#if you think you're better than those people COOL but then don't waste your time writing about it

[buckera]

could people posting 'kinky' fics not kinkshame the characters and the readers please? I'm tired

[iceclew]

Part 2 is out as well, have a look! c:

Well GUESS who's got some days off of work, and is about to waste them solemly with drawing fandom -> THIS GURL HERE IS, WOOH!! (๑♡⌓♡๑)

Haaah...yes, me and the words again.. This is way to much dialogue for a comic isn't it? I hope it helps that I put down the whole text in the description as well (see below)..

Ah, yess the old "we ran into each other sometime somewhere before, but we cannot remember of course" (honestly, I just wanted to draw the two of them to interact as kids so badly, I just had to make something up for it)

Since Soshiro would have sort of a dialect, I tried to "englishify" that with slang..? (Slang I am not familiar with, because I am not a native english speaker, and just know about it because of the internet. Sorry if this is causing confusion somewhere) And when Kafka is speaking rather different than he does, I imagine it would sound funny to a 8 y/o... in case you've been wondering his comment..

Also I don't know if ppl would go on vacation, I literally just made everything up, analyzing a universe's law is so not my speciality... (*ﾟｰﾟ)ゞ

*transcript below*

*getting out of a shelter right after a Kaiju attack*

Soshiro: 'Scuse me, have ya seen ma brotha? He's like this tall! Kafka: Uh... sorry dude, I haven't S: Can you like ... look for him? (since you'r taller and stuff...) K: Sure. So what does he look like? S: Like my brotha... K: Uh.... ok.. S: Hehe, ya sound funny! K: You think? Yeah, I'm not from around here. I'm on vacation right now. S: REALLY?! People come on vacation? HERE? Like for real?? WHY? XD K (thinking): what an annoying brat, better find his bro soon...

---

K: So, are we just looking for your brother? Your mom and dad are not around? *looking for anybody slightly resembling* S: NAH, they kill'd the Kaiju, they won't be home anytime before ev'ning. K: So they're Defence Force officers then? S: Tkch, as if! My dad's a platoon leader! K: Really? That's cool! I want to get into the Defence Force too in a few years! :) S: HAH! YOU? You look like a whimp! There's more to a D.F. Officer, than being tall, you gotta have what it TAKES!!

---

K: Oh, let me guess. And you think YOU have that? S: YEAH? Well.. MOST OF IT!! I'm not allowed holding a gun yet... But just you wait! I'mma BEAT those Kaiju's BUTTS for sure!!

---

K: Relax, I believe you, don't worry! Look at ya, a feisty one like you can become Captain in no time! S: Ah! D: K: Keep going, so we get to spare in Tokyo one day! Let's see who's the better fighter when we're grown-ups, okay? S: ... YEAH! I'mma beat ya ass, tall guy!!

[max-nico]

Sonic noticed Tails glaring at him a few minutes ago. He hasn't called it out or said anything, after about a year of being with the kid he's learned it's better to let Tails come to him first. Though he will say his patience has been wearing thin, it's been a week of nonstop staring and cutting eyes.

Sonic glances at Tails with an eyebrow raise making the fox flush in embarrassment. For another few minutes Tails sits with his namesakes on his lap and his head buried in their fluff. Sonic gives him privacy and looks the other way, hoping not to embarrass him any further, he'd really prefer not to prompt the kid more than he has to.

"I uhm- I have a question. If that's okay." Sonic shrugs, reaching down to dig in his bag, but he's not reallt looking for anything. "Oh, if you're looking for the cans of chili we put them in my bag, remember?"

Sonic plays it off as if that's what he was looking for, it's basically dinner time anyway so it's not a waste to start cooking.

"Right uhm- anyway, what makes you different?" Tails asks.

Sonic raises an eyebrow again, asking him to elaborate.

"I just... We're friends right-" Sonic nods without hesitation- "okay good. It's just that the people back at Westside didn't like me much, so... So why do you?"

Sonic gives another shrug. Is he supposed to have a reason for liking him? It just came naturally. He had a good heart, big ambitions, and an even bigger brain. Is there a reason he shouldn't like the fox?

"Is there a reason I shouldn't like you?" Sonic signs.

Tails' snout wrinkles a little, "Obviously."

The hedgehog gestures for Tails to keep talking.

"I'm weird, and I can't brush my fur by myself yet, I talk too much, I take half a portion of your food, I slow you down I-"

"It's our food, and you don't slow me down," Sonic huffs. "Those things don't matter. Why would they make me not like you?"

Tails frowns, gripping his Tails between his fingers, seeming unsure of the answer himself. His mouth opens and closes as he tries to gather his thoughts into a neat sentence, and Sonic continues food prep. An anticipatory silence sits between them.

It's not until Sonic's almost done with the first chilidog that Tails speaks again. His voice is a quiet murmur under cracking fire and a few distant flickies, but Sonic still catches his voice and it's little sniffles in the wind.

"I can't understand how someone so cool can like something that wasn't even tolerated by its parents..."

And isn't that heartbreaking? Sonic could join Tails crying after hearing that. What's he even supposed to say? Is there anything he can say?

Sonic places a hand on Tails' shoulder to get his attention, making the fox wipe his tears away.

"Your parents were dumb."

"But they were the smartest people in the village! My dad was the head research-"

Sonic places a hand over Tails' muzzle to quiet him.

"Being the smartest dumb person in a room full of dumb people isn't the win you think it is."

Tails looks away from Sonic with a sniffle and huff, wiping his eyes again.

If Sonic could take it all away he would. Unfortunately, he doesn't have memory altering magic, at least as far as he knows.

"How about I become your new family. I can be your brother or something." He says on a whim, looking for something to make the kid feel better. Maybe offering a replacement family would be better than claiming the old one.

And for just a moment Tails looks starstruck. His already teary eyes grow large and seem to well up even more before he tilts his face down, his eyes glistening in the ever brighter glow of the campfire.

Sonic swears he didn't do anything wrong, but those tears make him feel like the scum of the earth.

"You're just trying to make me feel better... You wouldn't actually want that. No one in their right mind would."

Sonic crouches down in front of Tails, waiting for him to turn and look him in the eyes. It feels like an eternity before the fox actually looks at him, and Sonic grasps desperately at the patience he's never had, but is determined to find.

Tails' face fur is wet and sticks up awkwardly, and the eye contact he gives is minimal at best but Sonic will take that over nothing.

Gently, Sonic bumps his fist to Tails chest, right above where his heart is. "We're brothers!" He says, in a voice that's just as foreign to the fox as it is to him. The re in the word we're doesn't quite come across, neither does the br in brothers making the word sound like buzzers, but Tails seems to understand him anyway.

Sonic can't tell if the fox is surprised by him standing his ground or by him talking, but it's probably a healthy mix of both. He repeats himself, pushing just a little harder on Tails chest to get the point across.

Tightly, Tails squeezes his eyes shut. Heaving out a sob, dropping his head down to stare at the log he's sitting on.

"Okay." The fox mumbles, "Let's be brothers."

Yooooo guess who finally wrote something !!! (Hint, it's me !!!) After receiving some of the most devastating news of my life, I decided to write some hurt comfort !!! Welcome back unbreakable bond fans, I'm glad I could keep us all fed this winter's night !!! I have so many unfinished drafts but take this, and thanks for reading !!!

This is NOT ship content. I am under the same name on AO3, and will post this there soon ! Come hit up my DMs or my askbox for now !! Toodles !!

[joannasteez]

"im with you" - installment two

featured characters: mother's milk & female reader. warnings: alcohol usage (misuse) and angst. MM being his supportive, caring self. mutual pining? (kinda) authors note: this second installment has been sitting in my drafts since the release of season three, so over a year maybe? i don't see myself progressing the story (sorry?) but i was tired of seeing this in the drafts. so i give it to you all who wish to read it!

You hate 'The Reserve', not just for its sordid means of molding into fruition false delusions of grandeur, but because it is also a reflection. A mirror, smudged and stained, bitter callousness webbing sharply from the heart of it, mangling its way to the furthest reaches, but a mirror all the same. And when the sun wanes low into the horizon, that bombastic need for liquid comfort livening up the bar, in the solace of yourself you say 'I am not like these people; degenerate drunks and reckless hedonist, bleeding the poison of a heartless raging machine who thinks them too low to even consider their existence. I am not like the super-abled, I am better'. The hatred is beautiful enough in those times, consistent enough that it waters the dust and forms thought into palpable word. Then where is this mantra now? As the weeks grow colder, air nipping sporadic bites into the skin, lethargy soothing something still and lukewarm into your veins.

Grief is loud, 'where is your mantra now?', and your need for comfort is as bombastic as theres.

On this unsteady line of desire, here must be where the attraction falls short for him. Clips its wings, falling from on high.

'He sees you', the brandy says, auburn and taunting. 'He pity's you'.

All those years ago when the ache was new, splitting raw and lethal at your chest, you're almost sure it was pity that drew him in, that made him linger. It had to be, or that's what the sluggish, drunken part of you thinks, the part that takes comfort in dark hard spirits and makes you believe all the untrue shit that stains the foreverness of wayward esteem and memory. But sipping from the bottle is good, it's easy, feeling like a drizzle of fresh rain on the skin. The burn goes dull after while, when the sky bleeds something angry and orange,  leaving just the smooth glide down the path of your throat, and when your eyes shut to escape the welling of tears, you hear that everlasting crunch of metal.

It's a hard piercing, that cringing screech and scratch of metal etching into itself, the friction tearing into flesh and bone, and just mere seconds remain before the face that shares your own fades into something distant and lifeless.

Twins, a true phenomenon, and yet as you stare into the bottle, it all feels false and unnatural, like retribution. Something beautiful and different, worth no more to the state than a cover up story and a check for $75,000.

She was worth more. She deserved more, true justice, and yet here you are wasting away, your stomach a pool of brandy.

Like clockwork your phone vibrates. 'Here comes the pity', you think.

--How you holdin' up?

His wonder is a grey text bubble, nothing more than routine and after several years still its consistent. Maybe that's why desire has etched into your skin so, a slow gradual drag into nerve, entangled to the pulse of your veins, because at least some semblance of him cares. Even if it is all just obligation, when others stopped their award wining performances of sympathy, he'd still roll around in the early cool of October asking 'Are you holding up?', and 'How are you doing?'

The tears and liquor screw your senses well, fingers slipping over some of the right keys and missing others. It takes a while to gather thought, and even then it's driven by lies and poor motor skills.

--Mi fi.

--Im fie.

--Fire*.

--Fuk Im fine*.

--Fuck*.

The disappointment is palpable, heavy on the tongue and an uncomfortable warmth to the skin. You know it, can picture the way those brows of his pull together, mouth screwed and on the verge of disgusted. Well fuck him, if he thinks you care, he isn't the one in pain, drowning in perpetual heartbreak. Saturated to the bone with it really and its ripping at you slow and dreadful, a vicious tear of tissue and vessel. And God-- but...but doesn't he know? No, no, no he has to, he's suffered similar... but it's not the same... but it is, you stress to yourself, it has to be... but it isn't, and the tears taste more salty as they come. An aged bitterness that makes you wince.

--... are you drunk?

You keep him suspended, seconds, minutes even.

--No

--A but,, Im ok.

--A bit but Im ok*.

He's quick to reply.

--Where are you?

He waits, with a staling patience just at the top floor of the flatiron building, where the city bustles and groans, exhausted and restless. In just a few measly minutes, still nerve goes erratic with impatience and then comes the hammering of his pulse.

You're drunk and alone, drowning in the memory of shitty circumstance. His chest aches in that familiarity-- Harlem and a blazing summer sun, the hard blow of barely cool air, a child's excitement and then the coming in of doom, Soldier Boy, and then the swooshing in and fatal crunch of metal-- the ache a vicious sting. Growing nails make slight indents in his skin, fingers coming into his palm, to ball and harden, to feel and never to forget.

He was lonely then, just a wild vengeance to keep him company.

Marvin moves before he can think, leaves, turns the key in his ignition and joins the hard rush of the city before resolution melts loose and hesitant.

Your Brooklyn apartment is old, as old as the house he loved destroyed by the hurling in of a benz, and as he breathes, alleviating the hard brick of tension in his shoulders, he understands why he's here. Why-- in the most inconveniencing of times-- he thinks about you. Why desire, a fervent stream in his blood, has become more ungovernable by the day. You are new but familiar. Soft and alluring but recognizable to the bone, a reflection of pain and survival that wholly scares him and excites him just the same.

When the door opens, it's the petulant embrace that catches him first, the bottle of brandy nestled in your palm, but the smell curls about the air bitter and heavy, unsullied by shame. Even in the most dismal affair, your eyes are blood-shot, daring him to go beyond whatever is shy and lingering, a plead to make the pain go away. To call out the itching twitch in his skin by name and validate its presence.

"What?", you start, feeling his eyes. The stony weight. "You're not gonna wish me happy birthday?"

"You're a mess".

You'd waited for this, hoped for it even, to have the burn and the break of desire collapse against you. For it to scorch flesh and that unrelenting part of the heart that says 'yes, i want him, need him', but it never comes. There is no fracture, even when he tears you open with concerned eyes, just the unreconcilable truth that if you are a mess, royally fucked up and drunk out of your mind, that you do not want to be. Not when or where he can see. Because there is no middle, no point at which allure and brokenness meet in a charming enough compromise... right? So this must be judgement then, 'you're a mess', the knocking in of the gavel.

The quiver to your lip is fragile. You are fragile. "If you're here to judge, you can fuck off".

The lone tear you give makes his heart squeeze. Maybe he shouldn't have led so strong, so exacting.  

He brushes in anyways, like a piece of him belongs here and steals the bottle from your fingers. Palms growing idle now, fearful, balling and releasing, grasping at air --like your whole being-- grasping at everything, anything and gaining nothing. Nothing but the soreness of muscle once bent about glass fighting for strength, for the will to straighten. All there is, is the leaning in of silence, as he cracks the windows for a fresh breeze, a hard press that leaves you scorching and loose with a raw bare boned awareness. The mantle of your belly churning and awakened with a sullen impatience to hear his words, the charge of his thoughts.

Wont he do it now?

"Just say it already", knotting pain in your throat leaving your urgency dry. Brittle. "Whatever straight laced bullshit speech you got about effective coping, and-and-and pain... and whatever the fuck".  The new air is chilling, makes the grate of your voice wane and shiver. "Just say it".

He's next to you, sinking into the couch, and it's the closest he's ever been. "What's the point of preachin' shit you don't practice".

"Drinking isn't effective coping but tearing through the city, through the damn country, offing supes left and right with Butcher is?"

You were both wrong, but so terribly right. The through-line of your lives, just narrowly escaping death, broken already but always seeming still to be on the precipice of breaking.

For some time there's nothing, no word or deed, and then, there's everything. A delirious unearthing, barbarous and desperate. 'Look at me, understand me, please', fragile, on the borders of begging. "I never meant to drink so much, it-it just happened I-", your tongue goes lax and dry from temporary thoughtlessness or the swimming and draining of liquor in your veins, you aren't sure. "I don't even like the taste but June she... she made it a thing. Our thing".

You look to him, and see through the blur of your vision, the forming together of intent and attention. No crease of pity, just tenderness and patience, without blame. Just understanding.

And then it's here, nostalgia, a wistful coming together again of memory. "My father liked to have his taste every now and then y'know... a little sip just to feel some shit I guess", you start. A finger pulling at and curling into another. "So he'd hide little bottles of brandy around the house. A stash here, stash there, but he'd always end up forgetting. He had shitty memory that way... still does", the knot in your throat grew, forming a choking sensation. "But June would find them  and re-stash them, so when our birthday came around we'd sip and get shitfaced together".

You can feel the build, a hard rushing in, the levee soon to break. "We both hated the taste, but we were doing stupid shit together and thats all that mattered".

She comes clearly in your minds eye, a replica yet different. Glassy eyes dazzled by the soft burning away of innocence. The liquor is strong on her tongue, makes her touch something tight to the skin, a holding on to that bites but comforts all the same, and the air is pungent. Rife with rebellion. In the shared bedroom of an old family owned Brooklyn Brownstone, the world opens, teems founded and un-conforming with the blazing of this single moment. Oh sister, my sister. She was your mirror, your opposite. Everything. "She was just here my whole life and now she's gone. What thing am I supposed to have that I can touch, that-that-that I can feel other than this, other than our thing".

Something in Marvin wonders, if he reaches out, forms you with his hands, will you take him in or stretch away? Will you break? Shatter into a fragmented loathing because he is not her. And there is the curt twitching in his finger, he feigns for the answer.

"You never told me that".

You laugh, mirthless and ironic. "I never told anybody because I feel like a fucking joke. I speech those kids to death almost every damn day, about being present and making room, growing in grief and look at me." Your head feels full and heavy, a sharp pounding meeting just at the forefront of your skull. "I didn't even have the fight to do anything about it. They took her away from me and I just let that shit fade. I let her go Marvin, me".

He pulls at your chin softly to face him, smearing away a lonely rolling tear. From here, just inches away, everything about him is tender and warm. But if you lean further into him, will he pull you in?, or will the comfort of his touch fall away?

It travels instead, holding firm at your shoulders. His eyes settling light and easy.

"You wanna go all Rambo with the shit, and find out what happened, I'm with you 100%, but what happened to June isn't on you, its not".

The brandy on your tongue wears old, the solace of it going stale.

'I'm with you'

His embrace is a furnace, a delicate purging. A new opening of the world.

"Thank you Marvin".

[dragon-in-a-fez]

Hi. I read a recent ask from someone else, where you say that you are now divorcing your partner, so this may be a little awkward but; I have seen your post about your (ex-)partner several times now, and I wanted to ask. I am AFAB non-binary. Funnily enough, I’m also pan. But I have recently started to think- albeit in the vaguest of senses- about dating, and I realised that I almost certainly will struggle to find cis guys who will date me and be chill with my gender. So, I was wondering if you had any insights? Feel free to ignore this!

I hope you're cool with me answering this publicly, because it's giving me the kick I needed to say some things I want out there for anyone who sees that post and finds my blog.

it's getting easier to talk about. the truth is, my ex treated me very badly in the last couple of years we were together, worse than I was willing to admit to myself before a lot of therapy and a lot of kindness and patience from friends. there was a lot of gaslighting and intense emotional volatility along with financial and legal abuse. I have lingering post-traumatic symptoms from it - frequent nightmares, panic attacks, even a massive months-long gap in my memory.

but none of that really has anything to do with your question, because the fact is, respecting their identity has fuck all to do with our relationship, or their character, or their actions.

I actually had a big fight with my mother recently because she was upset that I don't talk to her about all this enough, and eventually I was like, "after 7 years you still can't even get their pronouns right, how am I supposed to go to you for support about how that relationship fucked up my life when I have to stop to defend them from your ignorance every five minutes?" she seemed surprised that I still cared about being respectful and I was just like, yeah and that's why you and I have spent 30 years not understanding each other lol

and I think that's kinda the best advice I can give you: don't trust anyone who only cares about respecting the truth of who you are when they're happy with you. they should care when you've fucked up and hurt them. they should care when you're yelling at each other because they're being a selfish dickhead. they should care when you break up, or when they ask you out and you say no.

that doesn't mean they always have to get it right. people slip up on pronouns because of how they're used to talking, or they repeat dumbass stereotypes or ask inappropriate questions because they don't know better yet. but don't waste your time with anyone whose level of respect for your gender is based on their attitude to you in that moment. you deserve better than that. someone who only gets your pronouns wrong when they're angry is a way bigger red flag than someone who just occasionally gets them wrong at random times.

and yeah, you might struggle to find people who meet that threshold, depressingly low though it is. but the good news is, once you do find those people you're automatically in a better starting place than a lot of relationships. and knowing you've found the right person is way more important than how long it takes.

[hatsue-exe]

snooze | rayleigh x fem!reader

summary: small bits of a relationship with the dark king, kinda of reader as shakky? 15/20 year age gap, ray and reader met after the roger pirates disbanded.

wc: 0.9k | cw: none

Being with Rayleigh is, surprisingly, refreshing.

He's great company, quiet and comforting most of the time, but also the easiest person to make conversation with, someone you could have actual discussions with that didn't turn into fights. And he's good. A good man, with a strong moral compass and sense of justice; a good lover, with a sweet tongue and the most attentive eyes, doing your body like nobody could.

Most of all, he's good for you. Silvers Rayleigh is an early bird, and waking up to fresh coffee with him made you enjoy mornings a bit more. He's organised and keeps you in line with him, you haven't missed a laundry day or slept with dishes dirty, and people were apparently right when they said your mood reflects your space. He's loyal, in his own way — you know he goes away for a while, sometimes you do too, but you can always come back to each other. There's never doubt that someone better will come along, no bittersweetness in your goodbye kisses. You part with a "see you, darling" and come back to the same welcome you'd give the other if you had just gone to get food on the next island. 

He's lighthearted, bantering with you while doing your hair. Brushing it, braiding it, you call it, he's got it. 

"I'm retired, love, we have all the time in the Grand Line."

"I'm aware, old man, just want to be sure you know what you're getting yourself into."

"Oh now I'm old? Cause last night I was…"

"Ray!"

His laugh thunders through his chest. It makes you laugh too.

On summer nights, he'd take you to look at the sky, teaching you little navigation secrets he learned in his time on the sea. Never in a cocky way, showing off how much he knows or belittling your knowledge. He was just stating facts, sharing things he loved and many times missed so dearly, still not used to the idea of not having them, and you were wise enough to learn from it.

Being with him made you a better version of yourself, even through the uncertainties.

"I'm not sure I like who I am, or even know who that is in the first place.", you whispered, back against his chest while you watched the moonlight and the waves.

"When people ask me about Roger, I never know what to say. He was just so… Himself. He was a great friend, the king of pirates, the worst singer I've ever heard. But those things always seemed to be parts of him, not what defined him. Maybe you're trying to put a finger on something none of us will ever be able to."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"You, for once. When I look at you, I see someone with so much passion, who thinks she has to be everywhere all at once. I see my insane lover who decided to waste her youth with an older man like me. Even if I could list all the things that are a part of you, when someone asked me about you, all of them would not be enough. I believe we're a bit more than just what meets the eye, that's all."

You digested his words while he took a sip of sake, putting his arm around your waist to pull you closer.

"It's a nice thought. How do I like this thing I don't see, then?"

"I've no idea. I just woke up one day and knew."

"That you like who you are?"

He smiled, kissing your forehead. "That I love you."

You had ups and downs, sure, but it was never devastating, voices were never raised. Sometimes you both needed a bit of space to cool off, although it never got in the way of the immense respect and care you had for each other. In the rare occurrence tears got to your eyes, Rayleigh would stop and apologise, hugging you tight and not letting go.

"I'm sorry, my love, I'm sorry."

"It's 'kay. I'm sorry too. And I love you." You sniffled a bit, his warm hold comforting, home.

"Love you so much."

Being with Rayleigh was a constant surprise.

"Ray, why are you looking at me like that?" you asked him, your sweaty bodies tangled under the sheets. "I know I'm great at it, but compose yourself."

He half chuckled, pulling you closer.

"I agree. However, I was thinking about something else."

"Enlighten me."

"How do you feel about marriage?"

"In general? Doesn't seem like a great idea. Seen many, most were shit. But you know what? When I think of you, of us, I'm willing to take a shot."

"Good to know."

Rayleigh pulled you to him again, kissing you, covering your body with his, and you knew you'd get very little sleep.

Now, many years later, from behind the counter, you couldn't quite see your husband's face as he talked to an excited black haired, straw hat wearing boy, but you could still tell by his voice what lines were popping up around his eyes, what hand gestures he was making. You loved him differently and all the same. It was still refreshing, however, you found a better word.

Being with Rayleigh was a blessing. And when he looks over his shoulder and smiles at you, you know he thinks so too. 

i got a bit philosophical with this one. been thinking a bit too much about the silver headed man i like, so i had to get it out of my system. hopefully this was it.

[spopsalt]

Horde Prime is just such a lame final villian, He has no ersonality beyond just evil cult leaderrr like you have SO MUCH potential there! There is SO MUCH you can do with having a literal CULT LEADER as your main antagionist, I say this as someone who's written a story with a cult leader before. Y'know a show that does villians right? RICK AND MORTY BABY!

Honestly I don't get the hype around Rick Prime, he's not the greatest villian, he's fine, he's passable, but he doesn't have much personality, kinda seems like wasted potential. Especially considering that he didn't personally know Rick c137, and only brutally killed his wife and child because he bruised his ego. And I struggle to say three words about him, I mean uhhhh he's evil, sadistic, and uhm....has a big ego. I mean he's a fun to watch, and is admittadly very memorable. Also, it's honestly refreshing to have a villian that doesn't have some tragic backstory, honestly though, I feel like Evil Morty is a MUCH more interesting villian. He's smart, manipulative, cunning, arrogant, and is shown to have a sense of humor (Example Rick c137 saying "Are you better than me?!" And Evil Morty replying "Jesus Chirst, I hope so!) and is very good at making plans. Needing only one day to completely control Evil Rick, he also has a belivable backstory, his Rick is implied to be physically abusive, since he has a tendency to flinch, we actually see him flinch and shield himself in his backstory when Evil Rick yells at him, but both of these villians are WAY better than Horde Prime because THEY HAVE PERSONALITIES.

While Rick Prime doesn't have a ton of personality, they make up for that by having him be fun to watch, Horde Prime is just boring, he has no interesting dialogue, as of writing this I can't remember a SINGLE line from him, just the god-awful deleted victim blaming line "You always wanted more, all she ever wanted was you"

Meanwhile the lines I remember from Rick Prime off the top of my head "You think it's cool being the smartest man on earth, but once we give you this technology you become the smartest thing in every concieveable universe, the infinite Rick, a god." "It's a non-stop where all the guests are the only people we like" "Or me! Again it might be me! But like a saw thing! I'm veryyy sneaky." "Look it's the wife guy! Dead wife Rick! I'll tell you this guy does not know when to quit (...) You brought two Mortys with you? What are they, your cheering section?" "What're gonna do? 'Aw Jeez' me to death? Oh you don't want those scematics buddy, those are for grownups. (...) Listen, Rick to Rick, he's got the weapon plans, buddy, nip this in the bud! He's 14! What's gonna happen the next time he gets mad at Grandpa?" And my all time favorite lines from him that he says while literally getting brutally beaten to death by the guy who's wife and child he brutally murdered "Haha! Let's do this then! You're welcome by the way! I MADE you! I showed you infinity! And what did you do with it!? Hang out with MY grandson?! Raise echos of MY daughter?! What's your LIFE without me!? Admit it! You would've been me! I just walked into your garage before you walked into mine! But eventually you did! YOU LIVED IN MY HOUSE!" He made it abundatly clear that he regrets NOTHING! Not. One. Single. Thing. Meanwhile I literally cannot remember Horde Prime's last words.

How do you screw up THAT badly with a final villian? Rick Prime isn't the greatest villian, but at least he's fun and memorable. What's memorable about Horde Prime besides his character design? That's right! Nothing! Evil Morty is an amazing villian with an interesting backstory that makes sense, being one Morty who finally snapped after years of emotional and implied physical abuse. Meanwhile Horde Prime is just uhhhh evil and uhmmm that's it. He's evil, deal with it. HE'S A GOOD FINAL VILLIAN!

Sorry I kinda blabbered on about Rick and Morty for too long, it's just AMAZING how many things it does better than spop, it's not the greatest tv show ever, but I like it nonetheless, and when it does good, it does GOOD! It just has a bad reputation because of those godawful episodes in seasons 4-6, I won't specify, but if you know, YOU KNOW! Ok, I'll stop talking now, I hope you enjoyed this comparison!

[skullamity]

I don't make a whole lot of personal posts on here anymore, but yesterday was @femonologue and I's 17th wedding anniversary. We bucked the trend of forgetting it until like a week after it occurred (thank you adhd) and actually made plans (and this pasta holy shit it was good).

I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I would like to take a minute to reflect on how much a relationship that lasts this long is work. Not to scare anyone off, but the two of us made the decision to get married at age 22 and of all the friends who got married in the few years after that, we are one of two couples that I know of who have not been divorced and/or remarried one or more times.

It was crazy lucky that we ended up being as compatible as we are, and it has not always been easy. I am confident in making the statement that neither of us knew who we were as people OR as adults when we tied the knot, as evidenced by the fact that I came out as trans and transitioned in 2016, and that she came out and started transitioning last year. Those are big changes that really threw both of us for the loop, and I understand that a lot of relationships where even just one of the participants transitions have pretty high failure rates for an infinite number of reasons.

I guess if I could give any advice about being married, it would be this:

- don't get married before you're ready, even if you feel like pressure you're getting from family members to not 'live in sin' seems reasonable. Breaking up because you lived together first is messy but cheaper and less traumatic than a divorce.

- LIVE TOGETHER FIRST! I know so many relationships that were great for years while the participants lived separately, and then fell apart after they moved in together and became acquainted with all of each other's annoying habits and clashing ideas on how to maintain a household. Don't let your incompatibilities be a surprise for after the wedding, move in together first and try and come to a mutually agreeable way of living when there's less pressure for you to figure your collective shit out.

- kids are stressful, never have them as a gamble to "make things work" because I have never seen them not make things WORSE when the parents split. Have a straightforward talk about how many kids you want, when you wanna have them and how you want to raise them before you are even married, and if you cannot see eye to eye or find yourself hoping your partner will change their mind about key points of contention in the future, STOP. It is okay to break up and stop wasting each other's time!

- never get married because you think you will never find anyone else who wants to marry you. You will, and you do not have to settle for someone who you aren't even sure likes you as a person 90% of the time. It is NEVER too late to call off a wedding. It doesn't matter if you have down payments on services or venues, or sent out save the dates or invitations. It isn't too late even if you've accepted shower gifts or the wedding is next fukken week--it's embarassing to call it off that close to the line, but it's better than trapping yourself for years because you feel like it's too late to back out. I promise you that your friends and family want you to be happy and would not like it if you only married someone shitty or incompatible because you thought they would judge you for calling it off the night before. They WILL understand, and if they don't? You can re-examine your relationship with them, too, while you're taking out the trash.

- we all bring our own baggage and traumas into relationships, and the only way for them to mesh is communication. I NEED to address things right away because my brain just does not settle into cooldown mode if we take a fifteen minute breather or decide to sleep on it, and my wife NEEDS space to cool down before we talk things out, and it took a lot of actual communication to figure out where we were not meshing in these instances and how to work around that. If you want things to work out, you HAVE to talk about it, and if talking about it is not productive or makes things worse, then couples therapy is NOT a death knell for your relationship and you should try it.

- Being married is learning to put someone else first in ways you couldn't imagine. When I came out as trans, even though I knew we were solid and had a fairly good idea about how she would react, I still made it clear from the get-go that I knew that being married to a dude was NOT what she signed up for, and that if we needed to split for that reason, I understood. Did it get me called a dumbass? Yes. But did she understand where I was coming from and what I meant and why I was offering? Also yes.

- T4T marriages rule, and if you are trans and set on bagging a cis person, think very carefully about why you want that and if it will actually get you what you want. I can recognize that being with a cis person who accepts you as your gender can feel validating and reinforce the need to be and feel normal in a hundred different ways, but if that's the main reason you have mentally nixed the idea of ever dating another trans person, you have some stuff to work though and might wanna get that sorted before you marry anyone.

- you've got to be able to think of yourselves as a team, even when you disagree. Personally I have always pictured us as goofy old timey black and white cartoon bankrobbers with bandit masks, one of us driving the getaway carriage full of sacks with crudely drawn dollar signs on them while the other cackles and throws lit sticks of dynamite at the pursuing sherriff and deputy. Even if we are disagreeing, that image instantly makes me laugh and take whatever I was mad about a little less seriously.

Finally, I am using the app and accidentally clicked the poll option thinking it was a bullet point list and now I can't figure out how to get rid of it, so I'll take this opportunity to ask the most important question:

Here are pictures of how ours turned out:

I could not have imagined how delicious these turned out, eating it was transcendent, neither of will ever be the same.

[whochromatic]

I must not read chapter 109 and wait for the chapters to pile up.. I must not read chapter 109 and wait for the chapters to pile up.. I must...

*reads it anyways*

Why did I do that. Damnit, I should've known that reading that chapter would have re-activated my need for more. I was way better off ignoring anything related to Yohaji and just went about my day, not thinking about Yohaji every minute of the hour of the day of the week. But the damage has been done. Now I have to read the whole manga all over again just to satisfy myself once again. But no. That's not enough. I searched every corner to hunt every single content of Yohaji. Tumblr. Twitter. Youtube. Tiktok. Ao3. Our lord and savior Canada's account. The giver of reason in life, one who resurrects the dead, the sailor uniform to my life, Tanamai-sensei's account. I know that the Yohaji content in this world is not enough and will NEVER be. The moment I discovered this manga, I knew that it would be my life. The fact that it had only reached me last year, ber month is unforgivable. Why did it not have content as many as the amount of numbers there are to exist so that it could reach me at the start of it's existence? It should have been Yohaji. Not BNHA! Nothing against that anime by the way. Well, I am grateful that I stumbled upon Yohaji while it had 100+ chapters though. And the fandom being small enough to only have nice and cool people in it. But those fics in ao3 though? Why- I mean, I don't really care or pay attention to them but the fact that the amount of nsfw fanfics is probably (I'm saying probably because they might just be more) equal to the amount of sfw fanfics in there is- I swear, WHY ARE THERE SO LITTLE FANFICS OF YOHAJI?! 3 PAGES?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? There might be more in other places but I only read in ao3 and Tumblr if I find some there. I'm so thankful for the translators though!!! I love y'all. I love the fandom. I love the characters. I love Yohaji. I love the creator. God- sorry I forgot I can't use sensei's name in vain. I'm telling y'all, Tanamai is the GOAT. A GENIUS!! Your brain is beautiful. What goes on in head yours? Tell and everyone might gain more braincells. What's with you? What's with your humor?? What's with your lore?! WHAT'S WITH YOUR ART??? WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?!?! SENSEI WHEN I CATCH YOU OHH WHEN I CATCH YOU. But of course, it's not your fault that I'm starving for more Yohaji chapters. One month is nothing to me- IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO CREATE THIS WONDERFUL AND HEAVENLY HOOK THAT CAUGHT ME EVEN ONLY WITH IT'S TITLE AND ART?? HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO MEEEE?!?! Senseiiiiii*sob* waaaaaahh... Still, I'm sooo happy this is getting an anime this year!! I've been waiting for this ever since I found out it existed along with other Yohaji fans. I knew it would happen soon enough because it's the law. It's a crime to not make an adaption of amazing yet weird yet amazing manga like no other. Death row. DEATH ROW!! It's fine even if it's low quality. As long as it exists, I can finally pass on peacefully- when it airs it better be as good as the manga and look immaculate, I'm telling you. Haha, just kidding. Or am I..? I cannot wait until April or whatever how long it takes for the anime to air just please. Please even the trailer only. But I'm sure everyone is already working hard to make the anime for it. Do your best!! You're doing the right thing! And.... uhm.. 24 episodes... please..? AHHH HARUAKI'S SMILEEE!!! IT'S INVADING MY MIND!! GET OUT! PLEASE GET OUT!!! THIS LOWLY UNGRATEFUL UNDESERVING WORSE THAN DUST BUZZ BUZZ KILLABLE STUPID MORTAL ABOMINATION CAN'T HANDLE OR DESERVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT!! AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! I can't do this. More. More. More Yohaji. I NEED IT. IF AIR AND SAILOR UNIFORM IS LIFE THEN SO IS YOHAJI!! RAAAAAAAHHH

Also I accidentally deleted a longer version of this and rewrote it with my memory. Thanks for wasting your time on this like I did.

[foxxear]

Stop overthinking Star Wars unless you're going to think a little harder

I think more people need to take a more good-faith approach to consuming Star Wars' soft magic system of powers and technology. Hard magic is great, and Star Wars offers nuggets of that, but please understand when that's not what a story is made to reliably supply.

From the moment Luke Skywalker tried really hard and pulled his lightsaber to his hand in 'The Empire Strikes Back', Star Wars has been partly about seeing something you didn't see last time, didn't know was possible, and have no way to 100% quantify the accessibility of. There is thematic meaning in such moments, as well as an expansion of the magic system, but there is rarely hard math. You say "Wow, I didn't think he'd be able to do that" and keep watching. We should not be trying to turn Star Wars into a world of set expectations and clear parameters, because that is not in the spirit of these stories.

"Since when can someone do that? How can they?" Good question! Maybe we'll get an answer soon, maybe not. But...

...the absence of such information is not synonymous with poor writing, especially in a broad story of ongoing discovery. Your intrigue is good, but please do not use it for evil. More on that in a second.

"If this is possible, why didn't Tokar-Fidji do it in the other movie?" Perhaps we don't know! Or maybe you didn't read that one comic that expands the lore. I dunno. Whatever the case, we should try to assume in good faith that there is some unknown variable in play before assuming something doesn't make sense based on previous scenes. I'm sorry if that feels difficult, your feelings are valid. More on that in a second.

The thing is, we can make up infinite space fantasy reasons to justify pretty much anything...

...it's not that hard, and writers absolutely should not waste our time doing so for everything cool in this kind of story. Treat nerdy lore/magic/tech explanations as a fun prize, not a requirement.

If you really want to ponder it later, rather than just "assuming it makes sense", that's... well, that's actually great. You seem invested. Star Wars is made to spark the imagination, and mystify the viewer with fantastical ideas and endless possibilities. But in that sense, it's much more fun to try to determine how something could make sense, rather than trying prove that it doesn't. If you can't come up with anything, probably just put a pin in it, or start a curious conversation.

And ultimately, even though Star Wars isn't hard magic, it still occasionally rewards you for paying close attention, or having some knowledge of the lore. A couple of dots get to line up here and there, a problem is solved with something we understand, or a question simply gets answered. That can be important, or just pretty fun, especially if you had a theory that turns out to be true. But this story is always going to keep you wondering about something, because that wonder is a delightful and intentional element of fantasy like this.

If some of what I've just described sounds like bad writing to you (or just kind of annoying), I have some bad news.

This is how writing and consuming soft magic works, and what it does to a story experience. If you've noticed the very valid weaknesses soft magic imposes on the plot, and you dislike them, congratulations: You don't like how Star Wars works, either. Calling for the writers to make everything fit quantifiable established "rules" is calling for a switch to hard magic, not "better writing".

Yes, soft magic can be done better, and done worse, and Star Wars likes to do both. But those tricky conversations must be had with an understanding of how writing & consuming soft magic works. Otherwise, you might start lumping weaknesses of a given story's writing in with weaknesses of soft magic itself, which doesn't make much sense at all. Are we mad at the writer of the week, or are we mad at George Lucas' The Star Wars?

I see too much aggressive 'critical analysis' that sounds pretty valid at a glance, whilst truly having no clue what it is talking about. I like the effort, but please do more reading. You're arming others with your naivety, and they've opened fire on the innocent enjoyer. At the very least, swap attempted tear-downs for curious conversation.

In the meantime, consuming the wacky space story with a very good-faith mindset about its shenanigans can save us a lot of trouble. "Why didn't Obi-Wan use force speed to catch up to Qui-Gon & Darth Maul-" I don't know!!! We may never know!!! Maybe super Jedi speed makes you very tired and combat-sloppy for 4 seconds, which is too high risk against a deadly assassin! We can just assume there's a good reason, though. Please. A good-faith reading is when you say "Well, I'm sure if Obi-Wan had a way to use his powers to get there faster & help, he would have", and it is a requirement for consuming soft magic. Foster this skill, and you can enjoy the story.

Star Wars is made more to have its' themes analyzed under a microscope, not it's spellcasting requirements for a fireball.

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2024: July Wrap-Up.

This month, I picked my knitting back up with a vengeance, started a Three Sentences Writing Challenge, AND participated in several work-adjacent Social Events (who am I, even), On Top Of accidentally nerfing myself with several brick-like books, so! This little stack isn't half bad. Photos and/or reviews linked below:

ORDINARY MONSTERS - ★★ This was a miss for me, y'all, AND it was a brick, so it took a hot minute to read. I wanted it to be better than it was, but it rambled and wandered Too Much (which, coming from me, you KNOW is bad). Salty also-rambly 1.5k review linked.

IF FOUND, RETURN TO HELL - ★★★½ Way cuter than I was expecting!! I had a good time with the second person. Hugely relatable (which. wild. all things considered.).

THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE - ★★★½ Funnier than anticipated, and very readable for something out of the '50s! I see why it's a cornerstone of the (sub)genre. Glad I have a copy on hand now.

THE ACTOR AND THE TARGET - ★★★★★ This Rewired My Brain. It took me three (3) weeks to get through. It was so good. If you're a writer, definitely check this out, 10/10 recommend.

WHEN AMONG CROWS - ★★★½ I checked this out from the library because hardback novellas are Expensive if you're not sure you vibe with the author's style, but I had a good time! Witcher fans should descend on this, I think.

ALWAYS COMING HOME - 76*/618 pages read; will report back later. I asked the People about this one, and the People have Spoken (read: this won my What Do I Read Next Poll), but I may or may not have miscalcuated how many brain cells I have available lately between work and writing, so I may or may not be cutting this with library books. I'll finish it. Eventually. (*asterisk because she keeps referencing Other Pages In Line, and every time she does I jump ahead to read those pages instead and then come back to where I was. I'm dual wielding bookmarks through this tome, it's an Experience™ so far!)

Under the Cut: A Note About ~*★Stars★*~

Historically, I have been Very Bad™ about assigning things Star Ratings, because it's so Vibes Heavy for me and therefore Contingent Upon my Whims. I am refining this as I figure out my wrap up posts (epiphany of this month: I don't like that stars are Odd, because that makes three the midpoint and things are rarely so truly mid for me)(I have hacked my way around this with a ½). Here is, generally, how I conceptualize stars:

★ - This was Bad. I would actively recommend that you do NOT read this one, no redeeming qualities whatsoever, not worth the slog. Save Yourself, It's Too Late For Me. Book goes in the garbage (donate bin).

★★ - This was Not Good. I would not recommend it, but it wasn't a total waste or wash--something in here held my interest/kept my attention/sparked some joy. I will not be rereading this ever. Save Yourself (Or Join Me In Suffering, That Seems Like A Cool Bonding Activity).

★★★ - This was Good/Fine/Okay/Meh. I don't care about this enough to recommend it one way or another. Perfectly serviceable book, held my interest, I probably enjoyed myself (or at least didn't actively loathe the reading). I don't have especially strong feelings. You probably don't need to save yourself from this one--if it sounds like your jam, give it a shot! Just didn't resonate with me particularly powerfully. I probably won't reread this unless I'm after something in particular.

★★★½ - I liked this! I'll probably recommend it if I know it matches someone's vibes or specific requests, but I didn't commit to a star rating on Goodreads. More likely to reread, but not guaranteed.

★★★★ - I really enjoyed this!! I would recommend it (sometimes with caveats about content warnings or such--I tend to like weird fucked up funny shit, and I don't have many hard readerly NO's). Not a perfect book for me by any means, but Very Good. This is something I would reread! Join me!!

★★★★★ - I LOVED THE SHIT OUT OF THIS, IT REWIRED MY BRAIN, WILL RECOMMEND TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE AT THE SLIGHTEST PROVOCATION (content warning caveats still apply--see 4-star disclaimer). Excellent book, I'll reread it regularly, I'll buy copies for all my friends, I'll try to convince all of Booklr to read it, PLEASE join me!!

[maxwell-grant]

🔥 X-men/Krakoa?

Allright let me swing at the hornet's nest here a bit: Krakoa was wasted on the X-Men, not the other way around.

Krakoa was, however problematic and shitty and complicated it might have been even from day one, was onto something enough to generate the intense interest and instant fandom it did, and it's biggest problem wasn't with the forgiving of unrepentant monstrous villains (because that door got blown open forever ago), or the no-humans-allowed policy, or the genocide in Latin America, or the pod people resurrection that took the bite out of every mutant genocide and death past and future, or that the entire premise was built around them trusting the funi haha eugenicist Nazi to build their paradise and let himself be stopped later, or that it kept revolving around the petty courtly intrigues of the arch assholes in charge with only like, two writers capable of propping up this to make it worth reading about. The central problem didn't have as much to do with the fact that the newfound central focus on shadowy detached superhumans huffing their supremacist royalist fumes 24/7 is precisely why nobody likes the Inhumans and especially why nobody liked them as a replacement to the X-Men, and you can't cobble a story out of Magneto/Emma Frost/Mr Sinister mean girl one-liners and hot takes even if that's all the fans want (yes, the X-Men are bastards and so is everyone in the MU, how cutting and insightful and powerful they are yes very impressed, but an Epic Bastard Moments compilation is still not a story). I don't even think it can be entirely blamed on the fact that they had the X-Men speedrun through the 14 rules of fascism as the opening act to a larger story only to decide that actually, we don't need that larger story after all, thanks Hickster but we can just take it from here and keep Stage One as is, everyone's gonna be cool with the cult shit if it still feels like it's going anywhere other than back to the school, we can keep this up forever now! This isn't even a bit, I don't think these things were the biggest cause of death for Krakoa even if they all were there.

I think the biggest problem is that, no matter how many cool or great characters they add to their ranks or what turns into epic pulp sci-fi bombast they take, the X-Men might just be foundationally, irreperably broken as a concept, smothered under the weight of the selling metaphor that just gets more dated and problematic and easier to tear holes into with every passing year, and Krakoa ultimately just elevated all these problems to center stage. There was never going to be a world where Magneto says something as full of shit as "There has never been a mutant war and we've never conquered or stolen land or made slaves and that's why we're better, by the way we're going to be your new gods now" with a straight-face and didn't have that proven immediately wrong (not counting all the people in the Council who absolutely did do all of those things). Krakoa couldn't be both the terra nullius dream clubhouse and the "queer separatist utopia" people desperately craved and a cult backed up by genocide run by self-destructive warmongering hypocrites and a next step in evolution and the headquarters to a superhero team you need to tell monthly exploding punchy stories about and a place that was going to live forever and lead us into the better future and a house of cards waiting to be toppled. It didn't have a future because quite frankly, the mutants don't have a future.

The mutants are, even after all this time, still a half-baked idea of people entirely defined by their oppression, by their death and torture and the hollow space where you're expected to insert your own marginalized traits to identify with instead of much of anything akin to how real marginalized identities are formed and developed and solidified over time. Pretending that the mutants can subsist forever on past shoddy worldbuilding and dated, vague parallels just gets more embarassing over time. It's not an issue individually cool comics or characters are going to fundamentally fix. Krakoa, to it's credit, was some way towards trying to define the mutants past their oppression, but they barely had a language or a flag, and even these attempts were smothered under the Claremontian shadow that's been choking this franchise forever and by the inability of The Big Two to truly hand the reins to anyone other than the same stables of white dudes who always get the final say in everything. Krakoa was Going Somewhere up until it wasn't, and the promise alone breathed a whole new life into the X-books, we really did get some very good comics out of this era, but it was always going to end the way it ended.

Actually scrap all of that, my hot take is, not for racist reasons or anything, but we should destroy the X-Men and replace them with big cool robots that can make us safe forever. Has anyone tried that already?

[thedawningofthehour]

Making Fun of Rich People Round 2

This one's a little bit different. This house is in Arizona, listed for a clean 20 mil, eight bedrooms ten baths, 16,000 square feet. The outside is really nothing special, looks like every other southwestern wanna-be movie star mansion so let's

Kicking things off with a bang.

You know. I can't even say anything bad about this. Like, the other house, they were people who clearly had more money than taste and built their house as a shrine to their bank accounts. It was not meant to live in, but to prove their wealth. It was ridiculous and stupid and they deserved to be made fun of.

These people. These people know their house is ugly. They know that table was an obscene waste of money. They know that couch screams "my coke dealer was redecorating." They do not care. They love bringing people in and watching their expressions of horror. They rub their hands together gleefully as people try to think of a compliment that isn't too obviously pulled out of their ass.

I mean, come on. That green chandelier, they're absolutely trolling us.

And I'm going to be honest, this looks like a living room I'd actually feel comfortable hanging out in. I can see someone on that couch eating ice cream out of the carton at 3 AM. People sit on that rug and play board games on that table. These people furnished their house to live in, not to display.

I am still going to tease them about it, however.

I'm laughing with them, not at them.

Is it just the angle or does that bed seem super short?

I...don't even know what I'm looking at here. I think this is the closet?

No, okay, they have a whole mall outlet store in here. This is like that one scene in Princess Diaries 2 except Julie Andrews would politely show herself out.

Why the marble. Why do you need a sitting area in your closet.

I will admit, I'm disappointed that the owner of such an interesting house has this many black pumps. I get that they go with everything, but-that's the point. They're universal. You don't need over a dozen of them. I expected better shoes.

Nobody:

Rich People: "make the bathroom...ROUND."

fr, their insanity always seems to come out full-force in the bathroom. I legitimately think rich people might not poop or bathe, because it's always some crazy shit that would be incredibly uncomfortable or downright impossible to use.

Another thing I've noticed, rich people all seem to want bathroom doors that open to the outside. Why?!

Especially when this is the outside they're opening up to!

Seriously, what is the point of this?! You're buck naked and decide to go have a smoke next to some cactuses and your giant patio geode. That's all that's out here. Why. Why.

Actually, it looks like there's little paths, which...just makes this worse, honestly. Imagine you're taking a leisurely stroll through the cactus garden and you pass your parents' bathroom patio, getting a full view of your mom taking a bath through the floor-length windows.

"Yes, in our dining hall with the light fixture that looks like birthday sparklers and our collection of Totally Real cactuses."

I've seen designers rag on those unfinished wood tables before, and while I didn't really agree with them at the time I kind of do now. I think this would look cool as like, a side table or accent table, but on a dining table it's just kind of awkward.

This is the same room, they just kept panning out.

While I made fun of the other house for their grand piano, I have no doubt that someone in this family is a drug-fueled musician. This room looks mega-comfy to lay back and watch a movie in, and I love the sheep.

I'm just...in awe of the audacity.

They didn't even try to match. Didn't even pretend like they cared. And I'm not gonna lie, the red countertop is doing something for me.

"When we want the bugs to join us for dinner."

I can't stress this enough, they have multiple patio sets.

See, the last people didn't show off all their alcohol at their bar because they thought it looked more refined not to. These guys probably have art supplies tucked away in their bar just to keep you on your toes. (they don't need a bar, these are the kind of people who carry flasks around with them)

So like...objectively, this bathroom is hideous. It's way too much, the feather thing is ridiculous, that cabinet is ugly as sin.

But I kind of love it?

Just a reminder: this is in Arizona.

...I have nothing to say here.

WHAT IS UP WITH RICH PEOPLE AND THEIR UGLY BATHROOMS?!

Again with the doorway to the outside! And I see this a lot, but so many rich people bathrooms don't have storage spaces?! Like, look at those sinks. What.

More to my theory that rich people don't have any need for bathrooms.

This is the bedroom I wanted as a thirteen-year-old and just now realized I still do.

THE WALLPAPER IS EVEN BIRBS!

Like, I can't even make fun of this. I am just in awe. This entire house looks if sixth grade me had access to the Sims 3 Create-A-Style and the motherlode cheat, and I honestly love that for them. I hope these people find a new house to be extremely fucking cool in.

Leaving with these calming lemons in the backyard! Pay no attention to all the bathrooms that open up directly to the garden.

[thewertsearch]

AG: And for the record, I was going to do this anyway! I was just trying to make him a 8etter player first.

Does she really, honestly think that this was making him a better Player? Is she really that deluded?

Tavros is the only 'passive' troll that Vriska has interacted with, so we haven't seen how she treats Gamzee or Nepeta yet. If she doesn't feel the need to harass them, then her worldview is just a convenient excuse to hurt Tavros.

Finally, everyone was working together. 

Tavros has been busy. I sort of assumed he'd only be able to control a few Underlings at once, but I count at least forty. He's not exactly struggling, either, so his upper limit is presumably quite a lot higher - if it exists at all.

Has Tavros ever really tested his limits? I've seen people do some wacky fucking shit with animal communication powers.

We've heard about Sburb's 'puzzles', but this is the first one we've actually seen.

Seems like a simple 'find the pieces' game, like you might see in a 3D platformer. I bet what you're supposed to do is gather the Frog Shards as you explore the dungeon, but Tavros presumably sent his minions out to sweep the place.

This is a very Vriska approach - and I can see her fingerprints on the 'Underling swarm' strategy, too. For better or worse, her training is bearing fruit.

AT: tHEY ARE NECESSARY TO SOLVE, aREN'T THEY, AT: tO FIND NEW MAGIC ARTIFACTS AND THINGS, aND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LORE OF THIS LAND, AG: Tavros, let me let you in on a little secret a8out the lore of your land. AG: It's 8oring!!!!!!!!

Vriska doesn't care about Land-level lore. Land Quests are tailored to their Player, and Vriska has a million better things to do than listen to a fairytale about how cool and important the Page of Breath is.

The trolls, in general, don't give a shit about the game's lore. They'll learn the basics, because they need it to help them win, but they don't really care about the metaphysical implications.

Honestly, I think this is just because of how it's presented. Trolls think fashion is stupid, and they're primed to be dismissive of anything flowery, or poetic - anything that looks too much like art.

Disregarding the game's riddles is, I think, a mistake. The trolls have been thrust into a confusing new world, and they don't know the rules. All information is valuable - especially information that the game has earmarked as important. We don't have to trust the game, but we should be paying attention to what it wants us to believe.

Kanaya, at least, might be more receptive - she doesn't share her society's disregard for aesthetics. Plus, Terezi seems to have been taking notes. I wonder how her Quest went?

AG: The minds of your consorts are very soft and impressiona8le. AG: As easily manipul8ed as all those imps you've 8een 8ossing around. AG: I have picked apart their tiny little lizard 8rains and seen through all the smoke and mirrors of their riddles.

You can read non-surface thoughts?

Vriska's psionics just keep getting stronger, and to be honest, I'm fairly confident that both she and Tavros are mutants themselves. Troll psionics can't all be this strong, or Alternian society wouldn't be able to function.

AG: I have gotten to the truth they are guarding. The great 8ig mystery 8ehind this planet. And you know what it is, Tavros? AT: nO, AG: It's 8ullshit!

If she's referring to the Ultimate Riddle - and if, as I've theorized, the Ultimate Riddle is the game's hidden objective - then this reaction makes perfect sense.

Vriska would hate that the game's goal has been obfuscated, because that means wasted time. She wants the game to stop screwing around, and get to the goddamn point.

AG: Real gamers cut to the chase. They power through all the nonsense and go for the gold. AG: They cheat, Tavros. AG: It is time you learned to start cheating.

What does it say about me, I wonder, that I’d play Sburb the same way Vriska does? 

[northwest-cryptid]

I don't think people understand that you gotta make mistakes and grow from them by being educated one way or another about how to not make the mistake or why it was a mistake in the first place.

The internet is built around flash in the pan drama and unfortunately that has poisoned the minds of people who mean well on much more important topics.

You see someone sharing an opinion on a topic, that is just horrible; perhaps racist, sexist, or just generally bigoted. Your first instinct is to attack them, lash out; let them know how wrong they are, not why they're wrong; just that they are in fact wrong.

Make sure you really make it clear you want them dead, don't let anyone question that you might sympathize or seek to actually better this individual. They aren't worth it, they won't listen; you know this because the internet tells you so. Others "like them" have already poisoned the well and now you know the rules too well to give this one the time of day.

Prove to them that you are exactly what your enemies make you out to be, prove to them that you see them as nothing more than a horrible immoral person that doesn't deserve respect.

Sure they might come to resent you, they might in fact view everything you stand for in the same light; you may be a detriment to the very movement, people, or thing you stand to defend; but don't let that bother you... look the people on the internet love you, you get notes, you get the dopamine of knowing people think you're cool because you stood up to the bad man.

This is how we are now.

You know when I was probably just 16 I fucked up pretty minorly, like literally for context I'll just admit to this shit openly, don't talk about it much but I need you to understand the scope of this. When I was like 16 I wasn't artistically talented so I just casually traced shit, didn't know it was wrong to do so.

Tumblr however, made it clear I had fucked up, daily anon hate; mostly the generic "kill yourself" and the like; do you know what I learned from that experience?

I learned that I shouldn't listen to those people, who reacts like that? I was a kid, I still didn't know what I had done wrong, no one would explain. I was simply a target for hate; and when I'd ask for advice I'd only get further hate. I had "fucked up" online, and that was that. There was no allowance for growth. I was literally being told to fucking kill myself at 16 because I fucking traced over some deviantart shit. Can we just rationalize that for a second?

Now I need you to understand that this is how we respond to everything on the internet. It just feels far more justified when it's about something that actually matters. But hang on, let me go back a second; what did I just say I learned from that experience? Right, that I shouldn't listen to those people.

You realize the only reason I understood what had happened was because a very good friend of mine at the time sat me down, and I will never forget that the first words she spoke to me were:

"Don't listen to those assholes, it's not a big deal."

Before she ever explained to me what I had done, or why it could be hurtful; or the impact that it could have. Prior to offering me any guidance on how to actually learn art and such so I wouldn't repeat the same problem; the first thing she had to tell me was those people don't deserve to be heard.

And I needed to hear that before I was going to listen to ANYONE about anything at that point, because getting upwards of 30 - 50 anon messages telling me I was a waste of oxygen, that I needed to off myself and just do everyone a favor; that I was a mistake, every hour or so; well let's just say that really doesn't make a kid see your point of view and I don't think it works any better with adults for that matter.

Can you imagine if I didn't have someone like that to set me straight? Do you think I'd have learned anything positive from that situation? Do you think I'd have come out of it understanding what I had done wrong? Absolutely not, I'd have just thought everyone was too sensitive or some shit, whatever bullshit the people who picked me up after would tell me. Oh and that's the thing isn't it, if you make someone a victim; you've done half the work for your opposition to come in and convince this hurt individual that they are in fact correct; that you are in fact a bad person and that this individual needs to side with them because they wouldn't treat them this way.

It's easy to recruit someone who is starved of anything positive, who hasn't heard someone agree or even sympathize with them; someone who was trying to do something good and got burnt for not doing it right.

You know, I really do get it, I absolutely understand the want to just blow up and say some shit. It's fine to have emotional, speak from the heart kinda moments, it's fine. However when you're speaking on an issue that matters, when you're talking about the lives of individuals, when you're discussing what to do and the change that you want to bring you ABSOLUTELY, under no circumstances; lash out.

Because that's exactly what those who want to see you dead are looking for, you cannot afford to give them anything to work with.

It's why I lose my shit every time I see someone at those LGBT rallies screaming and causing a scene and being aggressive. Because that's the very thing people say we are, that's the very thing they use against us; and you're just giving them that, you're just letting them have that. Why? What does it accomplish!? Sure you get to feel like the big man right now, but you're hurting the very cause you stand for, and yea I hear you

"So what, do you want me to shut up and be quiet and do nothing"

NO I want you to conduct yourself like a fucking adult, I want you to show these people who might stand in the middle, who might not pick a side; that everything that a homophobic asshole has to say is wrong; I want you to prove to the world that we're just people, I want you to go forth and show people that, without being exactly the stereotype that's used against us! I want you to stop feeding people more to use against us, I want you to think before you act.

Because here's the truth, I might just be an individual to you, but to someone who sees Natives in a bad light, I could easily become an example of "see this is how Natives act" and you DO NOT give them that, you do not let them make that claim; you do not allow them to use you as an example.

If you are fighting for something, you represent the whole of that entity to those who oppose it, and you CANNOT afford to let them see you as something that isn't reasonable, that doesn't deserve the right to be heard.

You can't afford to be 50 anons in my inbox telling me to kill myself.

You need to meet people on a level they understand, you need to meet them halfway and explain it to them; you need to be willing to educate them even when it's not your fucking job. Because the alternative is being all talk and no action, the alternative is never seeing your goal come to light, the alternative is that we may as well just roll over and die.

When you can't conduct yourself with respect and dignity you act for the opposition. That's just the unfortunate truth. Trust me I've wanted to say some very choice words to some very specific people before, and I have had to remind myself that when I am in a situation where I speak for the whole I cannot allow myself to act on impulse and emotion alone; lest someone make an example of it and use it against everyone who stands with me.

This is why I say we need to educate people, this is why I say we have to approach even conflict with the idea of explaining to uneducated masses the truth about the shit they say.

If someone came to me and told me all Natives were savage killers who can't be civilized and all that shit; sure you absolutely bet I'd love to just knock em cold where they stand. Is that not exactly what they would expect from a savage? Is that not exactly what they expect a Native to do?

Sure I could cause a scene, I could fight; I could yell and scream and make a problem of it. It would only prove them right. Instead I could always educate them, explain things to them.

"But they won't listen."

Doesn't matter then, it's not for them then; it's for everyone who sees it; it's for the masses around us, who see this man approach me telling me Natives are all savages who can't be civil; because the sane among them will see a Native there who can be civil; and suddenly all that man has to say becomes nonsense.

You need to be able to disarm them with understanding, education, and fucking kindness. You need to understand how to make your enemy understand you until they're your friend, and then when it comes time for their actions to take a side, you can bet your ass they'll side with you because it would be insane for them not to; not when they know everything that you know.

We see on the internet, this constant bickering of elementary school kids; just on much more important topics.

We can't discuss shit like politics anymore, it becomes "yes" "no" "yes" "no" "yes" "no" instead of making any real progress one way or another. I know some people are VERY stupid, do you know how many times I've been VERY stupid? How many times I've been uninformed? It's a lot.

It's a LOT, and it's a lot more than I care to admit.

However I was lucky, because I was around people who actually cared about what they were saying, about the messages, about the causes they stood for. I was around good honest people who were understanding, and who taught me better.

Not as someone who was bad and needed to be fixed, but as someone who didn't know any better because I was never taught in the first place.

I was given respect, I was shown kindness, and as such I was better for it.

People talk about "converting people to your cause" and all this shit, that's not it; you don't need to convert someone, once they know what you know they will make up their mind.

If you show them that you are someone worth fighting for, that your cause is in the right; they will fight for you.

I used to be homophobic, it kept me from understanding a lot about myself, it kept me from making some very good friends; it made me a pretty awful fucking person. I didn't know, I had no clue, I didn't understand the scope of what I had been taught. That didn't change until I grew up and met other queer individuals like myself who were able to show me that everything I had known was all homophobic lies.

Not by demonizing me, or "proving me wrong" but by just being good honest people, who meant well; and acted with kindness.

The internet has unfortunately poisoned the way people engage with real social issues; and as I get older it becomes harder and harder to stay quiet about it.

There's a huge difference by the way, between this; and punching a nazi.

You should absolutely punch nazis. I'm not going to say they deserve kindness.

And by that same token, there's a time and place for that sort of militant aggressive push-back. You need to learn where to draw that line, and how to draw that line before you go making an ass of yourself and smearing the name of the cause you stand for.

[tkblythofficial]

For someone who was/is a proclaimed "fan girl" R really do be losing her cool easily when it came to her and being shipped with a co-star. You know I totally respect when actors set boundaries if there's harassment involved or people getting weird with speculations, creating rumors etc. She has the right to be uncomfortable with being shipped with someone she considers a platonic friend but the way she approaches this whole thing is weird to say the least

Hates to being romantically linked to T but can't stop sharing pictures of him, obsessing over what shippers do and say in their own spaces and trying so hard to "prove them wrong" 💀like girl it's not that serious, if nothing romantic comes out of zeglyth we'll move on (like people did with Jalle)

Her main problem relies in that she's ON SOCIAL MEDIA almost 24/7 and is obsessed with finding out what people are saying about her. My problem with her is she don't act like a real professional actor, she moves like a social media personality, it might be the Youtuber in her but if her plans are to expand her acting/singing career she needs to take herself more seriously and log out at least from Twitter. Get yourself to networking events like Zendaya did in her time, write an album, get in audition rooms because she's literally the only actor from TBOSAS main cast who has not booked a single role since the movie came out. Like girl, it was the perfect time to build a substantial fan base that's going to support your future projects, it was her time to use her amazing talent to do so much productive and creative shit. Like it upsets me how much time she wastes sitting around at her house having online meltdowns one day after the other over unimportant stuff like shipping 💀

Also it's not lost on me why she despises zeglyth shipping so much, and its because she realizes T is better than her man, she reads the comments and knows what people think of J or I better say how little they think of J as an actor/person. R has an obsession to prove her boyfriend is just as good as T, that's why as soon as she posts Zeglyth she goes back to like Sejanus/Zegvera/J posts lol lt's like clockwork. I understand she's J victim and why she's so defensive of her groomer but there's nothing she can do to make us like her boyfriend because:

1)He's ugly

2) He has the personality of a cardboard

3) We caught on his predatory behavior so yuck /:

4) He's an okay actor but he hasn't proved himself besides being someone who gets his career propelled by his more famous and talented gf, his castings so far are giving charity case 🤷🏼‍♀️

I always support R because I see so much raw talent in her, but her online persona is so annoying. I'll give her she's 22 but her excuses to behave like on the internet are running out. Girl needs to learn to back off a little and ignore shit she don't like. Choose your battles wisely R, instead of running your mouth and embarrassing yourself over dumb and petty fan wars... you should be above that at this point in your career. You're a Hollywood actress not a stan account on Twitter! Act like it pls 🙏🏼

She’s a fan girl herself so she needs to stop acting superior to any of us. She’s always in celeb comments acting like a fan, not a peer.

You’re absolutely right. I don’t care if an actor sets boundaries because I can respect it and back off. But I don’t like it when people set boundaries and cross those boundaries themselves.

People are already starting to move on Zeglyth because of her behavior. It’s tiring. Jalle went nowhere because Halle stop talking about Jonah and moved on from TLM. If R wants us to move on then she needs to stop the Zeglyth pics and liking stuff about T. But that’s issue, isn’t it? She doesn’t want us to stop talking about them.

She needs to put that phone down and get into the audition room. Worried about shipping when she has NYC bills to pay 💀 Rent and the phone bill is due, mama. Time to get to work!

She’s delusional about J. We will never like him. We don’t care about Sejanus. We all know he doesn’t have T’s talent. J needs to go to Broadway or sitcom / medical drama shows. He’s not fit to be a movie star.

R is picking the wrong battles here. I’m a fan at the end of the day, not her enemy. She doesn’t want to be an enemy of her loyal fanbase. She’s losing us already. I’m the one who buys tickets to her projects. I’m going to see Y2K and SW because of her! Stop paying with your hard working fans, R! I don’t need to spend my time, energy and money on you.

But again, she’s about to be 23 and I’m hoping this is just phase and she snaps out of it.