#regardless if they've even watched st or not

[chirpsythismorning]

Want to know what I'm most excited about for byler endgame?

All the gays who didn't see it coming.

Like there are plenty of queer ships out there with huge fanbases. And unfortunately, yes, a lot of these ships over the years weren't canon and were very clearly queer-bait going nowhere.

A lot of fans have been here before, many times. Looking for crumbs, looking for the bare minimum, and so it's not even about the pairing actually getting together in the end, it's about appreciating all the moments in between. That's valid and honestly as good as it gets most of the time and so I don't really blame them.

Which is why I think, when it comes to Stranger Things, despite the canon queer characters, SO many queer viewers who haven't even watched the show or only watched it maybe once casually, are just not picking up on any of the subtext, despite picking up on stuff from shows where it was almost entirely accidental.

And it is fascinating!

Hearing fans of other queer ships that are confused about why byler was #1 on Tumblr this year and even just coming off as sort of condescending about it, I can't even be mad.

Because from their perspective this is just another mainstream show with horrible queer-bait, which is why they haven't even allowed themselves to genuinely consider it.

And so I cannot wait for their reactions when they find out they were wrong. That they thought they would be right because they've been wrong so many times before about queer ships that didn't end up together. Except this time they'll be wrong for assuming they wouldn't end up together...

Then, that's when they'll finally allow themselves to go back and watch it and pay attention, without worrying they're being tricked like they've been every other time before... and they're going to lose their shit.

[aloneinthehellfire]

OMG OMG OMG

I just finished RH3 and wow!!!!! I loved it sm I can't wait for the next one!

My fav thing about this series is the relationship the reader has with everyone and I guess I wanted to ask you what your intentions are with the characters in terms of relationships? Like friendships, or more? You've always been so open about your character and their thoughts and feelings I just really wanted to hear more about their thoughts of the ST characters!

Anyways, love love love this series!!

okay but my fav question ever? yes! it's like you know i love to rant about Raining Hellfire

so i wasn't sure how to write this but i guess i'll share a little about each character (below the cut because I feel like I'll go off on a tangent and I don't wanna force people to read this if they don't want to lmao)

Mike, Will, Lucas; i feel like i don't share enough detail about reader's relationship with the boys as much as i do Dustin or Max, but they have a close bond regardless. she's gotten to watch them grow up and so naturally she feels protective over them.

Dustin; since his character has always been open about his thoughts and strived to create connections, him and reader have created this brotherly-sisterly bond. she's always been the first to help him with his new-found theories, and he's always looked up to her in a way only siblings could. they'd do anything for eachother.

El; whilst i haven't managed to delve more into this relationship, Season One really brought into perspective how close they grew. reader immediately felt protective of this girl, often reminded of her sister she left in California. they have a sibling relationship, absolutely, and always keep in touch whenever they can.

Max; i feel like she and reader have the closest bond in my series and not just because they are sisters. considering their childhood, they only ever had eachother. and when reader moved away, it only strengthened that bond in ways neither of them thought possible. even when reader found she was adopted, Max refused to call her anything other than a sister. they will always have eachother's backs and put eachother first.

Nancy; whilst they've had their ups and downs, Nancy is one of reader's best friends for sure. she helped reader through her first years at Hawkins, the bond between them only breaking because of Barb's death. they both have been through so much together and i really feel like they love eachother even when they're broken.

Jonathan; platonic soulmates. i didn't get to have that many scenes with them since Season One, but that never meant they had stopped being friends. in fact, i loved creating this bond between a male and female character that didn't stem from secret crushes or anything like that. they've continuously trusted eachother with their thoughts, and they really do care about eachother.

Robin; she and reader have a lot in common, making it easy to be friends. reader did have a crush on her long before they ever spoke to eachother but considering how close they are now, those feelings of love are very platonic. in fact, their bond strengthened over their tabooed sexualities. they will always support eachother for sure.

Steve; this has always been an interesting one to create. because, in ways, they are soulmates. they know what eachother are thinking, they can always sense when something is wrong. they've had a rocky path but Steve was the first friend reader made when moving to Hawkins. their last years of high school took a toll on their bond, but i was so happy to make their friendship development in Season Two. as for what happened in RH3... who knows. But they love eachother. That's the truth.

Eddie; he was her first true love. reader has always had a hard time allowing herself to be loved, always thinking she didn't deserve it. when she and Eddie started talking, they both knew it was more than friendship and she finally let herself be honest. the only thing that tore them apart in the end was the Upside Down and all the trauma it brought with it. neither of them were to blame, it was a misunderstanding. and the love never left them. reader was always scared to admit her feelings because she hadn't felt love that powerful the way she felt it for him and forced herself to never truly say it. the sweetest thing about this relationship is that they both felt like the 'freaks' of the town, but found solace in eachother and were able to truly be themselves. and i'll be honest, neither of them have been happy since the break up.

bonus: Karen Wheeler; if i didn't mention Karen and reader in this i would hate myself because Karen is very much like the mother reader never really had. she took her into her home and treated her like her own child. she didn't question reader's past or force her to share if she didn't want to. so, yes, i love Karen Wheeler with all my heart, both in the show and in this series.

okay i'm done, thanks for letting me go on this tangent :)

[ladylaviniya]

I wholeheartedly agree with your stance on AI "art" being violating and problematic.

However, I do have a problem with the way you stated that even though you know MBB to be an adult, she is still Eleven from ST and a minor in your eyes.

She's 19. She's engaged. Because of her career she is probably more independent than anyone of us was at that age. And I do think that perpetual viewing of actors as 'stuck' as a character they once portrayed is problematic.

This is what happened when people thought "omg Hannah Montana has gone nuts" or "what happened to the sweet Demi Lovato?" Or anything else involving child actors.

What happened? They grew up.

Other than that, your point about AI generated images (I'm not even calling it 'art' anymore) stands. It's creepy and violating, especially because AI is getting 'better' (= more accurate) and I'm honestly afraid that before long we will have full-on deepfake porn videos with actors who never asked for that shit.

That said; it does raise the question with me whether or not a similar stance is warranted against NSFW artwork or smut with the actors rather than portrayed characters as the subject. (I've never been a big fan of RPF, and I don't think I've come across "real person fan art", so I can't really say with certainty if it would make me uncomfortable. But the AI things... They just make my skin crawl.)

You make a valid point!!! Warning long ass post reply below.

The Millie thing I think is more my personal view of her physically. I think I view Millie as still a young child is because of her youthful face and the characters she plays. I'm 22. It's still so hard for me to think she's only 2-3 years younger than me. To me she still looks 16. Very young. If she had a sex scene in the next 5-10 years I might still be inclined to turn away. She definitely has accomplished a lot.

I just cannot physically imagine her in sexual light at this present time. She has child like appearances other than when she's dolled up from a magazine shoot with Photoshop and then appears borderline age appropriate.

The same can be said for actor Bella Ramsey who is 20 years old, they have a very young look in appearance and have played many roles depicting them as younger than their original age. But both of them definitely deserve to be admired and respected to the work they've contributed.

So being told there's ai images with "white sauce" on her face makes my insides churn. Either a very young fan has generated that or someone's computer that might need to be investigated.

I never really knew who Hannah Montana was until wrecking ball (wasn't allowed to watch tv a lot growing up as a kid. And I was always told she was a slut in the tv show which is why I wasn't allowed to watch it -by gross male family members.) and I didn't know who Demi Lovato was AT ALL until the drug scandal- that's how I learnt about her music because they played it on the news. I was probably 13-14 at this time. But I think I understand what you're comparing...I think?

Like how Billie Eillish showed her body off when she was 18 and the internet went crazy, but to be fair I also thought she was in her 20s and was shocked when I found out she was only a little bit younger than me.

I still find myself uncomfortable even sexualising 33 year old Thomas Brodie-Sangster 😵‍💫 he still looks 13 to me!!!

REGARDLESS AS WE BOTH AGREE, THESE ACTORS AND PERFORMERS DONT DESERVE THIS AI PORN DISRESPECT.

For years people used to Photoshop actors faces into photos of pornos, I had issues with that.

The difference when it comes to art? Yes I think some people can be disturbing. We have Rule 34 for a reason guys. However the difference is that the art is usually not "realistic." We can tell it's hand drawn whether digital or hardcopy.

AI is luckily easy to spot usually. But it's too close in resemblance to these real people. A lot of porn websites have resorted to using AI, which is why I have a massive issue with this too. AI is two minutes if writing a description and having a computer generate. It's impulsive and dangerous.

Deepfakes, they've already made pornos with Scarlett Johansson, Taylor Swift and Katy Perrys faces I believe. There was a massive scandal when a man used the face of his female best friend in a deep fake porno because he had a "unrequited crush" for her and when she discovered the deepfake video on his computer while he was busy, she left and took him to court over sexual violation and privacy policies. It was HUGE. i hate Ai and Deepfakes.

There's even a constant debate on pedophiles using AI and Deepfakes as a means of gaining CP without soliciting CP... (I say guillotine their cock, hands, burn off their clits and spoon out their eyes with a melon ball scooper spoon but hey that's me ✌️ barbaric barbie.)

The difference between NSFW smut fics and AI porn, is:

1. Smut takes effort and time to write. AI writes and steals content for you. There's no creativity.

2. Because it's a written fic, they should have warnings and tags. It should be noted in RPF that the actors are not the same as your write them to be. This is why I changed a lot of my rpf into the characters they play.

3. Fics require imagination. AI is visual. No one can police your genuine imagination.

4. There are actors who have been uncomfy or flushed at the sight of themselves or the character version of them in NSFW Situations. Loki the pole dancing art and mpreg were show to Tom Hiddleston, who had a chuckle and many emotions of confusion with disgust and horror. I can imagine many actors would prefer to see an effort in art and literature when it comes to evil things instead of just some half baked computer program that creates lewd and anticlimactic imagery.

.

The only time I have ever excused it's use was for the chance to see my dads face move again because I don't have many videos of him, and as morbid as it is there's a comfort to seeing him smile in ai moveable photo scanning apps. But to many others this would be considered disrespectful to the dead and to be honest I would side with them if it came down to banning ai and Deepfakes forever.

[beepboop358]

Atp people are starting to piss me off with the constant conspiracies abt when s4 will be announced, and bombarding Matthew on Twitter. We will get it when we get it sit tf DOWN you’re making the fandom look like clowns. We have been wrong every single time so stopp and wait

hey anon!

I get that everyone is anxious for news. But at this point I'm just like whatever happens, happens. There were a lot of opportunities (dates that would have been good to release news, based on things in the show, what they've done in the past, etc.) and they didn't release anything. So I'm not gonna try to predict a date anymore. I'm giving up on that LOL.

Honestly, I didn't expect we were going to get a teaser during the Super Bowl, But on another note, I am starting to get fed up with their terrible marketing right now. It's been 3 years, and that's a loooonnnggg time for a TV show, and TV relies on having pretty much a consistent, same audience, and building on it (ideally). People are in completely different stages of their lives than they were when st3 came out, and Netflix just assuming they will have the same audience and even bigger, 3 years later, is a bold and risky move, pretty cocky actually. We will see if it works out for them. There's a loyal fan base who are obsessed and will watch it regardless, but we are the minority. Most viewers are casual viewers, so I guess we will see if those people come back 🤷‍♀️ Either way, Netflix is kinda leaving fans hanging right now, which bothers me. What a huge waste of the hype for the show, and every day ST doesn't come out, but there's hype for it, Netflix is losing money on it. Capitalize off the product when you can, that's like the #1 business rule ever LOL.

@0aurelion-sol0 did a post about this, earlier today and worded it much better than I did.

thanks for the ask, Hope you're well anon xx

[coinofstone]

4x03 The Wicked Day

We're only three minutes into this episode and Arthur's giving Merlin a universally recognized chin-tip of recognition while he is willingly being tied to an upright spinning wooden board, with his arms secured above his head and his legs slightly spread. Yea, there's absolutely no reason for that to make anyone think of Arthur being fastened to a St Andrew's cross, none at all.

Also what is with this show having other ppl shove food in Arthur's mouth

All the knights are clapping and laughing but Percival's looking at the spinning wooden rig like he's having some Thoughts™️

Merlin escorting a drunk Arthur back to his room, where Arthur proceeds to begin undressing himself, is a scene played for comedy - 'haha Arthur's drunk and walking around with his pants down' - but literally all I see is domesticity.

I love drunk!Arthur but I also like Uther with the long hair.

I really like the fight scene with Uther and the baddie, not just bcuz Tony looks good - but because it is giving Uther a bit more agency back. They've never been clear on what his deal is. Gaius has a line in the first episode that makes it sound like depression. Arthur has a line that makes it sound like Alzheimers. Uther's on-screen behavior could go either way, or could be a little of both. I don't really think it's supposed to be definitive. The swordfight, I think, is entirely keeping with both theories. He was asleep when Arthur entered the room, he would've been exhausted after the exertion of attending a feast with such lively entertainment (considering he spends his days staring out a window, that's a big effort for him). The fighting would've woken him up, and even if he were experiencing sundowning, his sword skills would've been ingrained in him since youth, muscle memory like. And there's always the whole, 'super parent' thing, the surge of adrenaline from seeing your kid in danger leading to extraordinary feats. Regardless, it's an improvement over the despondency in the last few episodes where his character was mostly reduced to scenery.

I love Merlin but he's a fucking idiot.

Fair warning, this is probably going to be an unpopular opinion. Merlin is being a self serving manipulative little shit by encouraging Arthur to use magic to heal Uther, presenting himself as a sorcerer to do so, and then claiming his 'price' for healing Uther is, essentially, freedom and equality for all magic users. First of all, as a FRIEND, Merlin should be aware of Arthur's state of mind. Arthur's lived his entire life wondering about his mother who died giving birth to him. Merlin knows how big of a thing it is for him, if it weren't he wouldn't have nearly killed Uther in S2 when he discovered her life was the price for his. NOW, he's just watched his father get stabbed in the heart while saving Arthur's life, on his birthday.

I don't care how much you dislike Arthur, you cannot deny the trauma here. There's no way Arthur doesn't live with a degree of melancholy surrounding his birthday, knowing that it's also the anniversary of his mother's death; and you can't tell me that hasn't been amplified exponentially since he learned the truth from Morgause and confronted his father. Whether he believed Merlin's last minute save that Morgause had been lying and that she conjured an illusion to fool Arthur, is immaterial. You can't un-ring a bell. In his heart he'll always question, he'll always carry the weight of knowing that there's a chance his own life came at the cost of his mother's. And there is no way this doesn't come bubbling up at his birthday every year. They even attempted to show him being 'grumpy' at the start of the episode, Merlin is enthralled by the entertainment that's shown up for his celebration, Arthur would really rather not deal with it. It's not because he's not easily entertained, it's because his birthday isn't something he particularly feels like celebrating. Add to that, now, in the evening after his birthday feast, he's incapacitated by a sedative in his drink and he gets attacked by an assassin. His father saves his life and gets stabbed in the process, a mortal wound. Arthur shouldn't have even been in Uther's chambers! If he hadn't been, Uther wouldn't have been near the fight - he wasn't the target, Arthur was. This is a huge trauma for Arthur, his father paying the price for Arthur's life with his own on the anniversary of his mother unwittingly doing the same thing! Major, massive trauma! Psychological disaster! Merlin, as Arthur's friend, should know that.

I'm not saying Merlin was wrong to go all dragoon again - wanting to conceal his identity so he doesn't reveal his magic is understandable. Merlin's willingness to use magic to save Uther is also ... expected, if not entirely understandable. He's saved Uther many times, this time is only special in Uther wasn't attacked by magic and Arthur asked him directly for assistance with getting someone to use magic to help him. That's a big first.

My problem is with Merlin trying to demand a price from Arthur at all. Even as dragoon. Obviously, I want equality for magical ppl in Camelot. Obviously, I understand Merlin wanting the same. But it does not make sense for Merlin to look at his friend, who is in pain, who is desperate, who is acting unlike himself, and say 'this is exactly the right time to make him promise me to end the war on magic.' He could've said, 'I will do this, but remember this when you are king. Remember when you saw magic used for good.' and that would've been fine. But the fact that he extracted a price from Arthur, in exchange for helping Uther, the fact that he made it a transactional agreement: that's Merlin taking advantage of Arthur in his weakest moment, full stop. And that's entirely out of character for Merlin. It very much comes across as like, 'I've got him right where I want him' which is THE most antithetical thing POSSIBLE to Merlin & Arthur's relationship.

And yes, for all my ranting I do understand that this was part of a plot point to pit Arthur further against magic, to cement his belief in his father's hardline stance against it, to prevent the show from having to prematurely address the issue because Merlin no longer has a reason to hide. It was intended to keep the conflict going, so that they could continue the series with that narrative, and I understand that. Buuuut the same exact end could've been achieved without Merlin eliciting a promise from Arthur when he's clearly under duress.

And speaking of things that don't make sense, why would Gaius hide the enchanted necklace he found on Uther from Arthur? Surely he would want Arthur to know that his attempt had been deliberately thwarted?

Commentary by Alice and Colin

Bit confused by Alice's comments about Uther. She says she didn't think it was a mental illness, but more like he's 'worn out'. She also says Tony had nailed it and that they'd both had experience dealing with older relatives. I don't really understand what she's trying to say at all. Anyway, she wanted him to have an excellent sword fight scene and I think she's succeeded in that.

It's Colin's first time seeing the episode cut so they aren't doing a whole lot of talking unlike 4x01 where Alice and Katie just talked throughout the entire thing.

Alice says there's a drinking game on the internet - drink every time someone gets blasted back by magic. Colin legit said

The end bit where Arthur and Merlin are talking in Arthur's chambers, Colin says it's like what Merlin thought might've been his best chance has become his worst nightmare.

Alice is so proud of the shot of Arthur coming out of the room where Uther's body is laid out with the rising sun in the background streaming through the window, giving him Apollo vibes.

That final moment of Arthur being crowned king. Colin was clearly genuinely impressed with it and told Alice so, she said she was really very lucky to be given that scene to do.

[feelingbluepolitics]

Keep an eye on the guy with the hand on the pan.

"Out of the frying pan, into the fire."

That could certainly be trump's fate, sizzling and popping off scarring splatters all around him, until he trips one too many times and self-immolates.

It's human nature to watch what's happening in the pan, and how high the flames are getting, but what is really determinative is who is holding the pan, and what will they do about it all?

This person is not Pelosi. She chose the pièces de résistance, of course. But the hand on the pan is McConnell's.

McConnell doesn't talk much. When he does, it's best to ignore it, because his words drip with sickening malice and pettiness.

The thing to do is to watch what he does.

Remember during trump's extremely unpopular shutdown, when McConnell offered trump the "complete and total support" of leaving it all to trump entirely? McConnell even disappeared from D.C. for a few weeks, to show how that whole business was trump's to manage however trump chose.

That interestingly brutal "support," which McConnell reiterated throughout, was trump's reward for having gone against McConnell's advice in the first place, when trump triggered the shutdown which harmed millions and won nothing for trump. trump floundered stubbornly and damagingly for weeks, because McConnell offered no hand at all.

There is no question that McConnell has worked tirelessly to end democracy in America, with the goal of co-opting every resource in the country, including the strength of the appearance of holding elections. McConnell came a long way toward delivering it all into the hands of ultra-wealthy Republicons. But it should be fairly clear that trump scooping it all up for himself was never any part of McConnell's original plans.

McConnell retains his apparent deathgrip on the Senate for now. People are wondering if he might lose it to the Democrats. Yet McConnell has undoubtedly comprehended that trump actually bowled over and swept up McConnell's Senate from the beginning.

As soon as trump could terrify each individual Republicon politician with the wrath of trump cult voters, McConnell was in truth demoted to Party strategist, and Party counsel, but no longer Party leader.

trump hasn't just been angling to rid himself of the rival power of the Democratic House. trump, with Barr's help, has been angling to dispatch with Congress as a co-equal power, and really, altogether.

McConnell has a nice Senate there for his purposes, as long as he can keep it. That goes for his power in the Senate. It also goes for the power of the Senate itself. The greatest threat isn't Democrats; it's actually trump. Which adds interesting levels to this impeachment process.

McConnell has been notably quiet...and yet, he has determined that, when the House draws up Articles of Impeachment, the Senate will be bound by rules (which McConnell makes up and changes as he wishes) to hold a trial.

So what does Mitch really think about trump?

McConnell is an opportunist, certainly. When it looked like Hillary -- whom Republicons like McConnell have been ruthlessly attacking for decades -- would take the presidency, McConnell wedged the door open for Russian interference, which gave trump the full benefit of the Russian election interference trump had sought and needed, and made it possible for both trump and McConnell himself to score decisive hits against both Hillary and Obama.

But while Russia is definitely trump's thing, it's not, so much, McConnell's. Sure, McConnell will do dirty deals with Russia, such as the new Kentucky home of Oleg Deripaska's Rusal Aluminum.

But Russia really is not McConnell's cup of Oolong. He did in fact get truly ruffled about the "Moscow Mitch" moniker.

That's because who McConnell is really in bed with -- literally, unless they have separate bedrooms -- is Foremost, China and Elaine Chow.

More specifically:

"[H]er father, James Chao, [who] founded Foremost Group, a shipping, trading, and finance company now run by Elaine’s sister Angela Chao. While the company is based in New York, its fleet is, per the Times, 'overwhelmingly focused on China,' with roughly 72% of the raw materials it has shipped since early 2018 going to China, cargo that 'helps feed' Beijing’s 'industrial machine, which manufactures steel products that are a point of dispute in the deepening trade war between' China and the U.S."

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/06/elaine-chao-china-trip-foremost

People talk about trump's trade war in terms of trump's political fortunes, in terms of U.S., Chinese, Brazilian, Russian, and world economies, and certainly, in terms of American farmers and the economy of the entire Midwest.

*See as a Highest recommendation:

It isn't being asked, for some reason...but exactly how unpleasant for McConnell, newly mega-wealthy and politically secure by way of his wife's family money, is trump's endless Chinese trade war? Because, between New York and China? Probably pretty damn uncomfortable.

trump and McConnell are absolutely not inseparable.

https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/23/politics/donald-trump-mitch-mcconnell-feud/index.html

Yet pieces like this one marvel at McConnell's calm negotiation of trump's impeachment, as if McConnell has "ice in his veins."

They may be overlooking the larger context. Before the impossibility of trump and 2016, McConnell fully expected Republicons to lose power to Hillary, and had certainly, as he does, planned his contingencies and backdrops to the nth degree.

But trump got put into office instead. Everything accomplished since, with trump, has been gravy on uncooked grits. But those contingency plans of McConnell's have no doubt by now been modified, just in case, from "no trump" to "post trump" scenarios, because trump is always teetering on the edge of the frying pan. It's just that now the flames under are leaping.

Curiously, both trump and McConnell have been trying to bolster power by hugely boosting Republicon influence in the third branch of government, the courts. That is the primary use McConnell has made of trump, clearly. But stuffing the higher courts with conservative extremists is a done deal now.

The courts, though, which can swat William Barr, and trump, and Congress, for that matter, onto their backsides, are under the secure and indisputable velvety iron grip of one sly, double-speaking, back-stabbing, profoundly ambitious Republicon, and that's John Roberts.

John Roberts will also have a role to play in this impeachment business. And nobody -- including trump or McConnell -- appear to have given any thought to what the black-robed ruler might do with all that boosted power they've handed over to him.

Roberts is in no danger, and faces no loss, regardless of whether trump and McConnell clash, or which one loses power, or even if both do. McConnell's hand is on the frying pan handle. Both trump and McConnell, however, and the rest of us, should probably also consider what the cagey and truly inscrutable Roberts, rather a greatly empowered Hades at this point, might have in mind.

Roberts is the person who single-handedly, in effect, reversed civil rights in America, with just one of his decisions, Shelby. He should not be overlooked or underestimated.

[nocherryblood]

Hey! Just a couple of random drawings here!I'll list all the ideas and explanations behind these drawings here:

1) Idea: Will is sick (Mason's come down with it too- and by how close Mabel is to him by trying to comfort him, she'll get it too... aww), the Gleeful twins (they're about 10 or 11 here) refuse to go to bed (which may or may not have been down to a dangerous mix of Mabel Juice and Smile Dip), Bill refuses to leave his twin until he's better so he let himself into the mansion, and Kill's playing the big brother card and refusing to leave too, instead deciding to settle down on Bill's head to watch it all. :) Ah, bliss. So, what does Stanford do? The only thing he can, drug them into submission begrudgingly read them a bedtime story about a few "adventures" he's had. Oh well...

2) Idea: Stanford and Fiddleford find one of those novelty character photo stands, and stick their heads in the holes to take a photo for a laugh. The end result is two quite weird looking "disney princess " photos.

3) Idea: Vampire Will! I'll run through what's happening in each Still!

(Top left) Will is blood-starved (which is when he's either refused or unable to get, blood) and goes crazy trying to get some. He still manages to looks cute to me in a way. And yes, when he gets mad, he goes red, just like his twin! Aww! (But don't laugh, he's thirsty and it looks like you're next...)

(Top right) Will feeding off of someone, but they've been fed from many times before... can you guess who it is (Hint, look at that "tattoo"...)?

(Left middle) During one of the times that Will is blood-starved, he walks to Dipper's college dorm (crossing through a portal to get to Gravity Falls- thankfully, DipDop is out that evening; the two of them "share" a dorm in college, even if Bill doesn't actually go to classes, he's just there to spend time with his Pine Tree), stumbling a little. Bill smiles, just happy to see his little bro, and lets him in without even questioning it (and here we see the very rare thing called "Bill's innocence"). Will asks him for a hug, saying only that he felt a bit lonely so he came to see him, and Bill accepts straight away, going in for the hug. But he's horrified to see Will's face flicker from sad to lust (FOR BLOOD. FOR BLOOD!) for just a second, but before he can do anything, Will's already bitten him several times in just a matter of a few seconds (vampire speed + vampire magic + demon speed + demonic powers = run the hell away from that OP b*tch). Bill staggers back, falling to the floor, and although Will tries to "switch back" to himself, he can't, and getting a taste of (demon) blood didn't help. The end result is... well... Bill ends up losing a heck of a lot of blood, there is one very surprised Pine Tree who comes home in the morning to find Bill passed out on the floor, and one very drunken Will, who drank way too much (especially because it's demon) blood, and it has an effect like being high/stoned or being intoxicated, it just depends. That was a fun morning.

(Middle right) Someone forcing Will's hunger to grow by smashing a vial of angel blood in his face (which by the way, tastes irresistible to him), which can be used to lure said vampire-demon if used in the right way... A smear of angel blood here on a victim and a smear of angel blood there on a victim, aaaaannnndddd... it'd be enough to send him reeling; poor victim :( And no, they (a normal victim at least; 'angel blood' victims don't stand a chance) won't get turned, they'll bleed out unless someone helps them out, because there's a special venom that Will has to inject with his fangs if he wants to turn someone... so don't think you have a chance of survival, unless:

A) He manages to get himself back and decides to help you out

B) You're a child- because Will will NOT attack children, no matter how much he wants to. There has been only one time (he was forced to by Fidds and Ford for an experiment), and he had to be left in the basement for a week before he calmed down...

C) You find him another victim quick enough (of all the three options, this is the one with the least hope- so say goodbye now while you're at it)

(Bottom right) Will's coffin! It's white, with his name written on the front in black letters written on it in cursive (though as he grows 'older', he does prefer a less 'curly' font, but at first, he likes to stick to his old style of writing- from when he was just a demon). He doesn't have to sleep in it, he can sleep in a bed-, which he does do at first, but he finds it safer in case he accidentally wakes up to find the sun's rays glaring down at him... which won't hurt him exactly, but it's not exactly the nicest feeling either...

(Middle) Blood-starved Will...

Will: "I'-It's [the restraining belt] a little t-tight, Bill. Could you t-take it off, p-please? It hurts...."

Bill: "I know Blue, I-I'm... sorry... but I can't... It's not... It's not..."

Will: "It's not... safe... is it?

Bill: "Oh, Will... No... If course it's safe, I just-"

Will (distorted): "WELL THEN WHAT, BILL?! WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO? I'M STARVING!" *grabs bars, shakes them, growls*

Bill (quietly): *backs away* Will... this isn't you... St-stop it...

Will (quietly): *backs away into 'cell', sniff* Bill...?

Bill: *looks up*

Both: *run to each other, hug through bars*

Bill: "I love you, Blue..." (AS BROTHERS!)

Will: "What's happening to m-me, Bill...?"

Bill: *runs hand through Will's hair* "I don't know, Will..."

Both: *crying profusely*

Aww...

Backstory time! (This could change a little, in time, but here's the rough idea-)

Well, at first, no-one thinks that being bitten by a rogue vampire is going to affect a demon that much...

At first the signs on Will are subtle, like becoming more and more sensitive to sunlight and tending to stay away from more people, unless he trusts them or knows them well... but he was fine.

Soon the signs become more severe, and he develops a sort of hunger eating (that pun tho...) away at him, and his senses are starting to get overwhelmed. But he was fine.

All in all, for first few months, Will can pretty much (mostly) just try to ignore the signs, just blaming it in being stressed rather than everything else. He could still serve under the Gleefuls (especially Stanford and Mason, hint hint ;)) without them noticing too much; the only people to noticeably be worried about him were Dipper and Mabel (Pines), and his brother- whom he was allowed to visit every once in a while. So things weren't exactly alright, but he was fine.

Until his bite marks disappear...

One Friday evening, after a particularly draining show (in which he had to use quite a bit of energy), Will is set to serve the evening tea. At first, everything is fine, and he barely notices anything is wrong.

But just as he walks into the dining room, a sharp pain pierces his neck, causing him to shriek, fall, and drop the dinner plates all over the floor. He quickly attempts to get up to clean it up, and Mason tries to help him too (if only to mock him at first), but before he can leave a snidy remark and walk away with a smirk, Will grabs his hand.

The blue demon switches back and forth between himself and the fledgling merging with him, letting go of Mason's hand as he tries to stay in control. He has visions of blood running down the walls, making him panic and feel like he's drowning, and then feeling like he can't breathe.

Flashes of consciousness of him feeding on Mason (whilst the poor boy frantically struggles to get away from him) phase through the visions to him, but ultimately, he cannot stop it. He "wakes up"on the floor, with Mason bleeding out by the wrist next to him, before Mabel rushes to help Mason. Will sees Stanford approach him, and Ford drags Will up by the collar, and down to the basement, locking him down there. He observes Will from a distance- from a camera in another room- before he begins to notice Will losing himself as he soon tries to get out as his vampire side lets paranoia about being trapped, set in. Will essentially goes "feral" banging on the bars, baring his teeth/currently-lengthened fangs, growling, hissing, rocking back and forth, pounding on the walls... you get the message. After a while, Stanford decided (even though he would usually just let Will suffer) to try to anathetise Will, before eventually just giving up and filling the room with narcotic gases to make him sleep. After a couple of coughing fits, Will finally passes out, and Stanford comes in, resolving to typing his arms next to him with an enchanted belt, so that Will can't free himself, no matter how hard he tries. He also puts a special collar on him, like a shock collar but it can also administer small amounts of the narcotics, if Stanford so wishes. So, with done, he lets Will sleep until the morning, just waiting to observe his actions... And so, when Will is denied/refused, or unable to obtain blood or energy (because he can feed off of people's energy too, it's just not a effective and fills the hunger for much less longer) then that, is when he is blood-starved, so he'll probably anything just to get some, though let it be said, the longer he has to wait, the greeider he'll become. There have been numerous experiments between Fidds and Ford, to see how long will could actually go for without attacking someone whilst blood-starved, unbeknownst to poor Will :(. But regardless of that, the record if around 2 hours and 1 minute...

(If you have any further questions, ask away!)

[graysonfirewolf85-blog]

Suicide and Witchcraft

The one question everyone has asked without exception, that they ache to have answered more than any other, is simply: why? Why did their friend, child, parent, spouse, or sibling take their own life? Even when a note explaining the reasons is found, lingering questions usually remain: yes, they felt enough despair to want to die, but why did they feel that? A person's suicide often takes the people it leaves behind by surprise (only accentuating survivor's guilt for failing to see it coming).

People who've survived suicide attempts have reported wanting not so much to die as to stop living, a strange dichotomy but a valid one nevertheless. If some in-between state existed, some other alternative to death, I suspect many suicidal people would take it.

In general, people try to kill themselves for six reasons:

1) They're depressed. This is without question the most common reason people commit suicide. Severe depression is always accompanied by a pervasive sense of suffering as well as the belief that escape from it is hopeless. The pain of existence often becomes too much for severely depressed people to bear. The state of depression warps their thinking, allowing ideas like "Everyone would all be better off without me" to make rational sense. They shouldn't be blamed for falling prey to such distorted thoughts any more than a heart patient should be blamed for experiencing chest pain: it's simply the nature of their disease. Because depression, as we all know, is almost always treatable, we should all seek to recognize its presence in our close friends and loved ones. Often people suffer with it silently, planning suicide without anyone ever knowing. Despite making both parties uncomfortable, inquiring directly about suicidal thoughts in my experience almost always yields an honest response. If you suspect someone might be depressed, don't allow your tendency to deny the possibility of suicidal ideation prevent you from asking about it.

2) They're psychotic. Malevolent inner voices often command self-destruction for unintelligible reasons. Psychosis is much harder to mask than depression, and is arguably even more tragic. The worldwide incidence of schizophrenia is 1% and often strikes otherwise healthy, high-performing individuals, whose lives, though manageable with medication, never fulfill their original promise. Schizophrenics are just as likely to talk freely about the voices commanding them to kill themselves as not, and also, in my experience, give honest answers about thoughts of suicide when asked directly. Psychosis, too, is treatable, and usually must be treated for a schizophrenic to be able to function at all. Untreated or poorly treated psychosis almost always requires hospital admission to a locked ward until the voices lose their commanding power.

3) They're impulsive. Often related to drugs and alcohol, some people become maudlin and impulsively attempt to end their own lives. Once sobered and calmed, these people usually feel emphatically ashamed. The remorse is often genuine, but whether or not they'll ever attempt suicide again is unpredictable. They may try it again the very next time they become drunk or high, or never again in their lifetime. Hospital admission is therefore not usually indicated. Substance abuse and the underlying reasons for it are generally a greater concern in these people and should be addressed as aggressively as possible.

4) They're crying out for help, and don't know how else to get it. These people don't usually want to die but do want to alert those around them that something is seriously wrong. They often don't believe they will die, frequently choosing methods they don't think can kill them in order to strike out at someone who's hurt them, but they are sometimes tragically misinformed. The prototypical example of this is a young teenage girl suffering genuine angst because of a relationship, either with a friend, boyfriend, or parent, who swallows a bottle of Tylenol, not realizing that in high enough doses Tylenol causes irreversible liver damage. I've watched more than one teenager die a horrible death in an ICU days after such an ingestion when remorse has already cured them of their desire to die and their true goal of alerting those close to them of their distress has been achieved.

5) They have a philosophical desire to die. The decision to commit suicide for some is based on a reasoned decision, often motivated by the presence of a painful terminal illness from which little to no hope of reprieve exists. These people aren't depressed, psychotic, maudlin, or crying out for help. They're trying to take control of their destiny and alleviate their own suffering, which usually can only be done in death. They often look at their choice to commit suicide as a way to shorten a dying that will happen regardless. In my personal view, if such people are evaluated by a qualified professional who can reliably exclude the other possibilities for why suicide is desired, these people should be allowed to die at their own hands.

6) They've made a mistake. This is a recent, tragic phenomenon in which typically young people flirt with oxygen deprivation for the high it brings and simply go too far. The only defense against this, it seems to me, is education.

The wounds suicide leaves in the lives of those left behind by it are often deep and long lasting. The apparent senselessness of suicide often fuels the most significant pain. Thinking we all deal better with tragedy when we understand its underpinnings, I've offered the preceding paragraphs in hopes that anyone reading this who's been left behind by a suicide might be able to more easily find a way to move on, to relinquish their guilt and anger, and find closure. Despite the abrupt way you may have been left, guilt and anger don't have to be the only two emotions you're doomed to feel about the one who left you

Powerless

So you feel powerless? You feel like you don't know what to do and think you're a failure as a witch. How do we use magick which requires our full sensibilities, willpower, emotional functions such as love, passion, and desire if they are dulled by medication? That is a good question. Is crossed my mind quite a bit. Our Magick is definitely affected.

"Witchcraft is the craft of the wise. Wise people don’t become wise simply because they have acquired some knowledge. They become wise because their knowledge is enhanced through experience. Strong Healers were often inspired through needing healing in the first place. Through our own healing, we can be inspired to heal and without the experience of being a patient we can not fully understand how to healing process can work."

The Pretty Pill

"Drugs often interfere with real magick. The nature of how anti-depressants work is in how they “dull the senses”. It changes the chemical balance in the brain to enhance the mood which often takes away emotional aspects of what we draw from when creating and manifesting from desire. But… So does depression… There are many physical causes of depression that can be managed through other forms of treatments and yes, many of them are holistic. If someone is suicidal or dealing with depression, should they NOT take their anti-depressants? I am not saying that at all. For many, anti-depressants are necessary at least for a while. I am saying there may be another solution to look into as part of the long-term treatment plan."

have too agree with the above from Summer in her article in Witch Digest. Drugs for depression are designed to dull the senses. It's also a teeter-totter in the sense that some cases require the use of anti-depressants. YET, again, not all drugs are designed to dull the senses and sometimes the drugs don't even work

6 Ways to Improve

Balance and Grounding

The mind, body, and spirit work together. When one part is out of balance, it can throw the other parts of us out of whack. That is the theory of finding balance. The art of trying to keep all three aspects in balance at the same time. I believe it takes a lifetime to master and I don’t believe it is actually 100% mastered even by the masters. That is how grounding helps us regain our balance.

Diet

Sometimes the food we eat doesn’t work well with our bodies and throws off the balance of our overall well-being. Finding a diet that works for us through a process of elimination and cleansing to help us feel our best can have positive effects but it may not be the end all solution. That also may include a dietary supplement. Care must be taken when changing one’s diet or adding a supplement. A good example is St. John’s Wort because it is known for being a mood enhancer. The biggest problem with St. John’s Wort is for those with Bipolar it can make things worse and increase the cycling effects of the disease. Not to mention how it works is by changing the levels of serotonin, a chemical in the brain, and so does anti-depressants and the combinations can be dangerous and even life-threatening.

Exercise

Adding exercise to one’s lifestyle can have many health benefits. Exercise is known to increase endorphins that can have a mood enhancing effect. But, we have to be careful not injure ourselves and care must be taken. Exercises that get our bodies in motion are great. I enjoy a dance night where I get up and dance in my living room and have a blast being silly or going for a scenic walk around my neighborhood when safety permits or even walking in the local mall. Chi gong, Tai Chi and even Yoga is said to have positive effects on mood and energy.

Holistic energy healing

Holistic healing techniques such as Reiki for some can make a huge difference as part of the whole healing and recovery process.

Meditation

This can help us regulate our balance and grounding through trying various techniques. These techniques can be found through counseling, learning through teachers or masters and even through internet searches.

Counseling

Most of all, counseling if done with the correct mindset can also add to recovery in the healing process. I have seen people go through years of psychotherapy and never recover and I have seen someone go through just a few sessions or a few years of therapy and do more healing than ever expected. Finding the right type and quality of counselor is necessary. Remembering that a counselor can only guide you on your healing path and the healing process is up to you is a key factor in benefiting from counseling.

Permanently Medicated

If one is permanently medicated or even temporarily, How can a Witch work magick while medicated? Well, there is a way. You have to work around the constraints and only you, the magickal practitioner can discover what that is for yourself. Knowing how your illness works on your overall health, which contains all three of the mind, body, and spirit and how the treatments affect your overall health is a good place to start.

Trial and error is often the only way to figure out which options work best for you.

Conclusion

Healing one aspect of our whole being requires the complimentary healing of each of our three parts; Mind, body, and spirit. At least that is what I believe. For some, medication can actually enhance their well-being and therefore increases their magickal abilities.

[Source 1|https://witchdigest.com/25707/can-depression-affect-my-magick/]

[Source 2|https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml]

[Source 3|https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/happiness-in-world/201004/the-six-reasons-people-attempt-suicide%3famp]