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#anyway let me get off my soapbox
ali3nboyfriend · 1 year
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it's important to remember that dogs are predators (some of them large predators) that can be dangerous and to treat them accordingly. yes, even dogs you know. yes, even dogs you know really well. yes, even your own dogs. if you ever take it for granted that a dog couldn't hurt someone then you're putting the dog, yourself, and other people in danger.
but you can remember that and live by that without it damaging your relationship with dogs. in fact, it makes the relationship even better: instead of treating them like babies, you are meeting them in a place of respect. this is especially helpful whenever you get a new dog, because you go into this new partnership knowing that you have to take certain steps (training, socialization, etc) that will not only make things safer and easier for everyone involved, but will also help ease any anxieties or fears the animal might have.
people take just about any animal for granted, especially animals you can purchase as pets, and dogs get a lot of shit they don't deserve because of it. you are not entitled to dogs. they're not human babies. treating them like they are makes their anxieties worse, encourages reactive behaviors, and unnecessarily puts people at risk of their reactive behaviors. meeting them where they are and being willing to put work into them if you are their handler and if you're not listening to their handlers' wishes in regards to them will give them much happier lives in the long run.
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aeide-thea · 11 months
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like. imagine if people took even a quarter of the energy they're currently spending on asserting that ‘humans are the only ones who should be allowed to consume a bunch of written work, gain some understanding from that of how stories and language typically function, and then produce their own narratives featuring stylistic and structural elements that also appear in the work they soaked up!!1!’ and used it to, say, look up sources for all the art by contemporary working artists they’ve reblogged without payment or even credit, and add information about how to support those artists onto their reblogs…
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izupie · 1 year
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Waahhh I'm not looking forward to work today ;;
I already know its gonna be such a difficult shift. We're closed tomorrow for Easter Sunday and it makes people panic that they won't be able to get their coffee tomorrow, so they aaaaalllll come in today instead.
I need to take a deep breath and be ready for the chaos
There's 4 of us on shift today so at least there's enough of us to try to keep on top of everything (unlike usual lmao)
I just need to make sure I've got something nice planned for dinner later and maybe a good movie to watch or something to keep me going 🙏
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godofsmallthings · 1 year
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anyway fuck men.
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masseffect5 · 2 years
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personally, i love the amount of companions you get in mass effect, and especially in mass effect 2. one of the biggest themes of mass effect is that togetherness and camaraderie are how we survive, it’s all we have against the vast unstoppable power of the universe.
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hal-o-ween · 2 years
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Back on my streaming service hate BUT I just want to say that if all these different streaming services had been around when I was in middle school, I wouldn't have gotten into star trek nearly as much, because I would have been limited to just the next gen episodes that they rerun the most on bbca. And THAT would have taken away both a huge bit of bonding between me and my grandma, and a couple friendships where a mutual love of star trek is a big part of why we started talking.
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justmystyles · 10 months
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Did you see the videos of Harry at the airport in Barcelona (I think?)? I hate people pushing and yelling for his attention ugh. But I got an idea for a fic. Plus size reader happens to be at the airport at the wrong time and gets pushed because of these people,Harry sees that and just goes into protective mode, they get to know each other and fluff at the end? Or his gf getting pushed and falling down and protective Harry
Anyways sorry if all of this doesn't make sense. English isn't my first language 🙈 but I love your style of writing and got this idea and just had to share it with you
The Battle in Barcelona
read my other work here
pairing: Harry Styles x plus size reader
word count: 1.6k
warnings: a couple of curse words, but other than that, it's tame.
a/n: thank you so much for this ask, my friend! it absolutely made sense, and i appreicate you thinking of me to write this.
i absolutely did see the videos. totally heartbreaking. as much as i'll miss him, our boy needs a break, and i'm so happy that he's got that coming up soon. he's so kind and generous to his fans, and i know a lot of us get that and appreciate him for it, but there are also people who just use it as an opportunity to take even more and it just makes me so angry. anyways, i'm going to get off my soapbox and let you read what i came up with now. i hope you like it! 🖤
tags: @allthelovehes @ameerakane20 @ash-craze @bethanysnow @blue-ballad @brightlightsinlife @creativelyeva @cute-as-ducks420 @fanficismydrug @gem1712 @golden-hoax @gothmingguk @groovychaosavenue @hillzrry @iceebabies @indierockgirrl @jerseygirlinca @jng4kook @jooniesbabie @kaverichauhan @lexiecamposv @mrs-anna-styles211994 @n0vaj3an @rach2699 @ravenclawdirectioner @stylesfeverr @superchrystaldrug @tenaciousperfectionunknown @tiaamberxx @thechaoticjoy @theekyliepage @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @youknowwhaaat
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As your car traveled the streets of Barcelona, your head rested on Harry’s shoulder, your fingers intertwined. You could tell by his soft breaths that he was drifting off to sleep, so you kept silent, just enjoying being next to him. 
Love on Tour would be coming to an end in just over a week, and his multi-year hectic schedule was starting to catch up with him. He was moving a little slower, his eyes puffy and worn from lack of sleep, and he was spending more of his free time in the hotel as opposed to exploring the cities he was visiting. You knew that he had loved every second of the past few years, but he was definitely ready to slow down for a while. 
As you approached the airport, you heard the driver let out a whistle of surprise. You lifted your head to take a look out the front windshield. There was a large crowd of people on the sidewalk waiting for Harry. 
You took a deep breath before squeezing his hand gently and kissing him on the cheek. “Baby, I’m so sorry, time to wake up and turn it on.” 
You brushed a stray curl across his forehead as his eyes fluttered open. He smiled softly at you before taking a look out the window. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath. Harry loved his fans, and he would take any opportunity to greet them and thank them for their support, but he could already tell that this crowd would be difficult. 
As your car approached, you disconnected your hand from Harry’s and slid to the opposite side of the backseat. He gave you an apologetic smile, you shrugged in reply. Because of Harry’s desire to keep his personal life private, you knew that he would want his distance in front of this many people, you understood and were fine with it. 
You respected Harry’s wishes, but moments like this made it hard, you knew he was tired and that the walk into the airport was going to be a struggle for him, and you wanted nothing more than to be by his side and hold his hand through it. 
“I’ll get out on this side and walk around. I’ll meet you inside.” You tell him. 
He reaches over, brushing his index finger against the back of your hand. “You sure you’ll be alright?” 
“Of course,” you assure him. “I’m a big girl, I can hold my own.” You pat your stomach with a smile. 
“Y/N.” Harry says in a warning tone. He loves your sense of humor, except when you turn it on yourself in a self deprecating manor. 
“Sorry,” you smile sheepishly. “How about this then? I’ve held my own in my fair share of mosh pits, I can throw them bows with the best of ‘em.” He chuckles softly, a genuine grin growing on his face. “There he is. Now hold onto that for just a couple of minutes, and I’ll see you on the other side.” 
“I love you so much,” he says softly. 
“I love you too, always.” You say with a wink as the car comes to a stop. 
Before security can get Harry’s door open, you slip out the other side. You walk around the back of the car and watch as his door opens. He is immediately swarmed by people yelling and shoving photos and markers in his face. His security and the local police are doing their best to push them off, but they are relentless. Even Harry is pleading with them to back away, but it falls on deaf ears. 
Despite the rush of the crowd, Harry still takes the time to greet a fan in a wheelchair, signing an album for him and chatting for a brief moment. As you watch on, your worry morphs into awe of this amazing, selfless man. 
You’re so lost in the moment that you don’t realize that one of the officers assigned to crowd control has corralled you into the crowd of onlookers. As Harry finishes with the fan and pushes through the rest of the people, you snap back to the present and begin moving through the crowd yourself. 
As you reach the end of the mob, you’re held back by one of the officers. “No, I’m with them.” You insist, stepping forward only to be shoved back a little harder than needed, with a stern ‘no’ from the officer. 
You watch as Harry turns the corner, your mind racing. You know they won’t leave without you, Harry will notice you’re not there and send security, or someone else from the entourage to retrieve you. But the worry starts to sink in as you find yourself being engulfed back into the masses. 
You fight your way back to the front of the crowd, stopped in front of the same officer that stopped you before. You keep your eyes locked on the corner Harry had turned. Before long, you see him rushing back out of the airport, his eyes moving frantically, no doubt trying to find you. 
“Harry!” You shout, hoping to catch his attention as your voice gets drowned out by the cries and yells from everyone else. 
His eyes lock on yours, his expression panicked as he rushes back toward the crowd. As the fans and autograph-seekers reach for him, he grabs the officer holding you back on the shoulder tugging roughly. “She’s with me,” he shouts aggressively, grabbing your hand and rushing back into the airport. 
He’s practically running, his hand gripping yours tighter than he ever had, afraid of losing you again. As soon as you both turn the corner, and find yourselves away from prying eyes, Harry stops and turns, wrapping his arms around your shoulder and pulling you into him, kissing the top of your head. “I’m so sorry, angel. Are you alright?” 
“I’m fine Harry, promise.” You assure him, rubbing his back softly. “You didn’t have to come back for me, you could have just sent one of the guys.” 
“Absolutely not.” He said in a clipped tone. “You’re my girl, it is my job to protect you and keep you safe. I’ve already failed at that once tonight.” You heard his voice waiver, followed by a barely audible sniffle. He was definitely crying.
You pulled away, looking up at his misty eyes just as a single tear broke free and rolled down his cheek. “Harry,” you said softly, placing your hands on his cheeks, wiping away the rogue drop with your thumb. “It’s okay, I’m okay.” 
He places his hands over yours, which are still rested on his face. He pulls them off and brings them to his lips. You see a swarm of emotions in his eyes; sad, tired, apologetic. Your heart is breaking for him. 
“Come here,” you lead him over to a nearby seating area, guiding him down into a chair. “Talk to me Harry, what’s going on.” 
He stays silent for a moment, trying to organize his thoughts. He lets out a deep sigh, running a hand through his hair. “If something had happened to you out there, it would have been my fault.” 
“Hey,” you furrow your brow. “First of all, nothing happened to me, so there’s no point in sitting here worrying about it, especially with everything you’ve got going on. Second of all, it one hundred percent would not have been your fault.” 
“It’s just…” Harry pauses. “I appreciate my fans, I do…”
“Harry,” you stop him. “Those weren’t your fans. Sure, there were a couple of them there, but they were easy to spot because they were being respectful of you and your space. The rest of them were just paps and autograph sellers. They were there to make money, they didn’t give a shit about you, they were on the clock.”  
Harry nods in understanding. His tormented gaze slowly begins to soften. “How are you so good at this?” You give him a questioning look. “I brought you into all of this, the crazy mobs, the gossip, everything, and you haven’t let it get to you at all.”
“Because I love you,” you shrugged. “If that’s the stuff I have to put up with to be with you, then I’ll put up with it with a smile on my face, because the reward of getting to be by your side is worth it.” 
Harry surged forward, crashing his lips against yours, unable to express in words just how much your words mean to him. He pulls away, cupping your cheek tenderly. “I can’t wait until next week. I won’t have to worry about shows, you and I are going to disappear from the world, and I’m going to be able to thank you properly for being the best thing that has ever happened to me.” 
“By sleeping for a week straight?” You arch a brow. “Because that’s what you’re going to need more than anything.” 
“As long as you’re sleeping next to me.”
“No place I’d rather be.” You smirk.
He pulls you in for another kiss, this one cut short when you hear them call Harry to board the plane. He stands first, offering his hand to you. You take it happily and he leads you out to the tarmac. 
You and Harry settle in side by side. You let out a small laugh as you wait for the plane to take off. 
“What’s so funny?” Harry asks you. 
“Nothing,” you chuckle again. “I was just thinking, I survived the great Break Stuff wall of death of 2017, but almost got taken out by a couple of Harry Styles groupies. I think being with you is making me go soft.” 
“Funny,” he huffs a laugh. “You have quite the opposite effect on me.” He looks at you with an arched brow and a smug smirk. You slap his chest playfully, your face going bright red at his comment. 
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Why do we gatekeep comics?
Seriously. I've been in this fandom (well, the batman rogues side of it) for years, since '15 actually. It's crazy how often I run across a post that basically says "fandom has bad reading comprehension and valid interpretations of these characters come from me"
Do ya'll realize how snobby that sounds?
Let me tell ya, comics are NOT an easy medium to get into. I'm going to be using Jonathan Crane as my example, because that's my blog's whole thing. Speaking him alone, there's at least eight origins, dozens of verses, multiple versions and stories -- and yes, some do contradict each other. And that's a medium popularity rogue, what if we're talking Jason Todd or Joker? Even Bruce Wayne's set in stone origin can vary from comic to comic.
While I understand comics need to be read to understand a character to it's fullest, and in no way am I arguing that you SHOULDN'T read comics. What I am saying is, there's more than just the fandom popular ones, and comics are not a cheap medium to get into. (and yes, you can 'yo ho ho' comics if you catch my drift, but finding the obscure issues can someone be impossible even taking that route) Comics costs add up quickly if you want to collect, ranging from two to six dollars an issue and god forbid you wanna collect something out of print that never had a big release to begin with. eBay prices can get crazy, and not everyone lives near a comic book store.
I get asks all the time asking me where to start with Jonathan Crane and reading, but really....does it matter? Pick an origin, pick a handful of stories that may interest you and with maaaybe six to ten comics you'll have a solid understanding of the character. This works for any character btw, you don't have nor should you have to read everything or whatever the fandom considers "the most correct"
ALSO! There's more than just comics, maybe you watched the animated series as a kid and that's all you know! That doesn't mean your thoughts are lesser than someone whose read hundreds of comics!! You're allowed to stick with the meidum you like best, like the Arkhamverse video games or Teen Titans cartoon.
Why do we even push the idea that you gotta research comics for years before you can have an "acceptable opinion" on these characters? Comics are a special medium, they can tell multiple stories from multiple artists and writers. No one comic is above the rest, no matter what the fandom tries to tell you
Just. Have fun with it. Make your headcanons. Read the story everyone hates. Take the horrible canon (Jervis Tetch being a predator, for example) and throw it out the window!!
Do what makes YOU happy. I promise, you're never going to be alone in a fandom like the comics fandom. You're allowed to do what you want, I mean--half the time the professionals wing it and bullshit it, so why can't you???
Anyway, I'm getting off my soapbox for today.
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mcytblrconfessions · 3 days
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look ok nobody asked for my opinion here but im giving it anyways. its mcyt shipping guys like by default i think mcyt shipping is a bit odd a bit silly and the whole foundation we sit on is essentially “live and let live. have fun, block and move on etc”. we are already in the deep end and i get theres gotta be a line somewhere but like… Come On. we can look away from the desert duo stuff thats a bit off when you think too hard abt it. Their Block People. their little bits people did for funsies that weve decided to play around with like dolls!! i think its allowed to be a bit off sometimes and i think people are allowed to ship it anyways. its block people shipping man. not many people are giving it that much thought
like everyones already sayings that was a silly ask and like. Yeah. It was. but i feel like it’d do us all well to remember that this is hermitshipping guys. we have no leg to stand on were just having fun. im not a proshipper or anything like that i simply think people read way too much into everything sometimes and that i really need to leave the mha fandom because nobody is taking this seriously and its somehow surprising me. ill get off my soapbox. remember were all cringe and weird and thats ok
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AITA for breaking up with someone over fishkeeping and cat food? I know how the title sounds but hear me out. This happened a couple years ago and I'm still friends with the people this happened with but it still weighs on me. So I have always been kind of militant about husbandry when it comes to the animals I keep(autistic, it' a special interest) and I don't really like to deal with people who don't take caring for living creatures they willingly bring into their home seriously. I sold a fish tank to my, then, partner J who wanted to get into fish keeping. J and D, our other partner, lived together. After taking the tank home and cleaning it up we were throwing around ideas for what to put in it. It wasn't too big but also not small, but he kept throwing out species that would far outgrow the tank or species that would fight and kill each other. Every time I shot these species down J took it well, realizing the space was either too small or they would die and didn't want the fish in improper conditions but D kept telling me not to "squash his creativity" and he could "do whatever as long as it made him happy". At this I obviously hopped on my soapbox about how it's our duty as animal owners to give the animals we keep proper conditions and D went absolutely off on me and mentioned how I care "too much" about how other people keep their animals and had always made her feel bad about how she feeds her cats and now I was doing this. For context my cat eats a raw diet. I did a lot of research and talked to my vet and he's doing wonderfully while one of her cats is extremely overweight to the point he waddles instead of walking and the other two are getting there as well, both of which I've brought up concerns about but I have NEVER shamed the way she fed her animals. She had been interested in the interest I had taken and had ASKED for better quality food recommendations, so I gave them, but NEVER told her she had to feed them a certain way. A majority of our conversations were just me info-dumping and her being happy to listen and ask questions occasionally. Anyway J kind of backed out of the conversation at this and D and I went back and forth a bit before D finally said "I don't think this relationship is going to work out if you won't let this go"(This being I have pointed out one of her cats is grossly overweight a couple times and it's extremely unhealthy, especially since he's aging now) so I said "Yeah I think so too. This is something I clearly care a lot about and I'm not going to be with someone who puts their own or their partner's feelings over the well-being of the animals they are responsible for"(referencing when she said a few times when talking about the fish that it was okay if the fish killed each other or died from improper conditions as long as J was happy with how the tank looked and "it's not like we're putting kittens in with sharks, they're Just Fish") and we broke up there and then. Since then we've still stayed close friends after a short break from each other(I'm actually her Man of Honor in her upcoming wedding to J!) and she's actually made moves to better the quality of the food she buys her cats and is working on getting her obese cat's weight down and J's fish tank hobby is going very well(with proper keeping standards!!). But the situation at the time still weighs on me and even though we're genuinely too busy with work and life to make a relationship work anymore anyway and that was also a factor of the breakup.... AITA for beginning a breakup over animal husbandry?
What are these acronyms?
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spider-man-2o99 · 1 year
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so, then, what IS up with miguel o’hara’s moral backbone?
lol sorry if y’all’re sick of my 2099 soapboxing. anyways.
while i understand where the reading of “miguel is a morally bankrupt evil scientist and his spider-man is just a violent shitheel” comes from, i just... really can’t ever get behind it, based on what we see in the text of SM2099 v1 (1992-1996) itself.
like, don’t get me wrong-- from our first introduction to the guy, we very quickly learn that he has been a cog in the machine for one of the 2099 imprint’s Big Bads, the ruthless megacorporation in charge of the United States’ East coast: Alchemax.
..but. like.
the whole point of his origin story is changing that. the initial catalyst for his Spidering--getting roofied by Tyler when he tries to quit his job--would not have happened if he had no moral compass to speak of.
narratively, it’s less that miguel himself is changed, after he gets his powers, but that his perception of the world has changed.
just-- just bear with me, yeah?
see, for a lot of his life, miguel was a perfect cog in a shitty machine, and he did everything he was expected to without even thinking to stray from the path set down for him by his biological father and by alchemax overall.
and, then, suddenly, that’s all ripped from him in an instant. and miguel’s left floundering in the water.
he’s no longer on the winning team-- more than that, he realizes that he probably never even was on the right side of things, to begin with.
miguel o’hara’s most-quoted line is his response to the infamous “great power,” bit: Great responsibility? No. With great power comes great guilt.
he’s repressed, and he’s a hypocrite, but a guy can only turn a blind eye so far when something he knows is wrong is happening right in front of his face.
as soon as it’s even suggested to him, he immediately steps out of line and tries to put his foot down on absolutely not using a human test subject for his personal spider-man project. when stone brushes him off and makes them go through with human testing anyways, and then the subject dies, miguel doesn’t hesitate to turn up his nose and walk out right then and there on the spot.
his reward for it, of course, is an ice-cold dose of Reality.
from there, his blinders get pulled harshly off his face, and mig realizes that he really doesn’t want to keep being the person that he has been. his life has been wasted sitting idly by and letting bad things happen because all he knows is helpless compliance, right up until he goes and gets himself The Fly’ed into spider-man.
and once that happens, and he Realizes it, he starts to fight back.
that’s how the run is kick-started, in the very first three issues!
the first ten issues of spider-man 2099 (1992) follow miguel stumbling from a very sheltered life, having been thrust head-first into navigating a world that is not only deeply, deeply unjust, but also wants him very, very dead.
he don’t got a dead uncle to motivate him! all he’s got it his own fear and an inner desire to use his new abilities to try and make the world a better place.
hell, the first time he put on the costume, ol’ miggy boy wasn’t even doing so for the purpose of becoming a superhero in his off-time-- it was just an old spare in his closet that he threw on in a desperate attempt to Not Fucking Die as a bounty hunter tracked him to his home.
it’s only later on, after he’s had time for it all to sink in, that miguel realizes that he can actually meaningfully help the people who had been cast aside by the same society that had previously lifted him up above them.
as much as he whines and bitches and moans about it, he never seriously considers throwing in the towel and hanging up the costume for good. he may hate what has happened to him, but he never once seems to hate what he can now do with his powers, vis-à-vis challenging injustice.
mig’s often stuck between a rock and a hard place, what with the kind of world he lives in. it’s why he don’t work well when he’s stranded away from his dimension. peter can get his villains locked up just fine and dandy, but miguel’s world isn’t like ours like that. it’s brutal and it’s very very much established across the imprint that earth-928 (marvel 2099) is a kill-or-be-killed place to live.
despite how people harp on him not having a no-kill rule, miguel honestly hasn’t even killed enough people to count on one hand; the first was completely by accident, even, and the second told him to his face that if spider-man let him live he’d just keep being a cannibal gang-boss because no one else ever has or would try to oppose him.
is killing people the answer? not if you have any other option. but. mig ain’t a friendly neighborhood superhero. he’s just doing what he thinks is right in the moment while scared absolutely shitless for his life most of the time.
now, i don’t mean to defend his every action--miguel o’hara isn’t a saint, and, good god, but he’s made some questionable choices--but. at the end of the day, he’s still shown throughout the run to be trying to be better.
and, i dunno. maybe i’m just a sentimental little sap, but a story about somebody who finally “wakes up” and struggles to build a life worth being proud of after years of having shut down from heavy early-life trauma? that hits, man.
hits real close to home, to be honest. learning to Live after so long simply Surviving is fuckin’ hard, man.
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msmargaretmurry · 1 year
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i love the concept of leon getting banished to cringefail MLS and desperately wanting to go back home 😭😭😭 I don’t know if you’ve ever seen people absolutely dunking on leon’s skating skills but maybe he did start out with hockey but got so mad about his lack of grace on skates that he’s just like fuck the stanley cup I will score goals. on my FEET! and then he ends up watching matthew in the playoffs
anon, i'm thrilled to hear this, because i also love the concept. i have no idea what kind of situation would have to occur for a german player who is theoretically good enough to play in the bundesliga to land himself on an mls team for a season but i have full faith that with some magical fanfiction handwaving a quasi-reasonable reason can be invented.
according to generous purveyor of german knowledge @irrelevanttous, when leon tried soccer (football, yes, i know) because all of his friends were playing it, he wound up quitting because he was mad the coach wouldn't let him take free kicks, which is such a funny and petty reason that coming up with an equally funny and petty reason for him to have quit hockey instead would be great fun. it's giving "NO DAD, I WANT TO LIVE MY DREAMS NOT YOURS" vibes, except for how i feel like peter would be like "that's great son let's buy you some new cleats."
anyway, the bright side of landing in south florida for this north american soccer adventure is that inter miami has easily the best logo in the league. which would be no comfort to leon the footballer who does not really want to be there, but it's fun for me personally. he'd look great in the black and pink. this is my soapbox for more pink in men's sports, you cowards.
so, for reasons, leon the footballer schleps across the atlantic. mls season starts in late february and i assume they have training and stuff before then so let's have him arriving in mid-january. he is so grumpy, and the fact that the weather is so nice makes him extra grumpy, because he is determined not to like it here. he will do what needs to be done to get his career back on track but this is TEMPORARY, okay?
except then maybe before the season kicks off, a bunch of the guys get a box at a panthers game as a little team bonding excursion. they don't really know much about hockey, they just think it would be fun. they definitely don't know how much leon knows about hockey — i don't think anyone in the miami soccer community knows what a peter draisaitl is; people in the north american ice hockey community barely know what a peter draisaitl is — and leon's like, he enjoys hockey as a spectator now, he'll play a little pickup with friends sometimes, but once his teammates figure out that he knows literally anything, they are clustered around him while they all watch this game, asking questions and laughing at his judgey little comments, and unfortunately for leon he winds up having fun.
after the game — panthers win, everyone's in a great mood — someone from the cats' pr team or whatever is like, hey, south florida sports supporting south florida sports, do you guys want to come meet some of our guys? yeah sure why not. and obviously amongst the guys doing this little meet and greet is one-man hospitality crew matthew tkachuk, whom leon definitely noticed on the ice, and is definitely noticing now, because uh oh, charming handsome man alert. matthew is shaking hands with every inter miami guy and asking their names in a way that seems genuine, but he's also oozing this easy confidence that really makes leon want to fuck with him a little. matthew gets to leon, shakes his hand as they exchange introductions; matthew says something like "you know, i don't know much about soccer but i'll have to get out to a game this season," and leon says, "yeah, well, i know a lot about hockey and whoever taught you to skate, i think they owe you your money back."
matthew stares at him, and leon has this moment of, ah fuck i was too mean again, why are americans SO sensitive, but then matthew laughs and says, "that would be my mom, and don't worry, i will definitely let her know." he's starting to breeze on by to the next soccer guy, but leon has this weird feeling of really wanting to continue the conversation — he blurts, "tell her don't worry about it, my father taught me and i was never any good at it, either."
this makes matthew stop and catch leon's eye again, and leon can see the shift in his expression from politely friendly to genuinely personally interested. it's subtle — he's not sure he's supposed to be able to see it — but matthew's smile goes a little crooked and there's this spark in his eye and oh, what a nice little win for leon. time is limited, though, so matthew must move on and finish meeting every single soccer guy, except before they all get shuffled out matthew circles back around to oh so smoothly be like, hey lemme give you my number so if you guys want to come to another game i can hook you up.
and thus it begins… an intense flirtation that turns into fucking that turns into feelings…. two elite atheletes desperate to prove themselves in their separate sports for different reasons……… one of them desperate to make a home in south florida and the other one deserate to get out…………… i just think it would be neat :)
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13tinysocks · 3 months
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i just need to vent about fanfiction because if i told this to my irl friends theyd give me side eye but omg!
i really appreciate yall's nsfw writing capabilities because there's a problem in the creepypasta fandom especially. i feel like every single smut fanfic/oneshot/whatever in this fandom treats squirting as the ultimate form of pleasure for afab readers and characters. its so rAAAAAAH.
obviously im no expert, but i have never been able to do that personally. and i know theres a suspension of disbelief for this sort of thing, but i get kind of insulted when the expectation is that squirting is the best it can get. it makes me so sad sometimes and i feel like when done wrong it feels lazy and juvenile and just turns me off from their writing completely. and it completely shifts the focus away from the orgasm and the connection between the two characters. i think if a writer can tastefully incorporate squirting its fine and obviously no hate to anybody that can do that but man. :(
anyway thanks for letting me get on my soapbox. you guys make me feel sane and seen. it feels like everyone has to have it in every nsfw scene and it's making me so tired.
Squirting is just not possible for most people. Also it's mostly piss. It supposedly can be learned but that involves lots of trial and error and straight up piss without ejaculatory fluids.
I have a lot of problems with erotica writing in fandom. It tends to be an echo chamber of misconstrued kink, the wet cardboard equivalent of dirty talk, only p in v, the same boring d/s dynamic that's genuinely misogynistic. I understand making things more extreme for the sake of kink- see all of ycyd- but it can be badly done very very easily. Like for example the 'you had a hard time walking after' I garentee you unless you literally came 20 times after doing knife play to the legs and/or got fisted you are fine.
It's all very heteronormative, baby's first bdsm fic, and has only had sex like two times and it was very disappointing. Anyway I think if fic blogs wrote more fisting there would be peace on earth.
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that-ari-blogger · 4 months
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Writing Your Own Story, Together
Sense and Insensitivity is the single most terrifying episode in the Owl House. More than Hollow Mind, more than King's Tide, this episode is nightmare fuel. It's got all of the greatest hits, giant spiders, tight spaces, publishers. This episode should have been the Halloween episode.
But that is just me. If you don't get scared of these things, what is in this episode for you?
Well, this episode is about teamwork, it helps to nurture the friendship between King and Luz, and it shows that sisterly cooperation is possible between Eda and Lilith.
Let me explain.
SPOILERS AHEAD
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The main plot of Sense and Insensitivity is the collaboration on a book by King and Luz. It shows the differing opinions on what they want the story to be about, and it leads to argument.
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And I'm going to get on my soap box for a second here, because something needs to be said. Opinions about what is a good story do not contradict each other. If someone ever tells you a story "must" or "can't" include a specific element, they are objectively wrong, because a story can be whatever you like. I have seen a level of argument online about people going after others who like or dislike certain story elements, and I find that ridiculous for one key reason: If you don't like a thing, you don't have to read a book or watch a series with it in. For example, I have hemophobia (fear of blood), but instead of complaining that everybody writes gory books and telling people not to, I find media without blood in it, and I watch or read that. It's a simple solution.
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Anyway...
In the Owl House, this comes to a head when the two split paths to write their own stories, and my wording there is important. Because one of the main themes of the entire series is witing your own story. So, you would think that the split would be framed as a good thing, based off this, right?
But no, because this episode makes something clear about forging your own path. It doesn't mean that you have to travel everywhere alone.
That soapbox I mentioned earlier is important to understand, because people having different tastes is the whole point of humanity. We are a diverse species, physically, culturally, but also emotionally. If we all only liked the media I personally enjoy, the world would be stale. We need people with different tastes to make life interesting, but we also need them to guide us.
We need people who are different from us to help us along our journeys. Writing your own stories doesn't mean not taking inspiration. It means doing what you like, the way you like. You can certainly be inspired by others if you want.
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But writing your own story doesn't mean you are right in every decision you make. Watch Doctor Who: The Giggle to see why that is a bad idea. Sometimes you need people to keep you back from danger, or you might fall prey to people and things that want to exploit you.
Enter Piniet.
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Piniet's character design is funky, and I love it.
First up, there is the reptilian element. Reptiles have a reputation for being cold and emotionless, while this is a subject of debate (Dr. Gordon Burghardt is a co-author of a book titled The Secret Social Lives Of Reptiles which I highly recommend you check out), but the stereotype remains. When you think of a snake, you probably think of a trickster or a liar. When you think of a lizard, you probably think of the "lizard part of the brain", a concept of, once again, dubious accuracy. Psychology today has an article that discusses the concept.
The point I am making is that Piniet's appearance is evoking ideas of heartlessness. Using the stereotype, it is telling you that whatever this character says to King, none of it is genuine.
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But there is another little element that I quite like. That third eye. A few reptiles and amphibians have a third eye in real life. It is located on the top of their head and is called a Parietal Eye. Science Direct has a collection of sources on the subject. But Piniet's eye is different from the real world. Because it appears functional, but he keeps it hidden. Piniet has more eyes in play than those he talks to, he can see from more angles, and be aware of things others are not.
There is also the references to a third eye in specific real world cultures and religions. And without getting too far into still living cultures about which I am far from an expert, this is generally related to extra insight or foresight. (Source)
Once again, this links to my reading of Piniet as a character who can read people like books, and if you combine that with the reptile thing, you get someone who is intellectually empathetic, but not emotionally. In other words, Piniet is a manipulator.
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I'm not going to recount the plot beat for beat, but needless to say, it takes King and Luz being confined to the nightmare box to get some thinking done and actually work out their differences. And notably, to get out of it, they work together. Luz with the light spell and the plan, and King with that confidence and charisma that he has shown off in previous episodes. Teamwork. Forging their own path together.
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It is also notable that the agent is only satisfied by the entrance of Nina Noseworthy, who in this shot litterally eclipses King. The agent is chasing the next big thing, without any care for the art itself. That's just a neat little detail.
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Eda and Lilith also have that co-operation on display. And while their similarities have been shown already. When both feel powerful, they both act incredibly pompously. But here, we see a different side of Lilith.
When Eda and Lilith are stressed, they react in completely different ways. Eda laughs it off and gives a veneer of not caring, this isn't new, she's been doing this the entire series. But Lilith on the other hand, she gets scared. Lilith is a very different person to the sneering villain that she is shown to be elsewhere.
This is why I think the redemption later on works so well. They have already proven they can work together. But also, Lilith doesn't have to shift character to switch sides, she just has to drop the mask.
I will also mention that in the scene above, Eda, despite being a fugitive, is open and relaxed in body language, but Lilith is on edge and guarded. Lilith looks like she is hiding something from Eda and afraid her sister will find out. I wonder what that could be.
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Final Thoughts
I despise this episode on a personal level. I don't think it's bad at all. This is about average for season one, if not slightly above. My feelings around this episode are entirely centred around that shrinking box and the little cube people, because they are more terrifying than anything Bellos can do.
In all seriousness, this episode has a simple premise, teamwork, that is executed well. The animation is cool, the character designs are awesome. The humour is decent. This is a good Owl House episode.
Next week is Christmas, and I'll be taking a look at wild magic itself, as discussed in Adventures In The Elements, so stick around if that interests you.
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something-pithy · 5 months
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Notes and an Update: Astarion, Tav, and Trauma in Stories
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Pictured above: actual footage of trauma response from Astarion (j/k! kinda!) to catch your eye :D
Hey glittercats and cosmic kittens!
So I've definitely been neglecting the updates here, which I'm going to try to do better with.
We're up to Chapter 11 on this bad boy, and I've adjusted the anticipated chapter count to 30 (but honestly it's probably still all lies because I have absolutely no sense of how much writing each point on my outline ends up being loool).
I have a DOPE beta who's fucking amazing both in terms of conventions and idea partnership and I'm telling you right now, this story is so much better for having their hands and eyes on it.
SOME CONTENT WARNING STUFF RE: THIS CHAPTER:
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
.
.
.
MORE DETAILS ON THIS -- SPOILERS AHEAD, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
So hopefully that's enough room for people who don't want to be spoiled to escape!
So I'm going to copy/paste the end note on the story, and expand on it a little bit.
So, although Tav is a "good drunk," as Frank Gallagher might put it, she is 1000% engaging in pretty serious substance abuse, or to be more specific in this chapter, alcohol use disorder. I'm not going to go into the way this story is going to approach mental and behavioral health disorders and trauma; hopefully it will speak for itself. Suffice it to say substance abuse and trauma are not the central subject of this story, but also, Astarion and Tav as they exist in this little pocket dimension of the BG3 universe have been impacted by the trauma they've each experienced both together and as individuals. In general, the impact of trauma can look and feel a lot of ways. Sometimes it's horrifying, sometimes it's heartbreaking, sometimes it's rage-inducing - but let's be honest, sometimes that shit is funny, too, because humor is such an incredible survival tactic / coping mechanism. Even if sometimes we're laughing at shit that shouldn't be funny. (Maybe especially then.) This story isn't going to be an after-school special or a PSA. It's a story about people, and sometimes people are fucked up (literally and figuratively). Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox now. If this has activated you, or you have earnest questions or concerns about what's going on in this story / with these characters, or you just want to shoot the shit, hit me up on my tumblr. There might be more notes there on this eventually, but for now, this chapter actually took a lot out of me and I'm still out here with these perpetual COVID symptoms, so... lol NOT TONIGHT. As always, thank y'all for reading, kudosing, and commenting.
OK, so I may have lied about the no notes part... but honestly, in re-reading that note, I think it kind of gets to the point.
But ALSO...
I've been a geek on the internet for a long, long time. I've engaged with different fan-based writing and roleplaying communities (tabletop, chat-based, forum-based, butt-based -- EVERYTHING) for pretty much the entire time.
"The Tragic Backstory" seems like it's been A Whole Thing since people started creating characters whether for roleplay or stories.
I think times have changed somewhat, but back in the day I ran in circles where a lot of thoughts about writing, creating characters, roleplay, etc. coexisted somewhat peacefully, but an old chestnut that consistently (maybe without fail) turned up in any conversation that involved Writers of Quality was a contingent of folks who had deep disdain for The Tragic Backstory.
I'm talkin' some deep, scathing, elitist shit, my beautiful people.
And I'm not gonna lie to you! This is approximately ten thousand years ago (no but seriously, decades), and honestly, I was up in those conversations, too, throwing around my disdain, assured by my fellow elitists that even though I frequently employed some form of Tragic Backstory, it was OK when I did it because it was good.
I mean in retrospect, it's kinda bullshit. There's always gonna somebody who's gonna think your shit's good, and there's also always gonna be somebody who thinks they're a Better Writer Than You who's gonna think your shit is... well, shit.
Not gonna lie, I still have very strong and particular preferences when it comes to the fic I read in general, and that includes backstory.
But over time, I got progressively less insecure (not just about my writing, but in general) and consequently less concerned with judging writing that's not my flavor as "bad" or "shitty" or "juvenile" (looool seriously, I was a dick) and more concerned with finding and creating writing that is my flavor.
However, and I don't think I'm going to apologize for it, some dickish tendencies linger in my soul. I'm going to try and frame these thoughts in terms of what compels me in a story I'm reading and what I do (or try to do) in my own writing.
This is a very long way of saying if something I say (or have already said) makes you feel like I'm coming for your neck, please know that I'm not.
My thoughts and/or opinions may cause you or someone you love to feel Some Type of Way. That is not my intention. I have no desire to:
Yuck anyone's yum
Contribute to or activate the crippling self-doubt that plagues almost every creative I've ever met
Be a dick.
Having said all that, I do have Thoughts on This Matter.
People write for a lot of reasons, but I'm fairly convinced that nobody's doing it with any level of purity. There are tons of incredible, beautiful, moving stories that feature a whole-ass Self-Insert, maybe even the dreaded Mary Sue.
(lol lookin' at you Dante's Inferno, Tyrion Lannister from A Song of Ice and Fire, and countless others lol)
People write to explore topics and themes that interest them, that compel them, that they see recurring in the world around them and/or their own lives.
One of those things is trauma.
In my writing, I approach trauma, disordered behaviors, dysfunction, dysregulated emotions, etc. (topics both of great interest to me and, not coincidentally, ones with which I have a great deal of personal experience) from a place of wanting fervently to tell the truth.
And I'm pretty good writing some things that feel true.
But I know that in some ways, I've shied away from harder truths; from using my writing and the characters I create not only as reflections of what I see in the world, but as accurate (rather than idealized) reflections of myself.
Because of this, while I've explored redemption arcs in roleplaying games (where being cheesy or facile or juvenile or fulfilling personal fantasies felt much safer than on a page), I've skirted neatly around it, I think, in my writing (for the most part). Because I absolutely was the girl who wanted to "save" or "fix" the wounded (and emotionally unavailable, and/or abusive, and/or toxic) lover. I wanted stories about it. I wanted to roll around in that narrative, bathe in it, eat it up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
All while occupying the role/perspective of The Good One / The Good Girl whether in a game or in a story I was consuming.
But it's not the truth. Not the whole truth, at least. Not for me, anyway.
My admiration, respect, regard, and all the other good words for the writing and acting in Baldur's Gate 3 cannot be overstated. Each of the "origin" characters (and honestly, any character "Tav" has the opportunity to even have a conversation with, much less spend a significant amount of time with) is thoughtfully and truthfully written. I see this more in some than others, but that depth and breadth of understanding about human beings -- sorry, sentient beings -- shows up all over the place and honestly I almost can't stand how much I love it.
I'm not going to say that there's no character I feel this as deeply with as Astarion, but... idk, sometimes.
But there's no need to quantify this. Astarion is one of a number of characters from the game that I'm low-key obsessed with.
As such, when I decided to take on the story outcome in which, in my opinion, he throws all the growth, all the processing, all the truth and reconciliation I saw him moving toward in the game into a fucking woodchipper, I did not want it to be easy.
I get wanting it to be easy, and there are delicious, delicious fics out there that go this route. I think anybody who writes Ascendant Astarion at least flirts with it.
And it's not a binary; it's not either, "OMG this is completely uncomplicated, I love you I'm your spawn and it's just like if you hadn't ascended except your SUPER EXTRA POWERFUL AND SEXY AND HOT AND WHOOPS THERE GO MY PANTIES" (which, tbh... lool I'm not mad at) or "ASTARION IS IRREDEEMABLE LET ME WRITE OF HIS TRAGIC DEMISE AND TAV'S TRAGIC WITNESS TO IT / ENGINEERING OF IT." Which I'm ALSO not mad at, because THOSE THINGS CAN BE TRUE.
But while I'm subscribed to some stories that follow those paths or ones like them, and when I get that notification it's time to STOP THE PRESSES bc mama needs to READ, for me the challenge of this is if I'm going to continue Astarion and Tav's love story (or rekindle it lol), I want to honor the four years of intense character work Neil Newbon and Stephen Rooney and honestly the whole goddamn BG3 team from soup to nuts have done by considering "What would really happen here" as brutally as possible.
Komo, my incredible thought partner-cum-beta, can tell you about the pages of back and forth between us about "fml, how can we make this story work and maintain fidelity to the integrity* of these characters???? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY"
*not personal integrity -- meta shit. The integrity of their arcs, development, personalities, histories, traumas, etc.
SO. Back to trauma.
I said in my end note for chapter 11 that this story is not an after-school special (which looool probably at least some of you are like wtf are you talking about my dude and I'm like looooool omg life before kids were a whole target demographic unto themselves - kind of lol) or a PSA.
Which alludes to the fact that YES, I want to tell the truth about the ugliness of this relationship and the individuals in it with nuance and empathy and sensitivity; that I want to write about the pain and harm and longing and ache and all of it in ways that are neither hyperbolic nor diminishing.
But also, look, my darling motherfuckers, my comrades in fuckery, whoever's made it this far into this rambling monster of a -- whatever the fuck this is lool -- PEOPLE WHO HAVE TRAUMA ALSO HAVE FUN.
SOMETIMES EVEN WHEN THEY ARE ENGAGING IN BEHAVIORS THAT ARE DESTRUCTIVE TO THEMSELVES AND/OR OTHERS.
I don't think I've sufficiently unpacked this part to dig down much deeper into it, but what I will say is that this is not going to be a passion play about Poor Tav or Drugs Are Bad, Mmkay? or anything else.
What this is going to be (or at least, what I passionately want it to be) is -- framed with a delicious little fake-dating muffin of an emotional MacGuffin -- a portrait of some people in all (or lordt jebus please let me achieve at least MOST) of their complexity.
ALL OF IT.
Lordt Baby Jebus, Allah, Milal, Great Spaghetti Monster, ANYBODY
(not Lolth lol)
hear my prayer!
Aight, that's all I've got for today. <3
If you made it this far, PM me and tell me something you want to see in the story! I'll make you a treat.
And if it don't fit in the story, I might be able to make a li'l drabble happen.
COMING SOON to Writing Notes Storytime:
Identity in this story and in stories in general
The Good, the Bad, and the Neutral: Alignment and Astarion (and some other ppl, too!) in BG3, DnD, and This Story lol
Stuff I'm forgetting bc I'm STILL not over this never-ending COVID fuckery
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pansyboybloom · 7 months
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What is is like going to the gyno while trans? I’m 19 and haven’t gone to one before, as a trans person the idea scares me. I don’t mind being referred to as a girl or women and I’ve accepted it’s not something I can change in my life right now, but I know the whole situation of being at a gyno will make me start to feel even worse about my situation. Do you have any tips on hyping myself up before and then calming down after wards?
so, it really depends on your doctor imo. I've worked with mine since I was 19, and while I don't necessarily like her, I trust her to respect me and my body. i went through my local lgbt clinic to find her via requesting some recommendations for trans/nb experienced and affirming gynos, and made sure to contact her ahead of time to let her know any and every detail she might need regarding my gender to make our appointment go more smoothly, including anything medical ive had done or plan to do. Obviously, this is the best-case scenario and not possible for everyone, but if you're in the central texas/austin area i def recommend the Texas health action's list of trans-friendly doctors. I see dr. kaufmen and even if she's a bit cold, she's always been respectful.
as for getting there and hyping up/down, unfortunately, im not the best to ask. i have a major fear of doctors and extreme dysphoria regarding others touching my genitalia so i usually cry the entire time :| but bringing a trusted friend to hold your hand and getting ice cream (or other treats) as a reward is what i do! Does anybody else have tips they'd be willing to share? i'd super appreciate it
all and all, having people to help affirm your gender prior to and after the appointment helps the most for me. it's very personal and takes time to find what works and what doc you like, but gyno health is important, esp if you start T. it doesn't get talked abt as much as id like, but t can cause vaginal atrophy (which is fully treatable!) and trans people w vaginas often develop vaginismus, which is when trauma/sex anxiety/fear of penetration/dysphoria causes an involuntary tightening of the pelvic floor, causing extreme pain and difficulty during penetrative sex, and so talking to a gyno can be helpful to have a healthy sex life. also, cancer screenings are important, so finding a way to make the gyno work for you, while hard, is really necessary!
Anyway, off my soapbox. if anyone else has advice, pls pls pls reply/reblog/send an ask in!!
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