#posting into the void

[wyrddogs]

Jumping off what I just posted, when I said I was pulling Kermit from breeding due to the number calcifications in his back and some stuff going on with his littermates, a (American) dachshund breeder told me I was making a mistake.

I won't go into the whole conversation, but among other things she said that back screening is a pseudoscience and it's foolish to base breeding decisions on "just" calcifications. She also said that she is a veterinary neurologist who regularly deals with IVDD in her patients and she totally ignores calcifications, "so you can see how much stock I put in back screening".

And. I don't know.

On the one hand, yeah, it's not perfect. I know it's not perfect. I've been treating it like screening for hip and elbow dysplasia. The information it gives us is limited at best, it does not guarantee offspring will be ED/HD/IVDD-free, and it's basically a shot in the dark. But it's better than nothing. It's better than totally ignoring the problem.

I didn't say anything back because I'm not interested in a debate, but the people who are writing the papers on back screening are also veterinarians. It's not like they are laypeople who invented some snake-oil scheme to sell to unsuspecting plebs.

And I don't know, I feel like doing something is better than doing nothing. Nearly every American breeder I've talked to is doing nothing. And quite a few of them hold "those Europeans" in disdain. Like, don't you care? Don't you care about your dogs? Don't you want to get rid of this terrible thing plaguing your breed? Isn't selecting for more normal backs better than loudly declaring "my dogs are healthy" and vilifying owners whose dogs herniate a disc? Don't you care??

But what do I know. I'm just some rando who has an Animal Science degree but isn't a veterinarian or a breeder or a scientist. I'm just doing my best to understand.

[justmitski]

Th!gh riding gojo

note : (fem!reader) thigh riding, playful fighting, gojo being gojo

It started out as a childish game. The both of you refusing to not stop hitting each other. You were determined to win– really desperate for the last hit. Except Gojo’s hits were turning more into pokes, then to caresses, then to groping. God he knew what he was doing.

Because now you gridding against his leg, telling him how much you wanted to feel him inside you. He sat there smirking back at you, gloating at the needy state you were in. His leg felt so good against your pussy. You were moving with ease as you worked to get yourself off. Your hands staying posed at his lower stomach, feeling the muscle beneath his shirt. Gojo’s eyes glimmered as he sat back, a bit too relaxed, with his hands locking down on your hips as you rode his thigh into bliss.

[purplekirby]

What's interesting about good omens 2 is a lot of people watched the first season and came away with "and now that that's all settled and fixed, Crowley and Aziraphale can be together" because it felt like a happy ending. But season 2 brings to your attention that although Aziraphale went against Heaven to stop armageddon, he never really reconciled with the idea of Heaven and Hell being harmful and destructive systemically. He questioned a few of their decisions like Crowley in Heaven did in the beginning but he hadn't yet made it to the point of questioning the whole system which is where Crowley is now. And making this disconnect of questioning on different levels being the ending cliffhanger conflict was so interesting.

Aziraphale on the whole still believes, he just asked a few questions and now those things have been settled. And now that he was offered such a high up position he'll be better situated to help people.

But Crowley believes that this situation is more complicated than having a "better" angel make the decisions because they'd still be stuck and limited in the destructive system. To truly help, the whole system would have to be completely broken down and remade if that's even possible at all.

[starcrossedxwriter]

Gaslighting is such a giant mindfuck… like the ability for someone to make you question your own mind, your own understanding of what they’ve said/done, and make you believe you’re the problem is like enough to drive you actually insane lol

And realizing for the first time that you’re a victim of this behavior is an even bigger mindfuck…

[kanzenyume]

I hid a lot of my posted fics for the time being, but my top 5 favorites I've published are still visible for your reading pleasure (if you're so inclined...)

1. Surely... (Quirkless AU... not strictly dkbk)

2. The Tale of Dragon King Kisshin (Fantasy AU)

3. Guys, Gals, & God (Retro AU)

4. Study Group (Alternate high school AU)

5. I'm Sorry I Shot You (Detective Noir/Yakuza AU)

Honorable mention:

Always (University/Orchestra AU)

宜しくお願いします

[yourgaydads]

Istg the unreasonable amount of relief I feel when I cut open an avocado that turns out to be perfectly ripe

[nerdywyrds]

Still thinking about Pluto. I'll put my thoughts under a cut for Pluto fans to avoid.

The thing that gets me is it has a really good story in there, the writing is just incomplete/lazy. Here are a few unanswered questions that bugged me as I watched the show:

What happened to the grandson and his mother? We spend like thirty minutes freaking out that they're going to be killed by the Pluto-tornado, and then as soon as Atom is injured we completely forget the grandson and mother exist and they are literally never mentioned again. Even though they are related to a major character!

What happened to Duncan? We spent an hour going through his life story and watching his character development. He finally found true happiness for the first time in his long life and then his friend and caretaker was murdered in front of him. Does he get a new caretaker? Is it another robot? Is his happiness shattered? Is he able to find peace again? Does he keep North No 2's legs as a memento? Does he get a new piano protege? Does he ever play piano again?

What happened to Wassily? This already deeply traumatized child was juuuust starting to heal and then he was sold by his caretakers to a bad man who kidnapped him to a different country, a different bad man physically threatened and hurt him, a monster threatened him, and then his caretaker was brutally murdered while protecting him. Is he like, going to be okay? Eventually? Is he going to go back to the orphanage he was living in with the caretakers who broke his trust? Will he ever recover mentally and emotionally from what happened to him?

Does the bodyguard who protected Wassily stay with the orphanage or does he move on?

How is Brando's family doing? Are they going to be okay financially? I was also unclear on whether they were robots or human-- I might have missed it if it was said-- so if they are robots, do they get to go through the same thing and become extra special like Helena and experience the human emotions of grief and anger?

How did Brau 1589 get to Turkey? Did Atom unpin him from the wall? How did he get past all those security measures keeping him confined? Did they just let him leave? Did Atom clear it with the guards? If not, how did Brau get past them without killing them? Did he crawl from wherever he was (Japan? Germany?) to Turkey? If he was in Japan, how did he get across the ocean? How did he get into the bunker thing the teddy bear was in? Were there any guards he had to get past?

I don't think the teddy bear was adequately foreshadowed or explained. I know he ended up being The Mastermind, but he felt completely disconnected from literally everything else. For the majority of his scenes my general reaction was just "bwuh??" His death completely neutralizing the existential threat was just too tidy for such a complicated story.

What was up with the child robot that killed Gesicht? I'm assuming he got body jacked by Pluto, but like, when did this happen? Who brought him from Turkey to Germany? Who strapped that gun to his arm? Was it cockroach man? Goji? Why did Gesicht get to be killed by a child while everyone else (of the robots) got to be killed by Pluto himself? Why didn't Gesicht get the horns calling card?

Who was cockroach man? Functionally he was just a goon who showed up when we needed a non-Goji non-Pluto villain, but in-universe, who exactly was he? Why were there a lot of him?

What the hell was up with Bora? I know a big mystery of the show was "what is Bora" but "it's a giant evil robot but don't worry Pluto kills it in ten minutes" it a pretty unsatisfying answer.

I think there is a really good story in Pluto, it's just if you think about any non-Atom story bit for longer than a few minutes, or if you care about any of the side characters, it falls apart. I just find it to be very lazy writing because so many characters exist only to further the plot or give the protagonists something to do.

I really wanted to like the show, I just kept thinking about the dropped storylines and characters and getting irritated at the lack of answers.

[bettyfrommars]

Me: no one is online this weekend, this app is a ghost town.

Also me: let's post literally everything we have.

If you aren't able to have much of a social life this weekend, for whatever reason, I am here for you 🧎‍♀️We are in this together.

[elkitot]

It’s been a year since I got broken up and I still feel so sad sometimes (including right now) emotions suck

I should probably be over it by now but instead im blasting one direction and crying

Also if my twitter moot sees this no you didn’t

[insufficientchill]

Human card players, whom the Witcher had had several opportunities to observe, always played with greasy cards, so dirty that before cards were placed on the table they had to be laboriously peeled away from the fingers. The court cards were painted so carelessly that distinguishing the lady from the knave was only possible because the knave was mounted on a horse. (Sapkowski, Baptism of Fire)

Ordinary playing cards were small, unpretentious, and produced in large qualities with simple stamps or woodcuts with little, if any, color. Because they were discarded when soiled or worn, few have survived and only a handful are found in public collections. (Hunt and House: Depictions of Medieval Life in German Playing Cards, 2016.)

Odd little project of the week: Much as I love the Gwent card art, I really wish the cards within Wild Hunt looked a bit less out of place. I thought about redrawing them all and trying to make a mod for about two seconds before I fully thought through how many cards that would be...probably not. But nevertheless: an effort at diegetic versions of Poor Fucking Infantry, Keira Metz and Thaler. (Yes, I spent quite a lot of time thinking about synonyms for "sorceress.")

[silvertonguedcharlatan]

I JUST GOT A RAISE LETSGOOOOOO

[nightswatchdisbandmentera]

Jon Snow as Hogwarts Houses

Lately, I’ve been thinking about what Hogwarts houses Jon Snow would be sorted into. This topic has kind of been done to death but I usually see people box him into just one house (usually Gryffindor) when I think he has qualities of all four. He’s got a bit of Ravenclaw, great shades of Gryffindor and Slytherin, and is a Hufflepuff at heart. And honestly, in a way nature clashes with nurture: Jon is the son of a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw, is raised by a Hufflepuff, and then joins an order half-full of Slytherins.

Ravenclaw

Let’s start with Ravenclaw because I think Jon has qualities of this house that aren't usually addressed by the fandom. Members of Ravenclaw are usually characterized by their wit, learning and wisdom. Ravenclaws are also intelligent and creative. I think that Jon exhibits these traits. Many times in the series, Jon showcases that he’s not just intelligent, but very creative in how he applies that intelligence. Some examples:

* Recognizing that the Watch needs to move towards archery and implementing daily archery training for the black brothers

* Thinking of building greenhouses as a long term solution for the Watch so that it can be self sufficient

* Advocates for the scientific method capturing of wights beyond the Wall with the full intent of studying his enemy

* Shows quite an extensive understanding of the world around him. Considers buying Myrish slaves and offering them freedom in exchange of their craft, understanding that the Vale has sat out of the WoT5K and so should have greater food stores, advising Stannis’ northern campaign with accurate information and sound military strategy.

These are just a few examples but Jon Snow is smart as hell. It’s even more impressive when you take his age into account. Now I don’t think that Jon’s a natural Ravenclaw; that would be someone like Tyrion Lannister or Samwell Tarly. Jon’s not naturally bookish which is quite hilarious because his father was a nerd through and through. Jon even starts out not truly understanding the importance of seeking out knowledge from books and ancient artifacts. He asks Tyrion why he reads so much and later questions Sam Tarly about the relevance of some old scrolls found at Castle Black. But this attitude changes as he develops. By ADWD, we have multiple references of him falling asleep on his desk after spending a whole night perusing through books and scrolls. It’s even mentioned that his desk is cluttered with all manner of books that need to be sorted. Sure, these actions are necessitated by an impending apocalypse but it shows character development. Jon eventually starts to understand the need for bookish people like Sam and wishes that the Watch had more men who had his learning.

I think there’s a funny parallel between Jon and Rhaegar, who was a natural Ravenclaw. Rhaegar started out as a Ravenclaw and then chose to become a Gryffindor after reading some book (per Barristan). Rhaegar thinks that he must evolve into a Gryffindor to fulfill his destiny as a prophetic savior. Meanwhile, Jon starts out a Gryffindor but moves more into Ravenclaw as the series progresses. As Jon unwittingly fulfills the role of the prophetic savior that his father couldn’t, he moves away from swords and towards books and scrolls. 

I like to think of him as a flop Ravenclaw. If you’ve had classes with him, you’d get why he was sorted into this house because he always excels in his studies and gets top marks all the time. But then you meet him in the common room and get to know the guy and go, “why the hell are you even here?!” He can simultaneously be the smartest and dumbest person you’ve ever met. Truly the duality of man.

Gryffindor

While he had to learn to be a Ravenclaw, Jon is a natural Gryffindor. No one can deny his bravery and daring, sometimes to the point of foolhardiness. Jon is determined and principled, never afraid to fight for what he deems to be right no matter the consequences. Unlike the Ravenclaw section, I don’t have to go too much into why Jon fits this house. I mean, look at the material:

* Initially wanted to be a NW ranger; rangers are like the Gryffindors of the Watch. He didn’t become one but he’s skilled enough

* Meets a zombie and immediately decides to throw hands jump into action and save Lord Commander Mormont

* Bravely defends Sam Tarly against Alliser Thorne and the other NW recruits

* Shows daring and bravery when he joins Qhorin Halfhand’s party beyond the Wall

* Becomes a spy for the Watch and then puts his life on the line to warn them of the upcoming Wildling attack

* Leads Castle Black in the war against the wildlings despite being badly wounded and severely outnumbered (and high af on opiates)

* Goes on a suicide mission to treat with Mance Rayder

* Once he becomes lord commander, he leads rangings beyond the wall; even intended to go straight to hell Hardhome where there are “dead things in the water, dead things in the woods”

* He even decides to throw hands with Ramsay march south to save his sister at the end of ADWD

I was searching around and apparently Gryffindor is associated with the element of fire. Well, well, well. Jon Snow is no stranger to fire is he? You know him being half a dragon and all. Plus Gryffindor’s house points are marked with rubies and Jon’s father wore rubies on his breastplate (see also theories about Jon being one of Rhaegar’s rubies). Just some neat symbolism there.

Slytherin

Slytherin tends to get a bit of a bad rep. Not surprising though because JKR decided to make 99% of the villains Slytherins. However, even among them there are some redeemable people (e.g., Slughorn, Regulus Black, even Merlin). The main trait in Slytherin isn’t ‘evil’ but rather cunning, resourcefulness, ambition, pride, and determination. Well, Jon has all of these qualities in spades. 

* Cunning: intercepting Cregan Karstark so that he can’t claim guest right or switching Gilly’s and Mance’s babies. These actions are as Slytherin as Slytherin can be

* Resourcefulness: almost everything he does as lord commander

* Ambition: he has always been desperate to prove himself. He dreamed of being a conqueror or a great hero (like his ancestor King Daeron I). In fact he joined the watch so he could earn glory and make a name for himself

* Pride: he’s not the most boastful and sometimes exhibits a sense of low self worth, but he also tells Benjen that he’s a better swordsman than Robb, hypes up his horseriding abilities, and feels prideful that he’s a good fighter compared to the other recruits. The difference about Jon’s pride is that he’s not always using it to belittle other people and even when he does, he grows out of it really quick

* Determination: one of Jon’s key traits is his stubbornness; he will go after his heart no matter the cost. He is also willing to see things through no matter the cost

Just because Jon is a Slytherin doesn’t mean he is evil. He can have a ruthless streak in him but he is ultimately a good person. Finally, there’s the symbolic animal. This might be a bit of a stretch, but Jon is connected to serpents isn’t he. You know, with him being a son of the dragon and all…

Hufflepuff

Jon Snow is the huffliest puff to ever Hufflepuff. Think about it. He goes to an ancient order that is essentially filled with the Hufflepuffs of the realms and once he joins said order, he is then immediately sorted into Hufflepuff. Even among the Hufflepuffs, he's a Hufflepuff. You can’t get any puffier than that.

Hufflepuff is very underrated but they’re a pretty cool house with some awesome people (Tonks and Cedric Diggory come to mind). Hufflepuff has some great traits too: hard work, loyalty, and justice to name a few. Jon exhibits all of these at various times:

* Hard work: he takes his job very seriously, whether as a steward, ranger, or lord commander. We have multiple references of him tending to LC Mormont’s horse and food, then when he becomes LC he takes a lot of time taking stock of what the NW has/doesn’t have, is very hands on with the day-to-day running of the Watch, etc.

* Loyalty: Jon is very loyal to his friends and family. This is why “love is the death of duty” is such a huge thing for him. He loves so much and is in turn very loyal to those he loves. Sometimes he is forced to choose between conflicting loyalties which makes for some great reading

* Justice: don’t need to explain this one. Bran tells us that Jon is “an old hand at justice”, he dispenses the king’s justice when he helps Alys Karstark, and even goes by Ned’s ethos of “he who passes the sentence must swing the sword”

But the main thing about Hufflepuff that I love is that this is a house for “the rest of them”. And doesn’t this encapsulate Jon’s arc? He is someone who has been told that due to his bastardy, he does not belong. Then he goes to the NW which is filled with the dregs of society and though he’s a bit rude at first, he comes to value his brothers over time and even assumes a paternal role. He then joins the Wildlings and comes to value their humanity where most others won’t. Throughout the series, he is someone who looks at those who live outside society’s protection and goes, “not to worry, I’ll protect you!” This, I think, is what makes him such a great Hufflepuff.

It’s really hard to rank these but if someone forced me, I’d probably say: Hufflepuff > Slytherin >= Gryffindor > Ravenclaw. If Jon wants to be a Ravenclaw, he’s got to read a few more books I fear.

[yourgaydads]

unless they do something real funky to get him in s2? if not, i will watch the shit out of it anyway if it gets us closer to corinthian numero dos. (the very wrong corinthian pictured)

[nerdywyrds]

@kittykittyhunter said in response to this post: Tbh, the Zoids Battlr Commission seems a bit flaky — they allow Vega to participate in the Royal Cup despite him being affiliated with the Backdraft Group. The ZBC also rely on the Blitz Team to deal with the Backdraft Group in the first place, so… you know? I think Stoller did receive some backlash when he left the Backdraft (Altile said something about him not getting away with it iirc — which is funny because Stoller absolutely got away with it), but yeah, being able to nab the Elephander? Withour any repurcussions? That's WILD.

Though I suppose my in-universe explanation would be something convoluted like: the Committee of 7 thought their clients would find it amusing to watch Stoller return to the battlefield as a warrior again, so they shrug emoji'd and let him go.

As for Piers and Sanders… maybe the Backdraft weren't toobupset by their departures due to their respective losses.

(Sorry for spamming; Zoids is SO GOOD and there is practically nothing on here about New Century Zero fhdjjd)

And in response to this post: OP I WILL ALSO CARE ABOUT YOUR STOLLER FIC. He's so damn cool??? Like, what the heck!

Aww thank you so much for your responses! They made me really happy.

My vague thoughts were that Stoller and Sanders left together, probably during some time that there was some sort of shakeup happening in Backdraft and resources were unavailable to chase two defectors down. It could be during a Blitz Team battle, or maybe a test run with the Berserk Fury or something. (It's been a while since I've watched all of the episodes, so I don't remember the exact sequence of events.)

They know that if Backdraft catches them they'll die get smeared across the floor, so they go to the Battle Commission and promise to spill a bunch of secrets and let them study Elephander or whatever in return for protection. Battle Commission says hell yes, and probably puts a tracking system in Elephander or something to keep an eye on these guys and make sure their defection is real.

In my head Backdraft would make multiple attempts to get the Elephander back and also like, punish Stoller and Sanders, but that all happens off-screen since Blitz Team isn't involved. It's during this period that Pierce nopes out after her talk with Bit. Since she's by herself and has a much smaller, faster, and more transportable zoid, she has an easier time slipping under the radar.

As far as I remember, she doesn't ever have a legal battle with Blitz Team, so she probably doesn't register with the Battle Commission and just remains on the down low. She and Stoller and Sanders probably have a lot of fraught discussions about selling out before they're able to smooth things between them. Ex-Backdrafts have to stick together!

Presumably Stoller really loves the Elephander to want to bring it with him so badly. XD

Anyway, thank you so much for commenting! I'm glad to find another Stoller fan out there in the world!