#easier though of course

[friedwings]

yesterday's adventure at the botanic garden

and today's bath time

[moon-mirage]

Elphaba & G(a)linda

[wildstar25]

WolShtola Week 2025 - Day Six - Angst

Waiting.

[son-of-avraham]

I've come to realize that to me, g-d is the recipient of the love I have for others that I can't give, and that's why I've always resonated with the concept of B'tzelem Elohim. I cannot show my love to every single person - it's impossible. But we are all in the image of Him, all in His essence, and so I direct the excess to Him. We are all part of the reflection of g-d. The love we have for each other is, to me, the love we have for g-d.

[sysig]

Caughtcha, gotcha, not letting go ♥ (Patreon)

[marclef]

*Looks at Fake Peppino* What is he made of anyways?Pizza dough?,Slime?The slime you see on AMSAR on YouTube videos?Not to mention if he can shapeshift into Peppino being the doppelganger Fake Peppino is can't hr shapeshift into anything else?

..... okay, serious answer now though. he IS Goop, for lack of a better term. a Goop consisting of the DNA of Peppino, old pizzas, and frogs (a very specific type of frog! 😉) how does all that work together to form a working clone? i dunno, it's ✨SCIENCE!!!✨

as for how it'd feel, i do compare him to Silly Putty a lot, but more like putty that's been dampened or made squishier, though it depends: he can be tougher or squishier if need be, or depending on his surroundings; for example a colder environment will make his "skin" firmer and more snappy, harder to stretch himself.

in terms of being able to shapeshift, my Fake is an interesting case, he can't actually morph his body as much as other clones can. so if say, he tried to make himself look more like Noisette, his best efforts would be stretching his hat to be more like bunny ears, and his "hair" to be like hers, but not a true "transformation".

but, he CAN manipulate his body very well in other ways! he's extremely stretchy, like stretching his limbs and body as far as they're needed. he could potentially stretch into a matter of odd shapes and sized, but as for truly mimicking something, that's a different story.

behold, an elegant form: .... a LONG Fake Peppino!! probably one of the biggest extremes he could reach, but there's all sorts of shapes a Fake can take!

[zellink]

i lied, Bells 17 is almost at 13k words 😬

[silvermoon424]

I always get email notifications from LinkedIn about articles being rigorously discussed (btw I literally only use LinkedIn to update my job stats lol, I really need to just unsubscribe from emails).

Anyway, return to office and remote work policies have and continue to be passionately debated on LinkedIn. I could go on and on about this topic, but I just wanted to highlight a comment that REALLY encapsulates what’s wrong with the world in general. A Boomer retiree was arguing with a younger person about WFH, and he dropped this:

“I never got to work from home in the 50 years I was employed. Why should anyone else get to?”

And like. Damn, that’s really it, isn’t it? That really sums up why people have these dogshit opinions on why others should suffer, why they don’t deserve to live an easy life. They experienced a hardship and instead of thinking “I suffered, and I don’t want anyone else to go through the same pain,” they think “I suffered, and therefore everyone else SHOULD go through the same pain I did.”

[transmascutena]

Good evening (or morning, depending on your timezone).

Absolutely no hate, but I want to ask how you reconcile your enjoyment of the show with the reality of what Ikuhara has (most likely) done?/gen

I understand Death of the Author, but what drew me to Utena in the first place was its theme of critiquing the patriarchy and calling out abuse, which feels somewhat hypocritical now. I resonate with this show, and many of Ikuhara's other shows, on a personal level, which is why I am especially disappointed with the accusations since I now have to wonder how that reflects onto me as a person...?

Obviously I don't know you personally, but you seem to spend a lot of time and care on your analyses (which are great btw) so have you also struggled with this?

Again, there is like zero judgement when I say this and I'm absolutely not trying to come off as hostile (in case that is how this reads). And, there is no pressure on you to answer this and I'll completely understand if you want to ignore the ask.

Thanks.

hi, i've been thinking about this as well since yesterday, and it is kind of tough to figure out how to feel about. i think it's important to remember that ikuhara did not make revolutionary girl utena alone, for one. he had a whole team of writers and animators and producers and so on, that it would not exist without. obviously ikuhara played a big part in the show's creation, but far from the only one (if it was, i have no doubt it would be very very different), and . idk what my point really is here but i don't think his actions reflect on the show as a whole. it still is what it is, it still says the same important things about our society's systems of abuse that we've always talked about, even if the director didn't understand it or didn't want to understand it or however you want to put it. and by extension i don't think it reflects on to all the people who have enjoyed the show, who have seen their experiences in it, who have learned from it more about how this kind of abuse works and so on. and i think we need to be aware of what has (allegedly, but again, i believe it) happened, but i don't necessarily think we need to write off the show just because he had a hand in making it. because it is just as important as we've always known it to be, you know? though i think there are (as there has always been and there always is in anything) elements of the show to be critical of, and maybe some new things as well in light of this. i'll have to think about it more.

[angelnumber27]

violently forcing myself to have better days

[burst-of-iridescent]

I love the character-wise vs. narrative-wise distinction because it helps me not have a bitter taste in my mouth when watching ATLA and not have Zutara as endgame ((just atla tho bc i really just cant with the comics and tlok))

i can’t remember the exact post this was regarding (that’s what i get for leaving my asks unanswered for eternity) but i’m guessing i was talking about how zutara not being canon makes sense character-wise, though not narrative-wise.

when i say zutara should’ve been endgame i’m speaking from a doylist perspective, looking solely at what would’ve made sense as a writing choice. zutara is where the story was organically leading, and zutara would’ve created a better story — hence, zutara should’ve happened.

but the same doesn’t apply from a watsonian point of view, and imo that’s part of the reason zutara is still such a popular ship — because it is possible to rationalize these characters not ending up in a relationship in a way that feels plausible. whether it was because they realized their feelings too late (shoutout to mae whitman) or thought they were unrequited, or merely had to prioritize the world over their own wants (shoutout to dante basco), it’s not a situation where it’s out of character or unrealistic that zuko and katara never ended up together, which makes it easier to both diverge from canon and remain true to canon while still allowing them to have feelings for each other. zutara not being together can easily be another part of their story — not just the ending.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

just read the new mutants issue where Charles chose to stay behind in space and my god the juxtaposition between Charles trusting Erik and Erik joining the hellfire club and wondering at his own trust worthiness. I wonder how much of Charles decision was him ultimately trying to avoid the fact that his first class had seemingly betrayed mutant kind and not be willing to face them and how much of it was Dani and Illyana's reaction to him having Karma mind control Illyana. the fact that Illyana was depending on him to ease her mind through limbo and in choosing to stay he forced karma to do it instead, probably fucking up their relationship in the process.

I love him, this is crazy, how much of this is him trying to runaway and how much is this him not trusting himself to fix things and how much is it just him trusting Erik?

i keep trying to put into words my exact thoughts about the sitch but there really is a lot for one issue aintit... oh charles you and your brain...

[pynkhues]

Have you thought about the theory that Magnus would have shaved Lestat before turning him? Lestat doesn't even have any pubic hair. If that happened to him his admiration for Louis's body hair could be about the trauma of his turning. It's just plain sexy too haha. But he turned Louis in his natural body and he may envy that

I have thought about it, anon, and honestly, I think it's pretty likely going to be implied, even if they don't necessarily show it? Now that Lestat's both that little bit older, but also has been kept by Magnus for a week, it feels pretty pointed for him to not just have no facial hair at all, but no body hair seemingly anywhere but his arms and legs. Lestat would surely have a beard after a week being kept imprisoned, and the show clearly didn't ask the actors to get waxed given Louis and Armand both have chest hair, and so I am inclined to think it's been something deliberately decided on, particularly given Sam didn't bother waxing for the teaser which we now know isn't canon anyway.

I talked about it a bit here, but it's interesting to consider the connotations of why it might have happened? Men removing body hair was not common at all in the time period Lestat's from, but it has historically been something men have done or had done to them as a signifier of purity, cleanliness, male beauty and high status, just as it's been used to signify that they're low status or do sex work in different periods too. It really, really varies, and it's interesting to consider what time period they might have Magnus be from and how that may have influenced him doing it (if he is the one to do it).

But yeah, there are potentially a lot of implications there of Lestat turning Louis just as he is, which kind of really goes back to the simple fact that it got to be a choice for Louis in the way it never did for Lestat.

[canisonicscrewyou]

Much like at the end of 2019 when I had daily "the world is ending the world is fuckingending" panic attacks for a while, I do think my solution is logging the fuck off more often. I recommend everyone do that, actually. It helps loads.

[mercysought]

Forgive me if you've talked about this somewhere before and I missed it, but does Asharen believe there's an opportunity for her to reconcile with Solas? Are there specific steps that would need to be taken, or specific things he might do that could prevent this reconciliation?

character questions! // accepting // @keepslore

I don't think I have except in very few specific threads? Or drabbles maybe? And even then it's been scraps!

I went into Veilguard fully blind so I had no idea that the Inquisitor would even be there, I had hopes they would be but I couldn't have predicted that we'd even have a chance of influencing this. The reason why I bring this up is because I fully thought for most of the game that Asharen wouldn't have, that she would have moved on - and while writing her I think at most points until Veilguard comes that she believes this herself.

It's through Veilguard and that she is like: Oh. this is Not Good™️ Truthfully, it's not so much about steps to prevent her from reconciliation but getting her to a place where she might even consider that to be an option grounded in reality - because she fully believes that it isn't.

For a larger part, towards the middle of the eight year interval before Veilguard Asharen stopped drinking tea for the pleasure of it but just drinking the teas that keep her from dreaming. There is a quote from Critical Role that without going into too many spoilers that is "How am I supposed to get over you if you keep sending ravens to me?" and that quote is basically about how someone has moved on (in this case died) and yet they keep sending signs in the world that they are with her, watching her.

In part, as a non-dreamer, it's because she is concerned what information Solas might gleam and use against them as the Inquisition works towards getting him to stop. The other part is because Solas cannot tell her to move on and live in peace for the rest of her days and then continue to visit her in her dreams. It is not kind and while she loves knowing that he would visit because it tells her that he does still love her or she is in his thoughts, she also knows that sort of hope would serve neither of them. So when they meet again in Veilguard, it truly is like eight years of basically no contact, Asharen wouldn't even truly know if they even tried to continue visiting her in dreams lmao

All of this said though, It's already a labour of love, because it needs to be, to have gotten to this point eight years down the line and having sacrificed so much of her life and taken up a title that she never wished to pick up again - so there is no Asharen in Veilguard without a love for Solas. And she does continue trying to reach out to him, in ways that she knows she might reach him (for example, some spirits find unsent letters and unearth them in the fade much to her dismay, or other spirits upon wanting to help her do carry one or two missives), to get him to stop.

Especially in my canon universe with Orla as a Rook and in an universe where Varric is actually dead. What he does to Orla in putting her in the fade prison. The thought that she has been wrong about the person he was is a question that hangs really heavily in her mind, and she is glad to have an excuse to keep her mind busy. Though she holds on.

As for things that could fully stop a reconciliation: it's hard, I think that the crux of this is because I think that the first 'vhenan' is what really rattles her and all bets are off after so long of being away. And I think this is also one of the reasons why it's really so difficult to ship with Asharen in Veilguard.

I fully think that the going off into the fade is a fully spur of the moment, and though Asharen considered as a possibility, for herself, outside of Solas - honestly, she considered it mostly from the point of view of using the dagger and hoping the well and the magic within might be similar enough to allow her to fix this herself. So, this would certainly prevent a reconciliation lmao.

Asharen is ungodly hard to ship with during Veilguard but I did once say that if anyone could sway her it would be Emmrich and I do stand by that even if I think that's such an utter and thankless climb for him, he deserves better. So I will leave this as a maybe, a soft thing.

I would say that other people's opinion wouldn't be enough (Orla, Émilie). I think, maybe, the only two that would give her some pause would be Varric or Cole but even then, she has a thick and stubborn skull. I think that in most cases, though I rarely get to write it beyond drabbles, they both prefer to believe that the person that Asharen sees is still in there - the same way that they would with Varric.

[r0semultiverse]

Looking for Homestuck panel images for a power point I’m making as a self dare and I either find dead links (the homestuck site itself has been having issues for a long time), tumblr posts with alt text/image descriptions, or cookiefonster’s live blogging/reaction posts with the exact panel I’m looking for somehow.