#I actually googled it and I do think it's telling that the average age for Oscar winners in -best supporting role-

[langernameohnebedeutung]

I get the “older” actors thing but Chris Evans is actually talented. Many don’t know of his non Marvel movies. Wrong actor to use that against. Dude has been acting since he was a pre teen. I advise to go watch Snowpiercer, Sunshine, The Ice Man, Defending Jacob, Gifted, and Knives Out. I know people talk about his looks a lot but he’s given some great performances that should not be shunned just because people think he’s hot. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder anyway. Dude wasn’t randomly spotted or knew someone who knew someone, he went after a dream and put himself out there not knowing if he would be successful or not, on top of that he’s gotten this far, has a beautiful career while battling mental health issues so yeah that’s a win for me. He’s good but could be great and I will say he’s a natural in front of that camera, especially in comedy….the movie the losers, his character was a great comic relief. If you have time look up the movie Puncture and tell me what you think. 😊

I think new Gen Z actors and some older ones….. and the ones where you see them all the time but can’t even name one show or movie, or you finally watch them in a film that was hyped up and you watch their performance and it’s like…..seriously? Many actors today lack charisma AND talent. Or you can tell acting to them is just reading words back. But others I see potential of greatness …they just need a better roles or more experience. An actor who is talked about a lot but I can’t tell you one performance that has made me go …wow he’s talented is Michael B Jordan. 🤣

I mean, I've seen Knives Out and he didn't bother me...but also he didn't particularly stand out to me? Maybe I was a bit harsh saying he only gets the roles for his looks but I've genuinely never seen a single scene with him in it where I thought: 'wow, no other actor could have done this like him' or 'I got to go back to see that film for him!'

There are sometimes scenes in movies where I actually skip back and watch the same scene or line several times in a row, just to see that again or hear that again. And there are many scenes that are just legendary on their own for the acting that's being delivered.

And to me, I never had that kind of moment with Evans. Which, again, maybe I was being a bit too harsh saying it's just about looks. It's okay. He gets his job done and it's not like he shatters my immersion or does anything that really bothers or annoys me. He's just there and does his performance. But (taking the example of Knives Out which I did watch two times) - the performances I think of are Daniel Craig's. Jamie Lee Curtis'. Christopher Plummer's. And again, Chris Evans didn't bother me or annoy me. (and in fairness, the plot calls for him to not stand out much for a large chunk of the film).

But if they announced tomorrow, that they were going to remake Knives Out, I wouldn't have any second thoughts or feelings on them recasting that role, while (for example), having another actor fill the shoes of Daniel Craig in that one would have me at a bit of 'but that's Daniel Craig's role??'

I googled Puncture and it genuinely looks interesting to me from the description, so I might give it a chance. Plus, I've read one review that really praises his performance and compares him to Al Pacino.

Tbh, I've only seen Michael B Jordan in one episode of House and Black Panther. I don't really remember him on House but that doesn't say anything imo because I barely remember anything after season 6-7 when the show got bad. I do think he was solid in Black Panther (although I might be biased because I really liked his character). I was actually planning to check out Fahrenheit 451 (the tv-show) at some point where he plays Montag (which is a character I hate, so I'll be less biased lmao) but I was kind of held off because what I've seen of the lighting and scenes and the whole...cyberpunk vibe didn't really fit the vision I had when reading the book which was a less glossy and elegant... and the tv-show gives me 'hey, fellow kids, we made this classic look coool'-vibes. but I digress).

I feel like Black Panther is a good example for what I'm trying to say (though what I said isn't about any singular film. Of course I'm not opposed to films about young people) though because as a movie, it had many great performances! Chadwick Boseman was amazing in his role! His scene with his father on the ancestral plane, the way he portrays that feeling of betrayal and upheaval is definitely one of those scenes that I love to linger on and watch two times, three times, because it is just genuinely really good acting. It's probably one of the strongest scenes in the MCU.

But also, another performance that really stood out to me was Angela Bassett's and I feel like she doesn't get enough credit for it. She's so authentic and effortless. She can communicate so much with just her eyes - she's absolutely convincing in the way she balances the warmth and the composure of her role. And she brings that same authenticity and complexity to her characters on AHS (literally every scene with her and Jessica Lange in Coven is just ??? so good??). You can just tell that she brings 40 years of acting experience to the table - and knows how to use that experience to really incorporate traits and features into her character in a way that just...doesn't feel like acting at all. It seems so natural. Even just wearing the costumes she does in that movie and moving and acting in them in ways that make you go: 'yeah, this character has been wearing clothes like that her entire life' is already a big feat of acting.

There are actually a lot of scenes in Black Panther that make me wish there were actually fewer other characters on screen because it would have put more focus on Angela Bassett and more time to just...see her act/give her character more independence from the other characters around her, but she's just not given that position. Which is fine, because it's T'Challa's story.

My problem really isn't with any singular show or film - but the overall tendency that the industry has to place older actors with a lot of talent and experience in the backseat. Which isn't a problem when you have strong actors in the main-roles - but it does become a problem when you sit there through the main-characters' plot always wishing to see their grandpa give an Oscar-worthy performance in his chair by the fireplace again.

#I actually googled it and I do think it's telling that the average age for Oscar winners in -best supporting role- #is higher than that of winners for lead role. And that is despite many male lead-role winners being over 50.

[annabelle--cane]

just stumbled across your computer literacy posts and as a 14yo gen z kid the whole topic is SO funny to me. i have friends as young as 12 that use a computer regularly. my 11 year old brother is easily the most computer-literate person in my family and helps my mom make powerpoints all the time. i take classes that require me to navigate a desktop computer regularly, and none of my classmates have a problem with it.

the “computer literacy crisis” never actually references or comes from the point of view of real teenagers because it is so wildly blown out of proportion. people forget that high schoolers and middle schoolers also grew up with family computers and that a lot of us are more comfortable drawing, writing, etc. on computers than phones.

and like I am 100% sure there are Youths who don't really know how to use computers, plenty of them have commented on my posts, but, I think crucially here, there are also adults who don't know how to use computers. there are school districts that never had computer classes in areas where most people can't afford computers but can maybe swing for phones and tablets, I really do not think this is a generation thing, I think it's about region and class.

related sidebar: I keep getting people on my poll telling me that asking about youth computer literacy on tumblr will skew results because outlier nerdy kids are on tumblr and nerds know how to use computers. the adults on tumblr are also nerdy outliers. we're a bunch of tech obsessed weirdos who think things like "it's easy to forget that the average person probably only knows that firefox is the only usable browser." I'm willing to bet that there are comparable levels of tech illiteracy across all age groups, but my professors who put "google" into search bars aren't on tumblr to talk about it.

#answered #anons

[lost-tardis-room]

please tell me all about in the blood (no pressure, i am genuinely interested though!!!!!!)

AHHAHHAHHHHHAAAA YES OKAY THANK YOU ELI

OKAYYYY SO in the blood, doctor who extended universe book, i think it takes place pretty soon after the Silence in the Library arc cos that's mentioned quite a bit, and Donna's husband Lee (who was, i may add, i think going to be canonically trans but they weren't sure how to show that in a split second without it being confusing but he's trans in my heart) from the simulation is on Donna's mind a fair bit so my guess is it's pretty soon after that ANYWAYS, fairly standard doctor who plot, big problem with technology and people on earth and of course it's because Aliens. specifically its that internet trolls are dying and ofc The Internet gets worked up about that, but as more and more people start venting their anger online everyone gets more and more angry and they become hysterical and sometimes die. which obviously is a big problem they have to solve, i won't give away the plot but its fairly average dr who stuff.

BUT. OHH BOY THE CHARACTERSSSSSSSASASSaSSASaSAS i mean i love ten & donna anyways but they are written SO WELL like SOOOO WELL it's SPOT ON and it's so perfect because they do the same things they always do - the doctor is fully prepared to die (well. very painfully regenerate) just as he always does and uhhh actually maybe it's better if i take pictures there was a lot of frantic margin scribbling & underlining hehee

uhm. spoilers below. and very long post

my handwriting is nigh-on-illegible here i know but it says 'she remembers the Arachna-things [one google search later - Racnoss] from the Runaway Bride she knows he has killed people & that people get killed around him but... [long pause here as i thought of what to write. how do you justify that? greater good?] yeah i can imagine it really is easier to not think about it'.

this is just such an interetsing thing that they couldn't have shown in the show right, you can't show 'she didn't even really like to think about it' visually with the same impact. but like.... yeah. she saw him kill all the racnoss & still travels with him. moral grey areas flawed characters but.... the companions must do some serious mental gymnastics NOT TO MENTIOn the Doctor coping mechanisms or lack thereof.

^^but then there's this!! the hope!! he really can't stand people dying even when he is surrounded by it!! he has to hope!!!

^^ platonic doctordonna moment!!!!! i love them so much heheeee but also Lee.... oughhhhh

^^ SUCH A DOCTOR MOMENT he HAS to carry on for the sake of THE WORLD even when it means Donna is at risk

^^handwriting id - 'see THAT is such a Doctor moment - just like ' 'yeah i knew for ages', lied the Doctor' - he doesn't tell people things b/c he doesn't want to upset them & he hopes that if he doesn't mention it it wont happen. if you see your own grave you have to be buried there etc. & it's maddening for everyone but also kinda tragic'

the doctor was hiding that what Donna thought was going to fix the problem wasnt going to work b/c then she's get upset & angry, which spacey stuff blah blah is whats currently killing people - but Ten (teh Doctor in general) does this A Lot, not saying everything he knows because he thinks it's going to upset/panic/hurt people/

^^ THIS!! he needs his best friend!!! without saying anything & over the phone, Donna can tell!! ajsnjansh i just love them so muchhhh

^^ (they were back in london in present day) the Doctor feels guilty about pulling Donna from her normal, safe life, even though like she wanted to he probably couldn't have said no to that if he tried - and putting her in mortal space danger - but also completely removed from her normal life. she doesn't live like Clara, who fits weeks of time travel in time to show up to work, she's missing out on Normal Life. she's not at home. Sylvia knows she wont be staying for dinner.

sorry a lot of this is kinda depressing BUT i promise you there are joyous bits too! the Doctor is canonically a Kate Bush fangirl!!! and donna has to stop him drinking coffee cos he'e hyperactive enough as it is lol. and -

hehe

#yes anyways uhm very cool book #in the blood #doctor who #tenth doctor #donna noble #there are more posts on this coming probably i have Thoughts

[saintlabrys]

Intact, a defense to unmodified body

Yesterday I was checking my emails, my newsletter subscriptions more specifically, and I found this cool article about this book "Intact, a defense to unmodified body", which was also an interview with the author, Clare Chambers. I personally didn't know her before that, but I think I'll buy the book sooner or later cause it intrigued me.

Here's an excerpt of her interview

“Our culture is constantly telling us that our bodies are never good enough,” she says. “Shame about our bodies is something we absorb from the media, from commercial interests, and from each other. Our choices are strongly shaped by our social context — [...] So what is the cost of [opting out]? The fact that we want to have a body that is a certain way, and the fact that we associate a body that doesn't fit into that model as being something shameful, and the fact that there exists a procedure available to change the body — those are all socially created facts. They don't come from our own internal autonomy. This isn't to say that people who choose these practices are somehow duped, or that they're irrational. It can be absolutely rational to choose to undergo a procedure that brings your body in line with dominant ideals of attractiveness.

She went on speaking about how women are particularly targeted by these social standards; they waste their time to adhere to a beauty standard that emphasizes youth, a period of a woman's life in which she's more vulnerable. Metaphorically speaking society wants us to be eternally young, naive and insecure. This way we are chained to a standard we're afraid to challenge, while wasting our time and resources in order to reach it.

"Under sexist social norms, women are valued for their looks, not for their achievements. It is idealizing the point in a woman's life when she is less experienced, less wise, less competent, less powerful. It also provides women with something constantly to be worried about, in the sense that the aging process is something that takes up a lot of our time, a lot of mental energy, and a lot of our actual material resources. [...] It's not a surprise that many of us would participate in these structures. It is also not a surprise that women, when so much of our value is connected to our appearance, find value in engaging in that activity. The question is, what is that ‘beauty’ embodying and what are the consequences of not conforming?

After reading this interview I read another one I found by googling the book, I'll leave the link down below, here's another interesting excerpt

I find the phrase “getting your body back” so fascinating, and so telling. [...] What’s so interesting is that the phrase isn’t something like “getting slimmer after pregnancy” but rather “getting your body back”, which implies that the body you find yourself with after birth is not really yours. [...] But why should the pre-pregnancy body be more truly yours than the post-pregnancy body? After all, the average woman lives with a post-pregnancy body for longer than she lived with a pre-pregnancy body. If the ‘real’ body is the post-pubescent, pre-pregnancy body, that’s a body that a woman might have for only ten or twenty years out of an average lifespan of over eighty. ‘Your’ body that you are supposed to get ‘back’ is a body that was only ever going to be a temporary one. So the language of “getting your body back” is another way of saying that our actual, existing, real-life bodies are wrong. They are not good enough. They need to be returned to some idea of how they ought to be. And how they ought to be, in this narrative, is slim, youthful, focused on looks rather than accomplishments. These are ideals of femininity that do not serve women well.

I hope I'll find the book as interesting as its premises, I'll keep you updated!

#anti beauty industry #beauty standards #women #pregnancy #radblr #radfem #radical feminism #radfem safe #radfems please interact #radfems do interact #radical feminst

[rotworld]

25: Gluttony

your roommate needs a plus one if she wants to get into an infamous vampire party on campus, and you're bad at saying no.

->explicit. noncon to dubcon, the messiest of messy consent, blood drinking, gore, implied mind control/mind-altering magic, student/teacher relationship, voyeurism/exhibitionism.

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The Archambault Estate is such a stereotype that it’s the immediate result when you google “vampire mansion.” It’s at the very top of a hill because of course it is, hidden from prying eyes by a decorative iron fence and a rose garden so sprawling it might as well be a hedge maze. Plucked straight out of the Middle Ages with its gargoyles, castle spires and harsh, Gothic angles, it’s comedically out of place in the perpetually modernizing churn of your college town. It’s a point of obsession for a lot of people. You’re always running into students who applied here just because of the mansion, alumni who make an annual pilgrimage back, tourists who clog the local hotels in the fall and winter months. 

Fall and winter is when Roderick Archambault holds parties, after all. And unlike the secretive gatherings of most old money immortals, the average person actually has a shot at getting inside the Archambault Estate. All they need is a vampire’s invitation and a friend. 

The days get shorter, the nights get colder, and as the sun dips beneath the horizon, that sleepy, oak-shaded road that winds up the hill comes alive with a procession of luxury cars and foot traffic that wouldn’t look out of place in line for a nightclub. It’s a steep march to the top, which gives you plenty of time to try telling Sylvie all the reasons you shouldn’t be here. “People just up and vanish when they go to these, you know. They have the money to do whatever they want and get away with it. There’s no way it’s safe.” 

“Those’re just rumors,” Sylvie says with the clipped tone of someone who’s already digging their heels in. “I know a guy who’s been in the Ciborium for years, he comes back safe and sound from every party he goes to.”

“That’s different,” you insist. “The Ciborium has protection. There are actually consequences if something happens to them—”

“And you’re looking at a prospective member, if I make the right connections tonight.” Her pleading tone just feels like a jab now, an unsubtle reminder of why you’re here. You’ve got no horse in this race. You don’t make a habit of cruising vampire parties looking to get bit, no matter how good it supposedly feels. It’s accurate to say you’ve been avoiding the estate and this entire part of town every cold Friday night. Sylvie thinks you’re sheltered and misinformed, buying into the same old stories people have been telling for years. That’s at least half the reason she was so insistent, you think. She could’ve asked anyone, but you’re the one who needs convincing that vampires are just like regular people and the Ciborium isn’t a cult.

You already know vampires are like regular people, which is to say they’re fine until they have more money than they know what to do with. You’ll just have to agree to disagree on the Ciborium.

“We’re not dressed for this,” you say, half-hearted. You know there’s no getting out of it at this point. But it’s true, most of the people trudging up the hill with you are making the hike in flashy ensembles, sequin dresses, mesh and designer print shirts, a few brave souls making the hike in stilettos. 

“We’re dressed perfectly,” she says, shivering as she rubs her arms. Her jacket is thin, zipped just far enough to show off the skin between her breasts and lack of a bra. “I told you, casual is the way to go. They like it if you don’t look like you’re trying too hard. I mean, you look a little unavailable with your neck covered, but some of them are into that.”

You get there too fast. The road evens out, the gates are wide open, and autumn leaves carpet the narrowing road like a red carpet. You can’t deny that the place is beautiful. You’re plunged immediately into the famed Archambault gardens, no longer in bloom but still exquisitely beautiful with arch trellises, stone cherub fountains and a pond stocked with speckled fish. Sylvie’s practically vibrating with excitement all the way to the front doors, where a pair of doormen are vetting the guests. They’re dressed formally in black vests and crisp white undershirts, sleeve garters around their forearms.

It’s not a long wait. Roderick Archambault is notoriously lax compared to his contemporaries, and few people are turned away. Still, Sylvie feels the need to make an impression when it’s your turn at the front, rattling off her name, the name of several vampires at the party, and the name of her Ciborium contact before presenting you as her plus one.

“Your wrist, please,” the doorman says. You don’t budge. Sylvie is staring at you with the wide, watery eyes of a puppy watching you take its favorite toy away. “I won’t bite,” the doorman assures you. You see a flash of fangs when he smiles. “I don’t need to break the skin to pick up your scent.” 

You didn’t know they did this, but it makes sense. The only real criteria must be how appealing your blood smells. You’re still reluctant so Sylvie goes first, proudly sliding back her sleeve and presenting her wrist. The doorman presses his nose to her skin and sniffs like this isn’t the weirdest shit in the world and hums, seemingly in approval. Now both of them are looking at you and you’re holding up the line, so you cave. Reluctantly, you hold out your hand. The doorman moves your sleeve back and you flinch when he brings your wrist to his face. 

He doesn’t just smell you, though. He licks you. Not just a short press from the tip of his tongue, either, but a full, wet, open-mouthed lick. You snag your hand back and he laughs all shy and sheepish, like he just bumped into you or something. “Sorry,” he says. “Yeah, you’re both good. Go on in.” Sylvie ricochets right back into jittery excitement, clutching your forearm before you change your mind and dragging you with her and you’ve never been quite so terrified. You feel the doorman’s gaze burning into your back until you’re swallowed by the crowd.

You’re vaguely aware of Sylvie talking to you, rattling off historical and architectural facts about the Archambault Estate—“Did you know that the gargoyles are themed seasonally, depending on which direction they’re facing?”—but you’re not paying attention. You can’t. There’s so fucking much going on around you. A group of musicians is playing a sorrowful rendition of Vivaldi’s “La Folia” in the foyer. Bottles of bloodwine make the rounds on server’s platters, pouring thick and scarlet into crystal champagne flutes. A group of people standing in a circle to your left is talking about some dreadful party they were at two hundred years ago in the Belgian countryside. 

Feeding happens out in the open. A lot of the vampires have a human swooning on their arm or curled up on their lap. Some have small crowds gathered around them, half-undressed with their shirts off, their bitten chests and necks exposed. Feeding service apps and campus matchmaking services look downright chaste in comparison to the orgies happening right in front of you. You watch a young woman get grabbed as she’s just walking by a group of vampires, giggling excitedly as she’s passed around. The first drinks from her neck, the second from the shoulder. A couple closes in on either side of her, feeding from both of her wrists at once. 

The Ciborium is here, of course. They announce themselves with jeweled, chalice-shaped brooches, always wearing white. Sylvie sees one she knows, a man not much older than either of you with long, shampoo commercial shiny hair, and waves him over enthusiastically to chat. You’re introduced briefly. His name is Darren. You don’t catch much else with your attention tugged in every direction at once.

The windows are the same ornate stained glass of a cathedral, the marble floor leading up to a grand staircase flanked by suggestive stone sculptures. Between plush Victorian armchairs sits a table with a young man kneeling on top of it. He’s naked and aroused, his cock twitching against his belly and oozing a thick glob of precum, sampled by anyone who walks by from the throat, the arm, the thigh by a particularly brazen vampire. 

“What about you?” Someone’s talking to you. Darren, smiling patiently as you snap back to attention. “You’re not a regular or I would recognize you. Is this your first party?”

“Oh. Yeah,” you say stiffly, shrugging. “Mostly just here for moral support.” 

“That’s very kind of you. I’m sure Sylvie appreciates it.” Someone walks up behind him while you’re talking and starts caressing his neck. Darren doesn’t even flinch and leans into the touch, baring his neck for the stranger, all without breaking eye contact with you. “Do you know much about the Ciborium? Any interest in joining?” 

Someone moans loudly across the room. The man on the table just came untouched and the vampire attached to the side of his neck strokes his softening cock, milking out every last drop across his heaving, shuddering chest. Sylvie looks, just once, just briefly, her face flushed. Darren is still staring at you with that vacant smile, shivering slightly when the vampire behind him noses against his neck. 

“Bathroom,” you say quickly. “I’m just—real quick—” 

You don’t know where the bathroom is, of course, and you’re not about to ask. Everyone you come across is naked, has their teeth in somebody else, or is at least five hundred years old and watching you scurry around like a mouse they’ll catch when they feel like it. You try to find the quietest place you can, going against the flow of the crowd down dark, winding corridors. A few private feedings are happening in small, candlelit rooms. The humans are ecstatic and desperate, crying out for more, for harder bites, for deeper drinking. Bodies glisten with sweat as they writhe in the unflinching grasp of vampires, some still cool and collected in their human form, others unfurling into more monstrous shapes. 

You could leave, couldn’t you? Sylvie only needed you to get in. You don’t like the idea of leaving her here, but this is what she wanted, isn’t it? You pass another open doorway—something crow-shaped but much too big, wings fluttering, clawed hands pinning down a body that doesn’t seem to be moving. You hear a strangled moan and you can’t distinguish if it’s pain or pleasure. A long tongue laps blood from the floor. You stumble just a bit in your hurry to keep moving. Going back the way you came is too daunting and you find yourself up a flight of stairs and hopelessly lost, roaming an empty, quiet hallway. 

“Are you alright?” someone asks. 

You didn’t hear anyone behind you and bite back a startled yelp, flinching, putting some distance between you and the stranger before you turn around. Whatever you were going to say shrivels up and dies before it reaches your tongue, strangled by shock. Those are the same green eyes that greet you twice a week for a small, evening discussion section. Standing in front of you is Simon Ecklund, your classical lit professor. 

The breathless “holy shit” slips out before you can stop it. You’re used to seeing him in approachable attire, a cream cardigan, a turtleneck, those silly patterned socks you catch just a glimpse of when he struts down the lecture hall steps. He’s wearing a corset. It’s short, just wrapping around his midsection, made of black and red brocade with a Victorian floral pattern, and it looks amazing on him, a frilled-collar poet shirt bunching loosely at the top. His pants are tightly fitted and you’re using every sliver of your willpower to keep your gaze above the belt. Usually he keeps his hair tied back in a ponytail but it’s loose and wild, a few strands hanging in his face giving him a wild, roguish look. 

He looks mildly surprised to see you here, and maybe just a bit dismayed. “I didn’t mean to scare you,” he says. You’ve never seen his fangs before. They’re not visible unless a vampire’s just fed, or intends to, and his are especially prominent now. “I’ve never seen you at the estate before.” 

“Never been before,” you admit clumsily. Your brain is fried looking at him. The crush that’s been simmering just under the surface since the start of the semester has your heart racing. He can probably hear it. He keeps glancing just a bit too low to be looking at your eyes. The open space of your jacket, you think, where the thick material of your turtleneck is. “I’m, um. Here for a friend. She really wanted to get in, had to bring someone.” 

“I see,” he says. God, this is awkward. Of course you had to be stubborn and come wearing the same tired shit you wear to class when you’ve just rolled out of bed. You’re imagining him lecturing in that outfit and it’s making your face even hotter. “You’re nervous.” 

“I’m—yeah,” you say quickly. “Yes. Sorry. I didn’t really want to come. I don’t do these kinds of parties.” You lean against the wooden staircase banister, just to have something to hold onto, something else to look at. You’ve made a bit of a loop, somehow. You can see one of the hallways that leads into the foyer from here, people passing quickly below. A vampire slams a Ciborium member against the wall and grinds against their body as they drink, spurred on by the human’s weak, wanting gasps. Simon is next to you when you look again, staring down at the same scene. He rests his crossed arms over the banister, long sleeves dangling. 

There’s something in the air, maybe. Something that makes you want to say and do stupid shit. “Is it, um, inappropriate to say you look good in that?” you ask.

Simon glances at you out of the corner of his eye. He looks tense. He taps his fingers along the wooden railing in a quick rhythm. “About as inappropriate as me telling you that you smell delicious,” he says. “Which you do, by the way. It’s a very noticeable scent. You’ve stood out to me since the first day of classes.” 

“I know,” you say quietly. You feel him staring. “I mean, I didn’t—I didn’t know you could smell it. But I know. People have told me it’s, um, distinctive. Before.” 

Was he always close enough to touch? He shifts just slightly and you feel his thigh pressing against yours, nearly shoulder to shoulder. “Do you know what happens at events like these?” he asks. “I suppose you have some idea by now. You’ve seen us…interacting with human guests.” You nod stiffly, clutching the banister. Your heart feels like it’s going to beat out of your chest. “You probably have a very different opinion of me now that you’ve seen me here. I confess, I’m prone to overindulgence. Lord Archambault is very accommodating to our preferences. We can make requests, you know. I hardly feed elsewhere now.” 

You’re still nodding, your body on autopilot. You have no idea what to say. You struggle to process this information. Simon Ecklund, your pretty, soft-spoken lit professor spends his Fridays in this den of debauchery. How long has he been going? How many of his students has he drank from, or fucked in a feeding high? 

You see Sylvie drift by, the same vampire who’d been fondling Darren trailing close behind her. Simon’s gaze follows her. “Ah. There she goes,” he chuckles. “I’m afraid I’m to blame for you being here in a roundabout way. I’m the one who originally extended an invitation to your roommate. I was about to go looking for her. We’ve had an arrangement.”

Your eyes snap back to his face and he’s studying you closely, his expression unreadable but clearly patient. Waiting for something. You can barely string together a coherent thought, much less a sentence. “Wh—what? Why…?” 

Simon’s gaze wanders down to the neckline of your sweater, then back to your eyes. He licks his lips. “Because you’re roommates,” he says, his voice thicker, a bit rough suddenly. “Your scent is all over her.” Simon’s movements are slow and graceful. You don’t recognize that he’s cornered you, caged you against the banister with his own body, until it’s too late and his hands are sitting on the railing on either side of you. His body is hot when it presses against you, bloodlust igniting beneath the skin. 

There’s a feeling in the air like a storm coming, an electric prickling along your skin. You feel like something’s happening, something out of your control. You feel yourself touching him, your hands sliding into the fabric of his shirt and gripping tightly, bracing yourself for something yet to come. Simon’s fingers are scalding when he pinches the neck of your sweater between two fingers and peels down, out of the way, revealing your tender throat. The mere act of exposing you makes him inhale shakily.

“I don’t want to frighten you,” he murmurs. “But if I bite you, I won’t be able to stop. I know they’ve taught you that we should if you ask us to. But here, at the estate, things are different.” He caresses you the way you’ve seen others do it, that tender, suggestive stroke of his fingers across your pulse. He’s doing something to you. He must be. You feel unbearably hot. You forget about leaving entirely. You want to tilt your head, bare more of your neck to him. Simon hums in approval and leans in, the sound he makes just nuzzling his face against your throat utterly pornographic. 

He asks, quietly, “Do you want me to bite you?” 

You’re frozen. You can’t answer. You’re just aware enough to know something’s wrong with you, that you’re not thinking clearly. Your fists tighten around the fabric of Simon’s shirt and your breathing is quick and panicked. You feel unbearably hot. You start tugging frantically at your jacket, but Simon stops you, a hand clamping around your wrist. 

“Do you want me to bite you?” he repeats. The words are calm and sweet, and the desperate sharpness of your grip is turning soft, plaintive, your chest heaving with labored breaths as you push yourself against him. He’s hard, you can feel it, you know he wants you, but he’s still as a statue. He doesn’t move no matter how you grind against him and whine his name. “You have to say the words. You have to ask. I won’t do this if you don’t.”

Something in his tone allows you a moment of lucidity. He’s changing. His soft hands are harder, blunt nails extending into claws with a ripping of skin. His pupils are all wrong, diamond-shaped, dilated slits. “Don’t hurt me,” you beg him. “Please. I don’t want to die.” 

Without hesitation, Simon slides one of his sharpened fingers across his palm. The wound oozes, hissing steam. “I swear on my life you’re safe with me,” he says. That’s a big deal. It’s how they make promises to each other. Not to humans, you thought, but he’s looking at you so gently like he’s just realizing how afraid you are. The moment passes. What little lucidity he allowed you dissipates and your body fills with heat. Trembling, you pull his face against the side of your neck and hear him let out a sigh of pleasure. 

“I want you to bite me,” you whisper. 

Simon’s body grows, lengthening, ridges of bone becoming prominent beneath the skin. His wings rip through the back of his shirt. They’re enormous, leathery with hooks of bone at the apex, his wingspan easily able to engulf you and completely hide you from view. They’re damaged, too, stiff with scar tissue and rough along the bottom edge like unraveling fabric. There’s a distinctive rip through one of them, a fluttering patch of broken flesh resting against your shoulder. His face is hidden against your skin so you don’t see what his face becomes, can only guess what’s there by the pins and needles sensation of pointed teeth against your neck. 

He doesn’t make you wait. His teeth sink into your flesh with a wet, sucking sound and you go rigid against him. It’s painful at first. You wriggle in his grip, trying to pull away. Simon makes a growling sound that scares you but his hand strokes slowly along your spine, trying to soothe you. He encourages you to use him, to grind on his thigh or against the bulge in his pants, and you do out of desperation. The pleasure is just sparks to begin with, but you feel it catching. There’s a warm haze in your mind that gets thicker the longer Simon drinks from you. He’s taking from you but he’s giving something back, something thick and heady that makes you go weak in the knees and hold onto him harder. 

He stops just briefly. He fangs slip out of your skin and you hear him moan, feel the soft, warm press of his tongue across his bite. “You’re perfect,” he says hoarsely. His claws shred your jacket and right through your shirt underneath. You don’t care. You’re aware of so little other than the sensations of his hands on your body, the pleasant caress of the air on your bare skin. He’s lifting you, his claws sinking into the meat of your ass—and you’re naked, completely naked, can’t remember how or when, but you don’t care, need him too badly to care. There’s a shredding sound and then a hard cock pressing into you. You wrap your arms around his shoulders and start to beg. 

The next bite is better. The pain is still there but the pleasure mingles with it, intertwined in a sharp, maddening way that makes it impossible to separate the two. They enhance each other and you welcome both. Simon goes deeper this time. You feel the clench of his jaw. Slowly, he rocks into you and his slow pace makes you whine and twist in his grasp. The sucking sensation, the way his moans vibrate against your neck, make you arch your back. The more he drinks from you, the more impassioned he gets. He goes from leisurely thrusting to pulling you down onto his cock, driving himself into you hard. 

Every memory you have of Simon Ecklund is tainted. You can’t think of him in the classroom without imagining him like this now, great and monstrous, bending you over a desk with his teeth in your throat. You want more. You want to give him everything, and take all that he has to offer in return. You get it now. You see why people do this, why people chase it, why the Ciborium has elevated it to a religion. There’s nothing like being fed on, nothing like this mix of agony and ecstasy. His fangs throb in your shoulder and you feel yourself tightening around him. Every thrust fills you. You feel as light and helpless as a doll yet painfully precious, held in grasping, greedy hands. You’ve never been so wanted before. You’ve never been so important to someone, their nourishment, their vice. 

Simon rips his teeth out of you again and he’s panting, still licking and sucking at the wound even as he mutters to himself, “Enough. That’s enough. No more.” He forces himself away from the bite, trailing his lips across your jaw and eventually to your lips. Every kiss is clumsy and sharp. You can’t reciprocate properly, can’t do anything but moan helplessly as he bounces you on his cock and licks into your mouth. You taste your own blood as it dribbles from your mouth and he laps hungrily at every last drop. 

Simon comes down from his bloodlust while you’re still inconsolable, begging for another bite. He stays away from your neck no matter how much you plead, his attention shifting to where your bodies are joined. His rhythm is calmer and steadier, no more rough, uneven thrusts. Your vision is blurry and unfocused but he still tucks your face against his chest before you can catch a glimpse of him. He rolls his hips and digs his claws in and it’s almost perfect, almost what you want. “You poor thing,” he murmurs. “You’re going to feel this in the morning.” 

The words are meaningless to you now. Simon grips you like a toy and fucks you the way you want, fast and brutal. It’s enough to help you reach the edge and you cum sobbing, toes curling, your fingers raking along the spines of his wings and making him hiss in pleasure and pain. The aftershocks leave you trembling, holding onto him so tightly that you think you draw blood. Simon makes a rumbling sound that must be contentment, cradling you against his chest. 

“I’m going to find us a room. I drank more than I should have. I’ll fetch you something to keep you stable. They always keep some remedies on hand in case of accidents. And your clothes are…well, Lord Archambault will have some spares,” he says, chuckling quietly. “You’ve given me the evening of my dreams, though I fear you may not feel the same way come morning. I think I can accept that, now that I’ve tasted you. I hope I can.”

You’re moving. You can feel it. Simon is walking, carrying you somewhere. You don’t know where. Can’t tell with the room spinning. Simon kisses your cheek and you mumble sleepily, nuzzling against his chest. The lights dim as he steps into comfortable darkness. You hear a door creaking shut. You’re set somewhere soft and warm, blankets and luxuriously soft pillows. The bed dips. Simon’s hand rubs your back and it’s impossible to keep your eyes open.  

“It’ll be interesting to see you in class on Monday,” he murmurs.

#rotpeach writes #goretober #original

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 2/21/2023

despite two sections clocking in at one sentence each, i had a lot of thoughts about a video game so this one is the normal creeping-up-on-2k-words length

listening

brian david gilbert's rgss must be presented without comment.

-

reading

earlier last year a regional gas station chain offered a whopping twenty five cents off per gallon. many terms and conditions applied. the one that made me scoff and delete the app right there at the pump was that location data had to be on at all times. not just when you were using the app or in a geofenced area around the gas stations, all the time. i hate people knowing where i am. i despise my data being sold. do not advertise to me. fuck off.

last year this made me briefly wonder about the loyalty programs i have with the regional supermarket chains, big y and stop & shop. i don't even want to think about whatever instacart was collecting on me much earlier in the pandemic. unfortunately i can choose not to drive as much but i really should not eat less and i do love a loss leader sale. and then i had to move again and forgot about it. earlier this week my favorite data scientists at The Markup dropped a...upsetting article on kroger's data practices, which can include in-store tracking, biometrics, facial recognition, and when shopping on kroger.com: "Third-party trackers send your product page views, search terms, and items that you have added to your shopping cart to Meta, Google, Bing, Pinterest, and Snapchat." did you know they have their own spinoff data company? for why, you might ask?

Experts told The Markup that companies that sell products in grocery stores don’t have much visibility into what happens after their items are placed on shelves. These brands want granular shopping data that only supermarkets have in order to gauge the success of the brands’ products. In recent years, this data has become harder to come by and therefore more valuable. 

i try very hard not to be be doom and gloom about tech bc reporting already tends toward the hysteric, and usually there is stuff i can do or a different option i can take to avoid a package of my data being sold and linked to other packages of my data. however, it is unrealistic to leave my phone at home and pay with cash, and financially i can't afford to opt out of these loyalty programs. sucks! sucks real bad! The Markup articles are pretty good at making the american senate take notice, but they are very slow and do not always fully understand tech abuses, bc their average age is sixty fuckin three.

-

watching

im ticking along in adventure time, in the middle of season six, the last real long season before we get down to twenty and fourteen episode seasons. there has been an amusing string of episodes where finn and jake aren't present or are only present briefly. this show will wander off to tell the most heartrending story about a character you will never see again, and this episode will stick with you for ten years.

ive also been looking at the fandom (i know) wiki page for each episode, bc why not, and it is a very funny fan wiki. a great deal of emphasis on animation errors with the caveats that maybe the miscolored arm of a princess in episode whatever actually means there's two princesses of that kingdom and we're only seeing the second one for the first time now. whenever the show references a classic work, the note in the wiki has the tone of "ugh this weird old thing why is my show making a joke about it". if an episode won an emmy (this show won fifteen emmys btw) it is usually the very last thing on the page bc that's not lore or errors or connections to other episodes why should you care??? either a very specific type of guy or a bunch of young teens wrote this. probably a bunch of young teens that grew up to be a very specific type of guy.

-

playing

thank u for all ur open world rpg recs, i think horizon zero dawn is the closest thing to what i want but i will probably end up playing Prey first (which has exactly one of the many qualities i want and is not open world even a little bit) bc it is a game i actually own. but im here to say i know im having a depressive episode when im listening to a lot of mother mother and playing f/allout 4. anyway we're back at it again in far harbor, which at least contains the most interesting storytelling in the game. can we all say hello to andre, bethesda's eleventh first gay character?

coming up on this drive-in theater with an incongruous neon heart looming out of the mist and spooky music plus screams from the horror movie trailer that's been playing on loop since the bombs dropped is SO fun. nothing on the mainland is quite this atmospheric. the fog really does heighten the fun of exploration. i know dead money did it first and better but this is less dire than dead money. usually.

also i forgot they're showing a western staring Legally Not Lee van Cleef if u switch the reels. this is not even getting into the delightful enemy encounter at this location bc i have a different location i want to talk about

GOD the MS Azalea (the one screenshot that isn't mine and is from the wiki) is so fun to run around. a rusted out, ripped in half cargo ship with five different sections (guardpost, top of ship, shipping container apartments on top of ship, inner sheltered harbor within ship and floating kitchen/pool table parlor, floating bar and clinic lashed to ship entered by swimming or elevator down from the top of the ship, sheltered harbor between two halves of the broken ship. each of these sections uses vertical space in interesting ways bc the ship is so fucking big. there is a straight up House underneath that boat. and everything feels very lived in, there's clutter and signs of life everywhere. these guys are just vibing with their little stores and their little apartments. a smarter game or a game with more time would have leaned into "you were sent to kill these guys by the townsfolk bc they felt threatened by an unaffiliated settlement" but alas. the trappers on the boat are just xp.

it is very funny that the lighthouse on the south end of the island refuses to load in properly, no matter where i am

this dlc, more than anything else in the game, actually does feel like my choices matter. i do the missions for the mariner and the barricade physically changes. i do enough fairly complex quest chains for enough of the town and they decide they like me enough to go build settlements. seeing the settlement fog condensers off in the distance from across the island feels very different from the mainland, where generally your settlement's buildings don't pop in until you're pretty fucking close.

i really don't care about how big the map is, i want the main game to be this dense and this bold in telling a stories, start to finish, that feel very interconnected and grounded to its location. i am feeling a little conflicted with my playtime, bc i gotta lotta fucking bones to pick with this game, but i am having fun with this dlc. part of it is "what if fallout/the rest of the game was good" and part of it is the depression making any scrap of delight feel weird. so it goes. february will end eventually.

-

making

did my taxes.

#i feel like this one does not particularly invite commentary or discussion but that's the way the week rolls sometimes #tuesday again #tuesday again no problem

[thorraborinn]

Do you have any info on the Ginfaxi symbol? Seen a heathen who had it tattooed on their throat and immediately had alarms go off in my head.

I'll post what I know about Ginfaxi, but it won't tell you anything more about the person you saw than you already know. I like thinking and writing about this stuff so I wrote a lot but, yeah, none of this is really going to narrow anything down for you. I'm trying to put the rest behind a break but Tumblr doesn't like breaks anymore, and keeps moving this one around, so we'll see what happens.

I assume that what you mean by "ginfaxi" is this:

This isn't the only symbol that gets called that (more on that below) but it is the most common, and it's what comes up when you Google it. I don't really know anything about how modern people are using ginfaxi but here are some off-the-cuff thoughts:

it's probably on its way into popularity because Ægishjálmur and Vegvísir are too well-known to be mysterious and cool anymore

while less common than those, it's been commercialized for just as long. You, anon, probably know this already, because you probably googled it before asking me, and turned up all the same tchotchke shit that every other "Ancient Viking Magic" symbol is slapped onto. That has more determination over how people relate to it than any 18th/19th century black book does.

there's higher-than-average risk of it being made into a symbol of "Viking warriors" or similar because of its actual historical association with glíma even though conceptually it's closer to staves for winning at chess (which do also exist) than it is to actual combat

yeah I do think it has potential to be a "swastika with plausible deniability" but I honestly don't know if people are doing that and if anything its touristification might be the thing that prevents it

it occurs to me that TikTok is probably a serious vector for how people are experiencing this stuff, and it's something I know absolutely nothing about other than that people like to put runes and stuff on their faces. So I dunno, that could be an influence here.

When you're trying to figure out what it means when you see a galdrastafur on someone, it doesn't necessarily do you any good to learn about its background and history if the person who got it inked didn't bother to research that themselves, and I'm disinclined to believe that someone who got a vaguely swastika-like symbol on their throat did that. I have no idea if the symbol has any more frequency among racists than it does among sorta "general population" heathen/viking-interested people who relate to the past basically through the lens of the tourist gift shop, who would have been getting "Celtic" symbols if it were still the 90's, which seems to be the majority of people involved with this stuff at all. A radically different group of people also comes to mind: in my experience in east coast US, some crusty gutter punk types also use symbols like Icelandic galdrastafir and runes, and they're also more likely to get a tattoo on their throat or face or whatever than the average viking enthusiast. I know a guy who used to put runes and stuff on his panhandling signs and claimed they did get him more cash, and whether it was magic or just drawing attention or what didn't really matter to him.

Anyway, the point is, I think that tattoo was a bad idea, makes someone look like a nazi, and you should side-eye them until you know better, but for better or worse there are other possible explanations for how that symbol got there. I'm not making excuses for anyone, just stating the blunt fact that there are non-nazis who attracted to this symbol and decorate itself with it without even thinking about any of this.

It shows up in that annoying graphic of "Norse" symbols with no context that occasionally makes the rounds (that manages not to include a single symbol from the actual Viking age), with an incorrect or at least misleading description:

And as much as this sucks that is probably the main way that people experience symbolism that is related (whether in a historical or a recently-contrived way) to "the Norse."

The version of the symbol I've been talking about is the most well-known because it comes from Íslenzkar þjóðsögur og æfintýri by Jón Árnason, the most important folklore and fairy tale collection from Iceland. I'm not sure where he got that particular image. When he was writing in the mid-19th century, he said that ginfaxi and gapaldur (which often accompanies ginfaxi) were among the most widespread symbols with the most variety of uses, and even mentions them before ægishjálmur. Ginfaxi was probably always used in glíma, and since that's the context it appears in in magic books while other uses seem not to have been recorded, the association with glíma became stronger over time. It was to be written on a piece of paper or wood-chip and put in the toe of the left show, while gapaldur was supposed to be under the heel in the right shoe (there is some variation in the procedure). According to Grunnavíkur-Jón Ólafsson (via Jón Árna) the two symbols together were also used for spookier things like going into hills (i.e. like huldufólk do, I guess, there's no additional context) and repel sendingar (sort of like ghosts raised by hostile wizards to harm someone) but I don't know where Grunnavíkur-Jón wrote about that or anything else about this. Here is a variant gapaldur from Jón Árnason:

According to Jón Árnason (link in Icelandic), it was rumored that the two staves were composed by hiding the names of different æsir in them. To me, that implies either a method of encoding that is totally opaque to me, or that belief pertained to an entirely different set of visual symbols (either of these are highly plausible). It seems the names ginfaxi and gapaldur (or gapandi) were better-known than the actual visual symbols themselves, and there are many variants that look hardly anything like the one in Jón Arna (this is not surprising -- there are also many symbols called ægishjálmur other than the one we all know). Probably many more people suspected others of having used symbols like these to gain advantage over them, than actually used symbols themselves, so that the idea of ginfaxi would precede anyone knowing how to actually draw it, and perhaps there never really was an original or fixed shape.

Jónas Jónasson (another folklore collector) identified this one from Lbs 977 4to as another ginfaxi although I don't know how he knows it's that and not gapaldur:

This one comes with a formula to recite that invokes Óðinn and Frigg and is specifically about winning at glíma.

These two are from the Galdrasýning á Ströndum website (only on the Icelandic version of the page for some reason), not sure where they got them either. With these you're supposed to carve them on a piece of turf when the moon is waxing and drop some of your own blood into them, then put them in your shoes and recite a verse.

I think it's worth showing what glíma is. True, when an Old Icelandic text refers to people doing an action that is uses the verb glíma to describe, it's talking about actual fighting, but this is the stuff that the glímugaldrar ('glíma-magic') that we have is about:

#ask #anon #galdrastafir #ginfaxi

[raymondshields]

im sure someone has asked this but 696

#696 is delightfully, wonderfully, holy-shit-I-didn't-realize-how-little-art-I-had-of-him-what-the-fuck Hero of Wind and Voices, Tarim 'Laqir' Nakoshima, chosen Hero of Kharos! Pictured here as his recolor.me from 2020, a very bad drawn image from 2014, and a base art from 2012. As you can see, he's always had Generic Anime Protagonist brown hair and green eyes, and has always had that bright-red and bright-cyan motif around him.

When @castcuraga decides he is ready to open commissions, I will give him somewhere between 150-300$ CAD and he will do a fully painted picture of Tarim for me, and it will be glorious, and it will force me to draw a full reference of him, which tbh he really needs.

I know I said 'a few facts'. You're getting a fucking infodump and you will like it, Tsuko-my-dear, because Tarim is one of my oldest OCs, and if I'm not mistaken, my oldest OC that I still use. I think... I'm pretty sure the only older OC that I have is Tranq (Shadow Tranquility is her full name, and I have no idea if she's ever coming back, I won't rule it out).

Tarim has been with me for over a decade, and I love him, and he deserves the world. He was the protagonist for Vocal Paradise, my very first NaNoWriMo novel in 2012. I won that year. I was so proud of myself. He came back for 2017 in Starlight ~ Beginning of the End, which I should reread because the only info I apparently put on NaNo itself was "tarim has to leave the vamps because shit blew up, naitofiara is there," so 10/10, me.

2018, Firstlight ~ The Cultist's Blade opened with "Tarim Nakoshima is dead, the Reihe having consumed him after a Fragment left him in the wrong timeline. [..] Thus, a new group of Twilight Warriors must be chosen." Three years later, Tarim makes his as-of-right-now final appearance in 2012 with Dragonsword ~ His Last Night's Requiem as not only the owner of the titular requiem, but "Not so long after the initial fall of Kagiru Network, two strange young men appear in the middle of the Salem Academy courtyard. One looks Tarathiel Draconis in the eye, tosses her the necklace he had around his neck, and fades to nothingness." which is a pretty metal way to die.

So, now that I've established Tarim's been around for fuckin ages and likes haunting the narrative, who is he?

Tarim is Maradeim! Originally called the Cherchant, which is French for 'searching', because when I was 12 I was learning French so a great deal of the language made it into my writing. The Maradeim are from Ilya Loremmi, the oldest of my original worlds (and very much still a part of the Aethel!), and specifically from the city-state of Isuparingu, which I think is a google-translated-romaji corruption of 'inspiration'? Anyway, they were birthed by the goddess Ivonnu, who's still around, in a fight with her sister Ikuto, who is also still around as Kharos' daughter and being pissy in the woods.

What makes the Maradeim different from ye average elf? Uh, they're grey? Yeah, I know, good question.

Maradeim have been established to be Pretty Rare, so you don't see 'em much outside Isuparingu, and almost never outside the Lorem as it is. Four of the Detan Burata - Zona, Seikyoru (who you may know better as Athena Cykes), Myn, and Rokichi - are Maradeim. To date, Tarim is the only named, non-DB Maradeim character I currently have. (There's two others in my records, Felix and Jaycinda, but I highly doubt they'll ever reappear. I would have to totally rework them, and changing names and designs for characters who didn't have more than that is just making new characters.)

Tarim has average brown hair, spearmint green eyes, gunmetal gray skin, and a jawline sharp enough to slice a man alive. He stands 5'9", would probably be called an otter if he were in a gay bar, and from what I can tell, is the Most Average Maradeim To Ever Maradeim.

He doesn't have parents. Why doesn't he have parents? Dunno. The very first iteration of Vocal Paradise was actually a story my first soulbond, Iban, told me about growing up in the desert. He was making shit up because he was babysitting his younger brother, but I still took it for inspiration. Eventually I moved Tarim to Ilya Ustuxe, I think in 2017 for Starlight, where he actually was an illegal immigrant, worked as a veterinarian for horrors that come out of the woods, and promptly had a super-gay romance with the king, Morcair Rakshara.

Tarim's role has always been that of Protagonist, when he appears; and if he does appear as the Mentor Who Dies, it's because of how his powers and prophecy have always worked.

The oldest prophecy I've ever written was the Prophecy of the Five Heroes, in various forms, and the kicker to it is that people have tried to fulfill it, and crucially, they failed. There's been three generations of Heroes: the first was the Bringers of Hope, the second was the Crafters of Balance, and the third is the Challengers of Fate.

The Bringers of Hope failed so badly that none of them have ever even appeared in any written works: the only thing left of them is their titles, and the fact that they failed. (I know their names, though, and their relationships with each other. Hehehe.) The Crafters of Balance was Tarim, Nyktophotia, Elrua, Akui, and Ikane; who were all actively written out of the narrative when their powers overwhelmed them. They still haunt the narrative. The Challengers of Fate are Tarathiel, Kinefira, Ezra, Saga, Tessa, and Leilahi.

You'll notice that there's six challengers, whereas only five of the other two. Really wonder why the first two groups failed, folks...

Regardless. Tarim is the OG Hero of Voices, and his main magical power is to command the three Alyvian spellsongs - the Reihe, Sterben, and Lautlos - and to reshape the world of travel, Ilya Serina, to his will. He begins using the Sterben, and eventually the Reihe, and only once uses the Lautlos. Contrary to Tarathiel, who primarily uses the Lautlos and sometimes the Sterben, and only uses the Reihe when she purifies her own heart.

Tarim has always been the protagonist, and his job is to be dragged through the Serin into varying parts of the wilderness of the Aethel by the plot, being pissy the entire time and befriending a bunch of animals, sometimes being dragged around by a girl who is supposed to be his love interest and who he doesn't give two shits about. The only person he's shown any romantic interest in was Morcair, who he died on very purposefully and who he kept a lot of secrets from. Morcair's pretty bitter about it, and helps out the Challengers only for Tarim's memory. Lmao.

You'll notice, though, that right up top I said that Tarim goes by Laqir. This is because while I knew from the start what his name was, he has never willingly given his name to another person in his entire fucking life. Seriously. If he weren't sorted under the Ts, I wouldn't have told you his name was Tarim. In my actual files where all his art is, he's listed under Laqir. When I make the wiki, he'll be listed under Laqir as well, and his actual name will only be in the sidebar.

When I write him, he always and only uses he/him pronouns, and only gets named in the narrative after someone asks him his name onscreen, and he has to give it. The first time he did in Starlight (because tbh I barely remember all the shit that happened in Vocal Paradise), it was to Morcair. Tarim panicked, glanced around outside the carriage they were in, saw a road sign for Laqir Lane, and told him his name was Laqir.

What fuckin name was he going by before the shattering of the Aethel? Gods only know. It sure fuckin' wasn't Tarim.

Why he has this issue, I have no idea. But he won't give you his name, just Laqir, and gods only know if Nakoshima is his actual surname either. Prob'ly not. I have no idea why he was orphaned in the desert. He got to Ilya Ustuxe by being a stowaway on a ship as a teenager and is Super Illegally There, but fuck you he's Laqir Nakoshima, consort to the King and Hero of Voices, no one is going to be asking for his passport.

The red/blue thing he's got is something he famously shares with Nyktophotia: that's actually an Alyvian thing, and they both have it through their use of the spellsongs. Tarathiel only does that when she's actively using her powers, and Kinefira simply refuses to use the spellsongs so she doesn't get to be special.

Tarim is a grumpy, generous guy honestly. Dislikes being personable, dislikes being dragged into shit, a very Bilbo-like character tbh? Genuinely very loving, absolutely atrocious at trusting people. Super reliable, though, and has an interest in chemistry.

Tarim is also the actual owner of the Kharosian stronghold on Ilya Kava, as well as a low mansion on a phantom island in Ilya Ustuxe. He stored most of his personal stuff in the Ustux, and most of his Hero stuff in the Kav. The Challengers use his stronghold in the Kav as their primary base of operations in the Aethel, since they don't reeeeaaally want to go to the Ustux and deal with Morcair's grief over Tarim, but Tarim himself is still haunting both of these places in what fragments of consciousness he's managed to plant in them, so he's all smug about that.

It'd be nice to go back and write a few stories for him, tbh. It's been a while, and most of the things he's done in Sagiverse sum up to angrily being written out of the narrative onscreen to pass the mantle to Tarathiel. We should go see what he was up to before that.

[send me a number between 2 and 787 for a few facts about that OC, please send me more these are super fun]

#asks #dorksmithery #it's laqiiiiiir my boy my boy my boy #fun fact: the oc directly above him is tarathiel! #i love answering asks about my writing and ocs and worldbuilding #seriously y'all can just ask about literally any of this #anything interesting i'll tell you all about it

[ace-beef]

You have ocs? 👀👀👀👀👀Tell us about them

Yes! I have so many I don't know what to do with them all sometimes!! I won't go through LITERALLY all of them because I must have at least 40 or something at this point (and that is not a joke, I remember counting them all once and I know I got to a number in the 40s lmao) but I will go through the ones that I do the most stuff for.

I’m also going to add in a read more break because even though I don’t talk about ALL of my OCs, I still talk about a decent amount of them and give somewhat chunky descriptions of the main ones.

First of all, I have an entire page on my blog that gives the run down for all of my DnD OCs, including base stats, backstory, the amount of sessions I've played them for etc. Currently I have 15 of the silly little dudes and I have even written a few fics about some of them! They can be found on my AO3.

Next, we've got OCs that are a part of my main writing project: Finders Keepers. This is a book idea that I really hope to write one day, and it actually spawned from a dream I had one night! I remember sitting bolt upright in the morning and thinking " I NEED to write this down" and then I scrambled out of bed and to my laptop to write it all down before I forgot too much. I will say that I had this original dream back in April 2020 and since then it has evolved and grown so SO much (I have a google doc with literally ALL of the info about the plot, characters, the magic mechanics, the enemies etc that currently is 13 pages long. If you're so desperate to look at this document then feel free to DM me for a link!). It follows four teenagers as they discover that there are dark forces in the world that seek to destroy humanity, and obviously they are the ones that need to stop it all and save the world! The four main characters of this and their sort of “main characteristics” are as follows: 

Faye Harper, 16, she/her; long golden blonde hair that is often tied back in a messy ponytail, pointed facial features, soft green eyes, tall for her age and tallest of the group, appears to be thin but is surprisingly strong, messy and scruffy in general, un-identical twin sister to Ewan, bit of a horse girl, outdoors-y, adventurous, creative, not afraid of much, explores everything she can (sometimes she explores a little too much and it gets her into trouble), brave and determined, works hard to achieve her goals and sticks to her beliefs and opinions, commanding and stubborn, can be impatient

Ewan Harper, 16, he/him; short and neat-ish blond hair the same shade as his sister, hazel eyes, kinda short for his age and the shortest of the group, chubby, acne, quite strong, a lot neater than his sister, has Pretty Boy potential, un-identical twin brother to Faye, animal nerd, also naturally outdoors-y but not as adventurous, has to get dragged into things by the others, the Mum Friend and the voice of caution, can be a tad childish, will be first on hand to help the others if they get injured, stubborn and rooted, anxious

Skylar Murphy, 16, they/them; black hair that’s cut in a sharp jawline bob with full fringe, warm brown eyes, average height, lean in build but still has a little bit of stock to them due to them being in good shape, small bit of acne, can speak both English and Japanese, English father, Japanese mother, both parents are very strict, casual nerd that mainly enjoys video games and cartoons, also really active and enjoys sports and exercise (especially skateboarding), is on the school’s netball and hockey teams, used to bully others in primary school, the Cool Kid, does not like to appear vulnerable or soft, aggressive and confrontational, determined, daring and quick thinking

Kaden Black, 16, he/him; brown eyes that are so dark they look black sometimes, somewhat round facial features, floofy brown hair that’s cut short except for at the front and sides where it parts in the middle into cheekbone-length curtains, acne, short but not as short as Ewan, average in build but a little on the larger side, broad shoulders, large round glasses, biggest nerd of the group and is into literally everything (particularly Star Wars, Bill and Ted), enjoys cosplay, history buff that enjoys researching things, absolutely riddled with ADHD, impulsive, eccentric fashion sense, chill and goes with the flow, can be impatient sometimes, good listener, fun sense of humour 

And then I have to also mention an important side character called The Keeper (real name is Waylon Foster), 56, he/him; wears a grey turtleneck jumper, thin black-brimmed reading glasses, fluffy grey hair, light grey facial scruff that is just a shade or two lighter than his hair, stocky but not exaggerated in build (has a bit of a dad bod), strong but also a little soft facial features, fairly tall, has an Anakin Skywalker-style scar over his right eye, soft and kind blue-grey eyes that don’t look Quite Right, the 'Old and Tired Mentor', Dad Energy, enjoys reading and learning new skills, good at teaching and communicating, soft, kind, caring, gentle and patient, aggressively protects the kids no matter the cost, can’t quite remember How To Human properly, quiet, humble, a little bit shy and reserved, sometimes can get lost in his thoughts

So that’s brushing the surface of Finders Keepers! Next, my other main creative project with OCs: The Van Helsing Project. This I would love to turn into an animated TV show, and this also has a large google doc of everything although it’s only 5 pages long (tbh it’s mainly just character descriptions and basic plot, I need to add stuff to it). This is about the grandson of the infamous Abraham Van Helsing continuing the family tradition of hunting monsters, and forming a team to aid him in this endless mission. I basically like to call it 1930s Scooby Doo but for adults because it has the same sort of format hehe. It was inspired by a couple of my absolute favourite films, Van Helsing (2004) and The Mummy (1999), as well as my favourite TV show, Jekyll and Hyde (ITV, 2015). Anyway here’s the gang and their main characteristics: 

Abdiel Van Helsing, early 30s, he/him; character design and personality is loosely based on Rick O’Connell from The Mummy: shortish messy hair, side parting, thick and short sideburns, ‘Obi Wan Chestnut’ in colour, bright green eyes that are almost unnaturally bright, a fairly strong and square jawline but not exaggerated, short scruff facial hair that’s slightly darker than his hair, thick and scruffy eyebrows but also not exaggerated, large scar diagonally across the nose as well as plenty of others on the body, strong and chunky in build but again not exaggerated, tall, wide grin, complete himbo but has a decent knowledge on a lot of monsters and how to hunt them, no actual superpowers but he’s just naturally talented and well trained, has ADHD, can be a bit too cocky for his own good but in an oddly charming way, care-free, playful and energetic, gets along with most people, casually flirts with pretty much anyone if he finds them attractive enough

Mary Frankenstein, early 30s, she/her; long bright ginger hair that is tied back in a high-ish ponytail with a sweeping side fringe, pale skin, lots of freckles, pale blue-grey eyes, pointed face and nose that is a little hooked in shape, large round glasses, gold cross-shaped earrings as well as a gold cross necklace, thin and average in height, shoulders slightly wider than hips, zoologist and cryptozoologist, wants to find out how monsters tick, how to kill them more effectively and how to cure and rehabilitate monsters if possible, can handle herself in a fight easily, confident, thoughtful and thorough, smart and intelligent, stern and serious, no nonsense attitude, blunt, cold and harsh (especially to those who don’t know her very well), develops feelings for Abdiel but really does not want to tell him about them

Quincey Harker, mid 30s, he/him; character design inspired by Keanu Reeves’ portrayal of Jonathan Harker (as if this version of John was Quincey’s dad): collarbone length straight black hair that is often tied back in a loose ponytail with shorter swoopy bits at the sides and complete with widow’s peak, somewhat pale skin, long and rounded face and nose, thin features, defined jawline, warm brown eyes, three large ‘claw mark’ scars over the left side of his face from the cheekbone to the chin as well as lots of other scars over the body, body is thin and lean but still somewhat muscular, tall and is a few inches taller than Abdiel, Protective Older Brother energy, grew up alongside Abdiel due to the Van Helsings and the Harkers keeping in touch and visiting each other frequently, also continued the family tradition of hunting monsters, quiet, calm, reserved, considerate, chilled out, has the capability to be chaotic and stupid because he’s sometimes enabled by Abdiel, good at picking up on other people’s emotions, good at comforting and looking after others, plays a big part in matchmaking Abdiel and Mary since both of them refuse to believe that the other could possibly like them

Cynthia Lanyon, late 20s, she/her; character design inspired by TGS Lanyon: soft brown skin, average in build but with surprisingly squishy cheeks, round and bright eyes that are a soft dark brown in colour, small and rounded features, dark brown ringlet curly hair that is fairly short and surprisingly well kept, almost always has a pair of goggles on her head (brass or copper in colour with varying colours of lenses), short, hourglass body, makes gadgets and weapons for Abdiel and others to use, knows chemistry, alchemy and mechanics, is autistic, shy and nervous with people to start out with but becomes cheerful and friendly once she gets to know others, very much at home in her workshop, enjoys telling people about the things she’s made, she can manage in a fight but will always be looking for a way out of it, prefers to be The Guy In The Chair, talks rather fast, easily anxious, creative and thoughtful, always tinkering with something 

Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Talbot; this character I haven’t properly developed yet, but her basic concept is she’s the team’s medical professional who wants to help and heal people, but during the show she becomes a werewolf and has to try and deal with these new animalistic and aggressive behaviours that she absolutely hates

Detective Samuel Drake, early 60s, he/him; shortish salt and pepper hair that has a bit of a curl to it, thick and angular moustache of the same colour as his hair, the beginnings of sideburns, bushy eyebrows, strong features including a prominent nose that has clearly been broken in the past, washed out blue eyes, rounded face and jawline, rectangular rimless glasses that are always pushed right up to the bridge of his nose, average in height and build but definitely has a bit of a Dad Bod going on, is not one of the main hunting party/group and works for the British police and is pretty much one of the very few people in the police that know about Abdiel’s unique job so does his best to make sure that Abdiel and his team don’t get into too much trouble, childhood friend of Abdiel’s mother, friendly and witty, focuses completely on the task at hand and becomes stern and serious, has a very good moral compass and makes sure that people know this by breaking the 4th wall and lecturing the audience while staring directly at the camera (the other characters don’t even know that there is a 4th wall to break so they are greatly confused by this behaviour) 

Next I’m just gonna list some OCs that aren’t a part of these main three things, some are independent and some are for already existing media. I’m also not going to go in as much detail as the ones above (because this post is long enough already lmao):

Drew Hunter, an Outlast OC that becomes a werewolf and is admitted to Mount Massive Asylum by his sister Sarah. Turns out the asylum has a whole section for those who suffer from clinical lycanthropy as well as actual lycanthropy. All of these patients are treated by the cold-hearted and oddly soft-spoken Doctor Zachery Baines. I have written one fic about how Drew was sent to Mount Massive on my AO3 and I do have another WIP of him meeting Dr Baines but I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever finish that one lmao. Maybe one day, we shall see. 

Oscar Hart, a BBC Ghosts OC who is a medieval ghost that died during a training accident on the grounds that would become Button House. He desperately wanted to join the next crusade but he was always kinda clumsy and accident prone, so he never made it. I have a tumblr post giving the run down on this sweet boy.

Lucid Dream and Canine King, who are Killjoy OCs. Spawned from my reawakened obsession with My Chemical Romance this year, I decided to finally delve into and understand the Danger Days lore. Lucid Dream actually was a pre-existing OC from when me and some friends played the Cyberpunk tabletop game once (they were just called Dream back then), but that campaign died a year or two ago and since then this OC had been left; they’d gotten dusty. So upon deciding to make Killjoy OCs I went “hold on a second, Dream would fit so perfectly into this universe” so I gave them a makeover and now they’re a Fabulous Killjoy. Canine King is an originally made Killjoy and tbh I haven’t developed them much, but they’re kind of a sona, and also kind of me going “hey what if we added werewolves to this universe”, because putting werewolves into everything is kinda my thing. 

Elizabeth Wolfe, an OC for The Glass Scientists, a lodgersona that I made back when everyone was making funky little lodger versions of themselves. Ironically I’ve kind of fallen off TGS but I do still really enjoy Elizabeth and her tiny reanimated dinosaurs. I have two fics on her becoming a member of the Society and the antics that ensure on my AO3.

Charles Starr, an eccentric mad scientist that basically spawned from me thinking one day “hey Charlie Day would play a really good mad scientist”. So basically he’s a combination of Charlie Kelly and Newt who’s been thrown into that stereotypical mad scientist vibe like Doc Brown from Back To The Future. He’s a flexible OC, like I can put him into different universes for fun, so he’s definitely going to feature in The Van Helsing Project at least once. 

Emily and Gayle, who were part of my original writing project that I had before Finders Keepers. This was actually also based on a dream! The concept was basically ‘Good Omens Except With Vampires And Werewolves’. Emily is a werewolf and Gayle is a vampire, both have gone to university at the same time and have ended up being in the same halls. It takes them far too long to realise that the other is a supernatural creature and therefore hilarity ensues. When they do finally realise though, they decide to team up and become best friends (eventually more than friends) as Emily is no longer in a werewolf pack and Gayle left their old vampire clan long ago. I do still want to write this one day because I think it’ll be fun! 

Max and Kit, two pirates that also spawned from a dream. Max and his nonbinary wife Kit co-captain a pirate ship together, and with their faithful crew they explore the world. They also have a pet hippocampus! 

Canine Anarchy, a band formed of 5 werewolves (hey look more werewolves, I do so much shit with werewolves, everything is better with werewolves), Kyle on guitar and lead vocals, Daniel on base guitar and backing vocals (although he does do lead vocals sometimes), Ash on guitar who does all of the cool and technical riffs and melodies, Amy on lead/backing vocals and keyboard, Ellie on drums and backing vocals. These guys have been bouncing around my head since I was a teenager, because I came up with them during long car journeys. I would stare out of the window and imagine this band playing all of the songs I listened to on these long journeys. In terms of the music they play, well I was an emo teenager so you can already imagine the kind of bands I was listening to. The reason I’ve added them to this list (because I wasn’t planning on adding OCs I came up with before I was 16), is because I recently gave them a makeover. Some of them have new names and new designs and I’ve finally found a name for the band that I actually like! 

So yeah that’s a decent amount of my OCs! I always have some of these funky little dudes spinning around in my head at all times, mostly it’s either the DnD ones, Finders Keepers, or The Van Helsing Project, but the others get turns too occasionally! And obviously I am always down to talk about ANY of them. 

#hey I finally wrote everything out and answered! #this has been sat in my drafts for too long lmao #I always put off shit like this even though I enjoy it sjghjg #anyway #ocs #beef speaks #ask

[lunatic-fandom-space]

I was googling around bc I was looking for a particular fanfic and I found like three seperate reddit posts being like "uhm Why do people ship Sebastian and Ciel" and ??? Okay, listen, I realize that reddit is very different from tumblr especially in the way they talk and think about ships there but cmon. Come on. You cant find any reason why anyone would ship them? Like, I used to ship them in the past so maybe Im just more capable of empathizing with the Sebaciel girlies, it takes one to know one and all that but. Ughh idk man. I know this mostly stems from people being like "oguhgohugogu how could you POSSIBLY ship something with an AGE GAP like THAT" and, i dont know how to tell them that that some people just dont care about that. I do and it makes me a bit uncomfortable ngl but Im not gonna sit here and pretend like these two dont get a ton of moments that your average romantic ship enthusiast would kill for yknow

I mean come on. Sebastian will just carry Ciel around bridal style literally all the time and Ciel basically never complains unless someone points it out. The bit where Sebastian teaches Ciel the waltz. The Corset Scene. This doesnt have that much to do with their actual relationship, but Sebastian regularly takes on the role of Ciels teacher and a lot people have a bit of a kink for that. That moment towards the end of the circus arc where theres liquid trailing out of Ciels mouth bc he just vomited and hes panting and shit and Sebastian is grabbing and/or caressing his face being like "call my name~". That part where Sebastian gives him his ring back immediately followed by Ciel asking him to stay with him until he falls asleep. You know whats really popular right now, especially online? Couples where they like, love each other obviously but they also bicker and banter and LoWkEy HaTe EaChOtHeR UwU. yea. And thats all just the obvious palatable stuff I could come up with off the top of my head, dont even get me started on the sensuality in wanting to eat another persons soul

I dont really know what my point with this is tbh. I guess it was just me kinda ranting a little bc its annoying to me that some people cant see why Sebaciel was literally the most popular ship in the fandom even though its incredibly obvious if youve been on the fandom side of the internet for more than a month yknow. And again, I dont ship them either I just like, have eyes and some knowledge on what people on the internet like to ship. My personal opinion on Sebastian and Ciels relationship is that in order to actually properly assess it, you cant really put it in any of these boxes of romantic, platonic, familial because its more complicated than that and its more interesting and fun to just analyze them without putting labels like that on their realtionship (at least for me)

#some personal shit #kuroshitsuji

[ryder616]

Thank you for the tag @stilltryingtowrite and @samanthaswishes 🤗

Name: Alex

Star sign: Sagittarius

Height: about 25 cm 😁 my human form is 1.67 which is 5.4, apparently

Favorite Bands/Artists: atm I'm listening to a lot of The Weeknd and Måneskin

Last movie: Multiverse of Madness

Last Show: finished? Obi-Wan Kenobi

When did I create this blog: 2018 but I didn't start posting until about a year later

What I post: Daisy Johnson and AoS meta (and rants lol) plus reblogs of everything Daisy that crosses my dash/appears in the tag, plus everything else I like

Last thing I googled: meters to feet *smirk*

Other blogs: yes but I haven't used them in ages

Do I get asks: rarely, and it's even more rare when it's asks as in questions lol

Following: 323 but well over half of them are inactive, I think

Average hours of sleep: around 6

Instruments:  My grandma tried to teach me piano but I found the process boring and it didn't stick, to her disappointment

What I’m wearing: cargo shorts and a t-shirt

Dream job: FNS (federation news service) correspondent stationed on the USS Enterprise D 😁

Dream trip: honestly, space (like interstellar travel space but Earth's orbit would do it, too) but to keep it to something actually attainable Patagonia on horseback. However, I'm usually the happiest when I'm chilling at home so *shrug*

Nationality: Italian

Favorite songs: My most played tracks ever are Along the Watchtower (Hendrix's version), Palladio and half the Mass Effect soundtrack (og game). Can you tell I have a problem deciding what music is my Favorite™? Yeah...

Last book I’ve read: Tempo, il sogno di uccidere Chronos (Time, the dream of killing Chronos) by Guido Tonelli, an Italian physicist

Top 3 fictional universes i would live in: Star Trek, Star Trek, Star Trek 😁 Marvel if I could have superpowers. I think The Elder Scrolls could be fun, provided I know magic (or I'm level 100 in sneak and archery 😁) and avoid wandering into hidden tombs and such :p pro: cat people con: no modern tech, nasty gods that are real and all kinds of murder happy creatures

No pressure tagging (but what about the pressure of tagging? 😉) : @acerobbiereyes @backgroundagent3 @bibliophile-rhino-nerd @cecuhp @delphiniumblooms @greencanary084 @moonlayl @solarisoneredux-blog @travllingbunny

#tag game

[ryswritingrecord]

The Never Ending Pain of Loving a Friend; Chapter 2

You know what it means when someone googles ‘how to not be in love with your best friend’ at 4 am while sleeping next to said best friend? It means that person is very, very desperate. I am very, very desperate. 

It's been 2 hours since Elliot went to sleep and all I can seem to do is stare at how absolutely gorgeous he is. From his adorably curly blonde hair, to his long eyelashes, to his tattoos. From his perfect nose, to his red, slightly chapped, plump lips, to his sharp jawline. And that's just the physical beauty of the man. Every time I look at him I see his beautiful eyes looking at me in concern, his lips stretched wide into his breathtaking smile. The feeling of his soft curls between my fingers when I play with his hair. 

All I can ever see is his beauty. And all it does is remind me of all my ugly.

From my double chin, to the back and stomach rolls, from my too small eyes and too large nose, to my weirdly shaped fingers. All I can ever see is the imperfections in me. As a bigger girl, there are things that usually ‘make up for it’ in guys' eyes; I.E., big tits and a big ass, but I didn't have any of that. As a member of the IBTC and being classified as having a “long back”, I had no pluses to dating me. And sure, I have things I like about myself. I like my hair and I like my lips, but those are the only physical things about me that I can tolerate. Every other thing I like is in my personality, and even those are things I force myself to like. I like my voice, even though I personally think I sound like a dying donkey. I like my artistic skills, even if every time I see my work all I see are the imperfections. I like how smart I am, even if I feel like I’m just smart enough to not be stupid, but not quite brilliant.

The best way to sum it up is I feel mediocre. I'm an ‘ok’ singer, an ‘ok’ painter, with ‘ok’ intelligence. And that's hard to feel when your whole life your parents have been hyping you up to be the next Einstein, or the next Stephen Hawking. You feel like the world's biggest failure because you got a 80 and not a 98 on your English paper. I was the bright, gifted kid throughout all of elementary school. Almost skipped 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade because I scored off the charts. My parents decided against it because I needed the social skills that came with those grades because of my autism. That didn't really make sense to me since I was told not to make friends at school because Jehovah has not reached them spiritually. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. Actually, now that I think about it, I haven't told you a lot. Let's back up shall we?

May 2004. Alice Lee met Daniel Ballard. Daniel was a born and raised Jehovah's Witness. Alice had just started studying. As ridiculous as it sounds, they met in a Yahoo Pool chat room. They realized they both went to the same congregation and started hanging out. Alice already had a son who was 3, named Ian. They started dating and got married in early September of 2004. On August 25th 2005, Alice gave birth to a baby girl and they named her Selene.

Selene was a fairly average baby, and she even had a fairly average early childhood. She was in an early learning program from birth where she tested amazingly high for her age. She was very good with logic puzzles, but did not do well when it came to anything that didn't have a right or wrong answer. She was extremely curious, to the point where she would accidentally put herself in danger. When she was 2, she got into a very bad car accident with her mother where they got t-boned by a tractor trailer. Her mother was really hurt physically, it messed up her neck and back, as well as triggered something called fibromyalgia. For Selene, it affected the growth of the left side of her body. Her left eye sight was worse, she was losing hearing in her left ear, etc. As a Witness, women and girls are to sit still, do what they're told, and be quiet. Selene did not do that. She never quite fit in anywhere she went. At school, she was socially awkward and had no friends. At the Witnesses, she wasn't obedient enough and never fit their standards. At home, she was too much; too much curiosity, too much energy, too loud. She always felt alone.

Selene had a lot of trauma. She never talks about it though. She was thought to possibly be a sociopath by her parents, but that wasn't the case. She instead got diagnosed with BPD, as well as PTSD, C-PTSD, anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism, and a plethora of other ‘illnesses’ she worked through in the years of therapy that started at 5 years old. And that’s just the mental. She also has Fibromyalgia, AMPS, Migraine Disorder, low metabolism, possible thyroid issues, asthma, severe scoliosis and hyperkyphosis, as well as all the damage the car accidents and concussions caused.

I do this all the time. I just started talking to myself in the 3rd person. Is that weird? I feel like I'm giving a presentation in my mind. As I go through this ‘presentation’ of my life, I start to unlock the box. You know, that box that is full of memories or thoughts that could at any moment mentally obliterate you, so you lock them away to be dealt with when you have the ability to be unreachable to anyone and anything for a while. Well the box has started oozing feelings. Feelings of worthlessness, loneliness, feeling like I'm unlovable, feelings of self hatred for letting myself get and stay this overweight, as well as falling in love with your best friend. What the fuck was that about anyway? That’s so fucking cliché to fall in love with your best friend. 

As I'm thinking about this I fail to realize 2 things. Number one, the emotions have hit me so hard I'm crying just trying to process them all, and number two, Elliot has woken up.

“Hey, why the fuck are you still awake Selli?” He asks as he rolls towards you and opens his eyes.

“Oh, nothing,” I say as I wipe my tears as inconspicuously as possible. “Just having a hard time sleeping.”

“Oh, ok. Do you feel like talking about why you're crying, or do we just wanna pretend that I didn't see that?”

Shit. Of course he saw, it's Elliot.

“Crying? I think you need to get your eyes checked Elliot, you're imagining things.” I say trying to cover, even though he sees right through it.

“So pretending I didn’t see it, got it.” He says as he smirks at me.

“Ya know what Elliot, fuck you. Go back to sleep so I can ‘not sleep’ in peace.”

“Uh huh. Ok. Only if you go to sleep as well. You've spent the last 4 nights at my house and I know you didn't sleep at all.”

How the fuck does he know that? I know he slept through the night because I was awake all night every night this past weekend.

“If you insist Elliot, but it’s just so I don’t have to hear your annoying ass voice and smell your nasty fucking breath.” I say, trying my best not to yawn with how tired I am.

“I do insist. And I’m going to let those comments go so you’ll actually get some sleep tonight. Goodnight Selene.”

“Goodnight Elliot. Sleep well.” I respond as I roll over

After a few minutes I feel Elliot scooch up behind me and throw his arm over my waist, pressing his face into my neck. It feels so good I can't help but snuggle in closer to him. I feel as he smirks onto my shoulder as I roll my eyes at him. I soon find myself drifting off into a restful sleep in the arms of the only person who's ever there for me.

#elliot euphoria #elliot #plus sized #oc

[barnes-brain]

I love what you said about baseball and it being a romantic game cause yeah. YEAH. And there's also something so so special about it from a not so player based view, like, the long summer afternoons and evenings at the ballpark and the generally friendly, electric atmosphere at every game and all the traditions and just the everything about it that you just don't get at other sporting events, imo. Even watching from home, or listening to it on the radio like I kinda love to is just so much more intimate and lovely than other sports. I wish that I could explain it better to folks who haven't felt it themselves, but it feels like so much of our culture these days is so focused on faster paced, immediate gratification sports and just entertainment in general as opposed to the longer haul season that you kind of have to build a relationship with, as well as one with a team to follow, and this rising drama and (usually) excitement for the world series and idk. Baseball is just so personal and I love it but it can be hard to share. Plus, all the math probably doesn't help :/

~Rockies

Hey Rockies!

Exactly! With 162 games, and only 24 players on a roster? It’s like spending 8ish months at school, or when you’re a kid at summer camp. You might only get to know the baseball side of things? But you get to know those players, you cheer for them, celebrate their wins, feel their losses. Each player can and does contribute to the game. Like I might just not watch enough football, but I don’t see defensive ends getting interviewed after games (Again please someone correct me if I’m wrong) You don’t see defensemen in hockey getting interviewed often, but with 162 games? More than likely you’re going to have 5-10 interviews with every single player.

That builds an atmosphere of care and compassion that I don’t see in other sports (again fuck the dodgers because that stadium is DANGEROUS). And I think a lot of that is because of the age of the game. It’s not the oldest game out there, but it’s the oldest in the US (of the big four Lacrosse is actually older as it originated from the Native Americans) and having that tradition that you mentioned is built into the fabric of the game. I’ve been to Busch stadium once in the past 7 years because I don’t live close, but I’ve gone to my local stadium, and they welcome me in with a Cardinals jersey just as much as if I was wearing one of theirs. You make friends at the stadium, no matter who you root for, yeah there might be some joking around, but ultimately, there’s a very real risk that you could be sitting next to that person for 4 hours if it goes into extras. and there’s a bigger chance that for 6 out of the 9 innings nothing is going to happen.

As far as the math goes… I always suggest learn the positions, learn the rules before learning the maths. Get into the minor league system (at least AAA) get to know some oof the upcoming players, because if you know them, you’ll want to see them succeed, and watching them do so is… it’s pretty magical. Lars Nootbaar has a place in my heart because I started paying attention to the minors last 2ish years ago. And I told my mom last year I said “Ma, he’s going to be good, he’ll get called up this year.” And sure enough he did, and now he’s my little Nootsie and I would die for that cinnamon roll.

But if you’re not a huge baseball fan and reading this for some reason. Don’t be afraid of googling something (or reaching out to me) to ask what a stat is. And don’t worry too much about the math. I can look at a batting average and tell you if it’s good or not, but I can’t tell you how to calculate it, and this has been a part of my life forever.

[drsorrell]

Core Writing, Wed. 1.17

Ambience Video :)

Ch. 1, “‘THEY SAY’: Starting with What Others Are Saying” (19-31)

To construct a solid original idea, start with what others say.

Being familiar with the conversation that is already going on makes you appear informed and intelligent = more likely to be listened to.

Attaching your own idea to an ongoing conversation or debate grabs your audience's attention.

Come back to what others think or say as you develop your idea. By using the “return sentences” mentioned in the chapter, you can continually show how your viewpoint differs (and is better!)

An example of the They Say/I Say  “move”

"People often criticize online education during the pandemic. They talk about “learning loss” and students not paying attention. <-THEY SAY As the parent of two school-aged children at the time, I can say this was sometimes true. I SAY -> However, I would argue that the problem wasn’t online education itself but rather the way we used it. We did the same things online that we used to do face-to-face, which was boring. If we had tried new things, it would have worked better. For example, my daughter had a bag of crafts on Halloween, and each online teacher visited all the Google Meets to help with a different craft. The school threw 'learning' in a traditional sense out the window for one day, and it worked great; the kiddos were all excited, and my daughter still talks about it. On the one hand, critics are correct to point out flaws in the system. <- THEY SAY On the other hand, that doesn't mean that we should abandon online education altogether. Online education, much like education in general, requires adjustment and trying new things on the part of everyone involved. <- I SAY"

Activity: Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill, “Should Everyone Go to College?” (488-505)

Break up into a couple of different groups--no more than four people per group- -and talk about the Owen and Sawhill reading.

Identify at least one They Say moment from the text by finding a quote that you think sums up the authors' position.

Then, come up with at least 2-3 I Say responses. Tell us what you really think. I’m interested! I went to college in the '90s, so I want to know what you all think about this stuff. Really.

Refer to the They Say claim when making your own I Say claim (the set-up discussed above).

Talk as a group, write up what you think in a few bullet points, then post it (just one post per group) on Schoology under Owen & Sawhill + TSIS Activity.

Class Discussion of results.

If time: Review opening Sawhill & Owen paragraph together:

"For the past few decades, it has been widely argued that a college degree is a prerequisite to entering the middle class in the United States. Study after study reminds us that higher education is one of the best investments we can make, and President Obama has called it “an economic imperative.” We all know that, on average, college graduates make significantly more money over their lifetimes than those with only a high school education. What gets less attention is the fact that not all college degrees or college graduates are equal. There is enormous variation in the so-called return to education depending on factors such as institution attended, field of study, whether a student graduates, and post-graduation occupation. While the average return to obtaining a college degree is clearly positive, we emphasize that it is not universally so. For certain schools, majors, occupations, and individuals, college may not be a smart investment. By telling all young people that they should go to college no matter what, we are actually doing some of them a disservice" (Sawhill & Owen, 488-489).

Homework: 1 Read Ch. 21, Murray (506-526) and Graff (548-555). 2 InQuizitive: “How to Use InQuizitive.” 

#double_size

[madhukumarc]

Is SEO worth the money?

Yes, SEO is worth the money. In fact, this is the age-old question that many business owners have pondered. Let me tell you, as someone who knows digital marketing in and out and by research that, SEO is absolutely worth the investment.

Do you know - “Fully 61% of B2B decision-makers start the buying process with a Web search, whereas a whopping 87% of retail shoppers do the same—vastly exceeding other channels, including display and social media” – MarketingProfs

First and foremost, let's talk about what SEO actually is. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website so that it ranks higher on search engine results pages (SERPs) for specific keywords or phrases. 

The higher your website ranks, the more visible it is to potential customers and the more likely they are to click through to your site.

Now, you might be thinking - can't I just use paid advertising to get my website to show up at the top of search results? 

And while yes, paid advertising (such as Google Ads which is also popular) can be effective in driving traffic to your site, it's important to remember that those results will disappear as soon as you stop paying for them. 

With SEO, however, the results are more long-lasting and sustainable. Here is an illustration to help you understand even more clearly:

Image Source - Ahrefs

Additionally, SEO can help you build credibility and trust with both search engines and potential customers. 

When your website appears at the top of search results for a particular keyword or phrase, people are more likely to view your site as an authority on that topic.

This can help increase brand awareness and ultimately lead to increased conversions.

“59% of enterprise businesses have a dedicated SEO team, underlying business leaders’ prioritization of organic marketing resources as brands’ digital presence continues to take center stage” – Conductor

But let's get to the meat of the matter - how much does SEO actually cost? Well, it really depends on your specific needs and goals. 

The cost of SEO can vary widely depending on factors such as the size of your website, the competitiveness of your industry, and the level of optimization required. 

Image Source - The State of Technical SEO Report 2023 from Aira & Women in Tech SEO.

Some companies may charge a few hundred dollars per month for basic SEO services [$500 - $1500 USD average], while others may charge several thousand dollars per month for more comprehensive services [$ 3500 - $8,000 USD average]. 

Of course, these charges vary geographically depending on the market and the level of competition.

“Though it’s time-consuming, SEO work requires a relatively low financial investment, especially when compared to strategies like paid ads, events, and out-of-home ads” – HubSpot’s 2023 State of Marketing Report

However, it's important to remember that investing in quality SEO services is an investment in your business's success. 

While it may seem like a significant expense upfront, the long-term benefits of higher search engine rankings and increased traffic can far outweigh the cost.

“For SEO, test a budget increase for 6 months. Commit to a grace period no matter what happens. 6 months is a good time frame because it allows you to hit at least one Core Algorithm Update and see if it gives you a boost based on the work you did with more budget” – Kevin Indig, SEO expert

In conclusion, SEO is absolutely worth the money if you're looking to increase visibility, build credibility, and drive traffic to your website. 

Just be sure to do your research and choose a reputable SEO agency or company that can provide quality services tailored to your specific needs and goals.

Here's related information that might be useful to you – Does web hosting affect SEO?

#SEO and Online marketing #search engine optimization #digital marketing

[pilvimarja]

Care to share some of your RoosMav headcanons about their relationship post-movie? 👀

Well I'm glad you asked! Because I've been thinking about this a lot and it's actually kind of challenging to figure it out haha. The TG movies are pretty light on story, which is fine, but the lack of background information for many of the characters does force us to fill the gaps in with our own fanon (and with this being an ask about them as a ship, everything I say is obviously made up by me lol), but I like to think that

With Mav getting closure over Goose's death and Rooster forgiving Mav for keeping him from the NA, both of them are in a place where they can begin to mend their relationship. I don't know how long it's been since they had their falling out, I mean, the movie tells us that Rooster went to college, but I don't know if he applied to the NA before or after college. You can probably figure it out if you take a closer look at the dates on his career file, but ehh, I just prefer to think that he and Mav were on good terms until Rooster was in his early 20s. They've probably had a few tense run-ins over the years, maybe Mav tried to reach out to Rooster once or twice a year, but Rooster didn't want anything to do with him until now, and things are probably a little awkward at first when it's just the two of them and there's no rank between them as a buffer. But maybe they get really hammered one night at Mav's place in Nevada and hash things out and wake up (in the same bed!!!) really hungover, but both of them are happy for the first time in years.

I like to think that Rooster moves in with Mav, but there's still an element of long distance in their relationship because of the nature of their work. Rooster is still so young that I see him working for the Navy like before and there will probably be long stretches of time when he's deployed somewhere far away from Mav. But hey, it's a great excuse to have steamy phone sex! 😏 I also really wanna see Mav slow down a little. I mean, I know he's Maverick and he'll always feel the need, the need for speed, but he's what, 57? That's pretty old for a fighter pilot/test pilot. Google tells me that the average fighter pilot is between 25 and 40, and most of them retire in their 40s or early 50s, because their work is so taxing on the body. I think I like to picture Mav in the role of an instructor. I know he's struggled with it in the past, but he did really well with Rooster and his other students! And the new movie makes it pretty clear that Mav was ready to settle down. Rooster's words about Mav not having a family seemed to hit him really hard 🥺 So I want him and Rooster to settle down and be their own little family unit and enjoy a life of domestic bliss whenever Rooster is home 🥰

And now that the guilt over Goose has been exorcised and Mav no longer feels like he has to be some kind of replacement father figure for Rooster, even the romantic side of their relationship can stand on a more balanced and healthy foundation. Don't get me wrong, I would read a dozen fanfics about a more messed up version of their relationship where Mav is full of guilt and Rooster is channeling his absent daddy issues into their relationship, but I like their post-canon relationship to be happy.

There's a pretty big age gap between them, though I don't think it's that significant when Rooster is already in his mid- to late thirties, but I bet there are still lots of little moments when Mav being a boomer really shows lol. It's such a cliche, but I don't think Mav is a very tech-savvy guy, not because he's a boomer, but because he just doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who'd have any interest (or patience) for things like Facebook or other social media. That man is old-school. Though he does text with Ice! I've DMd about this with a couple of people and I don't know if you're one of them, anon haha, but Mav definitely has a whole camera roll full of cute and unflattering pictures and videos of Rooster on his phone! He always picks the most random and awkward moments like Rooster with his mouth full of food or with his eyes half-closed or snoring on the sofa, and the only reason Rooster lets him get away with it is because he knows that Mav will never post them anywhere. Also, Rooster definitely has a secret folder on his phone that's full of pictures of Mav, taken in secret like Mav changing out of his oil-stained shirt and Mav asleep in post-coital bliss with the sheets barely covering the goods) and he jerks off to them furiously when they're separated.

Oh wow, this is already so long, but I just wanna end this with a headcanon I have about Rooster being really free and open with his affection, especially when it's just the two of them. I think he likes to touch and be touched and he also likes to be held, and it's a little awkward sometimes because he's so tall and big and it probably looks a little goofy, but Mav is happy to let Rooster cling to him like a limpet 😆

AND JUST LOOK AT THEMMMMM

#Maverick x Rooster #roosmav #asks #i get that this ship isn't everyone's cup of tea but haters will be blocked