Sex and pleasure is reserved for men only. I don't think they even realize how their brains have been re-wired.

I really agree with this, but I don't know if mlm fics cause it, or reflect a bigger problem in some societies.

I read somewhere that Larry works for girls who live in more oppressive pockets of society where religion warps female desire into female shame. (For example, LATAM with the Catholic church's influence; parts of the US where the Christian right control sex education and messaging.)

It's really attractive to those sorts of people (who also often downplay their desire for men, especially on Tumblr for some reason!) because they get to imagine love/romance/devotion/sex with Harry, or perhaps Louis, without needing to feel the shame they've grown up with as girls/women.

(The romanticisation of the struggle to be out and openly gay is also safe for Larries because they don't, in fact, need to do this for real, themselves. It's a form of safe rebellion. Which they see reflected in Louis himself, with his swearing and non-conforming. I mean, pmsl, because he's a rich white guy with a terrible personality, not some kind of boundary-breaking genius, but whatever.)

I was interested that Gina can't deal with having to imagine herself as a female character. She could just observe a female character, but she obviously immerses herself in fiction. I wonder which character she 'feels' herself most to be in Larry fics? I would put money on she imagines herself as Louis with Harry as her devoted lover. A nice, safe fantasy for her.

Agree that she almost definitely imagines herself as Louis with Harry tending to her every need. One of her fics features Harry as a robot specifically designed by scientist Louis to possess all the traits he desires in a lover.

From everything she's said on that blog, her own relationship is far from the romantic ideal she writes about in her fiction. She says they don't bother with Valentine's Day and 'haven't for the last 15 years', and her husband chose to travel to his workplace during the pandemic rather than work from home cooped up with her.

i think the thing that really gets me about pre-canon durge is their absolute sense of duty, and their utter isolation outside of the cult of bhaal.

most of the cultists seem eager to see durge upon their return, and one even says they were the first to feed him flesh. gortash tells them of an exhibition of a bhaalspawn's corpse and another bhaalspawn's creations and durge immediately plans to attack the hall of wonder to recover them. they then apparently entrust said bhaalspawn's corpse to sceleritas fel to "restore" through taxidermy. they deride orin for her artistry with corpses explicitly because "bhaal will never care" and because orin "[does] not understand lord bhaal".

even their infamous prayer for forgiveness is framed around their absolute submission to bhaal's plans, and the crime that requires forgiveness? admiring his rival's chosen. that's one line, and the next three paragraphs are swearing to carry out his plan exactly as they've been told to, all for his forgiveness.

hell, even their room reinforces this. orin has barely touched the place aside from installing her mother's corpse and her manifesto - and that is some of the only decoration. what was it before orin, an empty room with skulls, a bed, a desk, some chests and a wardrobe?

the durge didn't have any semblance of a life outside of bhaal, aside from gortash. and is it any surprise? the only other hint they ever had a life outside of the cult is the flashback of kid durge murdering their adopted family, all thanks to their father's urging.

bhaal even tries to force them back into isolation after they've been tadpoled by forcing them to kill alfira, and then trying to force a durge who resists him to kill their lover. if they continue resisting, bhaal kills them. bhaal will not allow them to have a life outside of him and, if it weren't for jergal, he would've succeeded.

J-HOPE & BOOGALOO KIN Hope on the Street (2024)

i admire the work you and your mutuals are doing by criticising the pjo show because i've seen a few people on tiktok saying that the show is a rewrite rather than a faithful adaptation and they got TORN APART by the comment section, like seriously kudos to you for fighting off the piss poor reading comprehension crowd

it ain't much, but it's honest work....

no but thank you lol and honestly I have such respect for people criticizing the show on tiktok or twitter of all places, at least on tumblr there's a slightly higher tolerance for criticism in general (not much, but more)... I could not imagine trying to put some of these opinions on tiktok just to have the top liked comment be like "actually the show is perfect" and then only have like 150 characters or whatever to expand on anything. I've also seen a creator on tiktok criticize the show, and despite them articulating their criticisms really well alongside their compliments for the show (and giving a tw for opinions lmao) they consistently get ripped to shreds in the comments :/

Vale's long-time mechanic Alex Briggs agrees that his rider was let down by his inner circle. "My feeling is that the Yamaha team's press group let him down," said Briggs. "They never asked him what he was going to say in the press conference at Sepang. Or what are you doing with this paperwork? Because he had some time sheets as ammo. I think it all could've been stopped, because they knew to a degree something was going to happen." Briggs has vivid memories of that season. “I thought Valentino was going to win it - I thought we were good enough.” However, Briggs noticed that Vale did change during 2015. “Towards the end of the season he got very concerned with everything, he was trying to control everything. I remember the last few races he wanted War and Peace on the pit-board - he wanted to know who was behind him, how many people were behind him, the groups and so on. I don’t think you need all that - just look in front! “I think part of it was that there were a few people around him that were a bit weaker than him, like the crew chief and the Italians in the team had become a bit ‘yessy’. “I think he would’ve been better off just riding. Things got a little bit cloudy and he wasn’t quite as, I don’t know… It’s like when you’re playing golf; if you’re in the middle of your backswing and you start thinking about what you’re doing, you’re not being instinctive.”

Mat Oxley’s Valentino Rossi: All His Races

i've been thinking a lot about the word "representation" and what it means and how it's changed over the last few years, particularly when it comes to the writing/publishing landscape but also in movies and tv shows… and i really don't like it anymore. to be clear, of course i think it's important to have diversity in your work, i'm not saying i hate the concept of representation. but i do really dislike the way it's used now, and i really just hate the word itself

in a broader sense it's just become a marketing tool. i'm not impressed by any publisher or author who just describes their book by listing all of the minorities/identities the characters represent as if that should be enough. it feels very gross, very exploitative and disingenuous. it also really bothers me because it's always marginalized identities- which i understand Why, but it feels very othering to me (and again. Very exploitative as an advertisement). you would never list out "cishet able-bodied white man" as a character description to pat yourself on the back over. so why do it to everyone else? why insinuate that one is the "default" and the other one is "special"? (and when i say this i'm mainly talking about advertisements/marketing. i understand why people would specify about characters in descriptions with the plot, but i don't like to see an ad that's just "this book has gay people!" with nothing else)

which then leads me to my other point, which is that a lot of people treat "representation" as if it's "too hard." like "oh i don't know enough to write about that, i don't have that experience, etc" which is a fair way to feel! however… it's weird that people only say this about writing trans characters or characters of color. i'm writing a story right now with a character who is really into motorcycles. i personally do not know that much about motorcycles, so i researched what parts are what & what different kinds of models there are & what basic bike care looks like. i guarantee Most people will have to google something at some point in their writing process. so what's the problem? it also, again, feels very othering when authors treat certain groups of people as "impossible" to write, "too hard" to understand. they are just.. people. you write them as a person. and then you figure out the rest later.

and i think part of the refusal or fear to write something outside of your experience is because of the way representation is treated as So Special. these characters are So Special that they aren't allowed to be anything other than "representation." they're Not allowed to be characters with complex emotions and interesting motivations, they have to just be Trans or Gay or Disabled or whatever. they're not allowed to be people. which means, at the end of the day, we loop right back around to where we were at the start….

there is bad representation. there are depictions of certain marginalized people that are harmful and that are damaging, i'm not trying to minimize that or argue against it at all, in fact we should all be mindful of that while writing and reading. but i also think it's possible to swing too far in the opposite direction as well and put certain groups of people on a pedestal and not allow them to do anything at all but be Perfect Representation, if that makes sense.

Do you know how to fix the "Shloomp. There It Is" episode? This can be done MIS style by putting Chase Young in Nomicon's place. After all, Chase Young was able to obtain the evil essence Omi of the Yin-Yang World. Why doesn't he do the same to Randy for a chance to get to the First Ninja? This idea addresses many important issues. Firstly, a dubious lesson from Nomicon (he put the guys in danger in the original plot development), and secondly, the very existence of NomiRandy. Where did he come from? Thirdly, this will limit Randy’s activities, which means he will not be able to get out of the Yin-Yang world on his own and get into someone else’s body. Poof! I forbid rc9gn characters from moving into other people’s bodies so easily!Randy's fall to the side of darkness will infuriate the First Ninja, which fits perfectly with the concept of his relationship with Chase Young. In addition, it will be a kind of bitter reminder: “Look, I took from you the one who at one time took from me the best chance to win you over to my side.” The First Ninja was at his most vulnerable mentally when he was going through a crisis, and only the appearance of Randy made him perk up. The First Ninja will not be able to come to terms with the fact that Randy has become evil (and even more arrogant).NomiRandy may be more than just arrogant. He may represent the vengeful part of Randy. He will probably say something that will plunge the First Ninja into long thoughts, because he will not be able to deny what he said, since it is a part of Randy, and not just his opposite. NomiRandy is everything that the First Ninja never wanted to accept in Randy himself, so this will be some kind of test for him? Very high quality test. Another plus in the karma of this idea.NomiRandy is not stupid, but he is a brutal teenager who doesn't need anyone. Because of this value system, he will not be able to become a part of society, because when he grows up with his peers, his brutality will lose its meaning. Deep down, Randy wants to show others his rebellious nature, what he can really be, but he will have to understand that being NomiRandy all the time is depriving himself of a future. Then this thirst will stop snowballing. A good lesson for any teenager, including Ninjas.So this idea is great, it has conflict, meaning and a "little" Chase Young/First Ninja feud of course. Chase Young is going to give morals for once (especially for the First Ninja), even if that wasn't his intention in the first place, because damn it, Chase Young was never JUST evil. He is many hundreds of years old, he is wise enough so that he does not have to prove it to others. That's why in this scenario I put him in the place of Nomicon, who was supposed to teach the Ninja. He could have locked Randy's moral self in the Yin-Yang world, not just to annoy the First Ninja and force him to accept his terms, but because "I may take YOUR place in the eyes of YOUR students, but the outcome will be the same as the outcome of the one that NomiRandy has taken Randy's place" (that is, a crossed out future for the whole world), or "we can feud not only physically" (Chase Young is a manipulator; he can not only give dubious advice to Randy, but also really important lessons for both him, same for the First Ninja; a kind of care, similar to medicine: whether you like it or not, sooner or later you will need it, but by taking it, you are slowly destroying yourself, because it contains a small dose of poison, and Chase Young will give for his own purposes you just enough to destroy you). What happened will also hit the value system of the First Ninja, which he chose in the afterlife. Chase Young has never been susceptible to petty mischief. In a ship with someone like the First Ninja, this should be emphasized more often.

What other episodes would you like to fix in this way?

Oh, wow, this is a very intriguing and very detailed idea that is certainly worth exploring!

There is a lot to process, and I've been thinking about it for...like a week, and I'm not sure if I got everything, so if I misunderstood anything I apologize (my brain no work so good sometimes lol sorry), but I wanted to offer you my opinion if you want it!

In general I prefer to leave canon alone and just loosely refer to events that happen in cartoon, especially RC9GN, so I never thought of rewriting/fixing an episode (I mean they are sort of 'rewritten' in my head with better lore and just cooler but like nothing definite). With MIS I tend to concentrate primarly on Finja and Chase first, and the kids are sort of in the background for me. I only had like two? three? ideas that are episode & Randy/Monks related and those are mostly in Xiaolin Showdown, and one of them is in Favorite Warrior AU, lol. And even those are not rewrites/fixers but crossover fusion - the events happen almost exactly the same but just with more characters involved. So I can't say I have many idea for rewrites/fixers in RC9GN that would involve MIS.

But what I do like, is using canon to suppliment idea for 'after' cartoon canon, so after reading your idea, I wanted to offer you a slightly different take: let the canon episode happen, but then use it to build an even more serious situation with Chase, like you described and it would hit everyone involved even harder.

Let me explain my reasoning more (this might get a bit long, be warned!):

Let's start with canon first - In my opinion 'Shloomp There it is' episode is fine by itself, however dumb it might seem at first.

I kind of agree with you on the first point, about it being a dubious way to teach a lesson, but to be absolutely fair - it was a very dubious and silly problem originally, that Randy created by being a little bit of an idiot himself. So as in theme with the show, the problem and solution kind of fit each other.

Secondly, NomiRandy. I also agree about your point of Where did he come from and where the heck did he go? Well I have (most likely unpopular) opinions about that.

Personally I believe that NomiRandy is not an actual evil representation Ninjanomicon somehow created from Randy himself, but rather it is a caricature of him that Nomicon created by itself. It's an absolutely fake doppleganger that only looks like Randy on the surface - with many of his negative and opposite traits amplified to a comical degree, but not really an evil entity made of Randy's deepest dark desires. It's nothing more but a papermache puppet Ninjanomicon used to teach a lesson and later discarded, and thats why we never see him again, because he wasn't real in any shape or form so after returning to Nomicon he doesn't exist anymore.

(I am very much aware that my headcanons about NomiRandy are probably in minority, because this fandom absolutely adores NomiRandy, lol)

So, NomiRandy was a relatively mild threat used as a mild solution to fix a problem created by Randy being a bit of an idiot.

Your third point, about Randy being limited in his activities, is where I have to disagree with you a bit more. Because what's the point of teaching the lesson if a big part of Randy is not there to learn it? I mean, in canon version Randy actually witnessed NomiRandy act as an asshole which helped him realize that he himself was acting foolishly. And him having to fight himself but in Howard's body was actually pretty interesting concept of Randy having to actually physically confront his failings and bad traits head on.

There is also something to say about the fact that the only ones involved into body swap were people who were in the Nomicon at first , so one could argue that the body/mind swap was controlled by Ninjanomicon, that it used to make a point for Randy. (But that would be a thought for another time, lol.)

So, as you can see, in my opinion the episode is relatively fine by itself, and if we replace Ninjanomicon with Chase - the total tone shift will change all of it drastically. Not to mention the lesson itself will change, becoming more serious and with actual consequences - all of it would be something completely different.

And while it absolutely could work and the idea of this rewrite by itself is incredibly intriguing, I think it would work better as a continuation, as more dire development for after the end of the series.

You might ask why the end of the series? Well primarily because of my own headcanon that Chase in general tends to stay out of Norrisville Ninja business out of respect to First and also because they change so fast, (I mean what are 4 years to immortal??) he rarely gets to pay attention to them, let alone get interested in them and their usefullness to his agenda with First. But if something big happens, like I dunno, Randy defeating Ghoulian and unmaking the Sorcerer himself it would make Chase pay attention to Randy and realize how useful he can be.

The other important reason, is because of episode 'Winner Takes Ball' where we catch the tiniest glimpse of the actual evil side of Randy that appeared thanks to influence of Chaos Ball. He is power hungry, he is so sure of himself, he is cocky, he is merciless and ruthless and most importantly he still loves being THE Ninja. There is no annoyed apathy and uncaringness that NomiRandy displayed, this Evil Randy would have been just as hyper as normal Randy, enjoying his newfound powers just as much, but also would be unburdened with morals of using those powers.

Because, you see, I think Actual Evil version of Randy is in many ways would be a lot like an Evil version of Omi. Evil Omi was hyper pumped, thriving on newfound power, in this new freedom from morals, ruthless and doing what he wanted, rather than what is right. And what he wanted is to fight, to show everyone how talented he was, that he was the best warrior there ever was.

And what does Randy want? Constantly throughout the show Randy expresses his delight at being the Ninja (unlike some protagonists that find themselves suddenly thrust into a hero role, Randy takes to it instantly, there is literally ZERO hesitation from this boy), he loves it and most importantly he wants to be this strong, powerful, capable and amazing.

But that is also one of the most important Ninjanomicon continues to impart on the Ninjas - not to be this prideful and arrogant, and chase after power with such disregard to everything else.

So, now picture it like this:

Chase learns about Randy and what he has done, and how talented and powerful this new ninja is. At some point he discovers about NomiRandy and what happened, and it gives him an idea.

Chase Reverse Chi-s Randy, and this Evil Randy is still Randy in many ways, and it would absolutely devastate First to see him like this - power-hungry and ruthless, disregarding everything that Ninjanomicon taught him to prevent exactly this fall to Darkness and Evil, and the worst part is he has been taken under Chase's wing not only to nurture and encourage this new evil seedling - but to taunt First and Ninjanomicon, because - isn't it what you once wanted to teach him by creating NomiRandy? About his dark self that should be kept in check and balanced in a good warrior, good ninja? But your lesson was deeply flawed and now look at me, I will do a so much better job than you ever attempted, and I will show this young Ninja, that it's not only the bad side that needs to be balanced but the good side as well.

Which would play into what you said earlier - NomiRandy, or in this case just Evil Randy - will be so power-hungry and thirsty for fighting, he will disregard many things, like the fact that existing like that is impossible - even such urges must be tampered in order to actually live a fullfilling (if evil) life. And who is better to show and teach it to him than Chase Young, who (most likely) spent centuries in the beginning of his immortal life so hungry for battle, he served as an attack dog for Hannibal Roy Bean. But with time Chase has found balance in his new evil existence, and that helped him to overcome Roy Bean and rise to new heights.

That comparison about how Roy Bean controlled Chase, can also can influence how Randy views Ninjanomicon (and by extension First), and how tightly it tries to hold reigns of Ninjas it teaches. I mean, Randy sometimes resented the lessons and rules Ninjanomicon gives, we've seen it a few times, but Evil Randy will feel all of that frustration and annoyance even more, like a rebelious teenager that saw how controlling the authoriive figure in their life is and it will poison his relationship with Ninjanomicon.

And First? Well, Evil Randy could also bring up how Randy, a supposedly not-good enough for your high-and-mighty Ninja Rules and Forbidden Powers managed to do what the original oh-so-powerful Ninja could not - finally defeat the Sorcerer. About how a teenager that you dumped your mask on, your responsibility, and kept holding back with all your stupid rules and limitations - did what you couldn't in 800 years. And what can First even answer to that? Because its all true, no matter how poisoned Evil Randy's view may be, the bare facts are all true.

So, First can only watch, helpless and angry and so so sad, how Chase takes under his wing the one who saved the world from Sorcerer (not even once, but twice) and twists that raw power and energy that served for good into something that will serve evil. ( And the worst part, is that it all happened because of First - because of Chase's initial interest in First. All in an attempt to get to him.)

And well, like you said, there could be two endings - where Evil Randy is here to stay (aka Very Bad Ending lol), or where Good Randy makes it out of Ying-Yang world and reunites with his Evil self again.

But even then, the damage will be done. Because Chase's lessons could still continue. I mentioned earlier about lessons in balance, and how in good warrior, not only his dark side should be kept in check, but his good side also. In a way, I think Good Randy will lack a very important part to being a Ninja - and its the ruthlessness that Evil Randy brandishes like a blunt weapon, but with Chase it could be sharpened into a precise tool, and if Good and Evil reunite, the lesson will be still carried over.

And not only that will be carried over, but all the words and feelings that Evil Randy experienced -Randy will remember, and that can forever change and/or damage his relationship with Ninjanomicon and First. And Chase? Well, Randy will also remember that Chase was not just an Evil Jerk that split him in half - he actually tried to help and teach his Evil self to control himself better, so the seedling of mentor&mentee relationship will still be there.

After all of this, I have to admit, unlike you, I have a harder time imagining how exactly the situtation will help Chase sway/manipulate First to his side. I mean, this way Chase might probably sway Randy to his side, especially if he somehow orchestrates the return of Good Randy and says that all of this was just a lesson to help Randy be a better warrior, because he just couldn't watch all this talent wither away under Ninjanomicon's dubious tutelage.

But when it comes to First, If anything, I think it will actually backfire horribly. First is already constantly unstable in his regards to Chase, but something like this will only solidify his belief in Chase being a manipulator that could never be trusted, because its one thing to try and manipulate First to his side, but its another to involve his kid successor. First might even lose whatever respect he had for the immortal, because he would view manipulation of children as beneath him (of course I think Chase will argue, that those young warriors are hardly children).

I think I mentioned it before in some ask, but I personally believe that if Chase will try to get to Randy it will just send First into apocleptic levels of anger, and destroy any slim chances Chase had, and will literally set him back to zero in his progress with First, lol.

But that's just my personal view, you probably have some really good ideas about that! ;D

On another note, a tiny thing I got to disagree with a little - is about Chase being above 'petty mischief'. I can agree about Chase not being particularly petty, but mischief? In my opinion, this immortal lizard is very much into mischief, albeit a more strategic type of mischief. xD This is the man who continuously taunted pre-teens while trying to manipulate one of them to his side, and also continuously made poor Jack's life hell.

Though admittiedly, I like to think that being around First Ninja brings out more of Chase's mischevious side (opposite to his cruel and uncaring sides) - partially because First Ninja doesn't always reacts the way Chase expects him to. And sometimes Ninja catches Chase before he gets into a scheme and that sometimes leaves Chase himself wrong-footed. And partially because, Chase grew to enjoy testing Ninja's patience a little too much, after the got to know each other better.

But you are right about the fact that in this ship it should empathized more how much of a threat and manipulator Chase could be, the problem is i can't write this type of characters like at all, lol, to my great dissapointment i just don't know how to do it well. xD So that version of Chase just kind of exists half-baked in my mind, and meanwhile in my art and fics he just turns into a mischevious asshole with all his schemes in background, haha.

Anyway, I tried really hard to adress everything you mentioned and offer some insights and ideas, but i still feel like i might have missed something, so - sorry about that! I know its probably not the answer you quite expected, but I do hope it was sufficient, and if not - that at least it was entertainin to read! ;3

I already left a comment about this, but Dick and Jason seem to be going through the process of… mind melding? With each other faster than the rest of the bond members. That’s super interesting to me because of how they’ve been teaming up to look shield Bruce and such. I wonder if they’re going to realize that…

I'm so glad you noticed this, anon! I think one or two other commenters caught it as well. Proximity to Bruce, as the center, and proximity to "strong" minds seems to fuel the process of overlap.

What's interesting to me, the writer, is how much of Bruce is eclipsing his kids, versus how much already has before the bond was even in place. Is Jason doing something a Bruce-ism, and if so, is it one that was already present before the bond snapped into place? Is it just coming out now, because it's easier?

Dick and Jason overlapping brings me great joy to write. Them flanking Bruce, them being the first line of defense behind his shields, his lieutenants essentially for the rest of the bond -- and the enactors of his contingency, should the need arise. Of course, with that shared purpose and proximity with each other, their lines would begin to blur.

Despite Bruce and J'onn's fears, they're not subsuming each other. Yes, things are being blurred and shared -- Dick's posture being Jason's on the Watchtower, Jason softening slightly when Dick would and normally he wouldn't -- but they're not fundamentally altering who they are, or losing their sense of self. Just borrowing things when convenient, overlapping without thinking because it's easier.

A lot of this will be relevant soon. I just need to get my butt in gear and start writing.

hiiiiii bestie

i remember a while while ago, earlier on in the au posting you had the comics about clover first meeting flowey after they wake up n all lol lol lol

as a flowey enjoyer… im curious as to what u think their relationship would be like later on? :0 assuming clover ever forgives him ahah

i think they would be friends! but their relationship would be strained, sometimes

its easier to deal with the negative emotions clover has towards flowey when they dont. see him all the time. they can choose when to see flowey, so if they ever feel particularly mad or upset one day they can just. not see him. bc i imagine it would be difficult to see him after everything he did

i think the relationship would depend on if clover really knew flowey was manipulating them the whole time. they remember flowey using their soul so they probably put the pieces together; but tbh i dont think clover can blame him. probably call him crazy and not approve but i think clover would let it go AHDJSK

tbh i think they would be closer than anyone else (except maybe clover and kanako). just bc floweys the only one who can Really understand the shit clover went through. and flowey is trying his best to be… good so. they make it work i think

Love the expressions on this page. Rouge looks horrified, and Shadow looks on the verge of a panic attack. It makes sense Doom/Death would worry him. His entire life he's been told what to do, with no control over the situations around him. His only constant was himself, even with modified memories/amnesia he still could choose how to act. Doom/Death? They controlled him. They took the one certain thing he had - autonomy - and trapped him in his own mind, completely helpless. His own Hell.

Must be an awful thing, too, for one of the few people you consider a friend to suddenly look at you like you're dangerous to her. To inadvertently tell you that she doesn't trust you because of the aforementioned events.

Thanks for reading and enjoying! More hell to come! :)

what are the top lockdown twitch streams that you recommend people watch??

this is actually my expert field and i thank you SO much for asking

my faves (that are available on youtube) are:

1. f1 drivers racing lawn mowers

- iconic, a whole entire mess, who knows what was going on, cut my english garden innit

2. trucking with charles and george

- the fact this stream was at like 9am-ish deserves its own analysis but the home of so many iconic moments ‘charles someone says you look like mattia binotto’ ‘okay’ ‘are these glasses to see or are they for style’ ‘no no to see..although i see anyway’ ‘go left go left’ ‘lEfT?’

3. reverse track stream

- the infamous ‘GEORGE’ stream but honestly this whole thing starting with these exact quotes should tell you enough honestly:

george: boiiiiiiis bois bois bois

alex: euGeugh

charles in a chipmunk voice: hello

4. bruno diaz

- a rare winter lockdown stream feature, the sheer amount of hopeless tech difficulty at the start is worth it for the live pringles ad reaction cam at the end

5. would all die in a war zone

- i haven’t watched this one in a while but i recall SO many technical difficulties until we got to the gems that were ‘i like that when you died you blamed me like. oh alex. as if im in control of your thumbs’ and ‘you are trying to downgrade my talent’ and ‘a red banana’ ‘yeah an apple’ ‘a red banana is not an apple’

extremely special shoutouts to:

lando vs wasp (the it’s raising its rear ride height it’s a red bull will never ever leave my brain i laugh every time) & alexs strange noise/did you shit on yourself alex clip

tbh when mitski said “you’re my best friend/now i’ve no one to tell/how i lost my best friend”

if you had to pick one youtuber to birth the second coming of christ who would it be

Hey vin! I hope youre alright? Love youre content <33

I saw youre post where you helped an anon with their shitty boyfriend. I hope I dont bother you, and you may not even be able to help me but If thats the case please tell me. I dont want to dump anything on you and I hope me asking you for help here will start anything like a massive venting area on youre blogg or so... But it would be a great help if you could maybe tell me what youre thinking about my situation right now? Please tell me when youre too uncomfortable.

So, I am autistic (only level 1 but still autistic) and because of this I've got bad motor skills causing me to accidently pushing the door handle down rough. I cant really control this and I have it for now YEARS trying to make it better. But I cant really do anything about it... And this isnt the only thing that happens because of this. Apparently I run too loudly. People ( my parents) constantly tell me that when I walk I stomp on the ground like an elephant :/ I pull the cord of the blind too hard and now it's stuck... I've accidentally dropped 2 bowls so far and they're now broken. I ripped my shorts... You name it. And they constantly scold me for it and when I say that I don't do it on purpose and that I can't control it they tell me I should just be more careful. Then when I try to explain to them that it's not possible for me because I've been trying for years and it never changed, they don't listen to me trying to argue and I start to cry. I don't know whether they're right or not and I was hoping that you could help me somehow because you also wrote about an autistic reader. Thank you for looking at this message and I hope you are well <33

hi anon! apologies for not being able respond sooner, i came down with a fever & barely had energy to move an inch but i'm better now. i'm here to listen to you anytime and offer support so please don't worry about me :) let's focus on you instead, okay??? bit of a long post so... i hope you're ready

[ i'm not very familiar with this but i did research to understand better. please let me know if i make any mistakes along the way :) ]

first of all, it must have been frustrating to face criticism and feel like you're not being understood by your parents. it's important to remember that your experiences and struggles are extremely valid, regardless of whether other people fully understand or acknowledge them !!! autism can manifest in various ways & difficulties with motor skills + sensory sensitivity are common challenges for many on the spectrum.

it's not something you can simply control or change overnight. it's great that you've been trying to explain to your parents that you're not doing these things on purpose and that you're unable to control them I'M SO PROUD OF YOU !!

one suggestion is to consider finding resources or information that can help your parents better understand autism and its impact on motor skills and sensory processing. there are books, articles, & online resources available that can provide knowledge & offer strategies for both individuals who have autism & their families. another is to involve a professional who can help provide guidance + facilitate communication. a therapist or counselor experienced in working with individuals on the autism spectrum may be able to assist you and your parents in navigating the difficulties you might be facing.

BUT if the cost of a therapist/counselor is high then i suggest seeking support from organisations that specialise in assisting individuals that have autism. they may offer support groups, workshops or counseling services at reduced cost or none at all !! + there are also online forums where you can connect with individuals that are experiencing the same things as you are and can help you provide further advice & support.

& lastly, if you're still in school, please consider reaching out to a teacher, counselor or any supportive staff member who can help advocate for your needs and facilitate conversations with your parents. sometimes hearing from adults, experts or reading/watching personal stories (youtube and other websites etc) may be able to help parents grasp like.. a further understanding of your perspective.

ALSO i'd like to add once more — REMEMBER THAT YOU MATTER !1!1! the problems you're currently experiencing are valid and you are loved and always will be. i hope one day your parents will fully be able to understand you better and this is not just something you can 'control and be careful about'

Did you hear about how recently it was revealed that Gregory is actually Scott’s favorite. That gives me a lot of hope for the future of his character.

WHAT? WHERE? wtf thats awesome. gives me hope theyll focus more on the cooler aspects of his character like ggy/the no man left behind doing whats right for the greater good. im not surprised that gregory is scotts favorite in that he has a similar/the same role michael afton did as the tragic hero. but i AM suprised that if you mean in all of fnaf and not just SW era, gregory is his favorite OVER michael?? thats insane

Question: In the world of fairy tales, how much the concept of "wishing" is really important?

Obviously, "Wishful thinking" and "careful what you wish for" are important tropes of the fairy tale genre, but I never considered them to be genre defining or that much important for the narratives.

But the upcoming Disney film Wish made me rethink some things.

While the film itself is meant to celebrate Disney animation and their history of "quest for a dream" and "dreams come true" tropes, I wonder how much of these tropes have any basis on the original folk tales or the literary tales inspired by them.

Disney made the connection between fairy tales and "wishing", but they seem not to be the first or the only ones.

On the most famous example besides Disney, Sondheim's Into the Woods seamed to think there was a link between the Grimm and English fairy tales and the concept of wishing, to the point it's a foundational plot point to the story.

The Frog King or the Frog Prince, a tale that is known to always open the Grimm's fairy tale collection across several editions, literally starts as:

"IN the old times, when it was still of some use to wish for the thing one wanted, [...]"

or depending on the translation

"IN the olden time, when wishing was having, [...]"

Well wishes DEFINITIVELY are a key part of fairytales, but maybe not in the sense we understand today...

As in the idea of "wishes coming true" all on their own is something purely Disney like. I can't say anything about the Grimm stories, but when it comes to French fairytales the idea of wishing is definitively present... But as a "desire".

For example, good fairies and fairy godmothers keep granting people's wishes in French literary fairytales. But they just do not pop up whenever someone makes a wish. For example take Cinderella, in Perrault's version, the fairy godmother asks Cinderella if she wishes (aka wants) to go to the ball, and since she says yes, the fairy godmother agrees to grant her the wish - but she does mention "and since you have been so good". This is a recurring topic in these French fairytales - wishes are granted as rewards for a good action or a good behavior, just wishing in itself does nothing (as Perrault evokes in some of his fairytales morals "Sometimes all you need to be rewarded in life... is to have a fairy godmother because else you're stuck in your misery.") There is also very often the topic of a fairy asking a person they want to reward to choose between various gifts and select precisely which "wish" they want more than another. For example there was this story by madame de Murat called "Anguillette" where a fairy saved by a princess offers her three possible gifts: wealth, beauty or intelligence, and she tells her to carefully make her "wish". (Though this fairytale is actually a twist on the trope of the choice since, unlike other fairies in this situation, this fairy ends up giving the princess all three gifts at once just because she is that good - but that's an exception)

In folk-fairytales the topic of wish is also present, but more in the "be careful what you wish for". Just recently I read a folkloric tale about the wife of a man who was friend with a local magical dwarf - and to obtain a horse (or a cow I can't remember exactly), the magical dwarf told the wife to go to a nearby village of dwarfs. But he warned her to be very precise in how she formulates her "wish" - for example she has to precise that the beast must have ears, eyes, legs... And ultimately she does get the animal, but forgets one thing in her specifications: the tail.

So I am speaking here only for the French branch of fairytales - but given Disney was as much inspired by them as by the Grimms I think it is a fair standing point. Wishes, the concept of granted wishes is definitively present in fairytales, for sure... But not the "power of wishes". Wishes in fairytales as a symbol of hope, wishes coming true all on their own because you "believe", wishes as just a power and force in itself, is something that is definitively part of Disney's specific brand and topic. Because in French fairytales, a wish is either a request/desire made to a supernatural being, or a reward for a good behavior. Wish is not "hope" but "desire" ; and yes wishes are granted, but as in "what you desire the most will be granted" ; and they are not granted randomly just because you believe. They are granted because you were a good person in the eyes of a supernatural power - a supernatural power which might force you to choose between specific options what you "wish" or "desire" more. And sometimes, fairies don't even grant the wishes, but go against them. I am not even speaking of wicked fairies, but good fairies too!

Take Donkeyskin. This is something that was very highlighted and focused on by the musical movie adaptation, but that was already present as a one-line joke in the original text: the princess, before fleeing the castle, ends up not wanting to fight her father's incestuous desire. She doesn't particularly wish to escape or to not be loved by her father - it is the fairy godmother that has to point out to her that no, this is not a good situation, and it is her that will force her to do all sorts of things she did not ask for. Similarly in these literary fairytales, a lot of the time good fairies are actually here to warn people that what they wish is dangerous, or that what they desire will be self-destructive or cause everybody harm. So overall, while wishes are present in French fairytales, they are not very prominent or important in themselves - rather, the logic of these fairytales is one of reward and punishment, and one of desire both good and bad - desire granted or desire denied, desire encouraged or desire fought off.

And in fact.... A lot of the time these supernatural rewards are not even based on wishes. Very often supernatural beings just decide on their own what would be the most fitting reward. For example take "Diamonds and toads" - the girl never wished for the riches given to her by the fairy, but that's her reward. Or rather, an example more telling would be a VERY famous fairytale of France. Its most famous version is from Bretagne, but it exists in numerous regions of France and was even found in northern Africa - it is the story of "The two hunchbacks and the (insert your local supernatural being here)". In France it is a lutin, or a variation of the lutin/dwarf (in Bretagne, the korrigan). The principle is always the same: there are two brothers who are hunchbacks, one is good one is bad. The good brother ends up stumbling one night upon a party of dancing and singing magical little beings, and he makes the party even merrier/plays well some music instrument/completes an unfinished songs of the lutins. The lutins decide to reward them - and without asking him what he want, or without the good brother asking anything, they remove his hunch, making him a normal man. When the bad brother, envious of the good brother's fate, goes to the same lutin party but acts poorly there, he demands a reward - and this reward is the hump of his brother, added onto his own.

This is something very prominent in these folk-tales: do not ask for a reward out of the blue. Only ask for a reward if you are offered a voice, only wish for something if the supernatural being encourages you to wish for something or allows you to. To ask for something, to enforce your wish upon a supernatural being, always turns up badly. A variation of the two brothers tale is even more revealing of this theme: in this story, the good brother is offered to choose between lot of gold, or having his hump removed. And when the bad brother arrives, he demands "what my brother left behind", meaning the gold - but the lutins/dwarfs/korrigans/fairies decide to understand it as "the hunched-back my brother left behind".

Because this is something that is very prominently said in literary fairytales of France: fairies (and other assorted supernatural beings) are not low-beings or powerless creatures. They are not to be commanded, they are very high on the social AND cosmic hierarchy. Fairies for examples, in French fairytales, are repeatedly said to be either equal to kings and queens - or SUPERIOR to any kind of human royalty that exists. This is notably why so many of them end up being godmothers of princes and princesses, or marrying kings, or making ennemies out of royalty. Again, fairies and other enchanters of French classical-literary fairytales are inheritors of the gods and goddesses of the Greco-Roman mythology, crossed with some folk-Christianity of saints and Virgin Mary, so there's still this idea that the human is naturally inferior to the supernatural, and should always treat it with respect. Just like how you do not ask a king to gift you something, you do not ask a fairy to grant you a wish - else you want it interpreted in a bad way. You rather do good things in hope of gaining the king's favor so he rewards you.

Anyway, after twisted digressions, to return to your original post: as you said, the topic of "wishes" is not as genre-defining as it might seem today. Disney really took this element and expanded it and focused the light on it and insisted upon it, to the point that we can say definitively today that the topic of the "power of wishes" IS a defining genre of the Disney fairytale. But it does not mean wishes and their importance wasn't in fairytales before... But the wishes themselves did not have the power - the supernatural beings had the power and granted the wishes. Hope in these traditional fairytales isn't about wishing something or believing in something. In these fairytales manifesting "hope" means staying kind and true and good-working and gentle to everybody and everyone and enduring all your pain and all your hardships and miseries, because doing so might earn you the favor or pity of a powerful cosmic royalty who will decide to reward you by granting you what you desire the most or what is the best for you. If someone simply wishes something, it probably won't come true in a fairytale - the best way to make sure your wish comes true is to go feed old hungry women and save frogs from being eaten by birds ; but if you just "wish upon a star", you'll probably get nothing. However if you cry out your heart upon some given plants or in front of some given birds, they might help you by bringing you good counsel or some food - but no wish granting.

And as I said, even then, your personal wish and desire ultimately might not be what is actually good for you, and many warning tales of the literary fairytale era were about "Here's how you will die when your wish is granted". Typical Psyche and Cupid tale: the wife wants to see her husband, and this wish leads her to lose everything. Typical Beauty and the Beast tale: the girl wishes to go to her family, and it almost kills the beast. And of course, the wishes and demands and desires of bad people ultimately become their undoing... Unless you are one of those fairytale antagonists with a fairy godmother on your side, in which case your wish and demands become the main reason the protagonists are suffering (madame d'Aulnoy's The Blue Bird is the most revealing case, as it is the first French literary fairytale where the evil step-sisters gets a fairy godmother who ends up cursing the princess' beloved into the titular blue-bird, simply because she does everything she can to please and grant the wishes of the person she is the godmother of).

As for the Grimm fairytales... I honestly do not think wishing is an important part of them? Wishing does get its fair share in French fairytales in a very nuance and complex take ; but the Grimms? Beyond the line you evoked in the Frog Prince, where are the wishes in Hansel and Gretel, The Wolf and the Seven Goats, The Robber Bridegroom? There is Rapunzel but the mother's desire is not a wish, rather a craving. There's Snow-White, where indeed the wish comes true - but it backfires massively since in the original version the mother ends up hating her own daughter, and in the later version the mother dies soon after giving birth. But beyond that? I don't see many wish-stories. Oh yes, except the Fisherman and his Wife - a very traditional "wish" story, but even then... Wishes are depicted as ultimately negative, since the wife is driven by greed and ambition that augments with every wish.

So yes, Disney probably is the only one of the entire corpus of fairytales who decided to depict wishes as purely and entirely good.