#the society section

[smbhax]

From "The Torch Goes Wild!" in Strange Tales #119, April 1964. Stan Lee script, Dick Ayers co-plot, pencils, and inks, Stan Goldberg(?) colors, Sam Rosen letters. Photoshop color reduction.

[genderkoolaid]

how do we not talk about Philaenis more. bisexual king of the strap. tboy swag via pussy eating. not mentioned but she is named the author of a famous sex manual. absolute legend best character ever invented no notes

[tales-of-snaktooth]

Bugsnax in Ancient Stone Grumpus Society

In the early years of Tooth Island grumpus civilization, Bugsnax have always been a major part of their lives. They serve as their main source of food, their transformations can be used as tools and even fashion statements, forms of currencies (trading hard-to-get/rare/so-called "special" Snax for different goods and services is very common in Stone Grump society), and are generally just fascinating creatures to observe and learn about. While the overall view of Bugsnax varies from grumpus to grumpus, it’s very common for most to see them as higher beings deserving of praise and worship. Even though grumpuses had been living alongside the Snax for so long, there’s not much knowledge on what they actually are.

Grumpuses had survived on the islands centuries before the actual “beginning” of their civilizations. However, it's generally accepted that the first true inhabitants of the island were, in fact, the Bugsnax. No grumpus had traveled far enough to find any other Snak-inhabited lands, so it’s also assumed that Bugsnax and the Tooth Islands are inherently connected somehow. So that only encourages the grumpuses to respect the Bugsnax more.

A form of showing that respect is through the Bugsnak Ceremonies.

Ceremonies and Sacrifices

Once a month, it's a common practice for Stone Grumpus territories to hold day-long events celebrating life and Bugsnax. The communities of Falls Valley holding their ceremonies on Broken Tooth. The communities of The Coast may also choose to go to Broken Tooth, but there’s also an underground cavern (built by Broken Tooth grumpuses) near the area that also is used for ceremonies. In The Peak communities it’s celebrated in one of their large cave systems. And lastly, The Desert’s ceremonies are held in the Vast Desert, near the Grand Pyramid. Though there’s been a “pause” to The Desert’s ceremonies for several years for an unexplainable reason…

Events that take place within the ceremonies vary from territory to territory, but they must end in the sacrifice of a randomly chosen grumpus. The sacrifices serve as a “Thank you” to the Bugsnax for allowing these grumpus communities to survive and thrive off of them for so many years. It’s believed that once a grumpus has been sacrificed, their bodies will break apart into Bugsnax. Their minds, thoughts, beliefs, wisdom, all finding new life in Bugsnax. The body of that grumpus may be gone, but they’ll find new life in the Bugsnax. And if any of the Snax gets caught and eaten by another grumpus, then they’ll gain that previous knowledge, allowing that sacrificed grump to still live on.

At least, that’s how it’s described in ancient legends. It’s said to help make chosen grumpuses feel less nervous, because being sacrificed isn’t their end, but a way to give them new life.

If a grumpus has passed away and their body; either whole and parts of them, is still accessible, it’s recommended to wait until the next Bugsnak Ceremony and bring their body to be sacrificed to the Bugsnax. If a grump is feeling brave enough, they could go to the ceremony place themselves to sacrifice the body outside of ceremony time. The area is very dangerous for a solo grump; as it’s a common place where someone may go missing. It's recommended to bring a friend or one of their leader’s subordinates to accompany them, and also to go during the daylight, as most grumpuses are active at that time in case they’re in need of help.

Going missing

An unexplainable phenomenon that causes grumpuses to disappear. There’s no set conditions that’ll lead to the disappearance of a grumpus. Any grumpus of any status may seem fine one day, then gone the next.

In the earlier years of Stone Grumpus civilization, a grumpus who had gone missing was seen as a more urgent matter to look into. But there were no cases of a grumpus going missing ever being found. So in later years, it’s been accepted as an unpredictable, random, and tragic occurrence.

The best choice is to simply move on.

[benisasoftboi]

ChrisTrev not because of their personalities, or dynamic, or implied backstories, or the actors that play them, or really anything to do with them specifically as people at all, but because I work at an amateur theatre and I can think of few recipes for ridiculous chaotic hilarious disaster that are more potent than a director dating his head technician

[goshen-applecrumbledore]

the mortifying ordeal of being known.......

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Walking Practice

weird scifi horror novella

follows an alien who crash-landed on earth years ago, and spends their days hooking up with people to then eat them & gain enough strength to make it through the day

explores existing outside of the binary norm and being seen as other, deep loneliness, and desire for connection

meandering narration, interesting formatting, illustrations

[novelconcepts]

You can really tell how much Drawfee/Secret Sleepover Society I’ve been leaning on between projects lately, cuz my brain is just a riot of Jacob-isms.

“NnnnnnnnnnAOOOW. it’s NOT.”

“Ohhhhhh HEEEETMAN.”

“Scoop it. Scoop it. SCOOP it. SCOOP. IT. SCOOPIT. SCOOOOOOOOOP IIIIIT.”

[fromthedeskofcripslock]

(Busman’s Honeymoon 1937)

An ironic Jane Eyre reference?! From Harriet to Lord Peter?!

Not only am I in love with both characters; I am at the point of carnally desiring this book itself.

[evilhorse]

A spectacular one-minute tour of the JSA HQ

(All-Star Comics #62)

[thejadecount]

2012! Casey and Rise! Donnie: We’ve bonded

2012! Leo, knowing exactly what’s about to come: What do you mean you bonded?

*faint explosion in the distance*

[boldlygoorgohome]

oof. The gorgug plot line is hitting me so close to home bro…

[foursidecity]

Idk what it is but this specific genre of lab tested animals in animated early oughts/late 90s kids films just hit right they don't do it like that anymore. And they even sang sometimes too

[giantkillerjack]

Uh-oh! You are like, SOOO awkward!!

You're so awkward that it is occasionally mildly uncomfortable for people!

You're so awkward that sometimes people are confused by you and then there are awkward silences!

You're so awkward ...... that ultimately no one is harmed!!

Oh damn!!! What a vile crime you have committed! What an unforgivable thing it is to make a fellow human briefly confused!

Why, if *I* were ever briefly confused and kind of uncomfortable as a result, I'd be devastated.... by the absolute net zero change in my happiness and health! - From which I might never recover!! Yes indeed! No punishment can ever be enough for you!!

So you better absolutely hate yourself for it.

Better be SO MEAN to yourself about every single missed social cue so you don't forget your horrible crime! Meaner than you'd ever dream of being to someone else for the same thing! This is YOUR responsibility!

You need to show the world that you KNOW you are bad by punishing yourself constantly! After all, think of all the people who BENEFIT from you punishing yourself! - No, really! Think about it! Think about who benefits from your pain.

Think of alllllll the definitely-good people that your definitely-necessary self-torment definitely helps! I mean, you can't just cut off their definitely-life-sustaining supply of your suffering, right?? Sure, everyone else has a breaking point, but you're probably the only person in human history who doesn't, right? Best not to question it probably. Sure, it's a symptom that billions of people with trauma have had, but who knows? You could be a one-in-seven-billion exception. Anything's possible!

Instead, better just accept that idea that bullies carry like guns in holsters - the idea that people who have trouble with social cues deserve to suffer. Better carry on the burden they placed on you until you drop. Aid the cause of the callous by enforcing shame and suffering upon yourself extra hard; try your best to do their work for them. They're very busy.

Better not recognize that you need patience and kindness to heal from your trauma. Better not find out that it was trauma rather than personal weakness filling your head with self-hating thoughts. Better not find out it wasn't your fault.

Better not find out that awkwardness is not inherently harmful or unkind, and, in fact, the people who act like it is *are the ones enacting harm and being cruel.*

Better not get righteously angry when you realize just how much unnecessary damage this has done to you. After all, if you get mad, you might realize you deserve better. You might even feel brave enough to DEMAND better! You might build boundaries that keep you safe! You might make other people think they deserve to feel safe too! And we obviously can't be having that, so...

Better not show yourself even a little kindness a little bit at a time.

Better not make a habit out of it after all that practice.

Better not get confident.

Especially if you can't first wipe out every trace of awkward. (And you probably never will. Because people who experience absolute social certainty at all times tend to be insufferable assholes that enforce the status quo. And you just don't have the stock portfolio for that.)

Better not be confident and awkward because then you might confuse and delight people

- you might accidentally end up making other people feel less shame for their social difficulties

- you might make isolated, traumatized, and shy people feel like they deserve to be included in social situations

- you might even make them feel they can be themselves around you

- you might start loving the effect you have on a room

- you might enjoy conversations more

- you might forgive yourself and bounce back from shame more easily and frequently

- you might come to enjoy some of those moments of harmless confusion you cause because NOBODY expects the Confident Awkward, and that can genuinely be an advantage in social situations

- you might stop apologizing so much.

- you might find that socializing is like a video game: it requires practice but also a safe space for it to be fun and positive.

Or if you can't become assertive and confident, better not remain awkward and shy and quiet, and then love and forgive yourself anyway!

Why, it would be carnage!!

In either scenario, you run the risk of finding out that it's not your fault that safe spaces full of kind people can be really hard to find, create, and nurture. You could end up building a skillset that helps you do those things if you're not careful!

If you start giving yourself even the tiniest amount of grace at a time, you will find that you've accessed a gateway drug with extreme long-term side effects:

- You might realize that it was never your fault that it took so long to like yourself.

- You might realize that you were always worth talking to, even when you didn't like yourself and communication felt impossibly difficult.

- You might realize that you'll still be worth talking to even if communication becomes harder as you age and/or experience disability.

- You might come to know that you deserve to be heard even on bad days when words come slow and blurry.

You might discover that you were always deserving of kindness, first and foremost from yourself.

So. As you can see, it's FAR too much of a risk to start granting your awkward self free pardons for your many heinous and harmless crimes. Better to just leave it there.

[leviiackrman]

Might as well have the salt before the sweet; so here is Rin's Finished Timeline!

Tag list (ask to be added or removed): @carrionsflower @statichvm @risingsh0t @simonxriley @tommyarashikage @kanos @confidentandgood @unholymilf @florbelles @thedeadthree @shellibisshe @roofgeese @aezyrraeshh @faerune @tekehu @jackiesarch @minaharkers @sergeiravenov @carlosoliveiraa @rosenfey @greenecreek @queennymeria @heroofpenamstan @tethrras @jamessunderlandgf @d-esmond @solasan @bigbywlf @delzinrowe @fenharel @imogenkol

[fluentisonus]

tbh this book would be stronger without his occasional weird jabs at communists, like I feel like all they end up doing is undermining his own themes & leaving one with the impression he's either willfully or accidentally (in a way that makes him look kind of silly) misunderstanding marx et al.'s points

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

The Sword of Kaigen

standalone fantasy set in a rural mountain village at the edge of an empire that still holds traditional values, with families of powerful water/ice magic warriors

follows a powerful young heir who begins to question his beliefs about the empire when a new boy comes to his village from the city

and his mother, a housewife who has tried to forget her youth as a warrior and vigilante in the city since she moved back home to a loveless marriage

when there’s a violent attack on their village that they’re unprepared for, everything changes, and she has to embrace her old skills to protect her family and people