#i went on a sexuality and gender binge

[its-not-a-pen]

i love the hilarious eunuch ranking system by @welcometothejianghu so i decided to make one based on (mostly) REAL historical chinese enunchs!

in chronological order:

Warring States Period long story short, the PM is sleeping with the Empress Dowager, and he wants to extracate himself before her son (future Emperor Qin Shi Huang) gets old enough to find out. the PM finds her a suitable replacement, and the replacement is attached to a guy named Lao Ai. They pluck his beard and pass him off as a eunuch so he can sneak into the palace. Bing bang boom everyone's happy. This goes terribly wrong later, since Lao Ai tries to replace the emperor with his own kids and stages a failed coup. rest in pieces buddy...

it's very likely that Lao Ai was a ficticious character invented by Sima Qian, who will be appearing on this list later.

Qin Dynasty

Zhao Gao helped the first emperor of China conquer an empire, and administer it efficiently with his legal knowledge, but he also made the second emperor into a puppet, and weakened the empire for his own political gain. Max points of complexity, but you'd get more loyalty out of a coffee club punch card.

Before launching his soft coup, he decided to test the waters by bring in a deer and gaslighted the emperor by calling it a horse. the officials who were loyal to him called it a horse, and he executed the rest.

Han Dynasty Jiru, male favourite of Emperor Gaozu (Liu Bang), the peasant scoundrel who became the founder of the Han Dynasty. look, if the emperor has a harem of hundreds of women and you manage to catch his attention, you max out in style points. simple as. for most of chinese history it was fairly common for high-ranking men, especially eunuchs, to wear make up like powder and rouge, but i decided to give Jiru some women's huadia as well, cause he's a baddie.

Jiru gets a bad rap for alledgely distracting the emperor from his duties, but lets be real, history is written by civil officials who have no shortage of professional jealousy and gender/sexuality related prejudice towards eunuchs, since they were the personal attendants of royalty and could exert a lot of influence. plus Liu Bang was already pissing in the hats of confucian scholars, most of the poor work ethic is on HIM. Jiru should get credit for making him marginally less of a troglodite.

all in all he didn't try any court intrigue so extra points for loyalty and complexity. free my man >:( he's just a Han dynasty Monica Lewinsky who got slutshamed by jealous coworkers >:(

Han Dynasty

meet the father of east asian history, sima qian. half the people on this list can owe their placement here thanks to his extremely though history books "records of the grand historian"

history at this time was mostly "creative writing" and sima qian attempted to give the practise more academic intergrety, he went out and personally interviewed people, tried to get primary sources, and got rid of most of the more fanstastical aspects. however, he was not without his biases and some texts can be seen as allegorical/veiled insults towards the Han Dynasty, especially towards Emperor Wu. unlike most of the people on this list, sima qian was from the gentry and castated later in life as a punishment for treason. he was implicated after trying to defend a friend, and could not pay the fine to commute his sentence. the gentlemen at the time were expected to die by suicide rather than live with such ignimony, but sima qian chose to live so he could finish writing the history book his father started. the "giant conspiracy" joke explained: the chinese word for penis is a homophone for "conspiracy".

[hollowtones]

Holly in "Hey! Pikmin" Olimar has notes for the Shooting Spiner (Female) and he says trans rights :)

I've seen it! About a month or two ago I went on a binge-read through a bunch of the critter logs through a buncha the games. LOL

You'll forgive me for being pedantic (mind you this is the Fun kind of pedantic, for me; I apologize if you don't wanna play in this specific sandbox with me), but I've never really considered the whole "species can change its sex / sexual characteristics" deal to be equivalent to humans being transgender? They're adjacent in a buncha ways, sure, but there's a whole different social and emotional context missing from this because most(?) animals don't really have a human concept of gender. Still! It's a cool thing that happens in nature with a lot of different critters, and considering how much the series draws inspiration from the cool things real living things do, it's neat to see 'em bring it up. I do appreciate Olimar going "well, who am I to say what's weird and what isn't?" It feels like something a well-meaning dad would say. LOL

If I can get it to emulate decently, I'd like to stream "Hey! Pikmin" once Puzz and I have gone through some of the others. I've always been curious about it. I wonder if it's the sort of thing where people were hard on it because it was a weird spin-off thing that played completely differently? Reception to games like that ends up mixed a lot, when it's for an established series I feel... Then again, I also have really high standards for platformers. So I might end up sour on it. That's why I want to try it myself. I'm always fascinated by games like that.

[zr-art-world]

I’ve recently got into Transformers EarthSpark, it ‘s a really cute found family show that, while it seems though it was made for a younger audience, tackles some pretty heavy subject matter.

So after binge watching season 1, I went on my different socials to look at fan works. The fandom is great on Tumblr, however when I look on Twitter and especially YouTube I see shit like

like

dude

1. Just because LGBTQ+ topics are in a kid show, doesn't mean it is indoctrinating your kid. You kid’s head isn't going to explode if they see two dudes kissing or a person who identifies as non-binary on screen.

As I was growing up, with the internet and the fact that my brother is a part of the LGBTQ+ community, I learned a lot about different gender identities and sexualities at a young age and I easily understood the fact that some people love other people who are the same gender and the fact that people feel more comfortable with certain pronouns because that makes them more comfortable in their own body. Also, some people want to change their body so they are even more comfortable. Then I learned later that some people feel attractions for multiple types of genders why some don't feel romantic or sexual attractions at all.

2. Imagine someone getting so dame pressed about a 3D animated robot from a cartoon series going by They/Them. Don't these people have anything better to do?

3. There have been gay transformers like Chromedome and Rewind and in one issue, Breakdown and Knockout are married (or whatever the cybertornian equivalent is). Not to mention, Anode and Lug who are not only trans (mtf male to female) but they are also lesbians! The fact that there are people spreading this kind of hate and claiming the mere inclusion of LGBTQ+ anything ruins a show is disappointing. The only time and I mean the only time it would ever be a problem is if it is dose to mock or is done in a stereotypical fashion, like why people were apprehensive about Q-Force. Also, if it is clearly done to market to the LBGBTQ+ community and not actually represent us, like when Disney announces “their first GAY character” for the hundredth millionth time and even then, it’s less of the inclusion and more of the execution. This example rings especially true sense their first real on screen appearance of a main character who is gay having a relationship arc and trying to confess to a guy is in a movie that Disney actively tried to repress and only released a few trailers right before the movie was released to theaters.

The fact that there are people complaining about a nonbinary character on a tv show while really trans people are getting their rights taken from them as it grows harder and harder for people to transition, especially trans youth, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

TLDR, angry basements dwellers are mad over a nonbinary 3D animated robot from a kids show.

[maricabrera]

connections | headcanons | statistics | pinterest

ABOUT

Full Name: Mariana Valerio Cabrera

Nickname: Mari (preferred), Mariposa (Spanish for butterfly - her nickname from her mom & stepdad)

Age/DOB: February 18, 1991 (33)

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Gender: Cis Female

Place of Birth: Briar Ridge, SC

Neighborhood: Downtown 

Sexual/Romantic Orientations: Bisexual / Biromantic

Religion: Agnostic, doesn’t really have any relationship with religion

Occupation: Songwriter, Former Event Coordinator at Firefly Brewery & 1/2 of the band Palmetto Drive

PERSONALITY

Goals/Desires: to learn to play the drums, to be comfortable playing in a group/duo again, stop using an alias when she writes songs for other artists, take more photos, stop leaving her favorite sweater at her best friend’s house

Fears: loneliness, death, heights, spiders, snakes, frogs 

Hobbies: binge watching 90s/00s tv shows, reading trashy romance novels, playing the guitar, songwriting, learning different instruments, paddle boarding

Likes & Dislikes: the sound of scratching vinyl, waking up to a sun drenched room, bonfires on the beach, the smell of honeysuckles, a freshly restrung fiddle bow, walkable distances, highland cows, soft music playing while it rains // the dentist, traffic, lying, being early anywhere, taking down her christmas tree or any holiday decorations, instruments that are out of tune, when you know the word you’re looking for but can’t remember it (#writerproblems am i rite??), mosquitos, stage fright dreams, blueberries

QUICK FACTS (quick is subjective tho bc idk how to tldr anything very well)

Trigger Warnings: parental death, car accident, infidelity

Born & Raised in Briar Ridge

Dad died when she was 2 years old in a car accident

Her mom met the man who’d be her step-father a few years later in a single parents/grief support group and they married shortly after

Had a great childhood, is very close with her step sisters and tbh doesn’t consider them ‘step’ anything - they’re just her sisters

Was always really into music, her dad used to play for her when she was in her mom’s belly

Took up guitar to feel closer to her dad when she was in elementary school because he used to play, but the instrument was too big so she opted for the fiddle

Was a bit of a progeny when it came to the fiddle and her ability to play it so well and her love for it only furthered her relationship with music

Once she hit 8th grade she decided to put her focus back into learning the guitar- she took private lessons with one of her dad’s friends until high school, when she threw herself into it completely and took Guitar as an elective

It was here she met Rhett Dawson, a boy a few years older who would take her seemingly mundane, black and white world and throw it into technicolor

Initially, their relationship was strictly platonic. He was nothing more than an older student teaching her guitar lessons, but she felt an instant connection with him she’d never experienced before or since, and their hour long lessons quickly morphed into curfew breaking sessions and a blossoming young romance she hadn’t been expecting

Mari got through high school alright, graduating with a respectfully average GPA but school was never her true focus - that was always music

So it was no surprise that instead of heading off to college, she went on the road with Rhett, ready to take the music world by storm as the duo Palmetto Drive

And for years they did just that- traveled together while making and sharing their music with the world. She was living out her dreams and she couldn’t have been happier

But as the old adage goes, all good things must come to an end and this one came to a screeching halt as it hit a brick wall

Palmetto Drive was just getting their big break when her romantic and professional relationship with Rhett ended, essentially erasing the future the two had been planning together all these years

She’d caught him cheating with their opening act, an up and coming country artist, and it all snowballed from there. In the ensuing fight Rhett admitted that this wasn’t the first time he’d cheated on her, Mari’s entire world seemingly collapsing around her as he dismantled everything she thought she knew with each admission

It was after this fight and revelation that she left. She left the tour, her dreams, the love of her life- all lost in less than 24 hours as she took an overnight bus back home to Briar Ridge

After she left the tour she came home, spending months curled up in her childhood home, heartbroken

On top of it all, Rhett continued to play the songs she’d written, songs they’d written together, and capitalize on their growing success- except now as a solo artist and with his new girlfriend on his arm

It was as if in the blink of an eye her entire world had crumbled around her and she was left staring at the ruins of her dreams and her heart, with no idea on how to begin to rebuild any of it

But as time went on things got easier, she used her connections and her knack for tossing a party together to get an event coordinator job at a family friend’s brewery, where she built their customer base and filled their event calendar for four years

In that time she was able to reconnect with her roots, make friends who knew her without Rhett and the ghost of who she used to be, and move forward into a new era of her life that didn’t revolve around the boy who broke her heart

On a whim (and after quite a few glasses of wine), Mari applied for a songwriting camp in Nashville. She completely forgot about it until a month later when she got her acceptance, and suddenly she was leaving Briar Ridge once again with a dream

The move to Nashville was terrifying and was supposed to only be for the duration of the camp - two months and then she’d be back home. But as soon as she got there Mari knew she was where she was supposed to be at the time

She found somewhere she instantly felt like she belonged with a group of people who lifted her up and inspired her to find her voice and passion again

So instead of the two months she’d planned on staying, Mari stayed in Nashville for a year. Writing and recording music, reconnecting with an industry that she thought she’d never find a place in again, and once she got to a place where she could be doing her work anywhere she chose to come home again, to be with the people who know her heart and who deserve to see the best of her once again

POSSIBLE/WANTED CONNECTIONS

MISC — childhood friends, writing partners, old crushes, fwb, neighbors, open mic night regulars from when she ran it, old firefly brewery coworkers, friends like family, friends from her year in nashville, people she met while touring with palmetto drive, new friends- anything and everything, really!

EX — about a year or so after she got home from the tour that broke her heart, mari decided she was ready to date again (spoiler alert: she wasn't). she and this character started a very casual relationship that turned into something way more serious than she was ready for at the time. they were together for a year when mari, regrettably, cheated on this character with rhett when he came into town (hurt people hurt people, y'know?). their breakup was rough and mari takes full responsibility for it. it was actually this relationship that had her swearing off actual commitment. she's afraid she'll hurt someone again and she doesn't want to do that.

PLATONIC SOULMATE — this is mari's best friend ever since childhood. they have no secrets, no boundaries. they are the friends everyone assumes are sleeping together (maybe they are mind your business), strangers assume they're married. it's truly just all love. they fight but they always make up. her anchor in the storm that can be her life. maybe at one point they tried something romantic but really, they're just meant to be in each other's lives. just besties. ride or die. idk let's talk about it!

RHETT'S FAMILY — her big ex, the boogey man in her romantic life, the first person she ever loved and the one who seemingly ripped her heart out of her chest, is also from briar ridge. his family goes way back so i think having someone (or someone's!) who're related to him that mari, in her healing and revamp era, is going to have to learn how to be around. maybe the two used to be close! maybe this character knew about the cheating and mari feels betrayed. maybe they feel slighted bc mari came back to town and avoided them. so many options!

[tumblebagel]

I'm not sure how to make this post, because I know that Valerie is very much active on this site and very well may see it.

So, uh, hi. If you're reading this, I want you to know that you're an amazing person. Genuinely a big inspiration in my life. I'm going to express a bit of disappointment and sadness in this post, but I want to make it explicitly clear: I am not disappointed with you. This isn't your fault, and I need to make sure you know that. In all fairness, I DO know you know that. I read the confession. I just want to make sure that you REALLY know. Progressing a story that's hurting you more than its inspiring you is not worth it. Nobody deserves that. Emotions are messy and complicated and I'll be over it eventually. C/K/C looks amazing, and I cannot wait to see what you do next.

With that in mind, we get to the heart of this post. An incredible comic, only 1 and 1/2 chapters long, called Goodbye to Halos.

I discovered the comic right after I discovered I was trans. Literally the first thing I did after my egg cracked was look up: "trans webcomics", and there it was. Safe to say I didn't know that I was getting into SO much more.

I was instantly hooked by the worldbuilding. Even before it started to branch out, the visual contrast between skyport and lionsbridge was so striking. And as a developing artist, I got to see firsthand things I didn't know were possible to do with color. It was about at the time that I got to the "Why can't love just be a matter of fact?" page that I understood I was truly reading something special.

While reading I discovered parts of myself that I didn't know were there, like the often repeated philosophy that refusing to care about people is, in the words of the comic, "just so boring". The complexities of gender expression. Body positivity and the concept of non-sexual nudity.

I binge read the entire comic up to until Fenic waking up under the dragonfly. From that point I was glued to the page every day, constantly checking for updates.

The future of the comic has changed a number of times since that point. Including art style changes, hiatuses, video entries, and reboots. Until yesterday, the last I had heard was that the world of GtH would continue in a reboot-esque way with Unsave the World, a story developed in the same engine as C/K/C, focusing on Clarissa and Selin.

As, anyone interested in my blog will note, I am very new to Tumblr. Only joined recently. Yesterday, I had the idea to seek out Goodbye to Halos content, and Valerie Halla, which is where I got the confirmation that lead to this post.

"[Goodbye to Halos] was a hiatus when it went on hiatus. it took me a long, long time to come to terms with saying that it’s probably not just a hiatus, though. i will always love that story and those characters, and their spirits will live on in what’s to come, just like portside stories before it."

I... slept on it. I was distressed at the time. Honestly, I think writing this right now is still me working through it. Like I said before, emotions are messy.

But. That's it. Part of me is fixated on the word "probably", but the rest of me understands that thinking like that is only going to hurt my views on it over time. Not worth it to poison the past.

I've spent the time between that and now thinking, as much as it seems I've only done sulking that whole time. And from my thinking, I've come to a decision. I've figured out how to come to my own "don't be sad because it ended, be happy because it happened":

I'm going to make

So Much

FUCKING FANART

You're not gonna believe it. If I feel inspired by this story, and my brain's not satisfied with how the characters/worldbuilding/themes have been explored, I'm gonna do what everybody's done before me since renaissance painters after reading the Bible.

I'm going to make a frankly ridiculous amount of unofficial fan content, and when my brain finally burns out, I'll be over it and I can finally move on.

Look out Tumblr, I'm about to start chopping onions

[itzblakey1]

Here's Blake!

(HAILEE STEINFELD . CISWOMAN . She/her) - the Chicago resident , ( Blake Dixon) , was heard blaring ( SATIVA BY JHENÉ AIKO ) this morning . the ( TWENTY SIX ) year old is a ( UNEMPLOYED ) in the city & has lived the ( EAST ) tower for ( TWO MONTHS ) . since being here , they have been told to be (- CLUMSY ) , but also (+CHARMING ) , i guess we’ll find out soon !

Pinterest || Spotify (in the making)

The Basics

Full Name: Blake Lee Dixon  

Birthday: June 5th

Zodiac: Gemini

Age: Twenty-Six

Faceclaim: Hailee Steinfeld

Birthplace: San Diego, California

Occupation: Unemployed at this given moment

Gender: Cis-Female

Pronouns: She/her/hers

Sexual Orientation: Lesbian

Relationship Status: Single

Positive Traits: Sweet, Gentle, Charming, Loyal, Flirtatious

Negative Traits: Clumsy, Awkward, Depressive, Stubborn, Scatterbrained

Hobbies: Reading, Cooking, Swimming, binge watching Disney movies and shows, skateboarding, photography

============================================

TW: Brief mention of Homophobia, Mention of Abuse, Car Accident/Mention of Death, Alcohol Usage

Blake Lee Dixon was born and raised in San Diego, California. She was the only child in the wealthy, religious Dixon household. Her parents always wanted what was best for her, so they worked her harder to make sure her schoolwork was turned in on time and that she got nothing but straight A’s, which she did. She was always the over achiever in school, which meant she never focused on any romance either. For years, she made sure she was the best daughter they could ever have, since she was their only one. She didn’t want to let them down.

Upon being the only child, her father forced her to finally hook up with a boy in school around age 15. She viewed it as his way of telling her to.. ‘Get married and have kids’ even when she didn’t want anything like that. She had plans to go to college, she wasn’t focused on dating a boy and getting knocked up just so her parents could have grandchildren. She managed to make the boy lose interest by lack of communication and he ended up leaving her mid junior year in High School. She was relieved, the parents however weren’t pleased with her decision but let it slide since she was so young. She had time to get another one.

Early senior year, she ended up coming across a girl in school. They became friends quickly and they even helped each other do their school work together. Next thing Blake knew, she was becoming a nervous wreck around her. Her heart skipped every moment she was near.. She was starting to fall for this girl. But why? She didn’t want any romance. 

Despite not wanting anything dealing with the word “love”, Blake couldn’t hide it anymore. She couldn’t ignore what her heart wanted, and it wanted the girl. They got together, and it was almost like a Disney movie. They were happy, in love, nothing could come in between them. That was until Blake’s dad finally found out by some teachers calling him and letting him know his daughter was kissing a girl during school hours. Furious, he forced her to more church sessions. But it didn’t work. Blake was stubborn, she wanted to stay with the girl, no matter what. 

The dad grew tired of Blake’s stubbornness when she was 17, for a belt went across her face, a cut on her left cheek was enough to know he would do more if she didn’t put a stop to this man’s anger growing or it would have gotten worse. Finally grabbing her keys to her car, despite only having a permit, she stormed out, heading over to her girlfriend’s place in a rage. After ranting, calming down, downing alcohol in the process, Blake decided she wanted to go confront the man. Rightfully, the girlfriend refused, but Blake didn't listen. 

Getting in the car, the potent smell of alcohol pouring off her body, Blake began her quick drive to her house. While driving, a loud horn started to blare, a blurry set of lights shining towards her. Blake was quick enough to turn the steering wheel to get out of the way. However, she was going too fast; she lost control, crashing into a tree, hitting her head hard against the window. She blacked out. 

Two days later, Blake finally woke up in a hospital bed, her head and neck held in place by a brace. Her blurry vision went away slowly as her eyes looked around, noticing where she was. A doctor then came in to break the news and let Blake know what happened to her.

Blake hit her head severely during the accident, suffering from a concussion from how hard her head went against the glass. The doctors also let her know about the side effects from the concussion. She would experience stuff down the line, including: dizziness, clumsiness, blurry vision, even tremors in her hands just from how bad the impact was, and even some mental issues like severe anxiety. They then made sure to keep her in the bed for 3 more days until she was finally able to be released. Freedom again! She could go back home- that was..until her dad mentioned she was going to court. Yikes..

Upon arrival to the courtroom, she was put on a small trial. It didn’t last long because she was still a teen and no one else got hurt. The judge pitied her, knowing her record. She was a good kid, obviously panicked about being in a courtroom and possibly going to juvie or worse. He ended up taking her permit, giving her a notice to take her test again once she hit age 21, gave her 30 hours of community service, along with making her go to group counseling to deal with her “alcoholic problems.” (She would go do all of these things either on the weekend or after school hours.)

Relieved she didn’t have to go to juvie, she was glad that was her punishment for her stupidity.

When she returned to school, she was at least happy to finally see her girlfriend that she hadn’t seen in a few weeks. When they met up, the girl was relieved. They were both happy. One thing ended up changing with Blake, however, making the girl grow tired of having to babysit her in a way. Blake began to get clumsy, dropping things without meaning to, her hands now shaky without her control. Her girlfriend dropped her, she didn’t want to be with someone with so many “medical flaws.”

Blake was heartbroken, but she understood though.. She was angry at herself for not having any control on what her hands do, but she couldn’t do anything about it. She ended up growing quiet for her last year of school. The rumors of her being the girl that crashed from drunk driving went around pretty quickly, making her think she wasn’t going to have anyone to really talk to now. That was until a girl named Darcy Anthony ended up befriending her, despite the rumors that were being spread about Blake. Blake was hesitant, but ended up becoming good friends with her.

Darcy then introduced Blake to a new friend group, and they grew close throughout the short amount of time they had left in school, and Blake was relaxed enough to finally have fun with them. They stuck together, even after graduation. However it all went downhill when they lost a friend while they were celebrating their graduation together when they were all 18. Due to the incident, the group ended up going their separate ways.. Made sense though. A lot of high school kids separate for whatever reason. However, she made it known she wanted to still be close with Darcy. She wanted someone to nerd out with still. 

Finally, Blake used the money that her father had set aside for her and moved away from California to the Marina Towers, an apartment complex located in Chicago, Illinois, just to be away from her parents.. Funnily enough, living with Darcy who convinced the scaredy cat female to go on ghost hunting adventures with her.

=============================================

Extra Info and Head cannons:

Blake suffers from anxiety, and she keeps a fidget ring on her left index finger to mess with when it acts up. She’s never suffered with anxiety till after the wreck.

Despite it being from the Traumatic Brain Injury, she tends to laugh off the fact that she stumbles out of nowhere, keeping a positive outlook on things.

Blake used to ride her skateboard a lot, but after the accident, she hasn’t touched it much, yet she was nervous about trying again due to the numb, tingly feeling that happens throughout her legs. Upon attempting to do so, she has fallen off, which leaves her angry.

Blake has a scar on her cheek from the belt her dad used on her when she was 17.(People will also see her with bandages or little scrapes on her arms or face because of her being a klutz.)

[cringecompanionapologist]

So, there's a lot going on with Doctor Who right now, and I'm not sure it's all gonna work out, but I really want to give RTD the benefit of the doubt right now, because he's got a nearly impossible task here.

The show went through a dip in ratings and he was brought back in to rescue it. He revived the series from the dead in the first place. But, he now has to create something keeping a very diverse audience in mind. I don't mean "diverse" in a race/gender/sexuality sense, though that's certainly also true. I mean diverse in what they actually want from the show. I mean, you've got:

Fans of the Classic series who generally hate everything new.

Long time fans who like the new series, but weren't really into the Chibnall era.

These can be divided between "We didn't like Chibnall and we want things to be like they were before him" and "We didn't like Chibnall and we want something completely new."

People who stopped watching the show some time between 2010 and 2022 who want to get back into it, because it looks like it did when they were watching it.

Literal children who just watch Doctor Who.

Fans of the Chibnall era that don't like that it ended.

Fans very critical of the first RTD era who just don't want him back in general.

Fans who think the Chibnall era was "too political"

Fans who think the Chibnall era played it too safe politically. (Compare the treatment of capitalism in Oxygen to the treatment of capitalism in Kerblam.)

And I'm definitely forgetting some people here. He has to make the show like it was in the classic era, like it was the last time he was running things, like the Moffat era, like the Chibnall, and like something completely new. Something different, but not too different. Something inoffensive, including to people who get offended by attempts to be inoffensive. Something that appeals to children without seeming too childish for adult fans. And it all has to bring up ratings and turn a profit.

So everything he's done so far that you don't like was done in an attempt to cater to someone else.

David Tennant's back for the people who stopped watching after he left. This is stupid to everyone else.

Series 14 is a new Series 1 for new people who feel weird starting a show in its 14th season, who we don't want to binge 13 seasons to catch up. It ruins the numbering system for anyone keeping track.

13's cloths changing when she regenerated into 14 was an attempt to avoid controversy with one group which created controversy with others. Same thing with all the Davros stuff recently.

Meanwhile, you have Tales of the TARDIS, a popular dw comic villain appearing in the show, and the return of a one-off villain from 1966 to appeal to classic series and eu fans, as well as make new fans curious about those things.

He's trying to do something for everyone, but some things that are for one group are against another. Still, I can't be mad at him for trying. He's being giving a near-impossible task of saving a sinking ship, which wasn't sinking for half of its passengers, and already underwater for a good portion of the other half. Things are going to go wrong in there somewhere.

I'm still going to wait and see how this next season goes before calling it a success or failure. I don't believe Doctor Who can be Ruined Forever. Even if it's cancelled, it'll come back eventually. It's already happened. And even if it's not on TV, we're still got a lot of other stuff. This show, even if it's doing things you hate, is unkillable.

I know I have absolutely no sway over this fandom, but I think we should try to be patient. Even if you didn't like the RTD era, he's still trying here. If you didn't like the first RTD era, don't be surprised if you don't like this one. This era will end and you might like the next one. If you don't, whatever you do like will still be there.

Everything's gonna be fine by someone's standards.

[zoeybelmonte]

Welcome to Aurora Bay, [ZOEY BELMONTE]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [ANNE HATHAWAY]. You must be the [FORTY] year old [ART PROFESSOR]. Word is you’re [SOPHISTICATED] but can also be a bit [SELFISH] and your favorite song is [FANTASY BY MARIAH CAREY]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [CRYSTAL COVE CONDOMINIUMS].

BASICS INFO

full name:  Zoey Belmonte

pronouns & gender: she/her, cis woman

birthday & birthplace:  Feb 14th (40 years old)

location: ocean crest apartments

sexuality: bisexual

relationship status: single

occupation: art professor

time in aurora bay: 5 months

face claim: Anne Hathaway

DETAILS

Zoey was born and raised in Seattle, WA.

She graduated and went to college to get her BFA first at UCLA, where she continued her education to get her Masters in Fine Arts.

Her favorite color is sage green

She's an Aquarius.

Her favorite past time is to get lost in a painting, sketching or binge watching a show that she swears is dumb but secretly loves it.

She always wanted kids but never found the perfect time to have one which is a sore subject for her

She enjoys a good wine night and prefers it over hard liquor.

BIO Zoey Belmonte was a passionate art professor at the local university, specializing in modern and contemporary art history. With her charismatic personality and keen eye for detail, she quickly became a favorite among her students. Zoey's love for creativity extended beyond the classroom - often spending her evenings sipping on red wine while lost in thought as she meticulously painted in her studio. Her artistic talents were well-known throughout the community, with many eagerly awaiting each new piece she unveiled.

Despite being single, Zoey cherished her independence and took great pleasure in exploring museums and galleries during her free time. As an Aquarius, she valued intellectual stimulation and found solace in discussing the works of renowned artists with like-minded individuals. While some may have seen Zoey as enigmatic or aloof, those who knew her best understood that beneath her cool exterior lay a warm heart full of compassion and empathy.

In between grading papers and attending gallery openings, Zoey navigated through life with grace and poise - always seeking to inspire others through the power of art. Whether guiding students towards their own creative breakthroughs or simply enjoying a glass of wine under the starlit sky, Zoey Belmonte's presence left an indelible mark on all those fortunate enough to cross paths with her.

Although she enjoyed time working in LA, she accepted a job offer in Aurora Bay Five months ago and has been there since.

CONNECTIONS TBA

[not-poignant]

I admit I was trawling for some easy smut to read and got Underline the Black. Usually I back out when the story doesn't go how I expect and instead I've binged the whole thing in six hours and find myself painfully relating to Efni's gender and sexual trauma.

I don't know how to describe it but I'm AFAB and grew up Christian with all these expectations and secular ones and I was so scared I rejected everything and tried to be this person I thought I had to be. And I've done that over and over and I'm thirty now and I think I'm finally coming to terms with my place in gender and sex and all that.

It's still a long journey and idk I know a lot of trans people get squicked by ABO stuff and it's based off bunk wolf science but. Idk. This is the most I've ever felt seen I think. So thanks.

Hi hi,

I really love omegaverse, you might be surprised how many trans people are writing it on AO3 - trust me when I say it's a lot of us. :)

A lot of the reasons trans folk can find omegaverse squicky is actually a lot of the same reasons why trans folk can find it cathartic or interesting or crave reading it. Everyone's reasons for ending up in omegaverse are different, because it's really just a huge umbrella term for like, countless different genres, tropes, levels of worldbuilding, sex, and types of story.

I don't really mind that it's based off debunked science, hell, I've even written a logical explanation for that in my Perth Shifters series lol. There's a lot of science we have today that was initially based off of bad science, that scientists then went 'oh yeah, that's not great, but we might keep the terminology anyway, because everyone's using it.' So that works out just fine. It's not like all of our science in reality started off in the best places, some started off in pure medieval spaces and then just kind of...grew up over time.

I apologise for the lack of easy smut though in Underline the Black! I have a lot more of erotica / smut in my other works, like Spoils of the Spoiled or Game Theory, so far we're still a while away from anything more than the handjob that's coming up in a couple of chapters re: Efnisien and Gary, that's definitely a slowburn! :D

(You might like Underline the Red though, which has some alpha/beta smut instead!)

And yeah, gender stuff is so hard. I'm glad you're coming to a place that feels right or is starting to feel right re: gender. I know I started that journey for myself in my early 30s and now that I'm in my early 40s it's only really started to settle into place. This stuff can be rough, especially when you're raised in repressed and oppressive and harmful societies.

Being able to explore gender stuff in Underline the Black has been a lot of fun for me. I much prefer doing it this way, than doing it with the genders we already have irl, tbh, because it lets me detach a little, but it also means that the omegaverse genders can become metaphorical for a lot of different issues, and I enjoy the power of something that can work in a few different ways. :D

(Also just a note, in the future can you please write it as a/b/o or just say omegaverse, because otherwise you're just writing a horrible slur towards Aboriginal Australians and we're generally trying to avoid that. Appreciate it going forward thank you! :) ).

[havntngs]

[ christopher briney, cismale, he/him ] - was that LAWRENCE ‘LAURIE’ CAMPBELL i saw by the lighthouse today? i heard that the TWENTY-FIVE year old who has been in nightrest for THEIR WHOLE LIFE and works as a/an CERTIFIED NURSE ASSISTANT has a reputation of being LOYAL, but also SELF-DESTRUCTIVE. they reside in ASHMORE & people in town usually associate them with late night games that stretch to 3 a.m. best friends, cigarette smoke out an open window, ripped jeans and baggy t-shirts of musicians you love, anger and grief often masked as cold and uncaring, a feeling of love that you don’t know what to do with or how to say, a love for your sisters that you don’t know where to put, and trying to find the better version of yourself that people need you to be. let’s hope the killer doesn’t go after them next.

full name — lawrence 'laurie' campbell nickname(s) — laurie name meaning — god has helped age — twenty-five date of birth — august 31st place of birth — salem, massachusetts star sign — virgo sun, aqaurius moon, virgo rising  current location — salem, massachusetts  gender — cis-male pronouns — he/him sexual orientation — bisexual ( repressed ) religion — atheist  occupation — certified nurse assistant  education level — cna school   family — ted campbell ( father ), karen campbell ( father ), tracy campbell ( sister ), holly campbell ( sister, deceased ) finances — upperclass / personal finances: help spoken languages — english, spanish 

character inspos: lip gallagher ( shameless ), zuko (avatar: the last airbender), eve polastri (killing eve), cristina yang (greys anatomy), kaz brekker (shadow & bone), kat stratford (10 things i hate about you), will hunting (good will hunting), mike wheeler ( stranger things ), elliot alderson (mr. robot), scott summers (x-men), chandler bing (friends), rosa diaz (b99), jess mariano ( gilmore girls )

tw: absent parents, deceased sister, grief & mourning

if life were a movie then laurie would be the background character that says one funny line before absolutely ruining the scene. in fact, he’d say that his lines were probably cut because they just weren’t good enough. born from an upper class family laurie is unoriginal and there’s nothing that really screams, brilliance. if he were to give that title it would have been to his eldest sister, tracy, but the star that shined in their lives would have been holly. 

he’s young when holly was born, young and had no idea the kind of weight that she would place on the family–and holly died too young to understand that she had been the thing to keep the entire family together. she was the glue. all of the words that he could say but it would never be enough. 

it hadn’t been an easy run up of affairs. laurie was the perfect example of the middle child, too volatile to handle on best days, had his head devouring books on any piece of science that he could get his hands on. when he was asked as a kid what he wanted to be he said things like a doctor, and then an astronaut. he liked physics, quantum science, engineering. he liked knowing that there were things that could be definite, how a problem could always be fixed if he just had the right amount of calculations and even better hypotheses. 

he was the captain of the science club all throughout high school, went to science camp once before he asked his mom to come and pick him up, he had a group of best friends that he loved, who came over on weekends to play games in his basement, he liked making science experiments in his backyard, he tried to be on the track team once before finding that he was better in a classroom than out in the field. his father took him hunting but gave him when he noticed his song reading a book. laurie was good at a lot of things academically, but never much so when it came to talking to other people outside of his bubble. 

he liked a boy growing up but never said anything and by the time the moment came where he should he didn’t. for most of laurie’s life he always felt different from his family and what he was supposed to be. he could have been anyone, surely he was never the smartest in the room but he knew things, he could have dated people if he had just said something, he could have had more opportunities if it wasn’t his own self-preservation getting in the way. being different was dangerous—people say things, and it hurts, and it’s worse because they always mean them. it’s easy being different and hiding in the shadows than being brave and getting your heart broken. 

by senior year his sister went missing, and then she died. laurie stopped caring after that. when he was a freshmen he had already planned on going to m.i.t, it was the dream school to get the dream job. he could be all the things he said he would be. but by then it didn’t matter. laurie started getting in fights, and headed down a path where he never thought he’d go. he thinks the worst part is that his parents hadn’t noticed. they only cared by the time that laurie got suspended, and acted as if laurie had become a different person overnight. when he got that m.i.t letter holly was long gone and he said that he never got accepted in the first place. 

the past couple of years have been hard, and laurie has gotten all kinds of odd jobs until his mom got tired of laurie just laying around and doing nothing with his life. he thinks that it’s the first time that his mother has tried to be a mother to him. he knows that its the bare minimum, but for the moment it was nice, as if she was doing a kindness to him instead of acting out of embarrassment. 

over the course of seven years he always thinks that he sees his sister somewhere. he didn’t feel the snap of her being gone, as if she were a tether to him in some way on his heart. that first year he kept telling people that she was still around, he would have felt it, to anyone that believed him. it seems unfair that his sister was here one day and then just disappeared. he remembers the way that people looked at him, when he tried to do his own investigation of her disappearance, and how sometimes he looks throughout his town still for remnants of her. 

his family might have been fractured, but it just didn’t seem fair that their glue, and the one of the only people that listened to laurie and his hopes and dreams just didn’t exist anymore. he would have felt it. and the worst part, he thinks, she would be disappointed in the choices that he made after she was gone. 

life goes on. laurie’s life is repetition. he doesn’t really dream anymore. 

more fun stuff:

listen ,, he might be smart but he is also very Bad when it comes to people he is my cringefail son -- if you were ever friends with him he has never said i love you. not once.

honestly i'd label him as a burn out but like he's a cna but he's also like. a burn out. he could be doing more he just doesn't. and he doesn't see the point.

looking for a weed dealer :// ( it makes him anxious but that doesnt stop him sdkfnsd idiot )

honestly looking for his old bffs that he let go Due to being a Bad Friend ( not intentionally he just... doesnt deal with Things Well sighs )

still v sad abt m.i.t ngl asdkflnds he thinks abt his life as Before and After and thinks where he could have been , always assumed he'd move out of this state and Be Someone. with all the recent deaths he's Going Through It

[its-blakeiguess]

[cis-female, she/her] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [BLAKE LEE DIXON]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [HAILEE STEINFELD]. You must be the [TWENTY-SIX] year old [BARISTA AT DRIFTWOOD COFFEE SHOP]. Word is you’re [CHARMING] but can also be a bit [CLUMSY] and your favorite song is [ONE WRONG TURN by ALEC BENJAMIN]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [OCEAN CREST APARTMENTS]. I’m sure you’ll love it!

TW: Brief mention of Homophobia, Mention of Abuse, Car Accident/Drunk Driving, Alcohol Usage

The Basics:

Full Name: Blake Lee Dixon

Birthday: June 5th

Zodiac: Gemini

Age: Twenty-Six

Faceclaim: Hailee Steinfeld

Birthplace: Aurora Bay, California

Neighborhood: Ocean Crest Apartments

Occupation: Barista at Driftwood Coffee Shop

Gender: Cis-Female

Pronouns: She/her/hers

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Relationship Status: Single

Positive Traits: Sweet, Gentle, Charming, Loyal, Flirtatious

Negative Traits: Clumsy, Awkward, Depressive, Stubborn, Scatterbrained

Hobbies: Reading,Cooking, Swimming, binge watching Disney movies and Shows, skateboarding, photography

Here is a little about her story!

Blake Lee Dixon was born and raised in Aurora Bay, California. She was the only child in the wealthy, religious Dixon household. Living closer to the beach was all she could ever ask for, it was amazing growing up and being able to walk a few minutes down to the beach and enjoy the nice ocean water and the warmth of the sun and sand. She was always a big fan of the sea anyways.

Her parents always wanted what was best for her, so they worked her harder to make sure her school work was turned in on time and that she got nothing but straight A’s in school, which she did. She was always the over achiever in school, which meant she never focused on any romance either. For years, she made sure she was the best daughter they could ever have, since she was their only one. She didn’t want to let them down.

Upon being the only child, her father forced her to finally hook up with a boy in school around age 15. She viewed it as his way of telling her to.. ‘Get married and have kids’ even when she didn’t want anything like that. She had plans to go to college, she wasn’t focused on dating a boy and getting knocked up just so her parents could have grandchildren. She managed to make the boy lose interest by lack of communication and he ended up leaving her mid junior year in High School. She was relieved, the parents however weren’t pleased with her decision but let it slide since she was so young. She had time to get another one.

Early senior year, she ended up coming across a girl in school. They became friends quickly and they even helped each other do their school work together. Next thing Blake knew, she was becoming a nervous wreck around her. Her heart skipped every moment she was near.. She was starting to fall for this girl. But why? She didn’t want any romance.

Despite not wanting anything dealing with the word “love”, Blake couldn’t hide it anymore. She couldn’t ignore what her heart wanted, and it wanted the girl. They got together, and it was almost like a Disney movie. They were happy, in love, nothing could come in between them. That was until Blake’s dad finally found out by some teachers calling him and letting him know his daughter was kissing a girl during school hours. Furious, he forced her to more church sessions. But it didn’t work. Blake was stubborn, she wanted to stay with the girl, no matter what.

The dad grew tired of Blake’s stubbornness when she was 17, for a belt went across her face, a cut on her left cheek was enough to know he would do more if she didn’t put a stop to this man’s anger growing or it would have gotten worse. FInally grabbing the keys to her dad’s car, despite only having a permit, she stormed out, heading over to her girlfriend’s place in a rage. After ranting, calming down, downing alcohol in the process, Blake had the idea to go back just to confront her dad about what he did, her girlfriend was against it but couldn’t stop her.

Getting in the car, the potent smell of alcohol pouring off her body, Blake began her quick drive to her house. While driving, a loud horn started to blare, a blurry set of lights shining towards her. Blake was quick enough to turn the steering wheel to get out of the way. However, she was going too fast; she lost control, crashing into a tree, hitting her head hard against the window. She blacked out.

Two days later, Blake finally woke up in a hospital bed, her head and neck held in place by a brace. Her blurry vision went away slowly as her eyes looked around, noticing where she was. A doctor then came in to break the news and let Blake know what happened to her.

Blake hit her head severely during the accident, suffering from a concussion from how hard her head went against the glass. The doctors also let her know about the side effects from the concussion. She would experience stuff down the line, including: dizziness, clumsiness, blurry vision, even tremors in her hands just from how bad the impact was, and even some mental issues like severe anxiety. They then made sure to keep her in the bed for 3 more days until she was finally able to be released. Freedom again! She could go back home- that was until her dad mentioned she was going to court.

Upon arrival to the courtroom, she was put on a small trial. It didn’t last long because she was still a teen and no one else got hurt. The judge pitied her, knowing her record. She was a good kid, obviously panicked about being in a courtroom and possibly going to juvie or worse. He ended up taking her permit, giving her a notice to take her test again once she hit age 21, gave her 30 hours of community service, along with making her go to group counseling to deal with her “alcoholic problems.” (She would go do all of these things either on the weekend or after school hours.)

Relieved she didn’t have to go to juvie, she was glad that was her punishment for her stupidity.

When she returned to school, she was at least happy to finally see her girlfriend that she hadn’t seen in a few weeks. When they met up, the girl was relieved. They were both happy. One thing ended up changing with Blake, however, making the girl grow tired of having to babysit her in a way. Blake began to get clumsy, dropping things without meaning to, her hands now shaky without her control. Her girlfriend dropped her, she didn’t want to be with someone with so many “medical flaws.”

Blake was heartbroken, but she understood though.. She was angry at herself for not having any control on what her hands do, but she couldn’t do anything about it. She ended up growing quiet for her last year of school. The rumors of her being the girl that crashed from drunk driving went around pretty quickly, making her think she wasn’t going to have anyone to really talk to now. That was until a girl named Darcy ended up befriending her, despite the rumors that were being spread about Blake. Blake was hesitant, but ended up becoming good friends with her.

Not long after, Darcy introduced Blake to her small friend group, and they grew close throughout the short amount of time they had left in school, and Blake was relaxed enough to finally have fun with them. They were almost like family to her.

They stuck together, even after graduation. However it all went downhill when they lost a friend while they were celebrating their graduation together when they were all 18. It didn’t stop getting worse when they started to split up, one named Darcy moving away entirely. Blake didn’t know what to do. She grew quiet again, she did everything her dad said to make up for what she did when she was a teenager, just so she wasn’t on his bad side any longer.

Finally around age 21, she finally used the money that her father had set aside for her, went and got her permit finally and moved out to Ocean Crest Apartments just to be away from her parents. She has been there ever since, getting a job at Driftwood Coffee Shop to make sure she was in a decent, quiet environment to work since she still struggles with headaches that come and go. Her tremors were still there, not as bad, but she has recovered greatly since then, however she still loses her balance from random occurrences of dizziness.

Years went by and now at age 26 the friend group she had in school started to come back together again, Darcy moved back and surprised them all and now she and Blake are roommates. Blake was still upset about everything.. What happened with her, the ex.. It was like the memory would never leave no matter how much she would try to forget that incident. Blake put on a smile though , trying to move forward. There was no point to be stuck in the past, especially when there’s nothing she could do about it now other than try to be her old witty self, despite the little flaws she has now.

Extra Info and Head cannons:

Blake suffers from anxiety and she keeps a fidget ring on her left index finger to mess with when it acts up. She’s never suffered with anxiety till after the wreck.

Despite it being from the concussion, she tends to laugh off the fact that she stumbles out of nowhere, keeping a positive outlook on things.

Blake used to ride her skateboard a lot, but after the accident, she hasn’t touched it much, yet she was nervous about trying again due to the numb, tingly feeling that happens throughout her legs. Upon attempting to do so, she has fallen off, which leaves her angry.

Blake has a scar on her cheek from the belt her dad used on her when she was 17.(People will also see her with bandages or little scrapes on her arms or face because of her being a klutz.)

Blake, who is still questioning her sexuality, is super hesitant about getting in another relationship, knowing she’ll suffer from the tremors and clumsiness for a while or forever, she’ll possibly get her heart broken again.

@aurorabayaesthetic

[simonehqs]

Welcome to Aurora Bay, SIMONE DAWSON! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like AISHA DEE. You must be the TWENTY SEVEN year old DRAMA TEACHER AT AURORA BAY HIGH SCHOOL. Word is you’re KINDHEARTED but can also be a bit UNRULY and your favorite song is THINKIN BOUT YOU BY FRANK OCEAN. I also heard you’ll be staying in SEABROOK QUARTER. I’m sure you’ll love it!  [dj, 28, cst, she/they]

full name: simone isla dawson

nicknames: sim, dawson's creek

birthday: october 10th, 1995 (27 years old, libra)

hometown: aurora bay, california

gender and sexuality: cis, bisexual woman

education: bachellor's in secondary education / theatre

occupation: drama teacher at aurora bay high school

dependents: michaela dawson (younger sister, 18 years old)

hobbies: binging reality shows all at once but watching soap operas every day, open mic nights bc she doesn't really get to perform anymore, really any group activity (sip & paint, axe throwing, 5k bubble runs, house parties), reading tea leaves and tarot cards, sliding on her socks on hardwood floors

(tw: panic attack mention)

Our Simone grew up right in Aurora Bay; the daughter of two professors who taught at the local college for most of her life. They were open-minded and encouraging, but both regularly put their careers and studies above their children. Simone's younger sister Michaela was a happy accident that came about when Simone was nine years old, and they were inseparable from day one. Simone was the spirited theatre kid and Michaela was the piano prodigy their parents showed off at dinner parties. They bonded over music and the pressure of their parents' expectations, but when Michaela hit her pre-teens, Simone could tell the pressure was harder for her younger sister than it was for her.

Leaving for college (read: leaving her sister to fend for herself with their parents) weighed on Simone, but when she was pulled off of the waitlist and accepted to her dream college, no one (even herself) would let her pass up the opportunity. Just like in high school, Simone was equal parts exuberant and helpful, and stole the hearts of plenty of co-eds and play / musical audiences alike. For the first two years of college, she studied performance and had the stars in her eyes; sure she would make it on Broadway or the silver screen. It took those two years for her to figure out that she wanted to teach, not subject herself to the harsh industry she had dreamed of. And it was a trip home to Aurora Bay High's drama program that made her realize it.

The old drama teacher, easily Simone's favorite teacher of all time, became her mentor after that fateful trip. After graduation, she had a choice to make: accept a high paying job near the college she went to or take a teaching assistant job in Aurora Bay with the hopes of someday becoming the teacher herself. The decision was immediately made in her heart, which belonged in Aurora Bay, but when her father was offered his dream job as president of his alma mater, Michaela begged Simone to stay in Aurora Bay so she wouldn't have to move with their parents. A summer of arguing for her to stay later, Simone and Michaela moved into an apartment of their own and waved goodbye to their parents' moving truck.

It's been five years since Simone graduated and moved back to Aurora Bay, and five years of raising a teenager on her own; much harder and altogether more exhausting than she could've anticipated, but worth every minute. After three semesters as her mentor's teaching assistant and one semester as their emergency substitute after a broken hip, Simone was offered the drama teacher position permanently. The drama classroom became Dawson's Creek, christened by a banner painted above the door, and Simone became Sim – the cool, young drama teacher who had pride flags in her room and knew how to take care of a kid's panic attacks without embarrassing them. If all she can do is create the safe space she always knew the drama department to be, then she reckons that's more than good enough.

♡

wanted plots

The Bartender Bestie – Being a teacher or a parental figure would be hard enough, but being both is a struggle. Simone has a couple of favorite haunts in town and absolutely has a favorite bartender - a true sight for sore eyes after a long day.

The High School Sweetheart – Simone grew up in Aurora Bay and left right after high school, though she did return right after graduating college. There's nothing quite like first loves, especially in a small town.

The Found Family – The relationship Simone has with her first family, as she calls them, is complicated and still unraveling. The family still in Aurora Bay is made up of her sister, her best friends, the people she feels safest around, and the people she works hardest to keep safe. All people are welcome in this family!

The Self-Care Spa Day Squad – Decidedly not a girl squad, but instead a trio / quartet / quintet of people that regularly get blasted at brunch together, plan long weekends in wine country, and are regulars at the nail salon.

The Parent Teacher Conference – The classic "I met you at your child's parent teacher conference and see you on field trips & dances we both chaperone, plus sometimes the coffee shop". Whether it's just a vibe that adds a little spice to the day or something with potential, it's like living in a rom-com a couple of minutes a day.

connection ideas

Neighbors in Seabrook Quarter

Parents of Simone's students (current or former) or her sister's friends

Childhood / high school friends

Friends from New York City / college

Exes, will they / won't they, flings, crushes

Frenemies / old enemies

Happy Hour / bar friends

A D&D party / trivia night team / book club

[untimelytales]

[ maris racal, cis woman, she/her. ] ✧･ﾟ is that [ cassidy sanchez ] who just stumbled into town? rumour has it that they’re the [ twenty-two ] year old child of [ miranda sanchez ] from [ lizzie mcguire ]. i’ve also heard that they’re [ passionate ] but [ bitter ] and have [ two ] siblings. i could almost swear i heard [ cult leader - king mala ] playing when they appeared.

cassidy was one of three children born to miranda, the woman a failed actress and a waitress doing what she could to support her children. she would often tell her children how she used to be a ‘star’ but it was all taken from her for this reason or that – typically at the hands of someone else rather than her own failings. from the very beginning, cassidy was taught to be bitter and to look out only for herself as, clearly, everyone else was out for themselves as well.

she grew up wanting to be an actress as well, to take on the dream that her mother never could complete. her mother supported her, but would be very strict – especially any time cassidy failed. despite this, cassidy only wanted to prove herself more and more, and would often work herself into exhaustion trying to keep up her appearance while attending school and partaking in theater. she was quite popular throughout school, but that didn’t mean she was entirely well-liked by the general student population.

luckily, her early tenacity won her way into a private art’s school where she met the person that would completely change the course of her life: her roommate. immediately, the were pitted against each other because they wanted the same thing, and cassidy fully believe the other had an advantage due to her mother already being quite a successful and well-known name. that was when a cruel idea came to mind.

cassidy decided to start dating the other, fully allowing the other to believe that she liked her. cassidy wanted a touch of that fame, to use her girlfriend for her own gain. what she didn’t expect, however, were real feelings to develop. not wanting to jeopordise her climb to success, cassidy decided to end their relationship and reveal her true intent. in her mind, if she could get her girlfriend to hate her, all feelings would cease. they did not.

that moment on, everything went downhill for cassidy. she graduated with average grades and didn’t get accepted to any of her universities of choice – the only ones she applied for. she would go to audition after audition, but was constantly passed over. she started waitressing in the meantime to help pay for the bills and still held on to hope that she would snag some sort of role. none came. she was forced to accept her fate as karma handing her all the bad she’d done in her life.

                                       basics:                                           full name:  cassidy sanchez                                           nicknames:  cas                                           gender:  cis woman                                           pronouns:  she / her                                           sexuality:  homosexual                                           age:  22                                           occupation:  waitress                                           species:  human

                                       appearance:                                           faceclaim:  maris racal                                           height:  5′2'’                                           eyes:  brown                                           hair:  brown                                           piercings:  ears                                           tattoos:  n/a                                           other distinguishing features:  n/a                                           style:  casual chic

                                       personality:                                           traits:  passionate, bitter, sarcastic, clever                                           likes:  stage lights, musicals, summer                                           dislikes:  snow, red meats                                           fears:  being a nobody                                           phobias:  n/a                                           hobbies:  crocheting, binging tv                                           skills:  sight reading/singing, acting                                           quirks:  n/a                                           pet peeves:  n/a

                                       family:                                           mother:  miranda sanchez                                           father:  unknown                                           siblings:  two                                           birth order:  unknown                                           spouse / lover:  n/a                                           children:  n/a                                           pets:  n/a                                           notable close relatives:  n/a

[skeppsbrott]

I went on a One Piece binge and apparently the only way people appreciate Usopp in this country is by shipping him with Sanji which isn't the worst thing out there by any means but I have thoughts:

I just don't really care for fan narratives which demand a lot of diversion from the canon one and Sanji being his ladies' man type self with Usopp but no other men doesn't really do it for me.

So either way I do think pairing the two of them, in any capacity, gives both of them a bit of shine. Sanji is often just compared to Zoro and Luffy as a lesser fighter but next to Usopp his strategist side becomes more viable. Sanji is also relatively human compared to the other fighting men, which I think flatters Usopp and makes his less favourable character traits feel more real, less comic relief. While both of them are absolute nutsos compared to Most People, they also make for two quite sane men, which I don't think comes through in the big group but makes a nice break when they are paired up.

It seems silly to me to treat Sanji's ladies-man-behaviour as a real indicator of emotional interest or capacity. Within the universe it is firstly a gag, secondly a point of friction to create interesting character dynamics, thirdly a foil in battle. Either way it is superficial: Sanjis more genuine expressions of affection comes through other kinds of work and when read in a tone that is more romantically honest (as most types of shipping demand) it is IMO difficult to see it as emotionally sincere. At least past a devotion for and attraction to certain types of womanhood, or as part of performing an image of character or gender, which might be more or less genuine or self-aware.

All this to say that I think the Usopp and Sanji relational dynamic gets less interesting when that ladies-man persona simply gets redirected at Usopp (and no other men - especially when Usopp has never been drawn in the way Oda illustrates men who read as conventionally attractive).

There is, nonetheless, a lot of interesting opportunities here. How self-aware is Sanji? Is this an affect he would apply, intentionally or not, if he did become romantically interested in Usopp on a more sincere level? Is Sanji capable of differentiating between romantic and sexual attraction? Does his attraction differ in expression between men and women (I like this route, personally)? For me, it's not really even about breaking the tone of the original all that much, or introducing levels of angst or self-interrogation.

I think my instinct tells me that what I want is Usopp helping out in the kitchen, with a very low-key but sincere and domestic expression of affection, followed and contrasted with Sanji's very over-the-top displays of attraction towards the women. Same as it was, but different, on a different level. You sail for a few years and your crew and its dynamic is mostly the same except one day you realize that the cook never really brings the girls he flirt with back to the ship and that your sniper knows the code lock to the refigerator but will not share it and that when one is at the wheel the other will come with a cup of coffee without question or comment and that sometimes the two of them will stand shoulder to shoulder at the bow in quiet conversation. And Sanji still gives heart eyes to the girls and Usopp still has to psych himself up by bragging and lying. But at some point you all just know. Whether it was ever a secret to begin with you have no idea, nor when it happened, you're not sure they do either. It doesn't matter much, you've all been family for so long, either way.

Admittedly, this all comes from a very cursory search, so I imagine a lot of what I would be interested in can be found if I were to dig a little bit deeper.

[andrewtverylegitimateblog]

Ring (1995), Ring (1998), The Ring (2002)

"Frolic in brine, goblins be thine"- Ring(1998)

"Daddy loves horses"- The Ring(2002)

I went on a Ring binge this Friday. I watched so much Ring. Some of it good. Some of it truly just awful. Some of it pretty damn funny. I also went down something of a Ring rabbit hole.

Nakata Hideo's Ring is a compelling mystery emanating from a singular point of sinister intent that constantly engaged the viewer with horror elements that drew them into a world of psychics, curses, and more sinister things lurking below our truly scant understanding of our very own world. Gore Verbinski's The Ring is an almost excruciatingly generic American horror film, with jump scares galore and set in the most broodingly spooky of American cities, Seattle.

All the things that made Nakata Hideo's Ring interesting were completely absent in Gore Verbinski's The Ring. My criticisms of the The Ring are numerous, not only did the horror elements fail to land in any meaningful way because the director would continue to plaster them anywhere they could every five minutes to remind the viewer that this was indeed a horror film, but the mystery that engaged me in Ring was nearly utterly absent. There is a degree of mystery in The Ring, however in no way is any of it interesting, there also isn't enough time for any of it be discussed without that stupid concert violinist hidden just out of view to draw out a sting. Perhaps most infuriating about The Ring in comparison to Ring is the contents of the tape itself. Every image in Ring has a particular meaning that in some way connects it to the ongoing events. The video in The Ring is in so many ways made up completely of nonsense to the point that it made rich ground for parody.

There is so much to be said about The Ring in comparison to Ring, but what stood out most at the midpoint of The Ring was Sadako's mother. In Ring Shizuko Yamamura, Sadako's mother, was a young woman from a small island that seemed to maintain an intimate and strange relationship with the sea, and who's incredible psychic powers drew the attention of an academic who exploited her by placing her before audiences that ultimately feared and condemned her. In The Ring, American Shizuko Yamamura is a well to do equestrian enthusiast from a small island who seemed to occupy all of her time with horses. This horse narrative occupies almost half of The Ring's run time. The Ring is a genuinely stupid and exhaustingly outdated generic American horror film, while watching it however it made me appreciate things that I didn't originally engage with while watching Ring such as more complex narratives surrounding gender.

Nakata Hideo's Ring was not the first adaptation of Koji Suzuki's novel. In 1995 Fuji TV adapted Ring into a made for TV film directed by Chisui Takigawa and which would later be released on home video as Ring: Kanzenban. Of the films released, The Ring: Kanzenban is, what most claim, the most accurate to the original novel. The difference is obvious very early on when Reiko Asakawa is completely absent. Instead the narrative centers on Kazuyuki Asakawa, a reporter whose career has undergone some considerable difficulty due to his relationship with a psychic accused of murder. After coming into contact with the tape he must seek out the man who marred his career in order to save himself from the curse of the tape.

Ring:Kanzenban was fun to watch. At times the excessive slanted full body shots, sharp cuts with audio stings, and the overwhelming amount of flood lights lend to it something of a telenovela quality. Sadako's experiences are most fully centered in the film more then anything else. What follows is a story of sexual exploitation and spectral terror that feel like a more identifiable Onryo story adapted for modern audiences. What I appreciated most about it though was perhaps how when viewing the tape the psychic attack that resulted from it was much stronger with the viewers environments and senses being warped while watching it.

I watched a lot of Ring this weekend. For very different reasons the films I watched made me appreciate or gain insight into things I hadn't truly before. I've hade enough Ring for now to last me a while.

[trailmixedup]

Coming to terms with the realization that I am asexual has been really difficult.

I was an extraordinarily hypersexual child and teenager- the concept of sex fascinated me and it became an admittedly really concerning milestone.

My complicated relationship with gender and sexuality started at 13 and combined with my mental health crashing and burning, masturbation ended up being the only way I could calm my body and mind down enough to go to sleep. I started hyper-sexualizing myself in social situations and online in an attempt to build a false sense of confidence and ended up further traumatized and ashamed.

Then I started hormones the month after my 18th birthday. I felt validated that people were paying attention to me- I was finally on T and was on the tail end of a gnarly ED relapse that had me at my most stereotypically attractive. I lost my virginity to a stranger in a pathetic, shameful hookup. He was rough, unemotional and unskilled. He took a nap in my bed after I made him cum and then left and never spoke to me again.

After that experience I started questioning my identity- I hadn’t ever explored asexuality because my chronic reliance on the endorphins created by masturbation had me convinced that there was no way I could be ace. I was starting college though, and that stress mixed with starting ED recovery and a sudden onset depressive episode meant that I had to postpone my self exploration.

I went out with a guy from my college briefly early 2023, he was inexperienced and uneducated on anything to do with the things that made up my personality. A week after our first kiss he asked me if “we were ever going to have sex” and I froze. I shrugged, told him I didn’t know, probably? and tried to ignore the panic and disgust I felt at the idea. I broke up with him about a week later because that expectation was looming and he just didn’t understand the things I need him to.

I threw myself into my job and resolutely ignored everything else over the summer- I didn’t have time to think about anything, let alone try to puzzle out the increasing frequency of post orgasm crashes and the bone-deep feeling of wrongness and crawling disgust I felt after getting off.

Then I listened to the Magnus archives for the first time. It took me about 7 shifts at work- I work 9 hour night shifts so the binge was easy. Jon’s asexuality opened an unexpected gaping wound in the fabric of my being. After I finished my first listen through, I started reading a shit ton of fanfiction, because why wouldn’t I, and the exploration of Jon’s asexuality made that wound rip wider. The amount of varied representation of asexual subtypes in TMA fanfiction felt like a radical acceptance I’ve never felt before. I got sucked into the welcoming arms of non-sexual intimacy and sex-neutral storylines and the practice of non-sexual bdsm. It felt like a limb I didn’t know I had stopped being numb.

I don’t think I ever really was interested in sex, never really experienced sexual attraction. I think I’m starving, rabid for non-sexual intimacy and unrelenting trust. The realization that the painful yearning has been for closeness and tenderness the entire time rather than the messy affair of sex makes me ache. I spent so long fumbling through a fascination with the mechanics of sex only to shatter any expectation I ever had by not wanting it.

It’s also terribly isolating because I can’t help but wonder if this is just another aspect of the autism- if my obsession and hyper-sexuality was just a hormone-addled attempt to puzzle out a lack of sexual attraction and my need to be cared about. I also can’t help but wonder if I wasn’t emotionally neglected for such a long time if I would experience sexual attraction or if I would have come to this realization earlier because there would be less of a need for closeness.

For now I’m happy enough to finally have things make a little more sense. Thanks Jon.