#ok this is about be a rant in a half and way too much info so excuse me but

[suddenrundown]

considering faking my death to get out of this project. would still like to get a passing grade for it.

[bonefall]

HI ok u dont gotta post this i just wanted to give some info bc u mentioned wanting to do disability right and i just wanted to give info u might find useful. Leopardstar has diabetes and while idk if she gets murked or not before that goes into full force, but shed absolutely not be herself during that whole shebang.

The first signs would be increaded dirt place visits to go pee, and needing to drink a lot. Wouldn't be too hard for cats to miss this since they live in riverclan, Clan Of Water, but it'd be an UNUSUAL amount. Personally, i noticed it myself and genuinely got concerned bc i was drinking triple what i normally did and would wake up in the middle of the night specifically to chug water.

Next thing would be her getting skinnier and out of breath more easily. Her body would effectively be eating her muscles away and shed 100% be unable to fight well or even at all at this point- accounting for exercise and a relatively low carb diet of fish, maybe these symptons would show up after a month and a half? At this point a medicine cat could notice the odd lack of energy but i doubt it'd be obvious what was happening, the medicine cat might pat her on the back, give her some herbs (honey or berries would be BADDD), and send her off.

Soon after shed start throwing up sugar, which just straight up burns ur throat like hell. Its hell. She'd also not feel too hungry now- in reality shes starving, and her body is too busy not dying to notice nor care. At this point if Mistyfoot did Her Thing, Leopardstar would barely be able to stand let alone fight her. In her final days shed be completely weakened and barely able to focus, and she'd start getting pains in her stomach and pelvis. I was unfortunate enough to cut it extremely close, and when i was diagnosed i was told i had less than half a week to live if i hadnt went to the hospital. Depending on if the medicine cat catches on, they could absolutely be making everything 50 times worse by feeding her berries or honey to soothe her burning throat, feeding a cycle of eating honey and throwing up the sugars in the honey. I did this with gingerale and it SUCKED.

Now!! If you want to have leopardstar put up a FIGHT and have her have diabetes and live with it, theres a few ideas. Firstly, only type 1 i believe can be treated without insulin. Secondly, Bloodclan could 100% steal human insulin and give it to Riverclan. The two are compatible i /think/. Three, idk the exact process but apparently you can make ur own insulin using the pancreas from animals, which she could use to survive. Four, without medicine, shed have to do a lot of exercise and manage her diet. With a raw fish diet it's much easier, but she'll probably not be too happy about not being able to eat tunnelbuns without feeling like crap and throwing it up after.

Going down the Bloodclan sourced medicine route, Misty could also kill her using the medicine. Insulin is a delicate balance- too little and you start throwing up and ur body eats u again. Too much and you have no energy to move and you can die within the next hour. Doesnt even take that much, a dose of 18 when youre supposed to take 16 can be deadly. Double that amount and i doubt even a medicine cat could save her even if she knew- low bloodsugars make someone irrational or emotional + extremely whoozy, and its HARD to force feed someone honey when theyre adamant that theyre perfectly fine and just a little sleepy, thats all. In her sleep, and Leopardstar would maybe wake up briefly, feel extremely tired and odd and unable to move, and fall asleep and die.

Anyways this has been ur probably too long rant about diabetes and leopardstar hopefully its helpful in some way o7

[ID: A student is taking notes]

You know, in my rewrite, Leopardstar is actually going to be killing Crookedstar. Not in a way where she would be caught-- I had been thinking it would be a generic poisoning. Maybe it would be dramatic and fascinating if Leopardstar had actually pulled this insulin trick... only to then recognize that Mistyfoot is trying to poison her in the same way.

I'm committed to Leopardstar dying in a battle with Mistyfoot. I had this awesome idea for the Sweet Nothings AU where a Villain Thornclaw lead Hollyleaf somewhere that the winner wouldn't be caught for their victory, so they could have a proper fight to the death.

What if I used that plotbunny here instead? Leopardstar realizing that Mistyfoot had brought her the wrong dose of insulin (I will work out how they get insulin when I make a herb guide for it), and deciding if either of them is going to die, they will die honorably. Not by trickery, but by the strength of their claws.

So she calls for Mistyfoot, tells the Clan they will be confronting rogues at the border, and then they march towards their final confrontation.

[yahsung]

LATE NIGHT FACETIME WITH BOYFRIEND!JISUNG

the way i’ve been gone for like ever but it’s about to be 5am, i have to be up early, and yet jisung is more important

sleeeeepy. you both are really sleepy during your late night call.

“but i miss your voice so much” your high school sweetheart whines to you every time you mention how late it is.

ofc you’ve been on facetime with him for HOURS before it was finally time to snooze.

and ofc you’re both tired and your eyes are slowly closing, silently drifting off to sleep…

but you both also wanna stay up and secretly stare at each other, saying gooey cute things.

tbh you both r kinda super competitive for no reason and wanna see who’ll knock out first

AS IF YOU DON’T FACETIME EVERY NIGHT??

he likes staring at you as you’re slowly drifting off to sleep… smiling all goofy to himself

and when you happen to wake yourself up he’ll either place his hand to cover his big smile or clear his throat

“AHA! i caught you staring at me loser” cue soft defensive jisung to the stage pls “what- who?? ME? YOU’RE THE LOSER”

you don’t know how he happens to be more talkative and energetic this late in the day

shorty will say two words to you during the day but will rant about mark or chenle allll night

“no and you won’t believe what mark did today- it was so funny let me tell you”

he snores just a little teeny weeny bit

you think it’s so cute but you usually fall asleep before him so this is rare when you catch it

you two have so many half asleep screenshots of one another

he sees your late night calls as smth personal and sacred, but he has one of the pics of you as his home screen it’s so cute

one time haechan walked in on you two on facetime suuuuper late into the night

ofc he doesn’t let jisung live it down

“hey rmbr when i walked into you smooching your phone at 4am one night”

you’ve woken up to him basically yelling at you in the morning to charge your phone lol

“jisung can you STOP YELLING im trying to sleep”

no matter how sleepy and tired you are some nights, seeing him with ruffled hair, droopy eyes, and a soft smile always wakes you up

and he honestly can’t go to sleep without knowing you’re doing the same

seeing you sleepy makes him sleepy aw

you’ve spent all nighters watching movies together on your laptops, cozy in your beds, snacks surrounding you, chatting about the movie

other nights where you’re helping each other study for wtv like college classes or personal lessons

oooooh college bf!jisung next???? :0

you could have been hanging out all day together and he’ll call you that same night

he just can’t and won’t ever get tired of you

“we gotta have our daily night facetime call yk?”

he loves loves loooves planning future dates while on call… and he’ll make notes of it too

“it’s like my best ideas come late at night, im such a cool boyfriend”

despite how chatty he is on facetime he absolutely love just staring at you sometimes

“…what are you look at ji?” usually he’ll just smile shyly but sometimes he; “you’re just so amazingly beautiful”

likes to ask you how your day has been and wants to know everything

he’ll listen and gasp at how your day has been, or give his two cents on your gossip

jisung does a lot of talking while on facetime but he loves gathering intel on ppl in your lives and keeping all the info you give him

“i CAN’T believe your friend did that”

he feels so cool knowing everything abt everyone bc he’s ur bf and you tell him everything

if by chance you guys can’t call or it didn’t happen one night, you both realize how those late night facetime calls really matter

it’s sort of like a routine at this point

ok guys i’m getting super sleepy and tired peace out

[theantarwitch]

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham – Honest Review Request

Even with my harsh salty honesty, and the fact I’m not Wiccan, I will not be a crap and rant about the things I find wrong or not in the Wicca aspect because this is a book review and because there are already posts about it in general. So my review will be, as usual, so “impartial” as I can be and mostly pragmatic.

Requested by  il-re-kaneki

Pros:

Book easy to read, no complex language or huge dense chunks of text, great to new witches.

The Basics are well explained, simple.

Warning us that there are no Pure Wicca, which, knowing the roots of the wiccan, is true. Is not trying to sell the This Is The Book as many others do.

Based in the idea that rituals and spells mentioned in the book are not The Only Form but more like a guide, users can change them accordingly their path and need.

Mention that the majority of the Wiccan books are based to the same basics so they tend to be repetitive and coven-oriented (one plus star from my Solitary Eclectic salty ass).

Don’t claim be the True Way To Deity or to be The Way To Save The Planet.

MENTIONS OF THE CLOSED PRACTICE’S ASPECT OF WICCA. Good, yes, finally.

No “Magick” mention (I mean the magic with K).

The magical aspect, spells and all is pretty good.

There is no Tool/ Ingredient/ Prayer that’s 10000000% needed so or so. Good!

No mentions of Black Magic, Black Arts or anything “Black”, no obvious racism.

Good exercises ad techniques, nothing too complex.

A lot of mentions about the ecological aspect, social justice and help others.

Tons of examples of rites.

Very lax and non-orthodox, allow to relax and don’t take rites and stuffs too seriously, pointing that nothing will affect that badly if you mess it up.

Keep the idea that “deities” are not entities that will destroy you for any mistake but compassionate beings that will probably forgive anything (except extreme things).

Recipes for food, incense, oils; with no mega complicated expensive af ingredient.

Herbs. Extra point for not use white sage or smudging.

Runes. Simple and well explained. Rune spells.

Simple cool spells.

Glossary. Good for new witches.

A lot of extra books listed in the end.

 Cons:

“Ineffective spells kill spirituality” I’m sorry what? Spells can stop to work for a hundred reasons, spells can SEEMS that are not working when they are, in fact, working… And when a spell doesn’t work, the step is learn why, research, grow… how that kill spirituality?

 “Practitioners of both sexes” “God and Goddess” “Women and Men” “she or he” * sigh in definitely not cis * Is 2022 folks…      

The book has a globalized tint. “Wicca the religion of the Witches” Not ALL the witches are wiccans. Later he says that Magic and Wicca are not the same thing and that if you don’t want the religious aspect, then Wicca is not maybe for you, so… he kinda retract himself, so let’s give a half con lol.

“Every deity that has received worship upon this planet exists with the archetypal God and Goddess. The complex pantheons of deities that arose in many parts of the world are simply the aspect of the two”. Simplify ALL the deities (mostly of which are from 5.000 to 20.000 years older or OLDER) like that is pretty much a middle finger to deities that you don’t even know… And later you say “not all”??? Make your mind. I know you give a fuck about LGTBQ+ but at least DO BASIC RESEARCH. I will provide basic google info in a previous post HERE.

A delicate misogynic touch, by saying that wiccans who adore only the Goddess leaving the masculine side apart, is “unbalanced and unnatural”. Sir??

The feminine and masculine aspects of the god and goddess are an exact copy of the gender roles in society and keep the basic stereotypes of them. Nurturing males doesn’t exist, dominant women neither, and much less anything in the middle, apparently…

Sex and nudity mentions. Why...?

“Don’t blow candles”. A little later he says “do it your way, not my way simply because is on paper” Sir are you ok?

“We don’t bow down the deities” WHY NOT? I bowed mine three times each day because I RESPECT THEM. You don’t tell me what to do * bow 39 times just because he told me to NOT do it and I’m a rebel *

Dates and seasons accordingly the north hemisphere. If you live on the south hemisphere, do the convert because he don’t do it.

Cultural Appropriation list:

-          The idea that Wicca’s spirituality descends of primitive religions. Something created in the early twentieth century can’t be rooted to primitive shamanistic closed religions without fall in the cultural appropriation.

-          “Wicca as a Shamanic Religion”. I will drop Saint Wiki: In the 20th century, non-Indigenous Westerners involved in counter-cultural movements, such as hippies and the New Age created modern magico-religious practices influenced by their ideas of various Indigenous religions, creating what has been termed neoshamanism or the neoshamanic movement. It has affected the development of many neopagan practices, as well as faced a backlash and accusations of cultural appropriation, exploitation and misrepresentation when outside observers have tried to practice the ceremonies of, or represent, centuries-old cultures to which they do not belong.

-          Any deity is open for him, no matter if the culture was destroyed by white people and forced to hide their beliefs… He never heard about Closed practices…

-          Karma. And the wrong idea of karma… I will say it simple: If you are not part of a religion/culture that believe in karma (Hinduism and Buddhism, for example) you have no karma (or chakras). Period. There is something called Cosmic Justice, is open…

 General view: 3.5 stars, 6.5/10. Is good for new witches, can seems a little dense because seems to have a lot of steps, and the cons are heavy, but at least not fall in a lot of common mistakes. In general is okay, specially having in mind the cons. Not a book I would read again tho XD

At least was a good experience and I never refuse to read about things. Feel free to ask more.

[firelightfoxes]

do you find mudi people to be gatekeepers? Before I started asking actual people I read up a lot on them on many diff breeders/ club websites and from all the info I found I thought they fit me well so I went on fb to ask… the amount of people I got telling me I do not want a mudi, that they are incredibly difficult dogs with XYZ bad traits and that I’m lying if I say I’m ok/ want that was insane. It honestly sounded like they hate their dogs?? I mentioned I wanted to dabble in sports but wouldn’t mind a dog who wouldn’t do them, and half of the comments were either jumping down my throat because ‘most mudis do not do well in sports and you shouldn’t get one solely for that’ and the other half were telling me to get serious because dabbling shows a lack of commitment and mudis need a job. I’m half thankful I’m not in the US and wouldn’t have to deal with that community if I end up with a mudi. Anyway, with all that, would you mind giving a rundown on mudis/ any resources(like sites) on their temperament? Sorry for the rant it’s just been very frustrating 😅.

hi!! this is a great ask. i'm really sorry you went through the gatekeeping bullshit, it seems to be pretty rampant. i actually made a small post on this a little while back but i'm too lazy to go find it.

so, i feel like that gatekeeping comes from one of two places, and sometimes both:

the person wants to feel really special about owning a rare breed, so they make it seem much more difficult than it really is to scare away potential new owners and keep the breed as unpopular as possible so that they can continue to be Special

the person wanted a unique sports dog that wasn't a border collie but didn't realize that not all mudis will excel in sports or even be able to tolerate a sporting environment, and they legitimately regret getting a mudi (i literally saw someone say this almost word for word).

so you kind of have two overlapping schools of thought there, and the second one is a bit more valid than the first. so, i wouldn't really advertise mudi as like, a competitive sport prospect breed. they certainly CAN excel at sports, they are quick, intelligent, and very biddable. but they also dislike repetition and can be quite sensitive, which can make it hard to nail down important foundations and also it can be hard for them to stay stable in a trial environment. ideally, a mudi would not be this unstable, but unfortunately it does happen. so like i kinda understand where a person with #2's idea would be coming from but it still is unpleasant and gatekeepy. and it's also not the breed's fault if you got one for uniqueness without taking their entire temperament into account.

either way, if you're reading about mudis and you think they might be a good fit, that's awesome! i think my number one recommendation would be to meet them before getting one if possible. they truly are unique little guys and it's hard to describe that without having met one. i think they're the perfect dog to dabble in sports with because they're most happy when they're with their person, whatever you might be doing.

as far as places to learn more about the mudi, i really like this article, and i would recommend reaching out to some breeders! Wodan Kennels and Graves Farm are two great kennels run by people who love the breed and would be happy to help you learn more about them (regardless of if you want to get a puppy from them or not).

also, i saw your other ask and no worries :) i really liked how in-depth your ask was so i intentionally wanted to answer it bc gatekeeping almost kept ME out of the breed and look at me now!! it's important to be realistic but still welcoming and some people just don't get that.

thanks for the ask and sorry that it's an essay!!

[starvine]

first date headcanons

attack on titan (modern au)

summary: some first date headcanons with some of the attack on titan characters. 

warnings: none, just fluff :)

eren jaeger: movie 

a little basic but it’s all eren could come up with

besides, it was between a movie and dinner and dinner felt too formal so y’all decided on a movie

he’d let you pick the movie tho

he might argue with you if it’s something stupid and claim that it’s horribly written (as if he knows a thing) but that’s it

eren would make sure to get the BEST snacks. spicy food? check. candy? check. popcorn? check. fruits? check.

he just wants to impress you (even if he did have to confide in his friends for some advice)

he just really likes you

during the movie, you guys would start shifting closer to each other, both a little too timid to move all the way all at once

but you guys would make commentary throughout the movie, laughing when things seem too cliché or when a character says something funny

half way throughout the movie, you guys aren’t even really paying attention it it

you’re too busy throwing popcorn at each other and trying to catch it in your mouths, feeding each other candy, and giggling at each other

it’s intimate in its own relaxed way, which makes eren realize how perfect you are

you both could make the most out of a pretty average first date situation and make it into a beyond amazing first date

and that was all he needed to ask you on a second date before he dropped you off at your car, walking with you to make sure you got there safely

and ngl you’d be a bit of a fool to say no to eren

armin arlert: aquarium 

sweetheart is so nervous 

before he came to your apartment to pick you up for your date, he was a little nervous wreck 

he was fidgeting with his fingers, playing with the buttons on his shirt--he probably accidentally opened one by accident 

but once he saw you, he felt fine 

it was as if he physically melted, you just make everything okay 

once you guys got to the aquarium, he would NOT shut up

he was probably pointing things out, telling you fun facts, asking you what is your favorite marine life 

“oh, you like pufferfish? that’s cool! i like them too. they’re very... puffy.” 

he’s like a child in a candy store 

but while he’s rambling about how the digestive system of a sea cucumber basically cleans the ocean, he’s wondering how he should make a move 

he doesn’t want to scare you off or anything, but he doesn’t want you to be disappointed 

but while you guys are looking at one of those large fish tanks, the ones where you walk through a tunnel, you guys just sort of stand there and watch in awe

or rather armin watches in awe while you look at him, a soft smile gracing his pink lips as his eyes dart across the illustriously blue colored glass

and when he feels your pinky latch onto his, he’s a little shocked that you had made the first move

he didn’t not expect it per say, he just thought that he would be the one to make the first move 

but his overthinking got in the way

and when he turns to look down at your intertwined pinkies, he caught you sending him a delicate smile that made his heart squeeze until he felt as if every part of him was on fire

but it was him who finally held your hand fully 

he just needed you to give him the extra push

mikasa ackerman: book store 

it’s a very calming atmosphere, which is something you’d both need for this first date

mikasa is probably pretty anxious for the first date, and wants to make sure you’re okay and enjoying yourself while also making sure she’s okay and enjoying herself

so the calming scent of the book store and the quietness is perfect for her to multitask between mediating the two

you’d both be tasked with picking each other books and then buying them for each other

so initially mikasa was nervous because she wasn’t sure what to get you but then you asked what she liked to read and so that allowed her to ask the same, making the situation less stressful

and all while you two are walking from isle to isle, eyes scanning the various book titles and covers, she sneaks glances at you and how pretty you look

and the fact that you seem very deep in thought, heavily concentrated on getting her the right book, makes her feel less concerned on whether or not you’d rather be with her or not

the answer is obviously a yes but mikasa has a hard time understanding that sometimes

so when you give her the book you bought for her, making sure to lightly touch her fingers while you hand it to her, she already knows that another date is what she wants you both to have or else she’ll probably explode

and based off of how flushed she looks, the possibility of her exploding is not highly unlikely

you guys will sit at this little table in the corner of the store, reading your books

i can picture mikasa annotating certain lines that remind her of you, making mental notes to show you later

overall, the date is pretty lowkey and very sweet

connie springer: dave + busters/bowling

ok there’s not much of an explanation for this one besides the point that if feels right

like connie is pretty energetic and i feel like you can learn a lot about a person based off of the games they’re drawn to 

hence the arcade

i think connie really likes those racing games or the zombie shooting games

he also claims he’s really good at ski ball (he’s not, he’s trash)

so a good portion of the date consists of you just laughing at him the whole time cuz in all honestly he’s not the best at games but he enjoys them for the fun of them

he’d definitely cheer you on when you were playing or try to mess you up if it was you two against each other

but either way he’d give you a hug or a pat on the head after every game

even if u beat him

he’d probably try to sneak a kiss when you guys were in one of those shooting games that requires a booth and the curtains drawn (does that make sense?)

it’s not really romantic like at all, especially since it smells like a million different people in there, but it’s very low stress so in all honesty that’s what makes the kiss nice

and after you guys had used up all your tokens, you’d combine your tickets and pick something together

your prizes would mostly consist of candy and him insisting he get you a plastic gem ring so you can always remember your first date together

it was also his little, strange way of asking you for a second date

levi ackerman: art museum 

unlike connie, he’s not super energetic

so a museum is right up his alley

levi’s a bit awkward, he doesn’t really know how to talk to you

and especially since you’re lovely, his words jumble together and he gets all flustered

so a nice, quiet museum exhibit is perfect for him

it’s a nice balance between casual and formal, so you both dress nice but aren’t restricted by the need to be super polite and stuff

he’d probably like it when you try to imitate the poses that are shown in the paintings or sculptures

just imagine the soft chuckle he’d be unable to prevent from escaping his lips which then melts into a soft smirk

beautiful, beautiful lad

he probably wouldn’t join you though, he doesn’t want to embarrass himself

he just smiles at you and stares at the art, reading the background info they give on those little plates near them

but he would notice when you stare at him

he could be looking at some art made during the dutch golden age, but as soon as your head slightly tilted in his direction, his cheeks would HEAT up

you almost asked him if he was feeling alright he was so red

but as the date went on, levi really just thought about how much he enjoyed your presence

and he’s not a wicked talkative guy so being able to feel comfortable with someone even if you aren’t talking or doing much is pretty important to him

as the date concludes, levi finally works up the courage to place his hand on your shoulder, asking if there was anything else you wanted to see before the museum closes for the day

his face might be bright red, but the smile you give him makes him feel a little less embarrassed

what can you say, you’ve got charm 💅

hange: the fucking zoo

ok i won’t lie when i got the idea of hange taking you to the zoo for your first date i thought it was so funny and idk why

like they’d be so excited that they’d nearly forget that they’re on a date with you

they’d drag you around from exhibit to exhibit, pointing out the exact breed of tortoise or some really strange fact about the zebras without looking at the little description panel in front of the exhibit

it’s pretty comical

but then randomly, when you guys are sitting down and eating some fries from one of the concession stands, they start going on a rant about animal cruelty and how a lot of zoos don’t treat the animals properly

and you’re just sitting there like “what 🧍‍♀️” cuz they’re mood changed so quickly LMAO

and as soon as their rant started, it finishes and they’re rushing you to the reptile exhibit

they’d probably try to figure out if they could hold one of the snakes

you’d have to drag them out of there before they start harassing one of the workers into letting them hold a snake

they’d also give all of the animals names only to forget them in 2 seconds

“hey, robert, it’s good to see you again!” “hange, i thought you named them dante?” “oh... did i? 😁”

however there’s probably like one animal they absolutely despise and idk why but i feel like it’s parrots

y’all would be walking through this rainforest exhibit, birds flying from tree to tree and the whole time they’re cursing the birds under their breath for no reason at all

just an angry person walking through a rainforest exhibit, cursing out birds

pretty normal if you ask me

however, the date itself is pretty casual and almost feels like you guys are just hanging out

or it would if they didn’t ask you out on another date before dropping you off at home, kissing your cheek as their farewell

pieck finger: café

very simple and quaint

i feel like pieck has a coffee addiction and always puts her in a better mood

so what better place to go on a date then a café?

she’s definitely an iced coffee drinker, and will occasionally go for a hot drink but usually iced coffee is her go-to

and if you get a coffee or tea that she also happens to like, you’re already practically golden in her eyes

since pieck has a very soothing and lowkey nature, i can see the date being much more just like a conversation with someone you’ve known for forever instead of interview-y which is something i’ve found coffee/lunch/dinner dates to be a bit like

but pieck knows how to keep things interesting and she’s a pretty calming person to be around so all is well

i also can’t see her getting super nervous before the date

she seems pretty calm unless in high-stress situations, but even then, she’s pretty level-headed

but since she’s so calm, it makes you wonder if she really cares for the date

and of COURSE she does, she’s so excited about it

it’s just the way pieck is

but as the date continues, she’d probably start to tease you by playing footsies under the table

you gotta keep the date interesting, you know?

you guys would talk about your interests, family, friends, shows you’re watching

literally just anything and everything that’ll allow you guys to get a feel for each other

and if all goes well she’ll definitely suggest another date ;)

also don’t expect to leave without her either writing something cute on your cup, pressing a lip-stick stained kiss to your cheek that matches the one surrounding the rim of her cup, or a promise that your game of footsies will continue next time you see each other

[parslynne]

Bonus:

Based off the fact Gojo canonically bought a ¥250000 (before tax) shirt.

____

Part 1 || Part 2 (you are here) || Extras (not ready yet deepest apologies) ||

Click on the images for crispy lines and legible text.

The main comic is split into two posts because the images were too big to fit into one! I have some extra stuff I am wanting to make, but they're not finished enough for human viewing. I've got many theories on how the siblings went from “If I go, will Tsumiki be happy? My answer depends on that.” TO “Don’t act like you’re my guardian. You gross me out.” (for reasons aside from the usual middle school phase of sibling conflict) AND I TRIED INJECTING THEM INTO THIS COMIC (which originally had a count of 9 pages but now is 13 pages + bonus content) BUT THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A JOLLY ONE ABOUT MEGUMI AND TSUMIKI’S ATTEMPTS TO ENTERTAIN THEMSELVES WITHOUT ELECTRICITY. SO NO PAIN

More ranting about the comic below the cut. Spoilers for the manga!!!

This comic was stuck in my head for a while because when I got to c138 I was like OH MY GOD TSUMIKI, Gege why, and I love sibling shenanigans. There’s not much about Tsumiki and her personality just yet (she’s kind, but kind isn’t a personality), but there’s this panel here from chapter 59 that for this comic, I based her entirely on:

She just seems very fun.

Some context info for the comic:

This comic takes place a year an a half after the Hidden Inventory arc and 4 months after Gojo meets Megumi.

(random note: Megumi's age is a bit of a misnomer for me, because canon says Gojo met Megumi in his first year of elementary school in 2007. The events of the manga take place in 2018, 11 years later, when Fushiguro is 15. I'm a bit confused here because children in Japan start elementary school at age 6 (turning 7 by the time they move on to second grade in April), so Megumi should've been 6 years old when he met Gojo. In 2007 though, he should've been 4 turning 5 if he's only 15 (turning 16) in 2018. Did I misread something? For the purposes of this comic, Megumi is 7 and Tsumiki is turning 8).

In this comic, it takes a while for Gojo to gain custody of Megumi and Tsumiki due to the fact that he's still a minor (and has a few more hoops his influence has to jump through) and that he has to very carefully wheedle Megumi out of the Zen'in family's clutches. If he does it too persistently, the Zen'ins would figure out something's up and be more resistant, if not reluctant, to let him go without upping his price. Megumi's Cursed Technique is manifesting, but I think Gojo figured it out only because of his Six-Eyes. Gojo told Megumi to do his best to hide his wakening abilities (which Megumi took as being even less emotive than usual, much to Tsumiki's dismay). If the Zen'ins ever found out he had the Ten Shadows technique, Megumi's fate would've been sealed, and Gojo would have had no way of getting him out. Luckily, the clan's disdain for Toji clouds their judgement of Megumi. Megumi's also born in late December, so for the clan members who don't think he'd amount to much, this detail is easily forgotten, and when Megumi's six years old and nearing his 7th birthday, the clan members would assume he's already seven and passed the 'age limit' to manifest an inherited cursed technique. Gojo coming back to the apartment in 2008 after Megumi's 7th birthday suggests that he was successful in gaining custody of Megumi.

In the last panel of the main comic, you see there's a divine doggo on the roof top. Megumi accidentally summoned a divine dog during the spirited saga of Usa-Chan-Man, but luckily Gojo sensed it and subdued it, nullifying the exorcism ritual.

Speaking of Usa-Chan-Man, she is 1000% based on Lovely Usa-Chan Man from Oresama Teacher (same author as Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun). She's amazing. If you're interested, the manga's hilarious (even if Student-Teacher ain't your cup of tea, be rest assured----this manga is 90% humour, 8% drama, and 2% romance).

Some inaccuracies in this comic I am now aware of; please be gentle with judgement:

- The Fushiguro apartment is not a corner apartment, I know!! I just- I just didn't know okay, and I was committed to having a shot of Gojo chilling on the ledge of the roof

- SAILOR MOON STOPPED AIRING IN JAPAN IN 1997. I DIDN'T KNOW THIS. I personally watched Sailor Moon on VHS tapes. I just thought Sailor Moon would be a show that could be rerun 1203 times and people would be ok with it. I am 100% guessing that anime airs on Sundays at 9PM. I didn't research this at all. I tried to envision leaving out the Sailor Moon part, but there went my Usagi joke and that joke was originally supposed to end the comic at 9 pages. I eventually ended the comic a different way, but Usagi had to be there to create the scene transition to the ending. Just.. Sshh..

- What bills and account books look like in Japan. Yeah, I have no idea. Especially what they looked like back in 2008!! Also, how much utilities costed in Tokyo 2008.. I just went with conservative prices typical of modern day Hokkaido in the winter.

- What the weather was like in January 2008. Was it cold enough that kids were wearing winter jackets? I tried googling historical weather data, but I got nothing (it was just like 10 minutes of googling though, so I wasn't trying that hard). In Tokyo though, January is generally considered the coldest month of the year, so I hoped for the best!

- Candles are not strong enough to cast sharp enough shadows for shadow puppetry. Y...yes... But you see, this candle is really, really big and has a very large wick.

I am done. This is all for now. Thank you for reading, if you've read up till this point!!! Happy Jujutsu Friday and See y'all crying on Jujutsu Sunday.

[littlx-songbxrd]

ok so tlh is set in 1903 and there are a few things we know about the clothes from the books themselves- 1. we have a vague idea of the silhouette, as briefly described in the book and the dresses on the cover (although those are mostly incorrect, they do, I suppose, set the reader into the general mindset.) and 2. apparently only pastel colors are fashionable, they do not look nice on cordelia specifically (not all poc girls look 'washed out' in these colors, Kamala, who is often depicted in official art with a similar skin tone to cordelia is stated in the books to look very nice in her pastel dresses)

firstly, the 1900s were a rather odd decade for clothes silhouette wise. this decade was the transition from the 1800s dresses with foot-length hemlines and fuller skirts into the 1910s trends of dresses that reached to the bottom of the calf and a more utilitarian and accessible style. Dresses in the 1900s still had the tubular shape of the 1890s, although it was less severe and it eventually faded out by about 1906 or 1907.

Speaking for now only about the first half of the decade as the books do take place in 1903, the dresses would have had a very structured bodice with flowing skirts that reached to about the ankle. Their undergarments would have included at least three layers (something in between the corset and their body, the corset, and a corset cover) with drawers, stockings, padding at their hips and bust, and at least 1-2 petticoats. dresses consisted of the bodice and skirt as separate pieces, with lace and embellishments used to bring the attention to the bodice.

Day clothes were more structured and less busy, most of them including high necklines and long sleeves. (yes this means that the stupid thing with james always staring at cordelia's chest is not realistic.)

The ballgowns and party dresses that are often mentioned are slightly more accurate. These dresses tended to be very busy with lots of patterns and lace on them, often toward the bust line to achieve an ideal silhouette. skirts were longer and fuller than the day dresses and gloves were always worn with these dresses to make it appear more modest as it had low necklines and short sleeves.

a couple of notes about historical accuracy- number one being the corset. there is a part in chain of gold where cordelia complains about her corset that makes me mad every time I read it. corset were modern bras but more comfortable, they were incredibly supportive and didn't mess with anything permanently. there was always a layer between the skin and the corset as protection for both the skin and the corset as they were intended to be worn for years on end and needed protected from oil and dirt from the body. tight lacing is essentially the historic equivalent to people today who get dressed up in their fanciest clothes for an 8 a.m college class. it wasn't standard and it was only done in very specific situations in which the wearer wanted to look a certain way. for the most part, the super narrow waist wasn't actually all that small, and it looked that way because of padding on the hips and chest.

number two on the standards for fashion at the time. at this point being fashionable was less about standing out as it was about fitting in. If you were wearing something out of fashion it was abnormal and you would be ridiculed for it, along the lines of wearing jeans and a t-shirt to a formal wedding. it was a matter of propriety and respect. Getting dressed a certain way wasn't chore or special thing, it just was.

number three is on the aesthetic dress movement. this would be the category the cover dresses fall into. the aesthetic dress movement encouraged women to dress individually by rejecting the high fashion and emphasizing freedom of movement and practicality. (that is not to mean that high fashions weren't practical and comfortable, its basically just the equivalent of wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants as opposed to something like jeans, a blouse, and five accessories. both are good, its just that they feel very different.) these clothes took from greco-romanic traditions as well as that of eastern asian cultures, with flowing, airy fabrics and loose silhouettes. this style was usually only worn around the home.

next we're going to talk about color. first of all, pastels do not wash cordelia out, she is absolutely stunning in them, as well as the jewel tones. on a more historical note, clothes in the 1900s weren't all pastels????? lighter colors were in trend, as more of an aesthetic dressing style was in fashion, but dark colors could never actually go out of style from a practical standpoint. day dresses from the early half of the decade usually had darker colors, I will link or send another ask with two examples. one, from 1900, is a dark red and gray dress and the other is a walking dress actually from 1903 and is a perfect example of something cordelia could have worn. (it has a very nice brownish gray color with gold embellishments and a high neck.)

now evening dresses on the other hand were usually light colored, almost all of the surviving ones from this decade are a creme or gold color (there are a few in black and some in other colors as well, but the majority are creme, gold, or extremely light to the point they look white.) this is where the biggest plot hole is in my opinion. so it would have been most fashionable by mundane standards to wear a white or gold, which are the mourning and wedding colors respectively, so they obviously couldn’t have done that, which means that the women are either wearing day dresses that wouldn't come into creation until 3-5 years later, they are breaking mundane fashion rules, or they are breaking strict shadowhunter tradition. (out of all the shadowhunter things, the color code seems to actually be the one most consistent through all of the series, aside from the line about the youth in london wearing white sailing outfits.)

cordelias jewel tone wardrobe from anna is incredibly unrealistic in multiple aspects. for one, multiple dresses that would have had to have been custom made by hand plus, correct me if i'm wrong, accessories or undergarments, would have been WILDLY unrealistically expensive. there are plenty of money questions for the shadowhunter universe, but an entire wardrobe like that isn't even historically accurate for the british royal family even with all their blood money. on top of that is the fact that with the cultural implications of certain fashions cordelia very well could have become an outcast for wearing something so wildly out of fashion. there isn't really a modern correlation for it, but while she wouldn't necessarily have become a complete outcast or pariah, with the way we are told the shadowhunters align with societal values of the time (I.e cordelia being ruined) accepting that wardrobe would have been completely counterintuitive to her mission of being accepted by the shadowhunter society.

so that was a lot and i'm not sure if I got everything. let me know if you need any clarification, or want anything continued!!! thank you so much for letting me info dump and rant in your inbox, you are amazing!!

links for photos:

Worth 1903 evening dress

Worth 1903 walking dress

Worth 1900 day dress

plus an article that is the best thing i've ever read

I also have some other video/article links if anyone wants them!!

I will be honest with you anon

I really have nothing to add to all this besides that this is absolutely fascinating

I love how you compared clothing to different types of modern day equivalent that genuinely made it so much easier for me to visualize

I had actually heard complaints about the corset thing before! I had actually seen that many authors seem to write them as if they are the bane of many ya historical fantasies, when in reality it wasn't that at all. So in that scene in chog Cordelias corset was the equivilant of dressing in your fansiest clothes for a class?

See I would have never guessed it!

So more flowy greco-roman inspired clothing got it!

The movement mostly went towards freedom and practicality

Oh that does seem like a problem

The confiction between being appropriate in shadowhunter culture and in the fashion of the time

THE MONEY THING ALWAYS BAFLED ME TOO LIKE HOW ARE THESE HUNTERS WASTING SO MUCH TIME IN THIS WHEN THEY DESPISE FASHION-

Anyways

This is amazing

I will be refering to it more for ficts :D

THANK YOU I WILL BE WATCHING ALL THAT

[billiejs]

RJ + "this person wont take no for an answer, will you pretend to be my bf to get her to leave me alone? wait you're actually super cute and awesome and I dont want to stop talking to you?"

Hi anon! Thank you for this prompt ❤️ I’ve changed it up a little but I hope you still like it. 

***

Ricky doesn’t love parties. The dim lights and loud music are fun enough, but he usually ends up with a feeling of suffocation heaving down on his chest, and if he stands in the middle of the crowd for too long he starts thinking about how none of this is real, life is nothing but a series of well-crafted lies humans tell each other to pass the time before the remember they have to die, and he’s surrounded by people, yes, but he’s alone and lonely and he’s probably had too much to drink anyway.

And that’s why he’s retreated in a quiet corner near the audio system in Ashlyn’s basement, scrolling through the phone that’s connected to the speakers and occasionally sneaking in one or two songs he likes. He’s nursing a beer and debating whether Do I wanna know by Arctic Monkeys would be acceptable after the remix of Justin Bieber’s last single, when his phone buzzes in the pocket of his shorts and he fishes it out, squinting at the screen that’s a little too bright. He reads the message twice, because the first times he thinks he’s hallucinating. 

From EJ Caswell: Bowen (11:43 PM) From EJ Caswell: I need your help (11:43 PM)

Ricky instinctively looks around the room, bewildered: it doesn’t take long to find EJ near the drinks table, cornered by a pretty blonde girl he vaguely recognizes from a History class. EJ’s got his phone in his hand and he can’t help but notice that despite the charming smile he’s plastered on his face, his eyes look like those of a trapped animal.

To EJ Caswell: Why?? (11:44 PM) From EJ Caswell: She won’t leave me alone (11:45 PM) From EJ Caswell: I have tried everything (11:45 PM) From EJ Caswell: Even texting in front of her doesn’t bother her (11:46 PM) To EJ Caswell: Ok…? (11:47 PM)

Ricky’s not sure what to make of this situation. He knows EJ isn’t as much of a player as people like to paint him, but still, the girl (Ginevra? Juliet? Georgie? Ricky has no clue) looks pretty cute and, from what he can grasp, extremely into EJ. Probably it’s the shirt he’s wearing tonight, with sleeves rolled up to his elbows that highlight every jolt of the toned muscles in his forearms. 

Ricky’s phone buzzes again and he almost spits the sip of beer he’d just taken.

From EJ Caswell: Come over here and pretend you’re my boyfriend (11:48 PM) To EJ Caswell: What?? (11:48 PM) To EJ Caswell: No! (11:48 PM) From EJ Caswell: Please, Ricky (11:49 PM) From EJ Caswell: I can’t stand her (11:49 PM) To EJ Caswell: Tell her that then! (11:49 PM) From EJ Caswell: That would be rude (11:49 PM) From EJ Caswell: I don’t want her to think I’m rude (11:49 PM) To EJ Caswell: Jesus, EJ (11:50 PM) From EJ Caswell: So are you coming? (11:50 PM) To EJ Caswell: NO! (11:50 PM) From EJ Caswell: Come onnnnn (11:50 PM) To EJ Caswell: I can’t pretend to be your boyfriend! (11:51 PM) From EJ Caswell: You can pretend to be a candelabra with the power of speech who lives in a magic castle every other day but you can’t pretend to be my boyfriend? (11:52 PM) From EJ Caswell: Your acting skills must be pretty fucked up (11:52 PM)

Ricky tries not to smile at the last two texts, he does. But he fails, and finds himself with a stupid grin and a warm, tight knot in his stomach. He downs what’s left of his beer and jumps on his feet before he can second guess it.

The heat in his stomach intensifies when he approaches EJ and he looks up at him with such relief that Ricky feels like he’s the last parking spot in the shade on a scorching summer day.

“Hey babe!” Ricky exclaims, slinging an arm around EJ’s neck “Here you are!” 

“Hey.” EJ bats his eyes and they stare at each other. Ricky realizes he has absolutely no plan, so he turns to Blondie.

“Hi,” he says with a smile that shows his teeth “I’m his boyfriend.” 

EJ’s body shakes a little and Ricky racks his brain to find something for his arms to do. He tries to remember what he would have done with Nini and lets the arm on EJ’s shoulders drop, wrapping it around his waist instead. It’s toned and solid and nothing like Nini’s.

“Oh,” the girl looks thunderstruck. “I didn’t know…” 

“Yeah, we try not to make a show,” Ricky rants, and he’s pretty sure EJ’s constipated face means he’s trying not to laugh. “You know, it’d be a little weird for the musical if word got round that Beast and Lumiere are dating.”

“Oh, sure,” the girl nods, but Ricky’s sure she’d rather incinerate him on the spot. It makes him feel powerful and evil, like a Disney villain. Maybe that’s also what possesses him to turn to EJ and smack a kiss on his cheek. His skin is smooth and smells like expensive aftershave, and it’s inebriating. 

Mystery Blonde takes her cue and dismisses herself; Ricky mourns a little when he lets his arm fall from EJ’s waist.

“So much for not wanting to pretend, eh?” EJ teases, but his smile is soft and genuine. 

“I don’t want to hear another word against my acting skills.” Ricky replies, and doesn’t ask himself how much of that was acting. 

“If roles had been reversed, I would have gotten rid of her in half the time it took you.” EJ says, and his eyes definitely linger somewhere between Ricky’s nose and chin.

“If the roles had been reversed, I would have let her down easy by myself,” Ricky raises his eyebrows “And I believe the word you’re looking for here is thank you.”

EJ pretends to think it over. 

“I’ll get you a drink to repay you,” he offers, moving over to the table and quickly mixing up what tastes like a vodka lemon with way too much vodka. Ricky coughs. 

“A free drink at your cousin’s house,” he sputters. “You’re really going out of your way to woo me, Caswell.”

“Are you saying I’m being a bad boyfriend?” EJ sounds way more indignant than he should, and maybe it’s the vodka erasing any sign of common sense Ricky might have had, but he snickers.

“I’m about to break up with you.” He says, munching on the straw of his drink. Once again, EJ’s eyes follow the motion of his lips a little too closely.

“I can’t accept that.” EJ fishes out his phone once again and taps quickly. “There. Reservation for two, tomorrow night, at Salt Lake’s fanciest Chipotle.”

Ricky laughs so hard he ends up resting his head on EJ’s shoulder. 

“I love Mexican food.” He says. 

“Great,” EJ winks exaggeratedly “Then it’s a date.”

***

Thank you for reading! If you want to send a prompt, here’s more info on what I like to write. I got loads of prompts already and I love them! I’ll get around to writing them all, no worries ☺️

[inspector-montoya-fox]

#13 - Menace from the North, eh!

Setting part 1: i mean......... whatever, right? at this point, India got 2 levels and Prague got 2 levels so i’m like ok, let’s get this over with. and i genuinely believe this and Anatomy for Disaster are the game’s two weakest episodes, despite the great conclusion. look, SP... they fucking delivered. they served absolute excellence with episodes 2-4, but it’s getting redundant and Menace from the North, eh! is just Menace from the North, meh? (please forgive me Lord). the game takes a weird environmentalist turn, which i fully appreciate but am ultimately confused by, seeing as He Who Tames The Iron Horse had absolutely nothing to do with Jean Bison’s pollution aspect. it feels weird to return to a Canadian outing after the gang had such a successful run in the previous episode, which felt like a conclusion even with the absence of a bossfight. like, SP could have easily inserted a Bison bossfight at the end of He Who Tames The Iron Horse in order to add another Klaww Gang member for an extra episode or maybe replace Menace from the North, eh! with the lost Monaco episode. it sounds like i’m bitching a lot, and i actually am. what really takes me aback every single time i play this game is that after you complete the Rajan/Contessa saga, it all becomes so anticlimactic. and i can’t comprehend why. by the end of this episode, the stakes are so high but the drive just isn’t there. and it’s not because the gang is demotivated. Sly has been having so much fun throughout the game, even with Neyla’s backstab being a huge obstacle. so getting down, dirty and serious is a much needed mood change. but i feel like i speak for all of us when i say that episodes 5-7 are overshadowed by episodes 2-4. with a few alterations to the order of the episodes and some changes to the script, i really think we could have had an awesome Contessa vs Clock-La final showdown episode and have Bison come right after Dimitri. because, honestly, Canada feels like ‘second episode’ material.

Setting part 2: i’m splitting it up because i don’t want my rant above to spoil the actual writing. the gang sticks around for another Canadian caper after some kooky stuff goes down with the environment and, mainly, the Northern Lights, which as we’ll soon find out, play a rather unexpectedly significant role in the grand scheme of things. and we’re treated to a log-chopping area, an off-the-maps secretive camp which really ups the ante, because Jean Bison is being such a jerk to nature. we’ve got deforestation, we’ve got melting ice, exploitation of wild animals, and Bison getting a raging red boner by literally destroying the environment in order to flex in the Lumberjack Games..... both the player and the gang have had enough of this dude, and i think SP used the fact that his only traits are being an angry idiot and a bigot to their advantage. instead of providing the necessary character development as they did with the Contessa and Rajan, Bison and his actions (especially his communication with the mYsTeRiOuS Arpeggio) are used as a prelude to Anatomy for Disaster. there’s not really a lot of dialogue apart from the final mission and bossfight, because the overall Klaww Gang plot begins to unravel, and particularly so by the time we find out about the lighthouse and its technological contents. in fact, if you think about it, Anatomy for Disaster starts with Clock-La’s shitshow and an info-dump at the beginning, which, if you’ve been paying enough attention to the details (i know that until i turned 12 and replayed the game as a young teen i hadn’t been paying attention to shit so it was all gasp!), is just the connecting of the dots. Menace from the North, eh! is essentially the last piece of the puzzle, before it’s all given to us in full detail by Arpeggio. i mean, apart from Dimitri serving dishes with drugs in them (i still can’t get over that at the age of 21), the rest is all things the player could pick up. and that’s this episode’s main focus. trying to prevent the inevitable under countdown, before Arpeggio’s blimp arrives to collect the Northern Lights energy. so it feels very anticlimactic and strange to put in all this effort without purpose. if you’ve played it before, you know it’s all for nothing since all the parts will be gone by the end of the episode. and it’s even more anticlimactic (although hilarious in tonal shift) to see how the gang scrambles under the pressure of preventing the Klaww Gang’s doomsday by hacking boats and having all these grandiose plans involving the lighthouse, just to then resort to taking part in the Lumberjack Games, without even a clever scheme but actually just cheating, and finally have Bison, an idiot, foil their plans by finding out where they’ve been hiding. and the bossfight is fine, but again, meh... i mean, woohoo Bentley! or whatever the fuck.

Characters: let’s talk about Jean Bison and his mistreatment as a character. we first meet him at Rajan’s ball, where Bentley introduces him as a Canadian shipping baron and says that he owns half the trains in Canada. later on, during the introductory cutscene for He Who Tames The Iron Horse, we get his backstory and how he’s risen from being practically dead, frozen since his time, and back with a vengeance against the environment. in my previous #episodeproject entry i said: SP plays up Bison’s savagery and gruesome nature by spotlighting how his plans affect the environment and even going so far as to call his house ‘the lair of the beast’. this is all true but is never put into practice. like, Jean Bison is all tell and no show, y’know? even the cutscene that plays when Sly gets caught in Bison’s cabin during He Who Tames The Iron Horse’s first mission shows Bison getting angry, but hunty, that’s about it. apart from the Lumberjack Games and his bossfight, it’s all oh Bison will get angry and oh Bison will kill us with the talons. well, where is it? where’s the fucking Canadian shipping baron with a vengeance against the environment? my baby heart was legit quivering when we had to steal Rajan’s blueprints as Bentley, and the Contessa was such a grand sleazebag of a woman, like what a douchebag - and you see that, although i’m often flamboyant in my writing (!!!), the way i describe these moments with these villains is both effective and relatable, because they showed up and lived up to their descriptions. Bison was written to be a ferocious beast of a villain but never showed that. and that’s on SP. whatever... let’s talk about the gang. now, despite the gang looking seriously badass in the opening cutscene for this episode (image below), they’re actually in a pretty good headspace. they’re only missing the talons and whatever Clockwerk parts Arpeggio had before collecting all of them. so it’s only natural for them to feel a bit cocky, and that’s actually gonna be their demise. before that, i just wanna mention that almost all the missions here (as with He Who Tames The Iron Horse) are group missions: Sly and Murray infiltrate the moose club in RC Combat Club, all three of them work together in Lighthouse Break-In, Boat Hack, and Old Grizzle Face. what really stood out to me every time i played this episode, is how, at the end when they take down Bison and they rush to the battery, each member has a different way of entering it, which is a small detail but important nonetheless. this further reinforces how united the gang has become since the Contessa levels and how their bond has strengthened. now, lemme circle back to how they’re cocky. i mean, apart from Jean Bison, Menace from the North, eh! doesn’t present any immediate danger or like trouble, seeing as both Neyla and Carmelita are absent. without any interference, the gang had lots of breathing space to plan ahead, even under countdown before Arpeggio’s blimp arrived. and they kinda wasted the opportunity because, as i’ve already mentioned, the operation was an absolute train-wreck. there’s no plan b, or like something clever or whatever. and usually, the operations tend to get disrupted by third parties, such as Carmelita or Neyla, but here, it failed because it was never smart. and it’s only natural for them to fall hard (by losing all the Clockwerk parts) after feeling all cocky (maybe i’m being too harsh). and all this directly leads to some more Bentley character development.... again. look, i’m all for character development, but the turtle already faced his demons when he busted Sly and Murray out of jail. i know we got Murray vs Rajan, but i don’t know, Murray was always kinda just there throughout the game. the hippo had his ups and downs (face-off with Rajan, imprisonment, losing the van), but not a fully realised story arc. that’s why, when Sly 3 starts off with his enlightenment and return, that story arc is instantly so iconic. i could go on about how Bentley gains self-confidence after defeating Bison, but um, we’ve already done that sis.

Themes: He Who Tames The Iron Horse and Menace from the North, eh! should have been one episode and i truly believe that. they could have shared the same themes. for the former, i said there’s the speed theme, and that applies here too because the gang are under pressure. the countdown lights a fire under their asses and it’s all very destructive. again, there’s an antithesis between the calm Canadian atmosphere and the chaotic energy of the missions. but it’s not just speed theme anymore, it’s more like theme of ferocity. everyone’s kinda on edge??? Old Grizzle Face is a motherfucker and we get up close and personal with the eagles, lasers destroy huge ice pieces, there’s a mammoth, the destroyed oil manes create fiery air drafts... chaos. and it all results in the disastrous events and outcome of the Lumberjack Games, which make Menace from the North, eh! the straightest episode in the game. yuck. it only makes sense for the missions to become less sneaky and more destructive as the stakes get higher and the gang is in a hurry, and that kinda embodies the pollution motif/ environment motif. it’s less of a theme and more of a motif because it’s so story-centric, but that’s the other things the comes into contrast with the calm environment. saws, the buzzing, chopped-up logs flowing down the river, tree stumps spread across: these embody the pollution and the harm Jean Bison has been doing even though it’s a forced storyline in my opinion. and finally, size theme. it’s not major, but it feels like everything’s bigger in Canada... Sly feels so puny in this episode, like especially when climbing the lighthouse. the wild animals are huge, the structures are huge, Jean Bison’s house is huge. it’s just lots and lots of nothingness. if you took absolutely nothing and enlarged it by 10 times, you’d have this episode’s hub. and this is also seen in the bossfight when tiny Bentley takes on Jean Bison. so yea.

What I Like: gliding off the lighthouse and throwing fish onto already stinky guards before Old Grizzle Face rips them to shreds. also, those cute lil catfish-lookin viruses in Bentley’s hacking! they’re so adorable.

What I Don’t Like: erm... it’s not that i don’t like this episode, but i find it kinda boring? apart from interacting with the wild animals, the missions are meh. and i hate the Lumberjack Games...

Quote: Get too close and old Grizzle Face will be eating barbecued raccoon for dinner.

[rockthingsbymeg]

Great! I wanted to request a Slash imagine, that was inspired by your last Slash imagine. I was wondering if you could write something about Slash and the reader secretly eloping? If you can’t, it’s totally okay. Love your writing!

This turned out to be longer than I planned, but I really loved writing it. Hope you enjoy it! 💛

Big, white, princess-y wedding?

Ok, big no.

Goth wedding?

A bit much…

Wedding on the beach?

Ok, that one seemed nice enough but it still had a problem in common with all the others. Her family.

Y/N was not comfortable around her family. Her parents had always been extremely judgemental; they didn’t like it when she moved to L.A. and seemed to actually hate her when she started dating Slash. The rest of her family was exactly like them but they didn’t seem to have the courage to tell her. Of course, the way they acted dismissed any conversation

Her family expected her to settle down with someone they considered nice. Which, in Y/N’s book, was someone who was the complete opposite of Slash.

She loved the way he made her feel. She felt so comfortable around him and so safe. Like nothing bad could ever happen. He made her feel loved. And he didn’t allow their relationship to fall in a place where it got boring. Hell no. He always brought her out with him -when she wanted, of course- and made sure to always include her in conversations he had with his friends. Of course, that was easy because Y/N was also good friends with them and was a laid back person who they got along with, but it still felt nice that he put in the effort.

And also, despite not being the main reason, Y/N also loved how much pleasure Slash could bring her with seemingly innocent things. He was just as much of a tease as she was and she loved every second of it.

Slash, much to her surprise, would also occasionally be romantic. He wouldn’t go over the top, because it didn’t feel natural to him and he wouldn’t do cliches that often, but he was romantic in his own way.

He would randomly pick her up from work and take her to her favorite bar. He would come home with either the weirdest plants he could find or sunflowers because he knew how much she loved them. He played her riffs on the guitar. Sent letters while on tour, especially while drunk. Offered her snakes as a gift -though that probably happened because he wanted a new snake rather than because he was actually gifting it to her as a romantic gesture. And he did all of that in his goofy, laid back, seemingly uncaring way. And she loved him.

So, of course, she was quick to say yes when he proposed. But now that she thought of it, was a wedding their thing?

He had proposed around a month ago, a couple days before her parents visited and so it was impossible to hide the ring he had gotten her because her mother would snoop around like usual -which was always incredibly annoying because they’d have to hide every bottle of vodka and every drug inside the deepest corners of their closet- and would end up finding it if Y/N took it off, but also because Y/N refused to do just that. It just looked too good on her hand.

So, they had found out about the ring and of course, her mother started pestering her with all of these ideas of a big, fluffy wedding, that would happen no matter what.

“You’re thinking too loud baby.” Slash said, coming up behind her while she cooked and wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Just thinking ‘bout the wedding.” She smiled, feeling him kiss up her neck.

“What about it?”

Y/N sighed. “I know it’s our wedding and it should be something for us, but my mom just won’t stop bothering me about her dream wedding and I’ve told her no but she won’t listen!” She ranted, taking a deep breath. “I’m trying to think of something that would meet her standards but that would still be us.”

Slash hummed, kissing her temple and turning her around so he could look into her eyes. “Why are you trying to please your mother? I know your parents don’t exactly love our life, but you shouldn’t be unhappy about something like this. It’s going to be our day, not her’s baby.” He tilted his head, thumbs rubbing small, comforting circles on her waist.

“I know I shouldn’t be doing this. But she’ll be there, giving me those mother looks all day and I don’t want to deal with that…” She sighed, resting her head against his chest. “I’m sorry.”

Slash wrapped her in a hug, kissing the top of her head. The gears in his head began to turn, coming up with a plan to rid Y/N of her worries. “Don’t apologize baby.”

[…]

Another month went by with Y/N occasionally panicking about the wedding. Meanwhile, Slash had come up with what he believed to be the perfect solution.

The sun was still barely visible in the sky, but Slash already laid awake in bed, contemplating his idea.

Y/N said she didn’t want her mother to give her side eyes during the wedding. He knew Y/N wasn’t one to like big romantic gestures and that included weddings themselves. So, the solution to that seemed pretty easy for him.

Elope.

They could fly someplace she always wanted to visit and get married there. No pressure, just them. Just the way it should be.

He looked at the girl by his side and then at his nightstand, where the airplane tickets to Jamaica were. He really hoped she’d agree to this.

After she went to bed last night, he had gotten their bag ready. It wasn’t much, mostly because they would only be there for a week, so it all fit in one of his bigger bags. If she said no, it would really feel awkward to unpack everything again but what the hell, he wanted to make his girl happy on their wedding day.

“Baby?” He whispered, brushing her hair out of her face.

Y/N stirred, eyes slowly opening to look at him. “Yeah?”

“Got a surprise for you.” He smiled.

Y/N pulled herself up a little and brushed all of her hair out of her eyes. “What is it?” She smiled back at him. “It better be good because it looks too damn early to be up.” She mumbled, yawning.

Slash laughed while getting the tickets out of his nightstand. “We got a plane to catch in two and a half hours.”

Y/N’s eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

“You and I are going to Jamaica.” Slash said pulling her on top of his body.

Y/N looked even more confused than before. “Why?”

Slash kissed her. “We’re getting married. In two days. No one will be there but us.” He chuckled when her eyes widened. “I don’t want you worrying about your mother or anything for that matter. I proposed to you because I love you and I want you to be happy.”

Y/N’s eyes filled with small, happy tears. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me…” She said, voice breaking, while toying with one of his curls.

“C'mon now. I don’t want you to cry…” He smiled, cleaning the tears that had fallen with the pad of his thumbs.

“How can I not cry?!” She asked, laughing.

“I don’t know. Just don’t.” He laughed with her.

“Easier said than done…” She mumbled, sitting up straight on top of him.

“So…” He grinned, sitting up with her. “Let’s get ready yeah? The bags are packed, everything is ready, you just need to get dressed and fix yourself up.”

Y/N grinned back at him, kissing his lips and getting off of him, promptly getting ready.

[…]

One week later, Slash and Y/N found themselves at home, wedding rings adorning their fingers. She knew he was okay with hearing rings but it surprised her when he said he’d always use this one. It felt a bit too romantic for him and knowing he wanted to do it made her feel warm and giddy inside.

As soon as they got home they went straight to their bedroom, clothes removed along the way until their naked bodies were pressed against each other on the sheets. The rings were still on and shone under the light that poured into the room and the sight of her ring in the middle of his curls and the sight of his ring against her skin -even if it was not the first time seeing it- made her feel like exploding with happiness.

Seeing this at home made it feel official like the last week had been a dream. It felt like it, but it sure wasn’t…

A couple hours later they had showered and gotten dressed again, ready to meet the guys at a bar down the street. No one knew about their wedding except for her best friend and only because someone needed to look after the snakes and the plants. As far as everyone else knew, they just went on a small vacation.

When they got to the bar, Izzy, always the observant, noticed the wedding rings pretty quickly.

“You got married?” He asked, pointing at the rings on Slash’s hand while taking his glass to his lips.

“Yeah.” Slash answered with a big smile on his face, looking down at Y/N who was cuddling his side while playing with her own ring.

“What, you went to Jamaica to get married?” Duff asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Yeah, dude. Why?” Y/N asked, surprised at his surprise.

Duff put on a fake pout. “You promised I’d be your maid of honor!” He protested, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“I’m sorry baby…” Y/N laughed along with everyone else, pulling herself from Slash’s side and opening her arms to pull into a hug. “I promise we’ll have a small party just so you can be my maid of honor.”

“You better.” He huffed, accepting her hug. He pressed his lips close to her ear and she could feel his smile. “I’m so happy for you guys.”

When they pulled apart, Duff planted a small kiss on her forehead before letting her go back to Slash, who was smiling at the girl like a lovesick puppy.

It didn’t matter that much to him though, because she’d always look at him the same way.

—

Thank you so much for reading. Likes, reblogs, comments and any kind of way you show me you liked this are endlessly appreciated💛 

Tell me if you want to be tagged and for requests see request info

[starlightinhumanform]

The Art of Love: Chapter 11

Fandom: She Ra (2018)

Ship: Glimadora 

Summary: Glimmer and Bow have a chat. Glimmer’s secret crush might not being a secret anymore... 

Warnings (for this chapter): Some mild angst, Mild language (please tell me if anything needs to be added)

Genre: High School AU, Angst with a Happy Ending, Rivals/Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Fluff

A/N: Just a side note that I consistently headcanon Bow as trans and even though that doesn’t play a role in this fic, it is mentioned. As always, thank you for all of your continued support and encouragement!! Love you all 🖤✨

Ao3    The Art of Love Masterpost    Fic Masterpost    Fic Request Info 

By the time the day ended, Glimmer was ready to bury herself under five blankets and spend the next four hours watching YouTube. Of course she couldn’t do that. Because life just wasn’t that easy.

Her feet shuffled in a way that could only be described as noncommittal- weak and only partially agreeing to their actions. Her head felt like it was filled to the brim with cotton, stuffed into a too tight headband that squeezed across her temples and made what was left in her head pound. Saturated; that’s was she was. Used up like a sponge.

Such things being considered, Glimmer was in a surprisingly good mood. So she couldn’t help but smile when she heard feet pound up from behind her and stop suddenly beside her.

“Hey, Bow!”

Bow was stopped, bent over with his hands on his knee and gasping for breath. He raised a finger up, “Just... give me a... moment.”

Glimmer giggled, “You good?”

Bow swung upright, “I can’t breathe but I’m great. How are you? Hopelessly in love?”

“I can not handle your bullshit right now,” Glimmer began walking but couldn’t help but smile slightly, “Blocked. Cancelled. Deleted.”

“Why? Because I’m right?” Bow had caught up with her again, grinning.

“It’s a crush Bow, nothing more. It’s definitely not love.”

Bow nodded as they continued walking, “Uh-huh. Is that why you’re blushing so hard?”

“I’m blushing because you are bothering me,” Glimmer grumbled out her words, and turned her head to raise an eyebrow at him. 

Bow raised an eyebrow back, “Wanna talk about it?”

Glimmer stopped walking and flopped backwards so she could lean dramatically against the hall’s cinderblock wall. She let her head roll backwards and stared up at the ceiling. The hall had cleared out, the distant sound of dance practice echoing between her and Bow. She still held a smile but it was quickly growing stale. It wasn’t that she was sad, or that she didn’t enjoy Bow’s company; there was just a lot to consider in that question.

Did she want to talk about it? Well, yes. There was so much she had to say and so much she wanted Bow to at least give his opinion or, at best, offer advice. But of all the things she wanted to say, there was so much she was scared to admit to. She doubted she would even mange to get half of it out. She would choke up and her words would lie, caught and festering somewhere in her throat. And there all those emotions would stay, blocked between her heart and her mouth. They would simmer there for a drawn out second before they boiled over and streamed down her cheeks. Bow would put his hands on her shoulders ask her what was wrong in his too-soft-for-his-own-good voice and Glimmer wouldn’t be able to tell him because the words burned as they bubbled and corroded her vocal chords.

But the feelings, they were hard to explain. She squinted up at the fluorescent panels which only marginally improved the lighting but greatly added to the prison-like atmosphere. The flickering bulbs were a thousand miles away as she tried to wrap her mind around the images flickering behind her eyes. Adora’s smile. The way her eyes shone when she sang. How her voice could wrap around Glimmer’s brain and find all the ways to make her glitch. How her body fit perfectly against Glimmer’s. The raw intensity with which Adora felt emotions and how she let them wash over whoever was nearby.

Bow’s feet made a scuffing sound as he shifted somewhat awkwardly across from Glimmer. The movement brought her back to the present and and made her wonder how long he had been standing there.

“I’m going to take that to mean that, yes, you do have something to say?” He prompted.

Glimmer let her head swing forward and blew a sigh through her nose.

It’s like molten gold filling my chest. And it’s bright and it’s burning and god yes it hurts but it’s beautiful too. It’s smooth and it runs down my throat, stealing my voice. It coats my eyes and tints the world around me but that’s ok because it turns everything beautiful. And at the same time, it’s far too much and it scares me and it hurts because all that shining gold is more than I could ever deserve or ever handle.

She couldn’t explain that. She would sound crazy. Bow probably wouldn’t see it as crazy, but he would take it too far. Glimmer was already freaking out about it, she couldn’t stand Bow freaking out on top of that.

“Glimmer?” Bow reached out, placing the expected gentle hand on her shoulder, “Is everything ok? Are you ok?”

Glimmer gave a breathy laugh. She hadn’t even realized how blurry her eyes had become, “Yeah. Sorry.”

His eyebrows were wrinkled in concern and Glimmer could tell he was worried that he had somehow caused her distress, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

She took a deep breath and made up her mind, “I have a lot to tell you actually. So let’s go to some place more comfortable than the middle of the hallway.”

Bow smiled, “Library?”

“Library.”

Bow and Glimmer had a well-established tradition of spending the time after school together, sharing stories and ranting about life in the library under the pretense that they were study partners. Everyone knew they weren’t actually doing work but left them alone because they stayed to their back-corner sofa and only rarely did the conversations dissolve into yelling.

They walked comfortably next to each other, unbothered when their shoulders bumped and chatting about the ridiculous amount of homework they would undoubtedly procrastinate doing that night.

People often mistook them as a couple; something which both Bow and Glimmer would laugh at. They had the running joke that if neither of them had found someone by the time they were 35, they would just marry each other. They were close as friends could be. He was the first one she had come out as bi to and she has the first he had come as trans to. Glimmer generally didn’t mind people thinking she was dating Bow, but sometimes she worried it would discourage other people from having interest in her. Then she would brush it off as ridiculous because she was pretty sure there was plenty of other things to discourage them.

They reached the library within a few minutes, both flopping dramatically onto their usual couch. They were in an emptier section of the library, most people at tables or occupied in the computer lab.

Glimmer swung her legs over the arm of the couch and leaned into Bow’s side. She let a defeated puff stream out of her mouth, once again unsure of what she could possible say.

Bow let them sit in silence for a few moments before prompting her again, “So... what was it that you wanted to tell me?”

She groaned, “Adora. Pretty. Girls. Yes. Crush.”

Bow laughed and patted her shoulder, “That all?”

Glimmer brought her hands up to hide her face in and shook her head, “Bow, I don’t even know where to start.”

She could feel him shrug against the weight of her body, “How about you just start from last night. I’m pretty sure you liked her before, if I’m being perfectly honest, but it sounds like it only got serious last night?”

The last sentence was stated as a question instead of a statement and Glimmer knew Bow was trying to bait her into giving more information. She gave in, returning the shrug, “Yeah I guess. I have no idea how long I’ve liked her but I think it’s been almost the whole year.”

“Why do you think it took you so long to realize?”

Glimmer had to take a deep breath for that one, “Because I hated her. Because I was jealous of her. And because I was scared of liking her.”

“Ok,” Glimmer could hear the hesitation in his voice, “And why was that?”

“I just- you know how- I couldn’t,” she paused before trying again, “There were- are- a lot of reasons. I just feel like I shouldn’t. I still think liking girls is something bad or at least dangerous.”

Bow started to say something but Glimmer continued before he could get a word in, “So there was that guilt and I guess disgust. It’s that internalized homophobia bullshit. I think that’s what they call it? Anyways, I know Adora won’t go for me and I’ll just get hurt and I know I’m stupid for getting so infatuated.”

This time Bow was able to interrupt, “I wouldn’t be so sure of that if I were you.”

Glimmer snorted, “Oh, and why is that? Has she privately confessed her love for me to you?”

“Well no-“

“Look, Bow, she’s popular and she’s beautiful and she could probably get any girl she wanted. She’s definitely not going to settle for me.”

“Hey hey first of all,” he elbowed her in the back, “nobody has to ‘settle’ for you. We’ve talked about this. What have I told you?”

Glimmer rolled her eyes, “I’m not going to say it.”

He elbowed her again, “Say it, coward.”

She blew a raspberry before droning out the ridiculous mantra Bow had told her in a monotone voice, “I am gorgeous and perfect in every way. I am a queen; y’all are peasants and do not deserve to witness my glory.”

Bow nodded, “You may continue.”

“You’re so stupid. Anyways, with your permission to continue, even if Adora does have the slightest interest in me- which she doesn’t and will continue not to- Cat would get jealous. I’m pretty sure she already is with this stupid project. She won’t let Adora anywhere near me as soon as the project finishes.”

“How do you know that? Adora’s her own person. She can hang out with you if she wants to- no matter what Cat thinks. And by the way, I think she will want to hang out with you.”

Glimmer felt her throat going tight, “She told me she wanted to be friends but I don’t think she meant it.”

“Glimmer, that’s great!! What makes you think she wouldn’t mean it?”

“I don’t know,” Glimmer hesitated once more, “She was acting really weird last night.”

Bow rolled his hand in a Go on motion.

Glimmer’s stomach clenched as her mind flashed back to the night before. She sat up, hunching over her knees as she were worried the sensation would show through. It all seemed very far away, surely longer than the 24 hours reality told her it was. It all seemed very fake. Adora couldn’t possibly have looked at her with that much affection in her eyes. She couldn’t have asked her to dance and laughed so loud Glimmer was sure someone would hear. She certainly didn’t stand a breath away from Glimmer and give her a smirk that made her insides freeze. It was simply impossible.

“Glimmer?” Bow leaned sideways to bump his shoulder into hers, “What do you mean weird?”

“Just very affectionate I guess,” She looked up at Bow, knowing what was coming and not sure if she would be able to answer.

“How is that a bad thing?” There it was.

“Because,” Glimmer seemed to choke for a moment and she could swear it was because her heart was in her throat, “I know that it probably wasn’t real; it was probably just Adora being tired and getting clingy or something. And because I know it won’t ever happen again. And knowing that hurts.”

Bow reached and took one of her hands in his. They were warmer and sturdier than hers- small and trembling. It was such a normal, familiar action but all she could think about was Adora’s hands in hers’ as they sat side by side and she attempted to teach her how to use chopsticks. It had to be some surreal dream. That would be easier. That would make sense. She felt vulnerable and exposed. No doubt the entire library was acting as witness to her breakdown. She hunkered into herself further, almost entirely folded in half now. She just wanted it all to pause. Things would be so much easier if they marched in one at a time. Instead life liked to throw a thousand problems at her at once. And sometimes those problems looked like soccer players who smiled a little too brightly because they were trying to hide just how much more like the ocean they were than the sun. Adora wasn’t stupid; she was deep and dark and sometimes the shades twisted from blues to jagged purples which undoubtably scraped against her sides. Glimmer wanted to learn every shade of that girl- yes the happy yellows but also the stormy grays. She wanted to dull the shards that hurt Adora and do her best heal the wounds she couldn’t prevent. But she would never get the chance. It was all fantasy. The melancholy was corrosive.

Bow squeezed her hand in his grip, cueing her to look up. When he spoke it was with a slow, steady voice. Glimmer knew that voice; that was the voice he used when Glimmer was about to shatter into a million pieces.

She breathed in deeply through her nose and tried to concentrate on his words, “I know this may seem very unrealistic to you but I really don’t think Adora’s affection was fake or just some side effect. I don’t think you just give up on it happening again.”

Glimmer’s face collapsed into a combination of disdain, incredulity, and despair, “If I keep holding onto hope, I’m going to keep getting hurt every time I’m inevitably disappointed.”

“How do you know you’re going to get disappointed though?!” Bow waved his arms out in a way that would have been comical if Glimmer wasn’t on the verge of tears. He was starting to get exasperated, his voice rising dangerously shrill and loud.

Glimmer hissed out a shush and clapped his arms back down to his body.

She rolled her eyes, “Look, I’ll live in your make-believe world for a second, ok? Let’s say that Adora does like me- platonically, romantically, whatever it doesn’t matter. Even if she does, Cat is not going to stand being around me. She hates me. So Adora will have to choose between me and Cat. That will have two possible results: Most likely, she will choose her best friend and leave me behind. That result can be summed up as: Ouch. Either that or she’ll choose me. From then on, Cat will hate me more than she already does- and I do not want to find out what that would mean- and Adora will always resent me because I’m the reason she and her best friend fell apart.“

Bow nodded sagely for a moment, “You’ve really thought this through.”

She could tell he wasn’t as concerned with her hypothetical situations as she was. This time it was her voice that reached a dangerously high volume, “Yes of course I’ve thought this through! Have you met me?! I think everything through!”

“Ok true, but I still don’t think-“

“Actually I’m not finished yet! Because even if by some miracle, Cat and I are able to ‘coexist,’ then I’m always going to be an accessory to Cat and Adora’s relationship. I will always be an add-on; something that is merely tolerated. And I will not be able to stand that. I would rather never talk to Adora again than have to deal with that.”

“Glimmer I get it and you’re making some good points, it’s just,” he paused, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes, piecing together his words, “of all those situations you’ve thought up, you’ve never once considered the possibility that things will turn out ok.”  

Glimmer leaned sideways into Bow, just trying to affirm that she had heard him. She hated making Bow this exasperated. She knew he was just trying to help her. Hell, maybe he was even right. Still, Glimmer was thinking realistically. She was thinking cautiously. She was... she has no idea what she was doing.

“You know, Glimmer,” Bow returned the lean in her direction, “sometimes the world doesn’t suck.”

She rolled her eyes, “Mm, really? And you’d be what? An expert of the world’s constant condition?”

Bow sat up straight and puffed out his chest, “Yes in fact.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Glimmer’s voice still wavered as she spoke, but she could feel a grin start to grow across her lips.

“And you know what? I might be ridiculous, but I like to think that I’ll be right one of these times.”

Glimmer loved Bow’s optimism but it often came across to her as purely naive. She wished he could be right about this, if only to give him the satisfaction. But it was unrealistic and the sooner she accepted that fact, the easier it would be to take reality’s crushing blow. And the sooner Bow stopped encouraging her wishful thinking, the easier it would be to accept.

But he was giving her a grin that held nothing but purity and confidence, and she couldn’t break that. She tried to return the smile, “Sure. We’ll see.”

His smile grew until he was beaming, “Yep! We will!”

Satisfied that he had beaten Glimmer into optimistic submission, Bow slapped the sofa seat next to him, “Come on, I gotta go.”  

They moved towards the exit together, chatting casually as they weaved through tables of clustered students. The library was filled with the quiet bubbling of 50 voices, each trying not to make noise but none the less adding to the atmosphere of sound. It was relaxing to some extent and apparently Bow found it safe enough to continue their conversation.

“So... what would you do if Adora liked you back? I mean, like, would you go on dates or-”

Glimmer nearly tackled him to the ground but instead froze, hissing, “Shut up! Elizabeth is right there! She hangs out with Adora sometimes! What if she heard you yelling?!”

Bow’s eyes lit up at the mention of Elizabeth, “Really? Where is she?”

“Don’t look so happy about it; she right at the table behind you!”

Bow spun around and waved, “Hey Elizabeth!”

The girl jolted up from where she had been hunched over the table, “Oh, hey Bow!”

Teachers often got Glimmer and Elizabeth mixed up; Glimmer never understood why. She wore huge, round glasses and had a fascination with math that Glimmer could never possibly possess. It was true that they both had dyed hair, but her’s was far darker and nearly hit the floor. (How Elizabeth didn’t trip over it every time she stood up was a mystery Glimmer would never solve).

It wasn’t that Glimmer minded Elizabeth but-

“This is not the time!” Glimmer grabbed Bow’s hand and began dragging him towards the doors.

Before they could actually get out outside, Elizabeth popped up in front of them, grinning broadly and practically shouting when she spoke, “What were you saying about Adora?”

Elizabeth had a habit of appearing randomly in your face, without any warning and giving Glimmer a heart attack every time. That being said, Glimmer was having a heart attack. Even if Elizabeth hadn’t startled her by materializing out of the blue and effectively blocking her escape route, yelling about Adora in the middle of the library definitely would’ve been enough to push Glimmer off the edge.

Glimmer’s eyes widened and it felt like the wind had been punched out of her-  a solid blow straight to core. She struggled to find anything to say, simply trying to remember how to breathe. Finally she shook her head and grabbed Bow and Elizabeth’s hand, “Out. Both of you.”

“Oh, wait- wow. Your hands are really strong.”

Glimmer ignored Elizabeth’s chatter as she barreled outside. When they turned the corner Glimmer let go of their hands and turned so she could glare at both of them. They stood with their backs to the building wall, shoulder to shoulder like a police line up.

The campus continued to move around them as they stood in awkward silence. Glimmer paced back and forth, wringing her hands. She had made an impulsive decision when she grabbed Elizabeth and now she had to deal with the consequences. Bow stood with his arms crossed, staring at random things and avoiding where Glimmer was treading miles through the sidewalk. Elizabeth on the other hand seemed to be entirely unbothered, humming to herself and fidgeting with something she had pulled out of her pocket.

Glimmer shook her head; she was being stupid, “Look, Elizabeth, I’m sorry I dragged you out here. I was really overreacting and I’m sorry you had to be a part of that. Just please don’t mention anything about Adora to anyone.”

“Hmm what?” Elizabeth jerked her head up, “Oh! Adora. Yeah, her, I think she’s cool. I think we might be friends. Not sure. That would be nice though.”

Elizabeth spoke in short, choppy sentences that bounced from one topic to another and made Glimmer’s head hurt. She pinched the bridge of her nose, “Yes, we’re talking about Adora. Just please forget I said anything about her.”

“So let me get this straight. You’re talking about Adora, you told me you were talking about Adora,” Elizabeth was moving her hands in front of her face like she was playing an invisible game of connect the dots, “But you don’t want me to know you were talking about Adora?”

Bow squinted, “Yeah that sounds about right.”

“Just, whatever you heard, don’t tell anyone any of it. Please?”

Elizabeth darted forward towards Glimmer, staring hard into her face. She continued to scrutinize Glimmer as she began to speak, “You have a crush in her don’t you?”

Glimmer’s hand itched to clamp itself over Elizabeth’s mouth. She let her own lips fall open, once again struggling desperately to find words to fill the space with. She attempted to regain some veneer of composure, standing up straighter and turning her chin slightly in the air, “I will neither confirm or deny anything concerning that matter.”

“So... is that a yes?”

“No! Its nothing!” Glimmer growled.

“You’re not acting like it’s nothing,” Bow spoke with a smug grin and subtly raised eyebrows.

Glimmer glared at Bow for a second before breaking off the staring contest by rubbing the palms of her hands upwards across her face and settling across her eyes. This situation had been out of her control since Weaver had assigned her to be partners with Adora. Maybe it had been out of her hands since Adora scampered into her seat in the first day of school, laughing loudly at something Cat had said. Now nothing was in her hands except her own tired fears.

“Hey,” Elizabeth’s voice broke through the darkness Glimmer was hiding behind, “I’ve gotta go so I’m just gonna... um, yeah, bye!”

Glimmer looked up to see Elizabeth jogging back to the library. The girl paused for a moment to wave before disappearing inside. Glimmer sighed and collapsed into a lump on the concrete. She looked up at Bow, “She’s going to say something isn’t she?”

Bow scratched the back of his head. It was possible he was trying to think, but it was more likely he was just buying time; Glimmer knew he didn’t want to say exactly what she knew he was going to say. He deflated and sat down next to Glimmer, “I don’t think she’d do it on purpose. She might just... forget not to.”

Glimmer flopped backwards. The clouds were drifting across the sky slowly; beautiful, serine motions that ran in paradox to her racing mind; so many thoughts and they all blurred together into one word. Shit.

[silyabeeodess]

Well, since Steam won’t let me post my review, I might as well rant here: Whatever excitement I had to play LOTRO, it’s very much dead now. The main positive is that the game is very expansive and the world feels fleshed out; however, it's also one of its worst aspects in many cases. 

Those of you who saw my first post already know what I’m about to say, but you know how the Shire is supposed to be this relaxing place? In the game, you're sent running around these massive landscapes from one area to the next to the point where you're completely lost, there's absolutely no chance of stacking missions so that you can keep to an area and explore it at leisure to then move on to the next, and some of them are ridiculously timed missions that you have to beat going through these huge landscapes as well as through enemies and random npcs that will completely ruin you so that you'll have to go all the way back and start over.  To top it off, your character runs at a pace that would make a snail look like a world class racer (seriously, even the running animation looks awful because your character's "run" is timed at a speed-walk or light jog), and when you can fast-travel (because you can only do it at the stable's scattered locations than all have insane limits on where you can go to the point that you literally can't even use some of them) it's an auto-travel system--meaning you're stuck having to remember which of the countless towns is closest to where you actually need to go.  And even it’s pretty slow at times too! (It's so bad that it got to the point where I just started holding down a button and reading to pass the time, looking up every now and then to make sure that I didn't run into a tree.)

Oh, and the tracker? Half the time it doesn't even work! If it's not leading you to an impassable mountain range on the border of the map instead of where you actually need to go, it's auto-selecting the mission that on the other side of the map because you did something that might've triggered that quest instead of what's closest by that still needs completion.    The controls are also pretty wonky.  They really depend on the camera, so if your camera messes up or locks onto something, have fun trying to move around!  I've had to constantly readjust it in order for my character not to walk over a cliff or to simply keep running when the game decides I need to focus on the random enemy that's 5 levels below me and I just want to get through a forest.

There's also a crafting system.  Again, nicely fleshed out, but there's some stupid aspects of its design as well. For instance, I'm a tinker, meaning I have the prospector, cook, and jeweler crafting abilities. I happened to get these crafting quests where I needed to make dishes using Spring Barley. Well, after searching forever for it, after some research, it turns out that you can't even get Spring Barley normally without being a farmer.  The advice I saw in forums for the game was literally to make a secondary character as a farmer in order to get it. No: You shouldn't have to make another character in order to play the game properly.  I had to hope that I landed a quest that would give me what I needed in order to finish those crafting ones.  

The game's pretty, at least I'll give it that... Again, the main positive is that the world looks nice and is really fleshed out from the settings, to all of the rich landscapes, to the story aspects.  There were a couple of times I felt taken out of Middle Earth because of the landscape rapidly alerting as I moved through one to the next, but it tends to the the exception rather than the rule.  However, there are so many other problems that I can't enjoy exploring those areas as I would in other MMOs. Most of the time, I feel frustrated because I'm being sent off in so many directions.  It's not even an issue of taking on side quests because, in most other cases, side quests keep you in a relatively confined location as you complete the main quests so you have plenty of time to level up and see what's around before moving on to the next area--and when you do have to travel a massive distance, the quick-travel system is actually effective.  

Seriously, imagine if, in "The Hobbit," instead of Thorin's company making as direct a route as possible to the Misty Mountains with just the occasional bumps in the road to keep the story interesting, the group decided, "Ok, well, we're going to go to Rivendell first, but after that--since Bilbo told us to try some mushroom pie--we're going to go back to the Shire and pick a couple up from his grandmother who lives in the marshes. Then, we'll head toward the Misty Mountains...  Oh, wait: We've lost our horses?  No, we don't need to borrow Beorn's: Let's just go to Rohan to get some instead. While we're at it, let's visit Thorin's cousin: It's only a day trip in the opposite direction."  It’s pointless wandering around that takes greatly from the experience, and you just want to get through it, so you stop caring about what you're doing.  

One, final thing that I couldn’t stand: The fall system in the game.  Initially, I thought it was neat in that there was some consequence. If you fall a far enough distance, there’s cracking sound effect of broken bone and your character hobbles for a while instead of runs.  After some time though, it got old, and if you fall far enough—despite the fact that you don’t actually take damage at any shorter distance—your character can actually die.  It’s bad enough that you have to respawn somewhere after finding that out with no warning whatsoever either through gameplay or by tutorial info, but to really grind salt into the wound, there are titles that you get for staying alive over the course of multiple levels in the game and you lose every bit of progress toward them.  

[juupajaa]

Today someone tried to encourage me to recover by saying if I lose too much weight by heavy restricting, my body will go into starvation mode and be messed up forever, and if I try to recover it’ll be much easier to gain weight and harder to lose it and now I don’t want to recover at all because I’ll be doomed to a life of obesity. Is it true? I don’t want to die but I’m afraid to recover now :(

Ok here's the thing. People say all kinds of shit. Someone had half-read something and ran to tumblr to declare that oatmeal makes you hold onto fat. It's not true, and like 80% of the weight loss tips you read on here is just absolute garbage. Some facts are taken out of context, some are exaggerated beyond all reason, some are straight up wrong. They just feel like the truth bc someone said it and you're hyper aware of weight loss related info.

Yes, starvation mode is a real thing, but it's not what you think it is. It's not like a medical condition you end up with, it's more like a bodily response, kinda like sweating. If you've been eating low calories and losing weight, your body will respond with slowing down your metablism. You might hit a plateau because of this. It's why losing weight becomes harder and harder the lower you go. Now you go on tumblr and you read a hundred hysterical posts about how to "speed up" your metabolism with cold showers, how to break a plateau by eating more one day, how to avoid starvation mode by changing your caloric intake by a few hundred every day. All of these "tips" are gonna do nothing for you, because they're mostly just wrong and you're not just some random ass dieter. If you're battling with an eating disorder, your main concern shouldn't be whether or not you'll hit that plateau or if you can outsmart your metabolism. Your main concern should be whether or not you're malnourished yet. Are you getting health complications yet? Is there any way you can help yourself? Are you suicidal yet?

Our bodies are extremely skilled at adapting to all kinds of situations. We've had famines that lasted years upon years and people made it through. People with chronic anorexia have made it through. People who are imprisoned in inhumane conditions have made it through. All thanks to "starvation mode". Had their metabolism not slowed down, they would have lost weight more rapidly and sped up their approaching death quite a lot. So a big yey for starvation mode (I hate that name btw, who came up with it??)!

But trust me, just like with sweating, your metabolism doesn't slow down or speed up for no reason. It speeds right up once you start eating a sufficient amount of calories again and starvation mode is gone. It won't make you obese, it won't "break" you in some way. Recovery never means you have to get fat.

My main point is that your main concern should be to stay alive and to fight your disorder. Your body is already doing that, it's trying to fight the disorder with the tools it has, and you should probably join it and start fighting too. You've a billion other things you could be doing right now instead of worrying about a natural bodily response to weight loss, and it's a shame you're having to deal with this mess. I hope you got something out of this rant ✌

[cats2019forthenintendoswitch]

sjjssiissoas ok so I'm just browsing youtube as usual and I see a LEGO stop-motion video. And I see it, it's like someone making a wooden duck toy but with LEGO blocks, in stop-motion, and I'm like oh that's pretty neat! I wonder what else this channel has? And they have more stop motion LEGO videos, yeah...and their featured one (you know, whatever is the big one that appears when you click on a channel) is the fucking. Passion Of Jesus Christ. In LEGO stop motion. Right under a "subscribe and buy our merch!" banner.

And this us already hilarious and I could've ended the post there but there's more. See, in this video (or at least in their own comment for the video) they promote a Christian Movie by "their friend", called Because Of Gracia.

Now just out of curiosity I watch the trailer they linked, expecting it to be terrible, and...it doesn't look too bad at first. Bland, sure, and it's about a basic heterosexual romance, but it seems to be generally ok and even just promoting good values, you may not even realize this is a christian movie! It seems generally harmless and mediocre (ok ignoring the fact Gracia, the main romantic interest who is also Latina, has her first line in the trailer be "just call me Grace :)" idk I feel that's problematic) until we meet this guy.

Now if you couldn't tell by how he looks or the only line he says, "just because something is improbable, you assume it comes from a higher power", this guy is the straw atheist™. And honestly he's not even making that bad a argument like... Wonderbread Boy (that's our main char) replies "and what about dialogue and the pursuit of truth?" and if you know these movies you know damn well he's not gonna do that, he's gonna go through endless fallacies lmao.

But yeah right after that it just goes full American Evangelical Bullshit™. And you may be thinking...hey this is familiar! Yeah aren't like half of these things from that awful Christian Movie from a few years ago with a weirdly edgy title? And yeah, you're right. I watched another trailer and

It's the same fucking guys. In case you weren't familiar with God's Not Dead or knew about it but didn't care to look too much into it, the main plot is Christian Wonderbread boy arguing with an atheist professor about the existence of God, who is revealed to be atheist because of his wife's death and yes, gets evangelized at the end.

Now idk if the first one delved into the theme of fake opression but the second one certainly did, the main plot of that one (oh yeah this paragraph is about this strap in) is a Good Christian Wonderbread Professor Woman getting into a trial because she dared to talk about Jesus Christ when asked in a lecture that was relevant. Now even casting aside the fact this makes no sense even in-universe, she then gets actively opressed by an atheist court, saying all education should be secular and yadda yadda, again, despite the fact he was talking about Jesus in a purely historical context. In real life like...That's just...not how it works. Christianity is the norm both in America and the world in general. They're just not opressed.

Of course this isn't just a silly world they made up, this is how they genuenly feel. See, at the end, they bring up a list of real cases of "Christian Ooression", cases where Christians were supposedly opressed by law for expressing their faith in America in some way. Besides the fact it was like...20 cases total? Most if not all of them were cases like the infamous one where a bakery refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding. So yeah, to these people not being able to discriminate to an actually opressed group is discrimination and opression.

Idk I guess I went on this rant to say that like, christian propaganda (or at least white american evangelical one,) isn't just silly, it's dangerous, and we shouldn't just laugh it off? I wasn't planning on this post being this lonh and I'm not good at conclusions, I kinda just started typing and couldn't stop.

Also I feel like I should source basically where I got all the info for the GND trilogy

[god-hunter]

I feel very stupid (pt. 2)

This is a little follow up to my rant from last night.  I thought a hang out wasn’t gonna happen, but it did at the last minute and in the end, I got what I wanted.  Right?

Well this rant will be a little less whiney and serve as more of a Reminder to sober the Hell up out of this work crush I’ve got goin’ on for this girl.

There was 4 of us.  Technically 6 of us, but one couple split mid-way through the night to go to a different bar together, and then home.  Which is fine.

But yeah, we went to 2 clubby bars and at first I definitely drank mixed drinks first, which isn’t usually my way.  All 4 of us got shots of Fireball, but my crush got 2 extra because there was a deal on getting 6.  So we did 2 extra together.

Since the place was loud with a DJ, there wasn’t much room for actual conversation.  Instead she started dancing a little bit with the girls in the group. Sometimes her and I talked about the songs, but soon enough we were out of there and on to the next place.

I decided to be a gentleman and offer her my scarf in the cold and she accepted.  This was my soft-flirt, which could just be interpreted as the “nice friend” thing, which I’m fine with.

We got into the next place which was a real club, now.  Loud dance music all night, everyone was going crazy, and pretty much right away the group was all over it.  We had more beers in us.  I definitely got a Sprite & Vodka and offered her a sip.  She took it.

She easily could’ve said, “No thanks,” so this I thought was another soft-flirt.

Then of course the dancing was coming in.  I kept it light.  We are co-workers after all.  We are friends.  We both have partners...  But I know she’s on the outs with her man, and she knows enough that I’m not great with my girl... [I’ll get to that later]

I remembered any of the videos I’ve been watching.  “Make your intentions known.  Start touching when you talk or dance,”  So.  I did.

Light back grazing.  Around the shoulders.  Eventually it was even the hips and lower back!

She took it!  But it wouldn’t be long before she would twirl and back away.

I felt like this was a light acceptance.  Of the attention if anything.  

Which in a way is fine, considering our current situations.

I’m gonna fast forward to the end of the night, where this other guy came in.  Definitely younger than me, definitely ripped, and he was definitely flirting with her.  He’s a friend of another girl in the group, so it wasn’t like he was a rando.

But eventually I caught him whispering to her, making her laugh, and then they swapped phones, and he put in some info.

I for sure thought that they were trading numbers.  The other girl in the group danced with me and I just asked in her ear if that dude was getting her number. And she was like, “Noooo, he’s getting her Instagram.”

And then I was like, “Yeah, but that’s low-key getting your number, isn’t it?”

And she said, “No way.” and that it wasn’t like that or something.

But then I saw them dancing...

Keep in mind, this girl was drunk and on her phone ALL NIGHT.  Dancing, twirling, grinding and texting!  I couldn’t believe it.  She is Addicted to her screen.

Eventually I playfully said, “Wanna dance with me, Social Media?”

And she smiled and put the phone away.  We did our thing for literally a minute before she kind of turned around and danced with the group some more, before pulling out her phone again.

Which brings me back to the way she danced with THIS guy.

She fuckin’ walked right into his space, ran her finger down his chest, and sort of stopped with her hand right by his lower stomach.

It was very clear what she wanted.  And it wasn’t me.

And in that moment, I had to leave.

Look... I did all the right things.  We talked, struck up conversation.  (Meaningful ones too, when we stopped to get more drinks). She bought for me, I bought for her.  I even saved her from a creepy older dude, who was trying to grind with her.  She thanked me for dancing her out of the situation.  But when it came down to our own dancing... she’s just not into me like that.  Period.

Ya gotta know when to fold ‘em dude.  And I did.

I was definitely drunk.  I should’ve probably sat for another half hour or so with water, before leaving.  But I had to get the fuck out of there.  I couldn’t look at that for one more second.  No matter how ‘not like that’ it was.

So in the end, I let my intentions be known.  I came right over to the girl, put my hand out and she took it.  Then I pulled myself in with a shake-hug and I spoke in her ear, “I’ve gotta get out of here.  I had a great time tonight.  Thank you for this...”

And I kissed her on the cheek.

She was probably confused.  I don’t know if she was put off.

But she just made the peace sign and said, “Ok bye,” or something like that.

I was so defeated.  I felt stupid again.

The other girl who’s a little more perceptive went over to me after I said goodbye and asked if I was okay to drive.  I said yeah.

And I was.

But God, was I dehydrated and had to Pee!  Like, really bad.

...I walked to my car the wrong way, but not for too long.  Found it, got home without any trouble, and I was in bed by 2.

My phone had died, but this girl had apparently texted me 3 times at 2:00AM to ask if I was alright and got home okay.

When I saw that this morning, I thought that was so sweet.

But also...  I can’t forget the body language and overall vibe of last night.

She’s my Friend.  And beyond that, she’s not into me.

Anything to make me think otherwise was from past conversations where I overheard her tell another co-worker that I’m her Favorite person here.  And she outright told me that she thinks I’m amazing the last time we drank.

So...  Of course, I thought I had some clout.  But she probably never thought of me that way.  I’m just the cool older dude, that’s still hip enough to hang.  But who the fuck am I kidding?

This blends into another topic for another day possibly/probably.  But what the fuck do I want??  This girl made it very clear to the group that after she breaks things off with her boyfriend, she doesn’t wanna be tied down to no man.

And of course, if things went south on my end, absolutely.  I’d love to fuck her.

But I know where that goes, and soon enough I do get attached, or the other one does, but there’s the weird title/non-title social phobia that gets in way of the headspace.  Everything gets gray and wishy washy.  I’ve been there before and it’s incredible until it sucks! Those years are Over!

I really can’t back pedal.  I can’t go in reverse.

So this blog is just a Reminder...

That no matter how much attention this girl gives me.  How many nice texts of, “I had so much fun last night,” and whatever meaningful conversations we have..  All the initiations for getting food at work or talking about future hang outs, that come from Her!!! ...  I have to take them in stride, and Know that I am her Friend.  And will only ever be a Friend to her.

And honestly, that’s probably the best thing that could’ve happened last night.

Through all my bitching about this girl last night, about how this hang out wasn’t going to happen because she got sick.  I was initially going to say that this was like the Universe Balancing itself out, making sure the right thing happens.  The rant was headed there, before she called me out of nowhere and completely changed her mind to stick it out and get crunk with all of us.

But that leads me back to what I was just saying...  What do I want?  A Party Girl?

Last night was a lot of fucking fun, [minus the very end], don’t get me wrong.  But I can’t make that my life.  I’m not a clubber.  That’s not my scene at all.

Going to SHOWS, now that’s my scene!

And... people do this when they have crushes on each other.  They imagine the other person in their life.  And they invite them to things that the other doesn’t usually do.

I invited her to my show a month ago, and she was SO excited about going.  She texted me a lot the night before, but it was a complete bust.  The show got snowed out and barely anyone came.  I was really bummed out, but I understood.  She also expressed the most sincere, sweetest apology in person, which absolutely made my day.  She was just as bummed out as me that weekend, for not being able to go.  And I knew she meant it.  That really meant a lot to me at the time.  

But that’s beside’s the point.  She asked about seeing one of our co-worker’s plays together.  It won’t just be her and I, but the rest of our friend group don’t like plays...  Which means it would be a couples thing if my Woman wants to go.  But assuming her and her boyfriend are done?  She might 3rd wheel it.  Or maybe my Lady won’t really wanna go out.  Who the fuck knows?

But I’m not even gonna let myself get excited about it, because after last night.. I can tell that she doesn’t want me.  Not in that way.

The texts this morning were super minimal.  At 7:53 I got back to her saying that I got home okay.  Since that was her request.

An hour later, “Good, I was nervous,”

20 minutes later I said, “Sorry about that! My phone died, remember?”

I absolutely told her that when we were getting our beers at one point, but she might not have heard me, or just forgot.

Either way, I was just open opening this tab to start my rant at Noon when she started texting me for real.  Responses were way quicker.  Minutes apart.  I do feel way better, and less down on myself.

We had a nice conversation about last night and how much fun she had, she asked if I had a good time.  I half-truthed about needing to leave.  I was honestly at my drinking limit and I was getting tired.

The topic of that guy did not come up at all on either of our parts.

But that doesn’t change the fact that it happened.  Or could happen again if I continue to come out to her dancing bars.

During the night, I absolutely set a precedent saying I would absolutely come here again after doing my usual Friday Night lessons.  And she really liked that.  This seems to really be her jam.

Which again, brings me back to her pulling me into her life, right..?

But my hopes aren’t up.  I honestly don’t want things to advance with her.  Not in the situation that I’m in right now...  Maybe if I was living alone, but if things were to ever go in that direction [which I highly doubt], then it would only make things VERY ROCKY here.

Which brings it back to me.

What the fuck. is up. with me.

...I don’t know.  It’s rant for another day, man.

This 2020 is about sealing the cracks in my current relationship, and if I absolutely can’t, then I won’t.  It’s only February, but so far we went on weekend vacation with 2 close friends where all she did was complain about how far things are and how much her legs hurt.  There was a lot of resting in our Air BnB, and not a lot went on...  And last week I took her out to a little bar where my old college bud played an acoustic set of Classic Rock.  My Woman isn’t a bar girl, but Holy Shit was the food amazing at this place.  Other College acquaintances were there too, so it turned into this impromptu group dinner reunion, which she really enjoyed actually.

My Woman’s very social.  And that’s one of the things I love about her.

But in the car on the way home she wasn’t talking to me...

Like I said, this is a rant for another day.

But it’s been 5 Years, man.  I’ve been here before and I know how this goes!  You run out of things to say...  And sometimes even the smallest of interactions can piss you off...

We’re both very moody people.  Her, more than me, although she would absolutely contest that.

And of course she’s never In the mood.  Which brings me to all of this.

My eye is out.  It’s been out for a while.

THAT is the rant that I’ll need to do, to really get introspective.  The only problem is that I think it would be aimless.

I don’t know.

Anyway, this is how my night went and where my life is going right now. I absolutely like this girl at work, who’s young and fun, but I’m probably misinterpreting her conversations and giggles as flirty.  Or maybe I wasn’t and somewhere she changed her mind.  Or maybe she doesn’t know what she wants either...  I’d opt for that.

Whatever this Slow Burn is, I know it’s not a good idea.  Especially not in the current state I’m in.

Given different parameters, it’s still not a great idea.  There’s no longevity in the bigger picture, as I know she wants to eventually move out of state and focus on the career. Yada yada yada.

And what do I have to offer?  

I couldn’t hack it as a Music Teacher, so now I got an Office Job...

Yeah... that’s fuckin great.  That’s a hard sell to anyone.  New or Old.

Which is why I need to get my shit together.  All around.

Better job, better living with the Woman.

And hopefully all of these dumb flirtships will go away.  Because honestly they’re going nowhere.  At least nowhere good.