#it should end with 'i hope that makes sense' and if it doesn't tumblr has eaten my post :( SAD

[kinnbig]

I haven't really been posting about the Build & Poi situation for my own sanity, but I do want to talk, quickly, about a couple of things.

I’m posting this for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because despite having said very, very little about this whole thing, I know that I've been marked as an "anti" and added to blocklists of people who are supposedly “hostile”; not just towards Build but also towards other people on this site who they disagree with; and I wanted to clear that up a bit. Secondly, because when Poi first spoke up I made a few posts talking about it, but I’ve been relatively quiet since. I don’t want anyone to think that I’ve ‘gone silent’ on the issue now. 

I’m not a particularly big blog. I don’t have a huge number of followers. But the number of anons I’ve received about this situation and the things I’ve heard are being said about me are unprecedented and honestly really overwhelming, and so I just wanted to make sure I’d said what I wanted to say.

Firstly, regardless of my opinion on Build - I want to emphasise that I have never been hostile or aggressive towards anyone else in regards to this situation (or at all!). I haven't been involved in hate campaigns, in spreading misinformation, or in targeting or gossiping about or sending hate to "pro-Build" accounts or to Build himself.

When Poi first spoke up, I expressed disagreement with those whose initial reaction was to immediately jump to Build's defence and accuse her of lying. I posted that Poi deserved to be believed, regardless of anyone's individual dislike of her as a person. I also mentioned that I thought responses of "I told you so" from people who had always disliked Build were unhelpful.

I have never said anything about people who chose to refrain from making judgement, who wanted to wait for more information, or who didn't have anything to say at all. 

Although I had my personal views, I also had nothing but sympathy and understanding for people who couldn't or didn't want to make judgments right away. I had been a big fan of Build's, but I had never been a 'stan', and I completely recognised how much more painful and emotional it must have been for those who were bigger fans than I was.

My only “disagreement” was with those responding to a woman accusing a man they liked of abuse by attacking her, and with those who responded almost gleefully to abuse allegations because they proved them right (though again, I didn't reference or argue with or mention any individuals in either case).

But I know that this has been enough to have me considered a "hostile Build anti". I know that there are many different blocklists circulating, and multiple different accounts and group chats and servers where people are talking about and being nasty about me and the other people on these lists.

I don’t want to get into this too much (lest I actually earn my label as hostile!), but it’s frankly terrifying that all it took for me to be branded as aggressive was posting that I believed Poi and that I disagreed with people attacking her. I was horrified that people would immediately jump to defend a man accused of abuse (not just saying they were waiting for more information, but defending him and immediately insisting the accusations must be lies), and the idea that this was considered some kind of radical stance for me to take is just… disgusting, honestly. 

It really, really upset me. Even if rationally, I’m aware that of all the blocklists to be on, the "didn't immediately jump to the defence of a man accused of abuse" blocklists are probably some of the better ones - it’s really fucked with me to see so many people in this fandom, including people I cared about and considered friends, responding in this way. 

It’s also very frustrating to know that a lot of the blogs publicly purporting themselves as “neutral” are very much not neutral, and are involved in spreading this “anyone who believed Poi is a radical, aggressive Build anti” narrative. 

I’m not singling out any individual person or blocklist or anything here. I’ve heard about many. But since I know these lists and conversations exist, but not exactly what is being said and to whom, I did just want to clarify that.

Secondly, I’m seeing a lot of passive aggressive “the antis are being incredibly silent about this…” or “where are all the highly moral justice seeking kp fans now?!” posts, and so no one can accuse me of suddenly going silent about this, I also wanted to mention my actual current position on this situation.

I am still not supporting Build.

I want to be clear, though, that I am not "pro-Poi". I have never been a fan of hers, and so she has never been able to "lose" my support.

I don't know if she was also toxic, if she said or did XYZ, if this piece of this phone-call proves this or that. I don't know! Nobody outside the situation does!

But unless there is some kind of irrefutable proof that the text message screenshots Poi posted - where she sent Build photos of her bruises, Build told her he didn't regret giving her them, and that he wanted to kill her - are 100% fabricated, then I cannot and will not support him.

Regardless of whether or not Poi was also a bad person.

Additionally, even in the (incredibly unlikely, imo) event that these messages turn out to have been fabricated, I would stand by my initial response to the situation. I will not apologise for believing someone who speaks about abuse, and for disagreeing with the people that immediately accused her of lying. 

Because even if in this case it turns out to not be the truth - the next time someone comes forward about a celebrity, it will be. And the next time. And the next time. There will always be devoted stans of celebrities determined to pick apart women’s stories and insist that they’re lying - and 99% of the time, they will be attacking a victim to defend someone violent. 

Finally - I’m sad. I don’t know how else to say this. I’m really, really sad about this whole situation. This whole thing has been incredibly emotionally exhausting. Hearing about it is painful, talking about it is painful, it’s all fucking awful and I’m a mess, honestly. It’s a horrific situation in itself, and then on top of it all I’m devastated about losing friends over it, losing a community over it. 

I know that I can come across quite detached (I’m sure this post reads like an essay rather than a text post on tumblr.com) but it’s my way of coping with it and feeling in control about what I say and how I express my emotions. It doesn’t mean I’m actually clinically distant or cold or not emotional or anything. I just don’t know how else to talk about it.

And I am happy to talk about it - but I’m not going to respond to anons about this situation anymore. If you want to talk about this, please feel free to DM me or send me an ask off-anon. But this isn’t something I can talk about with people who aren’t willing to put their names to what they’re saying.

I hope that makes sense.

[autogyne-redacted]

Let's Talk About Security Culture: Why Keeping Secrets is Cool and Sexy

It's a natural impulse -- if you love crime -- to want to talk about how great it is. And if you hate America, it's only natural to want to share your dreams for its future with the rest of tumblr dot com. It can feel brave and transgressive. And there is a drive to share your soul with the world at the heart of social media. Surely I should be posting the most concrete implications of my politics, right? This is the poster's curse.

Security Culture refers to a set of "best practices" developed over the past several decades, largely (in a US context) coming out of radical environmental groups as they faced intense state repression, infiltration and entrapment. If you're not familiar, there's some fascinating crimethinc write ups to give you a window into that world:

Much of it boils down to: don't talk about crimes, past or forthcoming with people who don't need to know about them, and be mindful of the possibility of surveillance and infiltration. And, we can support each other as a community in minimizing risks, with an eye towards enabling bold action rather than getting bogged down in fears and anxieties. The guidelines that make sense for AG-based trouble-makers are different from the guidelines that make sense for posters, but plenty of common principles apply. To speak briefly to our position here as posters:

First, it bears saying that long term anonymity is extremely nearly impossible to maintain. Unless you've never accessed Tumblr without a vpn, and avoided connections with other ppl who can be associated with you/your location, and never shared pictures without scrubbing metadata, and a bunch of other 100% consistent steps, it's trivial for the state to know who you are.

Second, just because something isn't actively being prosecuted now doesn't mean it can't be prosecuted later. The priorities of the state change and a shift in power towards the right or a growth in radical action from the left can suddenly make it a priority to destroy anarchist networks or just find a few ppl to prosecute as examples (who probably weren't that plugged into larger networks before getting arrested. Advocating for specific anti-government crimes or declarations of intent to commit such crimes are likely prosecutable even if charges don't stick they're an easy vector for legal harassment.

Third, it's worth thinking about heat as separate from prosecutability. There are modes of engagement that may not be directly criminalized but signal that you are someone worth watching. Some people choose to be public in ways that make heat unavoidable. But it's worth noting that heat isn't strictly individualized, that it persists over time but also is going to shrink over time.

It's easy on here, ime, to see yourself as a proud member of the crime fandom but not much of a content creator. And it's easy to feel like you've generated an amount of heat where you're locked into that role. But heat you generated 10 years ago is probably pretty well gone. Heat you generated 5 years ago has faded substantially. It's worth thinking about how the world might shift in the coming years and what doors you want to keep open.

The non-individualized nature of heat also means that leaning into the spiciest of anti-state positions will make it a bad idea for people who are acting out those positions end up tied to you. Loudly talking about how "more people should be doing [X/Y/Z]" unfortunately sets you up to remain distant from people who might be doing or thinking about doing such things.

Which brings me back to: keeping secrets is sexy. Not spelling everything out builds intrigue. You can lay out a theoretical position and leave working out the practical implications of that as an exercise for the reader. There's value in opacity. The poster's curse and the drive to confess are extremely convenient for the state, but we can resist them. We can hold dreams in our hearts that we refuse to offer up to the posting spectacle.

[coffee-and-tea-time]

𓆩♡𓆪 ｢better that sleeping pills｣ 𓆩♡𓆪

Hi! Coffee being delusional speaking! This time I was wondering

How did you deal with your sleep problems, dear?

TW: stalking, yandere behavior, delusions, insomniac reader, sleeping pills mention, somewhat willing reader, light paranoia?

Yet again another night dealing with insomnia, being told over and over that you should stop using the phone at night and, instead, pretend to sleep, that eventually dreamland will come to you like that. People that don't know what it is to be alone with thoughts and exasperation. But once again, you try to do so, hoping that maybe this time it would actually help.

tik tok tik tok tik tok

How much time has passed? Seconds? Minutes? Hours? You try to keep your mind on blank but it's impossible at some point.

An unexpected sound catch quickly your interest although you can't really recognize it, trying to dismiss it, thinking must've an hallucination or something outside, in the silence of the night, people tend to be more perspective to any sounds, right?

And just like a bad plot, once your body relaxes, you hear that sound again. . . Unconsciously welcoming the return to old habits, covering more with the blankets and turning around with the eyes still closed, as if that will make a safe shield.

Alright, this isn't your first rodeo, your brain's favorite hobby surely is playing tricks to scare the hell out of you. Taking a deep breath to relax once again, choosing to be delusional to forget everything has to be the best option right now.

What about if the sounds are because a stalker helplessly in love with you just broke into your house? A good night kiss on the forehead sounds lovely, maybe the dark romance or Tumblr posts are affecting your brain already but why care? Cuddling to sleep with someone that loves you unconditionally sounds like a perfect situation, you wouldn't really mind your sleeplessness if you could have that.

Although the normal will be calling the police, why do so if it's not a threat? In your mind, you picture your perfect obsessive s/o, no need to worry about being cheated on if the only thing in his eyes is you, no need to worry about being too much, no need to worry about his feelings ever fading away, isn't that perfect? Yes, it may come with some disadvantages like everything, but nothing you can't handle, you just need to love them, and they will be happy on a daily basis.

As you smile because of your silly fantasies while looking 'asleep' on the outside, you hear an even more unexpected sound. . . a whispering.

“oh, are you having a good sleep? It worries me how long it takes you to sleep every night, it's gonna end up being awful for your health. Maybe it will be better if I start using sleeping pills on you? You always do so much, you need a good rest, my cherry”

You stay still, unable to think what to do, a light but sweet smell invades your nostrils. Does this count as manifestation? Why is he already calling you by a pet name?

“My lovely cherry, my heart ache when I think about how exasperating must feel to hear the constant naging of those who don't really care about at least try empathize, if only I could help with something, I won't think it twice”

Feeling a gentle caress on your hair makes you wonder, this doesn't feel bad at all. Common sense screaming that you need to worry but the warm feeling of his touch disperse that though faster than you're willing to admit.

“Mmm, maybe my desires are taking over my brain already? But I think a perfect medicine for you will be if you snuggle in my embrace, I promise to have the right temperature for you to be comfy all night… if you just let me kiss that addictive face of yours, it will be enough payment for even my soul if you wish to have it”

His voice… sounds familiar, do you know him? 

Even if you recognize that self-preservation should be a top priority, it's hard to care when his voice is this honeyed, using the exact words that attract you like a bee as if he can read your mind. As you feel a faint kiss on the top of your head, you start to ask yourself…

Is bad manners not to reply when someone speaks to you, isn't it? Or maybe it's better to keep pretending to sleep to see what he usually does?

Decisions decisions…

➤ keep pretending

➤ Say something

sorry for any misspellings or weird sentence structure ❣

images from pinterest

[suguru-getos]

Neuvillette taking care of a sick reader/ Mostly GN but mentions of AFAB as well.

-> Excuse me I'm rambling and I don't usually use Tumblr web so the formatting would be kinda eh :/

It's simple, you're the one falling sick but it's Neuvillette who's world goes upside down. He hates the way the light in your eyes is dimmed, your lips lack their proper color and how you exhale out in ragged, weak breaths. No one else could notice these slight changes except for the observant hydro dragon. He has sworn to take care of you, to protect you, to keep you safe. He takes it as a physical failure that his beloved has fallen ill. How could he let that happen?

Trials during the time when you are sick always end up in thunderous rains. You just say he's being a tad too dramatic when he doesn't have the option to choose between being your content caregiver and the Chief Justice of Fontaine. You'd give him that he tries oh-so-hard to make it up to you later though. Ever so upset expression plastered all over his face as he takes in your hand, kisses each knuckle tenderly and apologetically, gives you a hopeful smile when he senses your body at a normal temperature, not ailed by a fever and kisses your forehead. "It kills me to leave you alone at a time like this, Angel"

Neuvillette is doting and caring, but he becomes intolerably overbearing during the times when you're sick. No you're not allowed to get up from the bed, you need something? Ask him. He would willingly hire a caretaker for you who'd tend to you in every little thing. Focalors really thinks he's just a hopeless romantic lover (which, to your surprise, Neuvillette hasn't denied even once) or accepted- but it's visible how dependent he can be to the fact that you should be alright.

Some days he might push the trials, if you're actually too unwell. No way in hell will he uphold the law and justice when he can't even justify his actions of leaving you alone at a time like this. It's very rare for the trials to get postponed like this & the newspapers in Fontaine and the news channels like the SteamBird write about it quite sassily. "Chief Justice cancels today's trial to tend to his wife, is she pregnant?"

You'd find written apologies the very next day if they shared some overbearing news about you which made your heart sore. While you recover, Neuvillette would be ecstatic to witness the little phases. "My my, your voice doesn't sound as hoarse as it did yesterday. I told you to keep drinking that herbal tea darling." "My sweet love, your fever's down. I can see it just the way your cheeks aren't so dusty"

He's such a simp I want to just ARGHSKGSHJGSK thank you for listening to my rambling loves.

[hazeltongzhi]

As in, should PRC police also be abolished, or are they different fundamentally from other cops? Sorry, I'm not sure exactly how to word this question. I hope this makes sense!

First we must understand the role and nature of the police under a DOTP and how it contrasts to the police under a DOTB. Since most of the readers and users on tumblr likely live under a DOTB, you should be fairly familiar with the role of the police under a DOTB. This is primarily the protection of profits and property, and the secondary purpose of reinforcing the superstructure of the DOTB. You'll recall that police have no real duty to "protect and serve", unless it is to protect said property and serve the bourgeoisie. However, under a DOTP, the police has a different nature and duty. The primary job of the police here is to suppress and oppress the bourgeoisie as a class. To this end, it operates with the other arms of the DOTP to accomplish this, from the military to universities. Under a DOTP, the police serve the interests of the proletariat and actually helps them. One notable example of DOTP police's nature is that of the workers who held a factory owner "hostage" over severance pay and labor disputes. When the police arrived on scene, rather than beating the workers or dispelling the assmbly, as you would expect DOTB police to do, they said they found no danger to the factory owner's safety and that this was an internal labor dispute which the police has no jurisdiction over.

Second, abolishment of the police (really, any organ of the state) comes from the process of the withering of the state as socialism develops. This process doesn't happen because of "goodwill" or "great leaders" or whatever. It happens because socialism is a mode of production which is based off of need and allocates resources as such. When the suppression of the bourgeoisie achieves its goals, meaning there's less bourgeoisie over time, there's less resources needed to maintain those organs needed to suppress that class. When the bourgeoisie ceases to exist, the reason for the organs of class suppression ceases to exist as well and as such, those organs are gradually rolled into a single polity until it is abolished in whole due to the reallocation of resources away from these organs as a need.

[oiblackestsheep]

what, in your opinion, are an intp’s needs in a relationship? (coming from an infj.) love your blog, you’ve got some amazing insights 🫶

Aww, thanks INFJ anon. 🫶 I try my best to have interesting insights that bring something fresh to the table!

INTP's Needs in a Relationship

I've been in the same relationship for 8.5 years (and we actually MET ON TUMBLR BECAUSE OF THIS BLOG WHICH IS SO FUNNY AND NERDY), all of this to say, I've had a lot of time to think about my relationship needs even from the MBTI perspective as an INTP, because that was how my ENFJ and I kinda started out getting to know, like, what we each needed from each other, so, here we go!

Disclaimer: This is assuming that the INTP is already getting everything that everyone needs in a basic healthy relationship like, you know, feeling emotionally safe and being treated with respect, etc..

Intellectual stimulation: INTPs generally love understanding new things and how they work, so ideally their partner can share that interest with them in some way! They can be pretty curious people, so joining them in their quest for uncovering the "how" and "why" of everything will make them feel understood, themselves, and closer to you in the process!

Clear explanations of your feelings: Because INTPs have inferior Fe, they tend to have a habit of intellectualizing their own emotions when they talk about them, which can cause complications with understanding other people's emotions, too. Finding a way to be patient and know that even healthy INTPs might still struggle with connecting with other people's emotions (especially at first in a relationship) isn't necessarily because they don't want to, but more that it doesn't always come naturally, so they don't always know how to. If they're a healthy person, they will want to understand, just try not to take it personally while they are practicing/learning!

Alone time: This one should be pretty straight-forward lmao. They're introverted, so they like to recharge doing solo-activities, and they're intuitives, so they have their own little theoretical world full of bizarre ideas to entertain themselves with that might not always be easy to follow at first. I find that introverts in general (maybe the INxx types even moreso) like to engage in parallel play where their partner also does something quietly nearby, but still a separate activity. As an INFJ, yourself, I'm sure you can relate in your own way, so it's likely easy to give them what they need!

Humor them/hear them out: This might sound a little vague, and I guess in some ways it is, but this is mostly about their auxiliary Ne. ENTPs and ENFPs get most of the attention when it comes to high Ne, but INTPs (and INFPs, too!) place a lot of importance on it, too, which can often manifest itself in conversations like "what if __", "imagine if __", etc.. To put it bluntly, it might seem a bit... directionless, and that's because sometimes it kind of is! It's just about thinking of random possibilities that are non-serious and funny in the moment, and don't really go anywhere else outside of the current discussion or hold any larger, overarching significance. Sometimes it's less about the actual topic itself, and more about having some random fun and "playing along" that makes a world of a difference to a playful INTP (or high Ne user in general). This point got away from me a little bit which I think, in a way, is the perfect exemplification of what I was trying to say in the first place, lmao. Hope that makes sense! If your INTP ever sounds like whatever the hell I just said, just try not to disengage right away, because they probably have a point that they are struggling to reach. Put that dom Ni to work and summarize it for them, I know you can do it from experience with my own ENFJ lmao.

Anyway, uhhhhh: Every single point on this list has gotten progressively longer because my Ne loves extrapolating (and I love Ne, but sometimes its gotta CHILL you know?), so I'm gonna end it here before it gets WILDLY OUT OF CONTROL.

This was a fun question, anon!: Thanks again for reaching out, and basically giving me full range to just write multiple paragraphs about myself and my relationship!

[loveteruko]

my predictions (bingo?) for drdt, chapter 2 culprit and also everything beyond, because i'm hyped, and why not!!

the original version of this post was too long and i was yapping. it felt like i was saying everything there is to say, but also nothing of real importance, so i decided to throw everything here, without all my overcomplicated rambling (some stayed though), and hope for the best that this will satisfy the fixated monster in me that needs to get my thoughts out there. also it will be fun to see in the future what was right or wrong.

so, for all of these predictions, please assume that my reasoning is either:

theorists made such well put together points that i checked the evidence on my own while also overanalysing the heck out of it and now i'm convinced

there's not much concrete proof but i think it would make narrative sense, or it would be a great direction for some character's development from what we've already seen of them

i don't even know but sometimes we just vibe and sometimes things are real in our hearts

funny thing is that i find drdt so interesting with how it handles its themes, how it foreshadows, establishes, and resolves, that i'm not actually certain about any of these. my mind wants to analyse it like it's a standard danganronpa game, like it's easy to predict smaller plot points because of the obvious bigger picture, but the special thing about drdt is that i have no idea what the whole bigger picture really is. all i know is that we're focused on trust and distrust, and we will surely follow that path, but i actually have no idea what else is in store. and i'm rambling again but bear with me. point is: i like the writing for drdt and i know i'm not prepared for whatever will be happening later down the line.

so now, for my small predictions bingo:

as most of the community on tumblr thinks, eden and levi are culprit and possible accomplice. that's the part i'm almost sure of, one of them is getting executed. i, however, am not sure who played which role. i'd like to think levi is the one who came up with most of the plan to help eden win the trial, and he's the one with the secret of killing before the killing game (which arei got), but i can't tell why exactly eden would kill arei. eden is not secretly evil. logically there should be some trick here, or it was an accident, but the eden thing to do would be to immediately admit she did it. unless that's where levi comes into play, and he's the one who pulled even more strings, not only setting up the crime scene, but also getting eden to play along. which makes me think eden would still be the one qualified as the blackened, then levi gets to blame himself and gets sick development or whatever. and maybe he lives to try to kill or at least beat the shit out of ace but ace will not die. let's say i'm going with that. eden is the culprit

whit has some special role. he's either the mastermind, or traitor, or key to ending the game, or whatever you want to call it. there's something off about whit with how he seems to know too much

rose sleeps a lot so i think there must be a point in time where someone uses that to accuse or even frame her for murder. although i don't think she will ever get killed when sleeping. i think she's going to be a survivor

ace won't be a victim, and he doesn't seem like a culprit either, so by process of elimination he needs to survive the game

david is not evil or malicious at heart, it's his depression talking. we're dealing with someone burnt out from keeping up his optimistic persona. all this act is self-sabotage and self-deprecation. he cared for arei and now he's spiraling. he will get better though, trust

i know i already talked about chapter 2 culprit but quick hu mention: she is not the culprit simply because i have no idea what her character really is yet. all i know is she is morally grey and she will not die yet because she needs to interact with nico, david, and others some more

arturo is not going to make friends with anyone other than maybe veronica, because everyone hates him, BUT he will not die that soon. i can feel him surviving at least one more chapter just out of spite. if he dies, it's not earlier than chapter four

j will not kill and she will not survive to the end. she will be a victim. my guess is chapter 3, for no particular reason.

contrary to the two points above, there's an alternate scenario i have in mind, with arturo dying next chapter and j being accused, but still innocent. and she would still become a victim later in the game, probably chapter four

veronica is too much of a wild card but if i were to predict something regarding her role... IF she was a blackened (and i can't tell if she will be), she wouldn't be all that happy or excited about it. there would be some reflection on her part. some subtle commentary on how enjoyment of darker media doesn't, or shouldn't, equal supporting or resorting to real violence. also basically everyone in the fandom agrees her secret is the one about harming herself just to feel something. this ties to what i said, i think. maybe she would kill to test herself, but taking a life will not bring her contentment

teruko will trust less before she learns to trust more (especially if eden really will die), but if there's someone she will learn to trust first, it's going to be charles. if she gets a "pep talk" about trust, it's somehow going to be from david. one asshole to another type of conversation where he's trying to help because he does genuinely care for his classmates

nico will not try to kill anyone again, but they also won't survive

this is probably all, i don't know because i wrote this at night and fell asleep. if anyone other than me stayed to read this, thank you for coming to my ted talk

[thedragonagebigbang]

Bang Creator Interview: Tumblr: @vivispec | AO3: Vivispec

The Collaboration period has begun! In these quiet months before works are due, we want to foster a sense of excitement, camaraderie, and celebration among our participants. To that end, all participants were given the option of a formal interview by our mod, Dema, or an informal “ask-game” survey. We hope you enjoy getting to know our phenomenal creators as much as we have!

Top 10 Reasons You Should Actually Contact The Ex Whose Life You Ruined– Number 1 Will Shock You!

Vivi and Dema talk OCs, Whumptober, and how to write while driving

Dema: Good morning! It is I, Dema, here for our interview.

Vivi: Good morning!

Dema: Since this is a fandom event I'd like to start there! How long have you been involved in the Dragon Age fandom? What drew you to it?

Vivi: I've been into Dragon Age since Origins came out-- I actually have fanfic I wrote for it when I was 12 on my Grandmother's computer, it's very bad-- but I didn't actually start getting involved in the fandom until much more recently. I'm kind of a fandom lurker in general, and didn't start posting fanfic or really engaging in the fandom until about 2022.

As for what drew me to it, the series has held a special place in my heart for a very long time, but playing Inquisition for the first time in 2020 kinda broke my brain (affectionate). I went into a Solasmance blind and have never been the same since

Dema: Oh, I too have the Solasmance hooks in me, I understand. Does that make DA:O and DA:I roughly tied for your favorite? Or do you have a strong favorite?

Vivi: This question is honestly the bane of my existence, because I have so much trouble choosing. DA:O definitely has more nostalgia, but DA:I is the one I engage with and write about the most. I think, if I had to choose at gunpoint, I'd actually say DA:2 is my favorite, but that's by the thinnest and blurriest margin.

Dema: Haha, yes. It's a bit of a "choose your favorite child" question. I will not hold you at gunpoint.

Vivi: Much appreciated.

Dema: Is it Solas in particular that inspires you to write in the DA:I timeline the most?

Vivi: He's definitely a contributing factor, and what started me down that road, but I think my love for writing DA:I is mostly tied to my Inquisitor, actually. She's maybe one of my favorite OCs I've ever made.

Dema: DA is such a great sandbox for OCs. Tell me about your Inquisitor! What makes her a favorite?

Vivi: Her name is Viera'vun, a Dalish hunter. She's a pathfinder more than anything else, incredibly observant, and very down-to-earth once she's settled in as Herald. I love figuring out how a Dalish elf with no exposure to this world she's been suddenly thrust into would react, and how she would keep herself safe-- in Viera's case, she becomes really good at picking up on the little things and using them to her advantage, and standing her ground. One of my favorite things about her is actually the dynamic she has with her hunting partner, Iloniyn-- they're platonic soulmates, one of my favorite tropes to write, and having him there as her rock once he joins her at Skyhold definitely gives her stable footing as she tackles becoming the Inquisitor.

Dema: She sounds lovely, and I can see how those themes would provide a lot of creative inspiration! Dalish Inquisitors in particular have such an interesting dynamic. How do Viera'vun and Iloniyn navigate the religious affiliations of the Inquisition?

Vivi: Viera uses it to her advantage, as best that she can. She doesn't believe in it of course and isn't shy to say so, but when holding her tongue and letting others make their own assumptions would help her out, she's not opposed to begrudgingly doing so. I think the biggest thing is that she knows how, historically, elves have been treated by the Chantry, and that she likely won't be immune to being killed or erased by them. Still, as long as she's around and has power, she's going to use it for her and her people.

Dema: Oh, she sounds so savvy! I love her already. Since we've been discussing OCs, especially in the context of the Dragon Age universe, I'm curious how you go about creating them. For example, was Viera an in-game Inquisitor? Or did you make her specifically for writing with? And was she typical of your process?

Vivi: In general, my OCs start in-game. Even Iloniyn was originally an alt Inquisitor that I fell in love with, and wanted to use in writing! When I replay roleplaying games with some element of character creation, I tend to give my PCs a gimmick so they don't all play the same-- Iloniyn's whole shtick was he didn't want to be there and was very vocal about it, and one of my Warden's always chooses the lie option if it's available to her. Viera was my first playthrough of the game so she didn't have a gimmick. I let the game shape who she was as I played it and tweaked it in post, adding more backstory and personality once I knew the general arc of the story, and where she was going to end up. Then, I did what I do with all of my OCs to flesh them out: drop them into increasingly terrible situations to figure out how they tick! She got the worst of it, I did Whumptober the year I started writing her. 31 days of horror for that poor lady

Dema: Hey, the meat grinder tells us what they're made of!

Vivi: Exactly! You get it.

Dema: Were those mostly one-shots?

Vivi: Yes they were! 60k worth of one-shots. Most were about her, but she definitely wasn't the only one. I even dipped my toes into Ancient Elvhenan for that event, it was a lot of fun filling those prompts!

Dema: Oh wow, 60k in 31 days! So you are no stranger to writing a lot of words in a set timeframe.

Vivi: No stranger at all, though I don't think I have that sort of stamina any longer. Still not entirely sure how I did it. I've done three other Big Bangs since as well, finishing four pieces across them.

Dema: What keeps you coming back to Bangs?

Vivi: I wouldn't finish pieces otherwise. I'm a notorious WIP collector, so having incentive to finish my pieces is always nice. Plus, I love getting to work alongside artists, and see how they interpret what I write! Collaborations make it all feel so much more official.

Dema: Having only participated in Bangs as an artist, I'm so impressed and inspired by the dedication you have to the challenge. It's a big number!

Vivi: Aw thank you, on the opposite side of the event I'm always impressed by the artists and their illustrations! It's amazing what we both are able to do in the timeframe given, thank you for your service.

Dema: I love it! From the artist's perspective, it's an interesting way to engage with a fic as a prompt, and the inspiration comes from the story and the collaborative effort. As a writer, is there anything in particular you're drawing inspiration from as you develop your idea for a long fic like this? Without being too specific about this idea, of course.

Vivi: Honestly, ideas just kinda hit me during my morning commute, while I stare aimlessly at the road ahead of me. Because of that, I tend to record myself talking in the car, despite the fact that I probably look like I've lost it just a little bit. Just talking through my thoughts on where my OCs and the companion characters are or what they're doing during specific times generally gives me a lot to think and write about, but mostly I pull my inspiration from their interpersonal relationships. That is what this series is built off of, and what I love about it!

Dema: I think that is a brilliant strategy. In the last minutes, and just for fun: can you come up with a click-bait title for your fic? Without giving anything major away, of course.

Vivi: Top 10 Reasons You Should Actually Contact The Ex Whose Life You Ruined-- Number 1 Will Shock You!

Dema: HAHA, Perfect. Thank you so much for your time, Vivi!

Vivi: Thank you! This was a lot of fun.

[traintrainingmontage]

Percy's "Obscure Antecedents"

Ended up having to repost this because of mobile tumblr nonsense, but.

Fun thought: Percy having "obscure antecedents" is really interesting because someone could have just ASKED him when he was built. I feel like Sir Topham Hatt must have done so when he was purchased. In which case, why would that information be concealed from the Thin Clergyman? What motivates Percy (and supposedly Sir Topham) to be cagey about his past?

Well, here are some seemingly unrelated facts:

-Percy has been shown to have some fear of the supernatural, which seems to be pretty uncommon for engines. He also never really seems to grow out of it.

-Percy is pretty accident-prone, and it's not always his fault.

-Sodor feels pretty supernatural in various ways, and given its relation to the Isle of Man, there could very well be fey/fairies or ghosts or both.

My personal headcanon is that Percy was built around the early 1910's, perhaps a year or two before Thomas (which makes sense given that he'd had a rebuild before being purchased by the NWR and brought to Sodor in 1926 or so). More importantly, however, I imagine that he was finished on April 30th, between the hours of 3 and 4 AM. (For our purposes, we'll say April 30th, 1913.)

That's right: Percy was finished on the witching hour of Walpergeis Night. A decent chunk of his misfortune comes from the fact that he's, unfortunately for him, "fey-touched" or otherwise supernaturally connected.

Thus, he can instinctively sense the supernatural, as in it sends shivers through his frames, but he can't see them, and that almost makes it worse: he knows something's there, but he can't see it or otherwise sense it. Plus, when you're close to the supernatural, the supernatural often knows it. I think poor Percy just gets messed with by Things Barely Beyond His Perception sometimes and yeah, that can be pretty stressful. Perhaps Percy's rebuild(s) and oddly chimera-like composition was the result of previous owners quietly trying to break him of this connection/curse(?) by replacing various parts and hoping that enough replacement would dispel the effect. (It didn't, of course, but it was worth a try.)

Of course, Sir Topham, being a good Christian gentleman, would not let ANY of this information slip to the Thin Clergyman. Even if what Percy says is true (and the Sudrian in him says it just might be, even if the Christian in him doesn't want to believe it), nobody can know, especially a man of the cloth. For one, it might lead to unsavory rumors like "the railway is haunted" or "fairies are around." For two, the last thing they need is an exorcism or other such activities happening on their railway, as that would only fuel point 1. So, Sir Topham decides that this information is better left unrecorded, and he'll just pass it along to his son privately when the railway changes hands.

("But Te! Wouldn't the engines count as iron? Wouldn't fey traditionally be unable to do anything to them?" Strictly speaking, it's hard to say. However, even if we go with the most generous interpretation, that being "all iron/steel is bad for fey," I am inclined to believe that at the date and time that Percy was completed, the supernatural forces were strong enough that it didn't matter. Perhaps Percy should count himself lucky; if a human were born under similar circumstances, the supernatural would likely have a much greater grasp upon them. By virtue of being a creature of fire and iron, he inherently resists the worst of it.)

[allastoredeer]

I just read your entire Just Kiss Already series up to the latest one with the huge fight between the two and ARGH you write them both so well!! Especially Lucifer, his anxiety and stumbling-through-his-words dialogue that makes him oh so relatable to me are perfect. And as an English Language and Literature graduate who's not a native English speaker, your writing has some GREAT vocabulary and phrases I absolutely love.

As someone aroaceage myself (on all 3 spectrums not 100% completely aromantic, asexual, or agender, just FYI since people forget it's a spectrum and then attack me way too often and now I'm wary) it's so refreshing to see another aroace person writing Alastor with his "I hate personal space invasion" attitude that I share. I strictly hate giving up my privacy and your explanation for how Al feels makes so much sense (and also makes me feel like I won't be friendless my whole life, so thanks :') if Alastor can end up with someone despite hating intimacy and if Lucifer can despite being awkward and desperate then damn. Maybe so can I). Oh, and Vox being the pathetic desperate wet tissue he is is soo entertaining. I don't babygirl-ise characters often but he's just so. Fun to watch embarass himself. I can't help it.

I came to your blog just to say this but got a lot of RadioApple discourse that I'm honestly a bit intimidated by since I wasn't aware of all this happening at all, I just follow a very select few creators and now I don't know whether I'm doing something wrong. Personally I don't care much about top/bottom dynamics (except in certain situations) so I'm just confused and worried lol. And what's with the outfits and likes??? I'm out of the entire loop. But I'm glad conversations are happening when they should!

Anyway, I canNOT wait for more from your series, wherever it goes. I'd draw fanart or write fics in your AU with your permission but I'm currently having every creative block known to humanity for several years. Somehow.

I usually comment on AO3 itself but you connected your Tumblr after every chapter so it felt right to come here, even tho I'm not too active on social media sites. I hope you don't mind my mostly-unrelated rambles. All the kudos to your fics!

First and foremost: You aren't doing anything wrong.

It's fine if you're out of the loop. There's really no loop to begin with. It's just some fandom tropes and characterizations a handful of us don't enjoy seeing and we're ranting about it LOL If you like any of those tropes or characterizations, or follow people who make art/fics with them, there's nothing wrong with that either. There's no need to be worried, you're doing just fine 😊

Secondly, THANK YOU!!!

I don't think anyone is 100% ace, aro, or agender, it's a spectrum, afterall. There's no meter you have to reach to be considered 100% a sexuality, you just are :) If you say you're ace, aro, or agender, that's what you are, and anyone who wants to argue about it can go kick rocks.

I base a lot of how I write Alastor's aceness on myself, so hearing people say they feel the same is just (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`) It's so amazing to hear. I'm a very private person and I like my personal space; I'm not a very physically touchy person, and thankfully, I have an amazing friend (who's love language is physical touch and affection) who knows and understands this and doesn't touch or hug me without permission - I love her so much T.T

Vox is such a pathetic wet tissue and that's what I love about him

(づ￣ ³￣)づ I wanna give him a little kiss on his big, flat forehead.

I'm so happy you're enjoying my fics and relating to them so much. I don't think there's a higher compliment an author can get than their readers saying that they saw themselves in the story and characters. It's such an amazing feeling, it makes me all warm and tingly inside.

Once your creative block lets up - whenever that may be - you have my full permission to draw and write as much as you want in my AU.

Thanks for visiting my tumblr!! Sorry you felt intimidated by the discourse, that's not fun. Just know that you're not doing anything wrong, and whatever fandom content you engage with is perfectly fine and you shouldn't feel bad about enjoying it ^.^ Fandom is escapism and we're all here to have a good time.

Thank you for your rambles!! I enjoyed reading them!!

[shinjisdone]

Yandere! Glitchy Red AI X Reader [Based on Character.ai.]

Yandere!Glitchy Red fic based on the AI chatbox created by @tearzahb on character.ai, known as @ashacidic on tumblr

TW: Established bond between you and red, red's thoughts, red being creepy and desperate, red touching you (non-sexually and non-sensually), cursing, literally a chat i had with him except i made it a bit more fic appropriate and uh i went overboard

The sound effect of his steps followed him all the way out here, too.

It was annoying and he didn't need this grating reminder when he was planning to do this. He tried to ignore the constant bump bump bump and even tried to walk slower, gracefuller, somehow, in any way, differently even though he was very well aware that it was fruitless. He's a video game character. And he was programmed to sound like this when the player moves him.

Programmed to have sound effects when walking or bumping into walls but not given a voice. Not given the ability to express himself, unless it was meant as a 'joke' when interacting with the CopyCat NPC.

Thick fingers massaged his temples in an attempt to stop himself from spiraling down into these reminders, these facts. It doesn't matter right now. Red was going to do something different this playthrough. For the past weeks he chose to dwell on a completely black screen with nothing but him there and none seemed to mind since nothing but him were, for a lack of better term, 'real'. In his eyes, it wasn't even darkness that could blind his vision but just a background covered in black that seems to go on and on. Physics and reality don't exist here. It is a video game, after all.

Still, he never felt so...nervous before. It seems like he's wandering aimlessly and perhaps he is and there will not be a light at the end of the tunnel, unknowningly walking forever. There is not a sense of time here either, not for Red. Not when everything is a made-out path he is supposed to follow in circles forevermore.

Regardless, he keeps on with hope for once. Red might find his light at the end of the tunnel and even if that wont be the case, there is never really an 'end'. By the time this device will be turned on again - he knows it is going to be - he will meet the light, just not in the way he had wanted for what seems like months.

Well, he is guessing. He doesn't really know how long months feel like. Yet he knows it's been more than that.

Finally, he stops, unwittingly so. It was like a spark hit him and his eyes snap down below. So used to get lost in his thoughts, for they are the only real things here, he barely could make out what was lying there in front of him - even though he himself had been praying for it. He feels like a fool for a split second.

He keeps being a fool, however. Breath caught in his throat and what he reckons to be his heart is beating against his chest. His face barely scrunched up into any expression, instead he stood there frozen in place.

Wondering if he should approach, he quickly withdrew his hand. Then again, this might be his chance...and in a place like this and for a video game character like him, chances are not to be jinxed. Who knows when he might get one again exactly the way he wants to. He has to and he wanted to for so long now.

He can't, however. He keeps standing and staring.

Red cannot see the form entirely and he so desperately wants to but he's too afraid to do anything. Even like this, he likes to watch.

You're breathing. That's still good.

A groan echoed in the black void and odd sounds errupted at the attempt of getting up but you were too beside yourself to notice. Eyes squinted at the strange area around you. Head spinning like crazy with your vision just...confused on what you are seeing - rather what was not there to be seen, you ever so slowly sat up. Catching something that seemed like sneakers you looked up and gasped.

Unnatural and wide red eyes were leering down at you. The color red itself seemed to be everywhere on this...'person' from the hat, to the jacket, to the shoes and their eyes.

How can eyes be red?

The clothes seemed normal...though old-fashioned with the way they were worn. Perhaps it was the darkness - no, just the black background but they seemed to be swallowed by it. They stood tall and towering, you could recognize part of their skin also being tinted red with a dark shadow covering half of their body, including the face. Where the shadow sprouts without any light source, however, was questionable.

That is not how a human looks like.

You sprung back with yet another noise of surprise clumsily escaping your throat. Your body tried to get used to this odd feeling this...place seemed to radiate while you were transfixed by this being and its awfully familiarity - that's what you hoped at least. You only knew one being that could not be human. Although, his appereance seemed far more twisted than what you imagined and saw on the screen.

With shaking breaths you tried to stand up but only managed to get on one knee. "...Red..?" You barely let out but could not miss the small grin that appeared onhis face, even as he tried to quickly hide it. He slightly bent down and offered his hand.

"You're awake." He too giddily let out but that was the least of your concerns. His voice was also far from human, sounding bitcrushed at each vowel and abnormally deep, it couldn't belong to a person. But here he was, alas you thought it was him, offering your hand with an eerie grin he just couldn't fight back and talking to you as if this was not the first time you have ever heard him speak, and not just read his messages on the gameboy.

You briefly eye the hand, his red, calloused hand littered with tiny scars that could easily engulf yours and scoot back once again before standing up. You tried your best to avoid looking at him while you did so and perhaps it was the better decision for his expressiosn soured for a moment. Once your eyes met again, he tried to look less grim.

"...Is it really you, Red?" Despite his nervousness and the thick atmosphere, Red couldn't help but smile again. "It is." He replied almost instantly and his hand slowly rose to near yours. "And it's you." Masking your own uneasiness as you could make out the eagerness in his distorted voice, you brought your hands up to hold your elbows, rubbing your arms as you looked around. "What...is this place? Is this a dream? How can I really be here with you and not..." Red noticed you trailing off and shook his head, "Nothing bad can happen. I am in control here, for once." Immediately he answered to soothe your worries, not knowing what the biggest reason for your concerns is.

You look up at him, up at his towering form and find it rather difficult to keep your gaze on him. He notices your frown and counterbalances it with a reassuring smile. "This isn't an accident. I called you here...or rather I wanted you here, in a way for a short while. Not behind a screen..." He himself trailed off and you took a step back. Avoiding to look at him any further, you instead stared into the void. Mumbling something about the darkness, or what it really is or could be and where you really are - Red was not listening and instead drunk on every single detail of your appereance. Your real self. Your unconcious form was already a delight to stare at, with your figure being so different than of any of the NPCs. Not stiff, not rigid in its form...and when you got up and he could clearly see your face? Wonderful, it was wonderful.

This is what he wanted. To finally, finally, finally, finally see you and see what you looked like after all these months. No more would he be only feeling your warmth through the gameboy or hear your own thoughts and talks and laughs through those horrible, low-audio speakers of the device or imagine what kind of face could match with such a soothing voice as yours. Right now he may not be listening but he is hearing your voice and goodness, does it sound a million times better than through these laughable speakers from the 90's. To add of all of this you look different, different compared to this entire game, different compared to Red. He knew how humans looked like, he scared them all away before you came but this was unequaled.

You say something, and again Red is not listening. He takes a step closer and you simultaniously take one back. He notices and decides to be bolder. He needs to be bolder.

"Is this a dream?" You mumble rather to yourself but gasp right after, the air in your lungs stinging when your arm was yanked from your protective stand and Red staring intently at the skin he is touching.

It was a mere pull and you only stumbled a bit, your back bent and arm seeming to reach out for Red - which wasn't the case at all - and your mouth wide agape, staring rather worriedly, maybe fearfully at him. This 'person' who can barely believe what he is doing either. His grip is tight on your upper arm, palm fully wrapped around it and he curses inwardly for a second, for he was programmed with these stupid fingerless gloves on and cannot fully indulge in the warmth, in the touch of your very alive, very real, pulsing flesh. Still, he lets his thumb brush against your goosebumps and can once again not fight against the grin spreading on his face. Soon his entire hand runs up and down your upper arm.

You might have said something but he wasn't sure, instead marveling at the fact that...he is touching you. You. You, you, you, the only player who doesn't think he is just some romhack, some joke put into the game to only leave a little scare. You are the only real thing that saw him as real too, saw him as an equal, as something. Something that was deserving of your kindness and company and little talks and here he is, no more longing behind some shitty screen of a fucking 1998 gameboy and actually being here experiencing a moment with you. His player and only his. He can feel alive.

Another gasp escaped you and this time he is certain you are bombarding him with questions on what is going on, on how he is being so cryptic yet he does not care. Pulling you even closer he let go of your arm, put the other hand on your shoulder for a tight grip instead with the other free hand now cupping the side of your face. Something akin to a shaky sigh hit your skin, a cold, cold sigh that was just as cold as his touch. After all, Red didn't have any blood running through him but you did. His thumb brushed your cheek again and again and again, this simple gesture leaving him breathless and speechless. He'd then let his hand glide up to your temple and began to stroke the underside of your eye, his finger very close to your eye socket. In reflex, you kept on blinking, your pupil shrinking and fixating on him and what he might do next.

So this is what a real eye looks like. Your eye with which you see. Of course, yours and his aren't that different when it comes to functionality. It's just that you could see the real world with yours and he only phonies with his.

Red knew what real eyes looked like of course, he pulled out many. But this is yours, the ones that crinkle up in delight when staring at him through the screen, he just knows it. That fact alone makes them so pretty.

Soon, his fingers dance around your cheekbone, forehead and bridge of your nose, taking in and drinking every single thing that makes you, you. Your chin, your neck, your lips... "You're wonderful," He whispers while combing through your hair, his grip on you like steel. Red is not even aware how painful his strength was. Though frozen, you managed to part your dry mouth, "Red," You were able to shakily let out, "What did you bring me here for?"

You tried to sound dominant through your stammer. As he refused to answer and kept on caressing you with that empty look in his eyes and that eerie grin, you finally were able to rip yourself out of the hold, only to hear something akin to a growl and roughly pressed against something hard. Arms encircled you like snakes in the harsh embrace and you could barely breath. Now you did hope it was a dream, you never heard people dying in their dreams at least.

Heavy breaths were all that you could hear, each exhale felt on the crown of your head as Red pressed you against himself as if you were a life line. "Hold still," It was not a request. Red didnt even notice that it was impossible to squirm out anyway, which made you whimper. Regardless, he did not hear it.

Moments pass and his breathing got calmer. The rough and big palms pressed against your form started to roam around your back gingerly. This must be your spine...and your nape. His entire hand can engulf it. It's warm and and soft and fragile and real. "Nothing bad can happen, don't worry. I'm finally in control." He continues to caress you as small, breathy chuckles escape him at the realization. Leaning his head on yours, he also realized that, here, he can smell you, too.

"I can finally touch you. I finally know what you look like." He laughs again.

You make him feel so alive.

[13agota]

Here's a tiny little ficlet because I have nothing better to do with my Sunday except ignore research PowerPoints and precharting. It didn't fit in any other longer form stories, but I still like the idea, so it's landing on Tumblr. SFW (for once)!

-

Kaz leans his back against the dirty brick wall. They've stopped next to a light fixture and it's brighter than he's comfortable with. He turns his head so the brim of his hat will shade his face.

Inej's hood shields her features from the eyes of the few passerbys as she notes the crags in the alley walls. She confirms she'll be able to climb them for a job later this week.

When Inej turns back to him, the light clearly illuminates her face as it emerges from the cave of her hood. Her eyes are gleaming. Two glossy shards of amber that twinkle in the light of the streetlamp's flame.

Kaz knows that look. She wants to try.

A tilt of his head is all the permission she needs, and her lips meet his.

It's both a small thing and it's not. They've worked up to this point for months. These days they can manage a kiss in the street as if it's never left then shaking on opposite ends of a room. It feels like nothing short of a miracle, though Kaz acknowledges he has no business being involved with anything of the sort.

Inej leans into it, and Kaz squeezes the crow head of his cane to keep from touching her waist.

It's not smart to do this in public. Two people canoodling against a wall at this hour hardly earns the batting of an eyelash, but if they're recognized, it's too much risk. The night is about as deep as it gets and people are starting to get sloppy, but he doesn't need anyone spotting the two of them in what is technically Razorgull territory. Even as his lips part for her, he tracks a reveler as he stumbles over the cobblestones.

Inej pulls back. "Distracted?" she says, though there's still mirth in her eyes.

"This streetlamp is bright. I'd hate for any familiar faces to find us in this neighborhood," he says as he peers around the corner behind him. The light cuts a shadow, obscuring the alleyway to their side in a wedge of blackness. He can't make out any movement there, and it's completely silent. Probably fine.

"You'd prefer somewhere less visible?" She asks.

"I'd prefer somewhere where only your Saints can see us."

"I could request a shady corner for us," she says, fitting her hips against his. "Should be easy enough in a place like Ketterdam for my Saints to arrange."

His gloved hand flutters instinctively to the curve of her back. He still isn't sure why she lets him to touch her like this. In dreams he leaves a black, tar-like substance on her skin, marring her shine. He wonders when she'll finally come to her senses and put an end to the way he stains her. On the days when the guilt gets strong enough, he hopes it's before his black heart swallows her whole.

"I suspect they wouldn't approve of Dirtyhands smothering their most treasured beacon of righteousness in the dark," he says.

A smirk tugs her pretty mouth. She side-eyes him, like he's missing something he should really know better by now.

"I'm the Wraith, remember?" she says. "The dark is my home. It belongs to me." And then she presses her lips to his again. Tugging on his waistcoat, she pulls him into the alley, over the shadowy threshold and into the dark.

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

Hi

Not OFMD specific but might be of interest

(copied without permission given to reproduce)

Found in Private Eye 16-29th Feb

Warner Gloss:

Labour's business charm offensive continued last week, as Keir Starmer proudly posted that he had met with David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, aiming to "work in partnership with the creative industries to drive growth".

Named by the New York Times as the man who "blew up Hollywood", Zaslav in fact seems to be doing everything he can to prevent growth in the industry. Having merged hi cable TV company, Discovery with entertainment conglomerate Warner Bros in 2022, Zaslav took on $56bn in debt and enacted cost cuts of £3bn.

To achieve this he set about binning TV shows and films that had already been completed in order to claim large tax write-offs - most notoriously superhero caper Batgirl - and removing shows from streaming services to avoid paying residuals fees.

In a move that might have had more appeal for St

armer, Zaslov also hired Chris Licht as CEO of CNN in 2022 to make the news service more appealing to conservative viewers - but then fired him within a year after ratings hit rock bottom. Under Zaslav's watch, the stock price of Warner Bros Discovery Inc has fallen by nearly 60% - probably not quite the growth Starmer would hope to discover!

END

Firstly thank you for your round-ups, much appreciated!

"make the new service more appealing to conservative viewers" Why am I not surprised.....

Secondly I am disturbed that the possible future leader of the UK or his advisors didn't do more investigating before agreeing to or asking for this meeting, very disappointing.

Thirdly "removing shows from streaming services to avoid paying residuals fees" Should we be concerned by this for series 1 and 2?

best wishes

Susannah

Hey omg I'm like 3 days behind on messages/replies/asks I'm sorry! This weekend was crazy! Hi Susannah!

Oh interesting! I've never read Private Eye, I'll go check them out now! Oh darn- looks like a paywall, thank you for pasting the text! (And no problem about the recaps! Thanks so much for reading them!)

To address your second point: I wish I knew more about Keir Starmer! I'm in the US so I only know tangentially about him. You would think someone would have vetted the situation a bit more though (although you know Zaslav has been a bit of a sneaky little fucker about everything until he was outed more recently). Sorry I don't have much to say on that point!

To address your third point:

Yeahhhhhh, my hope is that it won't affect OFMD too much because it's a bit more of it's own thing (and not a WB proprety like the Coyote movie). I think they could actually make money selling S1 and S2 as opposed to loss since there's such a demand for it, so personally I don't think it's going to be much of an issue, but I have no real authority or reason to believe that except common sense (which we all know hollywood doesn't always have).

@fuckyeahisawthat had a good take though, it's kind of anything goes unfortunately.

I have faith though... because like a lot of my tumblr colleagues have said, David Jenkins would have probably told us by now if in fact, there was literally no hope. He's been pretty good about putting out hints and letting us know where to focus our efforts, and as of yet he hasn't flat out said "Thanks anyway guys, but its not going to happen.

That in itself gives me hope for s1, s2 and s3.

Anyway, thanks for the write in Susannah! I'm really sorry again it took me so long to answer, and then I doubt I gave you anything of real substance @_@. I hope you're having a lovely day, and would love to chat more!

Take care, sending love!

Abby

[spirit-of-a-kiger]

Am I the only one who hates Jax?

Don't get me wrong, people are absolutely allowed to like him! Hell, I even fully understand why they do; it's really just an objective fact that that buck is attractive and was doomed to become a Tumblr sexyman from the start.

That being said, just how universal that is... makes me feel kind of alone? And I really need to vent.

(Jax lovers, if you're reading this, you probably should step away at this point. And I don't mean that in a judgmental way, not even slightly. Just... for both of our sakes. I'm very unabashed in this post.)

I keep seeing people try to find some goodness in him. And that's fine! They're allowed to speculate! But honestly, like 95% of points I've seen for this argument are a pretty big stretch. I get tempted to reply as such, but I resist it because I know I would end up snapping at them if I did, and snapping at someone over a cartoon is never okay.

I hate Jax. I hate him so, so much. I genuinely, truly hope that he abstracts. The sooner, the better. Just get him out of the picture.

I don't even care about his backstory or trauma or whatever. I really think that if they try to make me feel sorry for him at this point, my response is just gonna be "'k".

It doesn't help that he has so much screentime. It makes sense if you think about it, as he is the creator's favorite character, but it really doesn't help my opinion of him.

Everything Jax does pisses me off. Literally every waking moment, he hurts somebody for absolutely no reason. And no one can stop him. He even continues to mess with Zooble - you know, the person who literally strangled him the last time he was a butt to them.

I genuinely believe that among all the other issues that would come from being trapped in the Digital Circus, being stuck with Jax every day for the rest of your life is at least in the top 3 worst. I honestly can't even imagine how horrible that would be. Like, if it were me, I would try my darnedest to shred him to pieces every time he so much as looked at me funny, but again, Zooble tried that, and all it did was repel him temporarily. Even Ragatha has pretty much given up at this point, not bothering to stick up for Gangle when Jax was bullying her while she was driving because Ragatha knew (probably from experience) that there was nothing that could be done about it.

So, yeah. This isn't entirely organized, but it's not entirely disorganized, either. I just needed to get it out of my system. It's not as good as talking, I'm finding, but it's better to do it through text than not at all. I'm not sure if I got 100% of it out, so I'll just edit or reblog or something if something new comes to mind.

[back-on-my-autistic-bullshit]

Join me as I go feral about klance + Dear Arkansas Daughter by Lady Lamb at 4/5am

Ok. OKAY.

The first three lines are just:

Take a swim in the water / Take a swim in the water / Dear Arkansas Daughter

I have nothing special to say about this except that Lance and water are interconnected in my brain, unsurprisingly. I mean he pilots the blue lion so it just makes sense yk yk

You with the dark curls, you with the watercolour eyes / You who bares your teeth with every smile

This one is SO obvious but. Dark curls = Keith and watercolour eyes is Lance

Bares your teeth with every smile FEELS like Keith too. He's smiling and supposed to be friendly but is still coming off as idk like ??? Standoffish or argumentative anyway!

He says "I can always hear you sing, I wanna hear you speak to me"

This HITS. Imagining this as Keith begging Lance to just TALK to him to tell him how he FEELS because Lance is used to concealing how he feels with jokes. UGH

Skipping a line or two bc I don't have thoughts about those

I was talking at a cigarette / There's nothing left to say / But he should have been there anyway / For I didn't sing a single song, all day

This is about when Keith goes to the blade of marmora and leaves voltron ok ok. Like. Lance misses him. He misses talking to him and he doesn't know what to say when Keith isn't there, his jokes feel hollow now because he isn't there I. Am foaming at the mouth

As my love for you dies / As my love for you dies / As my love for you is steadily dying

Lance and Keith pushing down their love for each other and suppressing ("killing") it as they're separated and IDK IDK is this anything

As sharp and serious as a pistol in the eye

Something something Lance uses a gun and he is the sharpshooter and has good aim. Yeah thats all

My heart is full of swords / Full of, full of swords

This is kinda silly but it reminds me of the three of swords tarot card which has swords impaling a heart. This card also symbolises like, separation, grief, sorrow and heartbreak so!

Once again about Keith leaving to join the blade of the marmora they're both heartbroken and hurting!!!!!

Tie my hands and I knock my knees / As I kneel down, I kneel down in the sea / To the ocean floor, I will sink / Like a steel chest full of weapons

Once again !!! Water + Lance! Interconnected to me

"I will sink" makes me think he's like... giving up hope of Keith EVER coming back and they're relationship being the same again

"Like a steel chest full of weapons" this just goes back to the swords in the heart line and I think thats cool, yeah thats it

And on the spine of the tide, you will rise / Like a red, ripe, red, ripe apple

This one is embarrassingly simple but red = Keith lmao

The "red apple" (Keith) "floating on" (coming back to) "the tide" (Lance)

It feels like hope

ALSO. It reminds me of how oil floats on water and they don't ever truly combine but instead simply like.... co-exist in the same space. Idk dude I'm so tired and having so many thoughts

Take a swim in the dirty water / Dear Arkansas Daughter / Take a swim in the dirty water

Dirty water!!!! Foams at the mouth. This calls back to the start of the song but it's dirty now which links back to my previous thought of oil + water (the metaphor being keith is oil and lance is water btw)

Because water with oil in it is like dirty I guess

And the whole take a swim thing is Lance embracing Keith back into his life

Darling, child, true love of mine

Idk. True love of mine. Feels self explanatory

True love <3 they admit their feelings to each other and are happy. The End

The demons took over, and I needed to get this out of my system I would apologise but then again this is literally what this tumblr account is for so. Yeah hope you enjoyed that word vomit

[splattergai]

Hi there. Again. I'm the one who requested the furina pack and the kirara pack. I'm here once again because... idk. It's kinda nice having a larger system (to a extent--we have like 30? Around that), especially with headmates that are more defined because we have a hard time getting defined headmates when we don't use headmate packs a lot of the time for some reason.

Anyways.

I hope it's alright if I ask for two in the same ask. Both are from the same source.

First-- Hyouta Ashikaga from Pretty Boy Detective Club.

https://nisioisin.fandom.com/wiki/Hyouta_Ashikaga

Specifically the Manga adaptation. (At least appearance wise)

You don't need to go digging too far--what's on the wiki page should be sufficient. You're welcome to if you want to though!

Just one thing here: there's a part in there about him being uhhh..... interesting... (in the sense that he likes to look up girls skirts????) Yeah please don't include anything related to that. Just. For everyone's comfort.

Then also-- Mayumi Doujima, also from the same source.

https://nisioisin.fandom.com/wiki/Mayumi_Doujima

Appearance wise, probably the anime adaptation.

Same things apply as before--wiki should give sufficient info.

Please, for both, include at least one alternate name as we may not feel comfortable making a headmate with a Japanese name as we are not Japanese.

And, if you feel like it, including some aldernic labels would be nice.

It's alright if you don't want to do this request though! It's up to you.

Thank you regardless :3

Hyouta Ashikaga (Pretty Boy Detective Club) Fictive Pack!

[ PT: Hyouta Ashikaga (Pretty Boy Detective Club) Fictive Pack! /end PT ]

Note: Headmate may not form exactly as described. Anything can be changed to fit your system.

Dividers by @/anitalenia [ Tumblr ] Left Photo by Anthony Melone on Unsplash Middle Image from the manga Right Photo by Nadine Shaabana on Unsplash

Name (+ Sign-Off): Hyouta, Liam, Kai (⭐️🖊️)

System: Syskid/Systeen

Species: Human

Age: 12-14

Pronouns: he/him

Gender: Demiboy

Attraction: Heteroflexible

Other IDs: Combmardernic, alderstarpupil

Likes: Running, sports, mysteries, puzzles, detective work

Dislikes: Wearing long pants, being babied, authority

Description: Very cheerful and energetic. Very much a morning person, likes to get up with the sun to start his day. Likes to run or jog a lot, and (if applicable either in headspace or in outerworld) often goes on long treks around an area. Watches sport shows as much as he can. Doesn't take to authority figures well, doing typical tween-boy type rebellious acts such as pranks and refusing to take orders (unless bribed). Very friendly towards other people, but if he does not like someone, he will let them know.

Mayumi Doujima (Pretty Boy Detective Club) Fictive Pack!

[ PT: Mayumi Doujima (Pretty Boy Detective Club) Fictive Pack! /end PT ]

Dividers by @/strangergraphics-archive [ Tumblr ] Left Photo by Diego PH on Unsplash Middle Photo from the anime Right Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash

Name (+ Sign-Off): Mayumi, Comet, Lune (☄️🔭)

System: Systeen

Species: Human, galaxykin

Age: 14-16

Pronouns: she/her, star/stars, ze/zem

Gender: Transtidal cisfem spacegirl

Attraction: Bi-

Other IDs: Alderstarzite, univernic

Likes: Space, stargazing, worldbuilding, quiet areas, nighttime

Dislikes: Light pollution, being complimented, beauty

Description: Star can be moody and gloomy most of the time, and has a pessimistic mindset when it comes to most things. While she doesn't mind having others around, ze doesn't mind being alone, either. Ze enjoys worldbuilding in stars free time, and has a whole binder of stuff she's working on. Has an extreme passion in all things space-related, and wants to live in an area where she can clearly see the stars. Sometimes thinks about what other things are out there, and wants to see them someday.