#but i have always taken it with a HUGE grain of salt and never got myself hyped up over it or whatever

[theresoneicouldcallking]

ok so far, i have never really felt like the writers would go there with buddie, even in earlier seasons when their scenes were just, how you say.. not straight. despite always having had amazing and heartwarming scenes together, i always thought buddie would just remain friends, because let’s be honest; the show has really been queerbaiting the fans with them (and that is not a word i use lightly).

but these last few episode something has changed, and in last night’s episode, something changed in eddie. i don’t know what, or how, or why, but he’s going through a personal journey where he seems to have multiple epiphanies about himself in the span of 24 hours. something’s shifted, and i don’t think it’s just ryan choosing to play eddie like that.

i have no idea what’s gonna happen next, but i’m really exciting about the remaining episodes this season, especially since they’re written and/or directed by folks whom we know gave us big buddie moments before.

[tumblingxelian]

I saw a post earlier today that really kinda got my goat so to speak so I wanted to re-post my take without starting shit on tumblr dot com.

I categorically disagree with the idea that Adam was ever planned to be the main leader of the White Fang pre coup.

We meet Adam leading what was suppose to be a resource acquisition mission that he turned into an attempted mass murder for shits and giggles because he is a blood thirsty idiot.

Not only is that incredibly wastefully and politically stupid of him, it is also not reflective of what Blake described the White Fang's methodology as during Volumes 1. IE the methods that actually were working and were introduce by said new leader which Adam was blatantly ignoring.

It also makes clear his relationship with Blake is awful given the manipulation, the lies, the dismissal and using her as a shield, and maniacal cackling ETC.

The second time we see Adam its in volume 2 right after its revealed that a ton of Faunus died because of Cinder's plan and Mercury wonders if they will still obey. Adam arrives and promising to continue throwing his people's lives away for Cinder. Making it quite clear where Adam stands on the subject while showing the White Fang itself lacks any loyalty to Cinder.

Before V3 we have two possible mentions, one being the silhouettes in V1, one of which could be argued to represent Adam, but also contained two other people. & the masks reference which, if Adam was the leader, you'd think Blake would just say it was an idea their leader came up with. The fact she didn't should make it clear to any viewer that Adam was just popular, but not in charge.

Going into V3, we already know he's fine throwing Faunus lives away for Cinder, so anything he says when rejecting Cinder needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Yeah Adam wasn't just gonna work with some random human cos he doesn't like humans and his people are watching so his behavior is performative. Cinder leaves, then returns and makes it clear she can kill him if he doesn't obey and he instantly bows because, shock and horror the manipulative abuser is not actually all that brave when its 'his' ass on the line, setting the stage for what we already know happens by V2.

Adam was never meant to be the leader, Adam was never a genuine revolutionary, Adam was always an abusive cowardly liar and manipulator seeking power and appeasement for himself.

Losing Sienna was a tragedy and genuinely a huge mistake on the writers part and Ghira taking over again is in no way ideal, but Adam is not some tragic loss. He's one of a dime a dozen would be revolutionaries who only care about the 'revolution' for their own ends. Any passing glance at historical revolutions and rebel movements will show people like him.

One can criticize the White Fang plotline without needing to big up someone like Adam; just like one can endorse revolutionaries without advocating for war crimes. Discuss Sienna and how she could have been introduced earlier or avoid her demise. Bring up how Ilia's arc could have potentially led her to being the one leading a revitalized White Fang. Or how Blake herself could potentially have taken the reigns more overtly, as challenging as that might be to portray given the overall plot line.

There's plenty of ways to emphasize the new generation, and tackling bigotry head on without raising Adam as a viable candidate and especially without engaging in historical revisionism as to his slated role in the series proper.

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday Christina 'Licorice' McKechnie, born on October 2nd 1945 in Edinburgh.

This is always a difficult post for, I say Happy Birthday to Licorice, but in my heart I think she is dead, she was last heard from in 1990, and the last sighting of, "Likkie’’ as she became known, was hitchhiking across the Arizona desert.

Christina ‘Licorice’ McKechnie was born in Edinburgh in 1945, there is nothing about her early life online that I can find, her story starts when she was known around the folk clubs of Auld Reekie, reciting poetry, it was around this time she left home-and was set to marry, the late great Scottish folk musician Bert Jansch. The banns had been called, (Banns were a legal requirement and were an intention of marriage, posted for people to see in their parish,) the wedding never took place, Jansch left Scotland for Morocco.

Likkie began a relationship with Robin Williamson who along Robin,Clive Palmer and Mike Heron had form The Incredible String Band, the group split for a time when Williamson and Likkie went travelling but reformed on their return as a duo with Heron. They later played on the same bill as Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell, Likkie joined then as vocalist and they recorded the album, The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion.

The band went on to have success touring but had limited commercial success. They got involved with Scientology in the 60’s and it is said to have contributed to a decline in their music quality, they did however play Woodstock in 69, they were scheduled to play the first day and a fee of $4500 had been agreed, this would have been a huge sum for them back in the 60’s and you would have thought bigger things beckoned. The band didn’t appear on the film of the festival as they refused to play in the rain, their slot was taken by the fabulous Melanie (Safka) who later wrote “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” about her day. “String Band” played the next day on a mainly rock day, the world missed out and so did they.

By late 1969, they had established a communal base at Glen Row near Innerleithen, Likkie and Robin split around this time although she remained in the group till 1972. After a failed marriage to musician Brian Lambert she featured on an album with Williamson and his Merry men and an album with Woody Woodmansey’s band U-Boat. Beyond this, it's believed that she may have bounced around, living perhaps in Los Angeles, Arizona, and Sacramento.

The Diversity of Classic Rock website reports that McKechnie's sister last heard from her in 1990, when McKechnie had been recovering from surgery in Sacramento. The site is also one of many that claims McKechnie disappeared in the Arizona desert, but this has never been conclusively proved.

Time to hit the kitchen to grab a few grains of salt because Reddit has also weighed in on her disappearance, with unproven theories ranging from a Scientology connection to parsing the words of former bandmates who wish (emphasis on the present tense) her well.

Redditors also claim that McKechnie's family hired private investigators to find her, though they were unsuccessful. Others counter that she's been traced via a basic internet search to a small city in the States. The confusion is enough to make any casual sleuth hope that McKechnie just grew tired of the spotlight and is now happy in her anonymity.

I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether Likkie is dead, or if she is living way off grid somewhere on the other side of the Atlantic celebrating her 78th birthday.

[thowawayuntilfurthernotice]

So I had originally planned on doing a Danny Phantom retrospective, mostly because I’ve been watching a lot of video essays on YouTube about old media and internet personalities, and Danny Phantom was always one of those shows that I had a complex relationship with. But during my research, a simple question kept popping into my head over and over again. 

What does Butch Hartman actually do? 

He constantly keeps claiming that he created Danny Phantom, and a lot of people do consider Danny Phantom to be Hartman’s best show, but how involved was he? 

I’m not saying Hartman just slapped his name onto a product and took all the credit for himself, as he is credited for writing, storyboarding and directing various episodes. But from all the interviews and clips I’ve seen of him, he doesn’t seem to know that much about the show’s lore or why people like the show to begin with.

For example, the show clearly establishes that there are ghosts who used to be human at one point, but Hartman has always insisted that every ghost you see in the series is a supernatural creature from an alternate dimension. And that his explanation for why some ghosts are more human looking than others is because they wanna be human? Um…..okay. 

Feels odd that Hartman had a problem with the ghosts being spirits of deceased humans but he originally wanted Vlad to be a vampire. 

It’s also pretty interesting how Hartman never wrote any season two episodes, as that season is when the show started to heavily incorporate elements of serialized storytelling into its main narrative. Something that was previously absent from Hartman’s other show, The Fairly Oddparents. 

And yes, I am still annoyed that we never got a legit payoff to the Ring of Rage and Crown of Fire, they were clearly set up as these major plot points that were gonna be important later on, but were completely dropped entirely after Reign Storm. 

Guess now is the perfect time to talk about Steve Marmel and the controversy surrounding him. Long story short, Marmel was a writer who helped develop the series. A lot of the best episodes were written by him and once he left the quality went down the shitter. 

Many people have speculated that he was fired by Hartman/Nickelodeon for wanting the show to go into a more darker direction, while others claim he left due to creative differences. 

None of these rumors have been confirmed by Hartman, Nickelodeon or Marmel. And as such, should be taken with a huge grain of salt. 

Regardless of what you believe, you can’t deny that Marmel wasn’t influential during his time on the show. He really helped flesh out a lot of the characters and lore. 

Say what you will about the Green Bay Packers jokes in Bitter Reunions, but I kinda loved that aspect of Vlad’s character. It was a nice little touch that helped him stand out from your typical Saturday morning cartoon villain. 

And if I’m being perfectly honest, I don’t think Hartman could pull something like The Ultimate Enemy or Reign Storm off on his own, as he’s not that good of a writer. 

Which brings me to season three, now I don’t usually like parroting out the default opinion but, season three of Danny Phantom is just…..really bad. 

I’m not going to go into that much detail about season three, mostly because it’s a topic that’s been covered to death and I really don’t have anything new to bring to the table. But I will say that, if season three does anything well it’s that it showcases just how terrible of a writer Hartman actually is. 

Take for example the episode Urban Jungle, Sam’s eco friendliness is taken up to eleven, to the point where she starts feeling less like a character and more of a caricature. All she does in this episode is complain about how terrible humanity is, get captured and brainwashed by the villain of the week before getting rescued by Danny in the end. 

Oh, and Danny gets ice powers because…..reasons. 

I genuinely do feel bad for all the Danny Phantom fans who want to see a legit continuation or reboot, I came across a ton of amazing fan art and AU stories/webcomics that are a billion times more entertaining than the shit we got in season three. 

But alas, Nickelodeon has made it clear that they aren’t interested in a Danny Phantom revival/reboot, as they seem to only want comedy shows. Plus even if there was some sort of continuation, I doubt fans would support it if Hartman was heavily involved. Considering that he’s spent the last couple of years destroying any good will he had left with animation fans. 

Still, while the show may never get a proper continuation or revival, it will continue to live on in fan media form.

[josefavomjaaga]

Hello!

I've also read from you about Hortense writing about her rivalry with Caroline in her memoirs, all the while keeping a friendly correspondence with her. Why would Hortense do this, in your opinion? Were she secretely holding a grudge or something?

Thank you for the question. As to the answer... Well, your guess is as good as mine. 😀

It never hurts to remember that Hortense's memoirs are not a spontaneous outpouring of the heart, but a much-revised document, started only after the fall of the empire, when Hortense was exiled from France, and only finished in 1832. It was very much not intended for publication, but for that small circle of friends and admirers she assembled around her at Arenenberg to whom she read from them. She surely never would have let Caroline see it.

Memoirs are always a problematic source, these, in my opinion, especially so. I tend to think that Hortense had lots of personal issues (like all three Beauharnais, like possibly everybody of us) that gradually worsened in her marriage to a husband she did not love. She craved (CRAVED!) admiration, recognition and attention, the moment she didn't get it, she got sick. (Btw, I believe that is the real reason why she used every trick in the book in order to leave Holland and to stay at Napoleon's court. Not because she was in love with her stepfather, but because at court she had every opportunity to show off.) She was both courageous and strong-willed (quite unlike the fragile and timid woman she described in her memoirs) and had a real taste for adventures. But those character traits were undesirable in a woman, according to the moral concepts of her time. So in her memoirs Hortense always needs to show herself in a desperate situation, driven to what she did by circumstances.

The memoirs are - again, in my opinion - to be taken with a huge grain of salt. I'm very much down with Eugène's Auguste on this one!

As to her relationship with Caroline, Hortense still still was in correspondence with her in the 1830s. When Madame Mère in Rome broke her leg, it was Hortense who wrote to Caroline about it (Caroline being exiled to Trieste). How she could keep this up while turning Caroline into her personal antagonist in her memoirs is beyond me. I would have been ashamed of myself. But then again, maybe she really did not think too much about it. She was, imo, a rather superficial person, much like her mother and even her brother. Maybe a psychological reaction to the fears and insecurities of her childhood: better not give too much importance to anything, who knows how long you'll have it.

As for her holding grudges ... yes, possibly, though this is now really pure speculation on my part. If she did hold a grudge, then surely not for anything that Caroline did to her, but because Hortense at heart was jealous of Caroline. Caroline had been allowed to marry for love, while Hortense had been "sold off", so to speak, into a political marriage. For this, Hortense at least should have become first lady of the court and mother to Napoleon's successor - but even that she did not receive, once Napoleon decided to remarry. So, Caroline always got the good stuff: Handsome Murat, when Hortense had to deal with sicklish, crippled Louis. Even Murat's aides were much better looking than Louis'! Murat could dance and he was outgoing and friendly, while Louis suffered from his diseases and turned morose. Finally, Caroline got beautiful Naples, when Hortense gut ugly (almost fatal) Holland (she pretty much decided she would hate the country as soon as she crossed the border).

Again, all that is speculation. Fact is, I have not yet found any clear sign of animosity by Caroline to Hortense. But plenty the other way around. So, as far as dishonesty in this friendship between two women is concerned, Hortense seems to beat Caroline by a mile.

Sorry if I do not have a better answer to offer. But I'm not a historian, and this opinion of mine is already so far opposed to what most historians think of Hortense that I feel quite pretentious writing it down.

[tau1tvec]

your last anon got me thinking. notes absolutely matter so how do some people get 800 notes for one pic that was just taken in cas or smth? because it gets reblogged by big bloggers theres only like a few but they could post their sims thumb and everyone reblogs it. we participate in the culture you were talking about with anon if that makes any sense.

I reread the ask, and there wasn't a single mention of notes in there, unless you're referring to another ask, but like, lemme be 110% blunt here... bc I've always found this kinda fascinating when I see other ppl bring it up.

Ppl like pretty, cute and cool shit. Like have you seen how humans react when a kitten meows, they fucking lose their minds, if the sims in the cas pics got 800 notes, it's probably bc they're pretty, cute, or cool looking. Now are there times that society tends to skew what we find pretty, cute or cool looking that could be detrimental to others, yeah, but I'll admit it, I too enjoy an occasional sim with big goobery eyes, and a colorful outfit, it reminds of Animal Crossing, and I like Animal Crossing.

Followers. Some accounts got a lotta them, that means a lot more people will see their content, which means a lot more people will probably like it too. Though seeing as this is tumblr, and bots and lurker accounts are a thing, there will likely still be an offset in follower count to note count. I've got about 3,000 rn, and I average about 50-100 notes without reblogs, but can pull more of it does get reblogged.

Friends. Believe it or not, interacting with other humans will draw other humans to interact with you and your content, that's kind of a given, although if you don't want to do all that, you could always just learn to make really bomb ass CC, and let that draw followers in to look at your non-cc content, but I'm gonna be honest, even that isn't guaranteed. I've seen plenty of cc creators post about how they feel people only interact with their cc posts, and never their other stuff.

Social Media is a slot machine. Really when it comes down to it, it's luck, posting the right thing at the right time, yet never knowing when that'll be, this is also why ppl do time-zone reblogs. I ran a side-blog that was just my other gaming content, and it was like crickets for years, until Until Dawn was released, and I just happened to jump at buying it that day. I was posting content for it as it was at the height of its popularity. This meant more eyes scrolling the tags, which meant more thumbs to possibly like my posts. Timing and patience is so important on social media, especially when you're throwing content into a void. There were a lotta ppl getting hella notes when the infants dropped, bc it was this huge thing a lot of ppl were excited for, even ppl who don't consider themselves a simblr... but the hype only lasts so long, esp these days, and you've probably noticed lately things have kinda slowed down for a lotta ppl, but that's alright, the real ones always stick around, let's take a moment to appreciate them.

Sometimes you just gotta hype up your own shit. Idk, I learned this from a YouTuber, so take it with a grain of salt, but when they began actively reminding ppl to like, and subscribe, and began hyping up their upcoming content and streams, it helped engagement a lot. Ppl are drawn to positive ppl, it's just more fun for everyone.

This shit isn't magic, there's always a pretty logical reason why these posts get hella notes whether you agree with why or not, just like how there are posts that don't get hella notes that absolutely deserve more, whether you agree with why or not.

[roo-bastmoon]

I feel relaxed to see that you are not shipped them blindy and can also see the things which shows jk's two sided behaviour sometimes. Finally i can to talk someone who can think from both sides... postive and negative. He even sat on tae's lap at the concert..so he basically did things for both of the shippers y know. He talks about sugas that that and now hobis work too on seom chat but not a single time he mentions jimin ost...even if his vlive was full of comments for that and after that he doesn't remember where jimin got his 7 tattoo but he remember others. I don't know what to think about but the one is sure that jimin is still behaves the same with him like always...there is no big filter in jimin's behaviour tht shows u that jk and other members are same for him...but with jk..it's a little different case. And i don't like it sometimes.

Hey there, Nonie.

I promise to always look at all evidence, regardless of how it makes me feel. I’m not interested in deluding myself. There’s plenty of solid instances of Jikook over the years that we don’t need to make things up. But neither should we hold onto the past if the evidence is showing us something different now. So you can always talk to me about Jikook and I’ll give you my honest assessment.

I like to think what separates us from the cult is the ability to think critically and accept reality. And the reality is that something is a little off this year, compared to all the other years. We don’t know why, but a lot of us sense strained vibes.

During the most recent concerts and warm ups, JK kissed Hobi’s cheek, gave a long back hug to Yoongi, wrapped his arms around Joon’s waist in a long hug, played (carefully) with Jin, and also heavily flirted with Tae (twirling, shoe shine moment, lap sit). The first two days were painfully awkward between Jikook (to me). The third day was getting better. The last night—the night they filmed—he was all over Jimin and they did the bridal carry.

I’m not saying it was all for the cameras because I don’t think they are liars or fakes, but if they knew it was the last concert for several years, the maknae line probably wanted to give all their fans various “ship” moments. So I take what happens during a performance with a grain of salt. Not a huge indication of their real life relationship.

More telling is the way Jimin stayed behind while JK worked on the seom game design, or how happy JK was during the Vegas Vlive to say Jimin will be his boxing partner, or the way JK tapped Hobi’s shoulder and silently put him on the floor so he could sit on the couch next to Jimin, plus they stayed so close together while playing games in the arcade in DC. They still chose to orbit each other in free time…

As for talking about Jimin’s OST—keep in mind it was a YamYam production, not a Hybe one like Yoongi’s or Hobi’s. Not sure what the rules are around promotion of outside efforts. No one spoke of it; Tae played it and he knew the melody and lyrics by heart. But no one mentioned “Good job, Jimin! We support you!” And since that would take literal seconds on social media to do, I have to conclude not mentioning it was a conscious decision.

But what’s baffling is that Jimin never once mentioned or promoted With You—except to answer a question in his Weverse article explaining his friend wanted to do something like that with him for years. It has been two months and both Jimin and Sungwoon and everyone around them act like that song never happened. It’s first day was cut short, it wasn’t listed in the proper genre category, it didn’t have an official Spotify artist page or playlisting, it didn’t get much radio play… I have zero clue why. Very off.

It did shake me that JK said he didn’t know Jimin’s solo songs or 7 tattoo placement. Some fans insist he was teasing/deflecting but I hesitate to make assumptions just because I find them more comforting than simply holding the fact in my mind, waiting for more clarification. Taken at his word, JK doesn’t know THE most intimate details of Jimin’s life right now, so that implies distance—physical and emotional.

There seem to be murmurs on K forums that since festa dinner, Jikook have been out to dinner and affectionate with each other, but no proof makes it hearsay. I don’t speak Korean so I’m getting those rumors third-hand.

I think given nine years of intimacy plus an INSANE first half of 2022, I have to withhold judgment about Jikook right now. I’m leaning towards they are fine and still in love but it’s been a crazy few months and they are being quieter while enlistment and solo era firms up. That’s my take thus far!

[zoydraft]

AF's Jack-o'-Lantern Cube

March 22, 2024 Draft. 4 players, 5 packs of 9

List: cubecobra.com/c/8rja

Earlier this week AF posted a last minute offer to host a draft in the Toronto Cube Community Discord (let me know if you want an invite), finally at a time that wouldn't make me feel like a neglectful parent. We drafted his Jack-o'-Lantern Cube as a pod of four. It's a lower-power synergy list with some streamlining restrictions: no shuffling and thoughtfully limited tokens.

The environment pushed towards back-and-forth games with lots of relevant decision-making. At times it felt like retail limited, while other game states felt more puzzle-oriented, with a lot of on-board information to navigate, but not to an unmanageable degree. There was rarely an unambiguous beat down; both sides of the table were taking actions and shifting the dynamics of the game most turns. Boards seized up sometimes, but there was never a point where there was nothing relevant for me to do.

This should all be taken with a grain of salt. With the draft set up, each seat only saw 150 cards* out of the full ~400 card list, which pushes decks and gameplay to a Sealed vibe: with decks deploying suboptimal cards and games extending a little longer. If anything, it's interesting that the synergies were able to shine in that small pool.

* (9+8+7+6)*5 = 150

I drafted a low curve red white artifact creature deck. There wasn't a specific card that pulled me in, I'm always willing to draft aggro decks and the colours felt open (I read that correctly). In pack 1 or 2 I got Arcbound Shikari on the wheel and that locked me for this modular / +1/+1 counters build.

AF warned us that removal is scarce. Volt Charge and Settle Beyond Reality were representative of the calibre of removal, and did a lot of work for me. I had to be picky about what I removed, and you rarely double-spelled with them. The Proliferate on Volt Charge did a lot. On the other hand, Pyrite Spellbomb's shock was often dead. There was a shortage of 2 toughness creatures I needed to kill (could be poor threat assessment by me), but there were also on-board effects that invalidated it, like adding counters or sac'ing for value. Fierce Retribution played narrower than I expected.

The removal suite gave games a retail texture: most game actions added to the board (although two-for-ones aren't common) and inefficient removal is worth running.

I struggled in the draft to identify creatures above 2 mana that I really wanted for this deck. Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle was huge for me, and I didn't have complaints about the others. Blessed Hippogriff, Sanctifier of Souls, and Twinshot Sniper may have made my deck better, but they're more value-oriented than natural top-end for an aggro deck.

I'm a degenerate for lands, so the 10% fixing lands felt light (I run >17%), but the Clue lands felt good—slow, but worthwhile. I had enough artifacts that Rustvale Bridge's typeline was never relevant. I didn't see anything that paid off a critical mass of artifacts.

My first match was 2-1 against a base blue deck (with some red and black, IIRC). Time of Ice caught my eye. It was both good and engaging to play around.

After that I went 1-2 in a marathon match against a BGr deck. Neither of us could get many clear attacks. I could chip away with flyers and Gingerbrute while Tireless Provisioner would pump out food to undo the damage. Thankfully for me, Grateful Apparition kept pumping up my Modular creatures, especially Arcbound Javelineer, but it wasn't enough to grind out the match. Makeshift Munitions was huge, finishing off game one and a difference maker later l.

Finally, I was taken out 2-0 by 5C stuff. Games didn't last many turns, but they were dense with decisions.

The length of games was potentially an issue, and I have a few theories, all of which probably have a grain of truth to them:

I am slow. All three rounds, my match went longer than the other one.

My deck did not have a good way to close out games beyond chipping away. The closest I came was piling counters on Gingerbrute, but it was always answered quickly.

There is a lot of lifegain. The GBr especially was pumping out Food tokens and didn't have something better to do with it than eating it. My deck had a bunch of lifelink that was totally incidental, so life totals didn't have a sharp tendency toward zero.

Given the powerband, there are a lot of unfamiliar cards, many of which were not brief. I don't think it was egregious, but amid everything else I do think it slowed things down a little bit as people grappled with what cards were actually doing.

Ultimately I think the cube is providing the kind of gameplay that AF is pursuing. The decision-making is rich, aggro is restrained, you play to the board, and even when combat slows down you're still taking meaningful actions. On the other hand, that may need to be balanced with the time games take to play. The limited pool of tokens and restriction on shuffling help, so I know it's a consideration.

Thanks a ton for hosting, and to everyone for the games. I had a great time drafting, playing, hanging out, and reflecting on the cube, and I hope to play it again in the future!

[incompetent-witch]

About The Blogger;

Eclectic Witch

I am here, and I am 🌈QUEER

She/her pronouns (That could change)

Bisexual (With a huge preference for girls)

Bipolar type 2. (haha. Double Bi…)

Narcolepsy type 1

25 years old

🎂 Birthday; February 12th :D

♒️Aquarius- 🌙Virgo moon🌙

My beliefs are a mix of;

polytheism, (all the gods exist simultaneously)

Agnosticism; (I don’t know anything for sure. You gotta stay skeptic for things that can’t be proven by science. Everything should be taken with a grain of salt.)

A preference for the greek gods.

*Side note on the Greek gods thing. as basic and edgy in a cringe sort of way, I have a shrine to Thanatos and Hypnos. Due to my love for them and researching them i discovered the hades game because when trying to find YouTube videos on Hypnos, one of the only thing that showed up was the game hades. They’re obscure so i was really excited to see that they both had a pretty big role in the game. So you might see some posts here and there about the game.

Magic should be for fun!!! If it becomes distressing, then you got to take a step back

It’s really important that you understand that I absolutely hate hate hate pseudoscience and crystal healing and the current bastardization of chakras. If you want to learn about that stuff, probably don’t get new age books on it. (Herbs are good though. Lots of vitamins lmao)

If a white lady with dreadlocks starts talking about spirituality, RUN.

If something directly contradicts science in a way that dismisses it, That just not the vibe. Science above all else please, that seems contradictory but it just loops back around to things like crystal healing. If you wanna use magic and spirituality to heal yourself, whatever man, that’s fine just take your meds first then do whatever you want.

More About Me, and What Posts You’ll See.

You’ll see a lot of reblogged art. I’m not sure if I’ll post much of my own. Most of my work is unfinished, and likely never will be finished. But I’ve been a serious artist since I was. Teenager. I’ve illustrated books, (I’m nervous to show it, because it could dox me… that and it’s really old work, and is not a good representation of what I’m capable of now.) And I’ve won a congressional award for a sketch I did at… 17? Can’t remember exactly how old I was.

I had to temporarily dropout of school due to the disability and mental illness I didn’t know I had at the time. It was rough, and I blamed myself for being incompetent. I thought everyone was as tired as me all the time, and could just function better. I was homeschooled, so I wasn’t in an environment where they would have noticed something was off about me. My parents weren’t exactly qualified to teach, and were incredibly medically neglectful. I came from a very “walk it off” and “Pull yourself up from your bootstraps” environment. So you’ll see a lot of vent posts too. I’ll tag it with trigger warnings just in case. But the good news is! I’m going back to school! I’m gonna be an art major again 🥹

I have a cat named Salem. No, I wasn’t dabbling in witchcraft when I named him, I’ve always just had a witchy aesthetic but never actually looked into the occult, western esotericism, or witchcraft. However, I’ve dabbled in tarot cards for about 4 years now. I’m studying it pretty hard now. I’ll post about the meanings as best I can as a way to study. I believe that If you can’t teach it, then you don’t understand it. That’s my philosophy on learning anything.

I’ve been practicing and studying witchcraft for only half a year. And I’ll be real with you, it started because of a HUGE hypo-manic episode. (Honestly it was probably true mania, which means my bipolar 2 diagnosis will probably be changed to type Bipolar 1 if my psych finds that it wasn’t due to a medication change.) The manic episode was so bad, that I actually don’t remember any of November of 2022 besides thanksgiving. As I remember it, I just kinda knew a bunch of stuff in December and was talking to entities I had no business talking to. It was really bad. So i will be VERY open about the ugly side of Bipolar mania that people don’t seem to understand, as well the dangerous side of spiritually both in occult spaces, new age shit, and established religions. (Pretty much only christianity if I’m being honest.)

BUT! I’ve always liked the occult, but I was never able to really study it due to my religious and controlling environment and the confidence to read about it anyway. I give no shits now, despite still being in that environment. The manic episode really just gave me the confidence to get started. Now that I’m stable again, I still love the occult, and am honestly kinda grateful that it happened the way that it did. I’ll talk more about all the weird shit I did while high on mania. It might be helpful to some people. Trigger warnings will be added to that too.

You’ll probably see some memes and whatever show/movie/game/book I’m into at that moment. It changes frequently lol

I am NOT a fan of new age spirituality. You’ll see me complaining, but you’ll never see me bullying anyone. I believe in gentle nudges in the right direction. Nobody TRIES to be problematic or misinformed.

I especially hate Star-Seeds. Or at least the belief system. I worry about the people who believe in it.

That’s gonna be a common theme. I hate a lot of belief systems but never the individuals who believe it. I just pity them, and also worry about them. Especially when it comes to Christianity. I have A LOT of religious trauma. (It’s the various churches and its history I hate. But the catholic aesthetic??? I love it. That can stay.)

But due to being prone to spiritual psychosis, at this moment I’ve decided not to cast any spells, besides the occasional candle spell for luck or something. Just small stuff and like, one a month. I’ll only be doing research. Mostly historical researching as I’ve decided I don’t like contemporary books on witchcraft. It’s a huge risk for misinformation, and doesn’t always explain where the spell came from or why and how it works. I want a better foundation for magic, and history is the way to go in my opinion. Folklore, old superstitions, old religions, (Religions especially so I know whether or not it’s opened or closed practices.) You’ll see a lot of posts on whatever I’ve read about that I find important. I’d also be super happy if someone adds to it, especially if they’re correcting me. But if you’re correcting me, please either add your source or give me a few key words so I can look into it myself. I’d be very grateful if Youre right but I won’t attack you if you’re wrong or we simply disagree.

And what I’m most excited about, is listing all the books I’ve read and reviewing them! I’ll keep a library, and update it here and there. I’ll also link any scholarly articles I find interesting.

[forsakenmis]

Calming her down

Title: Calming her down Pairing: top!Wanda Maximoff x female!reader Rating: 18+ Incredibly NSFW Warnings: Dark Wanda, kind of non-con, strap on, fingering, mummy kink, post-WV finale so spoilers if you haven’t seen it. also i haven’t editted it so beware grammar and spelling mistakes. Word count:  4215 words

It had taken far too long to track her down. Why they asked you to do it, you weren’t really sure. It’s not as if you and Wanda ever really talked, or even made eye contact, during the years as an avenger. Yet you were given the task of pulling her back onto the rails, rails she’s apparently veered pretty badly. You really think Doctor Strange, the Gandalf of wizards, would be a lot better at handling her than you would be. Or even Clint, the guy who was her mentor. But no-no one wanted to reach out to her, even though they spent years arguing that she needed to be supervised. You could go on for days how you being the person being sent is the most ridiculous idea they could have had.

You weren’t even a super, or an avenger, you started off as a shield agent who was then thrown into Stark Industries as Tony’s intern. Fury wanted an in and you were that in. Then everything went bottoms up and you became a slightly more valuable member of the group. Support, really.

After the snap, you just wanted a stable life. A normal life. By the time they contacted you to do this, you’d applied to a college. No, a university. In Australia, which was far, far away from New York. The briefing was simple. Wanda, left to her own devices in her time of need, went to try to handle her own grief after stealing Vision’s body from S.W.O.R.D. You were being asked to go try to talk some sense into her. Then, within the week of you repeatedly saying no, it turned out the head of S.W.O.R.D. was a bastard which you could have seen coming from a mile away, and Wanda was god knows where.

They promised you they’d leave you alone after this.

So you said yes.

What could go wrong?

You were still asking herself that three weeks later when you were sitting there still trying to find out where exactly she went. Wanda wasn’t going to be easy to find, especially considering she didn’t want to be found but you did it. It was four in the morning when you finally narrowed down a list of ten possible locations that she could be in. You were too tired to even crack a smile, you fell back onto your bed to sleep.

Your celebration was sleep for by the next morning, you were trekking across the world and came to the outskirts of a property with the view of the mountains. Pretty, sure, but you didn’t think Wanda was here for the view.

It was eerily quiet when you walked up to the door. That type of quiet they put into horror movies before they pulled out a jump scare. You didn’t trust it. Then again-not that there was anything around to make noise. Wanda could be asleep, as maybe all this isolation has meant she’s forsaken a body clock.

Still-you trusted it as much as you could lift Mjollnir and you couldn’t even make it shift.

The curtains were closed, you couldn’t see anything as you walked up the two steps and you had to stop your hand from hovering over your handgun. It would have been more of a self assurance. You couldn’t dream of winning against Wanda in a fight, both of you would be aware of that, but you couldn’t exactly imagine she’d be that trusting of you if you walked in holding a gun. So you fiddled with the watch around your wrist, it was a gift from Tony years ago.

You could have brought reinforcement, sure, but that seemed like a moot point considering you were trying to gain her trust, somewhat. The reinforcement would have been S.W.O-oh whatever, sword, you don’t have the time for formality. And sword made such a huge mess of it the first time round so you didn’t think they were going to help this time round. You tried calling Clint, but he was busy, apparently. Too busy to pick up your calls.

This was definitely a suicide mission.

You knocked three times with the back of your knuckles and listened, trying to hear any hint of movement.

Nothing.

You knocked again. Knock. Knock. Knock. Not even a creak.

Maybe she was asleep or maybe, dare you say it, had gotten it wrong. God, you’d hate for some old man to swing the door open.

Your hand dropped to the handle, going to test the lock, but then it swung open and if it wasn’t for your own instincts, you would have stumbled forward.

Wanda.

Your eyes slammed onto her face and, for the first time in years, you fumbled. She looked different, way too different for your liking, she looked older since Tony’s funeral. Mature. More confident in herself. You could think of a different million ways to describe her in that split second.

She’d always been pretty before but this Wanda was…gorgeous. This Wanda could also read minds.

You cut your thoughts short and took in a slight breath. Wanda wasn’t saying anything and her only acknowledgement was the slight hook of her brow.

“Wanda,” you began before forcing a smile onto yourself, “long time no see.”

“So they sent you, of all people,” Wanda remarked and you made a face. Sure-she was right but that was, quite frankly, rude.

“They suggested I come and I wanted to come,” you lied, “to see how you were doing...okay, look, I know we never talked. Or interacted. I know that. I was probably not the most open to you as I could have been.” Wanda was continuing to stare at you. She was dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt. A shirt that arguably was one size too small for her. You weren’t really sure what to say, if you were honest, you’d spent so much time trying to find her, tracking her down like a puzzle, that you forgot to plan for this interaction.

“But I like to think we were on good terms,” you continued. Worst thing she could do was close the door in your face and you were more than happy to camp outside. “Enough that you’ll hear me out. I heard about your book, the darkhold–” That’s when you got a reaction out of her. Her eyes narrowed, growing even colder, and you could see her grip tightening on the door. “–we need to talk. Please-just let me in. I’m not going to fight you. We both know I can’t do that.”

You were keeping your thoughts clear. You didn’t want her reading you.

After a second, Wanda swung the door open wider and let you in.  

Your eyes scanned the room the moment you entered the threshold, looking for all the exits, before you turned back to Wanda. Wanda, who had closed the door, and had started walking towards you, close enough that you took a step back but found yourself hitting the back of a table.

Now that she was right up in your personal space, close enough that you could smell the soap she was using. Your heart was beating now.

“So you came for the book?” She asked, staring down at you. She was only a couple of inches taller than you but it may as well have been more.

“No, I came here to help you. And I know that book isn’t helping you, no matter how much you think it is. Wanda, that book is dangerous,” you said, gaining enough courage that you pushed yourself off the table to step forward, getting into Wanda’s space just as she was in yours.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Wanda remarked but she didn’t move. “You’re as bullheaded as you used to be, never knowing when a fight was too big for you. I remember all those times Nat and Steve had to throw themselves on the line because you’d done something reckless.” “That’s rich coming from you.” “I could protect myself,” Wanda snapped back. “So where are they? The rest of them. The people that said they were my family. Were you all that they had?”

You clenched your teeth. Don’t say the truth. “They wanted a woman’s touch with it,” you lied. “There isn’t that many of us who were close to you back then anymore.”

It was really only Nat and maybe Pepper who were close to Wanda. Both were a little preoccupied as of right now (for different reasons) to come knocking on Wanda’s door.

“A woman’s touch?” Wanda echoed, saying it in a way that made you clench your teeth. It was a raspy whisper. “And what, may I ask, would that entail?”

With the way she said it, you were pretty sure that Wanda wasn’t meaning it in the same way you were. Albeit, your meaning was rather off as well. In that you had no idea what that would entail either.

Wanda must have realised this and took a step back. “I suggest you leave,” she said and you hesitated before shaking your head.

“I won’t do that,” you said and she frowned. “They asked me to calm you down–”

“Calm me down?” She repeated, pronouncing each syllable, and it was as if the temperature dropped ten degrees. “Calm me down.” Then she smirked and it made you roll back on your heels.

“As long as you have that book, yes,” you said, “how about this–I take the book and then I go. You’ll think more rational without it, Maximoff, you know that. Deep down. You’re smart, Wanda, smarter than anyone ever gave you credit for. Besides Vision–”

“Don’t say his name,” Wanda snarled and suddenly she was in front of you again, hand around your throat, “do you understand me? He doesn’t exist here, not with you around.”

You didn’t really know what she meant but you ran with it and nodded. Her hand was tight and your airway was becoming a little too blocked for your liking.

She stared down at you, her eyes hard and cold, but then they softened and her grip loosened but they still didn’t leave your skin.

“You know, I might have pursued you back then, if it wasn’t for him,” Wanda began and you blinked. What? “You were everything I liked in a girl. Besides your recklessness….and stubbornness...but I think I can deal with that pretty easily.”

“Wanda, I’m flattered, really, but how about we focus,” you said, carefully, deciding to take that with a grain of salt and then over analyse it at three in the morning. Like how could you be cock blocked by a bloody robot? “Just give me the book and I’ll leave you in peace. I’ll make sure no one comes looking for you–” “You can’t promise me that,” Wanda remarked before she dropped her hand to take a step back. Then she looked you up and down. “You said they wanted you to calm me down, right? How about I keep both you and the book.”

You would like to say you were able to fight back. Prevent Wanda from knocking you out. But you were gone by the time she finished her sentence.

----

When light streamed into your eyes, the first thing you registered was the soft pillow underneath your head. Then you felt the rest of the bed and your eyes sprung open.

Your legs were bent up and out, Wanda’s red mist wrapped around your ankles and knees to keep them up. Meanwhile, your wrists were stuck to the headboard. Then your eyes rested on….Wanda?

Transparent Wanda reading that bloody book. You swear to god-you’ll burn that book the moment you get your hands–

“You’ll do no such thing,” Wanda’s voice cut through your apparently rather loud thoughts. You turned your head, trying to find her, and there she was in the doorway, sipping a cup of tea, watching you. Then she kicked off it and moved into the room and slid the mug onto a table before coming to the bed. “Maybe I’ll let you hold it one day as I read it.”

“I don’t...I don’t understand, Wanda, let me go,” you whispered as you began to struggle, pulling on the restraints again and again, but they weren’t budging. Neither was Wanda.

“I don’t think I want to,” Wanda hummed as she pushed herself onto the bed, “you see, I lost everything. My brother, Vision, Nat, Steve, my two boys, then Vision again. I lose every single family I ever have. Maybe this time I’ll succeed. I’m trying to find them, you see, with the book. Find them and pull them out. We can live here, happy, away from everyone.”

“We’ve done this story before Wanda, it didn’t–” “This time will be different, I’ll be more powerful, I won’t mess up this time,” Wanda pressed as her hands went to your inner thighs, moving them up and down your clothed skin. “And, when it comes to you, what they don’t know won’t hurt them. I don’t think I’ll let them see you. No, you can be my little secret. I stared at you for too many years, let you whore yourself out to other people. Not anymore.”

You drew your brows together. This couldn’t be happening.

“As you said, you’re meant to calm me down, right? Meant to pull me off some edge because everyone else was just too busy,” Wanda said as she positioned herself between your legs, bending down to kiss your jawline. You throbbed and pulled on the red strands wrapped around your wrist, but to no avail. “But I can think of another edge you can get close to,” she whispered as she pulled away again.

“Wanda, what are you–”

Her fingers slid in between your thighs, pressing into your heat, and a sharp gasp left your mouth. She began to rub through your jeans, cupping your heat, and you tugged again. This time, the red scratched the watch around your wrist and suddenly your clothes had snapped into the red armour Tony had built you years ago. Protective armour that replaced whatever you were wearing in a nick of time.

Useful.

The shift was enough to push Wanda off you and she stared down at the red and black armour with a slight tilt of her head.

“Well, that won’t do, will it?” She asked as her hands trailed down the cool metal. “Neat trick. Tony’s design, right?”

“Of course,” you responded after a moment, your chest rising up and down. There was no point in denying it-it was obviously Tony’s. Right down to the colours.

Wanda’s eyes turned red as the red mist circled around her hand as she lowered it back down. You flinched when you felt it slink in between the small crevices. The suit was meant to be protected against outside substances, able to go into water, but you supposed Tony didn’t exactly build it against Wanda.

“Wanda, you don’t–” “If you don’t be quiet, I’ll make you, do you understand me?” She hissed as she bucked her hand backwards and the suit around your hips ripped off you and tossed across the room. You whined as the cold air hit your bare skin, contrasting the building heat in between your legs.  

You were left with nothing but the top half and the pants that wrapped around your thigh. “Much better.”

With that, she went back to what she was doing before but this time there was nothing to prevent her from slipping her fingers through your slick folds, the tips of her nails teasing your entrance.

“Look at you, already so wet,” she cooed and you gritted your teeth. This really couldn’t be happening. This was a dream. She could control reality, this was just a dream. “This isn’t me in your head, sweetheart, trust me–I would have cut the foreplay if I was creating this.”

She continued to massage your heat and it took you everything you had not to moan.

“Why are you…” you tried saying but you were cut short, once again, when her fingers found your hooded clit, using the tips of her nails to start playing with it. You bucked your hips instinctively and she chuckled.

“You said you wanted to help me, right?” Wanda asked and the building heat was beginning to become a little too much. “So how about this, sweetheart, you help mummy out by becoming mummy’s little stress reliever.”

Two fingers suddenly plunged into your entrance and your back arched. At least your clit got a little bit of a break but it wasn’t long until her palm began to grind against it as she thrusted the fingers into your tight entrance. Each thrust expanded your walls, letting her in even deeper, your own arousal making her movements slick and quick.

“Wand-” you began to moan but it morphed into a sharp yelp when she pulled her fingers out to slap your cunt.

“You’re a smart girl, sweetheart, it’s how you got around Tony for so long. I think you know exactly what you want to be calling me,” she said and suddenly she was back down so that her face was only inches away from yours and her fingers slid back inside of you.

Unlike last time, though, it wasn’t rough and sharp. Her fingers were slow as they moved inside of you, curling at the tips, scratching your walls. Exploring. She was exploring you and you could do nothing but whimper and moan.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? I know you would. Look at you, already so wet and submissive for me,” she whispered, scattering kisses down your jawline as she reached your ear to nibble on your earlobe. “I’ll keep you in here for as long as I need you. Ride your pretty little mouth as I read that book, fill you up again and again until you’re passing out. All you have to do is be a good little girl.”

Heat was curling through your body, that buzzing sort of heat, that made your vision blur. Your teeth were clamped together. You wanted to moan, they were in your throat, but even when you opened your mouth, no sound came out. Just silent moans. The fingers moving inside of you had grabbed all your attention.

Then she scratched that little sweet spot and it was that that pushed out a moan that bounced around the room. Wanda laughed, hitting it again and again.

“Let your mummy hear your moans, sweetheart,” she said before she pulled back to kiss you on the mouth, biting hard on your lip so you wouldn’t even try to close your mouth and stop the tongue that slid into your mouth.

Your stomach was twisting into knots at this point and seemed like every other muscle seemed to be cramping. You were close to climax. Your walls clenched around Wanda’s fingers. Just a little bit–

You groaned when she peeled herself off you. You blinked up at her, looking through what seemed like tears, as you were denied that relief. Relief from the throbbing coming from your cunt.

“You want to cum, baby?” Wanda asked as she pulled off her shirt. Underneath was a simple black bra that was quickly disposed of. Your eyes, naturally, landed on her chest. A chest that, even under the circumstances, made you drool. Wanda’s clicking your fingers drew your eyes back up. “Eyes on mummy, sweetheart. God, you really are a little whore, aren’t you? Tell me-do you want to cum?” You pulled on your restraints just once more but all it seemed to do was to make it even tighter.

You nodded, jerkily.

“Use your words, sweetheart, I very clearly established you’re not mute,” Wanda remarked as her fingers went down to her jeans, fiddling with her button.

“Yes. Please, I want to,” you mumbled, knowing you won’t be coming back from this point. Then again-if she could make you feel like that again...maybe that wasn’t so bad.

Wanda tilted her head as she hummed, not having to move much to slap your sore cunt again and you jerked. “Say it politely and maybe I’ll consider it.” You scrunch your eyes shut and mewled when she began to knead your pulsating clit again. “M-mummy, please,” you whispered and her hands left your cunt. Before you could even open your eyes, you felt her lips on yours. Soft, gentle...loving.

“Good girl...that wasn’t so hard, was it?” She asked and you could hear the ruffling of her pants as she kicked them off. “Now...mummy’s going into your head, okay? I promise it won’t be long.” You began to struggle again but the warmth of her powers quickly washed over you. Your memories began playing the past three months. You tracking her down. Refusing back up.

Then she was out again.

“You really told no one where you were going? Almost as if you wanted this to happen,” She said as she shifted on top of you. Shifted that you felt something rub up against your entrance and you flinched. She...she was packing. “Of course I am, sweetheart, do you really think I wasn’t prepared for you? I knew you were coming from a mile away, honey.”

And with that, she pushed the strap inside of you, not bothering to wait for you to adjust until she was completely inside of you. You arched your back again, pressing into Wanda’s naked body, as the pain of being ripped open rushed through your body. You moaned and grunted as you grew adjusted to the width and length of Wanda.

“Come on, baby, you can do it,” Wanda murmured into your lips and suddenly your wrists were freed. But then her own hands came up to wrap around them to press them against the pillows herself. “I know you’ve taken bigger. Do you think we didn’t know? Didn’t know you and Nat were fucking every other night?” The comment drew you out, just for a moment, and you shook your head but all she did was pull back slightly to slam inside of you again.

“Don’t lie to me,” Wanda snarled, “tell me, tell me the truth. Use your words.”

It took only a few more thrusts of her strap filling you up again and again that the words began to spill out of your lips. “S-she found out. About my status as a shield status. Fuck,” you hissed out, barely able to hear your own words over the lude noises of Wanda beginning to pound into you. This wasn’t fair-you couldn’t dream of talking when she was fucking you like this.

“So you whored yourself out to her to make sure she kept her mouth shut,” Wanda said, finishing the sentence and you nodded jerkily. “You little slut. I bet you liked it too, just like how you like me pounding into you. But you’re mine now. Not hers. Not Tony’s. Mine. My little whore.”

She shifted upwards so that her chest was dangling above your face. “Suck your mommy's tit, baby, I saw you admire them before.”

It was a welcome change, you had to admit, to trying to formulate sentences and words around the moans and screams spilling out of your mouth. Your head leaned forward, closing the distance, so your mouth could wrap around her erect nipple and your walls clenched around her strap as you heard her moan.

Her hand moved to the top of your head, her nails scraping against your scalp as she interwove her fingers through your messy hair. Your tongue lapped at the small bud between your teeth and she began to move her hips in time with your tongue.

Your now free hand wrapped around her body so your nails were digging into her shoulder, drawing Wanda down even closer so you could take more of her tit into her mouth.

The same heat that had built before was coming back, and you weren’t sure how long you could hold on at this point.

“You can cum whenever you want, baby, just this once,” Wanda purred, hearing your thoughts, and it was all you needed, that confirmation, to come undone. Your walls clenched around the strap and you could feel Wanda slowing down as thrusting became just a tad more difficult and you screamed into her tits, careful not to clamp your jaw shut, as the orgasm rushed through you.

Even through it, she continued moving inside of you, and you almost felt like you could pass out.

“Good girl,” Wanda whispered. “Oh, I could get used to this. I’m going to keep you in here, do you hear me? Make you a good little whore for me to come home to.” They did say your mission was to help Wanda calm down.

[systemdump]

Ghost of Tshushima review

now i’ve got platinum on the base game i’m gonna share my thoughts. i know some of you have been following my commentary as i play so here’s a final thoughts kinda thing

i went into ghost of tsushima completely blind with a 5/5 IGN score in mind and a before you buy gameranx video. i hadn’t seen the trailer nor knew anything about the plot. i’ve never played a sword combat game before but the fact i love open world and story-driven games, i decided to give it a go. as someone who is naturally interested in history regardless, the concept of a badass samurai game intrigued me.

my initial thoughts when booting up the game was wow, okay. straight into battle because that opening sequence is nothing short of fantastic. you’re thrown onto the beach of komoda with a charging army of samurai, slashing invaders with your katana like a fucking badass. they give you what you came for straightaway — an awesome combat slasher game.

i don’t want this review to be too long so i’m going to talk about the open world aspect as a whole. as a natural fan of huge open world games (the horizon and tes franchises come to mind) as far as GOT goes, the world feels incredibly linear. there’s something so charming about all the characters you encounter and even jin himself, the protagonist. even without jin, the world seems to exist when he isn’t there. it’s common for open world games to fall into the trap of ‘everything evolves around the player’ and GOT does an excellent job of subverting this. an example that really cemented this was a specific quest when a peasant tells jin a group of bandits stole her food and she asks him to retrieve it. when jin does, she confesses that the food was never hers and that she is desperate and starving. i thought nothing more of this and moved on. later in the game i stumbled across her cabin again and found it infested with bandits, her dead body on the floor. it shocked me because very few games manage such subtle details as this that make the world breathe, even when you aren’t there.

i can’t talk about this game without mentioning the visuals. i mean, cmon. this game is beautiful. i’ve taken so many photos because wow, the photomode is probably the best i’ve seen, like, ever. you customise to the point that it’s ridiculous. there’s so much variation that i didn’t get to use it all.

regarding the story — it’s completely unassuming. there’s obviously an inclination of a winding tale because there’s three parts of the island that define the story’s three acts. but i did not for a moment expect it to take such a dark turn. there were moments where i feared that i, the player, was doing the wrong thing. a LOT of moments made me gasp and shout at my TV, some where i laughed or cheered. saying this, i am easily immersed in media so take this as a grain of salt… i’m not gonna talk about the ending cos i want this to be relatively spoiler free but man, what a somber conclusion.

combat in this game is satisfying. enemy ai is relatively stupid which you can exploit to your advantage. the skill trees and stances you learn along your journey are very useful. i usually don’t tend to indulge in combo moves when it comes to games because i’m boring like that but with GOT i found that i was actually using them. which is rare. i loved the ghost rampage mode but i always got SO pissed when an enemy drained it when you were so close to filling it. stealth in this game is also pretty cool. the bow is op as fuck. upgrade that shit and you can wipe out hoards of enemies like no problem. i lean towards the half bow generally because the draw speed is less of a pain in the ass, where as the long bow, whilst has explosive arrows, just doesn’t feel as accurate?

overall feelings — yeah, i loved this game. one of the best open world experiences i’ve had yet. if you’re having doubts about it, this is your sign. GO PLAY IT.

[avarkriss]

paradise; (with a nasty bite)

✭・.・✫ 

Obi-Wan Kenobi x Female Reader

Rated: E for Explicit, 18+ Only 

Word Count: 3.589k

Summary: Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, Commander Cody, and one very ticked off Jedi Reader get pollened on what should be a very quick and simple mission 

Song/Title Inspo: Control by Unknown Brain ;; a huge thank you to Elisha (@beskars​) for encouraging/proofing these shenanigans

Warnings: Threesome - F/M/M; Sex Pollen and therefore automatic DubCon; Sass; Force Projection; Force Sensitivity and Mind Reading; I Know That’s Not How The Force Works Don’t At Me; Boys Kissing; Oral Sex (M/M, F/M); Masturbation and Mutual Masturbation; Kissing; Shameless Bisexuality and Smut; Vaginal Fingering; Spit as Lube; Spit Kink; Fucking on Obi’s Cloak Kink; Beach Sex; Double Penetration (Vaginal); Very Light D/S tones, Poor Ani

Image credits: unsplash  

Author’s Note: My first pollen fic!! I do apologize if I miss any grammar/spelling/formatting issues, this was primarily written on my phone in the middle of the woods lmao. I love a good threesome, I hope you to too! Plus we’re getting delivered early because I got home early :) Enjoy, share what you can, and be well ~

The heat on Borleias was oppressive.

It was sticky. 

Heavy. 

And you swore to the Force you were inhaling as much water as you were drinking. 

The worst part though? The very worst part was that the beach was so close you could kriffing smell it. 

Cool relief called to you from just a few meters away, the melodic crashing of the waves lulling you into a state of serenity you didn't think was possible in this hellscape - something else to focus on besides the salt crusting on your skin from where your sweat had evaporated.

Until you heard his blasted voice crackling in your comlink, cursing that crisp Coruscanti accent for pulling you out of the only moment of peace you've known since landing in this Force-forsaken jungle. 

The sound was slightly muffled, humidity having crept into the smallest of cracks in the watertight seals on the device. 

"I need you to stay focused," Obi-Wan reprimanded. 

“Of course,” you grumbled, tugging at the neck of your tunic while inwardly groaning at the way the coarseweave stuck to your skin. “Have you placed your beacon yet?” you grumbled, the hilt of your lightsaber slipping in your palm. 

No one saw you fumble it, certainly. No one except for apparently Cody, who you heard choke on a laugh from three meters away. If looks could kill he would have been wounded but he just couldn’t contain himself - you had to be the second clumsiest Jedi in the Order with that thing, the first of course being General Kenobi. 

You waited five more standard minutes before lifting your wrist to your mouth, hissing into your comm. “Well?” 

“You’re so testy in the heat,” Obi-Wan grunted from behind. You startled and nearly dropped your lightsaber again, glowering at him as mirth dared to dance in his eyes. 

“Great. You’re back. I’m going to the beach so I can soak the sweat off,” you snarked, making a concentrated effort to push through the foliage in front of you, desperate for the ocean to cleanse your spirits. 

“Seems that the heat is getting to her, sir,” Cody remarked, watching Obi-Wan gently shake his head before trudging after you. 

When the two men emerged from the forest they found your boots, belt, lightsaber, and pants strewn about the beach in a haphazard line straight to the water where they could see you floating on your back, dimly lit by the moon. 

“Must you leave a mess everywhere you go?" Obi-Wan shouted, bending down to gather your things in a neat pile. 

You rolled your eyes heavily, knowing he couldn't see you in the water. "I'm going to shake Anakin if I don't die here first," you grumbled to yourself, begrudging the day you were assigned to this mission because he had " urgent business on Naboo ." 

Obi-Wan thumped to the ground next to the pile, neatly folding your pants as Cody sat down next to him, removing his helmet. 

"I've read about this planet sir, there's a meteor shower every year," Cody mentioned, hugging his knees to his chest as he looked at the stars along the horizon. 

"I believe you're correct Cody," Obi-Wan mused, taking in the way Cody’s curls seemed to have tightened with the planet’s humidity, basking in his calm while he looked out across the ocean. 

"I can't believe it," Cody gasped, suddenly sitting straight before scrambling to lay on his back. Obi-Wan curiously followed his gaze, tilting his chin skyward to find the shimmering tails of a cluster of shooting stars. 

"It's nice to enjoy this," Cody mumbled, speaking to no one but himself.  

"It is," Obi-Wan agreed, smiling at Cody before calling out to you, beckoning you to the beach before pointing at the stars. 

You slowly removed yourself from the water, coming to stand next to Obi-Wan. You bit back a scoff when you saw the way he had neatly folded and arranged your belongings, crossing your arms as you looked to the sky. 

"As much as I can't stand this planet, being here for the annual meteor shower is pretty amazing," you thought aloud, sand sticking to your toes and ankles. 

Obi-Wan hummed in agreement as he moved to lay down, the top of his head brushing against Cody's. You shrugged and decided to join them, toes towards that cursed jungle as you laid down, your wet hair joining theirs. 

The three of you laid there for a while, relaxing against the warm sand while the planet slowly dropped in temperature, becoming only slightly more bearable. You had no idea how much time had passed when a breeze finally picked up, carrying glittering silver grains in its wake. 

You ran your finger up your arm, examining the sparkles when you realized it was pollen from the jungle. 

"Curious," Obi-Wan said, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together, slowly sitting up. 

"Obi-Wan," you warned, sitting up yourself as he began to walk up the beach. Cody scrambled and lightly jogged to catch up with him. 

You watched them at the forest line, Obi-Wan carefully studying a lightly colored flower - the source of the pollen, you were sure. He plucked one and returned with it and Cody, sitting down next to you.

"I've never seen such a thing before," you marveled, reaching out your hand to hold the flower. 

It was palm sized, the petals so thin that if there was just one you could have made out the shape of your finger behind it. The edges of the petals were nearly metallic in their argent color, gently rippled and curled. At the center of the flower was a milky white stamen that seemed to glow in the moonlight, studded with the last remnants of silver pollen that hadn't been taken by the wind. 

"We didn't see any of these on our way in," you mentioned, turning the flower in your hand. 

"No," Cody confirmed, extending his hand so he could study the plant. "But there are many flowers that only bloom at night." 

"I think it may be some type of aestus flower," Obi-Wan mentioned casually, rolling his lower lip between his teeth. 

"You can't be -" you started, stopping before you realized you were being ridiculous. The family of aphrodisiac flowers was so valuable they'd be well documented on this planet, known for being exceptionally poor in natural resources. 

“An aestus flower, sir?” Cody questioned, tilting his head as he lifted the flower to eye level. 

“They’re a… a flower known to produce various aphrodisiac effects,” Obi-Wan explained, quickly continuing when he caught sight of Cody’s furrowed brows. “But they’re known to work very quickly, so this may be a distant cousin of sorts.” 

“Regardless, I’m sitting over there,” you threw your thumb to the side, gesturing to a large smooth rock in the sand, “until we’re sure it’s not what you think it is. I could use a few hours of quiet.” 

Obi-Wan nodded his head as you stood, slowly moving himself closer to the tree line. “Just for precaution,” he smiled. 

Cody nodded too and moved a few meters away himself, your close circle turning into a giant awkward triangle on the beach. 

You settled on the stone, feeling the heat of the planet push against your chest once more. 

But as time started to slow and the weight increased, you began to fear that Obi-Wan was, once again, absolutely correct. 

“Just meditate through it,” you whispered to yourself, crossing your legs underneath you while you rested your wrists on your knees, palms facing the sky. "Just breathe." 

You slowly closed your eyes and took the deepest breath you could manage, reaching out to connect with your surroundings. You were searching, looking for something cool, something calming. 

You needed to ground yourself, build an unshakable foundation to ward off the storm you could feel brewing in the pit of your stomach. 

The stone beneath you was too warm and the ocean always took extra concentration, concentration you couldn't spare as you desperately tried to block out the growing heat between your thighs and the gentle groan you heard from somewhere down the beach. 

"Breathe," you spoke to yourself, reaching for the trees. You found them hot, burning from the aestus flowers and resistant to your touch. You sensed something alluring and cold nearby, creeping towards it until you realized it was Obi-Wan, pulling away before you made the mistake of making him your home. 

"Breathe," you spat from between gritted teeth, eyes scrunching with the involuntary flutter from between your legs. You reached into the sand, desperate, aching. But it fell from your grasp slowly, mocking you. Taunting. There was no stability to be found in sand.

There was another ragged moan from down the beach and you ground your teeth down, placing the tips of your fingers against the flat stone, clinging to the steady vibrations between every molecule. 

Heat grew between your thighs as something cool lapped at your back, calling to you like gentle water. 

Relax, little one. 

You couldn't help the growl growing in the back of your throat, letting it escape briefly before swallowing it back down. His voice was honey thick; sticky and warm and pulling you in. 

The groaning from down the beach intensified, joined by stumbling footsteps that climbed away from you, drawn in by Obi-Wan's cooling aura. 

Cody, you panicked, reaching out for him until you realized Obi-Wan had brought him to the safety of harbor first. 

You felt him pull away from you, keeping a connection at the small of your back. You felt like your skin was going to burn off of your bones, thighs slicking as your arousal began to pool. 

Groans turned to whimpers, threatening to break your concentration as you dove deeper and deeper, fighting the pull that threatened to drag you to the surface. 

It was when things finally turned quiet that you straightened your spine, breathing deeply until you felt a familiar flicker somewhere in the corner of your consciousness. 

The sound was different now - wet and messy and your throat felt like it was starting to close until a strangled moan erupted, pulling you out of the shelter you had forged. 

Your protective walls were down and you were exposed, every nerve ending combusting at once until the projection of pleasure slammed into your chest. 

You felt relief for the briefest of moments until it ebbed away, fleeting glimpses of bliss strangling your heart every few seconds until tears began to fall down your cheeks. It was going to make you lose your sanity, bouncing between the burning heat of desire and the sweet relief of satisfaction being sent through you. 

You pulled yourself up and started to walk towards the tree line, vision blurred and gait unsure. You were ready to scream, ripped open and raw and hurting and alone -

"I hate -" you sobbed, falling to your knees at the sight of Obi-Wan on his, Cody’s cock buried in his mouth while he choked on his own relieved cries. 

Your words died on your tongue and your mouth parted as you studied them, beautiful in the moonlight. Cody was bare and had his head thrown back, his hands tangled in Obi-Wan’s auburn hair as he thrust into his mouth. 

You reached between your thighs as you watched - Cody stuttering in his rhythm while Obi-Wan stroked himself, hand moving under his robes. 

Your fingers danced around your aching clit, craving relief that evaded you at every turn. Obi-Wan's projection was constant now, his pleasure mounting with Cody’s. When Cody came the projection pushed you onto your ass, hitting the sand with a gentle thud. You groaned and thrust your fingers into your aching pussy, watching Cody join Obi-Wan on his knees, pulling him in for a kiss. 

Their tongues danced together and your lips tingled with ache, mouth and throat dry while you panted. 

Please , you pleaded, reaching out to tangle yourself with Obi-Wan as Cody kissed him and took his cock in his hand. When Cody began to pump him up and down Obi-Wan pushed so hard against you that you fell onto your back breathless, rapidly thrusting in and out of your heat. 

You couldn't see it when he came but you heard him moan, feeling the pleasure ripple through your tummy and up your chest. You threw your head back into the sand, screaming out in frustration as hot tears simmered on your cheeks, begging for your own release. 

Someone knelt down next to you, their hand on your forehead sending a jolt down your back. You whimpered as you arched under the gentle touch, chasing the connection as the hand pulled away. 

"General," Cody murmured, slipping it under your neck to help you sit up. You pulled your fingers from within yourself and curled into Cody, crying against his shoulder. 

"I - I -," you stammered, struggling to find your words as you continued to clench around nothing, aching to be filled. 

"We know what you need darling," Obi-Wan rumbled, spreading his cloak onto the sand. "We're here now." He was attempting to send a calming rush towards you, finding you unresponsive to it as you kissed across Cody's shoulder. 

Cody’s lips fell to your neck, mouthing at your skin as you grew impossibly hotter in his arms. 

"She needs more Cody," Obi-Wan pointed out, helping to roll you onto his cloak as Cody settled between your legs. "Taste her," he suggested, shrugging off the rest of his robes. 

As soon as Cody's tongue made contact with your soaked folds you let out a wrecked moan, twisting against the cloak until Obi-Wan settled next to you, leaning down to pull your soaked tunic off of you before capturing your lips in a searing kiss. 

You succumbed to him immediately, letting his tongue push against yours as he licked into your mouth. He still tasted of Cody and you moaned below him, fisting one hand in Cody's hair as the other searched for Obi-Wan's cock, joining his own in stroking himself to relieve the fire slowly consuming you all from the inside out. 

Obi-Wan spread a hand over your breast, slowly tweaking one of your nipples while Cody lapped at your clit. He was groaning into you as his fingers searched out your entrance, index and middle slipping in with ease. 

Your hips arched off the cloak to meet his eager mouth, moans filling the air as Obi-Wan broke away from your mouth to take your nipple between his teeth, leaving a trail of stars blooming across your skin in his wake. 

Obi-Wan, please - 

Your walls were down and he was starting to crumble. 

"Cody," Obi-Wan whispered, running his hand through his hair. When he lifted his head from between your legs his eyes were shining as much as his mouth, slowing his fingers inside of you. "Sit back a moment my darling." 

Cody sat back on his knees and dragged his fingers slowly out of you. You keened at the loss until you saw Obi-Wan lean over to Cody, taking his fingers into his mouth, groaning at the way you tasted on his salty skin. 

Obi-Wan cast his eyes down to you as he palmed at your breasts, pulling off of Cody's fingers when he was sure that they were clean. He came back to your tips, tapping them open with a gentle finger before spitting into your mouth, tasting of you and Cody and something uniquely him. 

After leaving a parting bite on your lower lip he helped you roll onto your stomach, gesturing for Cody to resume his place between your legs as he stroked himself and came around to your mouth. 

Let him fuck me, please - 

Your thoughts were loud in your head as Obi-Wan moaned, giving voice to the desires you couldn't speak. 

As Cody lined himself up to your entrance Obi-Wan found your mouth, each man pushing into you, synchronous with the other. 

Your groans were muffled around Obi-Wan, eyes fluttering closed as relief settled into you, the fire shrinking with every thrust of their cocks. 

Cody had you stretched in the most delicious of ways, moaning and cursing as he thrust into you, one hand pressed against your pussy and the other resting on Obi-Wan's. 

They both started to say your name louder, your body shaking between them, threatening to break if you didn't find release soon. But as Cody timed his thrusts to oppose the press of his finger on your clit and Obi-Wan pulled your hair while hissing from the way you traced him with your tongue, your vision went white and the world finally stopped spinning. 

Your euphoria was short lived, quickly replaced by deep heat between your legs. Cody and Obi-Wan found their release shortly after, spilling inside of you as they each moaned out your name. 

They parted from you for a moment, pausing to kiss each other before coming to your sides, each man laying next to you. 

"It's not stopping soon is it," you panted, looking to Cody and then to Obi-Wan who both shook their heads. You let out a shaking exhale as the pain grew stronger. You couldn't fight it anymore, leaving yourself wide open, thoughts so obvious that even Cody could gather what was on your mind. 

Obi-Wan shared in your sensation and grabbed at your waist, urging you to straddle him. Once you were comfortably seated Obi-Wan set a punishing pace, snapping his hips up into your while he kneaded the flesh of your ass between his fingers. 

Cody watched for a few moments before taking himself in his palm, stroking in time to Obi-Wan's thrusts. His face began to contort with pain when a thought burst through your fog. 

Self-stimulation is ineffective, isn't it? 

You were interweaving yourself with Obi-Wan, clinging to the cool of his force signature as he slowed just a touch, breathing out a shudder confirmation. 

With that you turned towards Cody, gently calling his name as Obi-Wan slowly rocked into you, expression curious. 

"I'm so wet," you moaned, looking him up and down. 

"You are," he confirmed, putting his hand where your body met Obi-Wan's, the other still wrapped tightly around his cock. He teased you both for a few moments, running his fingers across both of you at once. 

"I can take you both together." 

The words rolled off your tongue before you realized you had said them, both men moaning as Cody began to work a finger and then two into your pussy without hesitation. 

"You’re sure?" he grunted, wrapping your hand around his cock as he pushed his fingers deeper, working in tandem with the subtle roll of Obi-Wan's hips. 

"Yes," you cried, voice strained as he pushed in a third. "Can't stand to see either of you in this pain." 

Cody hummed against your skin as he kissed you, helping you adjust to the stretch before pulling away, coming behind you. 

With a firm hand to your back Cody pushed you forward until your chest was nearly flush with Obi-Wan's. You heard him spit against you, rubbing at you with his thumbs before pressing his head against your entrance, easing himself inside. 

You and Obi-Wan moaned from the pressure, stilling as he worked his way in. You swallowed your cries as Obi-Wan bit into your shoulder, hands firm on your hips as he tried to hang onto the last bit of his mental wall. 

That, however, came crashing down as soon as Cody began to move, the force of his pleasure knocking the wind from your chest. When you opened your eyes you could see your tears mixed with his, leaning down to lick them away before he began to work in tandem with Cody - thrusting in as he pulled out. 

They worked against each other and you were seeing stars, becoming wetter and wetter with every orgasm that rushed through your body. At some point you realized that the wetness was their come leaking out of you, both men showing no signs of easing up anytime soon. 

You couldn't be certain how many times any of you came, riding out high after high, changing positions, coming in and on each other as you lost yourselves in the pleasure, desperate to keep the burning pain away. 

At some point though the effects of the pollen had worn off and the three of you collapsed together, sticky and sweet and warm. Time had returned though sense was still absent. 

You and Cody had each curled around Obi-Wan, legs tangled together and arms entwined. Eventually you each slipped into a heavy slumber, shared murmurs of thanks fading away as your eyelids drooped. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Slowly you began to rouse, feeling the heat of the sun beginning to sear your skin, quickly coming to your senses when a high pitched shriek jolted you all awake. 

You startled to find Captain Rex doubled over in laughter as Anakin threw his cloak over the pile of limbs you were wrapped in, head turned away and paler than you could ever recall seeing him. 

"Anakin, aren't you supposed to be on Naboo?" Obi-Wan questioned, slowly sitting up. He was blinking in the sun, memories slowly returning as you and Cody unwrapped yourselves from around him.

"I was until the Council told me they never heard your team check in. They sent me here and I find this," he gestured dramatically, pinching the bridge of his nose as he turned away. 

"Like I needed another reason to hate sand." 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Full Masterlist // Star Wars Masterlist

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Tags - Tumble has a tag limit and we’ve exceeded it (which is so cool I can’t believe that many of you are interesting in reading my work!) so we’ll be switching to comment tags, this should also mean that everyone’s tags will work for once!! 

Tag lists are open: just CLICK HERE and tell me what you want to get tagged in, or send me an ask/DM!

[scotianostra]

Christina 'Licorice' McKechnie was born on October 2nd 1945.

This is always a  difficult post for, I want to say Happy Birthday to  Licorice, but in my heart I think she is dead, she heard from in 1990, although the last sighting if, !Likkie’’as she became known, was  hitchhiking across the Arizona desert.

Christina ‘Licorice’ McKechnie was born in Edinburgh in 1945, there is nothing about her early life online that I can find, her story starts when she was known around the folk clubs of Auld Reekie, reciting poetry, it was around this time she left home-and was set to marry, the late great Scottish folk musician Bert Jansch. The banns had been called, (Banns were a legal requirement and were an intention of marriage, posted for people to see in their parish,) the wedding never took place, Jansch left Scotland for Morocco. 

Likkie began a relationship with Robin Williamson who along Robin,Clive Palmer and Mike Heron had form The Incredible String Band, the group split for a time when Williamson and Likkie went travelling but reformed on their return as a duo with Heron. They later played on the same bill as Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell, Likkie joined then as vocalist and they recorded the album, The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion.

The band went on to have success touring but had limited commercial success. They got involved with Scientology in the 60’s and it is said to have contributed to a decline in their music quality, they did however play Woodstock in 69, they were scheduled to play the first day and a fee of $4500 had been agreed, this would have been a huge sum for them back in the 60’s and you would have thought bigger things beckoned. The band didn’t appear on the film of the festival as they refused to play in the rain, their slot was taken by the fabulous Melanie (Safka) who later wrote “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” about her day. “String Band” played the next day on a mainly rock day, the world missed out and so did they.

By late 1969, they had established a communal base at Glen Row near Innerleithen, Likkie and Robin split around this time although she remained in the group till 1972. After a failed marriage to musician Brian Lambert she featured on an album with Williamson and his Merry men and an album with Woody Woodmansey’s band U-Boat.  Beyond this, it's believed that she may have bounced around, living perhaps in Los Angeles, Arizona, and Sacramento. 

The Diversity of Classic Rock website  reports that McKechnie's sister last heard from her in 1990, when McKechnie had been recovering from surgery in Sacramento. The site is also one of many that claims McKechnie disappeared in the Arizona desert, but this has never been conclusively proved.

Time to hit the kitchen to grab a few grains of salt because Reddit has also weighed in on her disappearance, with unproven theories ranging from a Scientology connection to parsing the words of former bandmates who wish (emphasis on the present tense) her well.

Redditors also claim that McKechnie's family hired private investigators to find her, though they were unsuccessful. Others counter that she's been traced via a basic internet search to a small city in the States. The confusion is enough to make any casual sleuth hope that McKechnie just grew tired of the spotlight and is now happy in her anonymity. 

I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether Likkie is dead, or if she is living way off grid somewhere on the other side of the Atlantic celebrating her 77th birthday.

[heda-heather]

Oh gosh ok finally watched ep 10. Overall, good episode. Here are a few thoughts on Fortwell.

1. I’m heartbroken for Candace. All she wanted was her mom to love her and to stop acting so crazy. She’s made her life difficult, but her mom is still her mom and Julia’s acting during that last scene was 💯. I’m saddened that she’ll never get closure with her mom, other than maybe knowing she saved her in her final moments.

2. That said, Christine was really sick in the head. She was ready to let the Guardian murder all those kids. She already assisted in murdering others in order to help the Guardian. If the Guardian was just a person and the general public knew about this situation, Christine would be spending her life behind bars. The reality is, she probably should’ve been in a mental hospital or jail. It’s unfortunate that Candace has to suffer because of this, but Christine has been going down this road the whole season.

3. A lot of people have died in the show and Astrid and Lilly have always kinda taken it with a grain of salt. If Christine was just another person, their lack of reaction to it wouldn’t be surprising. Christine also treated Lilly and her family horribly and kidnapped Astrid’s boyfriend. However, considering how much Lilly adores Candace, it was really out of character for her to a. Be surprised Candace reacted like that to her mom’s dead body and b. Run off to close the portal (that Astrid could’ve taken Sparrow with to do so), leave Candace behind (after a recurring theme of people not showing up for her this season), and then be so giggly with her best friend while her girlfriend is currently grieving the worst experience of her life. That made no sense. It was poorly finished, to say the least.

4. Life happens and death happens. All wlw will experience this at some point, so it’s not an unrealistic storyline, especially considering the context. But I think what people are struggling with is how Candace and Lilly JUST got together. This is a huge wrench thrown into that storyline. Candace will not be the same for a while, and she might blame Lilly for a while.

5. My HOPES are: a. Candace’s dad moves back, and she finally has a stable and emotionally safe home life to work through her grief (I really hope they don’t send her off to her dad’s instead, but we’ll see) b. Candace and Astrid will bond over losing a parent and grow closer. This will help Astrid to heal as well, and she can be the catalyst to help bring Candace and Lilly back together.

It might take some time, but I think it will work out. Praying to the heavens to bring us a season 2. 🙏🏻

[putschki1969]

Hi! as always thank you for your immediate content on the girls! <3 I'm just curious, Kalafina does have an official youtube channel but none of their lives are uploaded? The other day I was searching for their budokan live and was not-so-surprised that it got taken down T^T. And it got me thinking, why can't it be uploaded on their channel, they will get revenue. This is not directed to the girls but the person who's managing their account. I'm here just to vent. Pls stay safe & take care ^_^

Hello there!

Hmmm...yeah, you are right, the full 10th Anniversary Live video seems to no longer be available on YouTube. I guess it could have been taken down by Sony or maybe the uploader decided to take it down? Who knows? If this was Sony's doing I am actually surprised they didn't take down more of the Kalafina stuff on YouTube. Maybe this was just the beginning and there will be a huge purge soon...Please keep in mind that these are all unofficial uploads and Sony has always been very strict about not allowing those to float around on the internet. However, I feel like ever since their disbandment there has been a noticeable influx of Kala-related uploads to YouTube - most of them staying untouched by Sony's copyright wrath. Not sure if Sony just stopped caring or if YouTube's changing guidelines made it harder for Sony to intervene.

I am not an expert in this field and I have no idea how YouTube works for artists but here are some general facts about the Japanese music industry which might explain why Kalafina's official lives and live appearances are not available on the official channel. Please take everything you read here with a grain of salt.

Japan has very strict copyright laws to prevent piracy, especially when it comes to home video releases. Actually, I think that applies to all countries. It's just not a thing to have entire lives uploaded to YouTube. They want you to buy that DVD/BD. Promotion is often limited to airplays on the radio or short PVs to encourage people to buy the product.

Japan is one of the few countries that still has a very strong physical music market. More often than not, content is produced and promoted on the premise that people will buy at least one physical copy of the release (elaborate campaigns actually encourage fans to buy multiple copies).

The concept of streaming has only recently gained more popularity in Japan with more and more content becoming available on big streaming platforms but physical formats still account for the majority of Japan's music industry sales and it's pretty rare to see exclusive digital releases. This is also part of the reason why Japan has never felt the need (and is actually very reluctant) to expand their entertainment market to other countries. People outside of Japan would much rather pirate content instead of paying for it or they are simply not willing/able to pay those high Japanese prices.

The Japanese music industry is incredibly inflated with a ton of parties being involved in every process. This makes creating/promoting/distributing music a very expensive ordeal. Most Japanese creators and their agencies simply cannot afford living off of the literal peanuts that streaming platforms provide as so-called "revenue", especially if they work together with big record labels who get quite a big share of every sort of revenue. Therefore they need to rely on physical sales, merch, fan club income, etc. Streaming is nice and all for word-of-mouth promo to get your name out there but if you are a small artist it barely pays off to have your releases on platforms such as YouTube or Spotify. There is even a meme going around in certain artist circles! Ever wondered what that tiny pocket on your jeans is for? It’s for ALL the money you get from Spotify XD Even iTunes doesn't really pay off for Japanese artists which is probably why it took so long for many of those artists to finally offer their music there. Just compare the iTunes prices to the ones on mora and you will know what I mean.

Okay, that's really all I can say. Hope I was able to shed some light on the issue

[itsclydebitches]

Hey, this is old question but why do you think Raven left Yang? We never get an explicit answer but why would Raven accept the bird powers from Ozpin, decide to have a baby with Taiyang but leave soon after? Especially when this is before Summer died and Ruby was born. Personally I feel like we should have seen Raven in V7-8 because Yang's arc with her just feels so unresolved.

Yeah, it does feel pretty unresolved right now. However, based on what we have gotten and what we know about Raven, I personally headcanon: 

She'd have accepted the powers no matter what, once they were offered. Raven, by her own admission, has a survival of the fittest mentality going on. The strong survive, the weak die, and therefore anything that has the potential to make her stronger is automatically something to grab hold of, no matter the cost (example: killing the Spring Maiden. Power equals worth taking a life). Whether Raven took the bird powers with an intention to use them for good, only to abandon that desire once she learned of Salem's immortality, or whether she always had one foot out the back door, ready to abandon Ozpin's cause at the slightest whiff of real danger, the result is still the same: hell yeah an ability that allows her to spy on others, escape bad situations easily, etc. She’ll take it. Personally, I lean towards the latter option. We learn that she and Qrow entered Beacon with the intention of killing huntsmen later and there's almost nothing, to my mind, to suggest that Raven turned away from those views as Qrow did. Not when she so passionately returned to the tribe and took up activities that, although indirectly via grimm, absolutely kill huntsmen. I think Raven played the part of a good little Beacon student, was a decent enough actor and fighter to become a member of Ozpin’s inner circle (benefited by Ozpin’s own tendency to trust/see the best in others, as well as being part of a team made up of Good Guys), happily accepted a HUGELY beneficial bit of magic, and then said, "So long, suckers" when things actually got tough. If Summer hadn't disappeared and Raven had never learned about Salem? Maybe she would have stayed long term, doing the work of a huntress with a few extra war missions on the side. But an immortal enemy who may have killed a teammate? Way too dangerous for Raven's liking. I think she cares about others to a certain extent - years of friendship, a relationship with Tai, and crying beside Yang all point to that - but I don't think that care has ever overridden her own self-interest. If it had, she wouldn't have allowed Vernal to take on the risk of being the Maiden instead of her. If it had, she wouldn't have allowed Yang to take on the risk of the Relic instead of her. If she had, she wouldn't have left not just Yang as her mother, but everyone once she realized how much danger they were all in. Raven puts herself first, always.

Which I think is the explanation for Yang too. We don't know that she decided to have a baby with Tai, we just know that she did have a baby. Accidental pregnancies happen, pregnancies where the father wants the child but the mother doesn't happen, pregnancies where the mother is chill with it at first but once the child is born decide this isn't for them happen... and in Remnant terms, pregnancies where the mother learns more about the war she’s in during those nine months and only then decides to bail could happen too. There are a lot of possibilities here. Personally, being pro-choice and all, I'm of the opinion that Raven is not a horrific person for leaving Yang, more-so due to... everything else she's done lol. Would it be great if life worked in a way where every mother was emotionally ready to parent a child and never ever had one unless they were? Of course! Is that realistic? Not by a longshot. Raven did the Remnant equivalent of giving her kid up for adoption, except actual adoption wasn't needed because the father was in the picture and quite obviously wanted to keep the kid. So Raven has Yang - carries the pregnancy to full term for whatever reason she and/or Tai may have had. Hell, we don’t even know if abortions exist in Remnant - and then wipes her hands of things. If I remember correctly (outside of the comics anyway) Raven really does keep completely out of Yang's life from then on. Summer is her mom. Raven was just the biological parent. For however horrible Raven is in other respects, she had the right to let Summer and Tai raise Yang instead. She stepped out of her life, seemingly unaware that Tai said little about her, resulting in a Yang who grew desperate to find out any scrap about her "real" mom, tracking Raven down despite Raven keeping her distance. But all of this is a long-winded way of saying that Raven never struck me as someone interested in motherhood. We don't know why she decided to have Yang, but once she did... what's a self-serving bandit going to do with a newborn? Unless Raven had decided to raise Yang as a totally loyal second or something, a baby is a danger. A liability. Children, until capable of defending themselves in Remnant, are grimm magnets who provide nothing except love which, as established, Raven doesn't prioritize. She cares about things that will keep her alive, not things that make that life emotionally rich. A child is a wonderful addition... provided you care about that bond more than you care about the effort and, in Remnant's case, the danger a child poses. Raven doesn't seem the type for me. 

So I imagine our timeline is something like:

Raven joins Beacon with an intent to learn how to kill huntsmen

Over four years Qrow changes his views. Maybe she does too, though not as much

Ozpin offers magic (magic!!) to help in this war and Raven grabs the chance to become more powerful with both hands

She has a relationship with Tai

Has Yang, for whatever reasons of her own

Goes back to run her tribe, perhaps already pulling out of the war, or perhaps with one foot still in the door. Either way, she’s not about being a mother 

At some point Summer disappears. This may have clued Raven even more into how dangerous this war is

Finds out about Salem, perhaps via the mysterious missing Jinn question (or others like the Spring Maiden and Lionheart found out from that and Raven learned second-hand)

Completely nopes out of the war from here on out, if she hadn’t 100% left already, because she's all about survival and you definitely don't survive by fighting an immortal enemy. This includes eliminating all contact with her team and family, outside of getting info from Qrow

Gets ahold of the Spring Maiden at some point, killing her to make herself even more powerful 

Is approached by her daughter for a portal and tries to talk some "sense" into her, much like she occasionally does with Qrow 

Joins up with the baddies in an effort to keep herself safe from Salem

Realizes the Relic is actually a danger, so let's Yang have it instead

Goes to Tai for either unknown reasons, or just escaping the vault via his portal, with no intention of stopping to say hi

But if she did, she no doubt had some reason that involved keeping herself safe

All of which is taken with a grain of salt given RWBY’s, uh... less than logical timeline lol