#I tried to really cover the bases so I'm interested what other experiences people have

[sexiestsex]

Leave your pronouns and language you use them in in the tags!

#Trans #t4t #Pronoun positivity #Neo pronouns #It pronouns #Iel pronouns #I tried to really cover the bases so I'm interested what other experiences people have

[endlessame]

Actually, thinking more about it, the more I start to realize that... it makes sense. If we believe Kotoko with what she said about not having a sad or traumatic childhood... maybe something happened in her young adult years that made her into what she is today. I'm gonna keep pushing my agenda of regretful Kotoko, because I really, really think that even if we voted Kotoko innocent again (which I sadly doubt) she would not do the same thing again. Because we voted her innocent. We told her "hey, we approve of your ideas. Your morals are correct." And yet, look at Deep Cover. Is that the song of someone actually prideful? Not at fucking all! This is not a "It's Not My Fault". Actually, I think this is more of a "Backdraft" type song! Like. Let's analyze some parts of the lyrics which I think are. Genuinely really interesting.

At first, I think we should remember something important. The whole concept of Milgram. These are Kotoko's feelings. And I see it as a layered thing. You can stay with the obvious surface layer! Kotoko beat everyone up, she's evil. In her MV she sees herself as a guard, in control of the prison. She doesn't regret anything, we're voting her guilty.

And, you know? That is a completely fair way to see it! I just have this really personal belief about MILGRAM and forgiveness. I believe Kotoko represents the most brutal part of Milgram's whole moral system, but I'll explain that later on.

The thing with Milgram is, you can choose to stay in the upper level. And no one will judge you for that. But... also you can try to look at the motives. Look, analyze, understand… and forgive. I think what this is all about. And looking at Deep Cover, I don't see a person saying that they've got full control over the prison. I see an scared, regretful person trying to convince herself that she has even the slightest bit of control left in her situation.

Now I want to draw some attention into some lines I've seen... not a lot of people say anything about?

god she's so pretty

Who don't we want? Give me the verdicts of GUILTY. That's why I became your fangs, as the long awaited hero.

And,

So make yourselves my reason. Just choose the only choice, GUILTY. Say that sympathy is useless. Hate evil as the evil that is.

Damn, girl, ok!

Again, layered thing. We could say "Oh, this is just Kotoko telling us to vote everyone guilty because they are guilty except her...!" Do y'all really think she means that? Do you all really think she THINKS that? Because I really don't. I really believe Kotoko is pushing us to vote her guilty. She wants that. Why? Because as I said earlier, not only she's regretful, at least to some extent... but also she represents the worst parts of the Milgram ideology. Milgram tries to make us look at this prisoners as people with problems and struggles who drove them to murder. Milgram is asking us to understand, while Kotoko represents the hatred and the desire for revenge that Milgram, specially Jackalope, is trying to make us do so much. "You can vote based on whatever you want!" Yeah, we can, but that is not the right thing. If it's not clear by now, I'm a firm believer in the All-Inno theory. I believe every single prisoner should be voted innocent, and that doesn't mean that they will all end up as murderers believing that they're right. I just believe that that is what Milgram is trying to do, as in the end, this is THE Milgram experiment! We're being told to understand, reject the authoritarian voice and forgive. Maybe it's not the easy route. It is not, actually. But I believe is the correct one.

And now, I want to talk a bit about the girl. The girl who Kotoko killed to save. At first they had a good relationship, or so it seems? Kotoko took care of her, and they apparently met each other regularly? Until the thing we see at the end of the MV happened. What happened, really? Something happened between HARROW and Deep Cover.

So I translated this.

I'm not the best at japanese, but it roughly says:

The murder incident that ocurred in Minato, Tokyo, is currently shaking Japan. The victim is Ado Kaneshiro (24). The fact that he is the only son of Kenyu Kaneshiro (68), the representative of Akebono Shimbun, and that the person who comitted it was a 20 year old female college student enrolled in a famous university in Tokyo also helps the topic of conversation. At a press conference, Mr. Kaneshiro appeared in front of countless cameras with tears in his eyes and criticized the brutal behavior of the female student. The judicial decision is this case is "legitimate defense". According to her, she had no choice but to kill the victim after getting into a scuffle while trying to stop the victim, who was caught kidnapping a minor. The defense argued that an elementary school girl who was present at the scene gave similar testimony, and that this constituted self-defense. However, Mr. Kaneshiro claimed at a press conference that a subsequent independent investigation revealed that the body had multiple bruises and wounds, indicating that he had been subjected to more violence than necessary. Furthermore, Mr. Kaneshiro announced that the elementary school student who was saved by the college student has retracted her testimony. In addition to the possibility that the elementary student had received some sort of threat. [...] This refers to the rumors about Mr. Kaneshiro. The female college student in question was hailed as a hero by [???] who said, ``An unidentified rumor of multiple murders has surfaced, and it is a legendary internet meme that leaves doubts about itself.'' It is said that there is Mr. Kaneshiro strongly condemned both.

Okay, so... this is a Really rough translation of what it says, I specially want you all to take the red part with a grain of salt. I don't think it's quite right, because Kotoko's finger makes them hard to read and translate. But there are some really interesting things. Hat girl retracted her testimony? Was this what upset Kotoko?

Anyway, I think by far the most interesting part about this is... the last part. That one about multiple murders, how Kotoko was hailed as a hero... and an internet meme? Did Kotoko by any chance become this kind of revered hero? Did she drown in the knowledge that she was right? I believe that Kotoko had a bit of a meltdown because not only she became what she hated the most, but also... everyone loved her for it? She's inviting us to vote her Guilty to continue the cycle. She wants us to keep punishing evil, and if that evil is her, so be it.

I honestly think this is an amazing way to end T2 because it leaves us with a question. Kotoko... will you forgive her? Will you understand what she did? Not only Kotoko, but everyone?

Or will you just say they're murderers and continue the cycle of guilt?

Because, a 100%, this is the look of a heartless murderer. Not someone full of trauma and regret. Kotoko Yuzuriha regrets what she has done. I'm not saying that she's entirely putting up a façade, but she is not the vigilante murderer we all took her as.

Also, she refers to Es as another prisoner here. 11, Inept. Just something to note.

They're still here, still here, it grates me.

Who's here, Kotoko...? Who are they? Finally, the symbol of the wolf again. I'm gonna repeat myself with my last post, but a lot of people have wrongly associated the wolf symbol with Kotoko, when in fact she was (or is) never depicted as such. She's always surrounded by them, she's part of the pack. But she's not a wolf. She's only going with them.

In HARROW, we see her surrounded by a pack of wolves, then the pack grows smaller and smaller until it ends with her alone and the skin of a wolf in her chair. And now, again, we don't see a wolf. We see a werewolf, a monstrous version of Kotoko.

What does this mean, genuinely? I'm sure Kotoko has a reason to act the way she acts. I really don't believe it's a traumatic childhood thing, I believe it's something a bit more recent.

Here's my final theory.

I believe Kotoko at first acted in a group, either in an official thing, such as the police, or just a group of vigilantes. But something happened, probably their views weren't lining properly, which caused her to quit. Where they too violent? Or the opposite, were they too tame for what Kotoko wanted?

Anyhow, I believe this last shot symbolizes that Kotoko doesn't really want to have much to do with her old group. But something has made her remember them. And made her be just like them.

I guess only time will tell.

#kotoko yuzuriha #yuzuriha kotoko #milgram #deep cover #deep cover spoilers

[juriyuna]

If you're still doing them, how about top 5 MagiReco OTPs/NOTPs

Ah, it's hard to choose just 5 for the top of my list...! There are a number of ships I really like; I feel like I'm excluding some of my favorite children, haha. These are the ones I think about the most often, though.

5. Urara/Kurara: There's something really sweet about how Urara has seen Kurara at her worst and still loves her unconditionally. ;; On Kurara's end, it's more bittersweet-- she's painfully aware of how much Urara adores her in spite of how nasty and temperamental she can be, and it rips her apart inside because she doesn't feel like she deserves to be loved like that. I will withhold the "kurara loves urara too" essay for now for brevity's sake, but MAN Kurara loves Urara too!! She loves her so much that it's tearing both of them down!!!! RRAAAAGGGHFGDH it's too good......

I find it so cute that Urara refuses to give up on Kurara, even after they had such an ugly breakup. She knows that she messed things up by accidentally being insensitive, but she also knows that Kurara has issues of her own that she needs to sort out. In Urara's Kagome interview, she's like, sure, maybe things are bad right now... but people can change with time, you know? Maybe in a few years, they'll have grown enough emotionally that they'll be ready to make amends and give it another shot. I'm rooting for you, world's most patient clown. o7

Urakura can cover every base from fluff (remember, they used to be best friends!) to angst to hurt/comfort, making it very versatile and engaging to me. Combine that with the trope of "I love you no matter what, and I'll be here for you even on your worst days" (my weakness), and I never stood a chance.

4. Hikaru/Ao: My first Arc 2 ship, and still one of my favorites today! I remember seeing cute fanart for it way back when I first started playing the NA server and being super excited for the game to get to Crimson Resolve so I could learn more about them. :') While NA may have died before then, I am infinitely grateful that fan-translations mean I got to see these two anyway! (thank you hebinomiya and MUT for my life)

To explain a bit about why I like them, hm... They've got a nice dynamic in general! It's on the fluffier side without being bland, I think. Ao is playful in a way that feels a bit distant at first, but slowly opens up and starts to trust Hikaru more (a big milestone for how traumatized Ao is), while Hikaru gets a hit or miss crash course in Making Her Own Decisions. It's also interesting to contrast their individual ways of distancing themselves from their suffering (Ao trying to treat life like a game; Hikaru leaning hard into her role of "the Horse"), especially since they've both criticized the other for... doing almost exactly what they're doing themselves.

The way Hikaru tries to comfort Ao when she's scared or sad is cute, even if she doesn't know how to go about it. While Hikaru is largely numb to having to kill people at this point (wow, that's not depressing at all), she knows Ao isn't, and she gets worried when it seems like Ao is in over her head. Hikaru was the first person to worry about Ao after she accidentally killed Ryou, and when Ao seemed out of sorts in her MSS, Hikaru was the first person to seek her out. It plays nicely with Hikaru's struggle with agency as well-- she wants to help Ao, but she doesn't know where to start because she lacks experience and the ability to think for herself; she's caught between her personal desires (supporting a friend) vs. her duty to Promised Blood's goals; things like that.

As an added bonus, their designs compliment each other very nicely. Blue and orange is a solid combo. :> (And for one minor thing, I love that Ao has a swimsuit line where she's self-conscious about being a little pudgy, and then Hikaru has a swimsuit line where she says she thinks Ao is really cute. Tsuchinoko Real)

3. San/Miyuri: f4 could not have tailored a ship more closely to my interests if they tried. It's a little embarrassing... listen, you can't have san say "when she loses consciousness, she becomes my doll" and not expect me to think there's something going on These two pushed Neo-Magius from "kinda neat" to being my second-favorite faction. They're perfect as individual characters, and even better together; I adore the way they play off of each other. The way they want the best for the other and try to nudge each other towards success, even if that means enabling unhealthy thought patterns or behaviors and inadvertently strangling the other's personal growth, is fantastic.

And, of course, the lighter parts of their dynamic are just as good!! It's readily obvious how much Miyu loves San, but San loves Miyu too; she's just more subdued about showing people she cares for them. I think sometimes people forget how sad San was when Miyu started avoiding her out of guilt-- while it might not have been the same type of instant affection that Miyu felt towards San (at least until she saw Miyu dancing by herself and blushed over how pretty she was), San had very quickly gotten attached to Miyu as her baby, and was devastated to think that she might've lost her so soon.

They're more alike than they seem at first glance, and I think that's part of what makes their bond so strong-- San sees her old self in Miyu, and wants to watch her improve; Miyu sees herself in who San used to be, and admires that someone so timid can grow up to be so outwardly brave and capable. The whole thing is so sweet to me... ;;

... I might also mention that my headcanons for them help boost this up on my list, aha. I picture San as being very tall and broad-shouldered, and Miyu as a tiny little thing who could blow away in a strong breeze, which makes for a cute contrast. :')

2. Juri/Yuna: Oh man, where do I start? Everything about this ship is just perfect to me. I don't care whether they're friends, enemies, lovers, or what as long as they're together; their dynamic is flawless in every way. I'm stoked that they finally got a dual unit! ;_;

I am SO weak for the way Yuna cares about Juri. The gang wars could've been solved or prevented if Yuna had killed Juri before the situation got too bad, but she didn't want to do that. Yuna was so determined to leave Juri alive that she orchestrated that whole big fight in the first half of CR specifically to bring Juri down without killing her. It's not something that Yuna is proud of, but the fact that she manipulated a bunch of other girls (which unfortunately resulted in some casualties) because she loved this one particular loose cannon too much to kill her... man. Devotion.

Yuna is incredibly patient and understanding with Juri in general, which is extra cute to me because almost nobody else is. She knows Juri isn't a bad person, just struggling with mental illness and shitty circumstances, and no matter how Juri feels about herself, Yuna still loves her and wants her around. Not for her strength or holding Ryuugasaki together, but because Yuna cares for her as a friend. It's so... [clenches fist] AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH (´༎ຶོρ༎ຶོ`)

It's readily apparent how much this acceptance means to Juri, too. She used to rely heavily on Yuna for venting her stress since not only could Yuna go toe-to-toe with her in a fight (and willingly does so), she doesn't resent or demonize Juri for being the way she is. Even when Juri was hellbent on defeating Yuna in CR, she's greatly upset when she thinks that she might've actually killed her (or in the bad end where Juri does kill Yuna). For all of the animosity they held towards each other, they need each other; they don't honestly want the other to die. (Not alone, at least-- the scene where Yuna stops Juri from killing herself has an undercurrent of "how dare you try to leave without me", given that Yuna was also suicidal at the time.)

I am, as you can tell from this list, very weak for ride-or-die loyalty (or dubiously healthy attachment; take your pick), and juriyuna delivers that in spades, with all of the dressings and extras I like. Yuna's refined, serious, thoughtful personality and Juri's rowdy, aggressive, playful personality bounce off of each other in ways that are always enjoyable to see, whether it's something heavier like CR or fluffy like the Please, Yuna-san event. Top quality ship.

1. Bat/Ranka: "hmm, what if..." ← me haplessly coming up with an idea while reading CR for the first time 3 years ago, about to inflict an unbreakable curse upon myself

If I had to pick a number-one favorite ship in the series, it would be this. I am trapped in a hell of my own creation... We don't see much of their dynamic outside of CR or Ao's MSS (though Ranka does talk about the Bat elsewhere), and we've hardly gotten any of their relationship from the Bat's point of view, but that just means I can have a field day reading between the lines and piecing together a story from the scraps we do get. Enrichment!!

Ranka's "I need someone strong to follow or I'll die because I can't survive by myself" vs. the Bat's "I need someone prey on or I'll die because I can't survive by myself" is a great parallel that makes for a unique flavor of codependency. Sort of a "marionette and puppeteer" dynamic, I guess? Whatever you call it, it's 100% my brand; I go nuts for this stuff.

On Ranka's end, she knows that this relationship is unhealthy, but she keeps coming back anyway. Some of it is that she sees herself as too weak (physically and mentally) to make it on her own, so she clings to the Bat because being treated badly is better than being dead or alone. Some of it is probably that she sees herself as an awful person, and feels that she "deserves" to be hurt like this as punishment for how spineless she is (a feeling that compounds itself with every horrible thing the Bat makes her do).

It's a form of self-harm, in a way-- but even so, their relationship isn't always bad. The Bat liked Ranka enough to appoint her as her second-in-command, and for what it's worth, she did protect Ranka from the Futatsugi gang wars. She didn't take any issues with Ranka's abrasive, badmouthed personality, either! In fact, the Bat must've liked that about Ranka if she chose to keep her so close, haha. (And this is headcanon territory, but since Monzenbashi's base was an abandoned arcade, I have to figure that they shared an interest in old video games as well.)

In the end, Ranka is left in a thorny position where she hates what she has to go through, but can't bring herself to leave. After all, they have their good moments. The Bat loves her, probably. If she left, she'd be free from the abuse, but she'd lose the sense of safety and familiarity that the Bat gives her. That sort of struggle is super interesting to me-- I really like how this ship explores how loving and hating someone isn't necessarily a cut-and-dry thing.

On the Bat's end, while she does know that what she's doing is wrong, she adamantly believes that she needs to exploit others or she'll be the one to get exploited herself. She's a selfish coward who chews up the weak for personal gain and spits them out when she's through with them, viewing everyone else as either a threat to be disposed of or a tool to be used... and yet, despite all of this, she's shown to genuinely care for Ranka.

I am constantly thinking about the Ao-Ranka fight in CR where the Bat jumped to Ranka's defense, saying that she's going to kill Ao herself if Ranka is going to let herself get hurt like this. The Bat- the girl who gets a sick thrill out of torturing the helpless, who's too paranoid to trust anyone- loves Ranka enough that it made her angry to watch her get hurt. For as cruel and "save myself and fuck the rest" as she is, she has one person she wants to protect.

Something about the way the Bat wants to keep Ranka safe while also treating her like a pawn; hating the thought of losing her, but afraid of letting her get too close... fuckinf!!! Good Shit!!!!! Mix that in with Ranka's conflicting feelings about the Bat and I have a dumpster fire that will keep me warm for years.

I could be delusional (this ship is largely in my head), but it feels like a pretty realistic portrayal of an abusive relationship to me. There are all kinds of things to dig into here, from how it could get worse to how it could get better, and I just... auuuuggghhfhfh MAN im going to fling myself into the sun i love them so MUCH

(bottom 5 under the cut, both for negativity and because this is already super long)

If anyone's OTP is on this list, I apologize-- please know that none of these are a moral judgement or anything! 99% of my NOTPs are just ships I find annoying for one reason or another. It's nothing personal.

5. Rika/Ren: Truly the plain dry cornflakes of the magireco ship world. It's so Generic Yuri Manga that it manages to be frustrating in its lack of substance. I understand that it's one of the most popular ships (if not the most popular ship) in the fandom, but I'm gonna have to pass. :{

4. Ao/Ranka: Do you ever have a ship that bugs you, but you can't put your finger on why? This is one of those for me. Which is weird, because I am very much a multishipper when it comes to Promised Blood! And I adore the way that Ao and Ranka's relationship is written in canon! They have a really rich dynamic; I love watching them make that awkward, gradual shift from enemies to friends, where they clearly want to be closer but also don't quite know how to feel about each other. As a romantic ship, though... Eh. I've tried reading fics and stuff for them, but it's just not my thing.

3. Tsukuyo/Tsukasa/anyone: There isn't a single character who doesn't feel like a third wheel here. Sure, the twins might love her, but not as much as they love each other; she will always sort of be on the outside looking in. Tsukuyo and Tsukasa are so deeply, unshakeably intertwined that I don't even like shipping them monogamously with other characters (a singular exception being that I have a passive appreciation for Kanagi/Tsukasa), so adding a third girl to the mix is out of the question by default.

Yukika is probably the worst offender in terms of third wheel-ness because of her "Akatsuki-senpai" thing, but Amanes/Mifuyu wins the general awkwardness category by virtue of giving me the unfortunate impression of a mistress to a married couple. I tried reading various OT3 fics with the Amanes to see if I'd warm up to the idea, I did, but... it's regular amanecest or bust for me.

2. Kuroda/Asahi: it's not even about the abuse and general assholery on kuroda's end (heavy drama can be interesting with the right framework) it's that the idea of shipping asahi with a dude gives me hives

1. Himena/Hiko: het ship allergy strikes again, im sorry 😔 Sometimes I feel kinda dumb for this one because I know I'd probably like it if Hiko was a girl, but alas. Not only do I have negative interest in M/F, Hiko is the most boring self-insert-looking nerd guy they possibly could've designed. Ungh. (himena is a fun, fascinating character, i like her a lot, but the depths of my distaste mean that whenever a scene comes up where himena talks to/about hiko, i subconsciously overwrite it with "hiko is a girl" or "hiko is imaginary" to make it more palatable to me orz)

Plus the "unpopular boy gets bullied for dating popular girl" plotline feels super contrived to me-- while my experiences are obviously not universal, I usually find that unpopular guys get boosted up the social ladder if they manage to land a date with a popular girl. The whole "forbidden love" trope needs to be done in a very particular way in M/F ships in order for me to not find it stupid, and this one doesn't hit the mark.

... and this is a silly thing to be annoyed by, but it really does grate on me that whenever you ship Himena with a different character, there's an 85% chance that at least one person will come along like "what about hiko?" or "poor hiko" or "ot3 with hiko!" or whatever. Even if you specify that you've written Hiko out of Himena's head in some way or another (got his own body again, never existed in the first place, etc.), someone will make him the focal point regardless. It's happened to me, and it's happened to a few other people I've seen. :'| Frustrating to see an interesting comment on himesasha or w/e get derailed into "but himehiko!!", as if everything Needs to revolve around this one singular boy.

#sorry for taking forever to answer this ;; but here you go! #if i were to be completely honest #i probably would've squeaked in ''kanagi/that one black feather from her intro scene'' into top 5 #but that's so deep into canon/NPC territory that it's embarrassing to talk about #not because it's cringey or anything; it's just very personal because i've been cultivating it for almost 4 years now lmao #7 billion little WIP fic drafts/snippets/ideas that i may never finish but have fun playing with regardless #magia record #long post #hc post #asks #there are a lot of ships i dislike but most of them involve characters i don't care about #(or characters i dislike in general so it doesn't matter who they're shipped with; i'd hate it anyway) #so idk if they'd qualify as NOTPs

[yourfavoritehouseplant]

hello there! curious autistic little shit whose special interest is zoology (entomology, specifically) here, so sorry to bother.

i would sell my soul to get a chance to actually study zoology, but the thing is, i have no idea what they do. after they graduate, i mean. do you have to become an academician at a university, or do you get to do something else too? if so, what? who hires zoologists?

i couldn't find any decent information on the web, so i thought it'd be best to ask somebody who's actually studying that at the moment. (if you aren't and i misunderstood you completely, well. it'd be very awkward.)

thank you and have a very good day!

No you absolutely guessed right, I'm also an autistic little shit with a special interest in zoology!!

It is true that a lot of folks who study zoology end up in academia/research. I think its helpful to remember that that doesn't necessarily mean working at or with a University lab! Generally speaking, museums, zoos, arboretums, and any other place with some sort of academic collection have positions. This is especially true for Entomology, in my experience. Entomologists seem to love keeping specimen collections, which creates a lot of positions for collecting/sorting/maintaining/archiving specimens. This route seems to appeal the most to people who just want to gather as much info about certain animal groups as possible.

Another major branch I usually see is wildlife/conservation/husbandry work. This one is more favorable if you're into animal handling and care (though its pretty dominated by charismatic animals like mammals and birds in case that's not your thing). Sometimes this is adjacent to academia, sometimes its more of a public service management thing like maintaining protected areas, and sometimes its more veterinary. Wildlife centers and national parks are famously understaffed, and zoos/aquariums are always looking for people qualified for specialized animal care (this would probably extend into entomology a bit more).

Then, of course, there's veterinary school. There's your veterinarians for companion animals, obviously, but also people trained in specialized/exotic animals (avian vets come to mind). There are also many veterinarians that go into agriculture, or caring for farm animals. (If you're really into domesticated animals, I recommend looking into animal science programs specifically rather than zoology as a whole). This branch requires a lot of work, and is very much the Zoologist equivalent of going off to med school, but tend to have the most stable and well paying job market from what I've seen. As previously mentioned, there are also positions for vets in specialized animal husbandry and care in zoos and aquariums, as well as in wildlife rescue centers.

Overall, most zoology positions are fairly specialized and require at minimum a 4 year undergrad degree, which is pretty frustrating. Most of the people I've interacted with in this field also plan to attend, are attending, or have graduated from some kind of postsecondary school, like grad or vet school. Its also kinda obvious that this isn't a field you get into for money or prestige. Most of these jobs are very much passion projects for anyone I've met who have them. Still, from one autist to another, passion's probably not something we have to worry about lol.

Anyway I tried to cover all the bases I knew about, but I'm just one guy and also like, obviously still a student so this definitely isn't comprehensive! Hope this helps though!!

#This is basically just a longer version of the list I give my extended family when they ask what I'm trying to do lol.

[dungeonbf]

hide, midnight, nightmare for sigge?:33

HIIII J squeezes you into slime, thank u for the ask!!!

hide: What does your OC hide? Why do they hide it?

oh man, rubs hands together... sigge, on a more lighthearted note, is sooo embarrassed about liking well-known, popular metal (megadeth, metallica, pantera, to name a few) and will go to extreme lengths to hide said interest for them. any mainstream merch he has is hidden deep in the recesses of his closet 💔 this is all because he spends 15 hours a day on metal circlejerk subreddits that inflame his belief that anything popular is Bad + his elitist tendencies... if he's wearing a megadeth shirt around you, it's a sign of incredibly deep trust, like he takes his elitism dead seriously. besides more surface-level stuff, his sexuality is also something he hides - not only from others, but himself as well. this is in part due to a pretty conservative upbringing, his parents being adamant that he find a nice girl and settle down, but also that he views his sexuality as emasculating - it's something he thinks he shouldn't be burdened with. i think in the first couple months we're together, he's very stiff and distant, because you know, "oh fuck. i'm with a man." ... eventually, though, he learns to come to terms with himself -- i don't think he'd ever be super like, vocal about his sexuality, even post-coming out. not in a repressed way any longer, but more like content & quiet acceptance. "yes, i am gay, yes i have a boyfriend, but that's not really anyone's business" is like his stance on it... 🤔🤔

midnight: What keeps your OC up at night? Do they have nightmares? Fears? Anxieties? What do they do in the small hours of the morning when they should be sleeping?

i think he struggles to sleep in general, not necessarily to the point of insomnia but a lot of tossing and turning - a lot of time trying to fall asleep is spent ruminating on past encounters with people. i've said this before but he is ... incredibly arrogant and not very self-aware, so he stays up pondering why exactly people turn away from him :( sad little guy. along that same vein, he's afraid of loss - he can recognize that others aren't drawn to him (for whatever reason 🙄🙄) and thus, he's incredibly scared of losing the people he DOES have. makes him genuinely nauseous thinking about it and leads to a lot of sleepless nights. usually, his routine for combatting this fear is blowing up my phone with messages, ranging in levels of neediness, before eventually calling me enough times that i wake up and we chat for a bit, soothing his fear enough to sleep. (a more mundane fear of sigge's are spiders)

nightmare: What does your OC have nightmares about? How do they deal with their nightmares? Do they tell people, or keep it to themself?

a lot of sigge's fears focus on, as I mentioned before, loss -- getting betrayed, abandonment, and similar themes definitely play a part in his nightmares. Alongside that, I think death, too, is a common experience in his nightmares -- not necessarily his own, but more like, finding the bodies of his loved ones and being unable to do anything to reverse it. While none of it is based in truth, it leaves him pretty shaken, covered in cold sweat. He mayyy divulge the details of whatever nightmare to my s/i, but it's brief and more of a mumbled groan. Usually, I think he'd be more comfortable just vaguely complaining about having "shitty dreams" and nesting against my s/i to help him fall back asleep. If sleeping against me isn't an option, he kinda gets up, paces around, and tries to write song lyrics inspired by his dreams. (Think "Deathcrush" by Mayhem type lyrics.)

#euro.txt #J!!!!!!! #øysigge #i may expand upon this later because i need to get Deeper into the lore

[johannestevans]

how can i get better at deep throating?

tip jar

So, firstly, I'll say that not everyone can deepthroat, and that's okay!

It's a process of being able to relax your gag reflex while you're sucking cock, and not everyone is able to do that, especially people who've got really sensitive gag reflexes. It's perfectly possible for you to suck cock and never try or want to try deep throating - the head of someone's cock is where the majority of its nerve endings are concentrated, especially around the wet head, the edges of the foreskin, and the frenulum or frenum, which is the bundle of corded tissue that attaches the shaft of the cock to the glans.

It's generally best while sucking someone off to also use your hand or hands to squeeze the base of their shaft, play with their balls if they like that sort of thing, and alternate the movements of your head with the movements of your hand.

What deep throating allows for is facefucking, which is great, but it's not the be-all end-all!

When it does come to deep throating, it can help to stimulate your gag reflex a tiny bit while experimenting with your breathing - concentrate on inhaling while you trigger your gag reflex, then on exhaling, and feel for the sort of mental edges of the reflex as you're doing it?

People often suggest for deep throating to practice with other stuff, like your toothbrush or something, rather than outside of sex - I'm not not suggesting that, but I actually have kind of enjoyed working on mine while going down on my boyfriend and with other men? Because I'm already horny and having a good time, I find it easier to concentrate on other stuff to help me relax it, but you might feel the opposite if this is something that brings you a lot of anxiety.

If you think about the shape of whoever's cock you're working with, assuming you've got a regular one to practice on, bear in mind the shape of their cock and also the shape of your throat when you're thinking about the best positions to work with - if your partner has quite a straight cock or a cock with a slight downward curve, blowing them on your knees might be grand, but if their cock has more of an upward curve, 69ing might be better.

If what you're really interested in is the facefucking element, you can always try lying back with your partner lowering down on top of you (although this can be hard if their balls are blocking your nose), or lying back with your head just off the edge of a flat surface and your throat kind of parallel with the end of the mattress or the table edge, ESPECIALLY if you can be up at their waist height without them bending their knees for a long time.

Mind your teeth - I'm TERRIBLE for getting too excited especially when I'm being facefucked and not controlling my lips covering my front teeth as my head's shoved down, but if you have any uneven teeth or teeth that are at a sharp angle at the back - especially your wisdom teeth if you have any - just be careful about angles! You might not be able to feel when your partner's getting too close to them or is at the wrong angle because there's not much sensitivity at the back of your gums, but that means that they might cut across the edge of one of your teeth without warning.

I used to be able to do this like a champ and now I'm kind of trying to learn how to do it again because it's been years since I tried deep throating, so we're learning together, Anon.

[sagemoor]

#occultea response

This is super long, I apologise! I've decided to use this platform to talk about this, even though I haven't really used it in 6 years, because I feel like tumblr is the first place I was introduced to witchcraft social media on. And also, my only other media besides discord is personal and not witchcraft-related. Introduction I'm Tea, and I am a green and folk witch who has lived in and practiced the folk magic of America, Scotland, and Ireland. I have been practicing witchcraft for about 10 years (I am 25, despite what my bio says). I also am a moderator of a large online witchcraft discord, and that is what most of my answers here will be based on. I will also include here that I am a PhD candidate in plant sciences, close to finishing - I think this is relevant because a lot of my expertise and access to research (even like, JSTOR articles on witchcraft) is enabled and encouraged by my entrenchment in academia.

Topic 1 I share my practice online for community. I thankfully now live in a place where the in-person witchcraft community is pretty great, but I lived in small cities and areas where most witchcraft discussions centered around Wicca (which I have never been interested in as a path for myself). I started sharing here first on an account that was accidentally deleted in 2017 but I moved to discord a couple of years ago and really found (and then started another) community there. I have never wanted to teach but rather just wanted a serious space where I could discuss what books I was reading mainly. I think community is great at introducing me/you to new things and furthering my/your craft, and that is what I hope to accomplish by sharing my own craft. I think social media has impacted the community in a lot of ways, both good and bad. I honestly think it depends on the space in which the community operates - I will not pretend the discord I mod is perfect, but I also think a lot of other witchcraft discords I have been in can run a little rampant in misinformation found on witchtok, tumblr, etc.. I'm sure we have some too, because it's super hard to weed out when crafts are so personal. I think one of the biggest things is the spread of misinformation seems to have exploded with the explosion of short form content. There is just no nuance in any short form content, witchcraft or no. And with UPG this gets even more complicated. The only way I find I am able to combat misinformation anywhere is to not accept anything I see as fact, until I have either tried it for myself, or if it is verifiable from other sources (which a lot of my practice is - if I find folklore repeated in many books which are well sourced, I take that as good info). But I definitely struggle with knowing when someone is speaking in UPG terms or in folkloric terms especially when it comes to deities. For content creators, I do really think it is important to distinguish what is UPG and what may not be.

I also think there is an issue with people exaggerating experiences that they've had to get views / attention / whatever, and that can lead a lot of people who are beginning and can't recognize exaggerations feeling inadequate. I think with experience people begin to realise that certain claims are ridiculous, and it no longer bothers them (it no longer bothers me), but that can be a hard lesson learned. Social media allows people to compare themselves to others and can lead to overconsumption, which I won't say a ton about because I feel like this is covered a lot. I think witchcraft requires a degree of skepticism, and it may take a while for newer witches (and even some who have been practicing a while) to develop the skills needed in sorting out good information from bad information. But! There are also a lot of communities which dispel misinformation, exaggerated claims, and the like. Thankfully, I feel like these communities which are 'serious' witchcraft communities are starting to be a little more well-regarded than the areas which aren't as discerning. With discussions like these, and big creators talking about it, I think more and more awareness will spread and will prevent people from taking advantage.

And social media introduces a lot more people to the space, to know that it's even a thing that they may be able to approach. I found witchcraft here, when someone posted an aesthetic graphic of the Green Witch by Murphy-Hiscock that made it's way onto my feed. I read it, and resonated with what I read. My craft has developed since then, and I may have found witchcraft some other way eventually, but there really is this amazing reach that has helped so many people find what path was for them. I think defining witch vs new ager vs pagan is a whole other issue (one for another time) but honestly, how am I affected by you calling yourself a witch if you don't fit into my definition? I'm not. I think that will be another challenge for the community in the coming years - accepting that your definitions and practice do not rule other people's. But I digress.

In terms of consumption of media replacing practice, I definitely think it can. It's not something I personally struggle with, as I cast spells when I need to and don't consume a huge amount of witchcraft content outside of discord, but I definitely did when I was younger and living with parents who weren't witches. I mean, we have the term 'armchair witchcraft' for a reason - it definitely exists. I said earlier I had been practicing for about ten years, and when I typed it I knew I would address here that I have been practicing seriously for about six or seven. Moving into my own space allowed me to start practicing the way I wanted to. I still consume a lot of content in the way of books, but as time has passed my reading preferences are less spellbooks and more historical accounts.

Topic 2 I am not an influencer but what I share on discord is minimal (I don't share spirit workings besides showing herbs, deity workings, and many of my spells) but it is authentic. I don't really have the resources to post anything that isn't authentic if I am including a picture. I am more liable to post recipes with plant correspondences connected, or a list of folklore associated with a particular plant I am working on. If I do share a picture, I may include a list of spell components, but I never share what I did with them if that makes sense (like only sharing the ingredients of a recipe but not cooking instructions). Everything else feels too private to me.

I'm only affected by censorship by having things of certain topics like domination magic, blood magic, etc., behind an 18+ wall on the server. This is done because adults who are posting that info don't want to be sharing it with minors, which is the correct take! People will find things online anyway, but that doesn't mean it has to be through us.

I've definitely seen grifters in the community. Mainly here or spamming DMs on discord or instagram. I don't think this is a spicy take, but anyone trying to sell you something that isn't tangible (like selling a spirit) seems too risky to me, and not to mention unethical. If you get something direct in response, like a tarot reading, fine. But I personally wouldn't risk sending someone money to do a spell for me (again, unless it's tangible like a witch ladder or a knot magic hat or an oil or something). I think we talk about scammers so much in the community now though, that it's not something I really need to discuss because everyone knows about it.

I discussed misinfo in the topic above, and the only way I can think of to combat it is to talk about how it is rampant, and tell people to double and triple check their sources. Educating yourself isn't easy. Watching a tiktok or even a youtube video is not going to give you all the information. People will have to get comfortable doing research and then actually doing the witchcraft themselves 🤷🏼‍♀️. Also like I said, clearly stating UPG is important.

This has been said on every one of the videos discussing this I've watched: definitely having a large following automatically makes people think you're an expert. I've noticed this even on my relatively-small discord: being a mod in a position of power makes people believe you are all knowing. We try to staff based on activity and level-headedness and chemistry, so a lot of our staff are beginners. The rest of us who aren't beginners make it very clear what we're experts in and what we're not. Again, I think this goes back to doing my/your own research rather than maybe expecting to be spoonfed information.

Topic 3 I can get inspiration from content creators or other discord members, definitely. But I tend to take that and do my research and figure out how to do it in a way that works for me. I don't really get FOMO, but I feel like that is a product of knowing myself and knowing my craft and having lived in it for a while.

Rather than feeling FOMO, I feel like oftentimes I can feel quite burnt out. It's not a product of comparing myself to others necessarily, but especially with the moderating of the server. I don't know how content creators do it. I am a firm believer in going through seasons in your craft, and I think that can be so hard to do when you operate in a space where a lot of your community (or your job) revolves around one thing.

I don't know what my craft would look like without social media, to be honest.

Topic 4 I definitely think online communities are as valid as in-person communities. I am extremely grateful for the friends I have made on discord and online - they have pushed me and my craft to grow in a way it never would've without them by asking questions, recommending books, and sharing their own ideas.

I personally haven't been affected by people capitalising off of witchcraft, nor do I know anyone who has been. I definitely think some things should be paywalled so creators can get their due, but also almost all of the information you want to find you can find for free. It's whether you want to hunt to find that information, and whether you trust the sources that information may come from. I think the only way to ensure a course/etc is valid is to have info on who's running it. Who is teaching? What are they teaching? how long have they been practicing what they're teaching? Do they have a good bibliography / resource list for further reading? What are their accreditations? These are all questions we need to ask before we purchase something like that. Conclusions I feel like communities are always going to have issues, bad eggs, tension, all of that. There's no way to prevent it. I think the witchcraft community needs more honesty (not rudeness - honesty) about what they're doing and why, and I think it's important for people to know why they do things in their practice and why they work (the example I always use is, why do we stir tea clockwise to 'bring an intention'? It's an adaptation of movement in a circle thrice from British Traditional Witchcraft, but a lot of tiktoks don't share this when talking about the method). This will help prevent misinformation from spreading and can give context to posts. I also think people need to understand that some people's crafts will look strange to you. You may not call what they do witchcraft, but they do, and like I mentioned before, we all need to just accept that that's the way it is. This will be easier when people stop inflating their experiences (if they ever do), but for right now I think making your own experiences known to whatever extent you want is important. Even I can step up and say I did not have a deity choose me from birth, nor have my deities or spirits ever acted in a romantic, sexual, parental, or even best friend-type of way toward me. My relationships with my spirits has always been friendly and professional, but if they were not working with me, they would find another witch. I am not the Chosen One. Other people may have had these experiences, but that's not my experience, and that doesn't make me less of a witch.

Having this conversation about social media and its impact on the community is important, and I think just having this conversation by itself will make a big change.

Thank you for listening to my thoughts, especially if you made it this far. I'm not on tumblr much nowadays, but maybe I'll return to it someday.

Tea xx

#occultea #witchcraft #witchblr #green witch #folk witch #folk magic

[hua-wangs-blog]

Hello lovely readers! Today I am so excited to bring you an interview with Ella, also known as ynhpstories on Wattpad and TikTok. Many aspiring authors, including myself, have been motivated by Ella's talent as a content developer. She is an inspiration to many and has a unique and distinct style that stands out.

In this interview, I get to know more about Ella and her journey as a creator. We discuss her creative process, the challenges she has faced, and her advice for aspiring content creators. So, join me as I get to know more about Ella and her journey!

Hua Wang: It's truly incredible to read what you have created. Your talent for creative writing is truly remarkable, and I am in awe of the stories you tell.

I am curious to know what themes you explore in your writing. What topics do you focus on, and how do you go about tackling them? Do you enjoy delving into themes that are grounded in reality, or do you prefer to explore more fantastical concepts? How do you approach these themes and make them come alive on the page?

Ella: A lot of the non-book themes are based on real-life situations, such as anxiety, depression, and low confidence. I explore them through many different ways my characters express themselves. I find them easier to talk about because they are loosely based on things I have experienced, so I want to share with others that it's okay to feel like this and that there are people around us who care about us and will always support us. I also like to explore more lighthearted and fantastical themes, like those that are seen in the books, like magical powers and abilities. I want to create a balance of fantastical and grounded themes to create an atmosphere that feels both realistic and fantasy at the same time.

Wang: It's really awesome to hear that you draw from your own experiences to create the characters in your work; not many people have the courage or the ability to do something like that. The way you explore topics through your characters is truly fascinating. You have a knack for bringing depth and life to them, and it's really impressive. I'm sure your readers appreciate the effort and thought you put into your work. It's also impressive to hear that you are striving to balance the thin line between reality and fantasy in your work. It can be a tricky endeavor, as the two can often become entangled and blended, but you manage to add all these remarkable elements of fantasy that really make it come alive.

Ella:Aww, thank you so much. That's so kind.

Wang: There is no need to thank me. You have a lot of talent. So, in response to one of the queries I get while writing new stories for my school, we can only imagine the difficulties you've had to overcome in order to bring your stories to life. So that takes us to the question or questions. What obstacles have you encountered while creating fanfiction? Is there anything in particular that has been particularly challenging to overcome? How did you keep motivated and inspired during the process? I'm sure your readers would love to hear about your experience and the most fulfilling aspect of creating fanfiction.

Ella: In the 2020 lockdown, I went through a really rough patch for my mental health. I felt really alone and down, and I felt like I had no one to talk to. So when I tried to portray some of these feelings in my writing, I was writing a particular rough chapter that included mentions and descriptions of SH and mental health. And it suddenly brought me back to that time in my life. I had to physically stop writing it for a week so I could process how I was feeling. I was really close to deleting the chapter because it was so impactful for me. But I knew if I deleted it, I wasn't going to do any favors because I wanted to show these themes to let people know they are not alone. So the feeling of shining light on these themes for people who are struggling kept me motivated, and now it's one of my favorite chapters because it is so raw and vulnerable, but knowing that there were people there that supported Y/N through it made it worth it.

Wang: I understand how difficult it can be to write about a difficult chapter in your life. Especially when it is something so personal and painful as self-harm. It is admirable that you are willing to open up and share your experience.

I understand how difficult it can be to talk about painful experiences, especially when it comes to self-harm. I have had my own struggles with it in the past, but I'm proud to say I have been clean for a long time now. It wasn't an easy journey, but I am grateful for the people who helped me along the way. Now, I can talk about it without being overwhelmed with pain.

Ella: That's great to hear! I'm glad you got through that and that it's okay to talk about it; it's admirable!

Wang: Thank you.

Wang: Getting back to the interview, that certainly got a bit sentimental! To lighten the mood, here's a funny Harry Potter-related joke: Why did the goblin cross the road? Because he was the Minister of Silly Walks!

Wow, that was horrible. Well, now we know why I'm not a comedian. Anyways, Writing characters is one of the most fun parts of writing fanfiction, don't you think? Out of all the characters you've created, which ones have been your favorites to write? What qualities make them special? Do you love their backstory, or perhaps the exciting adventures they go on? It's always fascinating to explore the lives of these beloved characters. Y/N Lupin is my absolute favorite character, and I could read about them all day. I love all four fanfics, but the one about the roller coaster-like love story of Fred Weasley and Y/N Lupin is definitely my favorite; it's so much fun.

Ella: A lot of the characters that weren't in the books are loosely named after my friends; some have different names, some have their own (depending on their preference). The character 'Katelyn," who has currently appeared in one chapter of the Y/N Lupin story, is completely based on one of my best friends, and there is still so much I'm going to explore with that character, including a love life! Another one of my favorites is the parents and grandparents of Y/n in 'More than Friends." They are based off my parents and my maternal grandparents' personalities to a T. It's always fun making characters based off people I know. I also love making Y/N in any book a fun but relatable character. They are all my favorites for many different reasons. Y/N Lupin shows my more emotional and vulnerable side. Y/N Lestrange shows my confident and insecure sides. And Y/N Bailey shows a side of me that is an absolute badass; I love the energy they give off, and my story lines bring out the best (and worst) of each character! Don't worry. There is more to come for the love lives of Fred Weasley and Y/N Lupin!

Wang: It is truly incredible how you take the people in your life and transform them into characters that we can all relate to and care about. It's a powerful testament to your creativity and imagination that you can take the people you know and turn them into something new and exciting. It's also a wonderful way to honor the people who have made an impact on your life. Through your stories, you are able to give them a lasting legacy and remind us of the importance of the people around us. The characters you create bring out the best in people and inspire us all to be better versions of ourselves. It is truly remarkable how you can take real-life people and craft them into memorable characters that we all love and cherish.

Ella:Aww, thank you.

Wang: Have you considered teaming up with other fanfic writers to bring your ideas to life?

Ella: No one has really reached out about it, and I would be open to it if their goals for writing are similar to mine. I don't want to go so far out of my writing style that the themes I make clear vanish within it.

Wang: We are almost at the end of this interview, and we have just three more questions to ask. One of them is related to your familiarity with the Wizarding World and other genres or fandoms. Are there any particular genres or fandoms you are more familiar with other than The Wizarding World?

Ella: Ooo, it's tricky because all the other fandoms left my head. I really do enjoy the Heartstopper fandom because it's so open and honest about those topics. So I've tried to bring some of those topics into my story. That's the only one I can think of right now.

Wang: I'm curious: how do you handle feedback on your work or criticism? It can be difficult to accept criticism, but it's important to remember that it can actually help you grow and improve. Do you strive to take feedback in a very modest, honest, and fun manner? How do you use it to your advantage?

Ella: Most of the time I use it as a learning opportunity, but there are many parts of my first fanfic that I would change. The readers give me ideas on what to avoid, so I will listen to them and see if it actually works. But I have had a couple of rude messages, and I don't let them affect me. But I've also kept my first fanfic exactly how it is; I'm not going to change anything in it to show that feedback can improve someone's writing, and I will make every recommendation happen in the way that they would like it to!

Wang: What advice would you give to a beginner fanfic writer?

As a seasoned fanfic author, I'm sure you have a lot of experience and wisdom to share. What tips and tricks do you have to offer those who are just starting out? What would be the most important things to keep in mind when it comes to writing fanfiction? What did you wish you had known when you first started writing?

Ella: There are a few things I wish I knew: 1. The name and cover of your book have to be appealing and interesting; if they're generic, fewer people will click to read them.

2. Make the description exciting—it draws more people in to see what things your characters get up to!

3. It's okay to take breaks. Burnout is a normal thing when writing; it's okay to stop and have a few weeks off. I haven't published anything in a while because the more you put it off, the worse burnout gets.

4. Don't expect to have the first chapter blow up; my books always took the first 3–4 chapters to be published before I saw reads that I was happy with. People normally come back to the book when there are more chapters left.

5. My favorite one: just be you—don't let one comment about your writing style stop you from writing or change the whole theme of your book! You should write something you are proud of, so make that one silly moment in your book, retell that story over and over again, and use the writing style you want! It's uniquely yours, so be proud of it.

It's always tough to start writing a fanfic, and there are so many reasons why. But remember to always stay true to yourself and make something you're proud of, because it's so much more rewarding that way!

I want to thank Ella for allowing me to interview her and giving me the opportunity to learn more about her and her work. I would like to give her a huge shout-out for her amazing work on both Wattpad and Tiktok. Everyone should definitely go check out her accounts on both platforms and read their stories. It has been a pleasure interviewing Ella, and I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this interview with your favorite fanfiction author! We hope you enjoyed it and learned something new.

No matter where you are or what time it is, we wish you a wonderful day or night. Take care of yourself and have a great time.

Goodbye, Amores!

Sincerely,

Hua Wang

#fanfiction #blog post #anime fanart #marvel fanfic series #marvel fandom #harry styles x y/n #louis tomlinson #bucky barnes x y/n #loak x y/n #loki x y/n #hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry #hermione granger #harry potter #welcome home #the owl house #steve harrington #x reader #remus lupin #ron weasley #reader insert #long reads #random #george weasley #fred weasley #wattpad #writing #woman #neville longbottom #news #professor dumbledore

[jennawynn]

Enterprise Season 3 Ep 19-finale

Episode 19

All that damage and hull breaches on at least 3 levels... and only 5 people are dead.

I feel like a lot of my opinions of this show are formed by my experience on a Navy ship. Almost every door can be sealed in case there's a hull breach. Redundant systems and personnel. And if your ship goes down in the ocean at least you might float a while before drowning but in SPACE? You'd think they'd be a lot more conservative about safety against hull breaches.

Oooh... now the number is 14 with 3 unaccounted for. Out of what, 84?

They said beam lol

This is a pretty understandable and even believable descent to the other side for Archer. T'Pol having secret troubles staying calm is interesting, too.

Really? Making T'Pol turn herself into a drug addict so she can push Trip's buttons? Why does she keep ending up getting the worst kind of plotlines?

I don't know why it didn't occur to me- I thought the training exercises were just so Malcolm could have beef with the Major... but turns out it's so they could justify still sending SENIOR BRIDGE OFFICERS INTO DIRECT COMBAT IN SMALL TEAMS INSTEAD OF THE MARINES THEY HAVE ON BOARD FOR EXACTLY THAT SITUATION.

Episode 20

Now we're up to 18 lost. How does the number keep going up? "For the 18" has a bit of a better ring to it than "For the 14" I guess.

They found two bodies in a damaged section... but somehow they didn't get blown out the holes with the atmosphere.

Why hasn't T'Pol washed her face? 😂

Fun Fact: The only time that I "had" to eat MREs was after a hurricane while my ship was in drydock. We didn't have shore power and I was on duty so they had some hot dogs on a grill and MREs for anyone who wanted them. We ate in our office by flashlight so it'd feel like camping. 😂 That said, I was - at the time - on a prepper/libertarian kick with my colleagues and we had some 'just in case' and tried them at least once. Surprisingly expensive from places like the Army/Navy Surplus Store, but not terrible. Plus the tech behind heating them was novel.

Goddammit Trip... at least take the flightsuit off before you get in bed. Gross. This isn't a cartoon where it's too much to design a second outfit and animate you under the covers so you leave your boots on in bed. We know you have your standard-issue blue underwear.

It is a nice touch that they automatically use Celsius when referencing temperature. They say things like 'his suit temperature is 44 degrees' without saying Celsius, but you know it can't be Fahrenheit.

And wasting resources by just letting the panel cover float away instead of saving it so they can be like 'look they're in zero g!'

"As Jane's Commanding Officer"- That is not correct. Commanding Officer is a specific title given to the highest ranking person of the base or vessel. Archer is the Commanding Officer. Just because Trip was her boss does not make him her CO.

Episode 21

I have to admit... it's growing on me. I found myself last night almost deciding to keep watching even though I was no longer working.

Women only make up 1/3 of the crew? Why? In the illuminated future, we're still only 1/3??

Part of me thinks that they shouldn't know who they marry or have kids with but the other part of me remembers that I wish I could go back in time and tell myself I'm queer and shouldn't marry the guy I did. /shrug

Of course they'll probably erase this 'past-future' with whatever's about to happen anyway.

The convo between T'Pol acknowledges that it's not 'destiny' but a product of environment. That because the Enterprise wasn't sent back in time, the choices made can be different... but there's obviously going to be a bias for most people, reaching out to the people they know they had kids with before.

Episode 22

Ah American, sorry I mean HUMAN Exceptionalism at its finest. The existence of Earth changes the trajectory of history across the whole universe! Across dimensions, even!

ha disposable MAKO. why would he have climbed up to such a precarious position to fire anyway, though?

Episode 23

For one moment, just one moment I thought maybe the major taking a shot to the heart in transport would caus-- oh shit they did actually kill a crewmember who has been in multiple episodes. They might have actually turned this ship around.

To be clear, I don't condone deaths for shock value. However, thematic deaths are another thing. Plot important deaths. You can't have a war with dark themes and never kill anyone. It doesn't make sense.

Hayes says use McKenzie with his dying breath... and then he picks 3 volunteers that are not named that.

The moment where Reed asks for volunteers and all the MAKOs step forward was a nice touch, though, even if the actors couldn't figure out how to stand :joy:

Episode 24

I think it would be nice if just once the sliding scale of ally to enemy wasn't always just who looks most or least like you. That the arboreal and primate species are most human-like while the aquatic, lizard, and insects are not. I kinda hope that the humanoid lizard people are kept as the enemy and the manatee and insect like less human people stay allies. At least the lizards are recognizably human shaped.

Here we go! Finale time.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the Great Man theory which Enterprise seems to consider correct. Great Man theory, as I understand it and use it here, basically says that some people are born to change things. That they are 'integral to history'- that the names we grow up learning like Newton or Washington or Einstein or even Hitler are Special in some way and that they are responsible for the leaps and bounds we take in discovery and such. That if you time traveled back and killed one of them, say Hitler, then it would change everything about the future. Stop the Holocaust and WW2.

They've repeatedly said that without Archer at the helm, the Federation would never exist. That the Guardians will succeed and wipe out everything. Whatever it is now to try to give him a safety belt when he's so damn set on throwing himself out the window of a moving starship.

I don't agree. I think that discovery is built on waves. That if Newton hadn't put pen to paper and 'discovered' the theory of gravity, someone else would have with negligible difference in time. _Especially_ when it comes to things like science because science is built on collaboration and you build off other people's work constantly.

Maybe Archer did do all these things, but had Archer not been selected for the NX-1, the other guy would've done it. And if not them, maybe the Vulcans. Sure the details might change, but this, I think, is what time travel media refers to as the resilience of the timeline. There might be disruptions, but it typically course corrects.

Gotta love Archer's dramatic... casual jog away from the explosions.

Hah. I kinda love the reveal of T'Pol's age. She's been so coy about it.

"Captain didn't make it." Yeah... I'm not gonna believe that until at least the middle of the next episode.

lmao time travel shenanigans. As soon as they said no word from the orbital stations, I assumed it wasn't a matter of where but when. Oh and look... Archer's alive. Surprise. But he was found by the Nazi's? Who have an alien officer? Sure. Turn their famous obsession with the occult towards aliens instead of supernatural.

#chronotrek

[kitkatt0430]

☕️ on tea? Love it, hate it, never drank it? Favorite, least favorite?

Tea is the best. :D

So I love all kinds of tea, it's the best drink. Coffee upsets my digestive system these days, but even before that started when given a choice between coffee and tea I would pick tea.

There are so many different types of teas out there too. And they're all so good.

First we've got the true teas: black tea, green tea, white tea, pu erh tea, oolong tea, and yellow tea. These are all derived from camellia sinensis plant and are all going to have naturally occuring caffeine in them.

Of the true teas, black teas tend to be my favorites. They typically have a stronger or bolder flavor and sometimes aren't so much black as they are a deep red which can be very pretty. Though add bergamot to a black tea and it'll be extra delicious to me. (Bergamot being a type of orange - bergamot oil/extract is what's typically added to the tea itself.) Bergamot is found in various breakfast teas, Earl Grey, Paris, amongst others and has a very distinctive aroma.

Black teas also go well with chocolate - I don't know that I've tried a chocolate tea that didn't have a black tea base. Of course people might also start blending coffee into their tea and that's where my adventurousness dies, but often those will be on a black tea base too. If I'm looking for a strong black tea to go in place of coffee and I'm not picking a bergamot tea, I'll usually go with masala or some other similarly spiced black tea.

For making home made tea lattes, black teas tend to be my go to as well. I've gotten pretty good at making these on the stove with a caramelized sugar base, milk added, then tea steeped in last, though sometimes I'll steep the tea separately while making the carmalized sugar + milk and then mix the two after. Different methods make different flavors which work better or worse depending on the type of tea and the flavors I'm after.

Enough about black teas, let's move on to the rest.

Green tea is also a favorite. I haven't tried as many varieties as, say, black tea, but I've yet to taste one I didn't like. Powdered green tea also has a lot of interesting uses, including making for a tasty ice cream.

Oolong teas are really good too. Not my favorites, but they can be more naturally sweet than black teas which make them a good choice when I want to use less sweetener.

Of the non 'true' teas, there's also a wiiiiiide variety of herbal teas out there and have a multitude of plant sources. But because these teas do not include the camellia sinensis, they're technically a tisane. But mostly we just call them tea anyway.

Chamomile tea is a favorite of these for when I've been having trouble sleeping or have a sore throat. Peppermint is good for cold nights, though it's never been particularly useful to me for an upset stomach as others like to claim. Ginger tea is a much beloved by others, but I actually don't like it unless there's something to cover the flavor. It's not gross, it's just... too much. It's an overwhelming taste in a sensory experience sort of way, so I will pretty much never pick a ginger tea.

Rooibos and hibiscus teas are some more of my favorites for herbal teas. They mix well with fruits for some of my favorite light summer blends.

And now for the great iced vs hot tea debate. I actually really enjoy both. Some teas are better hot and don't taste good cold. Some teas are better cold and don't taste good hot. Many teas taste good both ways, but taste different when made hot vs cold so the version I want will differ usually based on what the weather is like. Though it can also come down to what flavors the temperature brings out in the tea itself, which is why some teas taste better one way or the other.

Fruit teas tends to do very well as cold tea, for example. Peach tea is a common one for both hot and iced teas, but strawberry teas are really excellent for being served both ways too though those I'd argue are best served cold. Black tea tends to be better hot, but on a hot day most black teas are delightful when served iced. And since I live somewhere it can get up to 100 degrees in the summer and stay that way for several days or even weeks, being able to enjoy iced tea is kind of a necessity in order to enjoy tea in the summer at all.

#kitkatt0430 answers #the tea on tea :D

[tomwambsmilk]

What do you consider to be truly middle class in 2023? What are the tell tale signs someone is middle class these days? I feel like the U.S. is slowly picking up on the fact that class is not so much about your income but it's more based on your background, your social and cultural capital etc. Maybe you disagree so I would love to hear your thoughts on this. What is your take?

Once again using a TL;DR because this is a huge topic and I've tried to zero in on what you're interested in, but it's still a bit long. So the TL;DR is: there are many factors that go into class which are interrelated but not deterministically dependent; however, economic status is probably the most consistent and significant manifestation of class. The idea of 'middle-class' is defined entirely in relation to the upper and lower class, and the specific class signifiers you're focussing on will change the definition of who is in 'middle-class' in the first place, so it's not really a consistent group of people, and you could argue that 'middle class' is something that doesn't even really exist outside of the arbitrary categorizations economists and social scientists and politicians and marxists use to try and understand the economic landscape. In the context of TV history? I'm just focussing on disposable income, because that's what the TV networks were focussed on, but there's a whole discussion to be had about what other characteristics were common (and are common) among people with disposable income. If we're not talking about TV, I would say (and this is literally just me, this is Brenna's Theory of Economics and Class Status in 2023 this is just some bullshit I came up with and I know nothing) I would say the biggest determinant of class status is your ability to buy a house.

The long answer:

Well, the cop-out answer is that it depends entirely on the context in which you're talking about class.

The trouble with class as a concept is that it's used to cover an incredibly broad range of societal structures throughout history that have all looked different in practice. It's relatively self-evident that most human societies have organized themselves into strata of more privileged and less privileged people; however, the categorization criteria for those strata vary widely depending on the society.

That said, there has always been a really strong link between wealth and class. Upper-class people are usually wealthier, lower-class people are not. That's because we live in an economic system, and the primary way privilege (and its absence) manifests is economic. There are other forms and manifestations of privilege, but the economic component is so powerful that someone of a marginalized community with enough wealth to be considered 'upper-class' won't experience the same degree of marginalization that a low-income person would (although they will still be somewhat alienated from the rest of the upper class). Likewise, someone who would normally benefit from our societal structure based on things like background, race, gender, etc will find themselves cut off from many of those privileges once they reach a certain level of financial hardship.

(Btw this is actually one of the most common objections people will have to the concept of 'white privilege', at least in my experience. Part of this is based on a misunderstanding of what's meant by the term. But part of it is that, while a low-income white person still experiences certain forms of white privilege, many forms of white privilege are tied up with wealth and access to it - things like living in better neighbourhoods and having 'better' social networks which lead to better long-term financial prospects, etc. So low-income white people aren't actually experiencing the full benefits of white privilege, which is why many of them deny it even exists. In their minds, if white privilege was real, they wouldn't have to live like this.)

We can debate whether you're wealthy because of your class, or whether your class makes you wealthy, but it's truly a chicken-and-egg situation, imo. Regardless of which came first, there's a strong enough correlation that I think it is useful to treat economic status as a primary determiner of class, and then examine other things, like social and cultural capital, within that economic context. That being said, I do think how you're defining class is deeply dependent on what specifically you're talking about. For instance, if you're talking about the flow of wealth under capitalism, it's useful to define class based on a person's relationship to the means of production, rather than income. But the trouble with that is you're lumping together minimum wage retail workers in with doctors and lawyers making 6-figures as 'working class', and you're lumping struggling mom-and-pop business owners in with multibillionaires in 'owning class'. So once you start talking about economic power, and how those classes actually move and operate in the world, you have to redefine them to take into account those differing levels of wealth.

That's part of the difficulty with talking about the term 'middle class'. There is no consistent historical definition of what constitutes 'middle class'. 'Upper class' has always meant the wealthy, 'lower class' has always meant the poor. Those are relatively easy to define. 'Middle-class' has always been a term used to describe people who are somewhere in between, who can't properly be classified into one or the other, so its definition changes depending on how the upper and lower classes are being defined, which depends on historical context and who's using the term and why they're using it in the first place. So there's some discrepancy between how, say, Marx and Engels used it and how statisticians, economists, and government officials have used it in the last hundred years. (And that's the other thing - unlike upper and lower class, middle class as a concept is a relatively new invention.)

To circle all the way back around to your question, anon, of what characteristics make someone 'middle-class' in 2023... It would depend on the context in which we're talking. In my post about the relationship between TV history and its middle-class white target market, 'middle-class' just meant anyone with the disposable income to pay for an HBO subscription. But the nature of the economic landscape in the second half of the 20th century means this also very much meant things like: people with postsecondary degrees, people with professional qualifications (like doctors or lawyers), people who owned houses and worked in relatively secure office jobs, people whose kids didn't go to public school. That's because most of the people who had the kind of disposable income to pay for an HBO subscription also had at least one of those characteristics. That's why The Sopranos, which digs into the gradual degradation of Tony's upper-middle-class lifestyle, resonated with people who themselves had been living middle-class lifestyles they could no longer afford. And that's why The Wire's portrayal of inner-city neighbourhoods, and gang life, and even its portrayal of (mostly white) dockworkers struggling as their industry shrunk and there was less work to go around, simply did not.

If you really want a much more general definition of middle-class in 2023, not tied to any specific discussion, I would probably define it around home ownership. Which might sound silly, but I think the question of whether you can afford a home (and how) is indicative of a whole other mess of questions around lifestyle, income, background, education, location, race, etc that together become characteristics of a class. I think that if you can't buy a house in your area which is considered 'average', you're lower-class. This includes being able to save up the down payment and being approved by a bank for a mortgage. (This is not the same as being able to pay a hypothetical mortgage, because more than that is involved in a bank's decision to give you a mortgage, and many of those factors do signify or contribute to class status). If you are able to buy an average home, but you would need to finance it through a mortgage, you're middle-class. And if you could buy an average home straight-up, no mortgage, either with cash or by liquidating investments, you're upper-class.

Now obviously there are going to be exceptions to this, but I think that because there are so many factors which go into someone's ability to buy a house - it's not as simple as "if you make [x] you're good" - it manages to be a really good indicator of someone's overall societal status. (This has not always been the case though - looking at you, run-up to the 2008 financial crisis). It's not perfect! But there is no one-size-all definition of middle-class, so I think this is as good a place as any to start.

#asks #anon #I hope this answers your question? class is such a HUGE topic

[travelinglibrariansdesk]

Words to Avoid When Talking About Children's Books

Two adults and two children's books today. I read Jessica Love's A Bed of Stars, a memoir of a camping trip the narrator took with her father. I'm going to have to be careful of my words in this blog, because it's much too easy to throw around words like cute and sweet. You won't hear me using "cute" or "nice" - they're words so vague as to have no definition. However, A Bed of Stars is sweet. It's a mellow memory, not a grand adventure, but remarkable for the narrator because of the enjoyment she felt sharing the night sky with her father from their place in the bed of his truck. (Another term you won't read here is "bonding experience" - years of editing high school yearbook sports pages spoilt those words for me - ugh.)

I also read Not Quite Narwhal, by Jessie Sima. This one just barely avoids nauseating cuteness - reasonable people may disagree. A unicorn is born under the ocean to a group of narwhals. He's not very good at swimming like a narwhal, but he tries valiantly. One day he discovers unicorns, and learns that he can be a very skilled land-based horn-bearing creature - but he misses his narwhal family. It's a clever juxtaposition and meditation on where we belong, and what happens when we belong to two places and neither at the same time. It's not a heavy-hitting message - as delicate as the artwork. There's a lot of gooey, treacly unicorn literature out there for younger readers, but this one is not that.

When Looking for Jane fell into my lap, I was a bit curious, but as soon as I opened the flap I wanted to read it. "Jane", as I was hoping, does not refer to a person but the widespread underground movement on college campuses in the late 1960s dedicated to helping desperate women end unwanted pregnancies. I watched an excellent documentary at the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) last year. and at the same time as I was binge-watching the TV drama Cold Case this fall, I saw an episode ("Volunteers") that alluded to Jane's activities as well. The women of Jane are as impressive as the Freedom Riders - they risk incarceration to gather women, connect them with non-abusive medical doctors willing to perform the procedure, learn to perform it themselves, and set up cut-outs so that no one can identify each other, thus jeopardizing the system. According to their records, no woman ever died under Jane's care who had not arrived in serious trouble already. Anyway, really want to read this one!

Then there's this odd little item: What You Are Looking For Is In The Library. One of my co-workers told me she was reading it for an online book group she's in when she saw it on my pile of interests of the day. Since my card is still blocked, I gave it to her to check out. It's a smaller-sized book with a window and a cat on the cover - and it calls itself "a novel", title notwithstanding. Japanese author Michiko Aoyama tells a story about a librarian who can sense (as any good librarian should be able to) exactly which book each patron needs. What's not to like? I need to make a list of books about libraries, because they all sound enchanting, and as I believe in libraries as transformative places, this one would fit my worldview perfectly. Plus, I read so little Japanese literature - time to expand my horizons a bit!

#a bed of stars #not quite narwhal #what you are looking for is in the library #michiko aoyama #looking for jane #heather marshall #jessie sima #jessica love #children's book art #children's books #cleveland international film festival #the janes #cold case “volunteers” #narwhal

[a-s-levynn]

HAI!!! :3 I have some pals that are into Sleep Token 'n I am interested!! What songs do you suggest from them?/what are your fav Sleep Token songs?

I'm so sorry if you sent this some time ago, using tumblr on three devices eats my inbox notifications at times and i just found yours and an other ask i haven't seen since monday😫

Also sorry it got long but i'd figure it would be fun to explain why i'd go at it this way.

The short answer: basically anywhere but pay attention to the lyrics because that is what sucks you in even more.

But to properly answer your question.. every single person you'd ask would give you a slightly different list for sure based on various reasons. I'm gonna break down why i'd do it like this. Also what i'd suggest to start with and what are my faves vary a bit. And also what i'd recommend based on someone's taste in music can alter what i'd show first to them but.. in general i'd go something like this (true and tested method [lies only tried once but it worked surprisingly well]).

I'd definitely start with the easily digestable tracks soundwise. The more groovy and vibey stuff that can be enjoyable without paying too much attention to the lyrics. It adds to it of course but nit neccessary.

Aqua Regia, Alkaline, Granite, Rain, Hypnosis, The Apparition and The Offering

At the end of Hypnosis there are a bit of harsher vocals which is a nice teeny tiny introduction to that sides of theirs, but not too much. And The Offering is a great one to show off both the softer vocals but disgustingly catchy instrumentals, also that is probably one of their most iconic songs.

Most people are turned away because of the style of singing Vessel does most of the time, with all the bends and runs and high notes. Also the constrictions, bordering on whines sometimes and also heavily breathy vocals. Occasional crying. There is a lot of emotions on display, of which if you vibe with can hit pretty hard. It's neither genre typical nor used as a usually commercialized singing technique in general. I'm not saying it's oooh so unique, others do it as well, but it's definitely not the type you hear from every other song on the radio. The other part can be the unusual arrengments in songs and the collecting genres like pokemons. So these up here are more on the easier side with that.

I'd probably add in Euclid as well to these just to showcase the more pop influenced side but still having proper guitars in it and stuff. Also that track is great to show how dynamic their music can be without any screamy jumpscare.

Than i'd say look at the slower sad stuff because it's trademark for them, also still on the commonly enjoyable side in regards of sound. And this would be the point i'd say start to pay attention to the lyrics properly because that is half the appeal of Sleep Token.

Blood Sport (from the room below), Missing Limbs and Atlantic are great examples.

And after those i'd go with some of the heavy hitters (also the ones with a bit more harsh vocals) like The Summoning, Ascensionism, Take Me Back To Eden and Vore.

And then if you are still interested at this point i'd recommend just putting on the entire This Place Will Become Your Tomb album. There are basically next to none harsh vocal surprises but there are heavier instrumentals at certain points. And it is such a contained experience, regardless of it being a middle part of a trilogy.

If you get through the album and still feel like you want more, than it really is just up to you which tracks do you want to dip your toes in next, because you seen most of what they can offer but still going to ran into new and fresh stuff. Their discography is a bag of nicknacks and all of them are preciois for different resons. TMBTE (their last album) is a higher quality production and caters more to the general audiences soundwise, i think. Sundowning (first album) is more raw but no less enjoyable. Also the certified 'sexy song' (Sugar) is on that one. The EPs and covers, i'd recommend last probably, not because they are not good, on the contrary but they are a bit more niche, bit more restrained in soundscape and a bit more soulful but they are heavy hitters emotionally for sure.

One might argue i left out the singles and the first album but here is the thing. The production quality goues up significantly on each album. For a listener who doesn't come for the lyrics first but the sound, Dark signs and Jaws or Jerico may be less captivating than let's say Granite, for a first time listener. Of course it is highly dependent on the given person but i'm talking in general.

And to answer a 'what are my favourites' part of the question, my all time favourite track of theirs is Higher by all means. The rest is in an ebb and flow depending on my mood but The Offering, Descending, Like That and Gods are always up there for me.

Have a wonderful day every day!

🫶🏻

#levynn answers #anon <3

[fuckinorangecat]

Today was a good day.

11/09/2023

I'm contracted to teach at three different schools. My base high school, an extension school of the base school situated in the mountains and an agricultural one. Today I visited my extension school. The bus was a 45 minute journey from my base school, costing 790 yen (yeowch). I had some preconceptions about this school - I simply thought it was a school for students too rural to commute to the base school but I noticed a few of them on the bus. They got on at the town's main station which confused me. I thought "Why not just go to the base school"? Although I don't know the historical reason as to why it was actually established, it's now become a safe space for those unable to fit into the base school. It definitely gives me mixed feelings, I'm both delighted for the students to have their own space to thrive but heartbroken to find out that some of them went there because they were bullied. I guess without truly knowing the language, I haven't actually gotten a clue as to what or how anyone communicates in Japanese. But ignoring all the sad shit, the kids were absolutely wonderful. They were kind, welcoming and happy. I've only met them today but I want to try my absolute hardest for these kids. At the very least I want to show them that there are kind people all over the world, maybe they'll want to study more English if I can make them properly trust and talk to me. The classes are extremely small, second years only has two students, third year about four but today three of them were absent so I literally taught one to one. It's so strange to me that this is their reality but I'm so open to it. Due to the size of the classes/years the students all mingle together. We had sports day rehearsals today and everyone could talk to each other. There was a really quiet student who was the spitting image of a bookworm archetype. Hair that covered most of the face, facemask and a meek voice. She struggled with her volume, but no matter what she still tried to engage with me and speak English. I'm so proud of her. Everyone I called out to her to respond, every other student respected her too. No pressuring comments like "c'mon A-chan", just patience. After teaching all my classes we had lunch together which was so nice, I couldn't understand a word of Japanese but they laughed just as they always have. The history and P.E teacher joined us too. Oh yeah, it was a student that took the initiative to invite me for lunch too. Thank you so much H-chan! Oh yeah, an interesting thing about this school is that there are 4th year students. The Japanese structure for highschool only goes up to three years normally but there are some kids who obviously need more support. I met a student that graduated last year and she still visits everyone despite studying in University in the neighbouring prefecture. It really does emphasise how tightknit everyone is, in a school built in the middle of nowhere. I had this one student in particularly who was really into anime, he was so shocked to find out anime was popular overseas. He kept naming animes to see if I know or watched it and was in total awe at the amount I knew. We spoke about anime for a good hour after school finished, we also went on the same bus home so at the he took out his phone and recommended me some animes. I can't wait to study more Japanese so we can have a proper conversation. My heart feels so warm after today. I can't make it for their sports day this saturday because I'm in Osaka but I promised them all I'd bring back gifts!

I've been here for just over a month and I've only taught two lessons but I can't emphasise enough how unbelievably grateful I am for the JET Programme and the experience it's given me. The people are wonderful here in the countryside. The world really is big and I want to do everything I can here before moving to another country.

Anyway, that's enough for today. Thanks for reading.

Goodnight.

#diary #txt #thoughts #personal

[starshipsofstarlord]

Hey!!! I'm so glad you liked the blurb night idea :) 💞 Can I request a blurb with Peter bumping into the reader while she's kinda lost at times square and he's dressed as spiderman so he tries to flirt with you, but it makes you laugh instead?

I loved the idea hun, thankyou sm for helping me with this idea xxx

“You’re a guy?”

Pairing | Peter Parker x reader

Summary | based on the request

Warnings | mentions of crime, brief mention of death and drugs, mention of sex

2K blurb masterlist

Quick link to my masterlist, if you’re interested in reading more of my crap 😬

“And there was this girl. She was really pretty, but-“ May quirked her head at her nephew, hardly understanding his blabber as he sped through his words like he was racing verbally against a cheetah, though, she was manage to uncover that particular sentence.

“Whoa, slow down kiddo.” His aunt laughed lightly, bracing her shoulders on his arms as he caught his overexcited breath. “How about you start from the beginning, and take a breath?” May had much practice with calming the boy down, she sincerely remembered how that night his parents had dropped him off, how worried he had been for them not to return. And they didn’t.

Peter bobbed his head in a eager nod, doing as he was recommended by his legal guardian, puffing the air in through his cheeks, as he inhaled and exhaled normally through his nose.“I was out patrolling the city, checking out for any bad guys, and then, I saw her...” her, the girl that had captured his attention, and distracted him from his friendly neighbourhood duties. She was much like a magnet, pulling his north face into her axis spinning world, distracting him from the things that he was actually meant to be ensuring did not happen on his watch.

“Weren’t you supposed to be patrolling?” The elder of the two quirked a brow, earning a splutter of a response from the teenager under her roof. She wasn’t a strict guardian concerning his heroic antics, though, she made sure to keep him on track for his own sake. Peter had quite the tendency to become overrun with stress from the amounts of responsibilities that he took on, and him being only young did not help the situation.

“I’m getting to that!” He was fast to defend himself, huffing his chest in as he prepared to tell May his story, from the beginning. It was quite the tale, he’d say, combined with the embarrassment of his own presence entangled in the random and friendly interaction that he had felt promiscuously lulled to create.

Queens, it was new to you. There were so many streets, filled to the brim with people that seemed to know where they were going. Unlike them, you didn’t, in fact, you’d go as far to admit that you were lost. Lost in a place that was known for the chaos that wrapped it off with a tarnished bow, and made the collateral practically fashion within its various newspapers that rounded every corner to divulge their companies’ obscure theories.

A panicked look struck your eyes, as you turned, shaking your head and pressing through the mass of citizens and finding an empty lot, scrolling through your phone, diverting your attention quickly towards google maps. It was the only thing that you could think of, it’d be a shame if you were to disturb one of the many passersby from their clearly packed schedule; you did not need that, nor berating them on your conscience.

“You lost or something?” A voice asked, making your shoulders jump as a figure, twisted in the colours red and blue, with a seam of black fell from the roofs above. Your heart rate imploded, more so when you realised who the mask wearing vigilante was. The wearer, although unknown, was infamous for the successions of saving lives that they had participated in, including defending the galaxy against outside threats.

It was Spiderman, the neighbourhood dubbed avenger, that tried their utmost to return stolen or lost bikes to their rightful owners, and protected banks from armed and overnight robberies. There was known to be something different about this particular hero, they were young and clearly had time to improve their skill set, for they were quite the clutz, and spoke significantly more to those he faced off against than what was necessary.

But this one hero, stood out amongst the rest. Not only was their suit designed by Stark technology, as you had written about in a work article, but it was far more concealing, and not to mention restricting, for the person beneath the red concoction to wear. Yes, you were in town for a new job, specifically to delve into the details that regards the world of heroes, and exploit all possible angles to how they deserved as much recognition for their stunts, as the president received for his noble speeches.

“I-“ you paused, think back over what you were preparing to say. It was without a doubt, that you had not expected the vigilante to appear in your spectacle gaze the first time that you stepped foot on the premises that he roamed, and protected. But here the spider enthusiast was, leaping down to stand beside you, burdening you with more knowledge that you could use, such as the person beneath was not as tall as you had expected, and there was definitely no way you could see their true eyes through the shallow white cases that covered them.

That was something you could write about, and make various descriptive theories about. ‘Seeing in white vision, sparked by the purity that glazed their unknown signature irises, Spider-Man halts all with the sparing of their true self. They may have reasons for shielding their eyes, much like Daredevil, not needing to see when they are overcome with various other senses that convulse their body into attentiveness,” -no, that sounded absolutely terrible.

And not to mention, if you spread that horrid writing about, Murdoc would be ashamed of ever deciding to get your aid in uncovering the route of the villainous underworld, that had take over Hell’s Kitchen and turned it into their own ring for drugs and more. The battle of New York had many repercussions, that being one, another influencing you into the career choice of being said reporter that you now proclaimed yourself as.

“Yeah, I am.” You responded with the company of a smile, and Peter swore he could feel his heart convulse beneath his suit. It’s pace was vaguely rapid, disheartening him from thinking of any more to say, he was practically speechless. “I’m looking for New York Times, you ever heard of it?” Yes, he most definitely had, it was the average run of the mill newspaper company, though, he did not know that you intended to change that into something much more.

“Funnily enough I have.” He scratched the back of his head, his arm subconsciously flexing as he did so, feeling like he had failed as your eyes remained focused on the wideness of his suit’s intense eyes. “It’s about three blocks from here, I could take you there if you want, I have nothing more to do.” From his proclamation you quirked a brow, crossing your arms amusedly.

“Don’t you have a city to watch over?” You asked, watching as Spider-Man’s false eyes widened, and he visibly panicked, realising that you had been right. “I’ll find my way, I’ve been to New York, many a time, Queens is bound to be a piece of cake. Also, a map is always handy.” A shrug rippled off your shoulders, Peter watching and walking closer as he thought of something more to add to the initial acquainting conversation.

“I’m Spider-Man.” Inwardly, and beneath his mask, Peter cringed noting how his voice rose, and it could be perceived as boasting. That though was definitely not his intent in the slightest, but he worried of how it may have come across to you. He wasn’t sure how you may have read it as, but a swarm of relief filled his lungs as he watched the corner of your eyes crinkle up, humoured by the tone of his that had significantly heightened. “Im a guy by the way.”

He felt the need to state that, especially considering people’s perceptions in the past. But instantly after saying it, he was regretful, through, he had to admit, he enjoyed listening to you laugh, it was like a melody that he wanted to listen to until the end of time. “You’re a guy?” You released a dramatic gasp, aiding your phoney response. “Yeah, no. I completely thought that you were a girl.” Sarcasm, he had well gotten used to frequency of it thanks to Mr Stark, who... well, he wasn’t around any more.

“You’re funny.” He smiled, shaking his head whence he realised that you could not see his hidden expression. “I don’t know, maybe, would you like to go to coffee with me, if you have time before you have to get to the news place? I mean, I don’t drink that much coffee, I get told that if I have too much caffeine that I get a little hyper, but I mean, I’m trying to ask you out and I have a really bad track record of-“

“Sure.” You spoke, ignoring the map that had finally loaded onto the screen of your phone. It was to your luck that you weren’t required to make your presence known at the business until tomorrow, and there was always time to kill, so you thought screw it, and decided to find it so that you didn’t get lost the approaching day. “Are you going to be wearing that, or you know, take it off?” You pointed at him, making peter surprised.

“It’s not that kind of date.” He quickly responded. “I meant just for a drink, not to hook up in the back of an a- oh, you meant the suit, didn’t you.” With a roll of your eyes, you nodded, pursing your lips together, as Peter felt the rain of relief once more. “Oh, that’s good, not that I wouldn’t want to, you’re gorgeous, that just wasn’t my intent and I’m rambling again, aren’t I?”

“Basically.” You wrinkled your nose, with a laugh, the way you scrunched it up was adorable to Peter. “So I’ll meet you here in two hours, I’ll let you finish up your duties, and change into something that doesn’t make you look you’re wearing a thong, because I can tell you from experience that those things are not comfortable. That good for you Spidey?”

“That works.” He spoke, trying his best to contain his overflowing excitement, biting his lip to do so. “That definitely works.”

“Hi.” The familiar voice of Spider-Man spoke, and you turned around, watching as a young man, not much different in age from yourself rounded the corner. He was clothed in a blue and white chequered flannel, and grey jeans, and you had to say, that whilst the amazing Spider-Man was quite the sight, this was something else.

“Oh, I was waiting for a girl actually.” You informed him, clearly messing with him, as you walked closer, a stretching smile pinning up the corners of your lips. “But I guess you’ll do webslinger.” He could feel his heart racing, but he walked closer, watching as you eyed him, a stranger met with the sight of a vigilante unmasked. “Where to, red and blue?”

“There’s this really good place on main, they sell the best sandwiches. And trust me, once you buy from there, you won’t stop...” the two of you began to walk away together, and towards Peter’s secret destination, where the two of you learnt the others real name.

#peter parker x reader #peter parker x reader imagine #peter parker imagines #peter parker oneshot #peter parker imagine #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker x y/n #peter parker x you #peter parker fluff #peter parker fic #peter Parker fanfic #imagines #imagine #xreader #marvel x reader #peter parker request #peter parker reader insert #tom holland x reader #tom holland x y/n #tom imagine #marvel reader insert #marvel female reader insert #marvel imagines #marvel imagine #marvel one shot #marvel x y/n #spiderman imagines #spiderman oneshot #spiderman imagine

[confusedwitch]

Witch-Related Books to Grab off Amazon: Masterpost Part 1

First off, I'll be sectioning this into different parts based off of what type of witch you are/want to be/want more info on, or what practices you wanna add to your craft :)

Green Witch/Magick Herbalism (a classic):

The Green Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock - $9.69 (Hardcover): This book had incredible reviews on amazon, and a lot of the written reviews said that the book wasn't specific to a religion and didn't try to push a religion on you, which is so wonderful because not everyone wants to be religious with their craft.

Plant Witchery by Juliet Diaz - $25.19 (Hardcover) $18.99 (Paperback): Again, stunning reviews, just a less popular book. This book isn't about general stuff, but instead it's more focused on mother nature and the useage of plants (non-herbal as well, so your houseplants might be mentioned too), which is great if you wanna center your practice around Gaia and the healing energies of the earth.

Herb Magick: An Introduction to Magickal Herbalism and Spells by Patti Wigington - $14.99 (Paperback): here's a review from a verified person- it explained this book WAY better than I ever could:

The focus of this book is on the folkloric and magical uses of herbs, rather than medicinal applications. It provides a few traditional uses of herbs, but the overall theme is knowledge of the plants and their associations, and incorporating them in your spiritual workings. This is an Introductory to Magical Herbalism.

The author's spiritual practice is rooted in traditional American and European Folk Magic. She is a licensed Pagan Clergy and is the founder of Clan Of The Stone Circle, a Celtic Pagan Tradition. (Funny, anything Celtic has been pulling my attention feelers lately, no wonder why I loved this book.) Her spells are derived/based upon the traditional folk magic practices of Western Europe and the British Isles, and the author's own experiences. They are positive spells for magical intentions of healing, love, prosperity, and protection. Baneful or negative workings with herbs are NOT used in this book.

The aesthetic of this book has my little, beginner herbalist heart gushing! The blue, green, and yellow earthy tones and hues used were perfect for the topic of herbs! The cover is GORGEOUS! It's so pretty and flowery, the illustrated pictures of the herbs were extremely helpful because I had never seen some of the plants before. This will make future identification much easier for me!

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham - $16.43 (Paperback): A couple reviews describe it as being in a cookbook format, and overall an amazing book, like most of Scott Cunningham's other works. Apparently the Amazon shipping was literal trash for a bunch of people and they essentially left the book loose inside the box to bang around and get all sorts of messed up :((

The Witch's Herbal Apothecary by Marysia Miernowska - $18.69 (Paperback): Described by reviewers as the PERFECT book for recipes and rituals, even one of Marysia's personal students spoke very highly of her, saying that she's the real deal. Other reviews state the book as being very beginner friendly, and beautifully written and illustrated :))

Blackthorn's Botanical Magic: The Green Witch's Guide to Essential Oils for Spellcraft, Ritual, and Healing by Amy Blackthorn - $15.79 (Paperback): again, phenomenal reviews, just a lesser-known book. Again, here's a review from someone who explained the book a bit better than I could:

This book is way more than I thought it would be. I thought it would be like a dictionary - you look up the essential oil and get the definition. It is that but it's also got a few introductory chapters about oils and products and rituals to give you a nice and concise overview of a lot of things you might need to know as a novice. I also like the way you can reference different oils in alpha order but also look up your purpose and find the oil you need.

From the looks of it, this book is specifically about Essential Oils. Is that still Green Witchery?? Lol I'm not sure, but i felt like it should go in this category.

Kitchen Witch (another classic):

Blackthorn's Botanical Brews by Amy Blackthorn - $14.49 (Hardcover): this is mainly a book of recipes for drinks and cocktails and stuff. There was one review complaining about how it didn't have correspondences, meanwhile the book is literally described as being a recipe book? It's an AMAZING book if you enjoy/want to start making homemade elixirs and cocktails :))

The Natural Witch's Cookbook: 100 Magickal, Healing Recipes, and Herbal Remedies to Nourish Body, Mind, and Spirit by Lisanna Wallace - $20.69 (hardcover): This is again just a book of recipes, and the reviews are really good. Here's one of them:

I wanted to write the review as soon as I got the book. I was not expecting this book to be so fantastic. The recipes are very nutritious and the names are very inventive, but I could see that before I tried the recipes. I held off on writing the review until I tasted a few of the recipes. Even my kids were very happy with the flavors of these recipes. They are mostly easy to make and they are very delicious. Be aware though that the food can only be as great as the quality of the ingredients that you get. These are not recipes that call for complicated or fancy ingredients, or even a lot of ingredients. As a result, you have to use the best that you can find/afford to get the best results you can. I did not use expensive ingredients, but everything I used was very fresh and it does make a difference on the outcome. Overall, the book have some great recipes, easy to follow and the end result does look like the ones on the picture.

The Book of Kitchen Witchery by Cerridwen Greenleaf - $12.89 (Paperback):

I am so pleased with this book. It’s so magical and warm. Sometimes the new age genre can be a little too technical or focus too much on religion or putting down particular religions... this was not like that. There are so many lovely tips and easy spells and recipes that are kept fairly light so you can make them your own. The book just makes me happy, it has an energy to it that goes right along with it’s artsy illustrations and at-a-glance format. This will be a great reference. Very grateful to everyone who made this book possible.

A former editor said that there were a few editing mistakes, but nothing too crazy. If that's one of your pet peeves, just beware when buying this book lol (btw the editor still have a 4 star review because they said the book is still very good)

Potions, Elixirs & Brews by Anaïs Alexandre - $12.79 (Hardcover): I just had to include both of these amazing reviews, since both said what the other review did not.

This book is so gorgeous and everything I have been looking for in regards to potions. I love her writing style and the way the book looks. Highly informative and I can feel her good intentions behind the book. She is very intelligent. I respect her and I am inspired by her! I found her by chance looking up books for potions, she also has Instagram! Very grateful, amazing book thank you:-) so happy to be the first comment:p excited to see what else amazing things come from Anais!

And

I adore this book. The art and setup is simplistic and beautiful. There is a system that tells you exactly how difficult each potion will be to make, whether or not it’s alcoholic, and what is the ideal season to make it in. The instructions are clear, the preliminary information is well done, and there’s even a section for brewing large batches which I LOVE. The weight of the book is nice and it feels of good quality. The papers are glossy and, I haven’t yet, but I feel like it won’t be a disaster If you get some of your creation on it. The book is separated into types of potions depending on your intent. This is a perfect book for anyone new to making potions or is interested in a magickal recipe book!

The Witches Feast: A Kitchen Grimoire by Melissa Madara - $35 (Hardcover): This book actually isn't out yet, but it'll be released on October 26th of this year (2021). It looks promising, which is why I put it on the list, and for that much money, it better be good lol

Lunar/Moon/Astrology Witch:

The Complete Guide to Astrology by Louise Edington - $9.49 (Paperback) $22.99 (Hardcover): There's amazing reviews on this book, and one of them said that she's been researching astrology for 23 years!! Here's the review in it's entirety:

I've been a student of Astrology for the past 23 years now, and have read most of the books on this subject that are considered foundational. Many guides to astrology that I page through in a bookstore are fine, but covering information I already know. What I so appreciated about Edington's new book is that she brings a new angle to even the basics of Astrology. Her book feels like a fresh update, more appropriate to our current time in terms of language and sensibility. There are no "evil" aspects or transits in Edington's view, no dark warnings of disaster; her evolutionary perspective encourages us to see the opportunity in even the most challenging times, what can be learned, what can be accomplished. As she says in her book, she doesn't look at the natal chart as something fixed, unchanging, rather a "blueprint rich in meaning and possibility."

I also admired Edington's extensive knowledge of the stories behind the names and symbology used in Astrology: sharing her interpretations of them, how they are useful, how they can be limiting. Concepts I thought I already understood have been unpacked in greater depth by the author, so that I see deeper layers.

This text is beautifully written, well-organized, offering a fresh update, as well as a deeper dive than many astrology texts. This book is an invaluable resource I'll be returning to, and consulting, with appreciation.

Moon Spells: How to Use the Phases of the Moon to Get What You Want by Diane Ahlquist - $11.35 (Paperback): This book is a bit older fashioned in the sense that it's VERY heteronormative, we're talking about love magick SPECIFICALLY for men and all about being a father, and a section of love magick SPECIFICALLY for women and being a mother. So if this gets on your nerves, then i wouldn't recommend this book. Other than that, the reviews are very good and they describe the book as being a must-have for lunar witches.

The Complete Book of Moon Spells by Michael Herkes - $13.49 (Paperback): Yes, this book was written by a man. If that's something that might make you not want to purchase, please look at this and also keep in mind that SO MANY of the most highly esteemed witches of the world ARE MEN. So if you wanna be closed off and refuse their help and their knowledge, go ahead sis, I'm not stopping you.

He's most definitely not just "some guy". Aside from that, this book has very good reviews. Some people called it "fluffy" and a bit less serious then they anticipated, but it's very good for beginner witches who are finally wanting to start doing spells. Here's a review.

In this book you explore ways to conjure the mysterious power of the moon to manifest your intentions to achieve abundance and balance in your life! Each chapter is devoted to one of the eight phases of the moon and includes various spells, tarot spreads, crystal grids and potions that reflect that phase of the moon!

This is an overall amazing book if you want to build a foundation of learning about the history of the moon, astrology, cycles & phases, ritual tools, crystals, herbs, and essential oils- as well as the moon spells and rituals.

This is one of my new favorite books! I feel so connected to the moon and this book is a great reference for learning the best rituals and spells to use for the different moon phases and energies surrounding them! It’s easy to follow and the lunar rituals, mystical spells and magical drinks are so vibrant, creative and helpful in my spiritual journey. I’d recommend this book to anyone that loves the moon like I do.

Moon Magic: A Handbooks of Lunar Cycles, Lore, and Mystical Energies by Aurora Kane - $19.99 (Hardcover, although there's only three left when I'm looking at it) $9.99 (Kindle):

One review said that the book much surpassed their expectations, and another review said this:

I absolutely adore this book.

If you're just a beginner and want to understand the different moon phases, this is the book to get.

The information inside was extremely helpful without being overly complicated.

Well worth the money spent.

Astrology: Using the Wisdom of the Stars in Your Everyday Life by DK - $14.59 (Hardcover):

I saw this in store and was immediately drawn to it's beautiful and shiny cover! But when I open it, the inside is just as beautiful! I love looking through the pages. I would say it is a very good basic astrology book, but I have another one that gives much more detail. I like this one for more of a quick reference kind of book. It's more of a bullet point style book, where it gives little tidbits instead of paragraphs going in depth. (Though some pages do have paragraphs) BUT, it covers just about everything including all the houses, moon signs, and ascending signs. It covers everything, but it just covers he tip of the iceberg. (In my opinion) I still absolutely recommend it!

Apparently this book is also available in Barnes and Noble, so if you have access to one, you might wanna look there for the book before purchasing off of Amazon :)

Misc Books (General):

The Spell Book for New Witches: Essential Spells to Change Your Life by Ambrosia Hawthorn - $10.19 (Paperback) $20.69 (Hardcover):

This book... It's a very good spell book, and is true in the spells it contains, but MY biggest problem with it is that it's V E R Y Wiccan, and seems almost preachy about the "Threefold Law" and what they like to call "karma". Choosing not to do dark magick is PERFECTLY FINE and being Wiccan is totally okay! But don't be like Christianity and rub it in people's faces, dude. The book talks about how you can ONLY practice "love and light". Other than that, this book is AMAZING and rated literally 5 stars with over 11K reviews. If you lean more Wiccan, by ALL means, buy this spellbook. It's the one for you.

Practical Magic for Beginners by Maggie Haseman - $13.49 (Paperback)

This book is fantastic for the witch who wants to learn more about her craft but doesn't know where to start. Each subject is broken down into easy to absorb bits of wisdom without being overwhelming. A great jumping off place to decide where to dive in deep next.

This book is very comprehensive, and is a great reference guide for beginner witches, or witches looking to add another book to their collection.

Candle Magic For Beginners by Mystic Dylan - $10.86 (Paperback) $21.99 (Spiral bound)

This book is a must have for anyone looking to deepen their connection with the magical element of fire, ritual, and spell work through candle magic! Dylan not only teaches you how to use candle magic for things such as protection, abundance, love, healing, and more, but takes you through the fascinating history of the power of fire & how to properly charge, cleanse, and consecrate your candles to begin manifesting your deepest desires!!! Overall, the book is beautifully written with gorgeous illustration and will hook you from the start!!!!!!!

This book is perfect for beginners to candle magick, or beginners to the craft in general. I personally LOVE candle magic because I've always been attracted to fire. I could void out and just stare at a flame for hours on end lol

Crystals for Beginners by Karen Frazier - $8.99 (Paperback) $20.95 (Spiral bound)

Absolutely love this book!! It’s so informative! I am a beginner and this book explains a lot. Everything a beginner would need to know about crystals is in this book. I am so pleased with it. Best purchase of the week! Definitely worth it. The author explains crystals, chakras and energy so enthusiastically and in a way that is easy to understand. At the end of the book, is a “resources” page with all the websites, books and apps that the Author recommends.

Again, very beginner friendly, but this time it's not spells, it's crystals and such. I've personally been wanting this book for AGES

The Crystal Bible Series by Judy Hall - $38.99 (Volume 1-3 shrink-wrapped set, paperback):

This is my first purchase of the three-part series by Judy Hall. Volume 1 covers over 200 crystals! I can already tell you I'll be purchasing volumes 2 and 3 (each of which cover 200+ MORE crystals/stones, not included in volume 1) I love how each crystal description includes photos to further help in identification. I also appreciate that rarity and sources were included. Information about the spiritual and physical impacts of crystals on the body is in there as well! This book is loaded with a lot of great information and is the perfect quick reference. It's also small and fits easily in my hand. I highly recommend it for beginners.

This is a review from just the first book, and it's from a verified hauler/buyer :)) these aren't exactly newbie friendly, and some people say they're a bit harder to understand.

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