#this is a regularly occurring problem

[nonbinary-octopus]

help I am intricately designing things in my brain instead of sleeping again

[blackwaxidol]

Did my eyebrows and reinserted a new septum ring since my old one broke. I look like a bassist for a garage band, don't really hate it to be honest. Vaguely masculine...

[chaospastry]

fuckin 3am can't sleep gotta work tomorrow my hobbies feel like chores/requirements

[sunderwight]

Luo Binghe needs to make better friends with Shang Qinghua, because Shang Qinghua's the one person who would know how to get Shen Qingqiu to top Binghe in bed.

Like if Binghe ever got to the friendliness level of actually bemoaning the situation, Shang Qinghua would be like, oh yah no problem leave it to daddy I got this for you. And then he'd go visit Shen Qingqiu and be all, so how's the sex life going?

After Shen Qingqiu finished yelling at him for asking the question, he'd of course provide some details -- which Shang Qinghua would translate out of Cucumber-ese into Normal Person Speak for concepts like "I'm a huge size queen so I'm really enjoying that WMD you gave your protagonist" and "I haven't figured it out yet but I really need to start using a better quality of lube" and etc, until there was an opening for him to get in the question of, has Shen Qingqiu topped Luo Binghe yet? Has he plumbed the depths of his heavenly love cave?

Which would probably inspire a two minute rant about the euphemism before Shen Qingqiu is finally like, of course I haven't topped, are you insane, I would never besmirch the dignity of an alpha male like that!

Shang Qinghua nods and hums thoughtfully and delivers the critical strike:

"Yeah, I guess he isn't really pretty enough to bottom."

Shen Qingqiu's expression goes through several different flavors of emotion before settling on "outrage". What the fuck, Airplane? Not pretty enough? Who gave him that face? What is that face if not "pretty"? Maybe some more advanced versions of the same concept, but that's the only case you could make, the case that it's actually "beautiful" or "gorgeous" or something because "pretty" is just too inadequate to describe it! You'd dare imply Binghe is ugly?! Is it crack that you're smoking?

Shang Qinghua just shrugs and goes well no the face department is probably not bad for that kind of thing, it's really more the body that's unsuitable. All those muscles and all, who wants to see those kinds of curves underneath them? And that ass. Totally inadequate for the job. He doesn't really blame Cucumber-bro for finding the whole prospect too unpleasant to contemplate! (Says man who regularly tops Mobei Jun, but it's not like Shen Qingqiu has figured that out, man's firmly stuck on yaoi tropes that say Airplane always bottoms because he's shorter.)

This, of course, inspires a fifteen minute rant on why Luo Binghe's ass is the most attractive ass ever, and all Shang Qinghua has to do is imply that if that were actually true, Shen Qingqiu would have had his husband bent over a bench at least once by now. And he's done it. This conversation can now only end with Shen Qingqiu storming off in a fit of righteous fury to go grab his husband and prove his point by bridal-carrying him into the bedroom and not coming back out until he's won the argument by ravishing Luo Binghe beyond a doubt.

Shen Qingqiu would be halfway through smugly informing Shang Qinghua that Binghe was the best lay ever the next day before it would even occur to him that he'd been had.

But Luo Binghe's too bad at making friends to ever unlock this feature, I think.

[copperbadge]

Light Cues

From the "find what works" department of my life...

I was telling my prescribing psychiatrist about this and he really loved it, and it occurred to me I'm not sure I've ever talked about it on here, but I've started using light cues instead of alarms for some things.

I don't use a lot of alarms regularly throughout the day (I don't need one to wake up unless I'm getting up at an unusual time, for example) but I use them for one-off stuff like "time to start getting ready to go out" or "today you have a doctor's appointment". I found after a while that with an alarm for a regular repeating task, there comes a point where I just silence it and forget to do the thing. Like, I have almost all notifications on my phone turned off and it's still muscle memory for me, as it is for many people, to have my phone beep for attention and just silence it unthinkingly. So I started using lighting cues.

It's evolved a lot, starting with the end of the workday. The lighting in my bedroom is all floor lamps; the one over my work desk is on a smart switch, which plugs into the wall and then the lamp plugs into the switch. I set the switch to turn the lamp on at 8am just before I start work, and off at 4:30pm to remind me to stop work, which I don't always remember to do. The light suddenly going out makes that corner unpleasantly dim, and it's more work to turn it back on (open phone, open app, find the right switch) than it is to stop work for the day.

Then I thought, this is so irritating it must be useful for other things. So I set it to go off from noon to 12:03pm. It's more of a pain in the ass to turn it back on than it is to get up, go to the kitchen, and do what I'm supposed to do at noon anyway: take my second Adderall dose. And the light is back on by the time I get back.

But I was running into the problem of taking the dose on an empty stomach as you're supposed to, but not having eaten since breakfast at like 5am. And now I'm in the kitchen. Having forgotten to eat my Early Lunch at 10:30. But the Adderall needs like 20 minutes to kick in before I eat, and by then I'm back at work, and then I wonder why I eat my body weight in pasta at 5pm.

So I set a light cue for 10:30 to remind me to take a break and eat. But I don't want to use the same cue for everything. The lamp on the other end of the bedroom doesn't have a smart switch but it does have a smart bulb, which is even more flexible, so at 10:30am it dims to 50% (irritating) and turns deep blue (doubly irritating). I leave the room, go eat lunch, and usually come back to sit on the bed with the cats for a few minutes. I don't mind the dim blue light when I'm on the bed -- I just can't work with it that way. So at 11 the light goes back to full white brightness and I get my cue to go back to work.

I have various other cues -- the living room lamps go off and the LED string on the headboard in the bedroom goes on low and red to indicate it's bedtime, and the LEDs go off a little later to remind me NO, it is BEDTIME NOW.

Obviously a lot of this is only possible with either analog daily timers or smart bulbs/switches, and those can be cost-prohibitive for some while others don't like having their lighting on the internet. But it's all switches and bulbs that I can remove easily, and they've come down a great deal in price -- mine are all Kasa brand so they're controlled from a single app, and I've found them extremely helpful.

Plus sometimes at night I put all the lights to deep blue and pretend I'm underwater and that's fun.

[4kozy]

sophia as ur monster gf hcs

━━━━━━ ★ ━━━━━━ ★ ━━━━━━

━━━━━━ ★ ━━━━━━ ★ ━━━━━━

sophia is a vampire, so messes in your home is a guarantee. she’s a messy eater; regardless of if it’s your blood or someone else’s, there’s gonna be a lot of cleaning up afterwards.

vamp soph has very pointy ears and teeth. she doesn’t have claws–common misconception–but she likes to get acrylics to match the look. she’s deathly pale when hungry, a big problem for her because she misses the natural color of her lips from time to time, but hates having to feed to get it back.

vamp soph mentioned feeding on you as nonchalantly as she could ( so as obvious as possible ) at the start of your relationship… saying how good you smelled, how much she wanted to try you, how feeding was an honor… it was kinda cute, so you kept teasing her as if you never heard any of it. she got so sick of it😭 she almost tackled you so you’d listen… ( ended differently than planned )

vamp soph always kisses you deep before eating–she says it makes you taste better, but you think it’s an excuse to make out. you also know that it’s to relax you before her fangs pierce your pulse, and that way, it hurts you a lot less. ( sometimes she gets drunk off of it, not stopping until you weakly push her off, in which case she profusely apologizes, giving you the aftercare of the gods🙏 )

vamp soph does NOT go outside. no, the sun doesn’t burn her alive, but it might as well… she also doesn’t do well in temperatures that aren’t moderate. fall and early spring are the times you go out the most–not too cold; not too hot.

vamp soph would sooner fly you everywhere you need to go than invest in a car. she thinks they’re the root of all evil, and would rather you stay home anyways.

vamp soph is very expressive–she never has to say that she’s feeling anything because she wears her heart on her face…? she’s upset? oh, you know. she’s pleased? oh, honey we can tell. you don’t tell her this either, because she will lie in your face about how she’s feeling even though it’s really obvious.

when vamp soph first fed on you, it kinda linked you two together. when you feel physical pain, so does she. it’d be a bit more romantic if you weren’t so clumsy at the job.

vamp soph doesn’t sleep period. she will lay in bed with you with her arms crossed and eyes open. she is literally counting the seconds until you wake up again. she never brings it up because she knows you like sleeping with her and you’d feel bad.

vamp soph can’t eat anything but blood ( and odder enough, raw butter ) and STILL takes the time out to make you dinner; yes, it’s good asf; yes, you ask for seconds and thirds.

vamp soph likes to play games with you more than anything. you two don’t play collaborative games anymore–a phantom woman knocked on your door and kinda cussed y’all out… ( you guys apologized and now hang out regularly. sophia has to wear 3 layers though. )

vamp soph likes to collect antique sharp objects! it’s cool until you’re asleep and wake up to sophia holding a broadsword over your face! more incidents of falling weapons occur and you thank whatever otherworldly force for her reflexes.

vamp soph broods like a teenage boy and listens to ptv very obnoxiously when it’s her journaling time. she likes to say that vampires have concerns the world would blow up over… falling over while attempting to stand up after a week of flying straight is not one of them.

vamp soph is super protective over you. remember how she can feel when you get hurt? it took months for her to stop showing up at the job after a prick–she still shows up for a fall every time; she also takes you home, because why would anyone beef with a vampire?

when vamp soph met you, she swore off eating anybody else… you think it’s cus she’s picky, and she thinks you guys are soulmates.

vamp soph loves receiving cheek kisses. especially after rescuing you from work, it’s like her special reward.

like manon, i also see vamp soph as being lesser on the possessive side, just because everyone can see that you’re taken. also she’s really confident in herself; you’d be stupid to try anything. you are very very smart! ( unfortunately some people are not. sophia knows she swore off eating anyone else but when that idiot man was messing with you, she got so mad she couldn’t control herself. she didn’t fully eat him–he tasted quite gross–but the point was made when his mangled body was found off the side of the road… oh how protective your girlfriend gets. )

vamp soph’s fav thing to do with you is talk. conversations with her are never dull, so you enjoy them too!

vamp soph was turned a long, long, long time ago. you don’t ask about her age, or who turned her, it’s a topic that isn’t taken very well. ( sophia spent the first thirty years of her life post-turn almost animal-like–vampires only get more human the more they feed )

another ability of vamp soph’s that backfires on her a lot is her shape shifting. this one is still one she has yet to control, her body usually going haywire when you make her flustered. ( tugging on her cheeks teasingly ended up with them stretching to 22 inches. it took a lot of butter, hard work, and apologies stifled by laughter–on your end–to fix it. )

vamp soph can also hypnotize you. she doesn’t realize when she’s doing it most of the time, until she jokingly tells you to die on the game and you rush to the nearest weapon ( which wasn’t far due to her odd obsession with them ) and she has to restrain you for the next hour.

vamp soph is really loud and argumentative; this is only exacerbated by the fact that she’s lived for hundreds of years so she thinks she knows better than you do. when google gets pulled out, phones get broken. and better phones get bought…

when vamp soph gets asked her favorite era of life, she will 100% without fail say it’s the one with you in it. it’s not meant to be corny, it’s genuinely how she feels about you.

vamp soph likes taking extravagant baths with you, and she will do one every night with a different theme. your favorite was pride month ‘23.

you like to massage vamp soph a lot! for such a homebody she gets a bunch of knots in her back. ( it has something to do with her workout routine… flying… for a long time… )

vamp soph likes to capture spiders in your home and name them. you currently have a lot more than you’d be comfortable with, but you love sophia more than you hate spiders.

you like to crochet vamp soph new clothes all the time. you originally picked it up as a side hobby, but seeing her enjoy every piece–from the ugly ducklings to the beautiful swans–you continued. she wears everything and proudly shows them off to everyone in the building, despite your embarrassment.

you and vamp soph’s favorite place ( outside of your home, that is ) is the beach! especially at night, you both love it there.

where the phantom neighbor’s apartment is minimal with barely anything but string lights and the occasional clothes on the floor, you and vamp soph turn your place into a maximalist dream–there is stuff everywhere, in a way that’s full but not cluttered. it reminds her childhood home in a way, her father was a toy store owner in their town.

you laugh at all the jokes vamp soph tells, even when they aren’t funny, just because you know your laughter makes her happy.

after 4 years of being together, and multiple internal monologues, you finally bring up to vamp soph about your wish to be turned. sophia stares at you like you’ve grown three heads. this is equally because of her trauma and her need to keep you safe at all costs. she tries to argue with you, saying you’ll need to eat a lot to turn human, you’ll have horrible pain for the first few weeks–or in her case years, and that living forever means watching the people you love die. you’re determined though, telling her that it’s forever with her or nothing, and you’d be willing to do anything it takes for it to work. after a few months of pleading, she finally relents, and just as she told you, it hurts like fucking hell. she brings you humans every day, hoping that you’ll have it just a bit easier, taking care of you the best way she knows how. when you recover, all you can feel is overwhelming love, and you know you’ve made the right decision 🩷

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wow vampire sophia😍😍??? how surprising!!! all i know is that i need her–and bad. (in a tone of voice that is not appropriate)

[glow-in-the-dark-death]

Amity Park

In the Fenton's house it was normal for the food to look weird, it even came back to life and attacked you.

Danny was raised with this and while knowing that others did not have the same problem as having to fight your food regularly, it was still in a way normal.

Having said that it never occurred to him that ingesting such ecto-contaminated food would cause several problems and heavy harm to normal people.

His tolerance went up after his half death, but it wasn't a new development. Jazz ate the same food he did so did his parents and they were fine, healthy even.

Others living in Amity were also resistant to the ecto-contamination.

After all opening a rift into another plane of existence and continuing to let it be open and in use had its consequences. Each moment more and more ecto was absorbed by the town, into the land, the air, into the very people living, growing there,and quickly their bodies evolving along with their environment.

The same could not be said about outsiders.

Anyone who stopped in Amity would grow ill, many having to be hospitalized in the near future after leaving the town.

This continued until the towns nearby started avoiding Amity Park entirely and telling travelers to do the same.

Of course many travelers would take it a bet or were simply just too curious.

Many could not even pass the border to enter Amity park without feeling horribly wrong.

Amity Park soon became isolated to the outside world without even realizing it. Now the only time you saw them where if they themselves decided to leave the town for whatever reason.

Even then people began being able to tell who was from Amity because they just felt wrong like they weren't normal. Some people were so sensitive to their presence that they would become sick just by being near the person.

It was like the Uncanny Effect but different, so much worse.

Rumors started to spread after a long time and soon enough it caught the attention of a hero who shared it with others until it reached the attention of the Justice League.

~

John Constantine taking one glance at Amity: Fuck no! You could never pay me enough to go near that!

Danny casually eating a Nasty Burger after a fight: Damn, I know I look beat up but you don't have to be so rude about it!

~

Just an Idea

[dj-of-the-coven]

“Unable to slot Jews into a clearly defined role within their political agenda, most of the left tended historically to regard them with considerable ambivalence, and, in some cases, extreme hostility. While supporting universal human rights, the left never saw antisemitism as a primary concern. Instead, it was a secondary issue (if an issue at all) that would be resolved as a side effect of the general social liberation that the left was pursuing. Intrinsic to this approach is the view that Jewish particularity is, in itself, a defect to be remedied through assimilation and disappearance. […] Any attempt by Jews to make the struggle against antisemitism into a separate problem deserving of the same passion devoted to other progressive causes was rejected as a diversion from the main issues that animate the left.”

- The New Antisemitism, Shalom Lappin

On Antisemitism: An Open Plea.

Over the course of 2024, I was physically assaulted for being a Jew three times: once by a man waiting outside the JCC, and twice while working the desk at an anarchist bookstore.

All three of these attacks were done by men, all almost immediately after identifying me as a Jew. One of my assaulters, a white man with scruffy facial hair and a bucket hat, clearly identified as some kind of Christian—he wore three cross necklaces and a blue shirt with the Virgin Mary on the front. One man was black, wearing pressed slacks and dark leather dress shoes. One man was college-aged, white, wearing a band hoodie and jeans. Two of the encounters were one-off incidents, whereas the Christian man searched for me multiple times at the bookstore while I was not present. I am a fairly large person, and one with a lot of combat training, so I was lucky that none of these incidents resulted in the worst possible outcomes for an early-20s woman confronted alone after dark. Many people are not so lucky when they are put in my place. Particularly Jewish women.

And as a quick aside, people don’t tend to take the Jewish part of “Jewish woman” seriously. When I add this comment to the story, a lot of people scoff. I can somewhat understand why; despite the curls, if you were to look at me, you might think, “How did they even know you were Jewish?”. For two of these men (the ones who didn’t see me coming out of the Jewish Community Center), the answer is fairly simple. When they heard my name, they paused and asked. I don’t like to assume the worst in people, and thus I confirmed, though in the time since I have gotten much sparser with revealing that information to strangers. This is how I know they were attacking me for that reason. When you reveal yourself to be a Jew, or are recognized against the odds, things can often become unsavory quickly.

Any leftist worth their salt would call these attacks against me unconscionable—I doubt that most would be willing to defend this behavior—but make no mistake. None of the men who attacked me were acting out some kind of exception to a rule, nor was I particularly surprised that these incidents all occurred in or around spaces that should be safe for Jews. This is the reality that the Jewish people live in. Wherever we are, we can expect a roughly equal reaction from the population, left wing or right wing, and the largest point of difference between the two is whether they will call you “Zio” or “Kike” before grabbing you by the collar.

I was attacked only three times last year. Yet, countless more times I have watched the people in my communities ignore the rhetoric that led to these attacks, wave them off as radicals, as zealots unrepresentative of their peers, and continue to live their lives as if these incidents don’t happen regularly.

This is a major problem on the left.

Yes—the left.

The American right-wing is axiomatically predisposed to this type of behavior. If they aren’t the ones committingthe hate crimes, then they are often the ones most comforted by them, affirmed that their goal of a pure-white America is one step closer to being attained. It’s never surprising for a Jew to encounter a conservative with just one or two comments to make about us being “good with money”, “owning the banks”, “controlling the media”, and other examples of kindergarten-level political opinions. On the other hand, one wouldn’t automatically assume that a leftist would hold such opinions. Being opposed to race-based and religion-based discrimination, it would be a bit counter-intuitive for leftists to say such things about Jews. Wouldn’t it?

You would be surprised.

If there’s anything that the last year has taught me, it’s that the left is much more susceptible to antisemitism than ever previously understood, despite its long history within progressive social movements. So long as you stipulate “Israeli” and/or “Zionist” before saying the word “Jews”, any and all manner of violent hate speech can be considered revolutionary sentiment: I have seen fellow leftists call Jews, not just "Zionists", inhuman, bloodthirsty, real-life monsters, scum, vermin, pollutants; capitalist pigs and agents of genocide; a fake people with a fake identity and a fake claim to safety and dignity. And pointing this out will net you with a number of other responses, questions of whether you support the actions of the Israeli government, as if the point of the discussion was ever about that and not about the antisemitism being lobbed at you in broad daylight. Talks of antisemitism are always shafted into talks about Israel regardless of where in the diaspora you happen to be. Those of us who are staunch leftists, who want nothing but peace and solidarity with Arabs and Muslims—which is a majority of Jews—are pressured into remaining silent about our worsening mental health and safety for the sake of the cause. We’re told to speak later, when the most important voices have spoken first: every ethnic, gender, and sexuality minority first, then maybe the Jews. It was only recently that I realized this mythical “later” will never come.

Largely, Jews just want peace. Jews want safety. Jews want recognition of our suffering, regardless of the actions of a government that might not even be ours, depending on who you’re talking to—but Israeli Jews deserve these things as well. There is nothing wrong with criticizing the Israeli government, but when will goyische leftists realize that Israel’s government, like all governments, is not a true representation of its people? When will goyim realize that it’s not okay to dehumanize Jews, no matter what their political opinion is? When will they finally wake up embarrassed by their own behavior, realizing that my Jewish peers, my cousins, my extended family, my community—all of us are just people who are entitled to the same respect and empathy as any ethnic group in the world? Will they ever learn to recognize their own bigotry? Will they ever see the world from a pair of Jewish eyes?

The answer is, for all intents and purposes, no. But I don’t want to stop trying just because it feels hopeless.

If you are a leftist goy and you’re still reading this, I would like to ask of you only one thing: stop talking and start listening. If you don’t know anything about Jewish history, don’t talk about it. If you know less than four Jewish people, and you keep them at an arm’s length in case they turn out to be “evil baby-killers”, then you shouldn’t mention your Jewish friends. If you believe only Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews count as “real Jews”, you shouldn’t be weighing in on which Jews count as white. If you couldn’t name any Jewish holiday besides Chanukah, you shouldn’t bother to call yourself educated on my people and our traditions. If you believe that the Jewish people, alone among all peoples, deserve to be oppressed for the crimes of a vocal few, then frankly you should not consider yourself a human rights activist at all.

If you are a Jew, all I have to say to you is that I’m sorry. I’m sorry that it’s taken me so long to speak up on your behalf; on behalf of all of us. I’m so sorry that everyone is acting like this is fine. I’m sorry that our lives have been shrinking ever-smaller as we’ve been made unsafe in queer spaces, disabled spaces, online communities and real-life ones, spaces that should belong to everyone. I wish I could fix your pain. I hope you’ll accept my attempt to chip away at it.

This is not the first time a Jew has come forward to speak about this, but I hope that adding my voice to the conversation will help at least one more person realize that what has happened to us is wrong. There is no world in which the collective punishment of an entire ethnic group is justified. No matter what Israel has done, no matter what tragedies and injustices have been inflicted on Palestinians by the IDF, there is no world in which this mass-scale vilification of Jews can be called real justice. There is no world in which these means justify the ends. And what ends do you even want to this? For all Israelis to blow up and die? For all Jews to stop practicing our faith? Or do you want the long-proposed answer to the Jewish question—the total annihilation of all Jews from the planet Earth?

Of course not. But if you don’t make an effort to educate yourself on antisemitism, then the answer to that question will make itself known in your mind, and in your heart, before you even know it. There is no genetic difference between you and a Nazi.

[theambitiouswoman]

Questions To Ask Yourself If You Want To Become The Best Version of Yourself

What do I really care about? What things are really important to me?

What am I good at, and where do I need help? What am I strong in, and what could I get better at?

What do I want to achieve soon and later? What things do I want to do soon, and what are my bigger, long-term goals?

Am I trying new things and not just staying comfy? Am I doing things that might be a bit scary but good for me?

How do I deal with problems and when things go wrong? What do I do when stuff doesn't work out?

Am I nice to myself when things don't go well? Do I treat myself kindly, especially when things are tough?

How do I use my time, and what's most important? How do I plan my day, and what things matter the most?

Am I learning new stuff regularly? Do I keep finding out new things?

Do I have a good balance between work and fun? Do I make sure to have enough time for work and for things I enjoy?

Do I have good friendships and avoid bad ones? Am I friends with people who make me feel good?

Do I take care of my body? Am I eating well, exercising, and sleeping enough?

Do I think about my feelings and thoughts? Do I pay attention to how I'm feeling and what I'm thinking?

How do I deal with stress and make myself calm? What do I do when I'm stressed out?

Do I help others and make the world better? Do I do things to make people's lives nicer?

Do I have good habits and get rid of bad ones? Are there things I do every day that are good for me? Are there things I should stop doing?

Do I learn from what people say about me? When people give me advice, do I listen and try to get better?

Do I say no when I need to? Do I tell people when I need space or when something isn't okay for me?

What makes me really happy? What do I like to do that makes me feel great?

Do I use money wisely? Am I good at saving and spending money in smart ways?

Do I believe I can improve and get better? When things are tough, do I think I can get through them and learn something?Am I being kind to others and making them feel good? Do I treat people nicely and make them happy?

Do I learn from things I do wrong? When I make a mistake, do I figure out how to do better next time?

Do I try new things, even if they scare me a little? Do I give things a shot, even if they seem a bit scary?

Am I spending time with people who care about me? Do I hang out with folks who like me for who I am?

Do I eat healthy foods and move my body? Am I eating good stuff and getting some exercise?

Am I sharing and helping others when I can? Do I give stuff to others and lend a hand when I'm able to?

Am I paying attention when people talk to me? Do I really listen when others are speaking to me?

Do I take breaks and do things I enjoy? Do I give myself time to rest and do things I like?

Do I say sorry and make up if I hurt someone? When I make someone feel bad, do I apologize and try to make things better?

Do I imagine good things for myself in the future? Do I think about cool stuff I want to do?

Do I stop and relax when I'm feeling stressed? When I'm worried, do I take a moment to calm down?

Do I ask for help when I need it? Do I tell someone when I can't do something on my own?

Do I try my best, even when things are tricky? Even if it's hard, do I give it my all?

Do I pick up after myself and keep things tidy? Am I good at cleaning up and keeping things in order?

Do I use my time for things that matter most? Do I do important stuff before other things?

Do I think about good things that happened today? Do I remember all the nice things that occurred?

Am I okay with making mistakes and learning from them? Do I know it's okay to mess up sometimes and learn from it?

Do I show appreciation for the people around me? Do I let others know I'm thankful for them?

Do I take deep breaths and relax when I'm upset? When I'm mad, do I breathe and try to calm down?

Do I believe I can do better and keep growing? Do I think I can get better at things and keep getting smarter?

Am I happy with who I am right now? Do I like myself just as I am?

Do I feel okay when things don't go as planned? When stuff doesn't work out, do I stay calm?

Do I think about good things about myself? Do I focus on the nice parts of me?

Do I let go of things that make me sad? When something makes me upset, can I move on from it?

Do I notice when I'm feeling worried or scared? Am I aware of when I'm feeling nervous or frightened?

Do I believe I can do things even if they're tough? Can I do hard things if I try?

Do I try to make my mind peaceful? Do I relax my thoughts when they're racing?

Do I find things that make me feel relaxed? What can I do to feel calm and at ease?

Am I patient when things take time? Can I wait without getting upset?

Do I talk kindly to myself in my head? Do I say nice things to myself in my mind?

Am I curious about things and want to learn? Do I like to find out new stuff?

Do I think about good times and happy memories? Do I remember fun things that happened before?

Do I try to understand how others feel? Can I tell what others are feeling?

Do I imagine nice things happening in the future? Can I think about good stuff that might come?

Do I take time to rest and be by myself? Do I give myself breaks and quiet time?

Do I let go of things I can't change? Can I forget about things I can't do anything about?

Do I believe I can do things even if I don't know how yet? Do I think I can learn new things?

Do I tell myself I'm doing a good job? Do I give myself a pat on the back?

Do I stay calm even if things are really busy? Can I be relaxed even when things are crazy?

Do I know that I can make mistakes and it's okay? Do I understand that everyone messes up sometimes?

[andromeda-xpz]

🦁LION AND HAIR 🦁

Hey bitches, today we're going to talk about the Leo sign and hair.🐇

I want to make it clear that this is my opinion, and with people I have seen, obviously other genetic aspects, And astrological aspects can change your hair, or health problem.

So this is for entertainment purposes, hope you enjoy😻

Leão na 1ª casa/ou com aspectos de planetas de fogo

Here in this position, the hair can have warm tones, people can often notice your hair before looking at your face, long hair that frames the face is also well regarded.

Shoulder length hair, waist length hair and thick, warm hair can make you more attractive and in a way, more beautiful. But be careful, your hair may suffer some type of chemical damage due to the inappropriate use of products, Or too much straightening and heat on your hair. Moisturizing your hair more can cause dry hair.

€~¥~€~¥~€~¥~€~¥~€

Leo in the 2nd house/ or in aspect with earth planets

Leo in the 2nd house reminds me of black hair. Hair that exudes "wealth", Bangs, you can spend a little on your hair.

Mega hair, laces, wigs, hair treatments, you may suffer from dirty hair sometimes. Also with tangled hair. Maybe a good wash and a nice haircut will solve the situation.

€~¥~€~¥~€~¥~€~¥

Leo in the 3rd house/ or with aspects to air planets

Whenever I think about hair, I think about tied up, pinned up or practical hair.. I also prefer something more casual, or even loose. Braids of all kinds would look great, you can have hair like your siblings. Well, they can also change their hair, cuts and everything a lot.

Same treatment I would give to soil, a good wash, work on hydration and don't leave your hair too tied up, Let your hair dry naturally May suffer from frizz.

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Leo in the 4th house/ or in aspect with water planets

Cute hair🐇, bunny hair, blonde hair, light hair, curly hair, short hair, cute hairstyles, Princess hairstyles.

Your hair may run in your family, which is fine (it depends on genetics), water hair tends to be oily. Work on hydration and cute hairstyles, loose strands and light hair are also a good choice. And also be careful with stress, your hair may have a tendency to fall out for emotional reasons.

€~¥~€~¥~€~¥~€~¥

Leo in the 5th House/ Aspects with fire planets

Oh Jesus🙏, That hair😫, If you are a Leo in the 5th house, you have long hair, often blond or light, Hair that looks like a lion's mane, messy or very voluminous hair.

Long hair often needs to be cut at the ends due to dryness, the hair can become oily and tangled. I recommend hydration, cutting the ends every now and then, and not sleeping with wet hair.

€~¥~€~¥~€~¥~€

Leo in the 6th house/ aspects with Earth planets

Oh earth, this positioning usually occurs in people with light hair, Medium, fine, virgin hair. Well-hydrated hair, earthy tones are also common, and some people I know have very straight hair.

Well, as the 6th house is the house of health, it is extremely linked to health. You have to take extra care of your hair and diet, wash your hair regularly, Moisturizing and leaving them natural is a good choice.

€~¥~€~¥~€~¥~€~¥

Leo in the 7th house/ aspects with Air planets

Absolutely any hair type looks great on you. Their hair is usually very pretty, combed, braided, loose, in any aspect it will look beautiful. But those princess hairstyles would look beautiful on you🥰.

Be careful with frizz, too many chemicals in your hair, keep your hair balanced, You tend to have medium, very voluminous hair and need to take greater care with hydration.

€~¥~€~¥~€~¥~€~¥

Leo in the 8th house/ aspects with water planets

My little vampires, your hair tends to be darker, short or medium, bold cuts, your hair makes you look much darker, Dark colors are great.

Bold, sexy hair, cuts that make you look like a femme fatale, But it can suffer from oiliness and dry ends.

€~¥~€~¥~€~¥~€~¥

Leo in the 9th house/or in aspect with fire planets.

Light hair, light, blond, platinum, Those of you with Leo in the 9th house really have sunny hair. There's a lot of shine and life coming from your hair, just like Rapunzel🌜

Not everyone will have blonde hair, It would be nice to dye it blonde or something. You may suffer from dryness, or chemical cuts. And let your hair get some sunshine vitamin✨.

€~¥~€~¥~€~¥~€

Leo in the 10th house/ or aspects with earth planets

My darlings, casual hair is your thing, short hair, easy to style, You may not care much about your hair, take better care of it. Try taking better care of your hair or share how you take care of your hair on the internet, That beautiful hair of the rich and casual.

Your hair can be highly praised too, be careful with dandruff, and chemical cuts. Your hair is beautiful, nutrition would be a great option too🌜.

€~¥~€~¥~€~¥~€

Lion in the 11th house/ or aspects with air planet.

My alternative babies, well your hair may be different or have that internet touch. Very aesthetic and eye-catching (my sister has this look), Your hair is incredible, I swear, and you can dye it without fear, it will look beautiful.

Because of the dyes, take care that your hair does not suffer chemical cuts, and control dryness, Different braids and radical cuts are also welcome.

€~¥~€~¥~€~¥~€~¥

Leo in the 12th house/ or in aspect with water planets.

And finally, well I noticed that some people have thin, short hair or prefer it short. Your hair can also be long in the Shakira style, do you know how one would come out of the water?

Your hair is beautiful, but it can suffer from breakage and hair loss, Be careful with chemicals and heat, Take care of that beautiful hair❤️🫀.

€~¥~€~¥~€~¥~€

Well, Jesus, this was harder than I thought, thanks for your attention.

I'm going to start offering paid services tomorrow, and I do readings of astrological maps, Destiny Matrix, and tarot readings🫀.

Thank you and have a good life✨

[makereadgrow]

The Why of Sewing 5: Avoiding Bad Tutorials

There are so many tips and tricks and tutorials online and some of them are handing out great advice, but not all the advice is good. Here are a few things that if you see happen in that video you should immediately take a larger grain of salt.

Red Flag #1: Sewing over pins

Sewing over pins is controversial. Some will tell you it is fine, and it almost never causes a problem. Which may be true, but what they don’t tell you is what actually happens if your needle hits a pin. The best case scenario of a needle hitting a pin is a bent pin and a damaged needle.

Sewing machine needles are not designed to hit metal, ever. At the very least every time the needle passes through the fabric it becomes less and less sharp. Hitting a pin will destroy the tip. It can also bend the needle. Or it can break the needle. It can cause the needle to jam up and disrupt the timing of the moving parts inside the machine. A machine with broken timing is generally repairable by a professional, but do you want to spend $100 and loose access to your hobby for a week because you didn’t want to remove a pin? That may be the worst case scenario to you - but remember that broken needle? If you are lucky, the thread through the eye keep all the bits of the needle in one place, but when the needle breaks fragments sometimes go flying. They can fly into your machine, causing damage (again $100 and a week of lost sewing time). Or they can fly out into your room, lurking to  be stepped on by yourself, or your child, or your pet. OR they can fly into  your face. Many a sewist has a tale of a needle fragment bouncing off their glasses or having to take a trip to the ER because they didn’t have glasses on. It isn’t how frequently a problem occurs when sewing over pins, it is how disastrous the outcome has the potential to be when it does occur. 

When it comes down to it, sewing pins is a dangerously bad habit that can damage your machine and your person. If you see someone sewing over pins in the tutorial you can lay money down that they a) do not know better or b) know and do not value your safety.

Red Flag #2 Not Pressing Seams

If you are watching the tutorial and you never see the creator pressing, or see evidence that seams are pressed be wary. I see this most often in "tutorials" made by folks who have just learned a very little bit and want to monetize their new knowledge. If the seams in their final product look like they laid a hardcover book open on a table, that is a big red flag.

I saw something somewhere long ago that said “Sewing is just ironing with extra steps” and no truer meme has ever been made. Wish I could find it. No teacher worth your time is skipping the ironing. Look for the following things: ironing on camera, mentioning that pressing should be done at certain points, and of course nice flat seams.

Red Flag #3 Big Changes with an "Easy Method"

Beware of “easy” tutorials that make a significant change to a garment. Your jeans will not become high or low waisted from anything short of taking them apart and remaking them. They can become shorts rather easily. Yes it is possible to turn jeans into a skirt but I am old enough to know better. It won’t be easy and it will not be cute. Best case scenario you will look fundamentalist.

Making one garment into another kind of garment is usually more difficult than sewing from scratch.

Orange Flag #1 Unfinished Seams

I am calling this an orange flag, but ONLY an orange flag if the original tutorial was focused on costumes and cosplay. If the tutorial is teaching you to make anything that needs to survive more than a couple wears and washes this becomes a red flag.

It is common in cosplay to leave seams unfinished, as an item has limited wear and washing in its future. Unfinished fabric edges fray from washing and friction, some fabrics fray faster than others and leaving your seam allowances on a regularly worn garment as naked as a jaybird is a glaring mark of inexperience.

There are many types of seam finishes, and there are times when seams DON'T need extra finishing, but a good tutorial will either show the finishing, describe ways to finish the seams, or explain why they don't need to be finished. Some examples of seams that can be left to fly free are seams on the bias, most knit fabrics, and seams that will be enclosed in a lining.

Orange Flag #2 Gimmicks and "Hacks"

Lifehack has become code for a gimmicky trick that rarely works the way it is shown via television magic. If you see a nifty trick in a short video, look at the account it comes from. If everything they post is about gimmicks or shortcuts - using straws or cardboard contraptions to do things in sewing with no explanation of how they are normally done, be wary. It is one thing to show a tip, but if all they do are 30 second gimmick videos - it is unlikely that those tricks will actually work when you try them. Most will likely be no better or worse than a waste of your time.

Now that I've given you things to avoid, here are some youtube channels I personally watch and love and learn from.

If you do not know how to sew - start here https://www.youtube.com/@Evelyn__Wood Even if you are not into vintage style I think Evelyn Wood is one of the best at explaining how sewing is done to the beginner.

This is the only channel I actually tune in for live videos, but even if you don't catch it live Saremy has a wealth of knowledge and always goes into why things work the way they do. https://www.youtube.com/@SewSewLive

Sewing therapy is another channel where you can just watch someone go through the process of sewing from start to finish. She shares tips, and there is nothing better about learning the order of operations than just watching someone sew an item. https://www.youtube.com/@SewingTherapy

If you do not have or want a sewing machine start here. https://www.youtube.com/@sewncompany - Many years ago the creator and I lived in the same city and would occasionally cross paths. I don't think she knows me from Adam but I love her tutorials and she has been kind and gracious in every encounter we had. Her tutorials include both right and left handed instructions!

General tutorials from someone who knows what they are doing https://www.youtube.com/@ProfessorPincushion

Garment Sewing content that includes tips as well as styling ideas. Karina does a lot of pattern testing and I think does a really good job at showing how to incorporate the garments into everyday life. https://www.youtube.com/@LiftingPinsandNeedles

If you want to learn to quilt, start here https://www.youtube.com/@JustGetitDoneQuilts

and here https://www.youtube.com/@thelasthomelyhouse - this one is a lot more inspiration for me than a tutorial but its kind of a combination.

Stitch with Rachel has lots of quilting tutorials and inspiration and is really great for English and Foundation Paper Piecing tutorials. https://www.youtube.com/@stitchwithrachel

[campgender]

Whenever a player safewords, this is an occasion for mutual support. We understand that nobody safewords from a happy place, and that all of our egos feel frail and kind of runty when we need to back out of a scene. It is completely unethical to respond with scorn or ridicule to a person who has safeworded: S/M is not a competition, we are not playing against each other.

As tops, we have noticed that if we are having a good time and our bottom safewords, our initial feelings may not be happy. Whaddaya mean you don't like that? I do all this work and you don't appreciate it? I'm hot for being in control and you want me to stop? We have felt real anger and felt challenged in our top role... and, on a deeper level, we have felt put down, hurt and rejected. It is okay to have these feelings. It is not okay to act on them. Take three deep breaths and everybody start taking care of each other.

Sometimes bottoms get so deeply engaged in a scene that they fail to safeword, or forget, or so profoundly believe in the fantasy that it doesn't occur to them: many of the techniques we play with, like interrogation, function in the real world to undermine volition. Dossie remembers a scene in which a top offered her a choice of something or other: "I felt very confused. Some distant part of me vaguely remembered having made choices, but the response from my state of consciousness at that time was, Choose? I am not a thing that chooses." So then what is the top's responsibility?

If a bottom does not safeword and you don't pick up on what's going on, and this will happen if you play long enough and well enough, there is no blame. However, it is still your responsibility to monitor for physical safety as best you can. As ethical tops we make a commitment to never knowingly harm our bottoms. To this end we check in regularly to make sure that things are going the way we think they are, and we constantly monitor the physical and emotional safety of our bottoms. If a bottom is beyond safewording, and you as the top feel unsure about how far you should go, it is your responsibility to slow down or stop the scene and get into communication with the bottom to make sure you have informed consent. If you have to bring the bottom back into reality to do this, please remember that you helped get them into that altered state in the first place, so presumably you can help get them back there again as soon as you are sure of what's going on.

And just because someone safeworded doesn't mean that the scene has to be over. There may be times when the problem that brought either of you to safeword is so overwhelming that carrying on doesn't feel like the right thing right now - but most often we find that after we've dealt with whatever the difficulty is, we're still terrifically turned on, with the added bonus of a shared intimacy.

from The New Topping Book (2003) by Dossie Easton & Janet W. Hardy

(note: the authors use ‘top’ & ‘bottom’ in the historical S/M sense, meaning ‘person performing the act’ & ‘person receiving the act’; the act in question is not necessarily penetration.)

[quitealotofsodapop]

Was at the movies with fam (watched a thriller), got mad at seeing the trailer for the live-action "How to Train Your Dragon" remake so here's Au ideas me and the sibs have had for ages:

Toothless is a female Night Fury, and she was so patient and caring for Hiccup cus she basically adopted him like a mama cat do (as my siblings and I theorized after watching the first film as kids).

Toothless is truly the only Night Fury by virtue of being the result of magic and/or interference from the gods.

Toothless is Loki; currently in the middle of his regularly-scheduled exile from Asgard for his mischief. The dragon body is a curse and/or a chosen form.

"Night Furies" are just a melanistic variant of an existing species.

Hiccup, being a weedy little non-traditionally-masculine guy, would have likely been seen as an "Argr/Ergi" by the Hairy Hooligan/Berk tribe. And instead of (or addition to) sending him to work with Gobber in the smithy, Hiccup would have been mentored under Gothi the Elder/The Wise Woman. This is because in traditional Norse folk belief, only women and "Ergi" (or gay/nonbinary men in general) could perform magic (especially seidr or prophecy). In this case, Stoick's distaste in Hiccup's perceived "unmanliness" becomes more a fear that; "Oh gods my son is a gay wizard. How is supposed to be Chieftain now!?". Meanwhile, Hiccup is confused why his dad wants him to be the Viking equivalent of a priest.

Going off what occurs in the books; ROMAN EMPIRE JUMPSCARE! No one bothered to tell the Viking's enemies that the "barbarian tribes" they've been trying to colonise now got dragons on their side! Cue the Romans pulling up with Greek Fire to combat the dragons!

Monster Hunster fusion/crossover. Turns out the Berk dragons are just small fish in an ocean of leviathans. Toothless is possibly a Chaotic (?) Gore Magala with a hormonal problem that makes him unable to molt into a fully adult Shagaru Magala.

[trans-axolotl]

"While 988 represents a significant expansion of crisis care, it also represents an expansion of location tracking capabilities and nonconsensual practices in social support services. 988 policymakers have adopted and defended the practice of nonconsensual intervention, disregarding the voices of hotline users, psychiatric survivors, human rights organizations, and crisis care experts who condemn the practice. In addition to defending non-consensual intervention, 988 administrators have advocated to increase the surveillance of hotline users, asking the federal government to grant the Lifeline unprecedented location tracking capabilities. Simultaneously, the Lifeline has avoided calls for transparency and maintained secrecy around the number of non-consensual interventions their hotlines are initiating and the negative consequences that helpseekers have faced as a result. Undeterred by the contradiction of the life-threatening harms that can be caused by non-consensual interventions, 988 officials continue to make claims that the use of these interventions allows them to better achieve their goal of providing “life-saving services.”

Since its creation, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has increased its reach to the U.S. public through a national marketing campaign. In this campaign, 988 regularly advertises itself as a “private” and “confidential” resource for people in crisis, offering a safe space to discuss one's struggles. Not included in this advertising is any disclosure about the possibility of emergency interventions, which can include law enforcement, and in particular that such interventions can occur without a helpseeker’s knowledge or consent. In spite of efforts by advocates and survivors of non-consensual intervention, 988 officials have continued to obscure the policies and practices that render their advertising misleading and dishonest. This lack of transparency has meant that the public is largely unaware of the potential negative consequences of calling 988. Despite good intentions in its design, in reality, 988 has created another pipeline for people experiencing crisis to come into contact with potentially unwanted and unhelpful interventions. These interventions can ultimately harm, traumatize, and discourage people from reaching out for help."

-The Problem With 988: How America's Largest Hotline Violates Consent, Compromises Safety, and Fails the People. Safe Hotlines Report, 2024.

[lexirosewrites]

For Slick Sunday…

So this is an idea that’s been floating around in my head for a while after reading way too many omegaverse webtoons and manhwa, but I figured now would be an appropriate time to get it out there. I have another similar idea that I may share here as well lol. Anyways…

.

Eddie is a down on his luck omega and small time dealer who left his small hometown for something bigger, maybe a music career, but people don’t really care about omega metal singers and he was never able to establish himself. And then he meets ruthless workaholic business ceo alpha Steve—who became even more than his father wanted him to be for himself—but Steve actually hates his job and his life etc. until this chance run in with Eddie caused by a bit of confusion and mistaken identity.

So, Steve has been using nonstop suppressants to keep his ruts manageable and keep from being too affected by alpha instincts, but he eventually starts having health problems caused by these suppressants being misused over a long period of time, resulting in his doctor telling him that he needs to experience a pure rut (eg. with an omega) and to stop using the suppressants in that way.

Steve is forced to regrettably comply and orders his right hand man, Tommy (who can be either another alpha or a beta depending on how the story unfolds), to find him an omega for his rut. This is where Tommy discovers Eddie and mistakenly assumes he’s a sex worker since he’s wearing kind of revealing clothing (torn jeans, a cropped shirt, leather jacket, nothing beyond what is appropriate for the metal scene but Tommy’s a sheltered idiot) and looking kind of sketchy on the street.

Meanwhile Eddie believes Tommy is there to make a drug deal, and when he’s told that it’s for Tommy’s boss and they have to go meet with him, Eddie is desperate enough for a huge windfall that he shoves the warning bells side to follow. Until he realizes what Steve wants and what they assume him to be.

Buuuuut Eddie decides to go along with it and pretend he is actually a prostitute because the pay is really good, better than he was expecting to make with his cheap mostly stem weed and knockoff drugs, and Steve is unfairly hot so he’s down for some rough rut sex with the alpha. It’s a win-win as far as he’s concerned.

Steve makes little comments here or there about how Eddie acts unlike other prostitutes he’s used in the past and Eddie is just like lol whoops. The sex is amazing though and it’s obvious that they’re super compatible, so at the end of it, Steve hands Eddie his business card and says that he would not be opposed to using Eddie’s services again for his ruts. Eddie grabs Steve’s hand unthinkingly, something Steve is entirely unfamiliar with, and messily scrawls out his own number and says he’s down to be dicked down by Steve whenever he’s in need.

And so it becomes a regularly occurring thing, with Tommy picking him up from the same spot whenever Steve needs him, and soon just because he wants him, even outside of ruts. (The ruts perhaps happen a little more frequently than normal too as Steve’s body adjusts itself and tries to flush out all the suppressant toxins.) Maybe Eddie even calls Steve up first some time to let him know he was having his heat soon if he wanted to book it, lying that he has other clients interested to make Steve pay top dollar, which Steve willingly does.

Maybe Steve even decides to keep Eddie on retainer, posting him up in a hotel suite or apartment somewhere and making him basically a sugar baby/kept omega. Since Eddie’s shitty apartment’s lease was up and he struggled to make ends meet before Steve, he readily accepts. And not just because of the growing feelings he refuses to admit he’s beginning to harbor, knowing nothing good will ever come of it.

And Tommy. Tommy who maybe also harbors feelings for Steve, who is annoyed when Steve starts dipping from work more and more to spend more time with Eddie, Tommy who hates Eddie with a passion and never fails to remind Eddie exactly what he is; nothing more than a whore who should know his place. Who should know that every gift, every favor, every act of kindness that Steve shows Eddie means nothing and not to mistake it as anything else.

And Eddie knows. He knows that someone like Steve could never truly want someone like him. Knows that, while he hadn’t originally been a prostitute, he basically turned himself into one for Steve. Knows that Steve deserves better than him.

Except maybe Steve isn’t stupid to his own feelings. Maybe he’s started to realize that he was falling for Eddie too, maybe even started to think their arrangement could mean something more.

Until Tommy discovers that Eddie wasn’t actually a prostitute, threatens Eddie with revealing the truth to Steve, making Eddie think Steve will be disgusted and angry and kick him out, and so Eddie leaves. Tells Tommy he can tell Steve whatever and just…leaves. He takes the money Tommy offers him but leaves behind the gifts Steve got him, including a beloved red and black guitar.

Blah blah blah and yadda yadda ya, Steve is heartbroken but eventually discovers the truth, fires Tommy, and seeks out Eddie to set things right. To make Eddie well and truly his, if Eddie still wants him like that.

To add a little spice, it could be that maybe it was discovered that Eddie was pregnant and that’s why Tommy does all this.

.

While I may one day write something for this, the idea is also up for grabs if anyone else wants to write it or something inspired by it! Just let us know if you do!

oh Eddie😭

[thethiefandtheairbender]

as a lifelong ATLA fan who narrowly had ATLA dethroned as my top show by The Dragon Prince steadily over the past 5 years, the similarities between the two have very little to do with the surface level parallels that get regularly drawn between them.

Like ATLA, TDP has Books for seasons and chapters for episodes, but unlike ATLA, which only touched on storytelling sparingly as a theme, TDP is obsessed with interrogating storytelling and history and the presence of unreliable, biased narrators throughout many of its episodes (most notably 2x05, 2x06, 3x06, 4x04, and 4x07 among them). Half of what you learn in the 1x01 intro ends up being a lie once you reach S3, with more being steadily deciphered.

Yes, TDP has different magics with people living under those umbrella terms... for the elves. Humans are coming culturally at things from a completely different angle, and the elves' connection to their primal sources are discussed philosophically in detail, informing their practices and their culture first hand, including the way they chafe against humans, who are arcanum-less. Many animals in the world are also connected to magic, which influences both their design and which ones get hunted for humans' more 'clever' solution in dark magic, including each other.

The core issue of the Puppetmaster, down to being a coercive magic formed by someone deeply resentful of their imprisonment? Said puppetmaster is the main endgame antagonist of the entire show with all of S4 onwards being exploring the ethics of controlling people against their will in various methods, and the entire show itself being a thematic battleground of fate (imprisonment) vs free will for virtually every single character.

Where ATLA mostly concerns itself timeline wise with ending the war, very little thought is shown by any of the characters as to what they'll do after the war. This isn't a problem (as it reflects the sheer domineering scope of the conflict) but even Zuko being firelord is only ever really addressed with 2.5 episodes left till the finale. TDP, meanwhile, ends its 'war' in s3 and s4 opens up with dealing with the old wounds festering between people with centuries of history, the struggles that come when people aren't able to let go and believe they're safe or mourn in a healthy manner, and the religious/cultural clashes that may occur when trying to integrate different groups of people.

TDP also has an evil father with a devoted daughter and a brother who eventually defects, but it explores the reality of an abusive parent who loves/will sacrifice for you and your right to leave regardless, even if that means leaving the sibling you truly deeply love and who loves you in turn. Which means that when you and your sibling are on opposite sides of a deep ideological conflict, it actually really fucking hurts bc we've seen first hand just how much they love each other and also how and why everything fell apart not in spite of that love necessarily, but also because of it.

Is this to say that TDP is a 1:1 with ATLA or that it's better? No, not at all, and the latter is subjective. I prefer TDP, but I think they're about on equal ground when you look at each show currently as a whole (although TDP has two seasons left to go).

But TDP takes a lot of what ATLA was doing thematically with some of its most interesting beats and then builds or expands upon them further. It talks further and more consistently about the cycles of violence; in many ways, Jack De Sena's character, Callum, begins the series largely where Sokka had ended (and he's not the most like Sokka anyway; very much his own thing); we get Faustian bargains and centuries' long grief and fucked up people who are trying both succeeding and failing at not doing fucked up things. There are antagonists, but it is very hard to actually label anyone at this point a straight up villain. Moral greyness is where the show starts, and it just continues from there.

That's not to say the show is nothing but dark and depressing - like ATLA, there's a steady thread of hope and humour even as the show gets steadily closer and closer to its 11th hour point - but the show is usually emotionally heavier. There's more blood and potentially disturbing imagery with body horror and on screen death. There's so much foreshadowing you basically can't go more than 5 minutes into any episode without having something that's going to come back around or be referenced again like 3-5 seasons later.

Just to be clear - TDP is like ATLA, but it's like ATLA in interesting ways beyond the more shallow surface level that usually gets attributed to it, while still very much being its own show and its own thing. And that is why I tend to recommend it to people who like ATLA.

Thank you and goodnight

(Also, the fandom doesn't have any ship wars, and the show is queer as fuck)