#but I can’t exactly tag the original op…

[artsy-dreamer]

To headcanon post or not to headcanon post… that is the question

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Is it just me or has the card illustrations (specifically the groovy) been kinda bad lately? Like don't get me wrong most of the pre groovy are absolute bangers, but the groovies? Not so much. But lately there has been an obvious decrease in quality with anatomy, and even 😐 a whitewashing problem.

Take Lilia's dorm groovy for example— the piece is gorgeous, but whenever I zoom into his face the way they draw his face looks so off.

As for the whitewashing issue, I've noticed that Leona's beastly garb groovy had him very ashy looking (but some may argue that it's just the lighting casted on him)

Right now though the one that's been bothering me the most is the obvious whitwashing on Kalim's tsum groovy. We really can't argue that it's a lighting issue there, cause Jamil's firework card had a similar setting and he didn't look that light.

Personally, I think TWST’s Groovy illustrations have always been hit or miss since the beginning. I have similar issues with the faces in Lilia and Leona’s Dorm Uniform Groovies, and the anatomy seemed slightly off in a few others. I can’t find the original post anymore (I think OP didn’t tag it??), but I clearly recall an artist having spoken about how the pose in Epel’s initial Dorm Uniform art looked weird; they included drawings of how Epel’s spine and limbs looked vs how they should look to illustrate what they meant. Those are just a few examples of then and now though, and we have to keep in mind that if we include ALL available cards then the funky faces and weird posing/proportions only make up a very small percentage of what’s out there.

The more important issue at the moment is the coloring choices that were made for a few recent SSR event Groovies: Beastly Garb Leona and Tsumsted Kalim. They are pictured below with a few other card illustrations I pulled that have similar lighting (or as similar as I could find). You’ll notice (especially for Tsumsted Kalim’s Groovy) that the characters’ skin colors are much lighter than they should be.

Now I’ll be honest here 💦 I actually can’t tell (even when eyedropping the colors to compare; I don't even know if eyedropping is an accurate way to compare colors since the lighting and environment in every illustration is never EXACTLY the same) if Leona’s Beastly Garb Groovy is just the strong sunlight or if it has been whitewashed. I don’t have enough knowledge and/or experience with color theory and in real life to know for certain. However, as the Anon has said, that same argument cannot be made for the Scarabia duo. It’s particularly bad for Tsumsted Kalim because Yasmina Silk Jamil also had fireworks in the background, and his skin color is fine there. Sometimes artists purposefully use an altered color palate to achieve a different feeling in their pieces (for example, pastel colors for a soft, soothing look). I don’t think that was the case for Tsumsted Kalim because everything else in the Groovy art looks pretty true to color for the lighting (but again, I'm not an expert in coloring so I could be wrong). When taken in conjunction with Leona’s Beastly Garb… it could indicate a troubling pattern.

There’s been a lot of speculation going around for why this has happened, chief among that speculation being the TWST team has likely hired new staff and/or colorists (and Japan, being Japan, is pretty homogenous; it may be difficult to find artists with an understanding of how to color and shade darker skin tones). Again, these are just guesses circulating in the fandom. Nothing is confirmed, and nor does this excuse what has happened.

This has, very understandably, caused a lot of hurt and upset in the TWST fandom and community. So now the question is…

What can we do about it?

You can communicate your feelings to the TWST team! They have a form to collect thoughts and opinions from the playerbase, which can be accessed here.

PLEASE NOTE:

Be polite and professional. Nothing good comes out of anger, especially if the anger is directed at others; if you are rude and/or curse at the staff, they will be much less likely to hear you out.

Communicate in Japanese. The staff you are sending your complaint to are Japanese, and the game itself is Japanese (Beastly Garb Leona and Tsumsted Kalim are not yet out in the EN server, which is staffed by totally different people).

If you don’t know how to write in Japanese, this Twitter user has created polite templates to communicate our concerns with the whitewashing. (Their whole thread is great; please reference it if you need additional assistance!!) I would not recommend adding extra text, especially if you would be relying on a translation program to do so. Speaking in broken Japanese can be perceived as rude and will only detract from your message.

A similar situation to this occurred during the initial run of Fairy Gala; TWST had used “exotic” in its text, and after receiving an influx of feedback from the players, the devs went in and changed the dialogue to no longer use the term. It’s possible to make the change we want to see a reality if we respectfully make our thoughts known.

[gffa]

One thing I think is helpful to explain to any new-to-Tumblr is how permanence works on Tumblr vs how it works on Twitter: When you reply something on Twitter, then you delete it, it’s deleted everywhere.  On Tumblr, if you delete a post or edit a post, it’s changed on your blog and any future reblogs from that point on, but if someone has already reblogged it from you, then it does not change. So, if I make a post saying “Shane Madej sucks ass” and you reblog it from me, that reblog stays exactly as it is forever, including anyone who then reblogs it from you.  Five minutes later, I edit that post to say, “Ryan Bergara sucks ass” because that’s what I meant, oops, whoever reblogged it in those five minutes has the original version forever.  If I delete my Shane post, that post still exists on those people’s blogs (but not on my blog or in any tracked tags) and can be reblogged from anyone who has it on their blog--sans people I’ve blocked. Replies work slightly differently:  If you reply to someone’s post, you can delete it and it will be deleted forever for everyone.  If the OP blocks you, your reply will vanish from all reblogs. If you have someone blocked, you will not see their replies on any post or their tags in the tag viewer, but this applies only on your dash and in dash view (ie, when you see the blue background), but if you go to their main blog page, even if you’re logged in, blocking someone will still allow you to see their posts.  Like, if I block ProfessorFucker69, they will not see my posts in the tracked tags or on their dash (even if a mutual reblogs them, they’re hidden from ProfessorFucker69), but they can visit my main blog page and see everything I’ve posted.  They just can’t send me anything or reblog my posts or reply to them. In general, this really isn’t a big issue, it doesn’t cause a lot of strife or anything, it’s just something to be aware of how the two sites function differently!

[ziseviolet]

I posted 5,832 times in 2022

That's 1,413 more posts than 2021!

30 posts created (1%)

5,802 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@fouryearsofshades

@rongzhi

@hanfugallery

@fuckyeahchinesefashion

I tagged 5,828 of my posts in 2022

#r - 5,765 posts

#hanfu - 3,786 posts

#art - 1,187 posts

#tang dynasty - 810 posts

#audio - 791 posts

#ming dynasty - 738 posts

#video - 734 posts

#mens hanfu - 576 posts

#drama - 572 posts

#art by op - 558 posts

Longest Tag: 96 characters

#i'll always associate this song with the giant dancing ginseng from that one chunwan performance

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

In wuxia I see that they have half their hair up and the other half down. Is there a certain period where this hairstyle directs from?

Hi, thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply!

The half-up, half-down hairstyle that you often see on both male & female characters in Chinese guzhuang (period costume) dramas is not based on historical hairstyles. Rather, it is a fairly recent styling convention, most likely originating from late 20th century wuxia TV shows from Hong Kong (x). Over time the hairstyle has become normalized and commonplace in Chinese costume dramas, especially in the wuxia and xianxia genres (because these genres are not necessarily aiming for historical accuracy in the first place).

Below, from left to right: Wang Hedi in Love Between Fairy and Devil, Deng Wei in Miss the Dragon, Xiao Zhan in The Untamed, Gong Jun in Word of Honor: 

As @niteshade925 explains in this post, for male characters, the main idea of the hairstyle is to make the character look attractive, and also in some shows/context, to hint at the character’s personality, as in maybe they do not adhere to traditional customs and are free-spirited/spontaneous. For female characters, it is usually just a regular hairstyle without deeper meaning :P

For more information on this half-up half-down hairstyle, and historical hairstyles in general, please see the following posts:

The historical accuracy of half-up half-down hairstyles

The historical accuracy of ponytails

Historical hairstyles for men

Hope this helps!

528 notes - Posted October 7, 2022

#4

Dior Mamianqun Controversy

I received the following message via chat from a follower, that I would like to share here:

Hi, 小紫, do you know that Dior appropriates the modernized mamianqun designed by some hanfu brands in china? link of discussion about Dior 2022 A/W show on weibo: https://weibo.com/6323095999/LChcJyPTa?refer_flag=1001030103_&type=repost#_rnd1657858224778 , I think Dior indeed directly referenced the structure of how it's pleated and inner cutouts of mamianqun which has a long history dated back to ming dynasty and influenced the shape of qing dynasty skirts as well, it is sussy, look how the DIOR model turned around when the skirt spread to reveal the split style, this is indeed the unique inner structure of mamianqun, a more rigorous examination requires DIOR to show the flat design, but Dior is not responding, it claims on the official website that this is their exclusive style launched this year, yet the same style of mamianqun has been prevalent among young people in China for several years, there are several taobao stores making exactly this kind of modernized mamianqun since 2018 or even early (metal leather buckle belt + fabric suitable for autumn and winter + long skirts), such as 四时景, 你好美荔, etc., I don't know how to make it an anonymous ask for you to post my question but I would like to listen to your and other followers' comments on this, thank you 小紫(also feel totally free not to post this one, it's your blog and you make the call ❤️

See the full post

1,167 notes - Posted July 15, 2022

#3

See the full post

1,262 notes - Posted January 9, 2022

#2

Hi! I'm really fond of researching about hanfu and its history, and I found a lot of interesting information on this blog. But I can't help it and keep wondering about the reason for qipao/cheongsang not be considered a hanfu? When I researched about it the most common argument is the Manchu influence on it. However, there are a plenty of hanfu styles that were influenced by other cultures. Is there a more especific reason for not consider the qipao?

Hi, thanks for the question, and glad you like my blog! (x)

I want to start off with an important disclaimer:

The term “hanfu” as we use it today (defined as “traditional Han Chinese clothing”) does not have the exact same meaning as when it was used historically. As @audreydoeskaren explains in this post, “while it is true that the term “hanfu” was used in some historical texts, they were often used in opposition to clothing worn by foreign peoples...and not as a standalone term”. Today, there is no central organizing body or law that states exactly what is & what is not considered hanfu. Rather, such categorization is done by the members of the hanfu community - and the hanfu community is not a monolith. Ever since its inception in 2003, the hanfu revival movement has been a grassroots, bottom-up movement with members of various backgrounds, ideologies, and opinions. It is a movement that is built upon, and driven forward by, constant dialogue and debate among its members. Thus the question of what garments are considered hanfu is under continuous discussion, and is subject to the hanfu community’s views and ideas on culture, clothing, and history.

See the full post

2,167 notes - Posted March 6, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

What exactly does Dunhuang style mean?

Hi, thanks for the question! (x)

Dunhuang/敦煌 style refers to the art, fashion, and culture depicted in the Dunhuang Murals/敦煌壁画 of China, which are located in the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Gansu Province. From the 4th to 14th century, the caves were constructed by Buddhist monks to serve as shrines with funds from donors. These caves were elaborately painted, the cave paintings and architecture serving as aids to meditation, visual representations of the quest for enlightenment, and teaching tools for Buddhist beliefs and stories. The major caves were sponsored by patrons such as important clergy, local ruling elite, foreign dignitaries, as well as Chinese emperors (x). Below - painting from the Dunhuang Murals (x):

See the full post

3,306 notes - Posted January 1, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[thenaiads]

Fandoms and Ships

Here is the link of the first post: LINK

@wilbywrites

@bruhimbadatart

and who ever will read this

I will said here to not bothering OP anymore.

......................... The point is that you CAN'T STOP THIS!!!

Boundaries or not you can't stop it, this thing happen everytimes.

When I was in the Undertale fandom I saw shit like you can't even imagine!!! Some creators in that fandom will create some cute or even dark AU and then people will totally vomit bullshit to them no matter what.

In the Gravity Falls and OTGW fandom, I and other people shipped Pinescone (WirtxDipper), and most of us will age them up but others Not!

And don't let me talk about the gore and porn stuff that some people draw (some of them are 16 years old) even when the original creator said no!

As I said I have been in a LOT of fandoms, and I keep seeing this war over and over again.

Many people took what Techno said as "NO, don't do that",  but for me was more "This is cringe and I don't wanna participate it. Please, keep it private".

And with Techno that NEVER really talked about it in a more specific way like Niki did. (I remember she said to "don't ship HER (real person), but that we were free to USE her Character for our fanworks").

We were left with a very lovely ship, but with some people that will come and say "delete that or else", even when we tagged and keep it between our friends on AO3.

I believe that the creators have no issue with us using their fictional characters, but if we wanna talk about boundaries then I wanna use an example: 

Imagine that you (creator/artist) make a doll (series/comic), and you give that doll to a person or kid (fandom), and maybe you give them some "rules" (boundaries) about how to play with this doll. Now the person starts playing by creating fictional stories and scenarios (AUs and headcannons) that don't have much to do with the original story (canon plot) of this doll. From there the person inevitably begins to give this doll (which has become a completely different character from the original story) "companies" who can be family, friends and love interests. The doll is now the Persona/Original character of the fandom.  At that point the fandom created something so similar and different from the original story and characters. And the original creator can't "take back" the doll, because it has become something totally new even though it's still part of the original series in a way.

This is what in a way happened in DreamSMP's roleplay, where the creators have given us a product, which we have with our imagination changed into something new. (Where this is going with the boundaries??? I’m going there)

This kind of behavior and creativity is the foundation of every single fandom, and you can't change it... Because that's what makes a fandom.

The moment the creators of the DreamSMP created the Server and its storyline, they knew that inevitably this sort of thing was going to happen!!!!

And yes some asked to avoid some things (like using their real persona, or to avoid writing or draw smut or horror/dark/gorey stuff), but even so they never said "DO NOT CREATE this particular topic at all" not really, what they tried to say was "Please, if you create this context keep it private and don't force it on me, because it make me uncomfortable”. That's what I really hear from every single creator and artist at the end of the day. And that's what we as fans are supposed to acknowledge and respect, but fail to do (towards the original creators and other fans).

Another example: Dream said that horror and gore make him sick, but that wasn’t an order to stop creating dark content for his character. (That Dream said something that made people angry, and then fans and haters bein assholes with him is something totally different and not new. If you some of you was on Twitter on that time you know exactly what happened and how 😓)

I've learned not to force my ideas on others when it comes to fandom, whether I'm right or wrong.

You can't tell people what to create and how, not when the fandom was originally created by fans for fans!!! To allow them to run wild with their imagination and creativity.

Don't you want your fandom to create some kind of stuff? Then don't create a fandom... or at least stay away from it.

I mean, Toby Fox the creator of Undertale has never interacted more than he should with his fans here on Tumblr (where the Undertale fandom was born. Even when the level of toxicity skyrocketed), and for a reason simple: there is no way to control people, you can only hope they are respectful enough to keep their shit to themselves and not make trouble for others.

If you go to my tags you will find some problematic ship (not DSMP) with themes like: incest, selfcest, R-18 (for the smut/lemon scene), and other that I don't remember.

These tags are all about fictional characters that I'm 100% sure the creators vomited blood after read them.

Still this hasn't stopped anyone from creating them and enjoy these kinds of themes.

If you wanna avoid to see the “Dreamnoblade” (or other ship names), you need to go on your Settings and use the Filtered Tags!!! And if you find a post DNB with any tag on it then you need to contact OP (the creator of the post) and ask them to use the tags that will help your filtres to work!!!!

In the past, I had a lot of people coming into my ask-box asking me to tag "in the correct way" my posts to avoid seeing things that they did not like. I had to create the “moth” tag, because some guy that followed me didn’t like the photos of moths that I LOVE to reblog!!! So I don’t understand why you can’t do the same 😑

So I Repeat:

1- You can’t control people and force them to be like you want.

2- You can’t and should NOT trip guilt fans to throw away what made them happy, especially if they keep it privately (on Discord, AO3 or here on Tumblr), with NO intentions to show to the CC their PRIVATE WORK.

You CAN and SHOULD create boundaries with other fans asking them to be respectful towards CC and yourself, and to use tags correctly (like good neighbors do).

3- And when a person is a total piece of sh*t and doesn’t wanna find any agreements with you, then you: Unfollow them, you can even Report and Block them if you wish (like most of us do these days), and call it a day 😊.

This is how a fandom work and should always work!!! Period. And if you can’t do that, then you should not be in a fandom and interact with the people in it!

P.S: English is not my first language, if there are weird and confusing words and sentences I’m sorry, you can contact me and I will try to explain myself better. The word is Try.

Please don’t send hate or disprectful messages here or in my ask-box (if you do that I will totally report you to the Staff and then block you. Don’t test me)

[cto10121]

R&J Clown Takes Round ♾ + Part 9

With the new Rosaline movie out, the clowns are back in full obnoxious force + some Twitter discourse over the lack of verisimilitude of movie couples. O heavy burden.

“Fresh New Take”

Historically. Like these characters were actually real. Wtf.

Also…”accurately.” Lol. Rosaline and Romeo never dated. More to the point, Rosaline isn’t Shakespeare’s original character, exactly. He came up with the name himself, but he got the idea from Brooke’s narrative poem, where Romeus is in love with an unnamed girl.

A “fresh” take that has been done at least once before as a YA novel. I really should make a whole tag just on the Rosaline stan fandom itself. Rosaline fan dumb? In any case, it’s really easy to project headcanons on a phantom character.

Their courtship sonnet is an actual conversation. Their whole balcony interaction is a conversation. Or do those not count just because they are about love?

Tfw your friend has a crush on a totally new, random other person and tragedy ensures, ending with your friend’s untimely demise. All high school relationships, amirite?

The Three Musketeers

Tag yourself, I’m “impossible not to fall in love when you’re looking through a fish tank.” Because of course.

But Clown OP 3 takes the sharpest dive. Romeo tellingly never says that he will literally die if he can’t be with her. “Do I live dead that live to tell it now” is the closest to that sentiment but even then it’s clearly an exaggerated metaphor about his angst. Romeo is incredibly passive when it comes to his first infatuation. It isn’t even his idea to go to the Capulet ball—and even then only to see her and not talk to her. A stark contrast to his behavior when he meets Juliet. Homeboy suddenly finds it a-OK to just take Juliet’s hand and ask forgiveness for it (not even permission!).

Hello Migratory Slash Fandom, My Old Friend

Unless this movie decides to just make them yasss queen besties, Juliet and Rosaline are cousins. ‘My fair niece Rosaline’ and all. But ship and let ship, I guess (?).

[chidoroki]

Tokyo Revengers S2EP1

aka: the boys are back in town ♫

Oh thank god we're picking up right where season one left off with no recap in sight. Exactly what I wanna see!

 Who the hell was quick enough to beat Kisaki up and save Takemichi when the lights went out huh?

This place at the side of the river where Takemichi is now.. I vaguely recognize it from some of the season’s previews.

BAJI???? I.. what? WHAT? Sir you died in this timeline didn’t you? They were just talking about you and how Kisaki apologized for it!

Wait, did they ever mention last episode that Baji was actually dead..? Okay yeah, looking back they did mention he died on Halloween. So.. I’m still confused on how he’s here now apparently? Unless that ain’t even him and I’m rambling for nothing. I dunno, I screamed and paused when this guy showed up.

Real talk though, I know how the series ends. There was a lot of chatter when the last couple chapters were being released, so naturally, I got curious and read the last three and yeah.. kinda disappointing how fucking quick everything was resolved and ended (I feel your pain, TPN did the same), but at least we’re all happy? I guess? Anyway I’ll shut up now. I know little to nothing of everything that happened in between last season and the very end.

Ohhh shit, it was Kazutora who saved him! I wished I would’ve recognized his voice more.. that would’ve helped. I love that he still has that little bell earring.

Okay well never the fuck mind then, now he’s beating up Takemichi.

Hold up, he wanted to save Chifuyu? Mmhhm okay, good. Good. I wish you did save my boy. I’m starting to warm up to you now.

Aww but he was there to pick Kazutora up when he was released from prison! Best boy!

Yeah Toman has really got batshit crazy. Y’all gotta fix that.

Ah cmon, Pah and Peh were murdered last night too? I’m trying to think who else at that table was part of the old Toman since they’re getting targeted apparently.. the dude that always smiles and the guy with the blue hair with the swirl I think (it’s been a long while, I’ll remember names eventually). And Hanma too, but he wasn’t originally Toman.

Oh, speak of the devil, there’s the blue haired guy. And these other two guys from Black Dragon I remember from last season and recognize from previews. Three of ‘em working close under Kisaki? Oh dear..

Good, so Naoto is alive, just who knows where.

Ah, there he is.. and he’s handcuffing Takemichi. Alrighty. So much for a touching reunion.

Oh even Kazutora was blindsided by this, oops.

Every time the episode fades to black I’m expecting to see the new OP and every time I get nothing! Ah! Stop teasing me.

Damn dude, Takemichi really changes when he moves between timelines huh? That video of him was totally unlike our crybaby.

Ah fuck, so he’s the one who gave Akkun the order to kill Hinata?

Okay so he didn’t know that it was her who was gonna be killed, the second video proved that, but still. How do ya go back in time to fix that when you’re sorta the problem? I mean, can’t we all just agree to kill Kisaki? Yeah? No? Okay.

“I can only go back to today 12 years ago! There’s no way I can save him [Baji]!” If I didn’t know how it all ended, I would’ve been far more upset with this.

“Tetta Kisaki clearly has some obsession with you and my sister.” I think I know the reason via my many random glances at the manga but not completely sure..? But if it’s for the reason I think, then he’s so dramatic.

Oooh back to the past and we’re on a bowling date with our lady. Not only that but he got three strikes? Nice going lad!

Oh my god, the way she tossed the ball was adorable.

Ah great, the blue haired guy got a strike in the lane right next to us. Hakkai is his name right? Pretty sure he’s already part of Toman at this point. I know I’ve seen him in previous fights.

And that was his sister off to the side too right? Only know that ‘cause I had tagged her in stuff already.

Aahh Chifuyu! So happy to see you even if only in the ending! (for now).

So many names I gotta go back and remember, oh boy.

There’s our tall guy Hanma! Ngl I’m kinda excited to see more of him? I dunno what changed in me since season one but yeah, went back and watched a few of his scenes again and I like him.

Those white jackets I thought were from Valhalla but these ones got “Tokyo Kai” on ‘em, so are we switching? Because honestly I loved that style of bomber jacket more than the black Toman ones. Not really sure though, since a bunch of other scenes have the originals.

Ending sequence and the song were nice though.

Well now, lot to take in from the first ep but so glad to see everyone again!

[edaworks]

Original character interview tag time!

(Tagged by @twosides--samecoin. Thanks!)

—

Name?

“Benjamin Jamison.”

Are you single?

(He opens his mouth. Before he gets a word out, something crashes to the ground offscreen, in the kitchen. We hear:)

“The hell he is!”

Ben shrugs, closes his mouth again.

Are you happy?

“Right now? Relieved, maybe.”

Are you angry?

“I’m not thrilled about the past few weeks, no.”

Are your parents still married?

“Unless they’ve gotten a divorce post-mortem?”

(He laughs.)

“Though frankly, I’m not entirely sure they were married in the old-world sense to begin with. You don’t exactly trot down to Judiciary Square to pick up a marriage certificate these days.”

Birth place?

“Six and a half miles by foot from yours. DC, southwest quarter, down by the tidal basin. Big white dome. Can’t miss it.”

Hair color?

(From offscreen, in the kitchen:) “Coffee brown with lowlights-”

(Ben rolls his eyes.)

“Brown. Just brown.”

Eye color?

“Green.”

Birthday?

“July 13th.”

Mood?

(He sighs.)

“Relieved. Exhausted. Hangry. I really could use a good meal and time to just…rest with my partner. Given the number of people crashing here tonight, that’s not gonna happen - well, the food part will, probably…”

(He looks over his shoulder towards the kitchen, from which various food preparation noises are audible.)

“Unpacking our gear and - frankly - all the cleaning and maintenance is going to be tomorrow���s problem. I just don’t have the energy. Feel like I’ve been lugging around half the National Archives on my back this past week.”

(He does look pretty beat. And beat up.)

Gender?

“Uh. He. I mean, male?”

Summer or winter?

“Neither. Fall. Not scorching, not freezing, fewer constant radstorms and dust storms. But if I had to pick one, I guess summer. Food is more plentiful because the hunting is better and if you can find a place to go to ground or get out of the Capital, the heat’s manageable too.”

Morning or afternoon?

“Afternoon, personally. It’s warmer. Morning for ops, but I’m only a morning person under duress.”

—Eight things about your love life:—

Are you in love?

(DeLoria leaves the kitchen and shoves his way into the frame, looking pretty steamed, holding a mixing bowl and wearing a tattered apron that says “#1 Daddy” over his jacket and jeans. Ben has just taken a swig of beer and splutters, choking on it in mirth as DeLoria starts in:)

“Hey, knock it off! He’s outta everyone else’s league!”

(Derisive robot noises from upstairs, followed by:)

“Inaccurate, Mr. DeLoria; no one is playing in your league.”

(DeLoria, intentionally misinterpreting the dig:)

“Damn right.”

(furious whisking)

Do you believe in love at first sight?

(Ben and DeLoria look at each other; gales of laughter follow; Ben can barely calm himself enough to get an answer out)

“Aheh…no. That’s…That one’s definitely a no.”

Who ended your last relationship?

(DeLoria glares, and moves to -)

“Hey, no, it’s just a question. It’s fine.”

(He settles, still suspicious, Ben’s hand resting on his forearm.)

“If you mean who pulled the trigger, it was a platoon of Enclave remnants, about five years ago. If you mean the reason the mission went sideways to begin with, though, that was Arthur Maxson.”

Have you ever broken someone’s heart?

(He shifts uncomfortably.)

“Uhhh.”

(DeLoria snickers, saunters back to the kitchen)

“Maybe…try an easier question?”

Are you afraid of commitments?

(Too quickly:)

“No!”

(Three other voices, competing with each other, call him out:)

(From upstairs:) “Yes.”

(Also from upstairs:) “Demonstrably.”

(From the kitchen:) “Bullshit.”

Have you hugged someone within the last week?

“You want a list?”

Have you ever had a secret admirer?

(Uproarious laughter from the kitchen)

“You don’t count, Dee.”

“Not talkin’ ‘bout me-”

(DeLoria reappears around the corner; no mixing bowl this time. He’s brushing flour off his hands, using the apron - now removed - as a towel.)

“-and oh man, there is a line! Let’s see: should I start with back in the Vault or-”

“Dee.”

“-just go straight to the Wasteland list-”

“DeLoria.”

(He leans in towards Ben, conspiratorially:)

“-because it’s word from the bird that one cat we know has carried a torch for-”

(Ben gently but firmly shoves DeLoria’s face out of the frame)

“Butch! Moving on.”

Have you ever broken your own heart?

“I’ll go with yes. Next?”

—Six choices:—

Love or lust?

(From the kitchen)

“Why’s it gotta be a choice?”

(Ben shrugs.)

“He’s got a point.”

Lemonade or iced tea?

(In unison from the kitchen and Ben:)

“Arnold Palmers!”

(From upstairs, with delicate, cultured disdain:)

“Oh, not this again.”

Cats or dogs?

(A mad scramble from upstairs. Ben cringes at nails scrabbling on steel.)

“No! Bath time has not concluded, pup!”

(It’s too late. There is dog everywhere. There are soap suds everywhere. Items go flying off the bookshelves by the stairs and the side table by the couch - none of them are breakable; this has happened too many times. Ben blows soap suds off his upper lip. He is soaked. The couch is soaked. Seventy pounds’ worth of dog is rolling around all over Ben’s lap and the couch. Ben hasn’t moved. Wadsworth’s accent has slipped. A stream of Scotch-Irish profanity picked up from the residents of Megaton echoes as Wadsworth chases Dogmeat around the picnic table in the living room, followed by-)

“By God, if I had hands I’d strangle the life out of you!”

“Bark!”

A few best friends or many regular friends?

Ben: “The former.”

(Everyone else) “Both.”

Wild night out or romantic night in?

(DeLoria sticks his head out of the kitchen to interrupt:) “Definitely both!”

Day or night?

“Night.”

—Four Have-You-Evers—

Been caught sneaking out?

(Dead silence, confusion, comical expressions. From upstairs, a gravelly voice:)

“You know who you’re interviewing, right?”

Fallen up/down the stairs?

(DeLoria:)

“Tchyeah he has, all the way down those long-ass metal steps into DuPont station!”

“Thanks, Butch.”

(The “long ass” escalator in question - DuPont Station’s south entrance. Photo from Wikipedia because shockingly the interviewer doesn’t have any, despite power walking them on weekdays for over two years. They’re over 170ft long and rise 85ft. The north entrance escalators are actually 18ft longer!)

Wanted someone/something so badly it hurts?

“Who hasn’t?”

Wanted to disappear?

“Yeah, and did. For a while.”

—Four preferences:—

Smile or eyes?

(A wicked grin.)

“Depends on the person.”

(From the kitchen:)

“Hey!”

Shorter or taller?

(Ben considers.)

“I don’t know that it’s ever really mattered to me…”

(A low chuckle from upstairs, and Charon calls down:)

“I believe it’s a moot point. He’s taller than most, save greenies, deathclaws and me.”

Intelligence or attraction?

“One leads to another.”

(DeLoria is silent in the kitchen. He is probably blushing.)

Hook-up or relationship?

“Honestly, I-“

(From the kitchen:)

“He doesn’t do hookups.”

(Ben shrugs.)

“…No, he’s actually not just saying that, he’s right. I have no issue with hookups, it’s just…never really how it’s worked for me?”

(Ben is demisexual. He doesn’t have a word for that. He also doesn’t know the interview audience has a word for that.)

—Family—

Do you and your family get along?

“What, with these guys? Most of the time,” he grins.

(From the kitchen:)

“He’s a real heel sometimes.”

(Ben calls back over his shoulder:) “Only ‘cause I care.”

Would you say you have a ‘messed up life?’

(Ben snorts.) “Bold of you to assume anyone out here has a normal life.”

Have you ever run away from home?

(Ben’s face is screwed up in complete confusion.)

“Is that a trick question…?“

(Wadsworth, now back upstairs:)

“Do…have you never listened to the radio, I wonder?”

(From the kitchen:)

“His second time don’t count anyhow, an’ I ain’t gonna cop to any runnin’ from that shithole. Almodovar can kiss my-“

(Ben interrupts, hollering back:)

“Nah, she can’t.”

“What, you jealous?”

Okay, then have you ever gotten kicked out?

(At this point Ben has cottoned on to the interviewer blatantly trolling him, and rewards the audience with a flat stare. Charon can be heard guffawing from the second floor. DeLoria comes back from the kitchen, wheezing with laughter.)

“Aww, come on man, you gotta know you’re bein’ fucked with, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. Every human interest piece needs a little bit of humor.”

(From upstairs, with asperity:) “You read that on one of the plaques in the Newseum collection storage warehouse.”

“Thank you, Charon.”

—Friends—

Do you secretly hate one of your friends?

“Nah. Hate what they do sometimes, though. If it gets to the point where someone’s pissed me off that much, it’s usually not a secret for too long unless there are opsec reasons.”

Do you consider all of your friends good friends?

“…what’s the difference? If they’re not, then they’re just acquaintances, right?” (He looks genuinely confused.)

Who is your best friend?

“I…I mean, geez, I guess I’m just lucky-“

“We know.” (A chorus.)

“-but I haven’t had a best friend singular since, well, since I left the Vault. …I mean, there’s Butch obviously, your partner’s one kind of ‘best friend,’ right? And Charon and RJ and Fawkes. And Moira.” He shrugs. “I’m closest to them, but that’s ‘cause they’re family.”

(Dogmeat jumps back on the couch, now soap-free and partially dry. Ben gives him a pat.)

“You too, buddy.”

(Ben thinks about it. He hasn’t ever really stopped to in the past. He guesses he doesn’t call anyone a “best friend” because he’s adopted them all, so “best friend” both isn’t really inclusive enough and…doesn’t really cover it, from his point of view.)

Who knows everything about you?

“No one? I don’t even think I do. But that’s kinda the same for everyone, right?”

Tagging @wastelandhell; @theartofblossoming; @just-another-wasteland-merc.

[listentothelittlebird]

I posted 2,668 times in 2022

That's 2,541 more posts than 2021!

55 posts created (2%)

2,613 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@bubblegum-gf

@theawkwardvirgin

@sohotthateveryonedied

@todaysbird

@fanfictiongreenirises

I tagged 1,030 of my posts in 2022

#bird - 229 posts

#cat - 85 posts

#i really need a tagging system - 27 posts

#pokemon - 25 posts

#chibird - 21 posts

#hello tofu mutual - 16 posts

#atla - 15 posts

#fanfic writer problems - 14 posts

#i love em - 14 posts

#rtgame - 14 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#recently watched something that made me think along a similar vein to op because they didn’t show why exactly super couldn’t tell their fam

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Writing Masterpost

I guess I should make this before it gets out of hand

Most of my stories are on ao3! Things I post on tumblr are typically the draft versions of my ao3 stories

From Code Bat:

- Jason Dissociating  - Alternate Super Sons Meeting - Protect Our Own Jason POV - Hot Potato with a Bookmark - Sleepy Jason (Alternate How Are You?)  - Damian and Tim - Cass and Jason - The Original Draft - Superman Meets Bizarro - Alternate Out of the Shadows - Alternate Snapshots of Gotham - Alternate Collecting the Hints

From Gotham’s White Lotus:

- Dick and Airbending - Alternate Making A Splash - Alternate Burning Iceberg

Fairness Federation gets a special shoutout

Extra Scene from It’s a Small World universe

Tumblr Drabbles:

- It starts with Jason. - Rogues know who Batman is - “I’m sorry.”

27 notes - Posted January 6, 2022

#4

I found this youtube channel called Curious Archive and I’ve been going insane because like- speculative biology? Did you mean extensive worldbuilding that takes into account scientific reasoning like an overcomprehensive sci-fi book setting? Boi I wish I were as cool as the worlds being featured

28 notes - Posted January 29, 2022

#3

Sometimes you procrastinate life things by writing a fanfic series, and sometimes you procrastinate life things by procrastinating the fanfic series by opening up a new doc and writing an entirely separate fanfic idea

143 notes - Posted January 21, 2022

#2

It starts with Jason.

Jason, the original bookworm of the family, up late at night and reading on his bed. Or, well, trying to read.

Eventually, he growls and - carefully - slams the book shut, lifting it up but just stopping short of actually throwing it. He sighs.

“Can’t sleep?”

It’s Dick that finds him, leaning against his doorway with tired eyes that still burn with too much energy to truly go to bed.

“You know that moment,” Jason complains, squinting, “When you’ve been staring at words for so long, then you blink, and suddenly everything’s blurry?”

“Are you getting myopia?” Dick laughs as Jason’s expression, “It’s a real concern! But I get it. You have to rest your eyes when that happens.”

“But I can’t sleep,” Jason whines.

“Me neither,” Dick sighs, and smiles, “Hey, I have an idea.”

Dick plonks himself onto Jason’s bed, ignoring his vocal protests, and plucks the book out of his hand. “Where did you stop reading?” he asks, “I’ll read it to you.”

“Oh,” Jason blinks - Dick notes amusedly that he was still squinting and unsquinting his eyes, trying to pull blurry blobs back into focus, “Uh, the page on the left of the bookmark.”

Dick reads.

-

“You’re gonna spoil your eyes like that, Timmy.”

“I live on spite,” Tim deadpans, “If my eyes want to fail me too then so be it.”

Jason laughs as he collapses onto the couch beside him. Tim ignores him until he lifts the laptop up and out of his lap, into his own.

“What’re you even working on?” he asks, and huffs. “Hang on, wait, are you reading?”

“Why do you sound so surprised? Just because I don’t like the classics doesn’t mean I’ve given up on words.”

“Holy shit,” Jason continues, ignoring Tim as a grin spreads across his face, “Is this anime fanfic? Are you reading anime fanfic?”

Tim groans, and slumps against Jason’s shoulder. Jason tries to shove the bony part of his shoulder into Tim’s cheek, but Tim just bounces harmlessly, only leaning more weight on him when he was done moving. Jason huffs.

“I was trying to finish reading,” Tim muttered, “But my eyes refuse to work. So maybe I did already spoil my eyes. Maybe I didn’t. I’m in denial.”

“It’s probably just from staring at a screen for too long,” Jason muses. Then he shifts, getting more comfortable. Tim’s head is now firmly on Jason’s arm.

“C’mon, I’ll read it for you. Where’d you stop?”

214 notes - Posted January 5, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

good day to everyone who has three separate drafts for the same story plot concept idea thing, doing great besties

577 notes - Posted June 28, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[babbydriver]

,

[5ummit]

Banned Tags

When I made my original Tumblr Purge 2: Electric Boogaloo PSA, I knew the situation was bad, but I still had no idea how bad. It was only after I started noticing how many posts were missing on iOS, investigating exactly which tags caused them to be blocked, and making my own list that it really sunk in. Y’all it’s bad. It’s real bad.

While most of the banned tags are at least somewhat logical (nsfw, porn, kink, etc) there are also a significant number that have no relation to “sensitive content” whatsoever. In fact, these tags are so ubiquitous you would be hard pressed to find a single tumblr user that doesn’t regularly use at least some of them, especially content creators. I don’t know how these tags could’ve possibly ended up on the banned list, but my guess based on my findings and tumblr’s general level of competence: a bunch of blogs flagged as explicit were scraped and all of the tags that were used x amount of times were dumped into a “banned tag” database and never checked by a real human. I can only assume that some of these will be walked back eventually once the backlash becomes great enough (as they did in the Original Purge), but until that happens we’re left managing this mess as best we can.

And in case you’re thinking to yourself “surely it can’t be that bad,” here are all of the general/fandom tags I’ve found so far that are now hidden, from both searches and dashboards, on the iOS app (more under the cut):

[Updated Feb 8, 2023]

mine

my stuff/mystuff

my gif(s)/mygifs

my photo(s)/myphotos

my face/myface

my thing

my life

my post

my video

my words

made by me

queue/queued

upload

reblog/reblogged

reply

request

submission

about/about me

self/selfie

answered

tagged

misc

me

long post

repost

donate

ask to tag

don’t reblog

self reblog

trigger

trigger warning

cw

1k

user

userstream

userveronika

userjessie

usercandy

usertana

userrishi

userrobin

useronce

bbelcher

winterswake

marveladdicts

womenedit

ladiesblr

othedit

dailymlgifs

the winter soldier

alec lightwood

Obviously these are not the only tags that have been banned but they’re the most commonly used for content creators and the least obvious so I wanted to put them right up front to spread awareness.

I’ve been compiling my own comprehensive list of banned tags for the past couple days and was planning to post them, but it looks like someone beat me to the punch and there’s now a whole blog dedicated to collecting them and multiple posts with fairly extensive lists so far! With that in mind, I’m going to continue adding to my list of banned general/fandom tags above, since I feel those are the most important to single out and be aware of, but I’ve decided to forgo posting my own complete list and let @bannedtags​ take over as the primary resource. This is honestly for the best, since with the extreme number of banned tags that currently exist (and still growing!), I’ve come to realize I just do not have the time, energy, or mental health capacity to continue this project right now.

What I would like to offer instead is a bit more information on how these banned tags seem to work and what you can do to mitigate the damage from this disaster of an update.

There are two main types of banned tags:

Softblocked on all platforms – Posts tagged with these words are unsearchable on all browsers and apps but will still appear on your dashboard (as long as you’re not using the iOS app). These seem to be the same tags that have been softblocked since the Original Purge. On the iOS app, these tags are now hardblocked (type #2).

Hardblocked on the iOS app (as of version 22.5.1) – Posts tagged with these words are unsearchable + hidden on iOS dashboards. This applies to both tags on reblogs and original posts. Also, if the OP uses a banned tag, any reblogs will be hidden on all iOS dashboards regardless of the reblogger’s tags.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The new hardblock system ONLY applies to the iOS app. If you’re accessing tumblr via any other browser or app, even Chrome or Safari on iOS, the only ban that directly affects you is the first one.

How do you identify a banned tag and how do you know which type it is? 

The only way to determine if a tag has been banned is to search it. If it’s banned you will generally get one of two results depending on the type. Softblocked tags will appear to be searchable but have no search results (with some sort of cheeky message about not finding anything). Hardblocked tags will display a pop-up saying “This content has been hidden.” There is no way to know if a tag has been hardblocked on iOS without searching for it on the iOS app.

Softblocked on all platforms (+ hardblocked on the iOS app):

Hardblocked only on the iOS app:

This message system is a good rule of thumb but it’s not a 100% foolproof way to know which type is which. The only way to know for sure is to search on both iOS and another browser/app. If the tag displays search results in a browser but not the iOS app then it’s only blocked on iOS.

In addition to the two types, here are the basic “rules” for how all banned tags seem work as of right now, at least that I’ve been able to discern through trial and error since there’s no explanation provided anywhere:

Only tags are searched for banned content. This means you can still write whatever you want in the body of the post without fear of it being blocked.

Sometimes banned words embedded in a longer tag will result in the post being blocked, but not always. This especially seems to be true if the banned word is the first word in the tag. For example, the tag for the movie “single all the way” appears to be banned because it includes the banned word “single”. For this reason, it’s safest to just assume you can’t use a banned word or phrase anywhere in a tag unless you’ve checked it and know for sure it’s safe.

Banned words merged with no spaces are not recognized as banned content unless that specific combination has also been banned. For example, “sugar daddy” is banned but “sugardaddy” is still searchable.

So what can you do if you find out one of the tags you’ve been using regularly is now banned and your old posts are hidden to a large percentage of the userbase?

Luckily there’s an extremely handy website called Mass Tag Replacer that allows you to find and replace any given tag on hundreds of posts in seconds! You do have to give it read/write access to your blog, but you can revoke the access at any time. I’ve used this website for many years and never had any issues with it.

As for how to search a banned tag? The @bannedtags​ blog actually discovered some semi-workarounds: adding apostrophes around the tag (ex: ‘nsft’) or adding a period after the tag (ex: nsft.). I’ve tested this and can confirm that it generally works (at least at the moment), but the results can be spotty. Still, it’s better than nothing!

This whole situation is very new and in a state of flux so I’m going to continue my research and keep this post updated as we learn more.

[cat-sapphics]

nah idc, unless you have any tags of this post muted for your own well-being, you’re gonna listen to me for a bit cause i’m fuckin tired and furious /srs

reblogs would be much appreciated - i don’t wanna ask this a lot and it’s definitely not urgent rn but i want to get this out there and i want to be fucking listened to about this for once since i don’t tend to be given that kind of time :/

people who are harassing and dogpiling op saying that “cis people can’t be deadnamed” as a “gatcha now i’m gonna keep using his real name” are COMPLETELY MISSING THE POINT.

No, cis people cannot be deadnamed. YES, cis people can have FUCKING BOUNDARIES ON THE INTERNET and ask you to not call them by their real name - even if they’re a popular (or not so much ig) influencer. i’m trans (nb), by the way, and i go by a chosen name, so don’t fucking go there with me.

the fact that the post says in quotes, “it STILL has that core idea that people are only deserving of respect and basic human decency up until they do something you don’t like, they step out of line, or say something wrong,” and people flame this post for saying that?? PROVES THEIR POINT HELLO??

and also: “if i said as much on twitter i bet someone would say something like ‘it’s transphobic to compare deadnaming a trans person to using the wrong name for a cis person’ as if there’s transphobia in saying that disrespecting ANY person’s identity is shitty as fuck.” YOU FOOLS. YOU FUCKING FOOLS. YOU ARE DOING EXACTLY WHAT OP DESCRIBED. MAKING FUN OF CISHETS FOR THEIR PRIVILEGE IS FINE BUT THEY STILL HAVE A GODDAMN RIGHT TO THEIR OWN IDENTITIES AND SENSIBLE, FOLLOWABLE UNPROBLEMATIC BOUNDARIES. MY GOD. THESE PEOPLE HAVE NO CLUE HOW UTTERLY BRAINLESS THEY LOOK TO ANY OUTSIDER WITH COMMON SENSE IT’S INSANE.

i think it’s fucking hilarious (/s) that these people will still use someone’s correct pronouns when a twitter stan just like them hypothetically doxxes a decent person or is even fucking disgusting towards minors, and will call them by only what they wish to be called if they know of another name that they do not. but when someone like technoblade does nothing wrong and refuses to apologize for doing nothing wrong (as he should lol) and twitter twists his words to make them seem wrong and to make said words speak louder than actions (if that sounds wrong because you’re used to hearing it the other way around, GOOD.), he doesn’t deserve to be called techno anymore instead of his real name?? and it’s definitely not just because he’s cis either, it’s simply because they don’t like him and want him gone lol.

this is what i got cancelled off of twitter 2.5 months ago for saying. it’s mind-blowing and hilarious in an infuriating way. so no, i’ll never say sorry for supporting technoblade and i’ll never say sorry if the way i defend him pisses severely-deranged motherfuckers off. get a fucking life, he’s never gonna stop thriving and making a fuck ton of money and making people genuinely laugh just because you don’t get enough attention on twitter dot com. fuck off. i hate y’all more than most people and i have a lotta groups of people to hate.

(i couldn’t find the original post btw, otherwise i would’ve linked it right here)

EDIT: X

[lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks]

Original OP!Danny/Marvel anon: oh. oh god what have I done. what have I started. you even have a whole tag for it now. wow. I mean I love that this happened but. somehow this was not what I expected or even intended lol. anyway loving it all, great job everybody. now I present to you (to bring it back around to OP stuff): Loki DOES manage to "flip" Danny to his side and the Avengers/etc. feel betrayed. until he goes and defeats Thanos almost single-handedly defeats him (no gauntlet after all!)

oh yeah things get out of hand very quickly around here, especially when op Danny is involved

but as much as Danny shooting off to fight Thanos is a super fun idea I am completely unable to accept this without spending an inappropriate amount of time overthinking it

I just cannot abide ignoring the many many problems, like I definitely think he's got more than a hell of a chance against the fucker, but as OP as Danny is that doesn't mean he can't struggle and it doesn't give him a free pass to be reckless, what makes an OP character interesting isn't their ability to kick total ass, it's the fact that kicking total ass doesn't actually make everything easy or simple, there are always other roadblocks

Thanos is a Big Deal and a powerhouse of a brute even without the stones, it wouldn't be a quick and simple takedown, it would be messy, mostly because he has armies, devoted followers, insane weapons and, at this point in the canon, two dedicated and extremely dangerous daughters, Danny is powerful, but going into a fight like that alone would be downright stupid, especially because he's never fought an alien and has no idea whether their weaponry could hurt him, whether his powers even work on them

like, yeah maybe he could go in there blast through everything and kick Thanos' ass but he doesn't know that for sure, it would be a wicked risk to take, not to mention that one of Danny's biggest weaknesses is his own self doubt, this guy is a space tyrant who has wiped out millions of people across hundreds of planets, nobody can even touch him, nobody has even come close, that's gonna be daunting as hell, nobody other than maybe Loki would believe that he has a chance, and Loki would probably be lying

he also doesn't know where Thanos is, Loki probably doesn't know where he is, he isn't on the ships sending the platoons through the portal during the avengers movie so he can't get to him that way, he can't just fly randomly into space, he's fast but not fast enough for space travel, he would need a ship, and he would need someone who would agree to take him, and someone who would know where to take him

if Danny is gonna take down Thanos, he'd be playing the long game, something Loki is very good at, meaning that Danny's involvement isn't going to be the immediate end of Thanos, he is a canon divergence, Loki is playing a new game and it's one where he doesn't end up back in Thanos' pocket or in a cell back on Asgard

and he is also integral to Danny's eventual takedown of Thanos, he might not believe that Danny could do it singlehanded, but he sees a potential in Danny that many of the other avengers wouldn't, simply because he's a child, because Loki doesn't see a child, he sees a being who is all the best parts of human, jotun and draugr, he can feel the ice in his veins and the reek of death and that cold power always pulsing from him, Loki is familiar with magic, he's attuned to things most aren't, and he knows Danny is something special, even if he doesn't know exactly why

Loki can establish a sense of understanding and connection between them, using not just his own role as a pawn in a game larger than himself, but also the fact that they are both different, misunderstood, underestimated, under-appreciated, treated like dirt just because of who they are, even the simple matter of being creatures of ice with a hidden monstrous visage

Danny has never had anyone he could relate to like this, and Loki would absolutely omit a ton of details about his more nefarious deeds to endear himself to Danny further, he has to establish a firm relationship of trust to ensure that Danny won't turn on him as soon as his free will is returned

and Loki does return it, and Danny agrees to help him, but it's going to be on HIS terms

and I ABSOLUTELY cannot go further with this without rewatching a few mcu films so I'm gonna have to leave it here for now

[sobdasha]

so apparently no one was going to tell me

that some of the characters in She-Ra have more-or-less official ages, and y’all just assumed that I’d be any better at identifying the ages of cartoon characters than I am at identifying the ages of people IRL?

The logical (and shameful) progression went something like this:

Me, shoving She-Ra fanart in my drafts: “is it a dick move to say I don’t ship Entrapta and Hordak in my tags because she is clearly a child who has adopted this father, do I need to disclaim this to ppl viewing my posts so they understand VS do I really need to be rude to the OP??? Like they are clearly a good pair and whether they are shipped or not it’s still the same dynamic of mutual respect and support so....”

Me, later watching Youtube videos (Melina Pendulum, highly recommend): “wait Entrapdak is Problematic because Hordak is an imperialist? Uhhhhhh...okay just setting that aside, is Hordak not supposed to? be an adult? a grown-ass man?? when the princess are all teenagers???? You refer to Entrapta as a grown-ass woman but is a teenager the same thing as a grown-ass woman????”

Me, reading surprisingly good Youtube comments which included a desire to stop saying autistic characters are child-coded, because it’s infantilizing them: “........this..........is exactly what I have done because I am autistic (and ace and aro) and feel like a child so whoops? The point is very valid, I should def consider this (but my personal experience has not been “please treat me like an adult and like my age!” my personal experience has been “please give me support I can’t cope with the things adults my age are expected to cope with!!!” so that’s what I’ve projected, but both are valid and both can co-exist, we should argue both for not infantilizing ppl with disabilities and also for supporting ppl with disabilities, support ppl so they can be independent!) I also consider Scorpia as vaguely-autistic Quirky Kid [see the friend group that is Entrapta (autistic), Scorpia (autistic??), Emily (A Robot, therefore autistic), and Catra (traumatized, BPD?, a person with traits that autistic/neurodivergent ppl are likely to ping on and go “oh you are one of us!” lol)]. And I have, all this time, been compartmentalizing that Scorpia is not a teenager like Catra but presumably a grown-ass woman. The timeline for Hordak’s invasion was like 20 years right? And Scorpia was bitty at the time so she’s probably in her early 20s, and that puts Scorpia and Catra on the wrong sides of a certain societal line for relationships, but I’ve been pretending I don’t know that, I’ve been pretending it’s fine, because Scorpia = probably autistic right so Scorpia = basically young and innocent right and because I Want To Ship This, this ship is entirely divorced from sexual connotations anyway, see ace-aro, I just want them to be platonic sapphic bffs and for Catra to let Scorpia love her sob sob. THE POINT BEING, I’ve misbehaved and been part of the problem fffffffff”

Me, thinking on that more: “I guess Entrapta could be a little older, like Scorpia? I guess Netossa and Spinerella are probably older than the main cast too, I mean they’re married and clearly they’ve been married for a while so that would, y’know, imply they aren’t teenagers and, they were part of the mural of the original rebellion, so they were old enough to fight when Micah was still alive, so at least like 10 because Frosta, I don’t remember when Micah died, man they’re probably in their 20s or 30s.... I need to rewatch and try to figure out all the various timeline-y things so I can work this out...”

Me, finally giving in a googling after watching another video which said Noelle confirmed that Adora and bffs are like 17 at the start and wait they’re 21 at the end???? Do I just have no concept of time at all????? (It’s true, I don’t, that’s why I need this shit written down): “WTF Entrapta is like 30???? Well obviously if she’s 30 she can have any kind of relationship she wants with grown-ass adult Hordak!!!!!!!! Lab partners, bffs, spouses, whatever! Go for it! You get it! That guy is not your father!!!!! Because you’re not a teenager!!!!! HOW THE FUCK WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THIS??????”

In other notes please direct me to She-Ra metas, I see everyone’s clearly on board with Entrapta being autistic and I saw some great explanations for Catra having BPD, what does everyone think about Scorpia? Like she’s not neurotypical right????? Am I getting autistic vibes off Scorpia because I’m picking up on the shared aspects with ADHD and Scorpia has ADHD maybe??? What’s everyone identifying with with her.

[mymostimaginaryfriend]

one inch from the edge of this bed

♛ 5x01: James dreams about Teresa. (1.6k words; rating Mature: language, violence, sexual situations) tags: james can have some magical realism as a treat, morphine is a helluva drug

 ➢ read on ao3 or below the cut:  

(note: I originally wrote this as part of a longer story about James’ journey to reunite with Teresa, so for the purpose of this drabble, morphine is making him forget he’s already seen her...cool? cool. thanks for reading!)

♛

James rarely sleeps deeply enough to dream. What starts as a coping mechanism in his childhood only gets cemented further by the military. Now no matter how tired he becomes, he can never quite turn off that last light in the back of his head. It’s for the best, probably. The things he’s seen—the shit he’s done. Who knows what nightmare would crawl out of the well of his subconscious if given half the chance.

The rare times he does dream, he’s usually able to wake himself up within a matter of seconds. It’s automatic now, like he’s rewired a shortcut in his brain. By the time he opens his eyes the dream is nothing more than a faint memory skipping across the surface of his mind without ever dropping an anchor.

The big, bad assassin and his built-in night light. He’d laugh if he didn’t count it as yet another valuable weapon in his arsenal.  It’s not like he doesn’t know this concession by his personal demons is only a layaway plan. Whatever he doesn’t pay for now will come due at least ten times over later.

Still, when he opens his eyes to see morning light filtered through breeze-stirred curtains, he doesn’t catch on right away. It’s not the sunshine that tips him off or the softness of the bed. It’s not the light breeze wafting through the open window, or even the dip of the mattress behind him.

It’s a sense of peace he hasn’t known in nearly a year. It’s the sound of her hushed voice, whispering his name.

“Don’t hide from me,” she says. “I know you’re awake.”

His heart leaps then plummets at the smile he hears in her words, sweet joy chased by sick panic. It’s not just the nightmares he’s been avoiding in his sleep. 

Dreaming of Teresa is an indulgence he can no longer afford.

When he left with Devon, he knew he’d need more than just physical distance between her and his new life, from what he’d have to do there and who he might have to become to do it. He couldn’t risk it warping his feelings for her.  He couldn’t let it twist his memories or cloud his purpose.

So in the last moments of his freedom, as Devon drove him away into the night, he allowed himself to hold close all that she meant to him: her innate goodness, her fierce bravery, how her eyes warmed whenever she smiled.

And then he built a room around those memories—built the wall brick by brick in his mind until they were shut away. He didn’t need a key. He didn’t even build a door. It was the only way of protecting both those memories and himself.

Leaving her meant leaving her behind.

One look at her now will undo all of his careful compartmentalization. One look at her, no matter if she’s real or imagined, will destroy those walls to dust.  He can’t get off mission, he has to stay on task, he has to—he can’t remember what exactly.  But it feels important, deathly so.

He closes his eyes and waits for the awareness of the dream to catapult him to consciousness but something is wrong. His mind refuses to obey the command.

Error: shortcut not found.

And with every passing second it’s harder to remember why it’s so important for him to resist, his urgency to awaken quickly replaced by an urgency of a different kind.  He can’t stop the hum in the back of his throat at the touch of her fingers brushing across his abdomen or how his body automatically angles itself toward the warmth of hers, inexorable like the tide.

She laughs and the sound of her joy hooks beneath his ribcage, turning him toward her.  They never had enough time.  Little things like lying in bed together, easing into the day with lazy touches and hushed sighs turned into something valuable, something to hold on to, something that’s supposed to be in a lockbox behind a fucking brick wall.

“Hmm, it’s like that is it?” she asks, voice like warm honey sending an anticipatory flare of heat up his spine. “Let’s see if I can’t wake you up.”

The drag of her hair across his chest is all the warning he needs before her lips find his and what’s left of his resistance falls away like tumblers in a lock.  There are no more walls left between them now. No air. Just heat, hands and skin so soft he can barely manage not to bruise it in his desperate need to get her even closer.

An alarm bell rings in some distant corner of his mind, but one hand has already buried itself in her hair, angling her head for better access to her mouth.  The other has slipped beneath her sleep worn shirt, fingers brushing up her ribs to the soft, warm weight of her breast.

This isn’t real.

He doesn’t fucking care.

The past year has been a brutally cold one, filled with blood-soaked ops and people he couldn’t trust.  He’s spent the last twelve months always on guard, either enacting violence, experiencing it or expecting it. To have Teresa here, tangibly safe in his arms, and so, so warm is almost more than he can take, let alone resist.

Her breath stutters against his lips and it feels like a hit of pure oxygen, like she’s reviving him from the dead.

He opens his eyes, pushing her hair back up and out of her face to take her in. She always smiled more freely in their quiet moments together, something that made him feel more powerful than any firearm ever had. Her lips curve now, soft and sweet, her eyes half lidded by pleasure and the knife that’s lodged in his heart tears a downward path, spilling all of his carefully contained emotions from the wound. His grip on her waist tightens too much to go unnoticed.

“What’s wrong?” Her eyes flicker quickly over his face, the ever present worry never too far from the surface of their lives.

He wants to reassure her, to hold onto the playfulness between them, but the ache of it makes him honest. “I miss you.”

“I’m right here,” she replies, voice barely a whisper, perhaps sensing the deadly seriousness of his words. He’s never missed anything half as much as her.  It used to scare him to think of what he’d be willing to do to have this once again. What lines he’d cross to get back to her, to this.

He no longer wonders anymore.  He knows.  The knowledge that he’d do it all over again if it kept her safe didn’t absolve his crimes.  It sure as hell didn’t silence the echo of screams in his head.

“Are you?” His voice is rough but he gentles his hand, smoothing it down her hip to lightly grip her thigh, relishing the strength he can feel beneath his fingertips. He forces a smirk, an attempt to salvage the lightheartedness, and though the slight narrowing of her eyes suggests she sees right through his façade, she concedes to his wishes with a soft smile, tossing her hair over one shoulder to lean down and nip his jawline.

“What do you miss?” she teases, biting gently at the tendon of his neck, sucking lightly at first then sharper.  “This?”

His breath catches in his throat and she hums her approval into his skin.  “Or maybe this?” she murmurs, shifting to run a flat palm down his belly, lower and lower until she’s cupping him through his boxer briefs.

He groans as she strokes him, and she smiles in delight as his hips reflexively rock up into her hand. Her eyes lock onto his, like she knows exactly what power she has over him, like she wants to see the exact moment he surrenders.  It won’t take long. It feels so fucking good that it’s only his pride that keeps him from panting.

Her eyes dance wickedly.  “Or maybe this?”

As quick as lightning, she releases him to grab at his waist, tickling in just the right spot to make him nearly levitate off the bed.

“Fuck,” he laughs, grabbing for her wrists to roll her underneath him, pinning her arms above her head. She’s breathless and beaming and so goddamned pleased with herself that he can’t take his eyes off of her.  She’s beautiful.

“This,” he murmurs, slotting himself between her legs, rolling his hips hard and slow, repeating the movement when her face goes slack with pleasure.

“This,” he breathes, as her heels dig into the back of his thighs, pressing him closer as he leans down to catch her moan with his mouth.

This, he thinks, losing himself in the hazy heat of her. This, this, this.

He senses it a split-second before it happens, like a sudden change in air pressure.  The distant urgency of his mission slamming into focus with the echo of a high powered rifle shot and the shattering glass of the window.

Fiery pain rips through his abdomen, but it's the soft cry beneath him that has him in agony.

He remembers now what was so important.  He remembers now what he was supposed to do.

“Teresa,” he chokes, slumping to the side to get himself fully between her and the window.  He's losing strength fast, barely able to prop himself up enough to assess the damage.  At first he thinks the blood covering her chest is his own, but then he sees it: the entry wound where the bullet passed through him into her.

Her eyes stare up at him in disbelief, words gurgling around the blood pooling in her throat. “James?”

He has to —

“James,” she repeats, blood trickling out the corner of her mouth, her voice growing faint.  

He has to —

“Save me.”

♛

ao3

[gaming-universe]

Who We Are || Russell Adler

Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War

-PART TWO-

Warnings: SPOILERS FOR CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS: COLD WAR! IF YOU HAVEN’T PLAYED/FINISHED THE CAMPAIGN THEN PLEASE DONT READ! Gore, violence, course language, mature content.

Summary: Betrayed and alone after surviving the events that took place on the Solovetsky Islands, Y/n ‘Bell’ L/n faces new and more dangerous threats when she learns that Perseus has other plans for his failed nuclear detonation of Europe. It was only a matter of time before Y/n came face to face with her old team. There is unfinished business between Y/n and Adler, as this operation proves to be more deadly than originally thought.

Author’s Note: So, after finishing the campaign, I needed to do Bell/Player and Adler justice. I loved this game so much, and chosing to play as the female character, I felt like there was a genuine connection between Bell and Adler throughout the game. There is a tag list open for anyone that wishes to stay up to date with the series. Simply comment below. Gif by @travelllar

|PART ONE|

For four months, you remained in the Solovetsky Islands, recovering and maintaining a normal life.

The old man that had rescued you, Viktor, welcomed you into his home, and offered for you to stay for as long as you needed. He did everything in his power to make you feel welcome, especially after you had opened up to him. You told Viktor everything; the trauma you experienced in regards to the brainwashing, the betrayal you felt as Adler turned, weapon raised, and fired that single shot which landed you here, your sleepless nights consumed by nightmares of memories you thought were long gone.

Everyone thought you were dead, and maybe that was for the best. You could start anew, build a new life for yourself, live in peace. But of course, there had to be one last cruel twist of fate.

You were sitting in the living room, reading a small novel when Viktor hurried through the door, his face pale and eyes wide. “What’s wrong?” You mused, tilting your head to the side in wait for his answer. Viktor swallowed thickly, approaching with stumbling steps. He sat down beside you, his hands trembling as he placed them gently atop his knees. “I was returning from my trawler when I heard some men at the docks talking...” He began, now turning to face you with a shaky sigh “some of them were saying that men, Russians, were returning to the ruins atop the clifface. With diggers, with machinery to rebuild the base you gave your life to destroy”.

You froze, the book in your grasp falling to the floor as your grip loosened. They were returning here? What on earth could Perseus be returning to the Solovetsky Islands for? If they were rebuilding that base, then that means that there must have been something worth saving up there.

But what could you have missed the first time?

You raised a questioning eyebrow at Viktor. “Do you still have my gear?” You asked lowly, the hidden anger within you slowly beginning to bubble. The old man nodded “It is in the attic, well hidden from prying eyes-”

“Good, I’m going to investigate those ruins tonight”.

“No, you cannot! If you are caught-”

“That won’t happen, I promise” You reasoned, standing up abrubtly before wincing lightly. Viktor stood to block your path “You are still injured. I will not allow you to do this”.

You groaned “If Perseus has returned to that base, then I need to put a stop to this before it even begins...” You spoke informatively “I can’t let him escape again. I might not know why exactly, but I can’t let him leave those ruins alive”.

With a long winded sigh, Viktor stepped to the side whilst giving you a pointed look. He said nothing as you passed him, beginning to make your way to the attic with a confident stride. Investigating that base was your best chance of figuring out exactly what was going on around this small town. You began to notice some subtle changes a few weeks ago. The people were growing scared, they were more cautious, and more suspicous of each other as days went by.

After clambering through the small manhole into the attic, you found your gear lying atop an old carboard box, neatly folded and out of sight. As you extended a hand out towards the pile of clothes, your hand faltered. Your eyes travelled to the round tear in the dark grey fabric, surrounded by a large red stain that refused to detatch itself from the fibres. As if in response, a phantom pain coursed through your chest, the ugly scar beneath your jacket aching with every awkward twist and turn of your arm, every deep breath you took. A reminder of the pain that had been inflicted.

Swallowing your fear, and suppressing the vivid flashes of you and Adler on that clifface, you changed into those old clothes. With no weapons, you would have to approach with stealth. They wouldn’t take too kindly to anyone breaking in to their new playground, especially if it were one who had been the cause of the base’s destruction the first time around. After making your way back downstairs, Viktor stood by the door. “You cannot expect to go in there unarmed...” He began, removing one hand from within his jacket to reveal a pistol, with a suppressor attatched to the end. “My son’s. It was his when he was with the Russian Army four years ago. He left it behind when he moved away with his wife. It would be more use to you than just sitting in a draw beneath old documents”.

Carefully, you took the weapon from his fragile hands, almost recoiling at the familiarity of the cool metal in your palm. You nodded gratefully, taking the firearm and securing it in the holster attatched to your right leg. Before you could leave, Viktor gently grabbed your upper arm, squeezing it tightly in emphasis to his words. “Be careful, and come back alive”.

With a light chuckle, you nodded your promise before walking past him and through the front door. You coudln’t help but feel incredibly nervous. There were two ways this night could go, and you hoped to god that everything worked in your favour.

Studying the ruins of the base atop your perch of a pile of rubble, everything seemed to be running smoothly so far.

You had watched several Soviet officers disappear through a single armoured door, only to return hours later. You assumed that that door lead either to an already rebuilt section of the base, which was heavily fortified and filled with armed guards at every turn. Or, that door lead down to subterrainean levels that hadn’t been affected in the air raid four months ago.

There was only one way to find out.

Checking that the coast was clear, you descended from your perch and kept close to the shadows. Taking the long way around was certainly not what you wanted to do, although you definitely did avoid several close calls. You only had trouble with two guards, who you quickly dispatched before continuing on your way.

You paused just out of reach of the doorway, crouching low to avoid the bright searchlight illuminating the grounds. Steadying your breath, you waited for the right moment to slip through the metal door without being detected. The door itself hadn’t suffered much damage, merely sustaining a few scratches and scorch marks against the olive green paint. When the search light moved on a second time, you took that as your opportunity to slip through, closing the door behind you with a small thunk, whilst completely unaware of the several pairs of prying eyes that watched your form in awe and disbelief.

After managing to sneak by several other Soviet soldiers, you found yourself descending a staircase that kept going down, down down. There was almost no end in sight, but you sighed with relief when a faint white light illuminated the end of the staircase. Upon entering the room, you almost swore that your heart leapt into your throat. There were several rows of computer terminals, but there was only one that was operational. As you approached, the screen flickered with two words. Two words that triggered a flicker of memory from your time with Perseus.

You were back in that bunker, the bunker with the red door. It was just you and Perseus, the rest of the room was dim, almost black and white. Perseus turned to face you, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he placed a file onto the table before you. “I only trust you with this information. You are my most valuable asset, and I trust that you will keep this a secret from the rest of the table...”

You nodded wordlessly as Perseus continued, “If Operation Greenlight is to fail, I have a failsafe which I intend to initiate, Operation Hydra-”

You found yourself stumbling backward, breathing heavily as you tried to make sense of what you had just witnessed. Operation Hydra? Perseus’ most valuable asset? None of this was making sense.

You heard the heavy footsteps before you turned, perhaps a little too late. The end of an assult rifle collided with your jaw, sending you sprawling to the floor as your vision danced with violent stars. Several angry Russian voices echoed throughout the bunker, all of them shouting for someone to retrieve a General Nikiforov. Ungracefully, you staggered to your feet and lashed out at the closest soldier, tackling him to the ground with a loud cry of effort. After managing to wrestle the rifle from his grasp, and after knocking the soldier unconscious, you took cover behind one of the computer terminals as the remaining four soldiers opened fire.

You cursed under your breath, readying your newfound weapon to fire when several more shots echoed from within the bunker, this time, resonating from the bottom of the stairwell on the opposite side of the room. It soon became hard to differentiate between who exactly was shouting. There were multiple accents all at once, making it near impossible to find out just who was shooting at who.

Peaking around the corner of the terminal, you sighed internally with relief as the three soldiers were preoccupied with dealing with whoever was on the other side of the room. Wait, three?

You had no time to react as the fourth soldier appeared to your left in your peripheral vision. You released a small cry of pain as the Russian grabbed a fistful of your hair, dragging you out from behind your cover before letting go, and delivering a swift kick to your abdomen. You managed to avoid his attack, rolling away before quickly standing to your feet.

The soldier charged, swining his arms wildly. There was no rationality to his attacks. Making him vulnerable, and completely predicatble. You caught his arm mid-swing, twisting it to the side harshly before delivering a hard kick to the soldier’s stomach. With a pointed grunt, he stumbled backward against one of the terminals, giving you enough time to advance. But the soldier was ready, and produced a large combat knife from within his vest.

You hissed as the knife cut your forearm, recoiling away from the soldier as blood began to stain the sleeve of your shirt. Believeing that he had the upper hand, the soldier advanced, swiping in every which direction in an attempt to land a critical hit. Doging and weaving, you swore as your back collided with a seperate terminal, effectively trapping you between the desk and the soldier edging closer towards you. Shit, this was exactly what he wanted.

You were practically bent over backwards across the terminal, your back straining at the awkward angle as you caught the soldier’s hand in it’s downward strike, leaving the knife mere inches from your throat. The soldier was leaning on top of you, putting all his weight into trying to accomplish the menial task of ending your life. You could feel the knife’s tip pressing against your skin, the cool metal still flecked with traces of your blood a stark contrast to the warmth of your body. The knife drew blood as you tried desperately to push back with whatever remaining strength you had left. You didn’t know how much longer you could last.

Suddenly out of nowhere, the soldier was hauled away from your form and violently shoved to the ground by a figure clad in black. You forced your self to sit upright, one hand caressing your neck whilst the other was braced firmly against the desk. Taking a few deep breaths, you watched on as the figure kicked the knife from the soldier’s hand, before removing a pistol from his side and actively shooting the soldier in the chest, the single shot echoing loudly throughout the now silent bunker.

Your heavy breathing was the only sound to be heard, as you tried to regain your composure, as you tried to calm down. But four months of recovery certainly hadn’t prepared you for this. Your entire being became rigid with fear as the figure before you turned, your eyes widened with dread, you could have sworn that you had stopped breathing altogether. Those blue eyes beneath those goddamned glasses, the scars across his face...

Two other figures appeared behind him, their eyes wide, their faces pale. As if they were looking at a ghost.

“No fucking way...” Woods breathed, his eyes not once leaving your form as his grip on his rifle slackened. Mason nodded wordlessly, he too in a completely dumbfounded state. Your fear soon turned to immense anger, as Adler stepped towards you, his expression unreadable. “Bell” was all he said, nodding slightly in aknowledgement. As if what happened four months ago never took place at all.

A heavy tension filled the bunker, becoming broken when your clenched fist collided with Adler’s jaw, a sharp but impressive ‘crack’ echoing throught the room.

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