#it's also a lot of stuff that's so individualistic like 'if you do these things you can be rich' which means if you are not rich it's

[arihi]

Holding an ambient dread in me today. There’s always the scramble to try and figure out what’s causing it for me, especially because I’ve got no internal monologue and I often have to talk out loud and in depth into every little thing that’s happened just to figure out why my feelings are the way they are.

Admittedly I can think of a few things, but they’re not particularly important in the long run. My tendency is to figure out why as if it’ll solve it, or so I can intellectualize the feelings away, but emotions are so rarely cut-and-clean addressed like that. Having been so preoccupied with my past in the past, or dreading the future, it’s grounding to settle down and have moments of silence in the present. I’m on the couch typing this on my phone, the sunset is shining down on my face, whereas usually I’d hate it I’m just letting myself sit in it. Once I’ve figured out a few potential causes, it’s not that important to dive deeper and think myself into anxiety spirals. It’s okay to have an idea of it, and not rationalize away how you’re feeling. It’s okay to feel off, sometimes.

[somekindafairy]

i have a family member who i feel is just so susceptible to certain scams and idk. its like all these people telling you how to get rich, if you just give them money they will tell you the tried and true method to get rich, you can become a millionaire if you just give them money and come to their seminar and...

idk just she talks about it and is so excited and it feels so sketchy and idk how to talk to her about it.

[asstrolo]

How Is Your Future Partner Like (Intuitive Reading)

midnights version!! Because I looooooove bluuuuue. This is an intuitive reading, meaning it's not based on tarot but on my own intuition and channeled messages. If this doesn't resonate with you it's ok, this is just for entertainment purpose.

pick a picture or a number very wisely because duh

pile 1 pile 2

pile 3 pile 4

pile one.

Hello pile one, for you I feel this strong sense of responsibility and duty towards your family or your job or studies and I can see you are a disciplined person or are used to taking care of things on your own. I know this should be about your partner but this is the vibe I'm getting from you right now. A lot of pressure for you for sure and you might be a romantic person that is too busy or too stressed to think of meeting people and stuff, you find social situations a little bit tedious too.

Your future partner might be somebody who is just as disciplined as you but they don't feel the overwhelming weight of disappointing people like you might feel. This is a person who takes care of their mental health as much as possible because they know that they won't be able to do a good job if they are stressed or tired, they are very responsible and might have been raised in a more laid-back household so they can allow themselves rest when is needed, or try to do the best for themselves mentally to be good at anything they have to be good at. Your future partner is someone who's charismatic but solitary, they try to present themselves as well put as they can because they like to show off and to look nice, this is someone who understands that looking good is an advantage. I see they're very ambitious and extremely individualistic, their sense of humor is very bizarre and they might do it on purpose to shock people or see what they'd do, this person is actually quite shy and doesn't like being surrounded with people for too long. When you two meet you'll probably won't like them, or feel a magnetic attraction to them that's almost inexplicable as you might think this person isn't your type, they will be attracted to you the second they see you. You two could be colleagues or friends or know each other but the relationship is never close until one day something just clicks. They will be fascinated by you and look up to you too, like they see a role model and a partner, they will feel very protective of you as well, you will feel very seen and appreciated by this person because they'll wanna listen to you and they rarely want to listen to people talk about themselves.

you or them might have these on their birtchart or synastry: Taurus Sun/Ascendant BIG Taurus energy so might be Taurus Stellium, 6th/7th house Synastry, Cancer Sun/Stellium, Water Moon, 11th house Stellium, Sun in 11th house, Aquarius Ascendant, Saturn-Venus Synastry, Venus in 10th house/11th house, Moon-Moon Synastry,

song:

pile two.

Hello pile two, for you I see you are an adventurous person, kind of always doing something, always thinking about a million things like your mind can't get any rest, you are very creative and love to talk about your creations. I know this should be about your partner but this is the vibe I'm getting from you right now. You really are restless in some way, hard time falling asleep and hard time focusing, if you feel something strongly you must do it, you also have a very good intuition and should work on it a little bit more, I feel like you've predicted things in your life people called you crazy for.

Your future partner is no fool, they're just like you. This is a person who is always plotting something and dealing with something, they're hard to get kind of people, is like they live in their own little world and are always looking for the next mental challenge. They probably were raised in a very controlling household or one that didn't approve of their ideas or condemned their kind of mentality, someone who has a difficult relationship with their family but keeps themselves occupied to not think of the hardships of their childhood, somebody who ran away or left their hometown, this is a person who's always been looking for more than what they've been taught and accepted the next challenge with open arms. This person is unusual in the sense they might like to wear baggy clothes or clothes that don't call much the attention, they don't take care of themselves as much aesthetically as they don't mind how they look to outside viewers but also it might be a statement to say "I don't care. I don't care about anything" when they do, they care about everything all the time and that's their ruin for them. They did NOT wanted a relationship when you two met, and might make you go through hard times or make you wait a lot until they confess their feelings, this person has a really hard time not rationalizing their emotions and you throw them off the edge. You are their soft spot, their weakness and they will find themselves, surprisingly, opening up to you like they never did with anybody, they might be just as intuitive as you and see something in you but it's harder for them to understand, you are a very special person and they see something very special in you.

you or them might have these on their birtchart or synastry: Virgo sun/Ascendant, 9th Stellium, Sagittarius Moon/Venus, Gemini Stellium/Ascendant, Venus-Uranus Synastry, Venus in 9th/3rd, Scorpio Sun/Ascendant, Water Ascendant, 11th Synastry, Big Air Stellium

song:

pile three

Hello pile three, for you I see a very explosive or impulsive personality, somebody who's not bending over anyone and who is very talkative, you have a child's heart and are a delight to be around, very extroverted for sure. I know this should be about your partner but this is the vibe I'm getting from you right now. You are unapologetic and know how to have fun, most of all you are a person that always tries to see the positive side of things and won't let bad things ruin your day or night for anything, is hard for you to fall asleep as is hard to wake up. You are also very loyal and compromise yourself to everything you seem worth of it.

Your future partner is someone more reserved and less impulsive, but that doesn't mean they're boring. This person is extremely attractive (hehe) and has a temper for sure, they are just more secretive about their movements and decide their next steps carefully. This is a person that doesn't take themselves as seriously as people think but likes to put in a show for people and likes to be seen as intimidating, they like being a more private person as they'd probably been raised or grew up in a household where their family was untrustworthy, could never take anything seriously or were very dramatic and self-centered. This person is very self-aware and also authoritative, they probably are the boss on their job or everybody trusts them to do things right. They like to wear winter clothes and dark colors, they give me Levi Ackerman vibes for some reason, somebody really intimidating but deep down doesn't give a damn. When you two meet this person is not immediately attracted to you or aren't even thinking of relationships, it's very probable you meet them when they're going through a breakup or a love disappoinment of some sort that makes them not want to engage with you, but you will like them almost immediately and try to get them no matter what. It'll work! Your perseverance and your obvious sexual attraction will make them fold for you sooner than later. I'm going to be honest, this feels like a friends with benefits kind of situation that progresses into a relationship, they will feel intrigued not for the sexual connection but the way you move and present yourself that makes them want to know you more which is not usual since they don't tend to go out of their way to meet people, they will be very impressed and feel like they never met someone like you and will become obsessed with your natural coolness and even the way you dress makes them like you even more. This person will adore you, they are very intense and can be kind of possessive of you as well, if you're into that kind of stuff.

you or them might have these on their birtchart or synastry: Aries Sun/Venus, Scorpio Venus, 8th Synastry, Leo Stellium, Pluto-Venus Synastry, Capricorn Sun/Ascendant, Sun/Venus in 10th house, Earth Mars, Mars-Venus Synastry, Libra Ascendant, 5th Synastry,

song:

pile four

Hello pile four, for you I see someone who's imagination makes them shy away from the world, a very sensitive and sensorial person and you are almost always sleep deprived for some reason you are definitely a night owl. I know this should be about your partner but this is the vibe I'm getting from you right now. You're a person who is used to bend and to give in, you don't like conflict and hate when people fight, your childhood could've been full of arguments and fights so that's why, now that you're older, you tend to give in even when you don't want to, you try to keep yourself busy to not think of sad things but you might be a pessimist at heart. You can be a person that sees themselves as "broken".

Your future partner is just as imaginative as you, but they express it wholeheartedly, they are free and have an almost childish mind, this person lives their truth every day and they hardly try to hide their personality, they might seem careless and immature but are very contemplative people and search for the answer of things always, they love to know and to read and to listen and to educate themselves. Somebody who likes to do well in everything and tries hard to prove themselves to people, this person might've grown up in a chaotic or closed off household that didn't always value knowledge but who's right and who isn't. They can get repetitive or very passionate about a topic, this person is very eccentric and loves to show off how much shit they know but not because they think they're better than someone but to make conversation and gain more knowledge from other people's perspective, they are pure at heart just like you are and can be dramatic or aloof but never mean and never to you. When you two meet the first one to fall will probably be you as you will love the way their mind works and how passionately they speak of their beliefs, you will feel immediately inspired by them but immediately feel left down, assuming they will never like you back. This person will be very shy in front of you all of a sudden and turn into a mess when you're around because they don't do romantic feelings very well, to be honest, your future partner will also feel like they aren't liked romantically by anyone because people might have told them they're weird or not good enough to be a partner, so they will too shy away. This relationship will not start immediately and might take a long time to develop until the both of you realize the other's feelings, and from then you'll try to go slowly but this relationship will feel so exciting it'd be difficult not to be happy about the future. This person will make your opinions valid and make you feel like you matter to someone unlike previous relationships, it will be a very cute and happy relationship for both of you, they will treat you like the most precious thing they know.

you or them might have these on their birtchart or synastry: Pisces Sun/Venus, Libra Stellium, 2th house Synastry, Aquarius Venus, Virgo Venus/Ascendant, Capricorn Stellium, Jupiter-Venus Synastry, Big Earth energy

song:

.

.

.

.

THAT'S ALL HOES! REBLOG!

[queeranarchism]

With so many left wing artists, it's weird how solidly the idea of 'being an artist' is formed by individualism and capitalism.

The idea of the artist as an 'individual with a vision', results in the vast majority of art being produced alone and the idea of collective art just not occurring to people. Writers groan about being stuck on a rough part in their novel for months and the idea of getting another writer involved to fix it never even crosses their mind because they're so hung up on the idea that their art has to be uniquely their own.

The idea of art as the 'capital' of the artist. Some artists will admit that copyright is just an annoying necessity under capitalism (and as it is, copyright rarely protects small artists and only protects Disney) but many artists hold a deep emotional investment in the idea that they 'own' their art and that they should be allowed to limit what others do with it. 'My property'. You wouldn't download a car etc. The idea that all art could be the collective property of all to freely reproduce and rework into amazing new things is (horror voice) 'anarchy' to many.

(Meanwhile many artists, especially writers, learned their craft through fan fiction, this deeply collaborative space that recognizes no ownership, revels in the freedom to remix everything and produces incredible volumes of free art that is once again available for all to rework. And yet moving away from that and creating something Uniquely Your Own is seen as somehow superior)

And finally, the idea of the creative genius that's superior to everyone else because they create. This one isn't explicit very often but scratch the surface and you'll find a lot of high minded ideas about creativity being this uniquely precious force in a way that invalidates stuff like care work. It'll also show up in it's other equally individualist form: the idea that producing art is deeply fulfilling and meaningful in a way that raising a child or caring for your elderly neighbor isn't.

I could go on about subculture details like the romantic love of books as things you need to physically own on your bookshelf as a thing that makes loving stories into a consumer's profile which simultaneously signals your middle class status, instead of just a free hobby. But I'm more interested in the question: what do we get when we question all this shit?

[trans-cuchulainn]

had a really interesting convo yesterday about ethics and whether intent or results matters (eg if you tried to make an ethical purchasing choice but the business was actually exploitative as hell, does that "count") and very much came to the conclusion that sure, if you're concerned with your personal immortal soul, as a christian might be, then intention counts. but if what you're focused on is your impact on the world, then intention means nothing if the actions have negative results, right? (that doesn't mean you're to blame for them! you didn't know! but you also don't get "ethics points" for trying, you know?)

and this also got me thinking about the whole christian idea that sinful thoughts are as bad as sinful actions because. they're just not imo. maybe for the sake of your Immortal Soul they are points against you, if that's your jam. but in terms of putting good into the world, in terms of your impact on other people, the ONLY thing that matters is what you choose to do with those thoughts. there is no way that "was kind to someone who was pissing me off, for the sake of community harmony" or "helped an acquaintance with a task even though I felt resentful about the time spent doing that" is a Bad Thing for the world

and it made me wonder how much purity culture and thought policing is rooted in (mostly evangelical) cultural christianity and this idea that ethical choices are an individual thing because what matters is the impact of them on YOUR soul and not, you know, things we do because of what we owe the world around us / because of love for others / because a world where people are trying to put good into it is a hell of a lot nicer to live in than one where people are only worried about themselves

i grew up evangelical but like. fairly mild evangelical and even though there wasn't a big focus on hell and stuff, i definitely fixated on imperfect thoughts and behaviours that were putting absolutely no harm into the world, rather than focusing on what i could do to put good into it, and that individualistic vs outward-focused approach to morality has been something i've grappled with a lot as an adult. but i never really thought about it as simply as this and really that's what it boils down to. are you making the ethical choice because you're trying to put good in the world, or because it would make you a "good person" to do so? because the answer to that 100% defines whether it's the thought or the result that counts

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

Today I'd like to show all the Thoughts that we encountered in the game, but didn't end up Internalizing. I think that the more you see of these, the more of a complete picture you get of Harry.

GUILLAUME LE MILLION

Temporary research bonus: -1 Logic: Head in the clouds

PROBLEM:

Whatever happened to Guillaume Le Million, who -- with his amber mane and sparkling teeth -- beguiled the tattered remains of the nation? While you suffered and suffered, did he dematerialize in a cloud of cocaine dust? Or did he simply stand in the corner and melt into the slendering *New* lines of some starlit boîte de nuit twenty years ago? Spare a thought for his great ass too! Or wait... maybe he became a police officer in Revachol West! Hmm...

Completion bonuses: +1 Pain Threshold: Blood oxygen is boring All PSY learning caps raised by one

SOLUTION:

Bad news: Guillaume le Million did not become a cop. In '38 he went on a tour to the Hsin-Yao province in Safre, where he died of auto-erotic asphyxiation. His body was found hanging from a decorative dragon tree in his junior suite, amid drug paraphernalia, unwholesome objects, and the Sylvia Trainor single "Wonderland" skipping in the background. And yes, you can take this as a metaphor for Revachol in the Thirties. And also as a warning.

DETECTIVE COSTEAU

Temporary research bonus: -2 Conceptualization: An idiotic idea

PROBLEM:

Detective Raphaël Ambrosius Costeau -- when you say it, it feels like you're taking a bite of lemon meringue while sitting on the terrace of a seaside cafe. On a cool summer day. In Sur-La-Clef. It's everything you're *not*. You haven't created many things during your stay in Martinaise, but you've created this. A fancy, sophisticated name that makes you sound intelligent. And that no one seems to *acknowledge*. Don't you feel like you deserve a reward for coming up with something so special? And what would that reward *be*?

Completion bonuses: +1 Savoir Faire: This one sounds fancy, let's have this +1 Esprit de Corps: Yup, fancy, let's have this one too

SOLUTION:

Monsieur Costeau, the reward for coming up with your classy new name has arrived. What are the attributes Detective Costeau should gain in? *Obviously* Savoir Faire and Esprit de Corps. You know *exactly* what they do and what those words mean. They're *refined*. Like *you*. You have a ton of that fancy stuff. And if the world can't accept Raphaël Ambrosius is your name -- you will always be Detective Costeau to yourself. R.A. Costeau -- sophisticated culture-detective. Specializes in ancient things and art.

BOIADEIRO

Temporary research bonus: -1 Physical Instrument: Astra Country

PROBLEM:

It has been brought to your attention that there are men who live by the law of the land and the strength of their arms. Sunburnt, rugged, smoking men who explored the great rivery veins of upper-Magritte and tamed the Mundi wilds. Frontiersmen, cow-herders, philosophers -- the *boiadeiros*... with a gun in one hand and an unfiltered cigarette between their lips, these men made their own rules. What would it take for you to become one too?

Completion bonuses: -1 Esprit de Corps: Lone wolf Cigarettes give +2 INT

SOLUTION:

Smoking, Harry. It will take a lot of tobacco-smoking for you to become a *boiadeiro*. Twin cigarettes fused to your lips and one hanging out of your nostril. In these tame, cultured times, without the sky’s dome above your head, the only way to be a true Franconigerian individualist is to smoke a lot of cigarettes. Light one up immediately. The smell of coffee brewing over a fire pit, a chestnut-flavoured morning. Welcome to Astra Country.

I'm not sure we ever actually encountered cigarettes in the course of our playthrough. Normally, they give +1 INT at the cost of 1 Health -- this improves the effect.

MAGNESIUM-BASED LIFEFORM

Temporary research bonus: -1 Shivers: No shakes

PROBLEM:

It is generally understood that human beings are carbon-based organisms, fusing little carbon tubes together to form complex, mushy structures capable of thought, love, and locomotion. It is also known that these structures sometimes like to “take the edge off” by consuming ethanol, amphetamine, etc. In such cases, it is important to supplement your body with magnesium. Tired? Mag it! Down? Mag time! Liver damage? MAXIMUM MAG! Some people say magnesium doesn’t really do anything and you just need to quit. What do we tell them?

Completion bonuses: +2 Volition: Magnesium receptacle glands -1 Logic: No such thing, man

SOLUTION:

We tell them: HELL NO. You’re about to become a magnesium-based lifeform. The age of the primitive carbon-man is done. No longer must mankind rely on slow-working background radiation to take us further into our genetic destiny. This is the era of guided evolution, and magnesium is the key. You are the first of your species. The next step in human evolution. An advanced magnesium proto-man who mags it up, drinks it down, and sniffs it sideways!

A pretty useful Thought if you have low PSY.

BRINGING OF THE LAW (LAW-JAW)

Temporary research bonus: -1 Rhetoric: Weird jaw

PROBLEM:

Hey, so a little observation. It's all cool, man. Don't freak out, but every time you say “I am the law“ -- and you say it *a lot*, it's basically *hello* for you -- your jaw does this *weird thing*. It sort of shifts sideways, hanging off your face at a jaunty angle, while the word *law* sounds oddly guttural and low. It's... strange. You wouldn't notice it, but after saying you're the law eighty thousand times, the question *does* come up: why *do* you have Law Jaw?

Completion bonuses: Learning cap for Hand/Eye Coordination raised to 6 Succeed all Hand/Eye Coordination passives -1 Rhetoric: Jaw still weird

SOLUTION:

Okay, so. We now know why you have *Law Jaw*. Why you say *the law* in a weird manner, and why your jaw does that thing. You had polio as a child. You hadn’t gotten vaccinated. It must've been right after the Revolution -- not a lot of vaccine going around then. So you got infantile paralysis due to polio and this jaw thing is a complication from that. Admittedly, it’s not very funny. But you *overcame* it! This little infant survived and became a sharpshooting supercop. So: fuck you, polio!

This is a pretty useful Thought *and* it tells us something, in my opinion, pretty important about Harry.

ANTI-OBJECT TASK FORCE

Temporary research bonus: -2 Pain Threshold: Hurts!

PROBLEM:

Take a look at your hands. See how bruised they are? See those little scars? This is Exhibit A. The material world is holding you back. Containers, mailboxes, doors, chairs -- they are all your enemies. Always have been. Atoms themselves are in on the conspiracy, forming shapes and structures that you hate. You are energy stuck in a body. You are spirit trapped in matter. Break free! Beat up that lamp post! Let it know just how much objects *suck*.

Completion bonuses: Attacking physical objects heals damage +1 Pain Threshold: Thick skin All FYS learning caps raised by one

SOLUTION:

Behold: the Anti-Object Task Force has assembled. God's avenging angel, arrayed against the lower emanations of the Darkened One: shoe racks, tape recorders, motor carriages. And doors. So many doors. You're not just pounding it all to pieces. You’re *reforging* the universe. From the anvil of the heavens to the worms below. Indulge in it. Be bold. Have an *impact* on the shape of Creation. Out of the furnace of your rage -- a new reality! Also, you should trash your room *again*.

The first bonus here is not as useful as it sounds, because by the time you unlock this Thought, you'll have already been through most of the attackable things in the game. The rest is still pretty good, though.

DATE OF BIRTH GENERATOR

Temporary research bonus: None

PROBLEM:

Your face looks like it’s 58 and your body feels like it’s 60. Your mind feels like it’s lived for one day or a hundred. Both longer than they ought to be, the day and the century.... But for how long, then, has this thing attached to your sentience walked the planet’s crust? Time to start racking those brains of yours, Elder One. When and where were you born?

Completion bonuses: Learning cap for Logic raised to 4 -1 difficulty to all Physique passives

SOLUTION:

You were born in the year ‘07, in the last year of the Commune of Revachol, right before it fell. In the Old Military Hospital, on the ground floor where people usually came to die, during a snowstorm. The Revolution had about one year left to go and the fires were still burning bright. There were explosions in the blizzard. This was 44 years ago. You are 44 years old. The bloating might never leave your face, but beneath it -- you still have some years. You still have some hope.

I believe you can talk about this with Kim once you have the answer.

ARNO VAN EYCK

Temporary research bonus: +1 Interfacing

PROBLEM:

The question won’t leave you – why did the melody line from a broken and discarded tape fit perfectly into a song played by some speedfreaks in a frozen tent? Can it be a coincidence? Maybe it’s the hand of the Man-Machine himself, in his attempt to craft a perfect song. Maybe Egg Head is actually Arno van Eyck in disguise!? Eyck? Egg? Hmm...

Completion bonuses: All white Motorics checks unlocked Reveals Arno Van Eyck gig posters in the world

SOLUTION:

Okay, so Egg Head is clearly not Van Eyck in disguise. Van Eyck is an Oranjese disc jockey -- but those people get around. Especially in Revachol, in the clubs on Boogie Street. Perhaps he stayed here for a short stint and discarded part of the song he was working on. Just threw it away. And then it ended up in the hawthorn tree. But why? Did he think it was *retrograde*? It wasn’t. Perhaps he caught a glimpse of the future and did not want for it to arrive just yet. Perhaps the city whispered the topline to him and he was frightened by it?

We've seen variations on this one before for other skill categories. The Arno Van Eyck posters give you additional orbs to click, which synergises nicely with Jamais Vu.

Egg Head also directly told us that his name was in reference to Van Eyck at one point, so that was not really much of a mystery.

SEARCHLIGHT DIVISION

Temporary research bonus: None

PROBLEM:

Missing persons cases just really get to you. It's hard watching people worry about their loved ones – the little nervous movements, the dark rings around their eyes from sleepless nights. And even if there are no loved ones waiting – you like to have all your ducks in a row, and it really bothers you when whole entire people aren't accounted for.

Completion bonus: +2 Perception: Clear-eyed pursuit of truth

SOLUTION:

You've sharpened your senses by being on the lookout for missing persons. Now you notice more of what's happening around you. Perhaps when you're done with this case, you can join the Searchlight Division of the RCM, and find every Revacholian that's ever gone missing without a trace (there is undoubtedly a backlog of such cases). Because you never know, a missing person could be just around the edge, barely out of sight.

ONE MORE DOOR

Temporary research bonus: +1 Half Light: What is behind it?

PROBLEM:

God dammit, it cannot be. A disgrace! That door on the coast... you remember the one, right? The one that leads to the abandoned supply depot? Why, in the name of all that's holy, does it not open? *Why*?! There *has* to be a way to get through that unopenable door. By gods, you're the police -- all doors are supposed to open before you. What will the others at the precinct think if you can't open a goddamn door? There must be a way.

Completion bonuses: -1 Half Light: No fear All PSY white checks unlocked

SOLUTION:

There is no way to open the supply depot door. Accept it. You cannot open *all the doors*. You have to integrate this into your character. Some doors will forever remain closed. Even if every single other door will open at one time or another, maybe to a key, or maybe to some sort of tool meant for opening doors... But this one will never accede to such commands. A realization crucial to personal growth. Crucial.

There will always be one more door.

HARDCORE AESTHETIC

Temporary research bonus: -2 Interfacing: Fuck grammar!

PROBLEM:

Not only have you internalized the Hard Core Aesthetic, you’ve also *contributed* to it. How harder-core could you possibly become? Low-core people come around you to correct your “typos”: it’s “Hardcore” here, “hard-core” there, “Hardorcore” in a third instant -- what’s going on? Those aren’t typos, man, that’s how core hardness works. If you don’t know “hard-core” from “Our Happy Hardcore,” what the fuck are we even talking about?

Completion bonuses: +1 Endurance: Really useful for doing drugs +1 Volition: Same thing, Hardman

SOLUTION:

Oh yes. Drugs. We’re talking about drugs. Let’s face it, these flirtations with the Hard Core Aesthetic have all been leading up to one question: Can I do drugs *harder* now that I’m a Hard Cop? And the answer is: yes. You can. You can do one more blast of pyrholidon and yellow shit-powder, you can even pull a ciggie and a lager on top of that. There. You’ve *truly* made the Hardcore your own thing now.

Despite what it says on the tin, this actually just gives you more health.

THE INSULINDIAN MIRACLE

Temporary research bonus: None

PROBLEM:

You were reminded of a poem, somewhere deep inside you, the translation of which you don't remember… "Nulla sarà cambiato della luce!” it begins. “Colori come grigio e marrone / Tutti stampati uno sull’altro / Trovai un vuoto / Una macchia Bianca / Gli altri guardarono / “Che bella giornata! Che bel tempo!” / Ma sentii la rotativa." You were reminded of it when you heard about the discovery of Insulinde. But what does it mean? And how do you know it by heart?

Completion bonuses: All white checks unlocked

SOLUTION:

It’s easy. You know the poem by heart because you were taught it at school. It is one of the Volta do Mar mantras repeated on the voyage that lead to the discovery of the Insulindian isola. And the words mean: “Nothing will be changed about the light! / Colours like grey and brown / All printed on top of each other / I found a blank white spot / All the others looked up: / ‘What a beautiful day! What beautiful weather!’ / But all I heard was the printing machine." What strange words to celebrate a new world.

You can only unlock this Thought when talking with Joyce after the confrontation with Ruby, making it a really useful tool if you have anything left to do in the game at that point.

And that's all the Thoughts that we encountered in our playthrough, aside from the ones we already saw in the game proper. We did also *technically* get to the point where we could have seen the Thoughts for the moralist and ultraliberal political alignments, even if we chose not to opt into them. So, I'll show those too:

KINGDOM OF CONSCIENCE

Temporary research bonus: -2 Half Light: Calm water

PROBLEM:

Heartache is powerful, but democracy is *subtle*. Incrementally, you begin to notice a change in the weather. When it snows, the flakes are softer when they stick to your worry-worn forehead. When it rains, the rain is warmer. Democracy is coming to the Administrative Region. The ideals of Dolorian humanism are reinstating themselves. How can they not? These are the ideals of the Coalition and the Moralist International. Those guys are signal blue. And they're not only good -- they're also powerful. What will it be like, once their nuanced plans have been realized?

Completion bonuses: Moralist dialogue heals 1 Morale Learning cap for Volition raised to 5 Learning cap for Logic raised to 5

SOLUTION:

The Kingdom of Conscience will be exactly as it is now. Moralists don't really *have* beliefs. Sometimes they stumble on one, like on a child's toy left on the carpet. The toy must be put away immediately. And the child reprimanded. Centrism isn't change -- not even incremental change. It is *control*. Over yourself and the world. Exercise it. Look up at the sky, at the dark shapes of Coalition airships hanging there. Ask yourself: is there something sinister in moralism? And then answer: no. God is in his heaven. Everything is normal on Earth.

INDIRECT MODES OF TAXATION

Temporary research bonus: -2 Empathy: Cold blooded

PROBLEM:

First, if you have a side-bitch ideology cooking somewhere, don't sweat it. Fightin' indirect taxation for the Gossamer State is compatible with *all* creeds. It's cool like that. You're a cool anarchist now. Unless you don't want to be an anarchist. Whatever! Stuff this meal ticket in your eye-socket and let's see if we can steal some *love* back from the robber barons at the customs agency and the *banditos* at The Insulindian Financial Oversight and Competition Committee.

Completion bonuses: -1 Empathy: Thinks he's a hustler or something Ultraliberal dialogue options give +1 real

SOLUTION:

Turns out those Financial Oversight Committee gangsters stuffed millions of hard-earned dividends away in the last place anyone thought to look: the hearts and minds of everyday Revacholians! You need to spread that deregulation gospel to the *people*. Tell them about that foreign fare tax. Preach that 98% gross burden. Preach it, preacher man! Set the brothas free. Taxes are racist.

Even with those, there are still *eighteen* Thoughts remaining in the game that we didn't encounter - either because we didn't have high enough stats, didn't pick the right dialogue options, or chose not to put any points into fascism. Some of them are mutually exclusive with Thoughts we did pick, some require *really complicated* methods to find. A few of them give us some more interesting backstory on Harry and Kim that's worth hearing -- but I'll let you uncover that on your own time.

[alpaca-clouds]

I lived in a Cyberpunk World and it sucked

When I got really into Shadowrun, I kept always joking: "Basically we are right on track for this world. Just without magic or any of the cool stuff." Because that kinda how it is. Shadowrun (like a lot of Cyberpunk media) is in some point very good at predicting where the world is going, both when it comes to the effects of late stage capitalism and stuff like the environmental distruction. The only part we are lacking behind is all the cyberware and what not. Aka the stuff that make the Cyberpunk aesthetic.

But generally speaking, here is the thing: One of the reasons that Cyberpunk kinda lost a lot of the draw for me (outside of the hopelessness) is, that we already are living in a Cyberpunk world. Our present, as it is right now, it pretty darn close to the worlds we see depicted within a lot of Cyberpunk. Well, at least within the Cyberpunk that does more than just the aesthetic.

The thing is of course, that no matter how cool the aesthetic of Cyberpunk is, the point is that Cyberpunk is a dystopia. It is the worst outcome for late stage capitalism. And what a lot of people often like to forget because of the aesthetic is, that your rugged street samurai is not the normie of a cyberpunk world. Most people in a cyberpunk world are salariman, wage slaves. People who toil away day after day for their megacorps, paid and paying in the megacorps own currency and just... trying to somehow make a living in their lives, too numb to everything happening in the world around them to care.

The entire point of the protagonist of the Cyberpunk story is, that they have already fallen out of society for one reason or another. Maybe because they are too rugged of individualists, but often through trauma and injury.

And while the initial reaction one might have to how we have Cyberpunk in anything but the "cool stuff" we should not forget that the entire point of the "cool stuff" is kinda about how under late stage capitalism your humanity is worth nothing. You need to be productive, so you have to replace parts of yourself to increase your productivity. You replace your humanity to be a better cog within the system. It is also a world where there is no room for disability. Your disability has to be "fixed" because you need to be productive.

I lived in a Cyberpunk world. I still do. We all do. And it sucks here. And that is even without them replacing parts of us to be better cogs. And quite honestly: I want out of here.

[blues-valentine]

Do you think that the show retconned Gina's character/took away her agency by making it appear as if Ricky was the reason why she joined the musical?

No. And this is such a random take because the show made it clear that Gina joined because she wanted to find a propose that connects her to something other than ambition and success. And this is what Ricky has represented for Gina all along. They just spelled it out for you. Ricky is the reason Gina found community in theater.

What we learn about Gina on Season 1 is that she is a highly ambitious girl which motivation is often to win and be the lead. We can asume she joined stuff like those not just because she enjoyed it and was good at it but her approach to it was to win and being the main focus, not to form a community. And this is her mother’s influence who used to tell her is not worth it if she isn’t number one at it. We saw on Season 1 she had a lot of medals/trophies from dancing competitions but it wasn’t something that made her feel fulfilled. There’s a reason she was so touched by the medal she was given by the drama club for winning the clues game during the thanksgiving episode (a medal you can also see on Gina’s room on Season 4). In the scene from 406 is very clear that her issue is that she lacked an emotional propose after being yet again moved to another school. She’s back at square one. Adopting another personality to protect herself from forming attachments. She met Ricky, found him intriguing and decided to join something she probably would’ve joined eventually for the sake of it or not consider at all. Gina has been the lead of shows probably all of her life. Her joining “for Ricky” wasn’t much about him but what he represents for her since.

Ricky made her enjoy theater but not just as an activity she can be better than others but as a place she can find a community and where she can allow herself to be just Gina. And that has been real about their connection since the start of the show. It doesn’t take away from her agency or her ability to be goal focused and ambitious, it just gives her reasons to find the things she has been looking for all of her life, stability and a place to connect. A place to call home. Because she desires both. She wants to be successful but she also needs constants and people she can be vulnerable with. I am sure Ricky will now become her source of calm and groundedness when things get overwhelming.

This is also the reason Gina connected with the role of Bailey. She was imagining Ricky because he is the person that made her connect and feel seen not just in theater but as herself. Had she not met Ricky, she’ll probably still see theater in a very individualistic way instead of team work. The 406 plot just made it more tangible. Also, we need to stop thinking women doing things for “love” is a negative. Especially when it comes to Gina as a character who’s entire arc has been about finding people to connect with.

[villainsandvictimsalliance]

how do you write the league of villians what are things to pay attention to when writeing them like with dialouge and gestures and stuff

Uhhhh, to be honest what I do is try to reread the manga a lot or write down certain chapters that help me with the characterization. Maybe another list would do it? Idk idk, I'm terrible with trying to explain myself today ejdndnjf. Let's try anyway.

Tips on what to pay attention to when writing the League of Villains:

1) You need to understand that the League is very individualistic.

If you compare the League of Villains to other teams like the Meta Liberation Army, then you will find out that the League really values their personal freedom and the ability to do as they please.

They have strong personalities that clash all the time, but they also know how to act together because they have a common goal. You need to be careful with those, because it's like handling the little threads of a puppet to make him walk in a certain direction.

Dabi tends to like working alone, but he always comes back when the LOV needs him. Twice is not very good in solo missions, but he's a real overkiller when he has someone he wants to protect or take care of. Mr. Compress doesn't like big fights and prefers to stick to subtle roles— he's the wild card of the team. Spinner is often in the support role, while Toga is the one with more secret missions among them. As the leader, Tomura is the main show and the most direct attacker.

I often try to categorize their dynamics and study how Horikoshi uses them in the manga.

2) Pay attention to how their backstories dictate how they see the world around them and how they interact with it.

A good characterization comes from knowing the character, understanding how they came to be and how they can grow. I suggest that you reread the manga and ask a lot of questions.

One of the best examples is Dabi. I've seen him depicted as this cool suave character, when in truth his very awkward!

There are several moments in the manga when a LOV member pointed out his low self-esteem or tried to comfort him over it. Toga said that he was running away because his fire couldn't hurt Gigantomachia, while Twice tried to cheer him up during the attack to the summer camp. He dances like a little kid when he gets excited and couldn't recruit one (1) good new member, the only one being a traitor. He's also very very dramatic, "falling from a second floor widow as I destroy a building" dramatic, which would be super aloof if it wasn't for Toga noticing that he did that to cheer her up after Twice died.

Another example is the difference between Dabi and Spinner:

Even when they are both Stain fanboys, they differ on what is a pro-hero and who gets to become one. Spinner is more idealistic, being a civilian kid that still has hope. Dabi is way more cynical, given that he knows by experience the inside workings of the Hero Society 'cause his dad was a pro-hero. On the other hand, Spinner suffered from a type of discrimination no one else in the League could understand.

They do not see the world the same way, so they won't react to it the same way either.

3) You don't want to turn them into a stereotype instead of the multifaceted characters they are.

I find that fandom spaces are deadly scared of making a character ooc or scared of turning them into a stereotype. I personslly think it's kinda silly to expect fan creations to be exactly like the main source.

Characters are defined by maaaany things like their past, their environment or the setting of the story, the current arcs, the message that the author wants to communicate, etc. They'll be different in each story, but the goal is not to write them to the point they are unrecognizable

If you're afraid of writing the LOV shallow or making them feel alien, remember: the most important part is to figure out the core of the character, aka those traits that cannot change under any circumstances or you'd be writing an original character.

Once you have those traits, you should focus on consistent writing. Every action must have an explanation, an origin. Create your own guidelines and stick to them.

For example, in my I Don't Dance au, Tomura leans into his "Tomura" persona for a healthier reason, but he still does it. AFO didn't force the identify change on him, instead Tomura took it as an artistic name to distant himself from the Shimura tragedy. While Tomura is still a shield for Tenko to hide behind, just like in the manga, giving him an artistic way to express his sorrow and guilt instead of a destructive quirk and the worst mentor figure ever— well, it gave me an excuse to make Tomura just as unwell, but a lot more sane and in control of his emotions.

He might be a bit ooc, but that's expected of an alternative universe where I changed a lot of his past! The important thing is that he's still a menace and that his issues are the same, just treated differently.

4) Like when you're learning a new language, you will have to exaggerate before you learn how to control their personal "accents".

Remember the essential traits I mentioned? One of them is the way they talk!!!!!

Try to think about the level of education they had, who were their friends, the socioeconomic status of their families, what jobs they worked in, what series they watch... Of course, you can ignore this and try to write them all on a basic vocabulary. This really depends on how deep you want to dive in the characterization.

You know that Dabi is really rude and that he grew up in a wealthy family. However, he'd try to hide his upbringing so as not to make others question him. You can write him talking more in the street style and maybe make him slip and add a witty comment from time to time.

Toga has a very kawaii talk. It's exaggerated when she's on beast mode. Like Dabi, Toga is pretending because she wants the world to perceive her as a little girl and not a monster. When Toga feels more comfortable she is kinda childish, but something closer to her age. She is more calm, more sober with her words.

This applies to the gestures too!

Spinner would try to act cooler because he wants to look like Stain, but he's a nervous wreck. You can write him as someone who tries to flex with his giant sword, while screams the most nerd stuff ever to exist.

In serious moments, Twice is able to look fully present, less divided; on the day to day he jumps from grumpy to childish with little worry. He's movement is probably clearer when in a fight and his words are more severe.

Mr. Compress acts like a coward, but when the time comes he's not afraid of the spotlight. He is not one to talk a lot. Theatric gestures like fixing his coat, his hat or his gloves are unique of him.

An exercise is to make them all say the same dialogue or do the same gesture, exploring how different can they perform under the same circumstances.

5) Know your limits as a writer or know when you want to explore / expand your range.

As a writer, you must know where you are, where you want to go and what you want to do. Or at least realize you don't know and that it's a new adventure for you!

Sometimes you'll have to write that fanfic and let it be for a while. You can reread it later and ask yourself what can be improved. Art is a process of failing and failing and taking notes of those failures, so you can get better.

Another good exercise is to read a lot of fics and study them. If you think a fic has good characterization, try to pinpoint what gives you that feeling. Be critical. Overanalyze. Complain on your own if you need to.

Instead of expecting it to be perfect on the first try, imagine you're building a stair. One step will not take you there. Work with one character at the time or with only one aspect, maybe the dialogues only. Focus on a part and then you can continue with others.

I'm aware of how general and vague I'm being, but I don't have specific rules for writing the League of Villains. I try to do the same thing I'd do with any other characters. So....

Hope this works for you too <3

[mousemilf]

people talking abt never doing ur passion for money also reminds me of how my mom talks abt art school stifling my "True Creativity" as though structure and study killed some kind of pure innate thing within me and theres like. something that bothers me abt treating Creativity as this sacred thing that must be kept separate from practical aspects of life (which like, what does creativity even mean in that sense?) and guarded from outside influence. i can't articulate it well atm but glorifying Creativity and Passion so much feels individualistic in a bad way.

as i see it art making is not fundamentally different from other stuff we do. drawing a guy is not sacred in a way that working on a car isnt. i feel like the reason a lot of people get burnt out in "creative" careers is because a lot of them suck for other reasons, not because they are fundamentally different than other jobs. but if you think taking direction "kills your creative spirit" or whatever then u need to get over the auteur mentality and realize theres nothing sacred about your individual creative ability.

[houseofashesif]

𝐍𝐈𝐊𝐈𝐓𝐀 ❝ 𝐍𝐈𝐊𝐊𝐈 ❞ 𝐒𝐀𝐊𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐊𝐀𝐒 𝐕𝐈𝐊𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐇

𝐂𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 ;; Erebrus, named after Greek god of primordial darkness

[ 20 || 6'2 || cis - male || androsexual lithromantic || ❤ ash & rin ]

𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐒

a big tattoo on his back spanning nearly the entirity of his upper back. one can even see the floral pattern by the side of his neck from a certain angle

𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝑪𝑨𝑺𝑼𝑨𝑳 : everyday casual clothing , which is usually either all black or has some in it , but never without it

𝑩𝑼𝑺𝑰𝑵𝑬𝑺𝑺 :

𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑴𝑨𝑳 : he just likes a lot of burgundy and maroon red

𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑪𝑶𝑨𝑻 : being the classic guy he is, Nikita likes wearing long trench coats over his suits whenever he's off to a super important meeting or something

𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐊

this but with a lot more shadows around the edges leaving over the lower half of the face barely visible

𝐕𝐄𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄

bugatti divo

𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐀

pronouns ➜ he / him

build ➜ athletic

height ➜ 6'2"

guns ➜ sköll & hati

ice cream ➜ mint chocolate chip

breakfast ➜ belgian waffles with a drizzle of maple syrup

take - out ➜ a crispy chicken burger

sweets ➜ classic chocolate cake

drinks ➜ herbal tea & espresso macchiato

◾️ his MBTI type would be ISTP-A (Assertive Virtuoso). a Virtuoso (ISTP) is someone with the Introverted, Observant, Thinking, and Prospecting personality traits. they tend to have an individualistic mindset, pursuing goals without needing much external connection. they engage in life with inquisitiveness and personal skill, varying their approach as needed. which in a nutshell basically embodies his whole "do it my way or hit the highway" mindset

◾️ Nikita usually prefers to keep his gaze away from people unless he’s speaking, keeping his eyes down to the ground whenever he’s all alone by himself for reasons to be discussed later. but in the rare times when you finally meet his gaze then you’ll finally realise how deep yet bright of an emerald green his eyes are, almost resembling an uncut emerald. they are surrounded in thick black coloured lashes which make his eye colour pop out even more. they seem almost hypnotic in a sense, mesmerising and trapping people in those deep pools of green. however they are just as scary. whenever Nikita feels a very rare yet sudden burst of bloodlust or anger his eyes turn into a muddy, dirty green. they become more sharp and calculating, losing the lazy and carefree glint in them, even soulless as some describe. people have even pointed out how his darkened eyes resemble ones similar to a dead fish’s.

◾ suffers from myopia or nearsightedness and is therefore required to wear glasses. however he vehemently refuses to wear them, and instead goes for lens instead or none at all

◾️ *seductively takes off glasses* "wow, you are so fucking blurry."

◾️ other than his hellhounds, who he likes to call by various flower names (i.e. lily, rose, iris, buttercup and etc), Nikita also likes to create shadow ravens who serve as his messengers from the sky, thus his crow inspired mask.

◾️ apart from depression, Nikita also suffers from post - traumatic stress disorder or ptsd (courtesy of his fathers death), anorexia nervosa, bodily dysmorphic disorder and mild insomnia.

◾️ one of his main hobbies is collecting. as a kleptomaniac, Nikita usually gets quite … creative with his hobby of ‘collecting’ stuff, especially the shiny ones. he doesn't really collect much, but when he does its large in quantity and amazing in quality. his favourite things to buy + collect are music boxes.

◾️ although he's not yet ready to accept Yvette back in his life, Nikita for now, has chosen to simply avoid his confusing feelings about his mother but focusing on the mission in hand (but still he's saved her contact as "Deadbeat Mom" in his phone)

◾️ in terms of love, oh boy, Nikita is super dense, so he probably wouldn't even realize he's got a crush until somebody slaps him across the face figuratively by telling him straight - up clearly by stating facts even he can't deny or some miracle of an epiphany strikes him out of nowhere – when he's still oblivious he'd probably be more docile and kinder towards the crush, probably being slightly overprotective and flirting without knowing it. when he's not-so-oblivious anymore, cue the flusteredness and avoidance because he's embarrassed! let the drama ensue!

◾️ he chose "Elysium Cleanup Crew" as the group name, mainly because he wasn't ready to start another war in the group chat about the names, plus it seemed the most logical to him then, in his still sleep muddled brain

◾️ more info shall be added once available

IF :: @vendetta-if

[1eoness]

BROOO u were literally probably the first author whose fic i read when i first searched up leon smuts last year 😭 ur works r so good n idk if u'll see this but it's nice to hear abt ur perspective, i feel like fics abt leon these days r so fucked up and scary, it reminds me of when i first read a fic of yours and it was nothing but normal and hot? i just mean it's like, what fanfiction should be, how smuts should be, just p in v and stuff without all that crazy shit, it sucks to see writers these days waste their talent on writing dead dove fics that are so horrendous that it really affected me mentally

helloo!! (im not dead mueheaheah)

WARNING : Mentions of dead dove content and the likes of its themes!

before i talk : [HIIIIII HEHAHEH thank you for your support!! i'm glad you liked my (very subpar) work! now that i look back on it those themes did enter a somewhat gray line at some point because i lacked a lot of experience in writing. i do not condone ever letting your professor have sex with you nor do i promote any kind of hate-motivated sex, or dubcon! it was merely a bold attempt of expressing hormones (if you know 😭) like a lot of people my age commonly do and so i had (and still have to) reedit the tropes in my work a bit, also because i turned 18 now and i wanna readjust my boundaries! i hope you dont mind. regardless, i love that you like those themes. very good! love you!! /p]

anyway, leaning more towards the topic at hand. i don't doubt that your opinion is much different than a large part of the community under this tag. which is a very, very good thing! i'm pretty sure it was ever since @/gilfhub's posts started to quickly rise in the top pages that lead a lot of users to be influenced and begin to tear down a very, very important boundary. i'm very sorry to hear that being exposed to that affected you mentally, that's the entire reason why i absolutely abhor blogs that post and enable that content. you're not alone on that either <3 and i agree! people should ALWAYS write boundaries in mind. i've lurked around the tag a lot and noticed a lot of "popular" writers who also have an alternative blog for dark content (this isn't just a specific account, there are a lot of these.) warnings don't make things better, they don't fend witnesses away, and it doesn't make you any less insensitive. "dead dove content" itself (which is really just incestual/horribly taboo sexual assault fantasies, no need to sanitize it) should always be suppressed and private (or, well, NOT WRITTEN AT ALL). the moment you put it up on any kind of digital page, you are attracting ANY kind of viewer and none of that shit is cute, i'm sorry. projecting your trauma onto a character is one thing but writing them as someone who skips the morality line is just straight up trying to exercise your power through the wrong means. just as much as you have the power to express yourself, you also have the power to make someone very uncomfortable. people don't think about these situations in the long run, that's why. they seem to really like using the "leon is just a character, i promise he won't care" argument which i also think is total bullshit cause this isn't even about leon, it just entirely reflects what your true values really are. they centralize around the need to express yourself at the expense of other people's comfort (because, for the nth time, it's a public space with an unpredictable demographic yet people seem to really like just doing the "bare minimum" on their part). whilst your perception of a traumatic experience may be valid, it doesn't give you any excuse. this is far from the idea of free individualistic expression, it is just as bad as some 4channer posting about wanting similar situations be inflicted onto them with even real, sentient people. because we all know why these themes allow themselves to be exposed to the audience and that's because it tries to appeal to a very specific group of people (which is very disgusting.) they want to be so condescending, too. like "oh grow up, i'm all under ur skin and for what." it's blatant ignorance, you're not very smart!

and finally as ironic as it is, porn is to blame for enabling a lot of similar themes. it's so obvious, too, a lot of fictions like the ones you mentioned that are dead dove always have to mention pornography titles in it. (honestly doesn't have to be dead dove either). sanitization can be done in MANY ways, and a lot of the times I notice it's through the way of romanticizing or aestheticizing it. I'm talking about those who put up mini pinterest-board headers of like three whatevercore images and then putting lyrics at the bottom of it. it's like an attempt at writing a very bad fucking movie not gonna lie. for example, they end up trying to decorate their post with elements that fall under anything curated aesthetic. and guess what? we've all been there but NOT for writing about uncle!character and their kid reader thats just flat out WEIRD. trust me you are NOT anais nin, you do not have to write lyrical prose and try to beautify something that will always be ugly and demented to its very core. you cannot call dead dove content "artistic vents", either. i also think i can understand that some people are victims who have failed to get help thus they try to cope through other means. but i will never applause someone for making the right choices. i think there's no excuse behind writing dead dove content other than to self mutilate your mental health in the long run for a temporary moment of "safe fun", and not even knowing that it is also in/directly harming the public eye.

it's rotten. it's disgusting. dead dove writers should not be welcomed in any fictional writing space. i've been triggered over and over again and it made me put off writing and reading for a very long time. i've experienced something similar before and i have gone crazy over it, and trust me, the things these people write so "generously" for their viewers are NOTHING but toxic waste.

tumblr is NOT your space, but everyone has a space in tumblr, so be conscious of yours.

i also encourage people to not stay silent on the matters if they want to speak up on it but are afraid of getting backlash. i've seen people delete their accounts over it (which, i guess is good on them since then they won't have to confront this kind of space anymore).

[sugutoad]

hi hi, matchups are open right? if so, can i have a demon slayer and percy jackson matchup? we can also do a matchup exchange if you’d like!

prominent personality traits:

passionate (inwards, only express when some small thing im actually interested in comes up), levelheaded, contemplative (outwardly), opinionated, honest (heart on my sleeve). realistic but optimistic about it. individualistic. but i have a strong sense of justice and i am very blunt. im the type of person where someone would take my jokes seriously

hobbies/talents: i like to read and write and listen to music and taking walks. i'm really good at explaining things in a very cohesive manner. my logic is really good, so my persuasion is extremely good too. im very efficient and creative, which i apply to many things in real life. otherwise i get my words misinterpreted a lot.

extra stuff: i give pretty good advice

appearance-wise, im more on the cuter end rather than being hot or pretty

no preference for gender!

thank you and take your time!

Demon Slayer

I ship you with…

Tanjiro Kambado

Percy Jackson

I ship you with…

Leo Valdez

Thank you for taking your time

[katyspersonal]

Send us your Edgar headcanons!!!

@ anon, I am so sorry. When you've sent this ask one eternity ago I started to reply and then got interrupted by mom and then forgot ;-; I can't be trusted with this stuff sometimes I swear.

🔎 I like the idea about him infiltrating Yahar'gul for spyoning, however my "official" timeline and headcanons are different! (is "official headcanon" even a thing? xD) I have him go into Byrgenwerth with Yurie/Julie and Fauxsefka and make his way into Nightmare of Mensis under pretense of being a wayward Byrgenwerth scholar! I've had posts covering this thing in more details as it draws upon some cut content and obscure implications from Mico's dialogoe in Japanese original, but in summary, I think that Lecture Hall used to be accessible from the part of Byrgenwerth in "real" world and it only got locked when Micolash had Rom block the Arcane Lake! Why he blocked the way in the end? Well.... because slowly, Edgar started to warm up to Micolash and find a kindred spirit in him, realizing that Choir was never a right place for him and fellow choirlings never "really" understood him. So he ended up confessing having been spying on him and playing part in figuring out how to ruin his Nightmare.

(Here are the posts about what's the deal with the Arcane Lake if you need them: ( x ) ( x ) !)

🔎 I think he avoided wearing Blindfold Cap back in Choir, and now that he "joined" School of Mensis he doesn't wear a cage intentionally as well! Choir's Blindfold symbolises entrusting your way and what you are allowed to see to the 'Stars', whereas Mensis Cage missing only one bar at the eyes level symbolizes being allowed to see the cosmic horrors how they are but also repressing free will and personality to not (literally) die from horror at these visions. Neither really appealed to Edgar as he is an individualists and prefers to preserve both the autonomy of his research and autonomy of how he will "take" his discoveries. It is a risky strategy but he is a strong-willed and strong-minded man, besides he got a lot of Sedatives! This attitude made him similar to Laurence which is something I've realized only late in writing him, but now I am using it as an excuse for what attracted Micolash to him.

🔎 Edgar infiltrated at 'warm' season:

🔎 He originally was a teacher in one of the schools under Healing Church's influence! I assume Healing Church hired the foreigners abundantly that's hinted by how Brador's clothes (stated to be foreign) copy male Black Church clothes and foreign set of Paleblood Hunter copies male White Church clothes. But Edgar started to notice that whenever after the nights of the hunt any of his pupils became orphans, soon nice people in white robes from higher echelons would take them and these orphans would never be seen again :/ He was nosy enough to try and figure what was going on, but thanks to his intelligence and actor skills he managed to convince the Choir to let him work for them rather than getting thrown into a jail for people that learned too much. It was painful to manage being around people experimenting on children... at first. He was able to stomach the idea that after how much cosmic horrors were unleashed the world was as good as ending and orphaned children objectively had much higher chance to call upon Great Ones of higher rank than Choir's half-human ally Ebrietas and receive their wisdom and blessing.

🔎 He is really physically fit, actually! The guy can throw a very good punch. Not just because he uses Ludwig's Holy Blade, but there are also stats indicating he is stronger than frikin ALFRED and I can't forget this detail for even one day:

🔎 For as long as Edgar remembered he was unintentionally rude, very rarely emoting and when he did it was very strong and explosive, appearing as though he was not interested in feelings and lives of others, not running his mouth in vain (save for his special interests) and of course he would not do things that made no sense for him. His first attempt at dating ended up pretty toxic as his girlfriend not only could not quite accept him and expected him to magically "warm up" in relationship, but also kept emotionally manipulating him into abiding by her demands. Like I said, he would not do shit for others, no matter how simple, if it made no logical sense in his eyes, so seeing how she never could have her way with him without going through proving her point to him rationally, she resorted to the worst kind of behavior - guilt-tripping and threatening. He was only a teenager back then and that unfortunate relationship made him falsely conclude that maybe women were just like that, so he searched a guy to date later. The very first guy that shown interest in him, who was also..... well, older let's call it that. But that guy walked his own dark path, did crimes and tried to pull Edgar into all that using Edgar's extraordinary intelligence and sense of alienation from society, and eventually absconded.

🔎 He also had a best friend that his parents tended to treat more like their son than Edgar himself. A friend who also claimed credit over blueprints of Edgar's inventions that he left behind when he departed to seek Yharnam unable to help his curiousity over what THE heck that town was doing (the world travelled). Some people were sad that Edgar left, like teachers, library workers, various people he's been helping with voluntary work. He also once protected a couple from getting robbed - like I said, the guy is STRONG. But yeah, he was a good man, and for many people, he just had a bad luck of choosing the wrong kind as close ones.

🔎 Pearl Slug item suggests that the Augurs might be all different colors! At Choir, Edgar enjoyed sorting the unhatched eggs of the slugs by the color when he had a free minute x) Another funny habit is to pretentiously fumble with an abacus when he is sharing some numbers. He would also get very antsy if someone took HIS Choir Bell, even if they were all the same and not branded and interchangeable. He actually always gets extremely protective over 'his' things in terms where they are all interchangeable and there is no ownership per say.. Once he uses something, it is now HIS and he feels nearly spiritual attachement to it. When he abandoned his Choir tools to display to Micolash that he DID stick by his side from now own, he was especially reluctant to give away his Call Beyond simply because Micolash would keep it instead of just letting it flee. To this day Edgar is slightly uneasy with it, as if Micolash owns a part of his 'soul' by it.. and at the same time, he finds strangely erotic enjoyment in the fact.

🔎 It is really hard to make him laugh, but he does have sense of humor! He just 'laughs internally' most of the time.

🔎 Remember how I said he was brave and disobedient to authority to a fault, and it was his intelligence that had Choir decide he was worth this stress and too precious to just get rid of? This guaranteed he heard all about Laurence from his new friends. People that knew Laurence well joked that they could've been "twins" and would get along. It was not the first in his life when he felt like he knew people he never met better than people in his own life.

🔎 He can get overly affectionate at someone saying a lot of smart things (that they genuinely comprehend, of course) or passionately sharing something they know a lot about. If he is close with someone and they are doing this, he will reach the point of shiny eyes and willing to suffocate them in a hug :') When Micolash is being very nerdy, Edgar might start smooching him uncontrollably. Like... yeah, normal flirting will make Edgar a bit shy at most, you charm him by opening your soul to him by infodumping!

🔎 Edgar strongly prefers to 'stay in shape'. That's why he'd go fight some beasts willingly even when they were not a direct treat to him and it was predominantly "dirty job" for Black Church hunters escort, that's why he carries people in his arms when there is a reason (so yes, do not confuse it with him being overly gentlemen-ish x) ). In the Nightmare, he might as much as pick a friendly fight with the residents, like fencing with one of the Shadows for example xD He sometimes also likes testing himself by being around Winter Lanterns.. That usually doesn't end well and Micolash has to save him. Yes, MICOLASH has to save someone from going insane. I swear all kind of wild shit happens with these two fjhfdhfsd

______________

Thank you for an ask!! Again, sorry I forgot about it.. You've sent it when I had a bad day and seeing it in my inbox did cheer me up, though! I always like to talk about Edgar, he is genuinely one of my favs! (With headcanons posts though I tend to default to 'story and loredigging' aspects so narrowing headcanons asks to concrete topics like relationships, habits, etc is always acceptable and even welcomed! Helps me to focus and cover more things rather than my default settings)

[jiminsass-istant]

Bye bye old BTS

This video aged so badly, ngl..

Bighit and Hybe totally went the American popstar way in 2023 for 1 member. Good that they finally cracked into the US music industry bubble. Hope it helps the group as a whole with their 2025 comeback.

(For context, the above Boracity video explains how bts has been always snubbed due to their lack of US label push, lack of radio support, lack of playlist, spotify support, minimum remixes, fewer album versions, chart rule changes etc)

The problem is - they decided as a company (and with scooter) that the only way they can make it into the US gp, was to debut a soloist, with all english tracks (because there's no way US would accept more than 1 soloist from the same korean group singing korean songs).

One thing they got right was that the US GP would not embrace a whole Asian pop group. And releasing english songs is not something BTS would keep doing either, because they clearly have different individual ambitions. When it comes to pop, it's always the solo/ individualist culture in the US. It is much easier to sell one personality than sell 7 different ones to the GP. (the General Public, not army, not people who really get INTO bts and get obsessed).

So, I totally understand why they went for mainstream US popstar way for 1 member only and also because it aligned with his own personal ambitions.

But of course they made a couple of big mistakes-

1) Underestimating the popularity and OG fan power that can give chart ranks and achievements even to non-US promoted members and their music. (BTS have done it before with a korean song and jimin did it again).

2) While they paid attention to heavy promo, charts and playlisting for Golden, they failed to create a connection with the music- which seems highly non-personal and lacking in depth and has a non-interesting concept. The promo did do the work of making jk a common name, showcasing his talents and introducing him to the industry. But for a lasting impact, they have to create better stories with the music. Idc, army are acting too defensive when people are disappointed that he didn't write his songs. It's okay to not write, but the very least singers can do is connect to song meanings and relate to personal experiences during the promos. But thanks to idol culture, jk has never been able to talk about his dating experiences. Even in the interviews, it would have been nice to see him talk about how he related to the lyrics, what the concept was etc etc.

SILVER LINING:

The constant mention of 'ARMY' by JK in all of his US promo stuff. I do see Hybe's bigger plans here. JK is a medium to bring in new fans for BTS's comeback. When they look up JK's past content, they can't do it without learning about BTS. And it doesn't matter if you are a JK solo fan, you will still be called ARMY (BTS fandom). Hybe will still call you army, even if you are just waiting for more Jungkook music and Jungkook shows. But guess what, the next time these new fans get to see Jungkook will be at a BTS CONCERT. Not a Jungkook concert.

More thoughts..

JK concert will come immediately after though. Why do you think they increased the no. of tracks in Golden when the original plan was to release a mini album? It's to collect more songs for his name. A few more releases and he'll be ready to have his own concert.

Okay final thoughts-

Hybe is going the right way from a business perspective. But they have mismanaged a lot of things. Underestimated the power of individual members and fumbled their priorities. BTS are not underdogs anymore. They are big, and whether you like it or not, Hybe is going to move like a big corporation now, revenue being top priority, not artists. If they don't strike a balance between keeping OG OT7 fans happy, the significance of ARMY will be lost. Unless...they want that to happen and do not care about the fandom that moves on its own now.

And before you camp in my asks or comments, saying the same things about sabotage, company fraud etc, I am aware of it all. Please do share your opinions that can add to this discussion.

[pumpkinnning]

Your tags on that Charles and Ferrari post ring so true!!!

(I'm assuming this is the same anon 😅)

yes exactly ! The way people have been talking about Charles re:Ferrari lately has felt kind of very one note and low key a bit disrespectful ngl like he's too stupid to quit something that's hurting him but like you said, it's not like he has any better options at the moment. He would maybe have a better car at RBR or Merc but he would clearly be on "enemy" territory and I think people underestimate how much fitting in a team impacts performance. (And it's not like those teams have an actual opening rn)

And yeah like @mountinez pointed out very accurately, it's his choice, he's a grown man and he knows his options far better than any of us do.

And putting the idea of an individual win so far above a win with the team he loves is very idk...focus on the toxic macho individualistic superman aspect of sports (It's the part of DTS i find honestly really annoying i think they should pay more attention to the team work and the mechanics and all the others who make this possible instead of staging all those fake little cockfights but anyway) it's like all those pundits saying Charles should Take Charge more like a Real Man and invent his own strategies and everything else instead of you know trusting the people whose job it is and actually have the data like bitch please !!!!

Like in the end I'm a Charles fan before anything else so if he leaves Ferrari I will think it's badass and healthy and if he stays I will praise his loyalty and commitment 😂😂 but whatever he does there will be a chance for it to fail and it will be easy to talk shit about what he should have done in hindsight but the truth is we don't know shit about what is really happening behind the scenes and a big part of it is down to luck and timing

And when it comes to rpf and writing fictional narratives inspired by all this - yes of course the pain and addiction of devotion to sth that doesn't love you back and the martyr/saint imagery it's all very compelling

Lmfao anyway yes i am in the Thinking about Themes part of writing fic rn but yeah !!! I find this whole thing incredibly compelling and if/when Charles wins the WDC with Ferrari I will cry like a little baby for 3 days at least

but there is also a lot more there !!!

what about the power fantasy of loving sth so hard you change its very nature ? What if patient love and commitment gets rewarded for once ? (What does it mean if we write it as always destined for failure?)

What about saying no this imperfect thing i am fighting for is mine actually i am taking ownership and I am not going to cede ground to people playing selfish little games with it or leave it to crumble and succumb to its worst impulses ?

Most of all, what about the journey mattering more than the end and the people you chose to do this with mattering more than the victory and honoring your dreams and passion mattering more than beating the statistics ?

If we are going to write stuff inspired by real people we should at least try to honor a bit of the complexity of real life and give space to complex ambivalent feelings