#so take my expertise here all with a grain of salt

[charmac]

about the copyright stuff.. do you think if someone gave complete legal consent for approval of use in an episode (with legal documents giving them permission/ ownership of the material) do you think they could use fanfic/au ideas then? wouldn’t that work around the copyright protections or is that not possible because even then if the person tried to sue or wanted to they couldn’t since it would be in their ownership (rcg) technically.

I don't know enough about the intricacies of copyright and intellectual property law to really say I'm giving you a professional answer, but if a contract was involved relinquishing ownership and/or claims, I'm pretty sure, yes.

In all honestly, I would go as so far as to say just a blanket statement that you relinquish all your right, title, and interest to any original plot, ideas, and/or dialogue in your story would do it. Similar to how some studios or writers have had contests or promotional things fans can submit their fan works to, if you tick a box and say you read and agree to the terms and conditions (normally being you relinquish your right to any monetary claims if they use your work), that's all there is to it. So yeah, if RCG wanted to do some kind of "fan written" or fan-contributed episode they absolutely could.

Just to restate: the refusal of creators and writers engaging with fanfiction due to copyright issues is really when it's put upon them: a fan hands them something or DMs them. That, they basically straight up know/are trained to refuse and not to engage with. When it comes to something more organic, like imagining a creator looking through Ao3 or ff.net, the extremely low likelihood that they are going to do that is because they know it is a very murky area they can easily dupe or hurt themselves walking into. They're supposed to actively avoid it, and most do, but if you want to think (or even strongly believe) your guy is browsing fics when he's bored as hell flying back and forth from LA to Wales multiple times a month, slap a little release on your work, if you want (Sometimes you see release disclaimers on other people's fanfiction. Though a lot of the time it's just a rejection of ownership because people are paranoid they can get in trouble for publishing fanfiction...lmfao).

[thetidemice]

Do ya ever think about Andy and Annie's dance during "Rag Dolly" and feel like watching that specific scene on loop AND sorta feeling like doing their little dance with someone at the same time 'cause hhhhh I love it and those sibs a bunch, it's just the somftest and adorablest dance to a likewise comfy song made more so by Andy's singing and I get a genuine burst of serotonin revisiting it (and lowkey that scene/song alone was what got me to watch the musical for the first time a couple years back :> if ya also have knowledge on who animated their dance or any part of Rag Dolly for that matter that'd be cool to learn about too! but I understand if that might end up being a lot to share :0)

AAAH i love love love that sequence so much!! its the cutest dance it has so much character and Andy's voice becoming so gentle and sweet right after singing No Girl's Toy is just the best thing ever. he doesn't even like Babette he's just helping his sister make a good impression.

analysis under the readmore:

what's crazy is looking through this whole book - i'm talking about The Animated Raggedy Ann  & Andy - An Intimate Look at the Art of Animation Its History, Techniques, and Artists by John Canemaker (the linked version has no pictures D-:) - Rag Dolly isn't really mentioned that much, despite being essentially the main theme music.

i would love to tell you more for a fact, but i just can't say for sure who animated it, as a lot of scenes aren't credited individually.

for some songs, like Richard Williams doing No Girl's Toy, Tissa David doing Candy Hearts, Art Babbitt doing Blue, and Emery Hawkins doing Never Get Enough, the artists get a section dedicated to them and the main chunk of animation work they contributed. in the credits of the film, Art Babbitt animates the Camel, Emery Hawkins animates the Greedy, etc etc - they were generally in charge of those character-centric scenes, along with a team of inbetweeners, painters, etc.

there isn't one for Rag Dolly, since it's relatively short and bounces between characters. so basically TAKE ALL OF THIS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT!!!

the ONLY expertise i have is that 1. ive flipped thru john canemaker's book and 2. i love this movie so much

what i CAN do is make wild guesses ^_^ and this first little verse as Ann fidgets with her dress and apron just SCREAMS Tissa David to me. here's a pose from that sequence side-by-side with one of her famous (and one of my favourite) Raggedy Ann drawings.

here's something she notes about Ann's first action sequence of falling off the chair (she was set to work on candy hearts before anything else, to really get to know the characters):

and here's a fantastically convenient gifset from Rag Dolly. EVERYTHING!!! her hair falling in her face, the movement of the fabric, the wonderful sense of timing. also note the lack of eyelashes, which isnt exclusive to one artist or anything, but does pop up in David's drawings:

now to go on a tangent about an artist who could well have worked on that scene, and whom i wish there was some more info about!!!

"The only thing that Disney never understood is that to animate girls, one must be a girl!" - Tissa David believed (along with pretty much the rest of the team) that herself and Chrystal Russell (whose work is woefully sparse in the book but very much present in the movie) were the best animators of 'little Annie'. she also worked on Fern Gully; you can find her credits under her married name, Chrystal Klabunde! she supported Tissa as the primary actor for Raggedy Ann, and her style appears as this distinctive, adorable, muppet-y look throughout the film. these pics are examples of, if not her own drawings, then her stylistic influence in these scenes:

she's credited as animating the playroom dolls, but you can notice her influence in Annie come through from the beginning ('I Look, and What Do I See?') to the end ('Home') of the whole thing. like i said, the credits are never too specific, but if i had to GUESS, then this looks like her stuff. we also know for a fact she worked on the first song because of this lovely set of drawings in the book!

here's the sweetest photo of Didi Conn (Ann's voice) and Chrystal together with some clean-up sheets of a shot right before Rag Dolly - when Ann introduces herself to Babette, 'my name is Raggedy Ann, and this is my brother, Raggedy Andy,' (i still can't confirm whether they're her drawings but i wouldn't be surprised!):

anyway tl;dr: i have no way of knowing for sure who was in charge of it, and no doubt a whole team of artists were involved, (and i'm in no way trying to discredit anyone if i'm wrong) but my best guess is you can thank Tissa David for the first part, and Chrystal Russell (now Chrystal Klabunde) for their dance together - the animation changes subtley between those shots. i wish i had more artists/resources to look at, or god forbid a full breakdown of that scene, but at this point i would bet money on David's part in Annie's little introduction.

also some final appreciation for this silly slide to the ground that Andy finishes with:

anyway i'm SO sorry for going on such a long rant in response to this lovely ask!! and i'm sorry it took so long! it took so long, in fact, that i was actually accepted into university halfway through writing it the other day! so thank you!

i had so much fun playing amateur detective so double thank you!!! again i'm probably wrong about ALL of this but it was a blast to reread sections of the book and rewatch different bits of the movie to sleuth around for clues. i hope whatever i have come up with is of some interest to you, and i hope someone learned something about the wonderful artists behind this movie :-D

chrystal and raggedy ann ^_^

[doctor-badadvice]

This man has not updated his wardrobe since 1947

There's already a few posts discussing outfits and symbolism and while I found them very interesting, I'm a person of strong opinions now writing two characters with chess related names. So here's my two cents (or should I say, nickels) about Bishop's appearance throughout the 2003 show and what tells us about the specific moment of his life that's being portrayed. The focus will be mainly on the palette, but also on whatever influences are behind the designs.

So let's get started!

1815 — Battle of New Orleans

Here's the first disclaimer. I know next to nothing about US history past what little school required me to learn and generically speaking, I've never been interested in the nuances of how people come together to kill each other. History classes were far more interesting to me when we talked about society and culture. So take what I'll say with a grain of salt. My military expertise here is a couple Wikipedia pages.

As far as Bishop's uniform goes, I have no idea what's going on. I read that uniforms were supposedly mainly blue with whatever color corresponded to what the unit's duty was, with the exception of musicians who had their colors swapped. If that's true, Bishop here could have been a musician having a not so great day at work. But the field medics later in the flashback are wearing the same color so it's probably just a choice to keep the color palette consistent.

Other than that, the belt would suggest he had some kind of rank. Though I don't think they were trying to be accurate past the bare minimum. I'm not going to guess what Bishop was up to in his mortal days.

Also, a special mention goes to Bishop's facial hair. He must have been popular in his time.

1870 — Creation of EPF

This is where colors start being relevant but first, another disclaimer. I appreciate the work wiki editors do, but it would be nice to have sources to whatever's stated on a given page, especially if you're providing estimated dates. I can't say I disagree, but it'd be nice to know where the information comes from.

So the wiki says that Bishop was supposedly born in 1776. It means that at the time of EPF's foundation he was nearing his hundredth birthday. No wonder he's dressing in all black. The average life expectancy at the time was about 40 years old. It's very possible Bishop had already outlived most, if not everyone he knew and it's probably something one would struggle to come to terms with.

Design wise, turtlenecks were nothing new at the time. Medieval knights wore garments in a similar shape under their armors well before the 15th century. And yes, I guess that's more of a coat than the average tactical turtleneck, but it still gives him a hitman, or even hunter vibe which is more or less what he was up to at the time.

1947 Roswell. New Mexico/present times

I can finally explain the title now. But first, let’s take a step back!

Bishop’s default outfit is the secret agent outfit™ we’re all well accustomed to. Specifically, I think the closest he takes inspiration from is Agent Smith from the Matrix movies (as I previously mentioned here). Guy in a black suit with shades, apparently impeccable self control and a distinctive way of talking that compels you to listen to him.

There’s so much to say about motivations and themes these two share, but let's focus on the aesthetic side.

These two fools are men in black. Yes, like the movies. The whole trope originates from some old conspiracy theories about the US government hiding aliens. These theories date all the way back to 1947 from some guy named Harold Dahl claiming a man in a dark suit told him not to tell anyone about some UFO sightings. Various fellow ufologists made similar claims over the years, making it a staple of their general paranoia.

Because of the second flashback, it’s possible that Bishop himself was one of these men in black, if not the one the rumors started from. It's a funny thought and I feel like Bishop would also find it amusing to watch people lose their minds about his fashion choices for decades.

Color wise, white has been added to the mix. It’s been a while now since the creation of EPF and Bishop has found some kind of balance in his life. He’s still dead set in his hatred for aliens and clearly enjoys inflicting pain on creatures he sees as undeserving of basic human decency, but he now has some purpose other than looking at the sky for something to shoot down. He leads an elite task force with men and funding devoted to developing a proper defense of the planet. He’s a foe not to be underestimated and a formidable fighter who can and will take on multiple opponents. But he’s also a very scared man who doesn’t wish what happened to him on anyone.

I often praise the show because Bishop can survive getting impaled but he still remains human. He will react with sheer violence to aggression and reform his ways when shown kindness. He will happily stick his hands in turtle soup for some DNA, but also be the best man at his friend's wedding and even attempt dressing up for the occasion despite having been deprived of normal human interactions for more than a century.

(I know it's a little cluttered in this point but I can't just leave out Casual Friday Bishop)

Design wise, I like just how an otherwise elegant attire works during the fight scenes and this detail specifically.

This man’s power is stored in the leggy.

Interlude

So this pic above is me right now.

For context, I usually consider the episodes of the staged alien invasion to the outbreak as part of the same arc. The entire situation is absolutely absurd from Bishop dragging the president into his fanfiction in response to budget cuts, to Baxter's bodily misadventures, to Bishop making a deal with a random ghost over the phone while New York is turning into yet another Umbrella Corp mishap.

But anyways we're here to judge this man's fashion taste and we have two outfits to talk about.

First off, a special mention goes to the catsuit and this pose specifically.

The sass is off the charts.

Though I find this one kind of depressing. There isn't a lot to read in it either other than Baxter grabbing the most generic tactical turtleneck for the sake of keeping Bishop from walking around bare chested (and the scene before this pic clearly shows Bishop isn't afraid to show some titty). But seeing him in all black right after moving to a new body kinda points out that Agent Bishop, leader of the EPF, is kinda on par with a piece of military equipment (and the president probably sees him as much to an extent). He's the mold for an army of supersoldiers for crying out loud.

But he switches back to the usual suit afterwards and what matters here is the supersuit.

S3 onward

Imagine being an alien, member of the starfleet of your planet and senior officer of the invading force tasked with taking over Earth. You have trained hard, wargamed the whole operation a bunch of times and concluded that it will be piss easy to conquer this underdeveloped planet.

You reach the surface, get into formation and then this nerd rolls up.

The best way to describe this suit is "hostile". It's hostile to the animators and to whoever has to stare at this eyesore before Bishop shoots at them.

And I love it. There's nothing quite like a black and red suit of armor with various cybernetics and lights to say that you mean business. It goes very well with how the stakes just start steadily rising from this point of the show onwards and seeing as the suit was ready during the staged invasion, we know that Bishop never really planned to retire after unleashing his army of clones.

It adds that extra bit of cyberpunk that I like to see and it shows that Bishop never truly gives up on anything since we have actually seen this design before.

Bishop was so proud of his Slayer he just stuck with him in spirit.

Couple that with a new coat to take off for extra dramatic effect and— maybe the president was right about not trusting him with unlimited budget.

2105 — New York apparently

Another century has passed and Bishop is still alive and kicking. Well, he doesn't kick as much anymore as it would be unbecoming if the beloved president of the Pan-Galactic Alliance were to go around kicking alien butt.

Jokes aside, you can disagree with Bishop's portrayal in Fast Forward, but they were still trying to do something meaningful with him. The idea of the turtles having to work with him when they were trying to kill each other just the other day is surprisingly deep for a season that felt the need to have the most unfunny robobutler ever.

They were clearly attempting a chess joke switching the palette to white with black streaks. Bishop has completely turned his life around and it even shows in the way he presents himself. It's nice to see just how much he managed to accomplish as well, even though it would have been very interesting to see him have a gradual change of mind, rather than selling us the concept through timeskip magic.

Does the design still hold up then?

Well, Bishop is clearly making an effort to look the least intimidating. He is fairly more patient when others don't immediately do as he says, even asking for help rather than blackmailing, and is still commendably dedicated to his job. He still asserts dominance by showing leggy (seriously, Mr President, that slit doesn't have to go this hard) and he's still deep down, at all times, ready to throw hands.

That's Bishop alright and it's no coincidence that he starts running around shooting aliens the second Baxter shows up in his life again. I'm not much of a fan of his new armor though. I think they were going for a futuristic design but it's the blandest they could think of. It reminds me of Obi-Wan Kenobi's armor in The Clone Wars but it just kinda comes out of nowhere. It would have been cooler if his tunic turned into a set of armor kinda like what the turtles got.

In any case, if you really want to see reformed Bishop really shine, you should check out @adenthemage / @violetvulpini 's art. You will not be disappointed.

[lorei-writes]

HC: The Way He Loves - Leon

xReader

Just casual ramblings to fill the time before the other idea is done marinating in my head.

Content Warnings: none

Receiving

Leon is not one to disregard conventional means of displaying affection. He is fond of having you reach out for him, of your kisses, of anything it may be that you're willing to give to him.

He appreciates heartfelt confessions just as much as teasing banter. Leon knows when to trust your words, and when to take them with a grain of salt -- if anything, it is almost unbelievable how well he matches your tone.

Shared experiences, gifts, favours, as long as its from you, he will cherish it. However, there is one thing in particular that Leon actively craves for himself.

He never feels more loved than when you actually see him. Him, not the front he puts up. Him, with all his past, with all the burdens he carries, all the things he never dared say out loud; with all of his sacrifices, feelings, desires that lurk at the back of his heart.

It may not seem like much, but it is invaluable. There is nobody else who can offer him just that, who can connect with him on that level.

He enjoys being your hero just as much as he wishes to be just the man you love. The acceptance in your gaze, your hands that reach to hold his, ears that are willing to listen to him, mind that hopes to understand, eyes that see below the surface -- in your presence, he's vulnerable. It is an odd experience to him, both soothing and thrilling... But he wishes to keep on living through it.

Leon may also hold onto another wish, although he is quite sure you've already granted it, and intend to continue doing so. It is quite simple: do not leave him.

Leon knows the bitterness of loneliness all too well. Now that you've replaced it with sweetness... He does not want to go back. Ever.

Also, please, cook for him and treat him gently, he's bound to love that. Spoil him a little -- read to him, stroke his hair, rub his back, offer a massage if he's sore after a long day of training, take care of any new blisters that may appear on his hands. He stands bravely on his own, but it is lovely to have somebody to lean on.

Giving

Leon is a fairly selfless lover. He's much more familiar with giving affection rather than receiving it.

He loves touching you, but he will never cross any of your boundaries. If you allow him to do just about anything, though? He will ruffle your hair. He will hold your hand plenty. If the crowd is thick, he is more than likely to have his arm around your waist. He will sneak in some kisses here and there -- to your hair, forehead, cheeks, chin, nose... and lips as well, of course.

He has no reservations about telling you that he loves you. He does! There's no lie there! And, more importantly... your reaction is fairly sweet. What can I say, he enjoys teasing, no?

Dates? You bet. Gifts? Well, if he finds something that you fancy... (He may obtain help in looking for something that you may enjoy, though. Remember, he's well appreciated by people around him -- if he asks, somebody's bound to offer him their expertise! And he will ask. Oh, he will.)

However, all of that is just embellishments. If due to some unexpected circumstances Leon was unable to do any of the above, you would not feel any less loved. Because there are much more meaningful ways in which his feelings show.

Leon cares for you deeply. As such, he looks out for you. He wants to be there for you, to support you and to remind you to stay grounded. Whatever it is you may be struggling with, he will be there for you.

He sees you for you, not for any role or trait, expectation, that may be attached to your name. You don't have to worry about losing yourself and your way -- he won't let you stray. He knows you, and will continue on knowing you even through your darkest days.

And lastly: he loves, therefore he wants to understand. He wants to share in your joy, to experience the things you cherish, to be infected by your passion. No matter how hard it all may be, he will give it a try. Because, for you? Of course, he will.

TagList: @cilokgoang @violettduchess @pathogenic @fang-and-feather @tele86

[ninja-go-to-therapy]

It's the difference between being an Obligate and a Facultative Herbivore. The former can only handle a herbivorous diet. The latter primarily eats greens, but can branch out to other foods if those foods contain needed nutrients. It's the same for carnivores, with obligate carnivores being restricted to meat and facultative carnivores able to process more greens. For some reason there's a lot more examples of facultative herbivores than facultative carnivores to my knowledge, though.

This is also a very general overview that doesn't really cover all of it, so take some of my words with a grain of salt :]

Here is my partner in crime coming at you with the animal expertise anons

[tonechkag]

do u know of any resources for balkan folk magic & witchcraft?

Hi nonny!

The balkan region isn't my area of expertise but I do have a few things that you may find helpful.

This post from @junipersprigs

The author Radomir Ristic published 2 books on Balkan witchcraft before he passed away. I own "Balkan Traditional Witchcraft" by him & it's got a decent amount of information and a bibliography. I assume his other book is the same way.

This YouTube channel was run by a lady from Serbia. Sadly she also passed away a few years ago, so there aren't any new uploads.

There are also little documentaries on YouTube like this that might have good bits of info in them. (Take everything in it with a grain of salt especially because it's produced by Vice🤢).

I'd also check Academia.edu, Jstor & a lot of folk and ethnography museums have websites with a board of academics who publish their research. If it's behind a pay wall, it cant hurt to track down the author & just ask if they'd be willing to send you a copy to read. A lot of the times they're more than happy to & if you can definitely donate some money to them to support their work.

Following tags like "Croatian folklore" or "Serbian witchcraft" here on Tumblr, IG & other social media platforms could be helpful too & you'll likely find other practioners who could help you more than I can. Translating those keywords into that native language & saving those helps too. For example, I have both "Ведьма" & the English spelling "Vedma" saved which means "witch" in Russian. Hopefully I explained that in a way that makes sense.

Also learning the language & using the web browser most common in whichever country/region will be better than using Google.

I'm a big advocate for reading the work of folklorists, ethnographers & other professionals rather than Wiccanized New Agey garbage. Learning from the people who live and breathe the practice is probably the best way. So, if you're able to, find a practioner near you who'd be willing to teach you. If you cant but you have ancestors from that region, I'd highly recommend asking them to help you. There's gotta be at least 1 person in your bloodline who's willing to.

This was kinda rambly but that's all I got. I hope this helped give you a good place to start. If anyone wants to add more resources to this post, please feel free to.

[eruverse]

A bit of headcanon of Mongolia and Kazakhstan’s relationship dynamic:

(Maybe a bit incorrect with some details here, as I’m going to touch upon foreign policy directions and visions and while I’m trying my best it’s not my area of expertise. As it stands, this is still Hetalia headcanon most of all so pls take some details here with a grain of salt).

Basically, they are casual friends. More on the affectionate side considering their proximity to each other and their shared history/culture, but there’s a healthy distance between them. They’re very chill about this tho, they don’t exactly wish to be a lot closer because they know they can’t really help each other? Or their potential to do so isn’t explored yet?

Mongolia has a tendency to look Eastward in regards to his country’s development which is evident from the countries he’s closest to or aiming to closely befriend: China, South Korea, Japan, also US (across the Pacific). I think this is why he’s grouped under East Asian regional sphere and I bet this is quite a deliberate move from him, also affirmed by an article I once read which threaded upon Mongolian foreign policy; basically this Eastward direction is more beneficial for him economically and politically. Not just that tho; he does try to reach more countries who can help him wherever they are, but this is why he doesn’t really look toward Central Asia because the area is as much a fuckup as he is lol (and highly unstable).

Meanwhile Kazakhstan tends to look Northward and Westward/Southwestward first because this is what’s most beneficial and makes sense for him. North is Russia — like he doesn’t look toward Russia because he’s a spineless guy, he’s a pragmatic dude most of all and Russia is still stronger than him so he’s able to cooperate with him and help him with much; and especially true after he got independent is him applying Eurasian foreign policy which placed himself as a bridge between Europe and Asia. This include cooperations with Russia, former Soviet republics, and the West at large. On the Asia side he looks toward other Turkic states including his own siblings, the Middle East, and aside from that he also looks toward the East like with China, South Korea — Kazakhstan is a deeply ambitious guy and he tries to reach basically everywhere lol but as Mongolia can’t help him with much yet, he doesn’t currently have lots cooperation with Mongolia.

So Mongolia and Kazakhstan don’t have lots business with each other. Interestingly, this is what makes them highly relaxed and chill with each other tho; there’s a massive lack of tension and baggage between them. Theirs is a casual friendship forged upon a healthy distance with each other; much like how you can often end up spilling all your deepest secrets to a stranger compared to your own closest ones. Meeting each other is also in many ways like old childhood friends reuniting; as adults people have each their own business and worries with life, but when they get together they fall back on a time when things are much simpler.

Due to their high affinity in regards to culture and history, Mongolia and Kazakhstan have similar tastes about a lot of things which means they share lots similar hobbies. They’re such (mostly) different people personality wise, but when they meet together they can go on animated tangents about current developments of said hobbies. Motorcycles, cars, music (they listen to lots metal and punk/rock), outdoor activities, stargazing, wrestling (ofc), and other sports.

Overall, they have quite a lot of interest in each other but they also prefer to just observe and admire from afar. Mongolia would routinely look up news about what’s happening in Kazakhstan and Central Asia at large, and Kazakhstan too knows about current ongoings in Mongolia. This is partly technical reasons tho, because it’s best if you’re aware of your neighbors’ most current developments, but they mainly do it because they’re interested in each other.

Anyway, Mongolia is technically Kazakhstan’s grandfather but they behave as friends of equal standings. Kazakhstan respects Mongolia also because he’s technically an elder, but in a hypothetical situation where Mongolia lords over him which befits someone of a higher authority in a family setting, he will certainly not hesitate to put Mongolia in his place. How would he not, when he’s a deeply proud person as he is and he’s much stronger than Mongolia both politically and economically? But this is a hypothetical situation for a reason; it would never happen because they’re highly respectful of each other and mindful of their healthy distance.

A bit of wfsn detail: Mongolia is a chill dom with lots mentoring and guiding tendencies and Kazakhstan is a gentle top (overall) with no dom nor sub tendencies. When they get on they’re very chill and friendly, with Mongolia not much unleashing his dom side because Kazakhstan isn’t much into that; but Kazakhstan is quite a prude so there’s often some guiding from Mongolia going on, being the one more experienced.

[psioniciris]

Blood Blossoms & Other Healing Herbs

Hey guys! Sorry it’s been so long since my last post. Been doing a lot of investigating around Amity Park and research in general so there’s so much history here. I barely know where to start half the time when it comes to what topics to talk about because there are so many.

So in the end I decided hey, why not talk about some interesting facts I’ve learned about natural anti-ghost deterrents? You know, the usual where we separate fact from fiction when it comes to what works and what’s nothing but Hollywood movie magic. I actually have a friend that knows a lot about this sort of thing so I got most of my information from them.

Oh! And huge shout out to Danny who let me borrow this antique sketch of his ghost hunting ancestor, John Fenton Nightingale, which I’ll get into talking about a bit later. He’s not the friend I’m talking about either by the way but I did learn a lot thanks to him and talking to his parents. Boy was that an experience because it took forever to get them to let me leave. I get that they were excited to talk to me about their ghost expertise but my dad wasn’t thrilled that I got home hour later than planned. Danny warned me this would happen but I guess I underestimated their enthusiasm.

Anyways, in my experience, nothing beats the classics but for safety reasons I would take a minute to share a quick disclaimer and tell everyone be sure to take what I’m about to say with a grain of salt since a lot of it only works in specific situations depending on the kind of ghosts we’re talking about here. Sadly, as much as I wish the joke I snuck in there was true the myth about making lines or circles of salt to ward off or trap ghosts and evil spirits doesn’t seem to work. But what does work is the thought behind doing it in the first place since its usually a means to cleanse an area of negative energy...

You see, just like the rest of us ghosts have feelings too, but theirs are a bit more intense than others because they’re now supernatural beings whose powers are often tied to their emotions. Some ghosts even feed off of OUR emotions to gain more power, especially through very strong or negative ones so its a good idea to keep your spirits up around them And I mean that literally since it will help make you a lot less appetizing to them. That’s why even if the actual method of purifying your home isn’t a surefire way to keep ghosts and other unfriendly visitors away I’d highly suggest doing it anyway by doing things burning sage, aka smudging, or placing crystals around your home.

On the topic of plants, the best known ghost repellent is called Blood Blossom. It’s an ancient plant that once grew in Salem and a few other isolated locations I’m still looking for back in the 1600′s and was used in a wide variety of ways, including cooking if you can believe it! Unfortunately though, as far as I’m aware of this rare flower went extinct some time ago and you can’t find live specimens of them anywhere. I did manage to track down a sample of some petals that had been pressed between the pages of an old journal and according to my friend, these flowers were often used in to make all kinds of things ranging from  tea, since they’re edible believe it or not, to healing salves made with a mixture of other medicinal herbs with natural anti-ghost properties.

There are a lot of herbs you can still find today that can help keep ghosts and other spooky stuff away, but I won’t list them all since that would take forever. All you need to know is that most stories about plants with supernatural powers? Yeah, almost all of them are true. They’re not as powerful as those ancient Blood Blossoms were according to all the books I’ve read, but if you know what you’re doing most of them can get the job done of keeping you safe.

And like I said before though, using any of these plants only works in a case by case scenario. For one thing, yes wolvesbane can act as a werewolf repellent if you need it, but the real plant is extremely poisonous to humans so I’d suggest against planting any in your garden without the proper safety equipment:

“... Since ancient times, poison made from wolfsbane has been used to coat swords and arrows in battle, execute criminals, commit murder, and has made its way into many spells and rituals. In medieval Europe, some magical uses for the plant wrapping wolfsbane seeds in lizard’s skin and carrying them to become invisible (if you ever try this, please report back!), warding off werewolves and vampires, and shapeshifting into animals.” ~ https://www.osgf.org/blog/2021/10/25/the-most-magical-plants

No matter what you do though, always do your research before trying anything out! It’s never a good idea to mess around with unfamiliar plants and herbs either way unless you know which ones are safe. Leave the ghost hunting to the professionals like the Fenton’s (kinda) or our very own Danny Phantom. Honestly, I’d say the easiest thing to do is carry some mint leaves on you since that’s the safest to get and on it’s own it isn’t harmful to anyone, only bad ghosts who let’s face it...could probably use a breath mint anyway.

[guardianmedical]

How to Choose the Right Doctor for Your Health Needs?

When it comes to your health, one of the most important decisions you'll make is choosing the right doctor. Whether it's for a routine check-up or a specific medical concern, having a trusted doctor by your side can make all the difference in your well-being.

With so many options available, it can feel overwhelming to narrow down your choices. But fear not! In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to finding the perfect doctor for your health needs.

Assess Your Needs and Preferences

Before you start your search for a doctor near Werribee, take some time to assess your specific health needs and preferences. Consider factors such as:

Medical Specialisation: Depending on your health condition, you may need a doctor with a specific specialisation, such as a cardiologist, dermatologist, or pediatrician.

Location: Convenience matters when it comes to healthcare. Look for doctors who are located close to your home or workplace to make appointments and follow-ups easier.

Insurance Coverage: Check with your insurance provider to see which doctors are in-network. This can help you avoid unexpected costs and maximise your benefits.

Do Your Research

Once you have a clear understanding of your needs, it's time to start your research. Here are some effective ways to find potential doctors:

Ask for Recommendations: Reach out to friends, family members, and colleagues for recommendations. Personal referrals are often one of the best ways to find a reliable doctor.

Check Online Reviews: Websites provide patient reviews and ratings for doctors. While these reviews should be taken with a grain of salt, they can offer valuable insights into the doctor's bedside manner and expertise.

Verify Credentials: Ensure that any doctor you're considering is board-certified and licensed to practice medicine. You can usually verify this information through your state's medical board website.

Schedule Consultations

Once you've narrowed down your list of potential doctors, schedule consultations to meet them in person.

This is your opportunity to ask questions, assess their communication style, and determine if they're the right fit for you. Some questions to consider asking during your consultation include:

What is your approach to patient care?

How do you handle emergencies or after-hours concerns?

Can you explain your treatment philosophy for my specific health condition?

Consider Bedside Manner and Communication

A doctor's bedside manner and communication style can greatly impact your overall experience and satisfaction with your healthcare. Pay attention to how the doctor interacts with you during your consultation. Are they attentive, empathetic, and respectful? Do they take the time to listen to your concerns and answer your questions thoroughly?

Trust your instincts and choose a doctor near Essendon who makes you feel comfortable and valued as a patient.

Evaluate Accessibility and Availability

In addition to bedside manner, consider the doctor's accessibility and availability. Are they easy to reach for appointments, questions, and concerns? Do they offer flexible appointment scheduling options, such as evening or weekend hours?

Choosing a doctor near Essendon who is accessible and available when you need them can provide peace of mind and ensure timely medical care.

Trust Your Instincts

At the end of the day, trust your instincts when choosing a doctor. While credentials and recommendations are important, your gut feeling matters, too.

If something doesn't feel right or if you don't click with a doctor after the initial consultation, don't hesitate to continue your search. Your health is too important to settle for anything less than the best doctor for your needs.

Conclusion

Finding the right doctor may take some time and effort, but the investment is well worth it for the quality of care and peace of mind it brings.

By assessing your needs, doing thorough research, and trusting your instincts, you can find a doctor near Werribee who not only meets your health needs but also makes you feel valued and supported on your healthcare journey.

[hydralisk98]

Nice reaction comment to Asianometry latest video

The context of this video, this comment and this thread is key: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlAWx_X5opA&lc=Ugx5-99kJi09-yHqi954AaABAg.9fSO9G4W5Nl9fXPGf0yji-

hydralisk98 at 2022-09-03 18:12 EST:

 @Asianometry  Fair question comrade, it is quite hard to find great answers to such queries. But as a 24yo autistic enthusiast deeply invested into all things technologies, especially preserving living use of retro technologies and surronding matters, I think there is a decent share of suggestions for me to propose in here or at least attempt my hand at the computing hardware business of things. I don't own the full truth over the matter so consider my take with a grain of salt as well Given what I perceive from recent history (1910-~) and the current global context (2022), I do think this deep problematic indeed starts from the global cultural norms over late stage capitalism-style rigid mentalities or at least the ways such goals are decided and implemented. Specifically the way there is a huge expanding social debt from many higher ups of our current global economy (often baby boomers-style of rich people) as of rn towards the lower classes (Gen Z, Millenials and other types of poorer people) as far as seeing authorities in the field blocking or at least slowing down by much the initatives of fresher minds in the field. I would seriously recommend anybody who wants to step up the technological game to compete themselves in such a computing hardware space, especially as I have my very own plans over such by myself because of how little I personally trust such aging authorities to adapt to our current reality that fast and in competitive manners due to their sheer size. I do hope such agencies do take action to constructively reward employees in more means than bare money (even with the same hours and same pay, there are many ways to attract and assure younger employees like me don't leave the field entirely, listening to our suggestons/concerns/recommendations, ask questions and enact constructive measures to upgrade the power employee payment game with full expertise is a epic first step forwards to lessen the negatives of this field), just like many other fields' in this era deserves as well but you know, I have legitimate doubts over such old rich people giving us such because they simply want easy and shorter-term profits than we are in for. I do dare to enact such even if my tech stack I am suggesting soon is less profound than the exact complexity tier of contemporary VLSI around firms like TSMC and similar names, because of all the changes I would like to put a new emphasis onto and other empowering/idiosyncratic objectives I got for my personal computing system project I prepare for around 2025. Quite like how this modern domain became way more accessible to developers thanks to the traitrous eight's efforts under Fairchild Semiconductors and subsequent Fairchildren, I sure am planning ahead as to push a relatively similar style of technical progress market-wide update by doing much under my tiny scale. I do not aim to promote my specific project here, if you want more of such, you can go to my Tumblr personal blog where I discuss of such topics in more details as I go along in my technical journey by myself. By the way, keep up the good work @Asianometry and let's build the type of world Gen Z & Millenials are asking for. Farewell to you all as well internet comrades.

Just letting you know about such in plain terms.

[relatablegenzwriter]

How to write erotic moments or short stories without making it convoluted, cheesy or tacky? I grew up very religious and although i no longer believe have lots of trouble with sexuality in general. I'd like to try writing stuff as exploration cause i find p*rn too exploitive and iffy and dont wanna support that industry. but i'm not really sure what to do to do it "right" instead of dull or cringy. I just sit for hours with a blank paper till i give up

Writing Non-Tacky Sex and Romance

I'll start right off the bat by saying that this is definitely not my writing area of expertise, and I don't know how much I can tell you that you don't already know. So I'm gonna offer a couple of tips and then send you to a lot of posts that might answer your question better than I can! (P.S. I know your question was about sex specifically, but as you can see from the title, all of this can be applied to romantic scenes as well, which I got similar questions about.)

1. Be careful with metaphors. Of course, no writing style is "right" or "wrong", but flowery language can often make or break any scene, especially romantic ones. Many times, the overuse of dramatic, romantic metaphors can overload a scene and make it feel cheesy and cliche. And let's face it, millions of tiny stars aren't bursting around a couple every time they kiss, and we all know that sex is not magical in the slightest. I think the biggest problem with these kinds of descriptors, though, is not that they make you groan with how sappy the writing is, but because they often feel impersonal to your characters. So instead of your character "hearing a symphony swell around them", maybe "for a moment all their worries about [plot conflict/subplot conflict] seemed to move toward the back of their head". (not my best descriptor i could come up with on the spot but you get it) Although, while this will remove the cliche aspect of your scenes, it can still go overboard. Bringing me to my next point…

2. Be realistic. Like I said before, not every romantic or sexual interaction your characters have is going to feel like a Nicholas Sparks movie. There are lots and lots of awkward, ordinary moments. Include these! Of course, you probably won't want to make every moment of every sex scene say "yeah it wasn't that special" (unless of course this is the direction you want your story to take). If your character enjoys kissing or sleeping with someone, say that. But there are very few people whose worldview has shifted after one night together, and I doubt this is true for your characters, either.

3. Be careful about your source information. It's okay to take inspiration from everywhere, but it's important to take everything with a grain of salt. Particularly with sex scenes, writers tend to take inspiration from two major places: porn and WattPad (you know, THOSE fics). Keep in mind that porn is not meant to be realistic in the slightest, and I could go on a whole other tangent about the horrible expectations it sets for sex in real life. And don't get me wrong about wattpad: there are great writers on there and it's a great option to share and read fiction (for free, too!). But a lot of the ridiculously smutty fics, while entertaining and well-written, depict fun-sounding but sometimes unrealistic sex, that may not fit into the fantasy novel you're writing, @sjmaas. (Disregard that last bit if you are writing something akin to wattpad smut) Also, just a little side note that you should never be treating porn or wattpad as legitimate sex ed for real life!

4. Try building your scene from the ground up. I did a post on this a while back, but I used to really struggle to write romantic scenes until I figured out a method that works for me. Basically, you picture your scene as a building that you first need to lay the framework for, then fill in the cement/bricks/whatever, then furnish and decorate. First, I go through and write all the dialogue that will be taking place and mark crucial events. (example: "Hey, can I tell you something?" "What?" "I think you're the best thing that's ever happened to me." [kiss]) Next, I rewrite the scene almost monotonously, in the plainest way actions can be written. ("They held hands." "She took her jacket off." "He walked across the room.") Once I have my "building", then I can go in and add all the emotions and little details. I do this so that I don't have to stare at a blank page, since I already know how my scene is going to go. Then all I have to do is fill in some little details that make the scene more personal to my characters. I highly recommend this to you, since you talked about how you know what you want to write but can get scared of a blank page (hey, me too!).

5. Extra Resources! Here's some people that can probably help better than I can with specifics:

Including Consent In Writing (SUPER IMPORTANT)

Non-Explicit Scenes

Explicit Scenes

Romance In General (with a section containing tons of nsfw writing advice)

Good luck with your story!

[tearlessrain]

Could you go into greater detail on how Tumblr is being used as a testing ground for other corporations?

against my better judgement and despite my complete lack of expertise on the subject, I shall. this is just my understanding/extrapolation of the situation though and there are other posts around that explain it much better than I’m about to, so take it with a grain of salt. maybe a lot of salt.

part of this site’s usefulness IS testing ads and features, presumably, but tumblr mainly benefits big corporate entities by virtue of being the biggest Meme Spawnpoint of the internet, above even places like reddit and 4chan, which used to have that distinction. these days even memes that originate there are usually filtered through tumblr before they get out to places like facebook and twitter. so basically we’re just a really good trend predictor.

there’s a popular myth/meme on this site, which a lot of us are extremely attached to, that we’re some kind of giant useless money sink that’s completely incomprehensible to big corporate entities (just look at how many of the notes on that post are along the lines of “but they’re clearly failing” and “well obviously it’s not working on me,” people really want to believe that we’ve all outsmarted the corporations and they’re secretly still losing somehow, which is very understandable but also wrong). but the fact is we’re literally owned by a corporation and if we were really that detrimental, the site would not still exist. they wouldn’t just be like “ah well, I guess you won this one, go, be free” they’d shut tumblr down to force us out into more profitable spaces like twitter. frankly I think the porn ban is the best evidence of that; porn used to be this site’s main export, but it’s not profitable, so despite the change being massively detrimental to most of the userbase and directly harming a lot of sex workers and artists, we (ostensibly) don’t have porn on tumblr anymore. I’m not trying to be a cynical bastard here but I think our collective smug superiority is misplaced and it’s ironically going to make us very easy to control.

luckily for us, though, the most beneficial thing for them to do most of the time is leave us alone and watch trends develop/keep tabs on broad site-wide reactions to changes or ad campaigns, so personally I don’t think it really matters that much as long as we’re aware of it and don’t fall into the trap of believing we’re exempt from the “if the service is free then you are the product” rule. we’re a bunch of lions in a nature reserve with radio collars on who are allowed to mostly keep living and behaving like wild lions, because it benefits someone for us to be doing that, firmly believing that we’re somehow living on the only remaining patch of undeveloped savannah out of luck/because we’re just that clever and good at defending our territory. and we're not allowed to fuck in front of the safari tours.

this doesn’t mean that we aren’t the closest thing that currently exists to a last holdout of the internet wild west. socially and on an individual level, we kind of are. don’t feel guilty for enjoying what we have here. just don’t fall into the trap of thinking we’re not also a part of the modern corporate-driven internet.

[chalkrevelations]

Huh.

Well, this is not the next episode reaction you were expecting, but a while back, in the middle of the night, while I was ready to cry from working on a pharmacology paper, out of nowhere, Youtube threw up Street Dance of China S3 Ep1 at me. And yeah. I am, admittedly, f’kn weak for a dance show. (There are enough SYTYCD episode reax on my old Livejournal that I feel there’s no point denying this.)

So – no, actually, wait. FIRST of all, I do NOT believe the “towel vote” we ended up being given for the opening routines from the four captains. That was the most blatant bit of bullshit chicanery I’ve seen in my LIFE, and I say this as a person with a ton of SYTYCD episode reax on my old Livejournal, and I also say this not because Wang Yibo ended up last (well, not entirely), but because I saw Wallace Chung’s routine. As someone closer in age to him than to the other three captains, I have to give him props for trying, but come on, man. The critique that Yibo got from random contestants – if the subtitles are to be believed, so I realize this needs a grain of salt - basically boiled down to “it was too good for the stage lighting.” :hands: Also, I saw your face at the reveal, Wallace, and you were as shocked as I was. No way you got more towels/votes than Wang Yibo. Not unless there’s some super wild undercurrent of nostalgia propping you up, which, I guess could happen, because literally all I know about pop culture in China, current or otherwise, is filtered through Tumblr and Youtube, both notoriously suspect, but … anyway. There’s got to be a TON of behind-the-scenes manipulation going on for Yibo to be rock-bottom with last pick of teams but then also to end up with THAT pool of possibles. Are you kidding me with this?

ANYWAY, what I wanted to say is that I actually really like Wang Yibo here, and it’s not just because he’s the only captain I have even a sliver of familiarity with, and it’s not just because Lan Wangji was banging Wei Wuxian. I do realize all of this is influenced by whatever edit they’ve decided to give a particular captain or contestant, but I’m impressed with the way Yibo immediately starts team building by getting his group into a warmup, getting them dancing together, getting them dancing with him before they have to worry about dancing for him. (I mean, come on, Jackson Wang. The way to get people to stop being nervous is not to say “Stop being nervous! It will make you fuck up!”) The way Yibo immediately recognized and responded to his group’s concerns about that one dude copying someone else’s routine probably also bought him a lot of return investment. He’s dressed to work it, in his sweats and his flannel (what IS that fake-leather TAC vest and random leg holster-looking thing, Jackson Wang?). He’s convincing me he really loves to dance, he can’t hold still while he watches the contestants, he’s wandering over into other captains’ turf when it sounds like there’s a dancer performing who he might like to see, he’s being the best Yibo he can be, and I’m grooving along, wind in my hair, totally down for this ride. He’s also adorable at the beginning when all the other captains are like, my goal for this season is to slaughter the competition and dance on their graves! And he’s like, well, I’d like to … make some friends? And learn some new stuff? I don’t know if the perpetual Humble Student schtick is natural or persona, or whether it’s general or specific to dancing, but it’s working for you, my dude. This is also made better (read: ironic), by the fact that it’s immediately before the towel reveal, when he flips over to utter disbelief and gets all sulky for a while over the “fact” that his dance routine got the least votes.

Also, OH WAIT. This is where that clip of Yibo dancing with his crew ALL OVER HIM came from that I saw floating around a few months ago, isn’t it? You’re telling me those guys had never danced together before and had like, three minutes to throw together that routine? I’m even more impressed than before. Meanwhile, the towels symbolize courage and challenge, Mr. Emcee? OK, fine, cheesy reality show blah blah whatever. Can we get to the dancing now?

I’m going to put the rest of this behind a cut, because it got super long, because it turns out, when you watch in 5-minute increments, it takes two and a half weeks to get through a single episode, but you actually can see and have opinions on all 5,328 contestants, plus every single one of the captains’ battles. Meanwhile, I’m trying to convince myself this is not going to be another series of episode reactions, but 1) I do have the benefit of not having a ton of hometown media giving me a next-day play-by-play, so even though this is six months old, everything’s a surprise; 2) I am, admittedly, f’kn weak for a dance show; and 3) it’s easy to watch in 5-minute increments between researching drug interactions in hypothetical hypertensive patients with stable ischemic heart disease, erectile dysfunction, and seasonal allergies. So, I guess we’ll see. It’ll be slow going, though, because I don’t ever have two and half hours to sit down and watch an ep cover-to-cover – if it happens, it will likely keep happening in 5-minute increments. Meanwhile, there is a metric shit-ton of nattering below the cut, so caveat lector. No, seriously, I kept adding to this little by little until it became a monster. Hashtag long post (remorseful).

OK, I am generally out of my depth here, as this is not at all my area of dance not-really-expertise, but some reactions:

Team Wang Yibo: I can see why he didn’t want to choose between Colin and Dian Men – Colin might have been a touch better technically and a better showman, but Dian Men didn’t seem to have a single wasted move – but, also, my dude. Yibo. You maybe should look a little bit less stunned and overwhelmed by the mere presence of Colin, it’s giving me ideas about your taste in men. Continuing with the powerhouses, I probably shouldn’t even attempt to critique Klash, but I did feel like he was a bit stiff in some of his footwork; that final V kick, though, shit, that’s what having that kind of upper-body strength is for. Bouboo … I mean, excellent flexibility and control, of course, but mainly I’m just terribly amused that Yibo got last pick of teams but somehow ended up with the guy who’s literal world champion, and who’s just as useful for getting into the other captains’ heads – without even trying – as he is for his talent. And then there’s a montage of Yibo giving out towel after towel after towel, and my dude, you cannot keep up this pace. There are still too many dancers to see, and you don’t have that many towels. AAANNNND Towel Battle #1 (See Footnote 1).

Team Jackson Wang: I do like Gai Gai, although that may be influenced by the fact she’s working in the twilight area between hip-hop and contemporary that I have more familiarity with - but also, I suspect she’s pretty good in her genre. I thought Xiao Jie was inconsistent and didn’t stick the landing on his initial attempt, so I have to give you that hesitation, Jackson, even though you’ve somehow ended up the villain in my inner narrative for this show, for no particular reason I can yet discern. Maybe it’s that you’re the direct competition for Yibo’s team in the towel battles. Good enough. Anyway, Xiao Jie definitely stepped up his game for the battle with Bingo, so I can kind of see why both of them got a towel, but we’re not even halfway through this, and most of y’all are giving away towels like you have an endless supply. Yang Kai is a fucking menace with fantastic musicality, and I’m just gonna say it and take the fallout - I think he gave a better performance first time out of the gate than any of Yibo’s powerhouses did. Whatever power Klash has got, whatever skill Bouboo has got, Yang Kai feels more explosive and engaging, at least in these initial showings. He’s going to be one to beat, I’d hug him too, if he was on my team and was going to help me WIN. Yibo’s probably lucky that happened during his little stroll over to check out the competition, so that he can see they’re definitely competitive and be prepared for it. Also, Jackson, I have to admit - that face you made when Chao really kicked in? That was the same face I made, because wt actual f, you have a literal secret weapon – secret because he CAME FROM NOWHERE and NO ONE EVEN KNOWS him, how is that even possible, how did he get that good – fluid, creative, controlled, incredible musicality - without anyone having any idea who he even is? And then there’s a montage of Jackson just giving out towel after towel after towel, and my dude, you need to slow down. You can’t just be like, “THEY LOVE DANCE WITH ALL OF THEIR WHOLE HEARTS!!!!1111!!!!11!” I get it, but everyone there loves dance with all of their whole hearts, and there are not enough towels to send all of them on to the next round. ANNNND, Towel Battle #1 (See Footnote 1).

Team Lay Zhang: lol at how diplomatic you’re being, Lay Zhang – your team’s fierce roar startled you, OK. At this point, I suspect you’re the street most likely to have a knife fight break out before this is all over. I do like Alex, I think he’s got a lot of interesting, super-clean details in his moves, and he’s engaging - I cannot BELIEVE you made him battle that dude whose moves were so mushy, Lay Zhang, it leaves me doubting your ability to judge this thing. At first I thought maybe you were just looking for an excuse because you wanted to see Alex freestyle, but then you actually said something about both dancers being equal, and my estimation of you plummeted, and also sadly, my sound dropped out for the actual battle, including the part where the clearly inferior dancer fell over and then accidentally POPPED ALEX ONE IN THE EYE, and I TOLD YOU SO. I do agree it’s a good idea to make dancers in the same genre do some battling, so you can kind of plan out your towels and put together a team with broad strengths, instead of giving out towels like you’re making it rain for the first 20 contestants, and then you have 1,375 more people to get through, with 3 towels left, as EVERYONE ELSE seems to be doing, so it’s nice that at least one of you guys is thinking – if not actually acting - strategically. That was clearly not even a contest, though, GIVE ALEX HIS TOWEL and send him to the next round. Xiao Bao is hilarious, with his concern that his team captain, who’s into krump, which is “beating,” isn’t going to appreciate his waacking, which is “slapping.” I also don’t know a whole lot about waacking, so thanks for the primer, Xiao Bao, and don’t worry, your performance is just as engaging for those of us who don’t know what we’re watching as you are generally. You deserve that towel for your ability to interact with and engage your audience, alone. Lingo is a good solid performance, although he’s got his team captain strategizing edited over some of it, and here’s the thing: we are 1:56:00 into this, at this point, with another half hour to go, and all of you are starting to disappear into the sea of dancers who are very good at what you do, but at generally the same level? Anyway, Lingo, I approve of your ability to interact with your audience (read: your captain) to ensure engagement, too, so keep that up. Annnd, we actually haven’t seen that much of you guys, but it’s time for Towel Battle #2 (See Footnote 2).

Team Wallace Chung: I’m glad Su Lian Ya insisted on performing, I thought she started off slow but warmed up, and that ending was creepily fantastic and had me spontaneously grinning at the screen in delight. Then we lose sight of this group for a really long time, actually. We go back to find Wallace putting through a couple of urban dancers who we barely see, but who apparently claim to have some choreography experience, and he really likes that. TI shows up, and they’re solid, but honestly, not as good in this performance as they were in some of the stock footage the show threw up to introduce them, but Wallace remains super-excited about the idea of choreography and sends at least choreographer Zhang Jiang Peng through to the next round. And then, we really haven’t seen that much of you guys, either, which maybe doesn’t bode well, but it’s time for Towel Battle #2 (See Footnote 2).

FOOTNOTE 1, aka TOWEL BATTLE ONE, Team Yibo vs. Team Jackson, 3V3 freestyle: First of all, I have to say, I love Yibo - Mr. I Just Wanna Make Some Friends And Have Some Fun - being all, “I have three crappy white towels I’m stuck with for coming in last place that I can’t use to send dancers to the next round and that I DO NOT DESERVE, and I am getting BACK the colorful towels that ARE RIGHTFULLY MINE. I am coming for whoever is in my way.” Team Yibo is Bouboo, Klash, Dian Men, and OK, given what we’ve seen so far, that’s the safe choice, but honestly, I think we’re just taking some things for granted right now, and I’m not sure they actually have given the best performances so far. Yeah, I said it. Team Jackson is Yang Kai, Chao, and Xiao Jie, and … ok, on that last one, I think you probably could have substituted Bingo, but all right. Yang Kai is a definite yes. Chao will be great if he can stay out of his own head and not psych himself out, but given what we’ve seen so far, he’s an obvious pick. First round, Yang Kai vs. Klash, and Yang Kai is still a fucking menace, with super lines. Klash definitely stepped up his game for the battle, and I can’t get over the upper body strength he’s got, to get that kind of airy bounce in his moves, but to be honest, I can’t even be mad the first round went to Yang Kai and Team Jackson. Second round, Yang Kai is still … y’all, the beautiful lines from this guy in his poses, I can’t get over them, but I think he doesn’t have the stamina, his footwork is getting sloppy. Bouboo also steps up his game for an actual battle, his fluidity and control is amazing, and yeah, round to Team Yibo. Round three, Xiao Jie gives it a decent effort, but the polish isn’t there; meanwhile Bouboo is still in champion mode, and I was kind of surprised this was a split vote and went to another round. Xiao Jie absolutely surprised me, coming back stronger on his second try, although I suppose a more familiar genre helped, but Bouboo continues in champion mode. Round four, Chao looks like he’s going to throw up right before he steps out there, and then as soon as the music starts, it’s like, he doesn’t even think. The music just moves him. I feel like his dance vocabulary is more limited than Bouboo’s, though, and Bouboo’s flow is amazing at this point, so I feel like the judges just want to drag this out and see more dancing when we go to one more round. Strong effort all around, but yeah, round four and two towels to Team Yibo. I can’t really complain about that. I do feel like Yibo’s powerhouses have been holding back until now, though, and I’m not sure how I feel about THAT.

FOOTNOTE 2, aka TOWEL BATTLE TWO, Team Zhang vs. Team Wallace, 3V3 w/ captain: lol, Team Zhang really wants someone to pick the Sailor Moon song because they know Xiao Bao and his waacking will tear it up. Anyway, Team Zhang includes Lingo and Xiao Bao, who does not get his Sailor Moon song and continues to be hilarious in his disbelief about being chosen to participate in this battle, when he’s not looking almost as sick as Chao from Team Jackson before HIS performance. Team Wallace includes Su Lian Ya – and honestly, despite how I’m getting ready to bag on him for the entire rest of this battle recap, I like that Wallace put one of his female dancers up there for the battle - and some dude named Ba that they haven’t given us any footage of, up ‘til now, at least that I can remember and who I … don’t even know has been formally given a towel and sent on to the next round, yet? Oh wait, he must have, because there’s talk in the pause for choreography about somehow using the towels during the battle. Wallace relies on Su Lian Ya and Zhang Jiang Peng to choose Ba, and then Ba ends up choreographing a lot of the performance, at least from the edit we see. I continue to feel you may be in over your head, Wallace. This feeling … is not assuaged by your performance in the first round, which is fine, but not really up to the level of almost anyone whose name I’ve bolded so far in this entire recap. Also, using the towels was a cute idea, but it doesn’t translate well, and Team Wallace has a lot of wasted time throwing the towels around instead of actually. You know. Dancing. Lingo gets a credible solo during Team Zhang’s performance, and even though Xiao Bao is clearly lost during a good bit of his backup dancer duties, he manages not to throw up, which – given this team’s general skill level – should be enough to give them the first round, EXCEPT SOMEHOW Team Wallace gets the point from the judges, who then try to justify this inexplicable decision by saying Team Wallace had better interaction, I guess because of the hot mess with throwing the towels around, but adding that Team Zhang was more scattered, which what? More scattered than the hot mess with the towels? I’m not buying this. I can’t tell if they’re propping up Wallace or fucking with Lay Zhang’s head, but I’m having bad acid flashbacks to the many and varied ways dance show judges will try to gaslight you, telling you that things you just saw with your very own eyes did not actually happen when it’s right there! On camera! Visible, despite whatever edit bs you’re pulling! ANYWAY, they’re definitely managing to fuck with not only Lay Zhang’s head, but Xiao Bao’s, and Xiao Bao still doesn’t seem to have his choreography down, but they manage to pull it together enough to take the second round, which to be honest is kind of a muddled mess on everyone’s part. The only one who really stands out to me on this go’round is Su Lian Ya, but OK, Team Zhang might have had it slightly more together as a unit. And then, yeah, OK, I think they were fucking with Lay Zhang’s head, because we then find out that, holy shit, the song the show powers-that-be chose for the tie-breaking third round is that gd Sailor Moon song, and we can all see the writing on the wall. Poor Team Wallace is no match for Xiao Bao, who frankly, carries this entire round on his shoulders without breaking a sweat and barely needs any backup dancers to do it. There’s some ridiculously dramatic reveal of scoring, with the judges dragging out their decisions like this was any actual contest - I’m beginning to suspect that some of them grew up with Wallace Chung posters on their bedroom walls - but finally, round and towel to Team Zhang.

Cut to a little bit of Next Time On, and wow, the first two-and-a-half-hour episode is over, and we aren’t finished with the initial round yet. It’s gonna be Christmas before I make it halfway through this season.

[moonflowerlesbians]

“choose your battles wisely”

Un-beta’d and written after surgery, so please take with a grain of salt. I’ll reblog with the AO3 link in the morning!

Rated T, ~4.1k. Fluffy, Hurt/Comfort

~~~

Jamie is an idiot.

Or, to be more specific, she is an absolute goddamn buffoon of the utmost clownery.

This is, more or less, Dani’s internal monologue as she follows the sound of pained grunts to a somewhat obscured section of the sprawling statue garden, where she comes across a rather disgruntled gardener lying flat on her back in the mud. Her oilskin hat has fallen to one side, and Jamie stares, bleary-eyed, at the grey England sky overhead. There is a decently sized marble sculpture on the ground beside her.  

“You alright, there?” Dani calls, after only a brief moment of amused silence.

“Jesus!” Jamie swears, her entire body twitching, which causes her outburst to dissolve into a groan. “Christ, Poppins, wear a bloody bell,” she grumbles.

Dani rolls her eyes. “You alright?” she repeats, quieter this time.

“Oh, who, me? Yeah, ‘course. Just, you know, enjoying some ‘me time.’” She moves to raise her arm in a weak attempt at waving Dani off, but the limb makes it mere inches off the ground before flopping unceremoniously into the dirt. “Taking in the views...”

“Some view,” Dani notes, with a playful, sardonic lilt to her voice. A pause. “Owen made sandwiches if you’d like to come in for lunch.”

“Be right there,” Jamie replies halfheartedly. She does not stir, her gaze still fixed on the dreary cloud cover, a firm set to her jaw. “Don’t wait up.”

“We might as well walk back together.” Dani crosses her arms. “That is, assuming you’re almost done with your ‘me time.’”

“Almost done. Right. Yeah.”

Dani watches the deep inhale as Jamie steels herself, the muscles of Jamie’s stomach flexing with effort. With a sharp gasp, Jamie pushes herself onto her elbows, but she only lasts a quick second before she’s once again lying prone, muttered curses falling from her lips.

Dani winces sympathetically. “Oh, baby, don’t hurt yourself.”

“Bit late for that.”

“What did you do?” She kneels at Jamie’s side, moist soil dampening her jeans, and brushes wispy brown hairs from her face.

“Picked a fight with the wrong woman.” Jamie nods at the overturned statue. “Credit where credit’s due, she’s stronger than she looks. Heavier, too.”

“So, you decided you were going to move a marble statue, on your own, after a rainstorm, which resulted in you, what, throwing out your back?” Dani translates. “And you thought this was a good idea because…?”

“Never said it was a good idea.”

“And yet here we are.”

“Right, well,” Jamie sighs, “we’ve established I’m not the sharpest knife in the block.” Her eyes meet Dani’s, defeated. “If you would be so kind as to lend me a hand, I’d rather not like to die like this.”

“All you had to do was ask, sweetheart.” She thinks she catches a fleeting smile before it is replaced with a grimace.

Gingerly, Dani wedges her arm between Jamie’s shoulders and the earth below, murmuring gentle apologies at each indication of discomfort. She offers her other hand for Jamie to grab. Together, they work her into a sitting position. Jamie’s chest heaves, and her face is a ghostly shade of white.

They stay like that for a minute. While Jamie catches her breath, Dani’s fingers rub what she hopes are soothing circles into her back. How long has she been out here?

“Are you okay to walk?” Dani asks.

“Suppose we’ll find out,” Jamie says in a tone not at all reassuring.

Dani braces herself and takes both of Jamie’s hands in her own, digging her heels into the dirt. “One...two…”

On three, she pulls, and Jamie staggers to her feet, with Dani catching the majority of her weight as she topples forward and the air goes out of her.

“JesusshitfuckingChristfuckshittinghellgoddamnit-”

“Okay, you’re okay,” Dani says, trying to angle herself to best support the woman about to get herself excommunicated for blasphemy. She can feel the tension radiating off of Jamie in waves.

“I’m fine, I’m good,” Jamie promises, very much not fine and very much not good. “Nothing’s broken, I don’t think. Just, ah, a little crooked, s’all.” Her breathing is labored as they take a few tentative steps.

“Look, you just rest here, and I’ll run back and get Owen--”

“No, absolutely not,” Jamie cuts her off. “If that man finds out, I’ll never hear the end of it. Little shit still brings up the Rosebush Incident of Eighty-five whenever I break out the pruning shears.” Her arm drapes heavy around Dani’s neck as they round a corner.

“What--”

“Don’t,” Jamie wheezes, “ask.”

“You realize how dumb that is, right? And I’m definitely going to ask,” Dani says, guiding them toward the front door. Jamie stops short.

“Side door,” she explains, “servants’ hall. Won’t go past the kitchen. Can use one of the empty rooms until I sort myself out.”

“You might want to get your head checked if you think I’m leaving you alone like this.”

Dani readjusts her grip, while Jamie nimbly flips through a massive ring of keys Dani swears she’s never seen before, yet Jamie handles with the expertise of someone who does this daily. Which, Dani realizes, feeling rather stupid, she probably does.

“Fuck,” Jamie says under her breath as the door opens, revealing a hallway Dani has yet to explore. Dani sees the problem. She looks at Jamie. She looks at the narrow staircase. She evaluates her upper body strength.

Then, Jamie is making a rather undignified noise as Dani lifts her without warning, and Dani would be lying if she said the look on Jamie’s face isn’t extraordinarily satisfying. Something about seeing her stoic, mulish girlfriend, gone limp in her arms, looking at her, a little awestruck, well… it’s a sight Dani intends to cherish. And definitely not for the potential blackmail purposes.

Only after Dani gingerly deposits her on the blue quilt in Dani’s room does Jamie say, deadly serious, “We never speak of this again.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dani says, “take these.” She plops two pills and a cup of water in Jamie’s hand and disappears into the adjacent bathroom.

“That’s the spirit, Poppins,” she calls after her.

“Come on,” Dani says, reappearing in the doorway. “We need to get you out of these wet clothes before you catch a cold.”

“I’m fine,” Jamie scoffs, visibly shivering.

“The mud stain on my duvet says otherwise. Come on. Up you get. The bath is filling.”

“I can’t ask you to let me use your bath.”

“Good thing you’re not asking, then.”

The half-formed rebuke dies on Jamie’s lips, and she nods as if to say, touché, but Dani is certain she will not be hearing the end of this. She beckons Jamie up and pulls her into the other room, leaning her against the countertop. Without thinking, she begins undoing the buttons on Jamie’s top.

“Blimey,” Jamie remarks, not pushing Dani away, but stilling her movements.

Dani can feel the heat rise in her cheeks. She backpedals. “I, um, I didn’t-- I’m so sorry.”

Jamie just laughs, “Only teasing, love. But, ah, I can probably take it from here, yeah?”

“Um, yeah. I’ll just… be in the bedroom. If you need me.”

Dani slumps against the door as it closes behind her. The sound of the water running mimics the rush of blood in her ears. They’ve only been doing... whatever this is between them for a month. Not long at all. Certainly not long enough to be undressing her in the middle of the day with people in the house while she’s in pain. Dani hadn’t meant it in an erotic way but, Jesus, Dani, show some restraint.

She exhales. Right. Organize. Jamie will need a towel. She’ll need dry clothes. Maybe tea? A warm compress. Or ice? What do people put on sore muscles? A massage? Dani swallows thickly and shakes off the thought of Jamie’s smooth skin beneath her fingertips, tightness dissipating as Dani works the knots away. She absolutely does not imagine Jamie melting into the mattress or the moans that might escape through her lips, and she decidedly does not dwell upon the rare sight of Jamie, pliant and entirely relaxed.

Absolutely not. Shove that into a box and come back to it later. It’s worked well enough in the past.

Right then.

Dani sets about making the necessary rearrangements, shuffling her boots into the closet, digging out appropriately loose clothes for laying about, and swiping a plate of sandwiches from the kitchen, making some excuse about Jamie being too busy to come in, but she sends her thanks. Owen raises an eyebrow at this, but apparently does not feel the need to comment. Hannah, however, takes one look at Dani’s muddy knees and frowns.

“Miss Clayton, you had better not be tracking mud through my house.”

“Yes, Miss Clayton, or else you will have to mop up the mess just like Miles!” Flora states, intently focused on the cucumber and cream cheese sandwich on her plate.

“I told you it wasn’t me!” Miles objects loudly, his drinking glass making contact with the table with a bit more force than necessary.

“It’s in the past,” Dani dismisses, before the situation can get out of hand. She turns to Hannah, and, in her best I’m-setting-an-example-please-go-with-it voice, says, “Of course, Mrs. Grose, I made sure to wipe my feet at the door, but I will clean up any messes I made because it is very important that we all clean up our own messes.”

“Right you are, dear.”

“Could I get a cup of tea to take to Jamie as well? I’d make it but…”

“Say no more,” Owen rises from his seat at the table. “Wouldn’t want to poison poor Jamie, now would we?” Then, with a chuckle, “She’s got you properly whipped, hasn’t she? Trekking lunch out to whatever corner of the grounds she’s wound up in.”

“Why’s Jamie whipping Miss Clayton?” Flora pipes up.

Dani feels her face flush. “Oh, sweetie, she’s, um, that’s not--”

“What Owen means to say, is it’s very nice of Miss Clayton to deliver a meal to Jamie while she’s working,” Hannah says pointedly.

Owen coughs. “Ah, yeah, to-tea-lly leaf-ly of her to help out.”

“Hannah, I was thinking of taking my lunch with Jamie. Would you mind keeping an eye on these two for a little while?”

“Oh, I don’t know…” Hannah chaffs, “They’re an awful lot of trouble, these two.”

“You think,” Owen chimes in, “they’d behave if I told them I could use a hand baking biscuits this afternoon?”

“I suppose that might do it,” Hannah says, an expression of faux pensivity creasing her forehead. “What do you think, children?”

“Oh, yes, Mrs. Grose, that would be perfectly splendid!”

“Can we make snickerdoodles?”

“Don’t see why not,” Owen says. He hands a teacup to Dani. “Off with you. Go find your knight in mud and dungarees.”

Dani shoots them a grateful smile and heads back upstairs, delicately balancing the cup with the plate of food. She knocks thrice.

“Yeah.” Jamie’s voice comes muffled through the heavy wooden door as Dani cautiously turns the knob.

Dani lets out a moderately embarrassing squeak and immediately averts her eyes, intent on looking anywhere except at a very wet, towel-clad Jamie. “Oh, um, good. Y-you found the towel.”

“That I did. I, ah, wasn’t sure if these were for me,” she gestures to the neatly folded stack of clothes on the bed, “didn’t want to assume.”

“They’re, um, they’re for you.” There’s a fascinating crack in the floor Dani has never noticed before. It’s about four inches long and almost invisible.

“Hey, Dani, you can look.” Jamie sounds almost concerned. ‘S’okay. It’s not like you haven’t seen it all before.” She grins wryly.

“No, no, yeah, I know. It just, I don’t know, feels different when it’s not for that reason.”

“Dani Clayton, not a fan of casual nudity. Noted,” Jamie teases.

“I didn’t say I wasn’t a fan.” Dani places the tea and sandwiches on the bedside table, stepping into Jamie’s space.

“That so?”

“Mhm,” Dani hums, “and I’m going to stop this runaway train right here. You’re injured.”

Jamie huffs. “Bloody rude.”

“How’s your back?”

“Feels fine. Right as rain. I’ll just get dressed and go back out--”

“You most certainly will not. You are going to get dressed and get in this bed and you are going to rest.”

“But I’ve still got to finish in the statuary, and Hannah’s brought up a crack she wants me to fix, and--”

“--and all of those things can wait. I’ve taken care of enough idiotic teenage sports injuries to know that straining it will only make it worse. So, put these on, and get into bed.” She leaves no room for disagreement.

“I can’t believe you just used your teacher voice on me.”

“I can’t believe you’re being this obstinate.”

“I’m fine!”

“Why won’t you let me take care of you?” It is not aggressive. It comes out softly, a hint of confusion combined with an ounce of desperation.

Jamie freezes. “I don’t…”

“You only took a bath after I practically forced you--”

“I wouldn’t--”

“You could’ve really hurt yourself.”

“I know, but--”

“How long would you have laid out there in the mud before calling for help?”

“Dani,” Jamie interrupts, an appeasing thumb running along the inside of Dani’s wrist, “look, I just…” she sighs. “It’s not that easy.”

“It is, though,” Dani insists.

“No, love, it’s not. Not when you’ve been… well, not when you’re me.” She pauses, sits on the bed, and nudges Dani down next to her. “I don’t like feeling useless, s’all. People look at you, see you laying about, they see weakness. Someone to be pitied or someone to be taken advantage of. Just once is all it takes for them to get the idea you can’t stand on your own two feet.”

She seems a million miles away, a decade, even, and Dani waits. Jamie will continue if she wants to.

“I don’t like being pitied. And I know that’s not...that’s not what you’re trying to do.” She chooses her words carefully, as if walking through a minefield. Dani stands on the other side. “No need to give me the talk about everybody needing help. ‘Cause, in theory, yeah, that’s true, but when you’ve always been the one doing the helping... it… it’s not all that easy to be on the receiving end.” The last sentence is rushed, and Jamie finishes with a humorless snort of laughter. Her thumb has halted its caress of Dani’s skin.

Dani is silent for a moment. Coddling would be met with rejection. Not outright, no, but Dani knows better. Jamie has lain bare this piece of her soul, held out a fragment of her identity in tender hands, and trusts Dani to take it under her care, treasure it. Jamie had woven the tale of her life under the moonlight, and Dani has spent the past month trying to unravel the threads, to understand. Now, Jamie has given her a new string to follow, but she cannot pull too hard, lest it fall apart.

Dani speaks, quiet, but firm. “We’ll just have to practice then, won’t we.”

A flicker of confusion passes over Jamie’s face as she processes. Then, she softens. Her thumb resumes its rhythmic movement.

There will be other times, Dani has said, and I will stay and I will be here for you because you aren’t alone anymore.

And that seems to be enough.

Jamie exhales through her nose.

“Bit nippy in here. Might, ah, might want to put on some clothes.”

Right. Yes. Of course. Jamie is still in a towel. Gooseflesh has risen along her legs, and she shivers.

“Oh, oh, yeah,” Dani stammers, “I’ll just--” She mimes turning around and is met with a chuckle.

“You weren’t this shy the other night, if memory serves.”

“That,” Dani reiterates, “that was different.” She makes a show of fussing with the corner of the duvet, smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles.

Jamie makes a noncommittal noise low in her throat. “I’m decent.”

Dani had picked the clothes, sure, but for a woman who prides herself on preparedness, actually seeing Jamie in Dani’s old elementary school t-shirt and loose-fitting, flannel trousers causes the circuits in her brain to fry.

“Your tea’s getting cold,” she says dumbly. “I didn’t make it,” she adds, noting Jamie’s look of skepticism. Apparently satisfied with that answer, Jamie sips at her beverage and slides under the covers, gesturing for Dani to join her. She shakes her head. “I still need to clean myself up. Hannah’s watching the kids for now, but I really should get back to them.”

“A tragedy of Shakespearen proportions.”

“You need anything else before I shower?”

“No, thank you, love.” Modest affection shines on Jamie’s face, and she speaks so genuinely Dani’s heart aches. She smiles.

“Get some rest, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jamie gives a mock salute, at which Dani can only roll her eyes before exiting  into the bathroom with an extra towel and a change of clothes.

When she returns, wringing her hair out, she finds Jamie soundly asleep. The teacup has been placed on the table, next to the plate now missing a sandwich, and Jamie is curled on her side, puffing slow, measured breaths.

Chamomile tea. Who knew?

Dani makes sure to close the door quietly, and she does her best to herd the children away from that side of the house.

It’s about time for supper when Dani makes her way back to her room. When Jamie does not answer her knocks, Dani opens the door, praying the hinges will not squeak for once. Jamie is still nestled in Dani’s bed. She’s rolled over, though, facing the door, and Dani can see her bangs billowing slightly with every breath. Jamie’s nose twitches where the hair tickles it.

This isn’t the first time Dani has seen Jamie in her bed, and she certainly hopes it won’t be the last, but this, this casual intimacy, is something so precious to her. She wants it to last.

Dani perches on the edge of the mattress, reaching out to remove the offending strand of hair from Jamie’s face, and Jamie stirs.

“Hey,” Dani whispers, and Jamie cracks an eye. She presses a hand to her forehead. One of her shirtsleeves has fallen to the side, revealing pale collarbones.

“Hey.” Her voice is gravelly, sleep-laden, in a way that makes Dani’s stomach turn over itself. “Time s’it?”

“Around six, I think?” That grabs Jamie’s attention. Before Dani can stop her, she’s scrambling to sit up, completely forgetting that’s a terrible idea and acting surprised when she topples back onto the pillows with a grunt.

“Easy, easy…” Dani scolds sweetly, as Jamie gasps. “You’re okay. Just lay back. That’s it.”

“Christ.”

“Forgot why you ended up here in the first place, huh?”

“I can’t believe you let me sleep all day,” Jamie says, when the stab of pain fades. “Thought you’d at least wake me up after an hour or so. Had things to do.”

“We said they could wait.”

“You said they could wait.”

“You can’t seriously be mad at me for making you take care of yourself.”

“Feel like I wasted a day, s’all.”

“Well, you didn’t. Taking care of yourself is never a waste,” Dani says, effectively ending the argument. “Do you want to come down for dinner, or do you want me to bring it up to you?” Jamie opens her mouth, but Dani continues, “Before you answer, I want you to think about whether you’re making this decision based on what’s easiest for me, or what you actually feel capable of doing.”

Jamie’s brows raise. “Someone’s feeling bold this evening.”

Dani resists the urge to shirk away, to cave. She knows Jamie would drop it instantly, reassuring Dani that she hasn’t actually overstepped. Instead, Dani says, quietly, sincerely, “You don’t have to put your needs aside to make my life easier.” She considers, leans down so that she’s laying next to Jamie on the bed. “Besides, I like taking care of you.”

Jamie studies her. Whether she’s looking for the lie or for Dani to pull back and say, “just kidding!” Dani doesn’t know. Jamie presses a gentle kiss to her lips, a kiss that speaks the words she cannot. A kiss that says, I’m working on it.

Dani stays close when they break apart, their foreheads touching. “So, dinner?”

“Should probably make an appearance.”

Dani gives her a pointed look. “‘Should’ or ‘want to.’”

“Want to,” Jamie assures, amusement dancing in her eyes.

“You know,” Dani says, helping Jamie sit up slowly, “we should probably tell them how you hurt yourself, or they’ll assume it was from less, hm, virtuous activities.”

“Dirty bird.” Jamie swats her arm. “Owen, maybe, but not our good, Christian Hannah.”

“But do you really want to deal with the comments at the table?”

“Fine. We tell them I fell, and that’s it.”

“Right, so I shouldn’t mention your incredibly stupid idea to move a heavy marble statue without help?”

“Not ideally, no.”

Dani pouts. “Do I at least get to ask about the Rosebush Incident of Eighty-five?”

“You’re not gonna let that one go, are you?” Jamie sighs. “Fine. Ask Owen, then. Suppose you’ll find out about it eventually.” Dani places a gleeful kiss on her cheek.

“Come on, let’s get some food into you.”

The few hours of bedrest appear to have paid off, Dani thinks smugly, as Jamie is perfectly capable of walking herself down the hall. Jamie, however, seems to be rather content to use this as an excuse to lean into Dani, and Dani can’t say she minds all that much. She stands on her own as they near the kitchen and moves with only a slight limp and a wince Dani only catches because she’s looking for it.

At another time, she’ll wonder how often Jamie has hidden her pain.

“There she is!” Owen exclaims when they take their unassigned, assigned seats at the table.

“What happened, dear?” Hannah says simultaneously, as Owen does a double take, clearly trying to figure out what he’s missing. It dawns on him a moment later.

“Fell. ‘M fine,” Jamie shrugs.

“Must’ve been some fall,” Owen remarks, with a smirk that has Dani wary.

“Hm?” Jamie does not look up from the roll she’s buttering.

“You’re wearing Miss Clayton’s clothes,” Flora observes helpfully. Dani chokes on her water. Shit. How could she have missed that?

To her credit, Jamie continues without faltering. “Tripped, landed in a mud puddle, and I didn’t have a change of clothes in the truck. Miss Clayton was nice enough to loan me hers.”

Well, the first part, at least, is true. Dani pinches herself for not asking if Jamie had her own clothes to change into. Even if she does look divine in the free t-shirt they gave Dani when she started teaching.

Owen seems skeptical, but, blessedly, he drops the subject in favor of animatedly recounting the story of their baking adventures that afternoon.

Hannah catches them after dinner, just as Dani is preparing to send the children to bed. “Will you be staying the night, Jamie? In the unfortunate event your injury acts up, of course,” she says with a mirthful wink.

Jamie looks to Dani for an answer, her mouth moving but no words coming out.

“Yes,” Dani decides for them.

“I’m assuming I won’t need to make up the guest bedroom for you?”

“Oh, um, no, thanks. That won’t be necessary.” Dani isn’t sure why she’s blushing. It’s not as if the whole manor doesn’t know about them. They’d tried hiding at first, sneaking about and slipping into dark corners like teenagers. They were not very good at it.

Later, with Miles and Flora safely asleep and Owen and Hannah having taken their leave for the evening, Jamie returns to Dani’s bed, this time with Dani sliding in behind her. Dani nuzzles into her back, careful not to touch any sore areas.

“I know I was an idiot,” Jamie’s voice cuts nervously through the darkness, “but, ah, just wanted to say thanks. For caring about me. Not really...not really used to that.”

Dani can feel her entire body tense. She presses tender kisses along Jamie’s back. “Of course,” she murmurs, and she hopes her conviction comes across. “Always.” She hesitates. “You’re not wrong about being an idiot, though,” Dani giggles.

“You like it.” It’s not meant to be a question, though Jamie’s voice wavers.

“I do,” Dani confirms affectionately, “I do.”

Jamie relaxes against her.

[brandywine-tomatoes]

Joel Aron Fan Club Meeting - Dissecting the Lighting of 'Rescue on Ryloth'

Main Masterlist

Star Wars Masterlist

Get ready for a semi-cohesive rant disguised as a dissection on the lighting of Rescue on Ryloth, mainly just me fangirling over the man, the myth, the legend, Joel Aron.

If you don't know, Aron was the CG VFX and lighting supervisor for The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Bad Batch, and holds the position of cinematography, lighting, and VFX director of Lucas Films.

He was also one of the frequent cryptic tweeters when TBB episodes were airing.

~ ~

Intro

So I went back to Rescue on Ryloth earlier today to find frames for the background of my laptop. I have to go through the episode second by second to get the right frames and I fell into a rabbit hole of examining individual shots could you tell I have adhd.

~ ~

NUMBER 1

We all know this scene as the one Hera calls for the help of TBB Leia Organa style.

First off, I absolutely love how Hera's projection isn't just all shadows, the light from whatever screen Chopper probably has out is reflecting on her face. The contrast between her left side verses her right is gorgeous and so effective in telling us she's somewhere dark, perhaps in hiding, which contributes to the storytelling as well.

As well, the minimal (but strong) light showing on her right lekku is much warmer than the cool lighting of the screen reflecting on her face, which also tells us she's somewhere dark but with access to natural light. Perhaps a cave?

Something not related to lighting, but this whole scene was beautifully framed. The natural leading lines of the ship console unconsciously guide our eyes to Hera, the subject of the scene. This is one of the main things my art teachers love to yell at my grade for: why don't you have any leading lines to draw attention to the subject?! It's free real estate! The design of the cockpit makes so much sense from a visual and storytelling standpoint which I appreciate a lot.

I go to an art high school, so we have enhanced programs that you have to audition for. I have a visual arts major (like uni majors and minors) that I auditioned for, so I get the highest level of arts education my school has to offer, unlike a visual arts minor or the general arts courses of the Canadian curriculum, so when I'm talking about my art teachers yelling at us about things, they fuckin yell cause they know we know better.

~ ~

NUMBER 2

A theme you'll start to see in this rant is that I'm a huge fuckin fan of harsh contrast. Dark darks, light lights, that kinda thing (Spoons, if you see this, 😎. If you know, you know). I incorporate it into my own art to make it more effective in the vibe I'm trying to convey.

Joel Aron's style is hard, hard contrast and accentuating natural outlines, he even confirmed that in an interview when talking about season 7 of TCW, and he's incredible at executing this! The small sections of light reaching Hera are making her character stand out even more against the background and grounds her even more in the space. Harsh black outlines usually used to make something stand out don't appear naturally, so finding other ways to naturally outline or highlight a character against the environment is a must, and Aron is so fuckin good at this, his style contributing tremendously to it as well.

Plus the light is much warmer than the shadows which I appreciate a lot. Natural sunlight is always going to come off in warm tones on any surface, so thank god this guy knows colours and basic lighting 🤣

~ ~

NUMBER 3

Again, just more amazing contrast and separating a subject from the surrounding environment using light.

As well, the 2 bottom images really resemble Crosshair in the second last episode when he's being all edgy and saying "Don't make the same mistake twice, don't become my enemy" and like- bruh, this man is fuckin typing up non-existent loose ends through the fucking lighting of all things doing better then the writers, but that's none of my business >kermit sipping tea meme<.

He also said somewhere that it was definitely his intention of lighting Crosshair much darker than the rest of the Batch to show his alignment with the Empire or some shit, so I don't know what he's doing here, but as a dark Omega fan, I approve 👀👀

~ ~

NUMBER 4

Even more beautiful contrast. Something my photography teacher also drilled into our heads is the triangle rule (at least that's what she called it), which is actually called rembrandt lighting. When you photograph portraits, you usually want a small triangle on the opposite side of the main light source to balance out the shadows or some shit.

But Aron didn't do that here. Remember, his style is much more dramatic and heightened. He used split lighting here, where half the subject's face is completely shadows and the other completely light, a demonstration of the stylistic choices he made for this show.

~ ~

NUMBER 5 (you made it to the end! Gold star to you bestie)

More cool and warm highlights being used, the warm coming from within the ship which is also positioned towards her friends and the planning of rescuing her parents which I find kinda cute and the cool light from space outside the windshield?, both beautifully outlining her face and kind of showing what she's fighting for: her family (warm light) and the freedom of space and the galaxy (cool light), but I'm totally reading into this, so take it with a grain of salt 🤣, he probably didn't mean anything by that.

~ ~

END

So yeah, that's my rant on the lighting of Rescue on Ryloth.

Hey, you know what's a good idea, if you want me to dissect a specific scene or episode of any series/movie in Star Wars based on an art student's perspective and 'expertise', just ask! I love talking about Star Wars and art techniques, plus I'd get to use my schooling for something useful.

There'll definitely be more of these as I go through the episodes to find more backgrounds, but if you ask for a certain episode, I'll definitely get to that ep. first!

[members-of-the-guild]

 Character Bio and rules are below the line

You can call me Shadow. i’m a 28yo male that hasn’t rped in years. Last time i did was i think 3 maybe 4 years ago so i am plenty rusty. I know this doesn’t say a lot about me but if there’s anything you’d like to know, just ask.

About Karisa

Name: Karisa

Race: Tiefling: A Humanoid people descended from humans who made pacts or crossbred with demons.

Age: 18

Height: 6'3"

Hair color: black

Occupation: Golemancer, Adventurer, occasional Blacksmith

Appearance: As a tiefling, Karisa has several traits that distinguishes her from Humans. She has Lavender colored skin, ice blue eyes, two horns, pointed ears, and a 4 foot long tail.

Personality: When it comes to enemies, Karisa can be downright ruthless. if she hates them bad enough, she will leave an enemy broken but alive to let them try again. She swears a LOT around everyone no matter who they are with the exception of children and has a habit of making enemies through her mannerisms. She’s bad enough with her words that there have been jokes made about weaponizing her lexicon and isn’t afraid to cuss out friends! BUT if you can take her words with a grain of salt and actually befriend her, then no matter what she says to you, she will protect you with her life. In her words, “You may be a cunt, but you’re MY cunt. And no one FUCKS with my cunt!”

Background:

Karisa was born on a small farm and raised by her parents until she reached the age of 8 when they passed away. Since then she would delve into golemancy as a way to cope, keeping her hands busy and moving foreword as best as she can. This is around the time she found the large crystal that would become Grom’s core. At the age of 10, she made her way to the city with her golem Grom, who was wood at the time, to try and become an adventurer. There she met the Dwarf Bormi who gave her a place to stay and taught her in the ways of the blacksmith.

Modern Verse (Hazbin Verse rewrite):

Karisa is Tiefling who was born into an organization known as The Adventurer’s Guild. The purpose of this organization is to deal with supernatural threats to society as a whole by hunting down creatures, artifacts, books, and other things that could pose a danger. If it can’t be recruited, it is to be either destroyed or relocated. People of course know about them but there is a general distrust of the organization due to their habit of employing non-humans and the Guild’s use of magic.

When it comes to the forces of Heaven and Hell, the Guild was able to get their hands on a blueprint for portal technology. The portal they have doesn’t always work and sometimes accesses realms other than Heaven or Hell. This can have a tendency to get adventurers stuck in realms outside of earth.

Skills-

Golemancy: Throughout her life, Karisa has made a variety of golems. These golems can me made from just about any solid material if given enough time. Golems made from metal, stone, wood, and even flesh are within her area of expertise. Her favorite golem is an 8 foot tall minotaur automaton she named Grom.

Cooking: Karisa LOVES to cook. She’s always experimenting with different dishes and creating a few of her own.

Basic Martial Arts: Since she turned 13, Karisa has trained with a quarterstaff and dagger so that if her golems failed, she could still take care of herself.

Magic: In addition to Golemancy, she has a small arsenal of spells at her disposal.

Fire Spells: All Tieflings are capable of fire magic. Fireball, Burning Hands, and Firewall to name a few. Using fire helps her a lot if she has to weld parts together on a golem.

Lightning Spells: Karisa can perform rudimentary lightning spells but this mostly equates to coating her hand in electricity to use. The strength of this can range from the power of a normal stun gun to enough power to jumpstart a city’s electrical grid.

3D Movement: This is a form of wind magic that allows her to “kick” the air. by doing this, Karisa can give off the impression that she is flying. This does not mean she stays in the air, only that she can move in it. she usually only uses this to get over walls or cliffs or maybe to get into a tree.

Empathy Link: This is something she originally learned in order to better deal with golems in order to find out what their orders are. it can be used on other creatures and objects to get a kind of idea of either how they are feeling or how they are used. She MUST make contact with the palm of her hand for this to work.

Golem Creation: As a golemancer, Karisa carries a number of golem cores on her at all times. These cores can often be infused into whatever matter she chooses to create a quick golem in the field. These golems aren’t as effective as one she has time to prepare but they get the job done. Golem cores are also extremely volatile! Damaging a core will cause any magic in it to go haywire and explode in relation to the core’s size. This makes golems and their cores effective bombs if she needs to!

Golem Override: This is a skill that allows Karisa to manually control her golems and see through their eyes. HOWEVER this is only a last resort because it leaves her immobile and defenseless. 

Please send Karisa questions and asks either from yourself or your characters! i will fill this out as i go!

Rules

1: i am all for fight scenes and such but please do not god-mod. meaning do not assume what happens to my character. (EX: “My character fires a gun and hits your character in the shoulder.” or “Your character tried to dodge but my character cuts off their arm before they can.”) In my responses, i’ve taken to rolling a dice to determine whether or not my character gets hit and how badly she gets hit. I do not mind my character dying in a particular thread so long as it is discussed at length beforehand and is necessary for the development of the plot. communication is key for stuff like this.

2: Don’t send hate. I don’t mind criticizing because it helps me reflect on how i’m doing. Hate is just a dick move though.

3: I reserve the right to choose whether or not i rp or answer an ask. There will be times that i don’t have the inspiration or motivation to continue it or there is not enough for me to go on. An example of this would be if i responded to an rp and the response i get back is “Character ducks.” or something as equally short.

4: I don’t mind reminders but i DO mind spamming. I will mostly be rping either on the weekends or some afternoons when i can get up the motivation. DO NOT spam me reminders every day or every other day. I have a 5 month old son and a job that has me working monday to thursday with the occasional friday up to 12 hours a day. Those come first.

5: You will see a lot of stuff on here that i will do my best to tag from gore to n//s//f//w// threads. If there is anything in particular you would like me to tag when it shows up, please let me know! Anything truly spicy will placed uner a read more and tagged as “Read at your own Risk!::NSFPC” (nsfpc stands for not safe for public consumption.

6: While i accept starters, memes, questions and comments through asks, starters and starter memes WILL be turned into a post to start a thread. I will not rp through constant asks because this can lead to more dash clutter than the post will. That being said, i will trim the post before it gets too long and will try to have any appropriate tags on it.

7: THERE WILL BE LOTS AND LOTS OF SWEARING! Enough that i will not be tagging it because it is everywhere! I will not tone down her swearing except around child muses because this is part of her character and i ask that you please understand.

8: When it comes to shipping, Karisa will make things fairly clear on whether or not she wants to be with your character. I love shipping but i also know that not everyone will ship their characters with Karisa and that's perfectly fine! Karisa WILL flirt and get touchy with people she's interested in but if the mun or character they are controlling doesn't want that, TELL HER! Not me. HER. Have your character reject her advances, tell her "no" or even smack the shit out of her if she gets too handsy! I will not be upset and i will completely understand! A lot of people plan ships out and tell others there has to be chemistry, but as I'm thinking about it, im going to be removing that little section from my rules. Why? Because failed ships have the potential to create drama, angst, and even enemies if done properly! If she comes onto a character and it makes you uncomfortable or you're just not interested, EXPRESS IT THROUGH YOUR CHARACTER! The same will apply to her! The only time i will have any sort of problem is if she says no, gets into a fight, and you try to godmod it to your liking or try to guilt ME about it. My character makes up her own mind about how to do things just like yours.

I may add more rules as time goes on but it’s pretty straightforward. Don’t be afraid to come and talk to me! I’m pretty open about things and i would love to see you around! Come and join me on discord for more Mun stuff! Just make sure you edit your name to match your tumblr url so i know who you are please! https://discord.gg/6ftZuSP8XH