#very much wish i could do stuff and focus on it for more than 10 minutes at a time. its not even like i Have anything rlse to do i just cant

[evandore]

hm

[thebluntstudent]

FIVE TIPS FOR STUDYING WHEN ILL OR OTHERWISE INCONVENIENCED...

disclaimer: when at all possible, you should always prioritise physical and mental wellbeing over a good grade. If you are seriously ill to the point where it is heavily impeding your capacity to study, you are not fit to take an exam, or write an essay, and I hope your educational institute has measures for exceptional circumstances/extensions/deferrals to allow you to do so! Alas, it isn't always possible to do the ideal thing in life, and that is where my experience comes into play.

°•☆•°

Sometimes you find yourself in a crappy predicament a couple weeks before an essay is due, or an exam is scheduled, and you find yourself slipping further away from the stacl of textbooks on your desk, and closer to the comforts of your bed and the rest you really wish you had the time to make the most of.

Right now, my hormones are currently out of whack in a way that could meaning anything from (the most likely cause) PCOS to perimenopause at 22 to plenty of other less likely possibilities I'd rather not dwell on. This means that sitting up for more than 5-10 minutes in the same position sends my abdomen into spasms and sharp pains, and generally existing hour to hour is a painful, emotional, hot-flush filled experience.

That being said, I have an exam in a few days, and since deferral is not an option for me (this is my last attempt, I can't take any more time off of uni, my last attempt was last year during a period of several losses that occurred on an interruption year I had taken due to burn-out and unresolved trauma sliding into my life- you get where I'm going with the 'sometimes life is a bitch and your general and academic life can't be pretty and pristine' bit) I have been doing my best to balance comfort and productivity in a way that helps me look out for what I need right now whilst still getting in as much revisiom as I'm able to.

So! I thought I'd share my little tips for building a comfy study space when conditions are not ideal but you still gotta keep moving:

• abandon the 'do not study in bed' tip, but only for as long as it helps you as opposed to hindering you. I have tried sittimg up at a desk with pillows and blankets swathing me- and all I get for it is hefty back pain and constant awkward readjustments every time I start heating up or shift around in my seat too much. If you're ill, you aren't doing yourself any good sitting hunched over a desk either- and frankly your sleep is probably going to be buggered until you're feeling better anyways. So, if sitting at a desk is putting you off, prop up some pillows, rest your writing materials on a hard surface (a folder, an A4 hardback- a chopping board works for a cute wannabe lap desk too), and set a zone of your bed aside (or just use a bedside cabinet if you have one) for anything you'll be using fairly often- by which I mean stationary, textbooks you'll be using over the course of the next hour or so- just enough stuff to save you constantly getting up out of your comfy study bubble.

• listen to tesco: every little helps. What I like to do to get myself going when I'm feeling naff- which works also if you're simply having a difficult time focusing yourself for the day- is to do micro pomodoro sessions, where I'll dedicate myself to 5 minutes minimum of focused study. If I really can't bring myself to continue longer than 5 minutes, I'll let myself rest for a little while (up to 20-30 minutes) before getting myself to do another micro session. This may not seem very productive, but you are more likely to do a good hour of work on a bad day when you tell yourself you only need to do little 5 minute sessions, than procrastinating studying because you feel as if you'll have to sit up and focus for a much longer period of time for it to count. Every. Little. Helps. In 5 minutes you can run through a topic of flash cards, do a slide of lecture notes, answer small exam questions, do a page or two of readings- and on a good day, that 5 minutes might turn into 10 with a small break, then 15, then you'll find yourself picking up your regular pace in no time! But again, even 5 minutes, just one little session, is a win when the world is throwing hurdles at you <3

• maximise your comfort: you know the little things that bring you joy, and you don't habe to be rolling in cash to surround yourself with little things to keep you going when all you want to do is sleep. My current comforts are the loyal presence of my cat next to me, a few old blankets I can swaddle myself in to stare at the ceiling when my ovaries are throwing a tantrum, a little variety of teas (currently rocking a chai latte with home bargains vanilla syrup, girl gotta have her sweet relief), a pack of energy drinks, some painkillers, and a little incense tray nearby that I forget to use 70% of the time (though the remaining 30% makes up for that). None of this is in particular mandatory- if it were, the dog people of the world would be doomed. The point is, find your little comforts- an activity you can do from the comfort of your bed like a puzzle, sensory toy or just a book to doodle in, a certain type of drink or snack you really love, some smellies (perfume, incense, candles, wax melts, and so on), supplies for whatever ails you- little personal things to relax you whilst you try to gather your energy.

• Now is not the time to push it. I tend to find the times in which I am most likely to push myself past my limits are the times in whicj something is inhibiting me- the frustration of being bed-bound, fatigued due to chronic conditions, etc tends to make me feel even more than usual that I am not doing enough because of my awareness of my present restrictions. Though this post is about pusning through bad times, you should be doing so with self-compassion, and with the mindset that every little bit you achieve in your current state is a win, a bonus, even if you find yourself unable to work to the same standard as normal. You aren't well- you aren't supposed to be functioning at 100% because your body is only functioning at 50%, and if you want to get back to your regular stressed student self you need to rest! Remember that a slightly lower grade than you were expecting in the short-term is not a reflection on your character, and it's better to *be* better for the long-term than to work yourself into a ditch and burn-out when you are already at a low point.

• If healthy study you is a carefully rehearsed play, then sick study you is a completely improvised show. Don't knock the analogy, even if it is silly and obscure- when I am at my peak, I will time-block my studies, plan to do certain topics on certain days, do 30-5 or 50-10 study sessions, work during a set period from the morning to the mid afternoon.

When I am ill, I do not know when I will be unable to sit up to work. I do not know when I will be able to sleep, to stomach food, to concentrate- so I have to accept that the normal routines that keep me consistent have to be chucked in the bin for the time being. Instead of planning my whole day, I create a vague, rough outline of the next few things I want to get done. This way, I don't feel crushed when I start working on lecture notes and find myself flat out on my back crying 10 minutes later- I just pick up where I left off when I'm ready, and work in increments from there.

°•☆•°

Right now my sleep is a bit fudgy because of night sweats/panics and p a i n, and by building a cosy space and letting my plans adapt to my body's needs I've managed to get 3 hrs of lecture notes, 2 sets of flashcards, and a set of logic practise questkons done over night between 8pm-4:30am. If I had tried to stick to my regular 'good day' study routine, I don't think I would have lasted 15 minutes before giving up and crawling over to youtube with a bowl of white chocolate and a horlicks in hand.

It is this kind of adaptability to external conditions that allowed me to survive an unstable home situation during college that meant weeks without wifi, constantly moving between different homes and constant fear of eviction due to family debts I was too young to do anything about- and allowed me to get into the top university in London* as a working class girly from a council estate.

I was given the opportunity to do an extra year at college for free due to these circumstances and a great support network within the institute to make sure I got into the specific university that I wanted to, and I had to take an interruption after my firdt yesr of university because I am not a super-human, and I knew my limits- but I'm still going, and the time away I've had has paid off and gotten me back to my scrappy, chaotic, passionately nerdy self.

You can be messy and be a good student too- and you can get through the worst of times with a little adaptability, perseverance, a good support network and a little self care ♡

*Times Good University Guide, 2024.

[actuallyacerrr]

NINJAGO HEADCANON TIME ‼️

I- am shamelessly on a Ninjago fixation again (I blame my irl friends- they’re not gonna see this anyway sooooooooo) yippe. Some of these headcanons are ones Ive see and whole heartedly agree with, and some are just random ones i’ve come up with throughout the years so uh yeah don’t mind that some have more then others haha. I’ll probably post smaller ones (and like a another one specifically for DR headcanons :DDDDD

They are in no coherent order🧍‍♂️

This is long I apologize 😂

Lloyd

• He/They and Panro Ace.

• None of the ninja are not queer and three(?) of them are ace to me (I am projecting.) Lloyd is ace, for I cannot see the words Lloyd and s3x working in the same sentence. In general just idea cannot be fathomed by me. If you do, cool! (We don’t shame headcanons around here!!)

• He is trans masc as well I love trans masc Lloyd headcanons.

• Getting this out the way. I am a s u c k e r for the oni dragon feature headcanons. 👏💳👏💳👏

• He has horns, starting on his forehead following the curve of his head, the horns aren’t to long and are pretty smooth, starting off as his skin color before transitioning into a black color with a green sheen.

• The horns are a mix of dragon shape with oni coloring.

• Lloyd has pointy ears and they do reflect his emotions.

• Like they’re sitting pointed high when he’s really happy, excited, nervous (?) and tend to droop when he’s sad or upset. Though they are typically in a neutral middle.

• Yes he has a tail but he does hide it when in public.

• Does have shape shifting! Just not to the extent of a full blood Oni, he could change into other people or animals but it’s much harder and required complete focus. So it’s better for him to take small characteristics or changes (like his face, hiding scars, etc), or to hide some Oni and Dragon features if he so wishes.

• He can purr, but is very embarrassed by it so other than around the ninja he tries his best to keep it down.

• Short compared to the ninja, like the second shortest, around 5’6”.

• Trust issues, kinda funky to new people like he’s not mean but he isn’t gonna be all buddy buddy and friendly (I blame Harumi & his childhood.)

• Especially after seasons 8-10, absolutely does not trust anybody besides his family.

• Absolutely did not like the new changes of horns and a tail, etc when they manifested. Dreaded it and himself at one point. Took a lot of care, and work, and love (and probably a lot of therapy) for him to feel comfortable again.

• There are days in which he still feels awful but he knows he can go straight over to the ninja when he starts feeling like that.

• Through he did not mind his fangs since he did have them since birth. When they started growing it was not an uncommon occurrence to find him staring into the bathroom mirror as he’d gently poke the tips of his fangs.

• There are some times, rare times, where you’ll still catch him doing it.

• His fangs are not as typically long as a regular onis, but longer that a normal humans canines.

• His nail are in a similar fashion, they grow pointy and a faster than the rest of the ninja, so he often has to file them down at least one or twice a week.(?)

• Even now has the biggest sweet tooth, when he was younger he’d steal some of Cole’s sweets but now they’ve been baking together for a while. He’s gotten pretty good

• Lloyd, like his father, both like shiny stuff or things with nice sounds. Think like dice! some are shiny while others just make the best sound when clunked together. Leads me to my next thing.

• HE HAS PIERCINGS, I firmly believe he had his ears pierced at least once, with like gold studs but will change them out to other gold esk earrings every so often.

• The rest of the ninja have bought them a set of earrings that match each ninja. Quartz studs from Zane. Like a vertical bar hoop earings from Cole, Kai went a little extra and got him a gold lobe to conch chained earring which a dangling piece of chain with a red jewel, Mismatch blue studs from Jay, and Raindrop earrings from Nya.

• He gets constantly reminded ans (lovingly) made fun of his Prime Empire avatar.

• The next few are gonna be angst and possibly a bit darker, so be warned when proceeding.

• Lloyd has had and still has a lot going on, mentally and emotionally.

• You’ve seen the amount of trauma and shit he’s been through.

• When he first found out about being the green ninja he was young, a kid, so he found it exciting imagining himself like that. He felt very important and wanted to do anything and everything to achieve that faster. Kids are oblivious like that. After getting hit with Tommorow’s Tea it finally dawned on him.

• Lloyd got what he wanted but being the Green Ninja was not the simple obstacle to overcome.

• The weight of the responsibility and power was to heavy at first. So he put himself through the training, every morning to night he trained. it got bad at one point because he’d rarely leave, even to eat.

• It was an issue that had an intervention for, he wasn’t allowed to train without someone knowing or supervising for awhile.

• He broke down during the intervention, because he wanted to be ready and to strong enough, etc. But he never did through out the training. That night was a movie night where Lloyd got to watch all his favorite moviess.

• He struggled with getting into better eating habits after awhile of the non-stop training. The others were always patient with him though.

• Lloyd felt he had a lot to uphold and maintain especially as words were used like “chosen one” and “destiny” to describe his role.

• After awhile he started having a harder time expressing his emotions, but the Ninja caught on quick enough and did help him reverse that thinking and process. Sometimes it’s still hard.

• There are times where Lloyd blanks out to his own thoughts and he struggles to come out of them.

• Has anxiety and has had anxiety and panic attacks more then once. Knows the routine on how to deal with them.

• The first time he had a panic attack he was alone and it scared him. But he was to afraid to tell anyone.

• Sensei Wu was the first to find out and talked to Lloyd about it, he got the rest of the team involved after getting a plan and everything set up to help Lloyd.

• Probably has (undiagnosed) ADHD, notable hyperfixations were Sharks, Space (due to a comic book series), The history of Ninjago/the Ninja, and his current Hyperfixation is Plants/botany.

• To lighten the mood, RGB SIBLINGS.

•I am a firm believer in them.

• Lloyd intended to make matching bracelets for him, Kai and Nya but while making them decided to do it for all the ninja so now they all have needed bracelets consisting of a green, light blue, blue, red, black, and white bead.

• They (Kai and Nya) were the first people he saw as family besides Sensei Wu. Then they adopted him very much was like “Yes, he is our little brother. Whatcha gonna do about it?”

• Lloyd started copying both of them because he really looked up to them. Took their sides in arguments but took Nya’s when it was an argument between the two of them.

• Lloyd often let Nya paint his nails and sometimes practice makeup on him.

• He also got roped up into most of Kai’s pranks, he loves it though.

• Rgb siblings have a very good relationship and they are the closest out of any sibling esk relationship Lloyd has with the Ninja.

Nya

• She/They and Bisexual (fem leaning)

• I see a lot of the Ninja as Bi in some aspect (again i’m projecting.)

• Genderqueer but def more feminine leaning.

• Nya and Jay keep their half of the Yin Yang medallion on themselves 99% of the time.

• Nya is in fact taller then jay and is only an inch taller then Lloyd standing at 5’7”.

• Nya and Cole are best friends.

• They work out together go on jogs and help spot each other, etc.

• NYA IS B U F F, Can easily pick up Jay and carry him around.

• Both cringe looking back at the “Cole is my perfect match” thing.

• Has a spice tolerance because of Kai but not at the same level as him.

• P.i.x.a.l. and Nya like to work on stuff together, just like they’ll ask for tiny bits of advice or suggestions. It’s best described as parallel play? but they’re doing very similar things but on their own.

• Can not cook for shit, has burnt food more times then she can count.

• Messy clean room, tbh this can go for all ninja except Kai weirdly enough, his room is by far the most organized out of them all, still can be messy but overall clean.

• Skates, known longboards, regular skateboards and skates, she and Lloyd do it a lot.

•Knows how to ride a motorbike and is very proud of it. That thing is like her child.

• Also post becoming one with the sea she’s grown wayyyy more interested in the ocean and relating topics like preservation, marine biology, how the ocean works and how land is made, etc.

• Side effect from becoming one with the sea is she constantly smells like sea salt

• She also has markings left over in swirly shapes, and her eyes glow a faint blue in the dark.

• Subconsciously understands (aquatic) animals like they make their noises and subconsciously Nya’s brain translates it.

• The monastery has since also been made to follow proper recycling procedures.

• Goes out to help with any kind of beach clean ups, sometimes will drag the rest of the team to help.

• Likes pretty much every and all kinda of music. You name is she’s listen to it. While working on her Samurai X suit she’s find random music to play.

• One of the three (Jay, Her, and Cole) coffee addicts of the monastery, the others either don’t drink coffee (P.i.x.a.l. and Zane), drink tea (Lloyd and Sensei Wu), or drink Redbull (Kai.)

• Feels like she needs to prove her worth 24/7. Especially in early seasons. But she’s learned that she’s loved no matter her worth and that she’s important to the team, but there are times she struggles.

• Back to Nya and Jay, I feel like they’d have date nights once a week.

• It takes a variety of forms, like movie dates, all day dates, or simply staying over in each others rooms to cuddle.

• Or stargazing dates or long rides on Nya’s motorbike.

• I feel they’re 100% comfortable and honest with each other even if they don’t want to. Especially in the later seasons.

• They’ve had a few breakdowns together, relatively no one knows bout this as they take extra care into keeping it private. Unless the other was genuinely concerned then they might get Sensei Wu involved but that is the farthest they’ll go.

• Double dates with Kai and Skylor.

• Nya has two victims when she wants to experiment with stuff. Jay and Lloyd, at this point they have become accustomed to it.

• Couple times the entire ninja crew fell for the skincare ‘dates’ now it’s a once a month thing.

• SHES A GOOD INVENTOR, There’s like 4 (Nya, Jay, Zane, and P.i.x.a.l.) of them now, so sometimes with bigger projects they’ll get together to help out.

• Jaya kiss each other a lot, from pecks, to showering each other in kisses, forehead, nose, butterfly, hand kisses. They’re adorable.

• THEY BOTH ARE SO TICKLISH TO THE POINT THEYLL GET ALL GIGGLY WHEN THEY GET PEPPERED IN KISSES.

• Sometimes while they’ll out they’ll spot a pretty person and point them out and giggle about it to each other.

• Wears claw clips and has noticed Jay keeps an extra one on his at all times.

• They absolutely dance and play in the rain.

• If one of them gets sick because of it they feel bad and will stick with them 100% through it even if they end up catching it.

• They are so silly I love them hehehe.

• Saw this short comic and now it’s my person headcannon Nya for the samurai x idea from Lloyd.

• Daddy’s girl.

Jay

• He/Him and Bisexual (fem leaning)

•Jay is trans, ftm. Another one where I really like the trans headcanon. <333

• Second person in the group to have ADHD. Though he’s known about it for longer and takes medication to help but also has his own routine to help incase he forgets to take his meds.

• When he was younger his main hyper fixation was inventing and now it’s just carried over into regular interests. There are times where it’ll seep back into his brain for a short while but it hasn’t been as big as it was when he was younger.

• Loved building things with his dad ‼️ was bonding moments for them. He still has some of the trinkets they’ve made together. They’re his prized possessions.

• Learned to sew from his mom, which was useful ashe took his stuffed bear, Mister Cuddlywomp, around with his everywhere and he’d either get dirty or ripped so Edna taught Jay to see so he could repair the stuffed bear whenever.

• Had a hyperfixation on video games, birds, and Dinosaurs. His current hyperfixation is back to inventing.

• Rambles a lot and everybody listens, especially Nya. Lloyd on the other hand jumps in and they end up rambling together for hours.

• He also collects stuff, Crow collecting random stuff Jay and Dragon loving shiny Lloyd. They show off their collections to each other atleast once a week.

• He has sensitive ears and can get overwhelmed easily by loud noises. So he caries a pair of headphones on him at all times.

• Lloyd and Jay are very close and definitely hang out a lot whether it’s a parallel play thing (like Nya and p.i.x.a.l.) or it’s talking about their hyperfixations, or their collections, etc.

• Oh yeah, he’s definitely the shortest ninja I wanna say around 5’4”-5’5”.

• Has lightning looking scars from his first few attempts at his power. Can be a bit subconscious about them but then remembers this one time a kid said he looked badass from the scars.

• Again I love him and Nyas relationship because they’re so comfortable with each other.

• He’s the little spoon and loves when Nya plays with his hair.

• Cuddler, enough said.

• Power has gone out multiple times because he’s been jumpscared. So now everybody’s agreed to just not scare him. He’s vulnerable to pranks, no body is.

• Which, Jay has started 2 prank war before, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird it’s happened twice.

• Can’t skate, Nya has tried many times and all failed.

• I feel he definitely has some scaring especially because he’s always be scraped or have bandages on him as a kid.

• Rom com enthusiast ‼️

• Really wants to learn more about his biological parents, especially after that whole thing in Sky bound, I feel like it was just a one up thing and I would’ve loved to see him get to learn about them from Sensei Wu in canon. So after Skybound ended he begged Sensei Wu to tell him about his bio parents. He would’ve said yes and told him as much as he could remember.

• Nervous laughs when he feels awkward.

• Fidgets a lot with his fingers, or random items he has on hand.

• Bit of an artist, says he can’t draw, proceeds to make the most detailed and analyzed sketch of a invention he’s working on and says “I know it’s messy and I was a bit lazy with it sorry.”

• Likes to cloud gaze when he doesn’t have training. He finds it calming and satisfying to watch the clouds slowly pass by. Has almost fallen asleep out there.

• Jay sometimes feel likes he’s the useless member of the team, Kai is pretty useful with his knowledge of weapons, Zane could cook remarkably, Nya has made multiple vehicles and even a secret base as well as repair the bounty, Cole is a good baker and super strong (+ plus he has connections due to his fathers status) and pixel is an major knowledge source for them.

• He will sit in his room thinking about how he could become more useful, one time Nya found him like this and he spent the rest of the night crying to her. Apologizing for ever making her feel this way before.

• I feel they would’ve talk to each other about it more after Jay calmed down and how Nya felt during that time. It made them grow closer and understand each other better.

• Jay always makes sure to include everyone since then. No matter what’s going on.

• Has a stuffed animal collections and they hall have names and elaborate personalities and backstories. Many of them are friends with Lloyd’s stuffed animals.

• He’s a sweetheart overall, possibly writes poetry for Nya, or atleast has attempted it.

• Sharper cainines the left over from when he was a snake.

Kai

• He/They and Bisexual

• Kai is a demi-boy or bigender I can’t really decide because they both fit him.

•Massive spice tolerance, will and can drown his food in black pepper regardless of if it needs it or not. You can smell it.

• He’s a decent cook but has formally been banned from cooking from now on due to an incident where he almost set the kitchen on fire.

• Street smart.

• Avide romance enjoyer, Jays the only one who knows and has it used as blackmail.

• Jay gives him book recs.

• Average height, 5’8” in reality he’s 5’7”.

• He’s really warm to the touch, so he’s like a personal heater when it gets cold out.

• Kai and Skylor love each other a lot. But they were on and off for awhile. Eventually they made it official.

• Visits the Noodle house a lot to flirt with Skylor which she just ends up making him help her.

• Talks shit with Nya in Spanish.

• Attempted to teach Lloyd Spanish, only picked up little things.

• Kai has scars and burn marks from working in his family black smith. He got more the first time he used his powers, he no longer has finger prints.

• The only normal one, has no side effects from being turned into or being related to anything.

• Mama’s boy (cried over the song Mama’s boy)

• Kai has a mild hydrophobia, because he almost drowned as a kid. Nya helped pull him out and that was the first experience of her using her elemental powers whether she knew it or not.

• Kept having nightmares especially after and during Seabound.

• When his sister became the sea he’d stare out at the ocean, it was his two biggest fears combined but he still wanted to be near for Nya.

• He definitely had multiple breakdowns about and overall cried a lot. He was terrified.

• Actually really good with kids, loves them to death.

• Theater kid, even just a tiny bit. Don’t ask.

• Redbull drinker, but will drink other energy drinks if there’s none in the house.

• Scared to lose his power do sometimes he’ll wake up suddenly and try to light his hand to make sure he still has it,

• Could be 25° outside he could wear shorts and a t-shirt and be fine. Despite that he hates it.

Cole

• He/Him and Gay.

• Cole is the only cis person out of the Ninja but he does feel fem from time to time so you can see him experimenting with his styles and tends to keep his hair longer.

• Very good baker! Experiments with different recipes and stuff. Lloyd likes to help with whatever he can however he can.

• The tallest of the ninja at 6’1”

• After reverting from being a ghost he had a hard time adjusting back to being human.

• He had to adjust to eating and drinking again. Zane often would help him but he would forget at times.

• Mild hydrophobia, forgets he can touch water again.

• Forgets he can’t become invisible or pass through stuff.

• Sometimes has phantom feelings of being a ghost still, no physical altercations occurred really.

• He can still see ghost though, freaks him out a bunch but he’s made a few ghost friends.

• Loves music and has a vinyl and cd collections. Cole is very proud of it.

• He eventually began to enjoy dancing, using it to train along with other various forms of martial arts.

• He’s the Dad of the group.

• When he is stressed he bakes late at night, he’s scared a few of his teammates when they came to get water or smth late at night.

• Can kinda like feel the group like tremors, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. Pretty useful and he often uses it when the city doesn’t pick up on stuff.

• He’s scared of being abandoned.

Zane

• He/They/It and Asexual

• I saw this once and I agree, they very obviously feel emotions, like love, heartbreak, happiness, sadness, hurt, etc. But I do not think when they were built their creators had them being sexually active in mind, I do not think they were built with any of those parts at all. And being asexual doesn’t mean you can’t love someone you absolutely can be attracted romantically to anyone just you don’t or barely feel sexual attraction. I’m stating this because of the fact they are Nindroids.

• Zane is nonbinary because i’m nonbinary and I say so.

• Zane and p.i.x.a.l. are dating but they aren’t the typically publicly affectionate kind, they’re obviously a couple but leave affectionate for private.

• Also the mom of the group.

• Most people are banned from using the kitchen except him and Cole. As well as kai if he has either of the two’s supervision.

• One of the more organized people, he’s more organized than Kai. Everything must be in place.

• He also follows recipes to a T. Not a simple mistake in his cooking.

• Can withstand the cold, he’s cold to the touch. Even if he is metal he’s colder than what it typically gets like.

• He’s like an info machine, they ask him lots of questions which can get very annoying at times. They don’t mean for it to be rude, they just want him to show off how much knowledge he holds.

• Second tallest of the ninja at 5’11”

• Let’s the team vent to him and help them find solutions or ways to help at all.

• Likes books but has only really read a few that he truely enjoyed.

Pixel

• Any pronouns and Asexual

• I saw this once and I agree, they very obviously feel emotions, like love, heartbreak, happiness, sadness, hurt, etc. But I do not think when they were built their creators had them being sexually active in mind, I do not think they were built with any of those parts at all. And being asexual doesn’t mean you can’t love someone you absolutely can be attracted romantically to anyone just you don’t or barely feel sexual attraction. I’m stating this because of the fact they are Nindroids.

• Pixel is a demi-girl.

• P.i.x.a.l. is also 5’11”

• Also someone the team vents to.

• Super cool badass but also the biggest softie, While Zane and her aren’t as affectionate, if you’re sneaky and lucky enough you’ll find them cuddling or out watching movies.

• P.i.x.a.l. is very good with kids, finding them really adorable.

[unluckyhoneybee]

Doesn't look bad (Daniel Ricciardo)

After the last '22 race, you are there with news for Daniel. Fluff.

Note: I think I ran out of tears. Part of this is highly inspired by SaraCarbonero and IkerCasillas after 2010 World cup final. If you know, you know.

You were crying and hugging Grace, both of you watching Daniel on the screen.

"I have to leave" You said brushing you tears. As a journalist, you had some work to do, but you had scraped for a bit to see the end of the race with the family.

Grace cupped your cheeks and helped you.

"Give him a big kiss when you see him, okay?"

You nodded.

Then she touched your belly.

"I couldn't be more happy. I'm glad he found you"

You hugged her again before saying goodbye.

Minutes later you were next to your camera, paper napkin in your hand and mic in the other.

Some drivers passed and you interviewed them. And then... Him. You saw him with Sophie and his eyes fell on you. Although your relationship was public, you both had very strict work related rules. You two had been very professional since the beginning and never mixed personal and work stuff.

But Daniel saw you and he felt his stomach sink. He knew you so well and he could see how you had been crying.

"Hi, Daniel. Congratulations on your last race of the year."

"Thank you very much, YN"

You both wish your first time together after the race was different. But well, you have something to make it special. You will have more time later.

"Well. From quali to the race. What a roller-coaster. P18 to P9. What are your feelings about this?"

"I'm happy. I'm proud. I'm glad my family was here to see it"

You smiled and cleared your throat. Your words were stuck in your throat. You lifted a finger and lowered your microphone.

"I'm sorry" You whispered.

Daniel felt his heart hammering on his chest. You were so emotional the whole weekend. He had caught you crying at least 10 times. So he said fuck off to your rules.

"Come here, sweetheart"

Even with the fence between you two, Daniel wrapped his arms around you, feeling his own tears already threatening. You hid on his neck and sobbed.

All cameras turned to you. Different tvs and journals, they couldn't care less about you being a worker for Sky.

"I'm so proud of you" You whispered between tears and hidden on his neck. "I love you so much. You can't even imagine how."

He only hugged you tighter and nuzzled on your neck. Everyone around was melting.

"Thank you for staying" He said. He had felt unsure about you wanting him with all this mess. But you had taken your hand and walked through it with him.

You pulled back and he cupped your cheeks. Everyone gasped when Daniel kissed you. He put so much passion on the kiss it almost knocks you out. His hands were on your cheeks brushing the tears away and he could only think of how much he loved you. And when you pulled back, you were blushing and breathless.

You awkwardly took a step back, still with your hands on his chest.

"Dan..."

"I love you" He pecked your lips once more and let you go.

Natalie was looking at you trying to not laugh. You giggled a bit and cleared your throat.

"Okay... Um... Let's see" You tried to focus again on your questions but you could still feel his lips on yours. "Wow" You giggled.

He laughed and covered your hand with his, both resting on the fence separating you.

"Take your time"

"Thanks" You smiled at him. He reached a cleaned the last tear.

You drank a bit of water and looked down at your questions. Racing. More racing. Red bull. McLaren. Goodbyes. Even more racing. They were carefully written because who better than you to know what he wanted to talk about. But well, he had kissed you as if there was no tomorrow in front of dozens of cameras. Who cared? You ignored the questions and lifted the microphone again.

"Well, Daniel. We have talked a lot about your furute in racing for these last months. Everyone has." He nodded. "What are your plans?" He frowned and looked at you a bit confused. Why were you asking that, you knew he hated those questions. "And I'm not talking about Red Bull or racing expectations. What are your plans for the break and following year?"

He looked at you with an awkward smile and eyes that said shut up, you know.

"Well... I'm gonna spend some time in Perth"

"And what kind of plans you have? We all know about your recently discovered love for photography or your YouTube series No Brakes. Are they in your plans? More photography, videos, some more merch launching, fatherhood...?"

There...

People around you looked at him cautiously. Natalie was already biting her lip to not jump on him, she obviously knew about your plan.

"Well, yes. I plan on continue photographing everything I can... Wait" He registered your words. "What did you said?"

"Photography, no brakes... Merch"

"The other thing" He stepped closer.

"Fatherhood"

You both were sharing intense looks. He took some seconds to think. You had talked a lot about babies. A lot.

"YN..."

"Daniel"

He looked down at your chest and then belly. You were wearing a dress that flowed gracefully around you.

You smiled and moved your hand over your abdomen. The almost invisible bump was suddenly so obvious to him.

You felt tears in your eyes again.

"YN..."

Daniel couldn't believe it at first. Then Natalie handed you something. A little package.

"Thank you" You told your friend.

"YN..." Daniel repeated. He was on the verge of tears. He was losing count of how many times he had cried.

You passed him the package and he opened it. A little onesie. I have the best dad.

Daniel didnt thought about it. He jumped the fence and again trapped you on his arms, this time breaking down and crying on you as you held him close.

There was people clasping, other driving shouting and whilstling.

"I love you, I love you, I love you"

You cried together for a couple of minutes, hugging and clinging into the other for dear life. Everyone was watching, you were in all screens around the paddock, his family was watching too from the hospitality.

"We will have a baby" He exclaimed and left you on the floor.

"We will."

He kissed you again and you sighed happily.

"I'm going to be a dad!" He exclaimed. "Max! Lando! Charlie! I'm going to be a dad!"

You cleaned Dan's face and kissed his cheek.

"Congratulations mate!"

"Do you mind answer my question sweetheart" You told him.

He nodded and took the micrphone.

"Well, how do you see your future?"

"Right now? It doesn't look bad. I can't wait. I'm excited. I have always wanted to be a dad. I'm going to be a dad!"

People laughed.

"You will be the best dad" You said looking at him with a big smile.

"You know, I always wanted to wait until the end of my career. Now it feels like the perfect moment" He smiled and brushed your knuckles with his thumb.

"It is" You nodded.

He turned to the camera. "Thank you very much to everyone for being there. I will try to come over next season a few times. A pity this sweet girl here won't be to do her wonderful interviews."

You laughed and took the micrphone from his hand.

"Thank you very much for your words, have a good rest and enjoy the break. See you around."

He leaned and kissed your cheek.

"I'll be waiting on the hospitality, love"

He ran away laughing and hugging everyone. That weight of leaving without knowing if he would come back was lighter now. He had you, his family and the future baby. He didn't need more.

You watched in awe and looked at Natalie.

"He will be okay"

You smiled and nodded touching your belly.

"He will. We will"

She hugged you.

Some time later, you were on the restaurant sitting under his arm. He was happy, he was so happy.

"It's like... I thought the world was ending when they told me. But now? Now it makes sense. Now I can be with my wife and baby until things settle. It will be alright." He told everyone on the table.

You kissed his cheek.

"It will be alright

[bumblingbabooshka]

Picturing what a healthy Vulcan parent-child relationship would look like. I’m going to probably talk so much about Tuvok.

So the most famous Vulcan parent-child relationship in star trek is Sarek and Spock but this is not a typical parent-child dynamic. First of all, Sarek is shown to be a pretty terrible father whose three kids all have a negative relationship with him. But also Sarek and his family are not typical in that they are famous (for Sarek’s diplomatic status, his marriage to a human and his half-human child). Even the other relationships with his children are not typical. Michael is human and Sybok is ‘without logic’. From what I’ve seen (clips on youtube, take this with so many grains of salt) T’Pol and her mother are closer to being typical but again there’s some sort of extraordinary element in that there...seems to be some sort of conspiracy happening in the background of their relationship? Like some career drama? And also T’Pol is the first Vulcan to work closely with humans so that’s not typical. But they do seem to care much more for one another. (gritting my teeth) This is why I wish so badly that we saw or heard more from Tuvok about how he parents. But we can glean stuff of course from the episode ‘Innocence’ THE episode. Tuvok is very patient with the children. He tucks them in and agrees to ‘check the fire’ even though he knows it doesn’t need to be checked on and even says he sings his own children songs to go to bed. He also seems to expect them to be better behaved (more obedient) than they are, possibly because in Vulcans emotions are more controlled by their age. (Ex: A Vulcan child might not complain about not liking a situation beyond anyone’s control because they recognize it cannot be changed) In my headcanon I think it would take a lot of patience and structure to be a Vulcan parent. (I’ll literally never get over the fact that Tuvok apparently sung a 348 verse lullaby to his children semi-regularly) Vulcans are naturally very volatile and emotional so I imagine children are prone to such things, hence why Tuvok says they learn to detatch themselves from their emotions early. (He tells the children that he thinks they can do this as well so they probably do this younger than 10) He also says that he doesn’t understand why other cultures read their children frightening stories to get them to go to sleep which might be a Tuvok specific thing but also might be a Vulcan thing...trying to keep children calm. I also wonder if Vulcan parents being calm and unemotional helps with their children behaving the same way? Something very specific that struck me about Tuvok’s interactions with the children was that when they were scared of a monster, thinking that the other kids were eaten he said first “The other children are not within scanning range, that is all we know.” and then after they insisted he said “Yes, the existence of [a monster] is one possibility. But your emotional reactions are preventing you from accurately judging how unlikely that is to be true.” He doesn’t just say “That isn’t true.” to the kids, he acknowledges that it’s a possibility but he doesn’t think it’s very likely. Which just struck me as very...compassionate? Very logical but also something that I don’t think a human would do. I think a human would probably just try to convince the kids that the monster wasn’t real. Tuvok says that it’s possible the monster is real but that it’s very unlikely and so they should try not to focus on that possibility.  I’m also thinking about the times Tuvok is hugged by the children which he seems very surprised by. It’s possible that’s just because these are strange children or Tuvok specifically isn’t used to being hugged/doesn’t appreciate it but it could also be that hugging is not a typical response he expects from children their age and that hugging is not one of the ways in which Vulcans express affection towards their children. Again, it’s not like Vulcans don’t show affection. If singing someone over 300 verses of a lullaby isn’t affection I don’t know what is (and he also tucks the children in seemingly on instinct) but maybe that kind of physical affection (hugging, kissing) isn’t commonly practiced. Tuvok seems to take a lot of opportunities as teaching moments so I wonder if that’s also a form of affection. Like, instead of moments where a human would comfort a child (Ex: “I’m scared of a monster”) he uses it to teach.  Also, if Vulcan children have fairly good control of their emotions by the time they’re around ten or so - I wonder if there’s more...uh, equality? In that relationship, if that makes sense? Like for example, since Vulcan children wouldn’t bother with complaining about an unchangeable situation, would they be more likely to try to help Tuvok with the shuttle repairs instead of playing? Certainly they would at least just sit quietly, since I imagine Tuvok wouldn’t tell these kids to do something he wasn’t sure they could do based on his own experiences with his four children. Which again makes me so hungry for familial bond content...give it to me...I want to know about it!! Of course there’s Tuvok’s brilliant line about how he doesn’t “feel” anything for his children but they’re a part of him and he feels incomplete without them. Also when Neelix asks Tuvok about what it’s like to be a parent Tuvok says only the most dedicated should become parents in his opinion (and he has four children, he is the poster parent for dedication) and that he thinks about his children very often. This all says to me that Vulcan parent-child bonds are very strong and there is a lot of care in them, just maybe not what humans would recognize as such.

[thatscarletflycatcher]

A starter guide on Ubuntu-Linux, from a non-techie to other non-techies

Preamble (a.k.a. the story/rant before the recipe, feel free to skip or not as you wish)

Several years ago, I got a laptop for college purposes; it ran on Windows 10 with decent reliability for a few years, but then it started getting slower and slower, the bloatware (programs and apps that companies pre-install in your devices that you cannot remove) was just tremendously bothersome, my computer would start updating all of a sudden and be at it for hours, etc, etc.

And so my dad suggested I switched to Ubuntu (he had been using it for a few years himself at that point), and... I'm not going to lie to you. I was scared. Was it going to be too different? Wouldn't it require far more computer knowledge than what I already had? Wouldn't the learning curve be too steep? Wouldn't I be unable to do a lot of the stuff I used to do?

Years later my answer is: I don't miss Windows. The learning curve wasn't nearly as steep as I thought it would be. I got acclimated to the system within a couple weeks. There are parts of Ubuntu itself that aren't that up to date (mainly stuff about medium-advanced audio management, streaming through Discord, and semi-pro to pro levels of photo processing), but I have managed to work around most of it with little difficulty (the image processor I use for making gifsets is proprietary sofware --the code of it is not open for transformation by third parties-- but I can work with it mostly fine through a tool called Wine). If what you do with your computer is mainly internet surfing, document writing, listening to music and playing videos (and similar basic stuff) you are unlikely to have any problems working with Ubuntu. But the best, best, best part of it for me? No bloatware. No 8256754 attempts at getting my personal information or tracking me. My computer is fast, as fast as it was when I first got it (the couple times it broke in the last two years had nothing to do with software: it was first the hard drive, and then the fan). No computer deciding to update and leave me waiting whenever it wants. And honestly, that makes every little inconvenience I have faced in Ubuntu worth it, very much worth it.

Linux has a problem

And it is that a loud section of its userbase is made up by techies who have a very unrealistic notion about how much the average person knows about computers.

A few months ago there was a post making the rounds, where OP explained that you can put ubuntu in a pen drive and carry it with you (yes, it is possible and relatively easy to do) and there was a bunch of people in the notes explaining how much better it is to pick Linux Mint, or use a raspberri pi, as if people who don't know you can carry Ubuntu in a pen drive could understand what they are talking about.

My goal with this post is to explain some of the very basics in an accessible language. I will probably use inacurate and generalized language in it for the sake of explaining simply, and will focus on Ubuntu because it is what I know. If you are a Linux fan who loves Linux Mint or whichever other, go ahead and make your own post.

Definitions, yada, yada

So, what is Linux? in plain terms, it is an operating system (Windows and Mac are operating systems) with several variations called distributions. Think of it as Linux being like a family, and the distributions being the members of the family. Some """famous""" members of the Linux family are Ubuntu, Debian, and Red Hat. One of the main distinctive characteristics of Linux distributions at the basic level is that they are free software: it can be used, modified, and redistributed under certain conditions, by everyone.

Where do you get Ubuntu, and how to install it?

You go to www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop. There you will see two items: the first one is a "LTS" (long term support) and the other isn't. What is the difference?

Ubuntu releases a new version every six months, one in april and one in october. So, for example, the version released in april this year is Ubuntu 22.04, also named Jammy Jellyfish, and the one released in october, Ubuntu 22.10 is called Kinetic Kudu. Every two years, in april, a LTS version is released. Jammy Jellyfish is a LTS release. That means it has a 10 years stay, and is a stable, well tested and tweaked release.

What I'm saying here is, get the LTS release.

When you click download, you will see an ISO file of about 4gb. Save it to your hard drive, and get yourself a 4gb or bigger pen drive that is empty and you don't mean to use for anything else.

To install Ubuntu in that pen drive, follow the instructions here. They are short and simple, and the whole process shouldn't take more than half an hour (probably around 15-20 minutes).

Now that you are in possession of Ubuntu-on-a-stick, you can go ahead and reboot your pc, with the stick still connected. Usually the computer itself will recognize the system and open it, or ask you between the two options of system. This is not installing Ubuntu yet, but you need to be careful.

Next it will show you a menu with two options: to install Ubuntu, or to try it out. DO NOT CLICK ON INSTALL UBUNTU IF YOU STILL HAVE UNBACKED STUFF OR ARE UNSURE YOU WANT UBUNTU YET. It will format your hard drive and all of that will be lost. The try option, on the other hand, works from the stick and does not format your hard drive.

Try Ubuntu will allow you to see how the basic system would look upon installation, and it will also be what you'd use if you were carrying Ubuntu on a stick to use in other computers. You cannot really modify much there, but if you choose to install the system, it is very, very, very customizable. You can tweak it and add and change the position of menus, clock, desktop icons (At first I thought you couldn't have those because they don't appear there by default! But you can! You just need to add them yourself).

To install Ubuntu on your computer, follow the instructions here. The process, again, is described short and simple, it doesn't take long, and the thing itself guides you step by step.

It is possible to make a disk partition, and have Windows in one part of the hard drive, and Ubuntu on the other. I myself have never done this and don't know how it is done. But if you want to try that, there are many tutorials on the internet about how to do it, I just don't have a specific one to recommend.

A couple more things

Once your new system is up and running, and you are customizing it, there are a couple basic things to know that are helpful:

Between the programs that come with the system, there's one called terminal. Terminal allows you to write direct commands to your computer. For example, instead of opening a program from its icon, you can type the name of the program (for example, "VLC") in terminal, and it will open it.

Similarly, you have two ways to install programs: one, like windows, by downloading the package and opening it with double click, the other by writing in the terminal "sudo apt-get install [name of package]". Some packages will already be in the cloud in what is called repositories, and just by typing "sudo apt-get install [name of program]" terminal will download and install it for you.

Like Windows, Ubuntu will give you messages about updates being available; unlike windows, you can install those whenever you want, and they run on the background (you can use your pc while it updates).

Alternatively you can just update your computer whenever you want by opening terminal and writing "sudo apt update" and then "sudo apt upgrade". I myself do that every day.

There are a few programs like get-iplayer (to get stuff from BBC Sounds) and youtube-dl (to get stuff from YT) that work in terminal only.

Terminal is very cool and if you are like me it will make you feel like a hacker in a 90s spy movie.

www.askubuntu.com is a forum that has answers for everything you might face as a problem or challenge while using Ubuntu. It is great.

If you do give Ubuntu a try and have any relatively basic questions I can answer about it, feel free to shoot an ask or message me, and I will help if I can!

[jaynnie-jane]

This blog is changing.

A few weeks back I had a series of days that were INCREDIBLY dark. They were not truly triggered by a single event, it was more as if it was an explosive bubble of depression that I had been trying to control or make smaller suddenly exploded totally outside my control. Unlike the other times in the last 12 months where something similar has happened, where I would always try to "put on a brave face" for those around me, more often than not I just gave into it. For the better part of three entire days I rapidly swung between an intense and physically painful sadness and nothing. Such heavy dissociation that I completely lost six consecutive hours on one day. Such heavy dissociation that, despite having everything journaled I now have very little recollection of those days. I do however know and remember very clearly, the calmness of planning the end, rather than just fantasizing about it. (for anyone that has been triggered by that, I am so sorry. I do not include TW because there's significant evidence based research that shows including a TW actually increases physical and psychological signs of distress. I wish I had words that could help with what you might be experiencing right now, but I know when I am there, there's nothing anyone can say to me that is helpful. A shock to the system is usually what helps me. so, I dunno, go flail your arms and or legs around and jump up and down on the spot for 10 seconds.) Since then I have still been more reactive and defensive than I would like, there is still something not quite right in my brain, there's still more trauma there than I have ever allowed myself to believe. HOWEVER. I know enough and BELIEVE enough in the power of the mind to change things. I have been trying to use this to my advantage but, on really difficult days it's a lot harder to do it without some external help. I know what works for me and that is to focus on the positives (though, I have learned that when in a relationship with someone else it's REALLY important to be clear about where I ACTUALLY am and to be very clear about what I am trying to do when focusing on and vocalising the positives and the hope and to be even MORE clear about particular boundaries that should never be pushed by a family member or friend). And when I say focus on the positives, I do not mean, in any way to just ignore the bad stuff, to not address the bad stuff. What I mean is that when shit happens, because it does, I need to refocus just as much on feeling and experiencing the not so bad. So, for every negative thing I write here, I am training myself to find at least three things around the same issue or scenario that are positives (I believe I am actually supposed to find four to try to counter the natural negativity bias but I am creating a realistic goal that does not overwhelm). I will also be writing by hand a lot more and uploading pictures simply because when we write by hand, our brains respond differently. So, a big thank you to everyone that has left a like, a comment or has reached out. Even though it may not seem I realise, I do. I see you there more than you know and I am incredibly grateful. You have helped this last year feel a lot less alone.

[taldigi]

If you can save the pre-canon characters and Kagami, then you can definitely save Ikuto Tsukiyomi.

Also, which do you think is worse, Miraculous or Shugo Chara?

rrrgh ok like

tldr: ML by a long shot.

So like, preface: I watched the anime like, 10-ish years ago and only read the first.. 2 books.

Shugo has Amu/Ikuto have the age diff thing (OBJECTIVELY why? This was an author choice when they absolutely could have been the same age or at least closer in age. Ikuto could have still been taller than Amu-- but 11 is WAY too young for ANY romance arc in general and SEVERAL characters fall into it. They literally didn't have to, as nothing story-wise is impacted by this) and also the incest thing with Utau was BAD (but sadly I've seen worse & she does eventually get over it and at LEAST Ikuto IS outwardly uncomfortable with it vs more modern takes on it where the bother is either clueless or lowkey into it. Not justification BUT still credit where it's due.).

There is a lot I like about SC in terms of how the Magical Girl/Magic system works. I like the Charas & what they represent and the Character Changes & the narrative of finding yourself and becoming the person you want to be and being happy. I like it being magical girls vs a giant corporation that is using the charas to obtain ultimate power. Also theming like said organization being called Easter and how Amu & Ikuto's power artifacts are two items that are like.. so intertwined with each other (a lock and key respectively)

That kinda stuff appeals to me. Good idea, not a great execution. I'd love to see a "Shugo Chara Remix" of sorts where a lot of the weird stuff worked out of it and maybe a better focus on story and character building.

That being said, the overall story and supporting cast never appealed to me and I fell off it when the story wasn't about Amu or Ikuto or Easter. I never grew to like the side characters and I felt it wasn't adventurous enough. But otherwise it was.. inoffensive? It's very average shoujo for it's time. I know it's one of the earlier takes & a pre-madoka magica magical girl story.. so it's not as influenced by it- which is somethin' I appreciate.

but ML has a lot of outright terrible writing, design, and people behind it. While, again, ML has ideas i like- where SC simply failed, ML tried to reinvent it and went the extra mile to infuse as much french hatred as possible into it.

ML has a lot of sexism, racism, and nationalistic issues. A big point is the appropriation of Chinese mysticism- and it's not even in a fun way like Xaolin Showdown (and iirc Omi was literally yellow) Sabine is a literal caricature, "ideal chinese wife" for TA's self-insert, Marinette needs to be taught her family's language by a rich white boy, and all of her asian traits have been washed out for blue eyes and a whitewashed design ( and don't character design me when other asian characters in the show are explicitly designed differently). and ddddd ont get me STARTED on the native american bullshit that shit was SO fucked and NOBODY talks about it anymore.

The Kwami are great and I think they're a naturally better take on the Charas from SC- at least, initially. Later development and shit like "true forms" and them being their own separate creatures that are subjugated on the regular by everyone (including the mains) is not a great take.. esp when a huge point the show AND THE FANDOM is obsessed with is this idea that "Adrien is trapped and hates it" and then turns around and is like "Well, the Kwami are happy with marinette or their holders so they're okay with being trapped and unable to say no to their owners". It is a huge yikes for me.

I think the precanon take- where they are born from wishes someone makes and has an innate connection to that person & their personality is way more intimate and interesting rather than the "miraculous" iteration. If there is one thing i HATE is when the magical companions are treated like accessories or tools by the heroes (t's an issue i have with pokemon as of late, as the series seems to be putting a backseat on pokemon to focus on the human characters) and Miraculous does that a LOT. Kuro Neko was a huge deciding factor in terms of how I feel about ML, since they not only demolished Plagg's character, but Adrien's as well- by establishing that Adrien does not give a fuck about Plagg and would gladly use him as an emotional "fuck you" to LB- a huge blow considering that Plagg has been consistently the only person to give a consistent fuck about Adrien, despite how often Adrien pushes him around.

Characters in ML are genuinely unlikable, too. I elaborated on it before with Adrien- but Alya is bad too. She's terrible to Marinette. Nino is bad, because of how he acted in Rocketear and the episode where he Akumatizes someone on purpose & targets Gabriel. Marinette is bad too, she's a mix Mary-Sue and Anti-Sue in all the worst ways. The worst part is that they could be better, they are close to being good. Their bases as characters are good. But their writing destroys them.

...and it all boils down to writing. You can have the most interesting characters and the most amazing worldbuilding and the most lovely art style and animaiton- but if the story is bad, then it's not going to be fun to watch. And while SC does stumble in that direction, ML goes full tilt, yelling "HOW MANY EPISODES CAN WE HAVE JIGGLE PHYSICS ON MARINETTES BOOBS BEFORE ANYONE NOTICES" the entire way while the camera slowly zooms in on Ladybug's inflating ass. (and I wish I was joking, but it's true. Ladybug's butt is bigger than Marinette's and one of these characters is wearing a skintight suit.)

Oh yeah, and ML's character design sucks. Objectively. Literally everyone is worse off than precanon. Marinette looks worse- the flats and pink pants look terrible! Adrien looks Worse, his model is weirdly contrasted to his kinda baby-face and his color scheme is frustrating and childish. Chloe looks worse, both in comparison to Melody and her white outfit. Alya looks worse, as she lost a lot of her charm and cuteness to some.. weird hipster vibe. The Kwami lost a TON of cuteness and look way more alien then they need to be-- All of the characters are abrasive to my design sensibilities... Except maybe Alix I like the snake thing going on. A shame they made her a fuckin' Alice in wonderland reference instead of something interesting.

so yeah, ML by a long shot.

[midgarmosquito]

sooo instead of fantastic beasts 2 and 3 (which sucked) i wish we just got a 10-ep series abt newt going across pre-ww2 europe & cataloguing magical creatures 🤷‍♂️

maybe he noticed the creatures he had were oddly distrssed and went off to find the cause? maybe they sensed dark forces, aka. grindelwald's rise to power, the way birds can sense a storm

perhaps the creatures further east were more distrssed than those on the west? he couldve noticed that on his usual travels, or read some vague reports in the daily prophet

but ofc, the wizarding world doesnt rly care much abt magical creatures yet at this point. so the reports are pretty nonchalant and borderline joking

yet, they contain details that are pretty alarming to newt. maybe creatures harming themselves? or others? attacking muggle towns? herbivores suddenly hunting other animals? weird hybrids popping up that shouldn't even exist?

maybe its grindelwald experimenting with the idea of using creatures to gain power but psssst we dont know the reason yet ok

so newt sets off eastwards to figure our tf is going on. starting from britain and ending in ep 10 in romania (as we've learned in hp, romania has DRAGONS 🔥🔥🔥)

every ep has a different magical creature as the focus. some we know from hp (hippogriffs?), some are new. dark creatures (stuff from defense the dark arts classes in hp) also show up so there's action lol

and maybe grindelwald's minions are also on newt's tail? trying to stop him from sniffing around?

ofc jacob tags along because due to wizards not giving a fyck abt magical creatures yet, newt's only guides are local muggle rumors and fairy tales. and newt's a very awkward wizard, while jacob is an incredibly likable and normal man to whom villages readily open up

tina tags along too, because she's an american auror and is trying to figure out whatever dark forces could be gathering (but might be doing that in secret from local authorities cause politics).

theseus is there for the same reason except from the british ministry

we could have a slow burn romance with tina where newt's rly awkward and tina's rly reserved but they clearly care abt each other & over time & experiences, they bond

like newt has no idea how to be in a relationship or show feelings and might even doubt if there's space in his life for another person, considering how long he's been alone and how obsessed he is with his work. he's also kinda always been alone so it's all a strange new situation for him

tina, on the other hand, is incredibly guarded and careful to the point of seeming cold. over time she learns that yes, some people can be trusted.

oh and both learn to actually communicate lol

theseus has actually persuaded the ministry to send him (with some difficulty) because he was worried abt newt and wanted to be around to help. but he doesn't admit this, at first claiming the ministry made him come and that it's even a hassle for him.

he cares abt newt but theseus is a very regular dude who thinks newt's very weird. he loves his brother but struggles to relate to him at all. maybe even infantalizes him a bit? is overbearing?

over time he kinda Gets what newt wants to do and gets a newfound respect for him and learns to accept his weirdness and learns boundaries. and, again, communication lessons for both

i dunno how to shoehorn queenie into this but yeah she could be here too... if i think of a good pretext lol maybe she's just following jacob along

and queenie & jacob are very lovey-dovey but maybe they struggle with the realization that being together might mean being ostractized by their communities

maybe they get rly dramatic and queenie does an Edward Cullen like going "I never loved you" and breaks his heart because she believes he's better off without her

but ofc it horribly backfires and she admits what she did and the whole thing is a mess and they do get back together. but like everyone else, they learn to Communicate

and our merry band of misfits visits both other wizarding schools mentioned in hp (i dont remember their names sorry 😔🤡)

the french school has fairies and half-fairies in it and they have a connection to nature. so they give newt's concerns more attention than anyone else so far. newt's pretty stoked abt that, but there isn't much they can do. maybe the headmaster is too sceptical, despite other staff willing to help newt. maybe grindelwald's dark influence has spread, and the headmaster mistrusts foreigners, muggles, and wizards friendly with muggles as a result

the german school is far less welcoming. maybe they think he's a weirdo too. here grindelwald's influence is even stronger. but perhaps a student or young teacher comes out to help regardless of directive. maybe out of respect for newt's pure guts, wandering dangerous forests and risking everything for his beliefs. after all, their school values being stoic, and this student considers newt to fit this ideal. maybe they help the group find a giant (but i dont think giants are technically magical creatures...?) or an ice monster or something

i've always been fascinated by those other magical school, but we never got a glimpse. so i'd love it if they were very creative and had detailed interiors and exteriors. maybe the french one is an enormous living tree? maybe the german one is entirely underground?

along the way we might also meet other characters, both muggles and wizards, who help or hinder our heroes' journey. maybe we also meets other authors of future hogwarts books, or parents of known characters in hp. neville's parents are an idea, but i dunno if it's possible timeline-wise 🥴

along the way jacob helps a lot using the skills he has (strong social skills, loyalty, a good heart, maybe also knowledge of muggle affairs) and as such is a counterpoint to grindelwald's philosophy of wizard superiority

oh and in ep 1 newt has a near-death experience with a magical creature. rather than blaming the creature, he's understanding and just says the creature was distressed. (other people think he's insane, though.) this does scare him, though - what would happen to his beloved creatures if he was done? what about his body of work? his painstakingly acquired knowledge of magical creatures?

so he starts compiling his notes and writing a book, with doubles as an instruction manual on how to care for magical creatures. but he has no one to pass on his notes to, and it bothers him

maybe he tried to give the notes to dumbledore, but dumbledore smiles and says to give him the book when it's fully done

(dumbledore's lobbying in hogwarts to introduce care of magical creatures as a subject, but wont tell newt yet since its still uncertain)

oh and the eps can start with newt narrating the corresponding parts of his book. the ep's very first shot is always that shaggy, agressive meanace of a book we see in hp. then we see newt's hand carefully patting it, opening it, then reading

over time, he learns to trust his companions, and they begin to understand his work. maybe in like ep 9 he opens up abt his fear of dying and not being able to take care of his menagerie. so they all promise to care abt the creatures using newt's book, should anything happen to him

obv it does, he dies in ep 10 😭 maybe by sacrificing himself while trying to stop grindelwald from enchanting a dragon to do his evil bidding or something

his companions are sad ofc and they do keep caring abt his creatures. we see a montage of all of them doing so, jacob clumsily trying to feed some huge creature, theseus getting bitten, tina sadly stroking the back of some bird-like or horse-like thing

we can have a post-credits scene where, many years later, hagrid's teaching care of magical creatures. maybe fondly talking abt newt and wishing he could've met the man who Understood so deeply why all creatures matter

so yeah thats the kind of fantastic beasts content i crave and think about

and this is how i chose to spend my morning 😃 detailing my imaginary series into the void 😃

jk i regret nothing, this was rlyy fun to brainstorm about ☺🥰

[blouisparadise]

Here are some amazing bottom Louis fics posted or completed during the month of August. We really hope you enjoy this list and that you give these fics a lot of love. Happy reading!

1) Baby Blue | Not Rated | 929 words

Louis rides Harry in a baby blue skirt.

2) Office Rendezvous | Not Rated | 1250 words

Louis surprises Harry at work because he knows his partner is stressed, Harry shows him just how grateful he is.

3) Little Things | Not Rated | 1576 words

Louis is very insecure about his body and looks, so Harry shows him just how perfect he really is.

4) Right Tease | Explicit | 1727 words

"Louis buckled himself up, about to make a snooty comment when he was cut off by Zayn's lips against his own. His surprise only lasted so long, baby blues shutting closed and lips parting to let Zayn's tongue in because this was his Alpha how could he not? He pulled away with a hum after a few long seconds, licking his lips and savouring the taste of his mate.

"What was that for huh?" The lil Omega questioned, fingers grazing Zayn's recently shaven jaw before moving to curl a long strand of dark brown hair."

5) Little Black Dress | Not Rated | 1973 words

Based on the song ‘Little Black Dress’ by One Direction

6) Only You Have The Answer To My Problems | Teen & Up | 2356 words

Liam and louis are dating,they can't find louis prostate so they go to Doctor Harry styles for help. Stuff happens.

7) Nebula | Explicit | 2575 words

Louis is alone at home. When he sees a shooting star, he makes a wish for his life to change. What he doesn't expect is the visit of some kind of alien incubus to service him.

8) Stand Still While I Paint a Picture in My Mind (Capture This Moment and Hold It Close) | Mature | 2954 words

Harry gets horny at work and calls his wife, Louis, for some relief.

9) Sun And Summer Wind | Explicit | 3954 words

Note: The main pairing is Louis/Oscar Isaac.

Louis and Oscar, Guatemala, archaeology, and (something like) dancing.

10) It Wouldn't Be Make-Believe | Explicit | 4251 words

It's been a few months since Harry left to focus on his career. Louis misses him every day, but especially tonight. Something is burning inside him, and what happens should come as a surprise, but it just fits them like a glove.

11) Shouldn't Have Said It | Explicit | 4941 words

Louis and Harry fight about something stupid because that’s what they do. And then they make up because that’s also what they do.

12) Can I Bite Your Tongue Like My Bad Habit? | Explicit | 5570 words

The hooters boy Louis fic where its Harrys 21st brithday and he gets cake in more ways than one.

13) In Doses At Night | Explicit | 6019 words

Harry eyes are trained on the slight crevice of Louis’ chest bathed in a purple hue, the darker colour of his nipples peeking out from behind the bralette.

A firm index finger and thumb grasp at his chin, pulling him from the daze, to make eye contact with Louis. Glittery eyeshadow amplifies the dazzling sparkle of the boy’s thin irises and blown pupils that are more prominent with intricately smudged liner. He’s the fuel for every wet dream Harry will have, as well as something to tie him over until their next time.

“Eyes on me,” he commands.

Swallowing, Harry nods as much as he can with his head gripped. The fingers drop from his face to hold both sides of Harry’s neck, Louis then, ironically, stuffs his shining chest in Harry’s face as he moves his legs to straddle the man’s lap.

In the brief moment of contact, Harry’s nose pressing into Louis’ left peck and dragging up towards the column of his throat, he breathes in deeply. Vanilla and cinnamon tingle his nostrils and coat the back of his saliva-filled mouth on the way down to his lungs where it sits above the arousal in his gut.

14) I'll Love You Endlessly | Not Rated | 6136 words

‘How was that darling?’ Harry asks.

‘Wonderful... It was wonderful...” Louis whispers, not seeming to be able to raise his voice more. He leans back in bed, grinning up at Harry.

15) Hold Me Tight | Not Rated | 8530 words

He collects plenty of money, and struts off the stage eventually, walking among his clients, half hoping for someone not too ugly to take him for the night so he can buy that new fur coat he saw the other day.

As he walks among the tables in the shadows, he spots an attractive man in his mid twenties. Short painted nails, a light blue suit that shows enough of his form to see he is strong. He is the guy. Louis circles around a couple more tables, and makes his way over to the man.

16) L'Amour De Ma Vie | General Aufiances | 8829 words

One where they meet at an impromptu ball in Paris during pre valentine’s week and things that happen after that are unplanned but meant to be.

17) Good Panic | Explicit | 14517 words

Louis is an Omega student studying botany at uni. He suffers from a disease trigger by the SFG (Soulmate Finder Gene). This is a disease that makes his scent strong, and alluring to all Alphas, but makes everyone, Alphas and Omegas alike, smell absolutely rancid. Everyone except for his Soulmate.

For three years he has used scent soothers, and neutralizers to keep himself safe. Even though the majority of the population deems him ungrateful of such a “blessing”. Who wouldn’t want to find their Soulmate. Right? No matter what the cost.

18) My Baby Honey | Explicit | 22508 words

The au in which Louis’ got a bad past, trust issues and is cold towards Harry who’s a bit weird but overall a genius.

19) The Kissing Booth | Not Rated | 28557 words

High school student Louis Tomlinson finds himself face-to-face with his long-term crush when he signs up to run a kissing booth at the spring carnival.

What happens when the crush just so happens to be his best friends older brother, Harry Styles.

20) Lust For Life | Explicit | 32708 words

The 1970s au where the pressure of being an aging starlet begins to weigh heavy on Harry's heart before he meets Louis.

21) Wishful Thinking | Explicit | 52627 words

"Well I have no escort with me, Mr.Tomlinson I'm asking you to be my fake date to my parent's ranch." Louis starts laughing at that, he clutches his hips because it's so goddamn funny but then when he realises Harry's not joking he looks up,

"You're not serious are you?"

22) How Many Times Will It Take (To Get This Right) | Explicit | 150303 words

Louis and Harry used to be good friends (and casual fuck buddies), until Harry's music career took off and he left for a world tour. Louis disappeared from his life after that and for the next four years Harry mourns the loss of his friend (and his lover) until fate brings them back together, and Harry's life turns upside down...again.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

You can find other monthly roundup fic rec lists here.

[mitamicah]

Just some transmasc news about this transmasc dude trying to get help with some transmasc things

TLDR; 

1) I still don’t know when I can start hrt and I might not know for months (which in turn means that I might still be declined or only get started on t in late 2024 or early 2025).

2) I’m thinking about going private with my top surgery and depending on how quickly my friends answer me about wanting to go to Sweden with me as moral support I might have my first consultation with the surgeon this year (way faster than expected)

Long story under the line

Let’s start with a bit of context:

I’m a 28 year old transmasc person seeking hormone replacement therapy and top surgery. (Top surgery is my top priority but HRT are a very close second and only seems more right for me every day). So far I’ve been persuing these two wishes through the public healthcare system with the focus rn being on starting testosterone.

Back in May I had my last therapy appointment about possibly starting t where I was told that my case would be taking up as the next available conference date (the meeting where they discuss my case) and that I’d know when that would be asap. That turned out to be August 9 and I’d get the verdict the day after August 10. If I got accepted I was told that there can go up to 8 months of pre-planning where I’d have to have blood taken, my body and hormone levels checked and all that fun stuff.

Now for top surgery  have been a bit more of a bumpy ride so far all because of my weight. I’ve never been that skinny and while most of my life I have had a sort of high BMI it has been in the normal range. Given that I’d been forgotten by the clinic there was a 4 month wait between my first and second appointment for a therapy session at the clinic. Around this time my grandmother died and I dealt with a lot of changes in my live that in retrospect was way too much for me to handle so I find myself calming my nerves by eating a bit more than usual. And so come february I now had a BMI around 29,5 where the cut off for top surgery at the GC was 27. I was told that I had to lose at least 5 kg to be offered surgery. Three months later after restricting my food intake (no more candy/cake and smaller portions mostly) I’d managed to lose 9 kg so my BMI was now under the cut off (but in the high end around 26). My therapist were thrilled yet still ended the session by saying that I probably had to lose weight again after starting testosterone since a known side effect is putting on weight.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, I want to give you an idea for what have been weighing (pun intended) on my mind. And taken into account that there’s probably 2 years since the GC would even as much as think about offering me surgery, being told over and over that even when I am doing something right it still might not be enough to get this life changing intervention is tough.

And so I’ve thought about going private with the top surgery. There is a private clinic not far from here (Sweden) that is well known for their good results with top surgery for transmasculine people. As a bonus they don’t have the same strict rules about your weight (I read that maybe they’d be careful if your BMI was over 34 but that’s still way higher than having 27 as your cut off).

Now all that context is out of the way what are my news:

HRT

On August 10 I had hoped to know whether or not I could start t. Instead I was told that one person in the personel was on vacation so the team couldn’t tell me whether I can start testosterone or not. Instead, I would get a message about a possible new conference as soon as they knew more. Me loving to have a bit of a time frame I asked how long the person’s holiday would be and I was told two weeks. On August 24 aka two weeks later I then started my inner clock trying to figure out how much time to give them so I wouldn’t seem impatient and needy. 

When around 9 days had passed since August 24 I grew very wary and vocal about said wariness. I for one made the mistake (?) of mentioning it at a trans meet up where everybody then jumped at me to call the clinic as soon as possible because the clinic had probably forgotten me by now and so my case would be as good as dropped. 

And so I called the clinic today to be told that they hadn’t forgotten me (luckily). The thing is they are very busy (which is fair, given the lack of ressources) and so there might not be time for another conference for me this year and if so they wont send me a message before next year. 

So yeah - in the worst case scenario the line will be dead between me and the genderclinic for MONTHS only for me to randomly get a message with a time for a conference sometime in 2024. 

Given the pre-planing for hormones I might not be able to start testosterone before late 2024 or maybe even early 2025 cutting it very close to my personal goal that is to start hormones before I turn 30 (for no reason other than having a time frame).

Top surgery

At the same trans meet up event where I was told to call the clinic today, we got talking about BMI restrictions for trans affirming care. It was everything from being declined therapy sessions (if you had a BMI over 30) down to being less than 1kg (2 pounds) over the cut off for top surgery. Honestly, hearing all these stories made me certain that I wanted to try reaching out to the Swedish private clinic about a possible first consultation.

Given I was already calling one clinic today I decided to book for the other as well. And here I got a pleasant surprise: I had heard that there are quite a waiting list for pre-op consultations and so I could look forward to wait 7 months or more. Well, when I went to book an appointment there were available appointment NEXT MONTH (only one tbf but there were three in November). So if I am quick enough I might get a consultation this very year. Mind you this wouldn’t nesecarily mean that I can get my top surgery this year (probably not tbh), but it is way more promising than not knowing if you’d even get to have an appointment for HRT (that everybody but one person had agreed I could get) within the year.

There’s off course a “but” here as well:

I kind of want to have company with me to Sweden since going alone seems a little scary even as a 28 year old. I had talked about possibly going with my friends (who are a lesbian couple) yet since I only now decided to actually act on my wishes for the surgery through the private clinic I haven’t spoken to them about going to Sweden this winter. And so I just send them a voice message with my question about whether or not they’d accompany me and hoping to hear from them soon so I can hopefully get one of the times available before the end of the year.

So that’s all the news I have - one goodish and one baddish - I guess everything needs to be in balance :’D

[chirpsythismorning]

I think people are just coping or trying to cope. Realistically it is very unlikely that we could get the season that fast. They have not even started filming yet. Almost all actors have other projects. They could get some actors earlier but it is expected that the scheduling will create problems, even if the actors have ST as their priority on their sheat... it is not really realistic to just get all actors on set. And the filming will last probably about 7-8 months (at best) and then there will be editing CGI stuff... which could take 10 months or so... yeah. So, do the math, and i did not even mention the potential writers strike thing. I do not think they'd want to rush things anyways, this is the last season, they'd want it to make sense and with a solid editing+CGI. That takes kinda... 10 months or so, and the promo has to also happen. Realistically we'll get the season in 2025. Early 2025 if we are lucky.

I agree! And I completely get where they're coming from.

I struggle with deciding if I should be honest about what I think realistically. Is it something that's disappointing and so people are just going to reject it, even despite the evidence bc it's not what they want? And if that's the case, what even is the point bc I obviously don't want to upset people or stress them out.

All I'm trying to do is think logically, so that way we can be prepared instead of disappointed over and over and over again. And tbh, telling ourselves the best possible case scenario is the most likely case scenario, is just setting ourselves up for even harsher disappointment.

I know 1 year and 10ish months seems like a lifetime from now, but it really isn't. We're going to be much more sad once it's over and we won't ever be able to see these characters again. The Duffers don't want to ruin the magic of Stranger Things, meaning there will be no reboots with these actors ever again in official canon. At best, we could get something animated, and that's at best. If anyone joins a literal live-action spin-off/reboot, it's unlikely to be someone from the MAIN main cast, as they'll have plenty of work opportunities after it's over. They also vouch for the ending of s5 being perfect. Which is why I think they wouldn't want to risk its eternal quality being ruined solely for a cash grab with a reboot set in the 2000's of them being re-traumatized all over again, essentially taking away all meaning and depth to s5's ending. It's just not happening (good thing we have fan-fiction).. ,

So again, once it premieres and it's over, there will be no more theorizing or getting excited for canon content beyond harmless fodder. I try to think about it that way when I get sad about waiting and it does honestly make me feel a little bit better. Bc surprises are arguably the best part of this experience. And so once there are no more left to be had, what even is there!!?

Although on that same note, once it's over, with the revelations all out in the open, they'll all finally be able to talk about things they couldn't during the shows run. So it will still be fun for fans that want to stick around for a while post-s5, but that also won't last forever. People will move on. Every phase of this experience is something we will look back on and wish we appreciated more, including hiatus right now. We will miss these times, when so much was still unknown and there was so much to hope and look forward to. The unknown is one of the best parts.

I do understand wanting to get closure sooner than later too though, bc waiting can sometimes feel like wasted time almost?

I will say that personally this is a good wake up call for me bc I do want to step back a little bit and focus on crafting major posts instead of like daily shit posts. I have so many in my drafts waiting for ?hrs of editing to be posted. Sometimes I find time for them, but then I get distracted and just end up making a random shit post instead. And so maybe it would be good to try to shift my focus to something more casual so that I can enjoy this experience more long-term instead of it feeling like an obligation more or less.

Not saying I'll be gone for months at a time. Quite frankly, if there's news to be reported, I want to be of the first to know, so I couldn't really leave permanently even if I wanted to... the FOMO would eat me alive.

[subway-boss-jericho]

Hey all! Announcement stuff!

Thank you to everyone who has been very patient with me. I swear to god i could turn into one of those Ao3 authors thats like "hahaha sorry i havent updated in so long i died and then came back to life and then i had to work 7 jobs" and im being so fucking brave about it!! ANYWAYS THATS NOT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT!

Tomorrow is the 1 Year anniversary of steady tracks chapter 1! 🥳(and also my birthday. yes that was on purpose)

So! I wanted to give you all some updates and stuff to look forward to because oh god it sure has been an entire fucking year since I uploaded stuff and I refuse to feel bad about it but my brain is trying so hard to make me! I am working on chapter 2. Progress has been terribly slow because of severe life events, thank you for your understanding.

So!! What's next? Well, over the summer I am really fucking hoping to finish chapter 2. I know I keep saying this but literally i stg. I'm going apeshit. do you know how hard it is to think about something for an entire year and never have the time, motivation, or energy at the same time to make it exist?? fucked up!! Before that though, I have a few things.

I TOLD you all that I would talk about an AU of mine, whichever was highest voted in that strawpoll I did, and then surprise i fuckin didnt do that. I would very very much like to do that! The problem, I realized, is that I operate super hard on a reactionary basis so I am not prone to talking about anything that is mine until prompted about it or given permission. Fucking, Wack. This is my house. I should be cringe and free but nooooo. Anyways, because of this, I am planning on doing 2 things -> Actually tell you guys about spirit keeper! You all voted for him back when, and especially with that ✨Fucking, Gorgeous✨ commission from Fronomeeps I got (for me birthday :]) I really really really want to do that. And post my art more. and shit like that. seriously i need to get out of my head or I'll explode. someone needs to scream about how cool these stories are with me or I'll dissolve. -> I am thinking of doing a day long event where I stream an Aggie/(Magma?) where I draw my AUs and let people hop in to join in (as long as it stays on topic!) as well as answering as many asks as I can about my many aus and basically setting you guys up to trick me into infodumping. Because let me tell you i have a year and a halfs worth of words in my head and i am 100% confident ingo and emmet enjoyers would really like to hear them. So I wanna do a big ask party Q&A and really get things rolling!! Hopefully with drawings and doodles involved! as a celebration for myself, and as a way to open up to the greater fandom (Please leave a comment if you think that sounds cool, I'm trying to gauge interest because if i went all out and no one showed up it would be Extremely Depressing!)

ON! THAT! TOPIC!!! I am actively (literally interspersed with as I am typing this) making a UQUIZ about all of my significant AUs. For the record, there are 23 results on this quiz. I currently only have 3/23 final results completed, but it is my active focus over the weekend to finish as many of those as I can to try and complete the entire thing within a week or less. Also poking at my phrasing here, when I say my significant aus I Mean It, I have more than 23, but these 23 are the ones with stories tangible enough to start somewhere and elaborate on. I have about 10 that I would consider my main AUs, but some of the smaller ones are huge sleeper favorites.

SO YEAH!!! PLEASE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU'RE INTERESTED!! I really wanna do fun stuff and get to know people in the fandom more than just. that person who wrote 1 chapter of a cool fic that one time. I have so much more to offer and I struggle so much to offer it. Please draw me out of my shell, I wish to enter the fandom sphere 🥺

thank you for giving me a great year <3 ((and hopefully the next one will be better <3))

[sailorsunspot]

barbie spoilers ahead, these are my general thoughts on the movie

DO NOT READ IF YOU CARE ABOUT SPOILERS FOR BARBIE

The GOOD:

Sasha

Biggest note is I don't know why the movie wasn't about her???

I thought she felt really true and honest and a great representation of the unique position Gen Z have been put in.

Her preteen disaffected angst and disillusion felt SO correct, both because at that age you just feel jaded and angst but also? Because she's right to be jaded and angsty in a lot of ways. All the stuff she's been told and promised? DONT work out the way it should

I think they kind of missed the mark on really digging into her and her relationship with Gloria and her relationship with Barbie (which is a proxy for womanhood). Think you could have had an incredible movie talking about all the ways the concept of Barbie serves/hurts women through different generational lenses. Because Barbie was useful to Gloria but was also a cudgel (as it was a major plot point, her making these "wrong" Barbie's as a coping mechanism). And we know how Sasha felt with her iconic Sasha rant, but also, she wound up missing the whimsy and the joy and the inspiration Barbie offers

ANYWAY I love Sasha so much, I wish the movie featured her more, and I thought her journey when it came to getting closer to her mother by protecting her mother's ideals and wants and intentionally trying to make space for other women (she did that with both her mom AND ALSO with Barbie at the end, where she was literally the only character like: "Okay, but what about what Barbie wants???") was extremely well written and touching.

The Humor & Style

Not all the bits landed for me, but I generally loved the pro-camp and playful tone of the movie, and genuinely laughed at several points

Genuinely loved the style and the visuals - 10/10

The Content Editting

Tbh, I thought it was smart that they were like: yep, nope, we're not touching racism/ablism in this movie, we're just cool with it. Because…there's just so much to discuss, and no one story can service all things.

The BAD

Barbie's roll as a protaganist

I think this was intentional, but she was the most passive protaganist I've ever seen? Thoughts on this was she was just kind of like…an object to be projected onto so this kind of tracks with the theming of the movie right - like she was forced to go on her heroes journey against her will, when she returns home, she doesn't "save" Barbie-land, she gives up and it's actually Sasha and Gloria and Weird Barbie that does the saving (both because they want to try and also they come up with the plan). I think the most agency she shows in the movie is going to console Ken (which…will talk on that point more later), until the VERY end, when she chooses to become a real "woman". Really her role is more of the witness in the movie?

The Mattel thing

Originally I hated this and would have cut the entire Will Farrel thing, but my friend brought up some interesting points about how that might've been an intentional dig on the uselessness of corporate structure, etc. I still woulda cut it, but that at least makes it an interesting thought experiment tbh.

The Focus on Barbieland

Yeah I know it's like impossible to solve like…Patriarchy in the real world so in that sense it's smart to limit the scope of the danger to a play world where change can actually happen in a satisfying way overnight but like…

In the end, I feel like i dont know anything about Gloria and Sasha other than what I, a reasonably learned media consumer, can infer from the context? Idk, felt like a missed opportunity to dig more into their actual real life experience with womanhood instead of saving the fake construct idea of womanhood, because then we lack context on why the way Barbieland has "changed" is for the better. Since Barbieland and Barbie as a whole is a proxy for the idea of "woman", it felt like we needed more

The plot is supposed to be a reflection of the internal struggle, also known as the "story". How does saving Barbieland reflect onto the main characters of the story, (Barbie, I guess?) Is it just that she realized she no longer wanted to serve the ideal and

the UGLY:

Very VERY narrow definition of Womanhood

This is partially intentional cause of the dolls, but, lol, you cannot have a feminist movie and not cover things like queerness, GNC, etc. Or I guess you can, but it just comes off as the most superficial white liberal version of feminism imaginable. Disappointing, considering the movie did a good job of saying "we're not touching racism and ableism, not because it doesnt exist but because there's only so much we can fit in a movie" but it at least acknowledged those things with their active presence in the movie.

ESPECIALLY since Barbie = the proxy for womanhood, I guess fuck me i'm not a woman then haha

I KNOW that the cast included a trans actor, but that that means nothing within the context of the story other than, congrats show-runners for correctly identifying women, lmao.

Similarly, you absolute CAN have a million and one queer "interpretations" of Barbie, of the Kens, of Allen in particular. Still, it's all on the person who interprets it, not actually in the subtext of the story. Yeah sorry in the year of 2023 I dont give properties props for making me do the work for them, that's some tumblr ass bullshit i cannot abide by. Support my reading with the text or it doesn't count.

Literally all you needed was a single barbie who expanded the view of a woman was, a single Barbie who was like "actually maybe i want to wear Ken's clothes" or "maybe I dont want to hang out with Ken maybe I want to hang out with this other Barbie winkyface".

Ken

Why

No seriously, why

Why does even the Barbie movie, made for Barbie, made for girls, have to cater to the opinions and emotions of fucking MEN?

I have a lot to say about this, but instead of railing on this ad nauseam the big things are:

Ken literally never even apologized for intentionally using the patriarchy to intentionally hurt barbie.

Barbie had to apologize to ken??? For accidentally hurting his feeling by not giving him the attention he wanted?

How did they turn this "feminist" movie into such fucking incel bait holy shit

They were clearly doing the "patriarchy hurts everyone" bullshit but like, they literally covered that with Allan???

so it just makes it feel more BS when they, literally in the fucking text of the movie, have to remind Barbie with Gloria saying "hi, stop infantalizing/mothering your babymanchild he stole your home, fucked up your life, ruined your town" and Barbie was like Yeah you right girl and then not 20- minutes later GAVE IN ANYWAY.

I know im a man hating dyke but fuck. when they make THE LITERAL BARBIE MOVIE about making men comfortable then i think i am 100% in the right to be fucking pissy about this

[futuregws]

I don't even know how to start this post all I know is that it's gonna be all over the place. But I guess the first thing I should start with and set the tone for the rest of the rant bc it's gonna be long, is that edissy shippers are gross, and I really don't think i need to explain much bc we have all seen their behavior before and how they are the ones that made the stranger things fandom be so full of toxicity, and if you haven't seen their general behavior look it up on a unbiased page and you'll see bc this post is not gonna focus on their behavior in general I'm gonna narrow it down a little to a specific group of people within the edissy shippers that somehow they manage to be worse but in ways that is blatantly disrespectful to the actors themselves.

I've said it so many times on here before but since this specific rant is about that I think I should say it again, if you wanna ship 2 fictional characters, go for it, if you wanna ship 2 real people that ARE together that's a little less "okay" but they are together so whatever, but now what we are NOT gonna do is ship two people that are not together, simply bc you also ship their characters and if you on top of that are doing this simply to piss off fans that don't like your fictional ship, then you need some help, doesn't matter what type of help but please get some bc this is the behavior of a 10 year old and even for them this is not okay so why would it be for grown ass adults. Shipping Eddie and Chrissy is one thing and I'm not gonna go into that bc I've made it very clear what my feelings are on it and it's not the point, but when you decide to drag this ship to real life and involve Grace and Joe you're a fucking weirdo, y'all can get mad all you want bc at the end of the day it will make it clear why you're getting mad, it's bc you feel called out on it. And if the act of shipping two real life people who are only co workers isn't bad enough then we also have shit like this

What goes through your mind when posting this disgusting shit, oh wait nothing goes through your mind at all bc y'all don't think, going around claiming that Grace and Joe are fucking based on NOTHING, even just bringing that up is gross bc they are co workers and it's weird that you're even thinking about that, and saying that you didn't get to enjoy their fictional versions so now you are gonna use the actors, REAL LIFE PEOPLE, wtf is wrong with you, how can you not see how absolutely disgusting that behavior is, they are human they're not some dolls that you can go around making up stories about and control what they do, and once again how bored do you have to be to wish that they fuck in public just to piss "antis" off, they are not your little puppets that you can control and use to annoy others, and the fact that y'all thought about that wrote it, read it and still didn't see anything wrong, once again please get some fucking help

And this too, wtf is this are you getting that bored with your stupid fictional ship that you decide to go for this, bc babes if you're bored I could give you a list of stuff to do or even games to play but don't be gross and do this type of shit, it's not normal and it's not okay, you are a fucking weirdo and you need to grow tf up, most of you are 25+ and yet constantly act like 14 year olds while the actual 14,15 and 16 year olds are being ten times more mature than you.

And there was even more screenshots I could use but Tumblr has a limit apparently so those are gonna have to work, if you read all this then thank you bc I didn't realize how long this was getting but oh well, and I'm prepared to get attacked I've been before even when calling out gross behavior like this people seem to not want to understand what's good and bad, and if that one person that commented on one of my other posts about this topic sees this, was I being dramatic like you said, please read the screenshots and I dare you to say that shit again bc if you think this is me being dramatic then you can fuck right off bc this is not dramatic if I wanted to be trust me I gladly would

[mamayan]

Hey! Not sure if you keep up with mha manga and open for this but I am simping for Kunieda and wish we had more content about him. I wish we have more about him even if it's in the Vigilantes. If you have any general hcs ( nsfw even, go off if you have anything in mind) about him , maybe x reader hcs I am open to look. If you not keep up with the manga or not interested for some Kunieda content than ignore this ask. Thank you for reading and if you post some hcs and all than thank you for the content in advance .

Hey Nonnie! Normally I don’t do any content for characters not listed in my master list, but I’ll throw some general HC out there for ya!

(SFW)

tw: None!

Kunieda was previously a serial killer and mass murderer who fed his victims to his plants (connected to his quirk). Once he was broken out of Tartarus by All For One, he swore his allegiance. He’s incredibly loyal to those who do him good.

So his lover would most definitely be someone he feels indebted to but also superior to. Someone likely deemed weaker than him in some way or another. He takes pride in his strength and skill, so he’d want to at least believe himself to be needed.

Kunieda being a psychopath/sociopath means he does not see love as much of anything. So he’d fall under the yandere spectrum, seeing his darling as a possession. Granted, a well cared for possession, because to him they’d be much like a plant. He’d be very good at giving the physical aspects his darling would need.

From food, shelter, to entertainment and luxuries, Kunieda would care for his darling with a phenomenal degree of ease.

This doesn’t translate to emotional or mental states though.

Kunieda is more likely to leave and isolate his darling when they “act up” than help address anything. He just can’t be bothered, and in his opinion he’s paying them back for what they did for him, so shouldn’t they just be gracious and except it? It’s beyond him why his darling would need things like friends, family, or hobbies. It’s unproductive and ridiculous.

Kunieda would also be extremely condescending towards his darling. He’d explain down to the last detail why something was happening, but because he infused zero emotional stake, it’ll just enrage his darling.

No, he won’t ever say “I love you” but he will say “remember that kid you mentioned from six years ago who stole your backpack? Look at them bloom now”.

Like a cat who brings dead mice to you. Trying to teach you how to hunt while simultaneously believing you are incapable of ever accomplishing it.

He’s messy but his hygiene is good. Not a very attractive face beneath his mask but he could care less for appearances.

(NSFW)

tw: Sex • Size Kink • BDSM • Mention of NONCON

He’s a sadist. Through and through enjoys tormenting and bringing as much pain as possible.

However translated to his darling, he’s admittedly tame.

His focus on pain will be from overstimulation and denial. He will dabble in impact play but he’s most keen on seeing them even more weak and vulnerable than usual, so he loves Shibari!

Uses his quirk to tie his darling up with his plants.

He will take his darling by force. He could care less about what they want. He decides what they need. However selfishly he wishes to give it to them. He knows humans need physical contact to stay healthy and sex is honestly the most direct and simple method in his mind. Why waste time holding your hand when he can fill your holes up with his dick? You both benefit from it after all, so why bother with that extra stuff?

He’s tall and skinny but he’s got a huge size kink, he’d like it if his darling was shorter than him. But mostly he just prefers them weaker.

Not a good partner to have tbh, but not the worst. I’d give a 6/10 danger for him as a lover.