#when what's really needed is work and communication from both of them

[b1asho]

A bunch of random people from what's widely considered to be the most dangerous and uninhabitable area on the planet have been asked to pose for a camera.

Some rambling:

Masks and goggles are a lot more popular in the SEZ due to high likelihood of particulates in the air (while the habitable zones have been deemed, well, habitable, there’s still a chance that rust, dust, and worse can blow in over the walls.) Daily weather updates are advisories are in place to keep people updated in case there’s a bad air quality day. Kixeli are particularly affected by this due to their permeable and sensitive skin, which is why many wear more coverage in the form of “wetsuits” that both protect them and hold moisture when outside of their communities. Wetsuits are found outside the SEZ too, but don't normally do fullbody coverage. Potentially hazardous conditions are also the reason behind many SEZ resident’s fashion sense including a lot of protective suits and gloves, though that’s also because many of the people there work as dredgers (where that’s the uniform standard ). Muttreazik and Conduits are a lot more common, with many intentionally flocking to the SEZ from the neighboring DRSS to get away from isolating and negative views on them.

From the top left:

A bunch of Kixeli show off a fish they caught. Due to the encapsulated and contained nature of current Kixeli communities in the SEZ, they can only really be self-sufficient to a certain point and often need to look to the outside for certain resources. This normally puts them in a difficult position where they need to interact with the outside with money that they dont actually use within the community itself. To solve this, many try to barter as much as possible rather than giving/getting money for their goods.

A group of dredgers, two Flickers (denoted by their yellow jumpsuits with an orange diamond) and one of their agency’s mancers (dressed in red to show their propensity level.) they prolly just got back lol.

A lone Dorest just kinda staring at the camera. Probably running an errand for his unit.

The Cerest-host muttreazik who’s next is a spear fisher. Cerest-host muttreazik are a rarity to see anywhere, both due to the small population of Cerest outside of the Empire and also their high host- rejection rate (aka they’re often kicked to the street or taken out as eggs). There is relative cultural freedom found in the SEZ resulting from the sheer amount of weird stuff going on in there, you just have to accept it at some point. As a result, you can find all sorts of muttreazik there who would not be around elsewhere, as well as a lot more non-congruent muttreazik whove ended up there as a refuge. Side note, ,weapon laws are veryyyy strict in the DRSS for anyone that isn’t law enforcement/military. The strongest thing the average civilian is allowed to have is a taser (and a weak one at that.) this spills over into the SEZ, but due to high crime rates and the general dangers of going out into the Wreck, many people in the SEZ are allowed to carry weapons that someone in the DRSS would not be allowed to have (such as a knife or bow, real gins are still a no no). That speargun is considered a tool, tho.

Another dredger, this one older. She’s a type 3, which her agency shows with her green uniform color and patch. Scarring, loss of limb, etc is a common trait for many Conduits (in general and in the SEZ, due to the nature of their affliction and many of their more dangerous jobs) but her arm has been like that from birth.

On a related note, next is a Rossetian who’s somehow lost most of his tail. It’s also worth noting that everyone has just gotten out of a period of warfare, which is another reason behind injury aftermath being a common sight worldwide.

This next guy is an alius-class with a human host, on their way to class. In the DRSS, the Tank system (where muttreazik are removed from hosts and grown artificially) usually limits traits that would make a muttreazik alius (such as the significant changes to the human body plan shown here) so they’re pretty rare. When they do happen, they have a very hard time living in their host society (which is why they might come to the SEZ instead).

Another muttreazik up next, this one doing a fun trick with a bunch of silverware he has for some reason. Reds like him can’t really do a lot more than that, but the control exhibited here may mean he’s trying to progress to orange.

Lastly, a Prectikar and his son (or just some other middling from his family, as Prectikar households are pretty much exclusively multigenerational). Luckily he’s more or less capable of hauling whatever that is by himself, since getting a personal vehicle is very hard and they don’t make many in kar size anyway. The piercing in his speaking nostril is for aesthetics and to help him speak human languages better (often known as a tongue or tooth piercing depending on the shape.) the speaking nostril only really has the “lips” and a bump at the middle to control airflow for speaking, and their mouth’s layout also isn’t super good for mimicking humans (the tongue/lips are very long and relatively clumsy, and they can only do short bursts of very low, hard to control sound from the air sac. ) this works just fine for their own languages, but greatly affects their communication if they’re trying to switch away from one of the ‘bridge’ dialects everyone uses to talk to each other) With the piercing, the muscular upper wall of the nose channel can be trained to press the piercing against the sides or bottom to produce more humanish noises. To avoid compromising or blocking the airway, these are normally minimal in size etc (which also makes them different than a cybernetic vocal implant, also since there’s no electricity involved lol. )

[kidspawn]

Need a good laugh. What is your most insane TRC/TDT takes?

hello, my good friend, it is i, your local not normal about media guy! i am currently hiding in the cooler at work bc I locked myself in again. insane TRC/TDT takes? I have a few rapid fire miscellaneous ideas/headcanons for the masses that I rattle amongst the brain like a hyperactive toddler. allow me to share:

- blue gets the barbie movie. henry gets the barbie movie. it took gansey two watches to get the barbie movie and blue nearly gave up because "if you don't get it i can't help you" but by god he tried. ronan gets it but pretends he doesn't and owns an "i am kenough" fuzzy sweater he does not wear anywhere. adam did not get the barbie movie. he will not pretend to get the barbie movie. he does not care because those tickets were nearly thirty dollars so he did not see it. who the fuck is ryan gosling? noah loves it, he kind of gets it but a lot of it goes over his head. declan, like ronan, pretends not to get it but "i'm just ken" is in his spotify wrapped. matthew adores it but for the wrong reasons and he and ronan have matching fuzzy sweaters.

- ronan's nut allergy is canon. to ME. and he didn’t really register as a kid that other people weren't allergic to peanuts he thought they were all the DEATH NUT so one day when Declan really pissed him off he crushed up peanuts and put it in his dinner because kids do dumb shit like that and Declan ate it all and said he felt fine and ronan was appalled and convinced Declan was secretly microdosing on peanuts to built an immunity so he decided to do the same he started choking and nearly died but he's okay now.

- Matthew has had three concussions. one was formed halfway through healing from the second concussion. they never told him because they didn't know if he really had a normally functioning brain to have permanent damage in. sometimes he takes a little long to process information and Declan holds his breath but nothing significant as far as they can tell

- Henry canonically listens to kpop, which means he probably listens to 2nd gen kpop, which means I can say with confidence he listens to my favourite bands SHINee and BIGBANG, 2NE1, Wonder Girls. Why is this important? idk it just brings me joy.

- adam and ronan have kinks, they are aware they have kinks, they both are kind of aware the other has kinks (adam knows Ronan is into his hands, Ronan notices Adam kind of gets off on Ronan being smart they just dont talk about it) and they stumble into several dubious circumstances revolving them both being sexually repressed and unwilling to talk about their kinks theyre fine its all fine but like sometimes they'll just do things and forget safewords or to even say "hey man pls do not call me that" and its fine but also I do not see these two communicating about sex beyond "yes please" and Ronan kinda just letting Adam do what he wants with him. all well and good but also sometimes as a response Adam will ask him to take out the trash and he'll get a boner

- adam cannot cook. I have never felt more adamantly that he cannot cook. he and gansey cannot cook. however, gansey can learn. adam said, "fuck you gansey if you can read you can cook" and tried to cook and nearly burnt the Barns down and it is his deepest shame he still cannot cook meanwhile gansey can make grilled cheese and god does adam wish he could make grilled cheese as good as gansey's grilled cheese but no. Ronan thinks its hilarious and refuses to help and adam tells no one he can't cook because he sees it as a weakness.

- gansey microwaves his tea its disgusting blue groans in disgust everytime she sees it

- blue convinces Ronan to let her pierce his ears and pretends like she'll let him do hers too but she lies and gets them professionally pierced because she's worried about infection meanwhile ronan's ear swells and he has an adverse reaction and cannot sleep on his side for a month

idk if these count as insane but I DO have more and will gladly share these are rapid fire off the top of my head and I hear my manager with the keys about to let me out

[bewitched-hours]

OKAY OKAY OKAY ZO Y'KNOW ONE OF MY FIRZT AZKZ ABOUT THE CREATION OF PURE LOVE! [READER]??

THINK ABOUT THAT BUT THEYRE A KILLER

LIKE THEYRE REALLY UNHEALTHY LOVE, MAYBE MANIPULATIVE LOVE, OR JUST CONTROLLING POZZEZZIVE LOVE?? (THEY DONT ACTUALLY CARE FOR ANYONE, EXPECT THEIR ZIBLING, 1X1X1X1. THEY JUST PRETEND THEY LOVE ZOMEONE TO MANIPULATE THEM HEHE)

THEY CAN BE LIKE THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE, TALL (ALMOST AZ TALL AZ GUEST 666), SCARY, DAMAGED WINGZ, DIGITIGRADE LEGZ (AND THEY ALMOST ALWYS ARE ON ALL FOURZ, BUT IT DOEZNT BOTHER THEM BC IF THEY ZTAND UP RIGHT FOR TOO LONG IT ZTARTZ TO HURT THEIR BODY EVEN MORE)

HEREZ ZOME KILL LINEZ OR ZOMETHING

Shedletsky: "I'm surprised Brighteyes still loves you, better change that, hehe.", "Oh look at you, still in love! Absolutely pathetic.", "We should've been dead a long while ago."(Callz themzelvez 'us', 'we', 'both', etc.), "Hmph! You should've known better, 'father'. Shouldn't have made us from your own lustful desires."

007n7: "Ah, no ones loved you yet? Ha!", "You'll always be alone for the rest of you pathetic life.", "Awh, c00lkidd still doesn't have a loving mother? Ha!", "Mm, your lonely life is very entertaining!", "You'll always be alone."

Guezt 1337: "Awh, does your wife still love you?", "Oh, you're married? Ugh, boring!", "Daisy still loves you? Pathetic!", "Eww, this ones married.. like someone I hate."

Noob: "Your love life sucks!", "You should really try dating.", "Jeeez, still alone? Loser!"

Chance: "Don't even try gambling a partner.", "How long will you keep trying for a partner? Just give up!"

Taph: "Communication is IMPORTANT for relationships!!", "Try actually SPEAKING up, if you want a partner."

Dusekkar: "No one wants your boring rhymes!", "You'll die alone.", "God, no one wants you.", "Look in a mirror, before you get out."

(THIZ IS PLATONIC!!!!!!!!!!)

Alzo, c00lkidd and [READER] are quite good friendz! Mostly because both of them have a child-like mind, but [READER] knowz they're killing people. Zometimez [READER] likez to let C00lkidd ride of their back when they feel like cauzing chaoz around them ;3

They don't.. like being around 1x1x1x1 too much... it really.. hurtz... love izn't zuppozed to hurt, right..?

They enjoy laying near John Doe when zleeping, like an overzized big dog!

They zometimez like to roughhouze with Guezt 666 when they feel like getting some energy out!

Mafioso and his goonz..? They.. like them. They're all fine. Not the biggest fan of them, however.

Jason and them are mostly friendly.

Bluudud and Pr33ttyprinc3ss? Pretty likes drezzinf them up in zome stuff! Bluudud likes to lay againzt them bc of their fur.

Fun factz: Since CK (c00lkidd) and them are zuch good friendz, zometimez [READER] lickz hiz head (like how a mother cat lickz her babiez!), and may do this if they like u :3 they alzo DONT like manipulating CK, zince they zee him az zomeone who they enjoy being around.

-Zanon

ZANON YOU ABSOLUTELY BLESSED ME WITH THIS TODAY-

EVEN THOUGH THIS ISN'T A PART 2, READER'S STILL GETTING THEY/THEM

Honestly, Shedletsky should've known that both of his creations would turn against him like this.

First 1x1x1x1, now you. The manifestation of his hate working together with its sibling, the manifestation of his love turned... Incredibly unhealthy.

Now, you weren't incapable of loving normally. You still showed a normal kind of love to the people you liked. 1x and the kids mainly.

But you were MASSIVE. With your twisted form, you almost reached guest 666's size and struck fear into survivors like it was your second nature.

But your body was still damaged. You couldn't fly and always had to be on all fours like an animal. Not that you minded since you could still carry the other killers around and be taken seriously when you needed to be.

1x was... Difficult, to say the least. Being a manifestation of hatred, there were few things you two actually agreed upon besides your mutual hate for your creator. But she was the only one you actually 'loved', in a sense.

It was actually a little funny. You were the younger one and yet he was smaller. Sometimes you'd theorize on why that was but mostly just to tease.

With the other killers, you were mostly friendly.

C00lkidd, Bluudud and Pr33ttyprinc3ss? You pretty much treated them as your own children, oddly enough.

CK would and you both had a child-like mind so you'd often let him ride on your back to cause chaos around the cabin. Much to 1x's disappointment-

BD would usually just chill and use your fur as pillows. Sometimes he even naps on you and you just kind of accept it and let out a low purring noise as you allow yourself some rest too.

PP usually just dressed you up and you would go along with it all joyfully. You were always proud of her work on you and wouldn't let any of the other killers even so much as chuckle about it.

John Doe was kinda like your first choice for napping besides BD, although he usually didn't really care about you or your fluff. You couldn't fault him since the Spectre practically took his brain.

Guest 666 was usually your go-to for some roughhousing to get all the energy out from rounds that ended too quickly for your liking. You were both so similar that it felt more like having two giant dogs in the cabin rather than legitimate killers at times.

Mafioso and his goons? They were alright, sometimes a little too loud for your liking but otherwise you just vibed with them. They even liked feeding you some of their food at times which you could appreciate.

Jason was probably the most chill. You two didn't interact much but you didn't dislike each other either so there was that.

But for some reason... Being around 1x... Hurt.

It wasn't even his comments or her actions... You just couldn't help but feel a strange pain around them...

You'd often wonder why 1x's presence hurt so much and tried to distract yourself by mocking survivors during chases.

Like telling 007n7 that he was destined to be alone, telling Guest 1337 about his marriage having been a mistake or even telling Chance that he'd gamble away any chance at finding love...

But your worst was always reserved for Shedletsky... You wanted him to hurt.

Reminding him of Brighteyes, telling him he was unworthy of love, reminding him why you and 1x existed and worst of all?

You'd allow him to see the ugly, self-loathing part of you that only him and 1x could ever know of.

A part that cried for what could've been if Shedletsky had bothered to be responsible.

A part that cried to be loved.

That inner child that still wished all of this was a terrible nightmare and that you would wake up with 1x to a life of normalcy. A life where you were a real family instead of this broken and fucked up battle that never ended.

Whenever you had a round with Shedletsky, you'd retreat to your own realm shortly after the round and would refuse to speak to anyone.

Your own creator made you break down and you'd have to calm down in a pretty little realm of your own where you would float on cloud that almost matched your fur and allowed you to temporarily forget your own vulnerability.

Other survivors you'd happily manipulate and mock but Shedletsky broke through all of it without even trying and made you return to that little kid that would cry and lash out at him because he took away all that could've been good.

And there was no doubt 1x knew...

kek- Maybe a part 2 will be in order~

Anything you'd like to request/ask? Check out my pinned post first and I'll be happy to write up whatever you want!

[blade-liger-4ever]

How do you think the decepticons would react to Smokescreen's background? Wouldn't be surprised if up to this point, they assumed he was born in Iacon or Praxus.

First of all, thank you for the interest in my headcanons and Smokescreen blog. It means a lot!

Now, down to business.

Megatron

So, Smokescreen isn't merely a successor to Optimus, but a youngling from the Mithril Sea? The Matrix really makes no distinction between the classes, or so it seems.

Megatron is both impressed and suspicious of the revelation. On the one servo, that explains a great deal of his ingenuity and resourcefulness. Hailing from Kaon, the Lord of the Decepticons knows just what kind of creativity can sprout from such a background, as well as how it forges tenacity in the face of such odds.

On the same token, Smokescreen never betrayed either an accent or the ruthlessness associated with such locations as the Mithril Sea. Only a fool would dismiss it as a sheltered experience in the Sea. Megatron knows for a fact that even the upper classes in such places are not blind to how life is on the streets.

This all makes the future Prime more dangerous in his optics...and a tad more interesting than he'd given Smokescreen credit for.

Should they meet again in battle, Megatron will enjoy testing the abilities of the Elite Guardsman.

Starscream

How - what - Smokescreen is from the Mithril Sea?! AND older than Bumblebee?!?!

He can't fathom it. Starscream can name the Cybertronians who served in the War that called the Sea home on one servo. Any who were remotely close to Smokescreen or Bumblebee's age were turned down or used in Shockwave's lab experiments. They were sick enough and far enough from most of the city-states that no one would be the wiser. Except for the Decepticon High Command, of course.

Now Starscream is just liquid angry. Here he'd thought he was dealing with a fellow Praxian, and yet Smokescreen was simply an urchin from the Mithril Sea.

An urchin who'd also be named a future Prime. Auagh, what a development....

Soundwave

Curious...not only was Smokescreen at the top of his class in the Guard, but he hailed from the Mithril Sea. Based off his appearance, Soundwave had assumed he was a native Iaconian. However, comparing his tactics and fighting style to that of a select few Mithrilian combatants, the communications officer can now see the connection.

Interesting that he sports no accent. Perhaps Smokescreen suppressed it during training.

Digging up more files, it doesn't take Soundwave long to find his health records and family history. Parentage will need more study; lower classes tended to be separated from their sires and carriers upon birth, which leave many questions to his lineage. However, he does find a sister: Chromia. She was apparently Special Operations, and has quite the record of achievements and ferocity during the War. Last seen assigned to Ironhide's detachment of soldiers. The health of them both is remarkably high; the two possibly grew up in the middle of the Sea, though that still speaks volumes about their immune systems.

Lord Megatron will want to know of this, as well as about Chromia. Not only would either of them be good test subjects for artificial diseases, but if Chromia still functions, then she might just prove a good bargaining chip.

Knock Out

After a long tangent of swears over a lowly working class 'Bot having such a shiny finish (and better than his own, the nerve of it), Knock Out's medical processor immediately begins questioning his health.

Mortality rates in the Mithril Sea were incredibly low. So low no one had thought any new Cybertronians had been born there since eighty millennia before the War began. Pit, when had the brat been born?!

He'll be demanding those health records from Soundwave soon. He needs to understand just HOW the little punk survived the Sea - especially if the Elite Guard's passing commentary on his food consumption is true.

AllSpark, just how is he so healthy from a lack of energon, never mind the ore substitutes....?!

Breakdown

Whoa whoa whoa. Back up.

The shiny rookie isn't just a candidate for the Primacy, but a native of the Mithril Sea? Shoot, that might just explain his loose screws.

Breakdown would've guess Iacon or Praxus as the kid's home. He was upbeat enough for the former, and flashy enough for the latter. The fact that he was from such a cesspit was shocking - and more than a little impressive. Come on, it's not like Breakdown's had many opponents of the same social standing as himself.

Now Smokescreen's not getting any slack for his working class background. Breakdown's never had any, nor would Lord Megatron appreciate it.

That said, it's definitely gonna be fun for upcoming fights. And something to take his processor off of Smokescreen's future Primehood.

Dreadwing

Intriguing. Dreadwing should have seen the signs sooner, for not many Iaconians or Praxians possessed such resiliency and determination.

Admittedly, considering the health of most Mithrilians, Smokescreen's physical health was astounding. He must have had quite the parentage to inherit such a strong immune system. He should consult Soundwave about his family records, if for no other reason than to provide Lord Megatron and Shockwave with sources for his genetics.

The revelation of Smokescreen's sister is...complicated, for Dreadwing. Chromia was quite the feared warrior in the quarters he'd dealt with, and many a Decepticon longed to finish her off for her ability to lessen their numbers.

Although he doesn't acknowledge it, Dreadwing doesn't know how to feel about killing either sibling. Perhaps he should simply kill both and spare them the pain of separation.

It would be a greater mercy than the Prime gave him.

Shockwave

Fascinating. The health records provided by Soundwave are unique compared to the Mithrilians Shockwave has experimented upon. Not only does Smokescreen's frame show no sign of illness, but the few times he has suffered a sickness have been overcome quickly. Clearly, the future Prime has an advanced immune system.

A quick survey of Chromia's physical file ends with similar results. Thus far the siblings are the only Mithrilians Shockwave has encountered that did not suffer greatly from the living conditions of the Mithril Sea.

A cause for either Autobot's life to be spared should be made to Lord Megatron at once. Not only could they glean something about how the Matrix operates with live test subjects, but if Shockwave can extract the necessary information from experiments on their immune systems, then that could turn the tide of the War.

Especially if they return to chemical warfare.

@kzele I hope you have fun with, as well as you, Ask Box Questioner! God love you both, this has been a blast!

[vestaclinicpod]

Audio Drama Sunday - 15th June ✨

What a week of listening! 

🌲 @hellofromthehallowoods (193) No, no, nope. Mr Spiderfingers is way too scary for me. While I do love the addition of a genuinely terrifying character, I wish it wasn’t quite so tied to my phobias! I had a terrible gut feeling what was going to happen in the second story as soon as I realised the Mendies were going to meet up. Bern 😭 I have missed our gay elders so much this season and I’m so glad that they arrived just in time to put a stop to the violence. The thought of her being frail enough to need a wheelchair while accounting how she used to kill hallowoods fauna makes me desperately sad. Please! I don’t want to lose another one of the S1 faves. Oh, Olivier, also 😭 Maybe I was just emotional this week, but her pleas not to get whipped away from the fight again really got to me. 

🧳 Travelling Light @monstrousproductions (48) Speaking of getting emotional. This ep gave me some BIG feelings. The multi-cultural new year’s celebration was so gorgeous and imaginative (and finding out it was all Óli’s doing for The Traveller - stop it, my poor heart). And that *scene*. GOD. I know that yearning is infinitely more delicious than them both explaining their feelings and being done with it but, at what cost? It also hurt hearing the Traveller get confirmation of the community they’ve found in Clanagh just as they leave but, also, only getting that confirmation because they’re leaving?? I am very excited to be travelling ‘light’ (someone needs to nick that case so it’s true) again! 

🍎 @notquitedeadpod (XLIX) Oooh, Alfie. There’s so much hurt wrapped into the revelations of this episode. Hearing him rationalise his childhood/adolescent pain from an adult’s perspective makes me want to scream. No, honey, it was their responsibility to look after you always, no matter what else was going on ☹️ Also, I loved this line which is so NQD: ‘No, no I don’t know how many people you’ve killed and I don’t fucking care. Do you want to fuck me or not?’ 

🧋 @hinaypod (58.1-59) Oooooh, the Hen and Eda story was SO CUTE 😭🏳️‍⚧️ I loved it so much. I’m finally getting to grips with who the various men are from the most recent stories (I think). I don’t know why, but I always thought it was a house fire that got Billy Boy? Very exciting to be learning more about it! I also hope we get to find out more about the Donner family gift!!! 

🔎 @224bbaker The season 2 Q+A made me giggle so much. What a fantastic cast and great questions!! Delightful to hear a full length version of The Tunnel of Brotherly Love as well. Now you’ve said it, the Bowie/Brit Pop combination really shines through. 

🔮 @spiritboxradio (1.40) What a Good S1 finale! So much was tied up so satisfyingly, while leaving a good few mysteries to chew on as we go forward! I low key love the Inconveniences and I hope we get them back in the future. It’s verryyy interesting to consider the sacrifices Sam might have to make in order to ascend to his full title in the future (flower boy, I am side-eyeing you, sir) !!

💬 @clinical-space-podcast (3) Me: huh, I thought this show was queer. Aja: I HATE HER I HATE HER I HATE HER Me: oh, haha.  Also, I’m so intrigued by the parental issues going on here. I love a good broken family!! 

🥊 @killjamxxx (06-07) Okay , Bellamy, you sneaky lil small-printer!! I see you! Oh I’m SO glad that we’re not losing Mara as a POV this season, she’s such a cool character (and her VA has such a nice voice, so sue me). Maybe I’m going crazy, but do Dirge and Roger have history?? I’m not sure I buy that Roger’s insider knowledge of trying to target and oust Faustina is enough for Dirge to stop a meeting for him. Idk! Also, those twins are scary as fuck (pun intended). I’ve started listening to Killjam when I work out because it gives me hope that maybe I could have thighs like Faustina one day 🥺

🦋 I thoroughly enjoyed the @remnantspod Q+A even though I did forget to ask my Qs 😅 Hearing the switch to Sir voice was actually wild!! Definitely precipitating some kind of auditory Fregoli syndrome or something. I understand how voice acting works in theory but like . . . that was astounding. So excited that it will be returning so soon! 

🛸 The Strange Case of Starship Iris (3.00.25) TCOSI is back!!!! So wonderful to hear from Arkady again and I loved and needed a recap, but it was such a natural in-universe way to do one. I’m so excited for this season! Let’s get these characters back together ASAP, please! 

I am SO excited for the release of @levianpod tomorrow! The expectations are high, but I’m certain they will be met! 🌊

[cent-scratchnsniff]

messy doodles plus with some picked ramblings with them as i process, learn, and progress. yes only some out of many. i talk far too much. i missed so much too im just too tired to talk abt those aspects rifht now

[angy-grrr]

I don’t get why ppl keep saying bkdk is dead or Horikoshi broke off bkdk. If that were true, this extra would look very different as you pointed out multiple times. The extra was still heavily focused on them and I hate how ppl are letting one no dictate the entire relationship. Izuku asks him to be a special lecturer too. I think the no just needs more clarification but other than that it is mostly fine. If a ship were to be shut down by the creator, it would look very different. Same logic for if a ship were to be canon, it would look different than what we got in the end for izu///ocha. This extra was bad in different ways from ships. It was just a whole lot of nothing that doesn’t meaningfully add anything to the story but I guess we shouldn’t be surprised since it is an extra. It is still an ambiguous ending that can be pretty fixable by one shots by Horikoshi in the future or even better by fanfiction lol. Except for the Toga part. That is just inexcusable

himiko-chan :(

and yeah! like even tho 431 is terrible not only for pairs but also for the whole story, it only confirmed Katsuki feels something really strong for deku and he doesnt notice bc he doesnt consider himself to be that great; they keep talking, and they keep being in each other's lives with no problem -they also imply they will work on communicating their feelings, as the special lecture is about this topic and deku also thinks katsuki doesnt see himself in a high regard. This is actually something that could be used in the future, as their relationship and arc isnt completely finished -in the way that they arent at a point of no miscommunication, no yearning, etc. They still need something to work with in regards to themselves and each other in the process. When it comes to midoriya and uraraka, idk what exactly could develop from what 431 tell us -seems to be mostly about paying attention to the ppl in your life instead of just letting life happen I guess? But idk what conversation or arc they could have together that wasn't resolved already, it was a really weird choice to focus on them as if there needs to be more explored -which is why choosing to not make them talk to each other nor think of the other in these years is potentially interesting, like the only way they could actually need to talk things up or have a separated special moment is if they just stop being friends and want to talk more from now on. Like, if they kept their friendship these years and were part of the other's life, there wouldnt be a moment like this at all.

I think it hurt mostly ochako -and deku if we interpret it as "deku just wants to be teacher, he is super happy about it, and loveeees so much his ex bestie after 8 years of no contact and never thinking about her"-, more than the bkdk relationship.

It would be interesting to see those one shots, if he does them -I know he said he wanted to do more things and little drawings and content for it, but idk if he will do something elaborate or just one page of something silly. I think he still has to opportunity of working with the material and make something at least not this bad -or completely ignore 431 and just continue with their adventures like 430 implies lol If he wants to double down with the "romance" I have no idea how he could do it with what he has tbh, unless he just ignores the plot and their personalities.

[crossbackpoke-check]

Substance, Shadow, and Spirit [remixed, abridged] by Tao Yuanming

[transjemder]

bif and carrietta being cold together season

[phagodyke]

ykw actually I am angry + disappointed w them. I've been pushing how I feel aside and trying to make it my own fault so it's all contained but I think theyve just been mean. and they really should know me better ik I try to pretend I don't expect more from them so I feel less hurt when they do things that upset me but we've been friends for years by this point. like come on.

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[sandinmybed]

i reckon so much of the neurodivergent vs neurotypical online discourse could be solved if people stopped seeing it as us vs them they hate us issue and started viewing it more like a culture clash issue

[doodlemancy]

Hey, so, Patreon is lying to you about Apple forcing their hand.

Patreon is getting rid of 1st-of-the-month/per-creation billing, claiming a new decision by Apple has forced their hand. This will hurt a lot of creatives, and their excuse is bullshit. Allow me to explain.

In 2018, Patreon tried to impose a new ill-considered fee structure on everyone that would have cost creators a lot of smaller pledges. They ended up apologizing for this profusely; they have now deleted this apology from their website and unfortunately I was unable to find it on the Internet Archive. This was shameful, but to their credit they backed off quickly when things got ugly.

Back in 2021, Patreon discussed plans to force all creators into a rolling bill structure and get rid of first-of-the-month/pay-up-front billing. The community once again very decisively shouted them down, and they had to walk it back again. This whole fiasco damaged the already shaky trust between Patreon creators and staff.

This week, Patreon announced that, along with extra fees, Apple's policies were supposedly forcing them to move everyone over to the rolling fee structure that they first tried to get us to agree to in 2021. Patreon will tell you they are not happy about this. As a person who spent a long time watching Patreon make terrible decisions, I can tell you-- they are probably very happy about this, because it's exactly the smokescreen they needed to do what they've been trying to do for years, which is pull ALL Patreon creators away from 1st-of-the-month and per-creation billing.

The spin in the news I've seen so far is "Apple bullies Patreon, boo hoo hoo poor Patreon". This is very obviously not what's happening. Mind you: Apple does suck, and they are doing something bad here. Fuck apple. But Patreon and Apple are BOTH the asshole in this situation; Everyone Sucks Here. Patreon has options: they can make the iOS app a reader app and do billing through the browser to avoid the restrictions and the extra fees (Netflix and Amazon, notably, both do this), or they can allow creators to opt-out of iOS billing if they want to use billing models that don't work with it.

It seems most likely to me that the Apple situation is a real fire that Patreon has chosen to use as a convenient smokescreen to do what they've been wanting to do since at least 2021, and maybe since 2018.

What do we do?:

They have a feedback form specifically about this.

They also have a creator discord.

And they have lots of social media pages where they probably really, really hope that this doesn't blow up again, because they never learn. The incidents I've described here aren't the only two other times Patreon has pissed off their creators. They know if they don't contain the noise it'll be harder to get away with it, so make some noise. They've done a lot of work to spin this cleverly so you'll have sympathy for them and they won't get the kind of backlash they know they deserve.

Please don't misuse these links and make threats or spam or something. All you have to do is give well-reasoned feedback. Patreon hates feedback. Make sure they get a nice heaping helping of their least favorite vegetable.

[reasonsforhope]

"The average pediatric wheelchair can cost thousands of dollars. And when children grow and their needs evolve — or a wheelchair gets damaged — those costs multiply.

So, the team at MakeGood NOLA, a New Orleans-based adaptive design lab, has made something that can transform the world for disabled children.

“Introducing the world’s first fully 3D-printed wheelchair,” MakeGood founder and president Noam Platt started a recent social media video.

He wheels a small, almost toy-like lime-green wheelchair into the frame, complete with a matching harness, suitable for children ages 2 to 8.

“Everything from the body, to the wheels, to the tires, the seat, and even the straps, all were 3D printed on a regular Bambu Labs A1 machine,” Platt continued.

This means the design is fully compatible with a regular 3D printer anyone can have in their home.

“We designed this to be modular and easy to make,” Platt continued. “Really, anyone with a 3D printer and some filament can download the files and print it.” [Note: You can also use 3D printers for free or a small cost at some public libraries and maker spaces, opening up accessibility even further.]

Once the prototype is completely finished, it will be available as a fair-use download that anyone can use for free.

Pictured: The new 3D-printed chair by MakeGood. Photo courtesy of MakeGood NOLA

Platt said that because it has a modular design, the wheelchair can be put together without any tools or glue. And if any part of it breaks or is damaged, users can simply re-print the single piece they need.

“As a wheelchair user I love everything about this,” TikTok user @thisisharlie commented on Platt’s video debuting the wheelchair.

“Mine costs more than my car, I can’t imagine having to buy a new one every year or two as they outgrow it,” @thisisharlie continued. “You’re going to change the world.”

For Platt, that’s always been the plan.

When he created MakeGood in 2021, the nonprofit design lab was thinking of the more than 1 billion people around the globe who live with disabilities.

“Since traditional design often overlooks diverse bodies and minds, it is crucial to reshape the built environment,” MakeGood shares on its website. “The challenges our communities face — both physical and social — are solvable.”

MakeGood works with individuals to co-create their adaptive design solutions, centering the “Need Knower,” the disabled person or their primary caregivers, throughout the entire process.

Since the founding of MakeGood, 1,600 individualized adaptive devices have been delivered to families for free. Platt’s team found a niche with this wheelchair, which they call the Toddler Mobility Trainer, or TMT. 

On its website, the organization says the wheelchairs were “designed with therapists from all over the world” and offer “unmatched mobility and independence to young kids.”

Children and parents agree.

“It’s an A+,” one parent said of an earlier prototype of the TMT in a report by CBS News. “It’s helped [my son] become more mobile and be able to adapt into the other things that he’s going to be offered. It’s helped his development.”

At the start of the design process, Platt reached out to area hospitals to see if he could fill a need.

“Part of it is empowering clinicians that we can go beyond what is commercially available,” Platt told CBS News. “We can really create almost anything.”

Now in the final stages of tweaking the TMT design to be ready for release, Platt is eager to get the wheelchair rolled out and into the homes of the children who need them most.

Pictured: A rendering of the 3D printed design, which will soon be available for download. Photo courtesy of MakeGood NOLA

“We think this sort of 3D printing and design is going to be huge for accessibility, and for wheelchairs specifically,” Platt said in his social media video. 

In the meantime, people can request a free chair from MakeGood.

“We have a growing list of people who’ve requested these, and once we finish the design, we’ll start filling those requests with custom-printed chairs, including things that you might need for your particular chair,” Platt said in a follow-up video.

Because the chairs are easily 3D printed, they can come in any color and can be modified to include other accommodations, like a section to hold a breathing device or other aid. With years of customization and design experience under his belt, this new innovation is simply an extension of Platt’s dedication to inclusive design.

In 2023, Platt told New Mobility: “I feel like every time I deliver one of these [assistive] devices, I get a hopeful feeling that the world has been changed a little bit for the better for the next generation.”"

-via GoodGoodGood, May 8, 2025

[fozmeadows]

There's a lot of conversations to be had around the current influx of Americans to Xiaohongshu (RedNote/Little Red Book) ahead of the TikTok ban, many of which are better articulated by more knowledgeable people than me. And for all the fun various parties of both nationalities seem to having with memes and wholesome interactions, it's undoubtedly true that there's also some American entitlement and exoticization going on, which sucks. But a sentiment I've seen repeatedly online is that, if it's taken actually speaking to Chinese people and viewing Chinese content for Americans to understand that they've been propagandized to about China and its people, then that just proves how racist they are, and I want to push back on that, because it strikes me as being a singularly reductive and unhelpful framing of something far more complex.

Firstly: while there's frequently overlap between racism and xenophobia, the distinction between them matters in this instance, because the primary point of American propaganda about China is that Communism Is Fundamentally Evil And Unamerican And Never Ever Works, and thinking a country's government sucks is not the same as thinking the population is racially inferior. The way most Republicans in particular talk about China, you'd think it was functionally indistinguishable from North Korea, which it really isn't. Does this mean there's no critique to be made of either communism in general or the CCP? Absolutely not! But if you've been told your whole life that communist countries are impoverished, corrupt and dangerous because Communism Never Works, and you've only really encountered members of the Chinese diaspora - i.e., people whose families left China, often under traumatic circumstances, because they thought America would be better or safer - rather than Chinese nationals, then no: it's not automatically racist to be surprised that their daily lives and standard of living don't match up with what you'd assumed. Secondly: TikTok's userbase skews young. While there's certainly Americans in their 30s and older investigating Xiaohongshu, it seems very reasonable to assume that the vast majority are in their teens or twenties - young enough that, barring a gateway interest in something like C-dramas, danmei or other Chinese cultural products, and assuming they're not of Chinese descent themselves, there's no reason why they'd know anything about China beyond what they've heard in the news, or from politicians, or from their parents, which is likely not much, and very little firsthand. But even with an interest in China, there's a difference between reading about or watching movies from a place, and engaging firsthand, in real time, with people from that place, not just through text exchanges, but in a visual medium that lets you see what their houses, markets, shopping centers, public transport, schools, businesses, infrastructure and landmarks look like. Does this mean that what's being observed isn't a curated perspective on China as determined both by Xiaohongshu's TOU and the demographic skewing of its userbase? Of course not! But that doesn't mean it isn't still a representative glimpse of a part of China, which is certainly more than most young Americans have ever had before.

Thirdly: I really need people to stop framing propaganda as something that only stupid bigots fall for, as though it's possible to natively resist all the implicit cultural biases you're raised with and exist as a perfect moral being without ever having to actively challenge yourself. To cite the sacred texts:

Like. Would the world be a better place if everyone could just Tell when they're being lied to and act accordingly? Obviously! But that is extremely not how anything actually works, and as much as it clearly discomforts some to witness, the most common way of realizing you've been propagandized to about a particular group of people is to interact with them. Can this be cringe and awkward and embarrassing at times? Yes! Will some people inevitably say something shitty or rude during this process? Also yes! But the reality is that cultural exchange is pretty much always bumpy to some extent; the difficulties are a feature, not a bug, because the process is inherently one of learning and conversation, and as individual people both learn at different rates and have different opinions on that learning, there's really no way to iron all that out such that nobody ever feels weird or annoyed or offput. Even interactions between career diplomats aren't guaranteed smooth sailing, and you're mad that random teenagers interacting through a language barrier in their first flush of enthusiasm for something new aren't doing it perfectly? Come on now.

Fourthly: Back before AO3 was banned in China, there was a period where the site was hit with an influx of Chinese users who, IIRC, were hopping over when one of their own fansites got shut down, which sparked a similar conversation around differences in site etiquette and how to engage respectfully. Which is also one of the many things that makes the current moment so deeply ironic: the US has historically criticized China for exactly the sort of censorship and redaction of free speech that led to AO3 being banned, and yet is now doing the very same thing with TikTok. Which is why what's happening on Xiaohongshu is, IMO, such an incredible cultural moment: because while there are, as mentioned, absolutely relevant things to be said about (say) Chinese censorship, US-centrism, orientalism and so on, what's ultimately happening is that, despite - or in some sense because of - the recent surge in anti-Chinese rhetoric from US politicians, a significant number of Americans who might otherwise never have done so are interacting directly with Chinese citizens in a way that, whatever else can be said of it, is actively undermining government propaganda, and that matters.

What it all most puts me in mind of, in fact, is a quote from French-Iranian novelist and cartoonist Marjane Satrapi, namely:

“The difference between you and your government is much bigger than the difference between you and me. And the difference between me and my government is much bigger than the difference between me and you. And our governments are very much the same.”

And at this particular moment in history, this strikes me as being a singularly powerful realization for Americans in particular to have.

[alatariel-galadriel]

love when the cringe response emerges to memories of past events that are definitively not cringe, thanks brain :) :) I needed that