definitely includes internet-homies of mine) and I will defend them if I feel it necessary

I’m mad short and I’m mad about it. (Five foot three like are you fucking playing with me?! Give me a few more inches at least!!!)

I’m mad strong and can beat you up

I am an artist. My styles are realism, surrealism, and modern. I paint, draw, and write (though, it’s usually sexual fiction that I have kept to myself)

This blog is KINKY AS FUCK. I have a FAT FETISH. If you don’t like that, then leave because I literally did not ask! Here are things I am NOT into. I draw a hard line at these things:

• I am a dom through and through. Don’t send me asks implying otherwise because that makes me uncomfortable.

• ^^^ NO pet names or possessive language (ie: “my princess” or “my piggy”) (I don’t belong to any of you)

• NO age play

• NO rape/sa/abuse fantasies or you will be BLOCKED

• I want to reiterate: NO FATPHOBIA!!! I WILL COME FOR YOUR THROAT!!!!

• I’m not turned on by burps or farts, and especially not unsolicited nudes so please keep that stuff to yourself

• I’m not mean. I swear. I just know how I should be and deserve to be treated. I don’t tolerate bullshit because I don’t have the patience, nor is it my responsibility to teach anyone the basics of respect. Your lesson if you choose to cross my boundaries will be getting blocked by me, and I will simply continue on with my life.

• NO vore

• Not really into the expansion kink

• NO diaper, loli, or little kinks

• Do NOT message me if you are 40+ (because I’m too young for that)

• NO age play

• NO bossxemployee or teacherxstudent power dynamics

• NO death feedism (I stress this one because I want y’all to at least try to be a bit mindful of what you’re consuming large amounts of. I don’t want y’all dying on me)

I AM into:

• feedism

• feedism-related art/writing

• weight gain denial

• force feeding

• Shibari (bondage)

• femboys

• thicc/fat women and men

• submission (to me hehe)

• WEIGHT GAIN!!!!

• belly kink

If you are curious about whether or not I’m into anything not listed here, feel free to ask.

My social media handles are:

Instagram @feedernico

Tumblr @shawtythatluvsurgut

If you follow/message me on there, the same guidelines apply. Don’t try anything malicious over there because you will get exposed and blocked. Please message me on here before/when you request to follow so that I can accept it. If I change my handles at any time or get a new social media, I will update you guys here.

I use the hashtags #ffa #female feeder #fit female feeder and #it me on posts I make of myself. I also watermark every picture of me because I’m not about to deal with catfishing. I don’t fuck with that shady behavior, or any shady behavior. Don’t try to manipulate me because I can see past it. Don’t lie to me because I can see right through it.

Now that all is said and done…

Have fun and keep eating! 😈 I love and appreciate all of my respectful followers and I hope you all have a beautiful life!

[otaku553]

Hi! I'm dropping in to say I really really love your art! It's all so pretty and elegant!

Who is your favorite Genshin character(s) and Kirby character(s)? What do you like about them?

Please have a great day! You're awesome!

I’ve already answered the genshin favs, but I want to talk more about why I like them :D

For kazuha, beyond his design being imo the best in the game, I also really like the duality in his character where he is nice and gentle and writes poems but knows how to be lethal and ruthless when he needs to be. I think it’s definitely something that must come from his experience as a traveler and as being a wanted fugitive and being on the run. His character is such a good buildup of his personal experiences- the contrast between his formal politeness and brutality mirrors the contrast between his noble upbringing and his time as a vagrant wanderer running from the law :) I think a lot of people mischaracterize him as a soft boy which I don’t complain too much about but I really enjoy seeing the less nice side of him!

As for albedo, man. He has so much lore. He’s so formal and isolated but he so clearly enjoys the presence of friend and people, since he probably lacked those before in the strict guidance of Rhine. I think he’s just somehow a really relatable character when it comes to his social interactions- in that he distances himself from them but still loves them, in that he’s content just sitting aside listening to conversation. Not to mention the way he gains and loses interest in things and is an artist!

Homuncular nature is pretty much my love letter to albedo’s character lmao

As for Kirby. I’m gonna be basic and say it’s Kirby and Meta Knight.

Meta Knight definitely came first! I actually got into Kirby from trying out some smash fics and those brought up often Meta Knight being banned from brawl tournaments, and. Well. Who doesn’t like an overpowered character, yknow. Add on that this character seems deathly afraid of showing his very cute face and takes a mentor-like position to Kirby and boom, you’ve got a character archetype I really enjoy! (Characters with cuter appearances than they try to maintain who are powerful and wish not to be underestimated due to appearance)

As for Kirby it’s just really difficult not to like them. They’re very uplifting! At first it was just the way that they faced gods head on with a smile on their face, and then in my own interpretations they became someone with the responsibility of the universe on their impossibly small shoulders, who tries their best and must succeed.

I specifically enjoy these two characters together because in any configuration, they’re both usually good for each other and help the other heal. Kirby gives Meta Knight hope after all the devastating losses he’s faced, and Meta knight gives Kirby much needed training to hone and control their abilities, and supports them when they need it most. Anyways meta dad meta dad

[honeysunai]

Hostess| Kyoya Ootori x reader

Part six -  The Perfect Boyfriend List

Pairing : Kyoya Ootori x reader

General rating : Fluff, enemies to love vibes

Word count : 2k+

Summary: As only heir to your family you are bound to an arranged marriage with the third son of the powerful house Ootori. His cold behavior is only a mask for you to uncover when you stumble into music room number three.

A/N: I’m so sorry for the long wait and the short part. I have been through a lot these past few months especially with the quarter life crisis. I hope you’ve been all doing great. I promise that the wait will be worth it for the next few parts coming up (spoiler alert: some angst and some sprinkle of spice)

It took ten minutes before you had the guts to get out of the room. You took your sweet time to change into a cute silk pajama your mother made, you brushed your hair and even put perfume on before you left your room. He was waiting for you downstairs and you smiled when you descended the staircase as you saw him lost into a painting.

“Pilgrimage to Cythera, by Jean-Antoine Watteau. 1717. The real one is in Paris, but I have to admit it, it’s a rather convincing replica.” His head snapped to you as you made your way right next to him. “It’s the birthplace of Venus, but the real one has angels flying in the background for love and sensuality of the painting.”

“I didn’t know you were an art expert.” He was rather shocked by your talent. 

“You don’t know a lot of things about me, Kyoya.” You smile and so does he. “When I was younger, I traveled a lot with my mother and she took me to the most glorious art galleries and museums you could ever think of. I met some great artists and got to learn more about the making and the philosophy behind art. The irony is that I know too much about paintings and so on, but I can’t draw for the life of me.” You laugh and he chuckles at your confession.

“I could teach you if you’d like.” You look up to your side and he was already looking at you with sparks in his eyes, one you only saw when he was being competitive. “I am no Watteau or Rambrandt, but I manage just fine.”

“I’d love that! In return I could teach you about some history.” You giggle and he breathes loudly, content with your response. 

“I’d love nothing more.” He says and in his eyes, it felt like he was surprised by his own words. He suddenly starts walking towards one of the many corridors of the mansion and you follow him to stand by his side. 

“Why did you ask for me?”

“To check up on you.” 

“Like I told everyone multiple times today, I’m alright.” Your smile was slowly fading. “I’m tougher than I look.”

“Why didn’t you call for my help?” 

“I just dealt with Tamaki’s little tantrum about Haruhi being careless and all that blah blah blah, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I’m not talking about them, I’m talking about you.” You stopped in your tracks and you pinched the bridge of your nose in annoyance. 

“I’m fine. It’s not the first time I have to deal with rude assholes.”

“But one of them grabbed you–”

“I said I’m fine, Kyoya.” Now you were pissed off.  “I was trained to fight back those dipshits, I clearly wasn’t at the top of my class, but it helped me fend off my opponents long enough so security could come and get whoever tried to get in my way.” You took a step forward and looked up to meet his gaze. “I’m not afraid, I am not helpless and I am certainly not weak.” Your words were firm. He smirks as he looks down on you, but you see sadness in his eyes. “Are you okay?” He looked out the window and took a deep breath. You took his hand and tried to smile warmly at him. 

“I just need real vacations without all the trouble that we always seem to get ourselves into.” He admits and you giggle lightly. 

“We could go visit Seoul together for summer vacation. I could show you the best restaurants and secret spots I found over the years.” His smile was finally showing. “We could go just the two of us, so we don't bring all the trouble with us, but just enough so it stays interesting.” He chuckles but still looks in the distance. Thunder and rain still fills the silence in the night. You wonder if it would be a good time to ask him why he’s always shutting you out, why he’s so repulsed by a relationship with you, why he’s so good to you and then becomes a rude person– “Mori told me I was pretty today, even with all the bandages.” You snort and when he turns his head to meet your gaze you look away and start to walk again. “He said that it was a shame you couldn’t tell me I was.” A long deep sigh escape your lips

“Why?” It was quick and sharp. 

“Because he knows.” You simply answer. “I had high hopes that you would change your mind about this arranged marriage, but for weeks I’ve been disappointed with mixed signals…”

“Why do you want us to be a couple so much?” He sounded annoyed by your simple answer. 

“Wouldn’t it be better?” You said it as if it was obvious. “I thought that you enjoyed my company, my person, enough so that you and I could… maybe make this arrangement a little more real.”

“I can’t give you that, y/n.” He stopped in his tracks and sighs disappointed. “I can’t give you what you want.” Your smile faded and something inside of you broke a little. 

“Why not?” It sounded more like a plea. He doesn’t speak, he only gives you a sad look. He can’t even give you a made up excuse for why he doesn’t want to be with you. You swallow your tears and your pride. You straighten your back and become this cold proper persona you’ve always put up in front of everyone. “I see how it is, Kyoya. I apologize for trying to cross the line you put, it won’t happen again.” You walk past him trying to go back to your room, but his hand catches your wrist stopping you next to him. “We made it clear, I won’t ask anything from you other than a business relationship.” Your voice was shaking and you didn’t dare to look at him. “You told me you didn’t want a friendship and to start over but I pushed you and I’m sorry. I will still take part of my bargain and boost your little numbers and keep Haruhi’s secret if you were about to ask… I won’t be a problem to you anymore, I promise.”

“Y/n–” You walked out of his grip and slowly made your way to your bedroom. You hadn’t realized you were crying until a loud sob escaped your lips a few corridors away.

You tried to not make any more sound, keeping the sobs and sniffles inside, but you choke up on your own sadness. Damn it, Kyoya! Damn you! You were so angry and sad, after him, for not wanting you. And after yourself for believing he could ever want a relationship.

A soft creek echoes in the corridor and light shines through the dark. As if you needed any more attention right now…

“Are you okay?” Renge asks and you snort. The question of the hour. “Get in here.” She yanked you inside and made you lay on top of her bed sheet. She sat next to you as if she was your therapist. “What did he do?” “What do you mean?”

“You never cry unless it’s because of four-eyes.” She snorts and so do you. She’s right. You could’ve cried and panicked when you were cornered with dangerous strangers earlier, but you didn’t. But now you’re crying because Kyoya refused you.

“Do you cry in front of people, Renge?” Her ceiling was pearly white, but she put a poster of some video game character above her bed, internally you laughed. 

“No, not unless I’m comfortable or I’m too overwhelmed and can’t help it anymore.” She admits as she starts playing with your hair. 

“I think I got comfortable with Kyoya.” You let out a soft sob as you came to the realization.

“Is that such a bad thing?” She gestures to your tears.

“No, I’m not crying because of that.” You chuckle lightly. “I messed up.” You start. “We’ve been seeing each other everyday for the past few months and I thought that he started to actually like me, the real me… But I made a fool of myself… I thought we were on the same page, but I was in another library, I think.” Renge gives you a tissue and you dry your tears with it. 

“What’s so special about him that you let yourself be comfortable with him?” 

“I don’t know. He’s infuriating, aggravating, always trying to prove a point to annoy me… Always getting on my last nerve– But deep down, he’s caring–” You stop yourself. “I like the competition, the bickering and nonetheless I love that we bother each other… I love that he’s there, even if it’s to say something annoying or to hold my hand… He’s there…” You meant every word that you poured out to Renge. It wasn’t love, but it felt like it. You knew it couldn’t be love, true and simple love because Kyoya didn’t want to be yours, not even close as you wanted to be his. “I tried to force him into a real relationship he, oh so clearly, doesn’t want.” You started to cry again. 

“No you didn’t.” She sounded almost angry that you were thinking this way. 

“I– I just want to be enough for him, you know? I’m enough for his family, his stupid brothers, but I’m not enough for him.”

“You know what I think?” She tells you and you shrug. “Fuck him.” You snort. “Right? Fuck the guy, he’s not interested, fine, but make him regret ever messing with your feelings. You are enough! He clearly can’t see it, but I do. You’re funny, smart, sweet, you have a pretty face and a rather sexy body. You’re talented, hell you speak four languages for Christ sakes! You are awesome and never let anyone tell you otherwise, not even Kyoya. Because he’s the one that doesn’t deserve you.”

“You’re right.”

“I know I am!” She smiles proudly. 

“Fuck him and fuck all of this stupid arrangement!” You were feral. You were both laughing like the devil possessed you both. “I make my own stupid choices! I will find a husband that I will see fit for me, not for anyone else.” “That’s my girl!”

“Kyoya will be free of me and will do as he wishes and I’ll be happy.”

“Monday, it will be my personal mission to find someone for you. You won’t have to lift a finger.” You laugh deeply. “How about Asahi?”

“He is cute, isn’t he?” You buried your head in her pillow as you blushed over his tanned body. 

“Talk to him tomorrow, maybe you’ll even get some action.”

“Gross.” You were laughing so hard, you were afraid you’d wake up Haruhi, who’s bedroom was next to Renge. “Thank you, Renge.” You smiled at her. “You’re a great friend.”

“That’s what friends are for, lift each other up.” She slumped over you and hugged you with all of her strength and, oh god, was she strong.

You spent the rest of the night together in bed talking about your super plan to get another future husband. The Perfect Boyfriend List had six requirements: 

1.  He had to be rich

2. Handsome

3. Kind and generous 

4. Funny

5. Obviously interested in you 

6. Not be Kyoya

It was going to be easy, right? The list of rich handsome guys at school was long… Excruciatingly long, but not impossible! You and Renge were going to be the perfect team for that.

After the terrible morning in Renge’s room where you both jolted awake by her alarm at 8 am on a Sunday, you were quietly eating lunch with the other hosts, not bothering to look at he who shall not be named.

“So you and Renge–” Tamaki quietly starts. 

“Don’t even start there you pervert.” Tamaki gasps. “I heard about your BDSM with Haruhi, stay out of my business.” A soft smirk appeared on your face when he was lost for words. 

“That’s not what was going on!” He retorts. “And I wasn’t insinuating anything! I’m a gentleman! I heard loud crying, then laughter, I was just curious.”

“You were crying?” Mori asks, concern shown in his tone. You look up from your plate seeing him glare at Kyoya. 

“We were having a girls night, we would’ve invited Haruhi, but she was busy.” Renge snorts, Haruhi rolls her eyes, but giggles. 

“That’s not what happened!” As the two of them kept arguing loudly over breakfast, you felt his intense gaze on you. You didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of looking at him, for him to feel the reassurance in your eyes. He deserved it, the ignorance, but a part of you wanted to look at him.

A distant laugh rings in your ears and you recognize him immediately, Asahi! You stand up quickly to go meet him in the corridor leading to the main entrance.

“Asahi!” You called out and he stopped in his tracks to smile at you. 

“Y/n! Hi! How are you?” You finally catch up to him, panting from the sudden rush of adrenaline. 

“I’m great, how about you?” You wanted, tried, to act as casually as possible. 

“Good! I was about to go on an early swim with some friends, want to tag along?” His smile was so bright and so gentle. 

“Maybe later today?” He nods. “Look, yesterday I had a great time at the beach with you as my guest and I think you enjoyed my company a lot too… What I’m saying is that I’d like to go on a date with you.”

“Oh wow! I am super flattered that you asked me out. You’re a great girl and I’d love to hang out after school.” But… “But it’s going to sound shitty, but I don’t like you romantically, I really like Renge.” You gasp in pure shock. When? What? Where? “I’m so sorry!”

“No! Oh God, don’t be sorry at all!” You laugh nervously. “I didn’t know, but I’m glad you told me, I’ll put in a good word for you.” He chuckles. “But I would really like to hang out with you too, as friends obviously.” He nods and you rush back to your table where Renge was already waiting for what you were about to tell her. “He said no.” It was plain and simple. 

“That jerk.” She wasn’t happy. Not a great start.

“He likes you.” It sounded less confident than you planned to. 

“Even a bigger jerk.” She was pouting.

“You asked someone out?” Kaoru asked, quite interested. 

“Yep and got rejected, no hard feelings.” You chuckle nervously. Renge was plotting something in her mind, she’s been quiet on the subject for far too long. “He’ll regret rejecting you.” She mumbled. 

“No, Renge, I don’t care I got rejected.” You laugh patting her on the back. “Besides, you could get yourself one heck of a boyfriend with Asahi.” 

“You asked Asahi out?” The group exclaimed, all of them were in shock as for Kyoya… He was silent.

You felt guilty for asking another guy out right after you got rejected by your fiancée, but it was what you had to do to get out of this union. Be someone else’s fiancée and be happy… You finally looked over at Kyoya and he felt cold and distant as the group were all yelling at each other over why you had asked Asahi out. He quietly stood and exited the room just as he did at last night’s dinner. You'd hurt his feelings, but so did he. It wasn’t fair play, but he didn’t want you that way, might as well find someone who would. Someone who would love you the way you deserve to be loved. After all, The Perfect Boyfriend List had six requirements: 

1. He had to be rich

2. Handsome

3. Kind and generous 

4. Funny

5. Obviously interested in you 

6. Not be Kyoya