#z talks

[fell-in-love-with-a-fantasy]

everyone please do this quiz

tagging @stars-and-birds @oh-lacy @mqstermindswift @tortured-poets-depxrtment @drewlooks @oh-mother-i-cannot-weave @a-bowl-of-soop @trafficlightsaysidk @allsfairinloveandpoetry13 @thatdelusionalnerd @skies-of-gray @bloodied-dagger @el-fandom-birb @hecateisalesbian @ literally anyone else who wants to

[jorvikzelda]

So. Star Stable's Spotify header.

I saw this on a little trip to SSO's Spotify page to see if they'd released any music without announcing it again and went hm. This looks kind of weird. I sure hope they haven't stooped so low as to use AI for their promo material. And then I looked closer.

First thing I noticed was the stirrups. Or, should I say... "stirrups".

Did they like... employ someone who doesn't know how tack works? What IS that? Also I'm only noticing this as I'm writing the post but why on earth does the boot not have proper laces or eyelets

And what the fuck are these weird straps on the saddle? And the guitar straps aren't attached to the guitar?? Actually... it can't be... but let me look at the hands. Just real quick

Uh. hm. that's not very hand. Are they fucking using AI

OH BOY.

The bit and the reins are... not properly attached to one another, just welded together. The noseband just disappears. The buckles at the top of the bridle don't really exist and the chin strap doesn't fit properly at all. The reins are double on one side, but not the other, and one or both of the reins on the far side almost look attached to the breast collar - or they're just being held a lot looser than the near side rein. Also, you need a very specific type of bit to use double reins, which is not the type of bit that's on this bridle. Or maybe the two weird straps are supposed to be a fucked up martingale, and that's why they're attached to the breast collar? But then why does the horse only have one rein? Also the martingale is attached wrong if that's what it's meant to be, see below (it's never attached directly to the bit). The breast collar is also attached to the underside of the saddle, rather than the saddle itself like it should be. The horse's front shoulder looks like it's drawn by someone who doesn't know very much about horse anatomy, or... y'know... AI.

The cart isn't fucking attached to the fucking horse. Poor guy is dragging that thing along with one singular back leg.

The keyboards all have the wrong number of black keys in the wrong places. And also those knobs do not look right. Oh, and something is DEFINITELY wrong with that drum kit.

And also just look at this fucking horse. Yeah, it's passable as a horse, but have you seen the quality of SSO's horses and horse art??? This isn't even anywhere CLOSE to that

So yeah uh, SSE used fucking AI art for their spotify banner. I feel like this is the greatest punch in the gut they could've possibly sent their laid-off artists' way. You cannot defend this.

[tsumnoda]

tagged back from @hellohallowedhalo 5 songs on repeat right now (thank you for the tag!)

francesca - hozier

damage gets done - hozier ft. brandi carlile

a little love - julia pratt ft. mt. joy

you're gonna go far - noah kahan ft. brandi carlile

i am not who i was - chance pena

tagging @lotsofloveish, @taurussbabe, @sailing-with-100-ships (no pressure by the way), and anyone who wants to share their top 5 songs!

[zoctopode]

ME WHEN I FUCKIGN BOOP YOU

[ellies-little-gun]

When Ellie was designing her tattoo, she considered putting a butterfly in it. As a way to honor Sarah, the older sister she never got to meet but still loves. Wants a way to remember her, to keep her with her even though she's gone. She didn't, went with the moth instead. Told Joel it was symbolic of looking for the light, looking for the good, in every situation. Doesn't tell him about the butterfly at all. Definitely doesn't tell him that she didn't do the butterfly because she was scared of his reaction. Was unsure of whether he would want her honoring Sarah. After all, Ellie isn't family. Not my daughter and all that. She didn't think she could stand to hear him say it again. Because they haven't said what they are to each other and it's fine. What they have works and labels are fucking stupid anyway.

But one night, after a particularly horrible nightmare that she can't remember the details of when she wakes up, can only remember that she couldn't find Joel and she was alone in the inky darkness, she tells him. Wakes screaming and he comes to her, holds her close to his chest until she remembers who she is, where she is. He traces the leaves of her tattoo, on nights like this. She thinks it's a way for him to remind himself that she's here and alive and safe. That he couldn't save Sarah but he did save her.

And so she tells him, about the butterfly. About the memorial to a sister she never got to meet. A girl with a killer smile who was taken from the world too soon. About being scared Joel would be upset, because Sarah isn't anything to Ellie. Not really, but she still wants to honor her, wants to be one of the people that remember her. Joel gets all teary-eyed and she thinks she fucked up. Is just about to backtrack, to tell him she was kidding when he pulls her into his side, kisses her head.

Says I think that's a great idea, Kiddo.

And so they get matching tattoos. Monarch butterflies because they were Sarah's favorite. Joel gets his right over his heart. So he can hold Sarah close to his chest, like he did when she was a baby. Ellie gets hers on her left shoulder blade. Because she likes the idea of Sarah watching her back. Puts it on her left shoulder blade and not her right so she can keep Sarah near her heart too.

They go at different times to get them, because patrol rotations and whatnot. Ellie goes first, shows Joel the second he walks through the door. He gives it a nod and a looks real good Kiddo. When Joel gets home from getting his, she badgers him into showing her as soon as he walks in the door. She's shocked by what she sees when he moves his flannel out of the way. There's a monarch butterfly over his heart, Sarah written in loopy font underneath it. But there's a moth there too. The same moth Ellie has on her arm, Ellie's name written in blocky letters underneath it.

The shock must show on her face because Joel shrugs and says couldn't have one of my girls without the other, could I?

And Ellie will deny it to the day she dies, but she cries just a little, when she hugs him. Because she's one of his girls.

[voiidlokii]

I NEED EVERYBODY TO SHUT THE FUCK UP SIT THE FUCK DOWN AND LOOK AT THESE PICTURES

[viperdove-if]

DEMO DONE AND WRITTEN

now just a lot of editing..... nervous laughter

[liminal-home]

Question what is Liminal Home about? I just found this au and I'm genuinely curious

OOHH!! I'M GLAD YOU ASKED!!! There is a written summary for it that I hope gains your interest!

SUMMARY DOWN BELOW

↓↓↓

Even long after the Welcome Home puppet show got cancelled and PlayFellow Studio unfortunately shut down, things got dark and gloomy in the neighborhood. Despite this, Wally and his wonderful neighbors never lost hope and continued to have lots of adventures together! Didn't these adventures happen before?~~

Luckily, they don't have to be alone anymore! For the Welcome Home Restoration Project was created to help bring the wonderful joy of Welcome Home to the masses once more just as it used to in the past! They have no choice. They've found tons of memorabilia and even managed to have an exhibit open thanks to the lovely help of the Questions Answered Curatorial Services! Unfortunately, the exhibit didn't last more than a week They couldn't find the ringing, but it succeeded in stirring up the buzz again about this beloved franchise! Hopefully, soon...Wally and his friends will be able to return to the spotlight once more. That's the ultimate goal of the WHRP, and they're dedicated to achieving it! It's the only way to make it stop. They have to make it stop. No matter what.

The walls creak and the eyes are everywhere. Something remains hidden within this neighborhood. Will you uncover the truth? Or succumb to the loop...

[strainedbeltboy]

drank a pint of heavy cream in the car (again), currently trying to subtly nurse my swollen tummy in public

[sheabeanie]

Help a trans sapphic out of an abusive house!

Im trying very very hard to move to NC to live with my brother instead of my horrible parents, and moving expenses are absolutely killer.

My mental health has really spiraled to the lowest point. If you can even donate $1, that’ll help me out so much

I need about $2000 for moving expenses (such as renting a truck) and gas. Again, anything will help me get out of this house and move to a better and brighter future

If you can’t donate, please share <3

[zs-starwars]

So silly but I got less than pleasant news this morning and seeing the update from Watcher kind of cheered me up. I think it's to the point, gives people options, and they seem to be pretty genuinely sorry to have missed the mark so much.

[fell-in-love-with-a-fantasy]

i know this has been said before before: but i hate how causallly inej is able to talk to tante heleen (forgot how to spell her name) while in the books she was barely is able to walk past the menagerie without freezing up. it really doesn’t leave much room for character development. that makes me really sad because something i really loved about soc is the fact that yes, the crows are badass thieves who do heists just for the sake of money. but they also are just kids. kids who have been forced through an insane amount of trauma but are also able to grow and learn from it.

[jorvikzelda]

When I first played Minecraft, I pretty quickly learned how to craft two things: wood from logs and sticks from wood. I didn’t learn how to craft anything else. My inventory was full of sticks. Knowing next to nothing about the game, I assumed the world was round, and so in my first ever world I set out on a mission to walk around the globe and get back to my spawn point. I played on peaceful mode because I was terrified of the monsters. In hindsight, this might have been in part because with my inventory full of sticks, I was rather defenceless against them, but I also just preferred to keep my long, long walk calm and quiet - nothing but my footsteps, the beautiful view, and the music. I walked through day after day, biome after biome: countless sunrises and sunsets, endless rain and snowfall, tall mountaintops and long, winding rivers. Then one day, I fell into a deep, deep hole in the ground. By some miracle, despite having no armor, I survived.

My inventory was full of sticks.

[tsumnoda]

i mean they could have just gone like the sidemen... they also have a premium paid app/website called Side+ without deleting their content on youtube AND STILL uploading banger videos on their main, second, and reacts channel...

and to me is the evidence that you can still have people paying for your premium content without leaving your fans/audience on youtube, which is the platform where you started and you built your audience in

[zoctopode]

What's your deepest desire

i want to get injured doing something cool like a ski jump or an explosion at a leather jacket store or saving a baby from a hammer factory. injured in such a way that doesnt threaten permanent damage but is temporarily totally debilitating, so everybody has too coo over me and make me food and say aw fuck Z youre so cool and brave. and like, ill try to protest to give the illusion that im being all aloof and independent but i got hit by every hammer in that hammer factory, aint no way theyre letting me fend for myself. just like a 24/7 parade of being the centre of attention without the mortifying concession of openly wanting it

also while im getting seen at the doctors for all my hammer lesions and teeth marks where all the babys hung on to me in my daring rescue, they run some Test on me and find out im critically deficient in some nutrient, and every minor problem i have stems from like, not eating enough apples. and then i start eating apples and my life massively improves and my friends are in awe. how did you go so long without all your nutrients, they say, moved to tears and thoroughly cowed by my blistering resolve and perseverance. z youre the coolest girl in the world stop backflipping and doing skateboard tricks everywhere youre gonna head right towards that big hill with the hammer factory at the bottom

anyway failing that, id also settle for like, a really good sandwich

[ellies-little-gun]

"Joel, check it," Ellie calls from the other room.

Joel turns from the stove just in time to see Ellie clomping into the kitchen, her feet shoved into his too-big-for-her work boots. He blinks and suddenly it isn't Ellie in front of him. No, it's Sarah. She couldn't have been more than two. Or was she three? Joel hates himself a little, that he can't remember. Hates that that's been stolen from him, just like his first baby was.

There's a picture somewhere, of Sarah, one Tommy took of her. Wearing nothing but a diaper and a t-shirt. Standing next to the chair in the living room, feet in his too-large-for-her work boots. Giggling and pointing at him, where he'd been sitting next to Tommy on the sofa. He'd been playing the guitar for her, he remembers that, at least. It's why she was pointing.

He blinks again, and it isn't Sarah standing in front of him anymore. No, it's Ellie. But not this Ellie, not his Ellie. No, this Ellie is different. She's the Ellie she could have been, had he met her earlier. Had she not been birthed into a world of violence. An Ellie that had a proper childhood. An Ellie who grew up with a family that loved her.

Who grew up with a Dad and a big sister.

This Ellie is younger, the same age Sarah was, the first time she climbed into his too-big shoes. This Ellie is in a diaper and a t-shirt too, standing in his boots. Same brown hair, same mischievous grin, same big beautiful brown eyes that he sees every day. So still his Ellie, in some ways. Still his Ellie and yet so very different. Swears for a second he sees Sarah behind her. Rolling her eyes and laughing at her baby sister. Can picture it, Sarah scooping her up and twirling her around the room while little Ellie giggles.

Sarah always wanted a little sister.

He blinks again, and he's back to the now. Ellie's standing in front of him, wearing his too-big boots. She isn't in a diaper, is in a t-shirt and jeans. Same brown hair, same mischievous grin. Same beautiful eyes. She's fiddling with his tool belt, trying to resize it to fit around her narrow waist. She gets it, snaps the clasp around her hips.

Looks at him with a grin bigger than he's ever seen. Pulls the hammer out of the tool belt, waves it around with a laugh. And for a second, he's looking at the other Ellie, the one who got to be a kid. The one who wears his too-big boots and loves her big sister. The one who begs him for one more song before bed, even though it means she falls asleep on the couch and he gets the privilege of carrying her to her room. Gets to hold her in his arms like she's something precious, something worth protecting.

Because she is.

Realizes that, even though he didn't meet her until she was fourteen, he hasn't missed her whole childhood. Because she's here and safe and happy. She gets to have a normal childhood, here in Jackson. Gets to have a Dad. Gets to have family and friends that love her. Gets to do silly things like clomp around in Joel's too-big-for-her boots. Gets to fall asleep on the couch because she has Joel to take her to bed.

"Look, I'm just like you," Ellie exclaims with a scowl, expression clearly meant to be an impression of him.

"Yeah, Babygirl, you sure are," Joel agrees with a smile.

Because she might not be his blood, but she's his in all the ways that matter.