When I first met him... he was the most gallant of lovers. He knew so many things.
He delighted in sharing his knowledge. He had a castle full of treasures, and he took such pleasure in showing them, giving them to me.
He was so gentle, and his skin felt like white silk against my skin.
And I gave what I could give to one such as he. When we made love, it was like a flame: I felt utterly engulfed, utterly loved. Treasured.
I have been with many poets, many dreamers... but his love alone was ice and fire. His eyes were stars.
I love giving advice, apparently, so if you are a newly pierced person or are planning on being pierced, here are some of the things I found helpful, as somebody who isn't a professional piercer but has had six plus piercings on my face and body, and multiple ear piercings (which I don't count, since I DIY'd them):
Normal bath towels are your enemy, proceed with caution after bathing. NEVER wipe moisture away from a fresh piercing, always pat it dry
You will hit a new piercing and it will hurt. This is inevitable, just know that you likely haven't destroyed it. Feel free to cry, though, it hurts like hell.
If your piercer gives you instructions, heed them. If you're on restrictions, please take it as seriously as possible
When you're going in for a piercing, please eat or drink something - at least what constitutes as a snack for your body. It really helps
If you're getting an oral piercing, make sure you size down after the healing period - I hadn't sized down for my last oral piercing when I first had the chance, and it was... so annoying to have too-large of jewelry
Not all jewelry is made equally. Do your research on materials, threading, and sizing. I've found that titanium jewelry is really nice for me, and I like it, but that isn't the only option. Make sure you think about your body and its needs and preferences
Close your eyes while being pierced (I found this really helps me)
Don't over-clean a new piercing, twice per day is usually a good place to start
The completed healing period is a very average suggestion - you may heal slower or faster. Try to adhere to that suggestion, though, especially if you do not feel you're healed enough
Personally, I have found that I am completely healed when my piercing feels like just another part of my body, even when it is touched. When my piercings start to feel as though they are foreign when they never do before, I know I likely need to clean them
While I have DIY'd piercings, I personally do not recommend it, especially if you are either not using sterilized equipment, or are piercing a very dangerous place (like the tongue). If you are absolutely positive about committing to the DIY mindset, please try to do due diligence in research at least
Tip your piercer. Body mods are a luxury service, and it takes years to even become a piercer, much less to be proficient at it. Tip your piercer, ESPECIALLY if their prices feel too good to be true - they likely are. Unless you are directed otherwise by your piercer, just assume that you will be tipping them for their services and budget accordingly
Make sure you understand how your piercer wants you to take care of your piercing, and ask questions. There is no question too "dumb"
If you are getting a body part pierced you are insecure about, realize your piercer has most likely seen HUNDREDS of different body parts of various sizes, shapes, and oddities. Your body is not uniquely bad, nor would a good piercer make you feel unwelcome or uncomfortable with your body. If they do, however, DO NOT go through with the piercing. You should feel safe being pierced by somebody, and, indeed, that is the bare minimum.
If you use saline wash to clean piercings, you can DIY it. You will go through NeilMed like no other, and with it being $5USD a bottle, that price can rack up quickly. Make sure you use distilled water and non-iodized salt, though
If your piercing is infected, please don't be too ashamed to seek help. It's in your best interest to make sure you don't get ill or your site gets nasty ("nasty" as in painful)
These are just some of the things I've learned being a pierced person! My piercings are something I absolutely needed, and I do not for a minute regret having them. I want that same happiness to befall you, and that happens when you are able to understand a bit more what goes into piercings. You are, essentially, getting a new body part installed by a pro, and so I don't want you to not be ready for that.
Again, I am not a professional piercer, but am rather a body piercing enthusiast with many different types of piercings. I don't have every piercing, though, so please look at this critically for the piercing(s) that you want or have. At least, treat this like a soft suggestion or ways to help you brainstorm what you will find helpful.
More tips are obviously welcomed, especially if you yourself have more insight or expertise. Good luck to every pierced person or future pierced person reading this💛
longtime dc fan and i think a lot of people are angry because alex is obviously one of the most culturally relevant instances of misogyny in media. that being said being more culturally relevant doesn’t mean it’s the worst instance of misogyny and i think bumble definitely experiences more profound misogyny in the way the actual content is presented, if that makes sense
I get you, and that's a charitable way of looking at it.
I think what's rustling my jimmies is that like, there was a couple of WC fans being mildly dismissive of Alex in that note minefield, after dozens of comments of "fuck you how could you let the fridge woman lose" and "Bumble didn't deserve to win ANY rounds" and "how could A CAT experience misogyny." But then WE get blamed for the toxicity because THEY were butthurt that the Funny Cat People have the 'audacity' to win something they feel entitled to.
Like, we've gotta be endlessly charitable as we get openly insulted because they're upset about Alex losing, a very well-known and culturally relevant character with a legacy so massive we have a whole term named after her. But condemnations of "She's just a cat, letting WC into this poll was a mistake, Bumble can't even be a victim of misogyny" only started coming around once I started talking about it.
as if it's OUR fault people got passive-aggressive or even OPENLY aggressive towards us, and that we're "just as bad" for retaliating
But like you said, it's not a "Most Culturally Relevant Misogyny" tournament, it's a "Canon Misogyny Victims" tournament. And you're not even supposed to give a shit that Bumble died. The fat, woman abuse victim is beaten to death by a dictator, and your takeaway is meant to be, "It's so sad that Clear Sky is being blamed for murdering her, now they're all preparing for self-defense against a homicidal maniac, oh nooo :("
And I think that DOES make her deserve the win here! Alex is a MARTYR. Everyone with a brain agrees what happens to her is bad. It happened in her canon because it was bad. We talk about her and keep her memory alive. Bumble gets dismissed entirely out of hand because she's "just a cat in a kid's book" as if that doesn't make it worse, and as if the kid's book didn't treat a domestic abuse survivor like a moron for even asking for help.
Anyway, just to reiterate, I love DC fans. It's not all of you guys. Alex was done dirty and deserves justice-- and it's even kind of a shame that all she became is "The Fridge Woman." I haven't even heard people talk about how she was a wary, responsible person who was still ready to rock with Kyle's new weird glowstick powers, or that she was a journalist, or that she just got brought back in another edition as a Green Lantern only to be revealed as an illusion and re-absorbed back into Kyle's mind. Nope. Even her fans just remember her as The Fridge Woman.
i think. for spot being in love is the biggest and most unexpected thing in the world to him he didn't expect it he doesn't quite believe it's real he can't get over it. and for race it's another tuesday. and this means that race says I love you first because it's not hard for him and race says it more often because it's not hard for him and race says it more casually because it's not hard for him but spot says it and feels it from his head to his toes and there are not three words in the English language that mean more to him than "I love you" to say. or to hear.
i'm just here appreciating 'don't fall in love with a dead man' advice from peter to malia. they're both with teary eyes, and malia saying 'too late'. which is malia, for the first time, admitting she was in love with someone. admitting to herself she was in love with scott and going all in. to help him. meaning she would, in fact, die for him. no matter what.
nah-ah. the movie's not gonna take this away from me. take them away from me. scott is the guy malia deserves. idc.
also me: full time student (worth noting i wrote stupid here at first without realizing), 20-30 hours in customer service every week, teaching myself 3/4 classes, teaching myself advanced algebra with a teacher (basically just a proctor) who shuts down any/all asks for help, juggling college financial woes, navigating dying relationships/people abandoning and/or attacking me bc i don't have time for things i used to anymore, none of my hobbies are making me happy when and if i have time for them,, i have no time for myself, i'm on my second all-nighter this week, i'm perpetually exhausted in a way sleep isn't fixing, my body aches because i'm so tired, and i'm barely able to stay asleep when i do get the chance bc the anxiety wakes me up
it honestly frustrates me when i see people reduce the ericsons cast down to "just some teens in the woods" acting like theyre no different than any other group of lone teenagers from other existing properties and treating them like an overused trope
it is sooo important to acknowledge the "troubled youth" aspect of the whole equation. theyre not just some random teens in the woods clem stumbles across. these kids were abandoned by their families for their various "difficulties" and fucked up by The System before the outbreak even began. and then once zombies started roaming the streets their familes never came back for them and the adults that were in charge of taking care of them just left them there to rot in that old boarding school (except for ms martin who was like their lee 🥺 the only person who ever saw them as the scared traumatized kids they were and died protecting them)
the whole aspect of them already being fucked up by the adults that controlled their lives is like.....kind of important when discussing the whole "delta is stealing kids to force them to fight in a war they have no real part in and want nothing to do with" aspect of the season. and its important when comparing them to clem and her journey of also suffering at the hands of the adults around her forcing her to become self reliant. AND its important when discussing the "just trying to build a safe home (and future) worth fighting for in this world that wants them dead" aspect of the season as well
these kids were forced to come together to survive. and a Lot of them didnt... theyre the only family they have left and you can tell that even when they argue with each other theyre still a close knit group who looks out for each other. theyre a Real family before clem even gets there (and its why what really happened with the twins and brody and marlon hits them all so especially hard)
all of this is what REALLY makes ericsons such a perfect home for clem. its a Real community of her True peers. theyre not Just teens. they mightve had a layer of safety clem never had by at least having walls to keep them safe. and having the benefit of the school being hard to find. its the only reason theyre still alive when clem shows up. but theyre also some of the only people who can Truly understand where clem and aj are coming from. and its why it hurts so much when they vote to kick them out. but its also partially why she merges back into the fold so easily when she returns. plus the fact that shes Really the only one who has any idea what shes doing. shes their rock and she makes them feel safe because underneath it all theyre still just those scared traumatized kids ("EVERYONE is scared, clem..." vi was Definitely including herself in that 'everyone'), and on some level, so is clem
they saved clementines life. and she saved theirs. "the school was supposed to help them with their trauma, now they help each other" its about the LOVE the COMMUNITY the SUPPORT!!!! and thats the shit that makes good zombie media honestly 👌
I might have a plot idea for your Mask bot series!
-Mike is in the PizzaPlex trying to correct his father's sins (even if he is still stuck in UCN in your AU or not, many people have still been hurt)
-Jeremy manages to make Mike recognize him
-They try to find Jeremy's daughter Cassie cuz Jeremy knows that with the V.A.N.N.I. mask, his daughter's life is in danger
-Find Roxy torn apart (due to the Mimic battle but the may not know that yet)
-Fix Roxy (not really they probably just manage to power her on or something)
-Discover the Tangle
-Discover the Mimic
- Find Cassie (in critical condition mind you)
Aaand that's all I could come up with for now. Of course these are just ideas so you can have your own plot.
Yoyoyo Anon!
GODS THANK YOU FOR THE SUGGESTIONS! Especially since it helps me tie together a story I had in mind that was rather loose and just floating ideas in my brain...
Also it kinda fits in weirdly well with another Anon ask/request that I'll for SURE get around to doing... eventually HKJH\SGDJ
With these in mind, here's a little story idea with bits from your suggestions with mine that I might eventually get around to making into a comic 👀👀
(Under the cut bc it is LONGGGG like REALLY long lmao)
Mike returns back to the Pizzaplex during the events of Ruin. He worked at the Pizzaplex while it was still running, for what reason? There's not a clue in the world, but he went undercover as a security guard. They say that his mother owns the place, evident by his rank high up, but nobody at all knows who runs the place and how Michael even got a job. But there he was.
He's back again to uncover the reason for it's destruction- to hopefully find answers to unsolved mysteries left by this company and to rewrite the sins of William.
He's arrived maybe an hour or so after Cassie entered, so there's no sign of life in the main entrance besides a certain mask bot without the key item in its possession.
The events of this comic take place during this time.
Afterward, the mask bot can't seem to let go after finding Mike again- Jeremy couldn't let go- so he tags along as Mike scours the pizzaplex. Jeremy's following along as he knows the programming of the bot he inhabits, gave his daughter a very dangerous item- the V.A.N.N.I mask- So he wants to try and get it off her hands as soon as he can with the help of Mike.
How he'll convey his wants on the matter? He can't, but he'll try.
They're quick through the place- Cassie cleared the way, so all enemies are pretty much nonexistent to them, so they catch up quick to where she was recently.
They find the MXES system offline and Mike panics, as he knows what's beyond it. (Playing off the theory that it was Henry's creation, Mike would know what it is.)
They find Roxy destroyed, Mike motioned to Jeremy to keep looking and he agrees. Making his way quietly, Jeremy peeks around the corner to see the Mimic's hand grabbing the power supply to the elevator. He hears Cassies voice faintly, possibly in the elevator and freezes in horror as the Mimic rips the wires and the Elevator fails (playing on the theory that the Mimic caused the elevator to fail.), all he can hear is Cassies screaming and he rushes back to Mike.
As he returns back, Mike somehow got Roxy online, but she's still in a completely wrecked state.
They take her to the nearest safe zone- one they could think of on the spot to avoid the Mimic and try and fix her up a little more. Awake again, Roxy remembers her duty of protecting Cassie and tasks herself with finding Cassie- Jeremy is pleased with this as he can't convey his own panic- Once she somehow picks up her location, she guides them through twisting turns and flights of staircases until they find a bunker-
Mike knows this bunker
They're back at the SL building : >
(IDK, where else would the elevator lead lmao, I don't think there's anything lower than the SL bunker 😭)
Mike is familiar with this place but struggles to come to terms with this fact that this was where he was supposed to die- and who does he find than a giant mess of wires and destroyed bodies of past animatronics.
He remembers Ennard
He remembers Molten Freddy-
This was horrifying, huge, and there was a mess of screams and crying inaudible, but he knew the thing was upset.
Jeremy recognises the mask the thing it's wearing- it was Lefty, the thing in the VR world that tried to kill him while he was mending Helpy (this AU has Lefty as the head of the Blob/Tangle)
Mike has a feeling he knows what this is. He wasn't the person who attended the burning of the Pizzaria Sim Location, but rather, he helped guide the animatronics with Henry there for whomever was working there at the time, but he was indulged in Henry's plans- And he was mortified to know it only made everything worse- This was an amalgamation of all the children's animatronic bodies- remnant- souls- they were upset, scared, just wanting to move on, and Mike wanted to help so badly.
The thing was kind to them, even Mike for some reason. Roxy begged the thing to guide them to Cassie and it Obliged- the soul that was in the lead wasn't malicious, it was kind, especially to children so it wanted to help.
It was kind to Mike- why Mike? He didn't know that the thing guiding them to Cassie was Charlie, she knew Mike- She wanted to help mike and with Cassidy in the amalgamation helping Charlie, she knew Mike was safe after letting his little brothers soul free from Golden Freddy while she inhabited it, so she deemed him good.
They find Cassie, incredibly injured and Jeremy panicked, rushing over and holding her close. Something was wrong though, she wore the mask- they didn't know her mind isn't in control anymore- she has succumbed to a similar fate as Jeremy but he is determined to save her from it.
aro-ace han sooyoung who always gives the first look at whatever new thing she’s written to the reader she saved, who will steal food and generally annoy but always stick with the protagonist she created, who lives in a big house with the group of people she’s chosen to survive with no matter which hsy she was.
aro-ace han sooyoung who runs small errands and lives life with the people she calls her family (something she never thought she’d have), who raises the kids with the others and let’s them be kids, who’s a writer who knows her dreamer and regressor better than she knows anyone in the whole world, maybe even herself (they know her in return, and never let her go).
aro-ace han sooyoung and she’s never been more loved than in this soft, golden epilogue that won’t stop writing itself, not for as long as she loves it and loves them, not for as long as her pen can hold ink and her mind can tell stories. she’s mean and greedy and selfish and sneaky, but she’s found something good, and she’s never going to let go.
so brittany broski's interview with hozier was so insightful and so amazing! she asked a question that i have always wanted to ask him, about literary and historical fixations, and the fact that he mentioned the odyssey and the iliad is making me want to chew cement. (i'm a classics student i can't help myself)