#I have no reason for saying this whatsoever ​*kicks the obvious projection under the rug*

[varusai]

who do you think is the most dateable dark matter thief?? i know you have an opinion and i need to hear it

sorry for the late response anon i honestly had to think abt this one for a few days lmao, but yeah i have opinions. below the cut bc fr i have opinions, all of them have major pros and cons (based on my characterization at least) and really i just have to break it down for u

Boros, everyones obvious first choice, but certainly not mine.

Pros: rich, tall, pretty, fun af, passionate, will kill for you np, give you anything you want, literally anything.

cons: has a god complex, doesnt respect you, not his number one priority at all, will forget about you once its not interesting for him anymore, probably argumentative/combative af, is very very smart and has no problem manipulating you in all the worst ways, is very entitled so he will never feel bad about anything, cant win arguments either bc he’ll want to settle it with combat, will get offended over little things just to argue bc he thinks thats fun

this is a relationship you’d get into if you literally have nothing to lose and dont care about your mental health. like hes hot but this shit would be toxic af and he will ruin your life and leave you to go fuck around and fight someone on the other side of the universe. this will be the best of times and the worst of times for you and you will never be the same afterward mentally or emotionally. the only way i would even consider it is if i lost my damn mind. The only way a relationship with him would ever work long term is if you were physically stronger than him and were capable of putting him in his place OR you were smart enough, suicidal enough, and interesting enough to him to engage in some psychological warfare and reject him if he asked you. Make him chase you for years, say yes, then decide that /he’s/ boring /you/ and leave him for another member of the squad to just destroy their established hierarchy and humble him to the point that he’s obsessed with you.

i dont have the energy for all that, so i’ll just smash and pass.

0/10 completely undateable

Geryuganshoop, also a probable second choice for many:

pros: cute, nice, tentacle alien (obviously), will respect you np, will also give you anything you want, not antagonistic at all, telepathic communication so no risk of miscommunication, emotionally intelligent and available, loyal to a fault,

cons: horrible boss/best friend that you will have to listen to him vent about for at least 3 hours a day, complete yes man as well so he will not tell boros no or cut him off and you will be stuck dealing with this no matter what, severely mentally ill and wont go to therapy bc he thinks hes handling it well, workaholic, needs a lot, and i mean A LOT of attention

this relationship would be great if not for boros lol. boros sabotages his social and romantic life but geryu has been friends with him too long to either cut him off or establish boundaries. he has no backbone (figuratively and literally) and wouldnt even consider it. he’ll ignore you in favor of his job too, to a massive degree. also i think that while the telepathic communication would be a major plus in most cases, here i feel like i’d have no less than 16 different, never before seen on earth, mental illnesses projected right into my brain just from being within a certain radius of him.

im already fucked up enough in that sense so pass unfortunately.

it would be a yes without boros in the picture tho lmao

so prob like 4/10 iffy datablillity, 1 level increase with each decade of therapy he gets tho so a lot of potential :D

Groribas, my fav girl:

pros: straightforward, realistic, very clear expectations, will not fuck around with you whatsoever like there is no mind games or anything here, will kill for you, rich and non materialistic so she’ll basically just let you do whatever with her money since she doesn t care about it, cares about her job but like...a normal amount. she absolutely has a good work/life balance, highly organized so she will not forget important dates, loyal af and will defend your honor under any circumstances, mean but in a funny way, a ton of fun to hang out with if you’re into that, no eyes so i dont have to worry abt eye contact ever

cons: extremely high expectations, like exhaustingly high, and not even a bit of flexibility there, if you dont meet the cut its a no, she’ll let you know and leave same day, she will also bully you, you need a thick skin and great sense of humor to survive, bad at feelings if you need emotional support???? go elsewhere, shes mega emotionally unavailable, will probably want to share bodies as a form of intimacy

overall its a solid 6.5/10 dateability for me i love the directness and no bs approach, we would def get along well. however, while im not sensitive, shes def gonna hit on some insecurities at some point and it will cause an argument lol. but i mean whatever. it happens. the body sharing would be an issue though, same reason i wouldnt be chill with having a symbiote despite being a major venom fucker. i need my space i cant deal with that. so thats a possible deal breaker if she couldnt get over that lol. and she wont, so we wouldnt work out. i wish it fuckin would tho😭😭😭 i would take whatever crumbs of attention she would be willing to give me

Melzalgald, my fav they/them bastard:

pros: amorphous and shapeshifting aka extremely attractive according to my taste in monsters, tall af but could chose to be a more reasonable survivable size lol, self contained and self-entertaining so they dont need a ton of attention to be happy, funny af, rich, will give you whatever you want and probably a bunch of shit you didnt know you wanted, very fun, built in friend group if you didnt already have friends, extremely emotionally intelligent and great people skills due to living in a collective, stupid af by choice, like some of em are very smart, but they dont claim that, will say fuck work and tell boros to eat shit to spend time with you, will kill for you as well, but only if you ask them to bc their first inclination is to just bother someone to death, very loyal, once they like you they like you really forever, it would take some pretty extreme circumstances to make them dislike you

cons: annoying af and its unavoidable, will talk over you, all of them at once will talk over you and do so loudly, no respect for personal space, they dont even know what that is, will probably accidentally manhandle you, they act stupid but arent so they can be manipulative, even if it isnt bad and they dont really mean to be, impulsive, forgetful of the needs of organic creatures so they will bother you at all hours of the day and night if you arent firm with boundaries, disgustingly extroverted and will bring randoms to your place without asking, or just...make new cluster members and you have to roll with it, will eat or absorb literally anything you have, will antagonize and bother you for fun, major jump scare risk since sometimes the forms are....fleshy

this ones hard for me like theyre hot af and i feel like they’d be super fun and good partners, but god....the noise. idk how long i could deal with that lol i dont like people in my house. it would drive me up the wall, but then again...i can simply kick them out when ive had enough. they arent projecting mental illness directly into my brain or requiring me to share a body sintelligento major plus. creepy thing/symbiote style hot monster without any of the invasiveness so tbh 8/10 dateability

some people date loud annoying extroverts who dont understand personal space that /arent/ rich, loyal, or emotionally intellegent so i’d be winning on a few different fronts lmao

#lord boros #geryuganshoop #groribas #melzalgald #dark matter thieves #opm #i put way too much thought into this after not thinking abt them in a long while #it was fun tho #Anonymous

[sparkwhorunswithwolves]

“The next day Scott apologizes to Allison, who’s a little bit upset. But hey, Scott’s a werewolf, so I mean, what are you gonna do, say no?”

//

Of all the things that confused me for a long time, among the most confusing was Scott/Posey Stans’ simultaneously held beliefs that Scott McCall would be the bestest werewolf ever and yet somehow remain a toxic human disaster worthy of pity. All the things that make Scott McCall that disaster – his insecurities, his lack of empathy, his bigotry, his hypocrisy, his abusive tendencies and behavior, his possessive instincts – also make him an absolute horror as a werewolf.

How many times did Scott lash out in anger at people he professed to care about just because they didn’t do what he wanted them to do? How many times did Scott lie and conceal important information from others for his own benefit? How many times did Scott’s mother, girlfriends and friends complain about not being able to help if they don’t know? How many times did Scott charge headlong into situations with no plan whatsoever solely focused on fulfilling his own emotional needs? If it wasn’t for Stiles and Derek, Scott would have been killed off by the hunters and by Peter Hale after exposing his own kind during one of his jealous fits/dick measuring contests with Jackson in Season 1. If it wasn’t for Stiles and Derek, Scott would have hurt Allison and killed Jackson out of jealousy.

Scott knew that becoming a werewolf gave him the power to protect the people he cares about (which includes managing their image of him) and the power to force said protection on them. Teen Wolf S5A and B proved that Scott McCall will lie and manipulate and cheat and gaslight and commit premeditated murder to keep things under his control until he can’t any more; then he’ll explode, whine, throw another one of his self important temper tantrums, and attempt to blame others for his own failures. Why do you think Scott McCall’s body count is higher then the villains’?

Remember how Scott reacted when he found out that Isaac liked Allison? Isaac was a goner the moment he interacted with “HIS” woman. Scott never ever had the slightest hesitation (or any regret) about physically punishing him. Dead man walking. In fact, the only reason Scott stopped abusing Isaac in front of Melissa was because he started preying on the new girl on campus and, quoting Tyler Posey’s own words, “Kira is a good distraction for Scott.”

Perhaps that’s what Scott stans mean when they wax lyrical over how much of an incredible wolf and ‘true alpha’ Scott makes in self-insert Scott McCall Supremacist fan fiction after self insert Scott McCall Supremacist fan fiction: they admire how many innocent people Scott murders and how many abuse victims Scott maims, abuses and violates while working out his delusions of grandeur, pathological jealousy and emotional issues.

Scott McCall had that 10-episode span where he plotted/conspired with Deaton and Gerard Argent against Derek Hale and his Pack behind everyone’s back; which culminated in self proclaimed hero and ruler of Beacon Hills Scott violating Derek’s boundaries, bodily autonomy and consent and committing premeditated attempted murder just because: “He threatened my mom! I had no choice!”

And yet, the Scott McCall defense squad trolls are adamant that Scott immediately flipped an emotional control switch and resolved all his issues. Of course Scott McCall wouldn’t lash out and savagely attack the moment his friends chose to kick his whiny ass to the curb for good or suggested that Scott didn’t have the right to make their decisions for them. Nope! Ice-cold control. Clear loyalties, superior morality and leadership skills. A good, nurturing friend, boyfriend and werewolf and a true blessing to the pack. /sarcasm

While canon shows us that Scott McCall is a flop wolf (even his only beta Liam and his girlfriend Malia called him a failure to his face in Season 5), everything in canon confirms that Stiles Stilinski would make a magnificent werewolf. Born Wolf Peter Hale has always known this – that’s why he offers Stiles the Bite in Season 1 and then shamelessly admits that he NEVER stopped fantasizing about biting/turning Stiles in Season 6.

In conclusion: if Teen Wolf had revolved around the Hale Pack and family and werewolf Stiles and/or Dark Stiles & Void Stiles like viewers wanted, it would have been a better and much more interesting show than whatever Scott/Posey crap-show we got (and it would have lasted longer, too.)

The Teen Wolf writers and producers should have killed Scott McCall off in Season 1 Episode 1 and replaced him with Vernon Boyd or Kira Yukimura instead.

~•~

https://princeescaluswords.tumblr.com/post/623259473284399104/another-thing-fandom-claims-a-story-about-the#notes There. Fixed it for you canon and reality wise @ princeescaluswords

---

Ohhh, do I have opinions about… all of those things. So, in no particular order:

Hale pack; Hale pack 2.0; werewolf Stiles; pretty sure I answered Boyd as the MC before; Kira; 

Did I ever actually post that TW would have to deal with fundamentally different themes if Stiles/Allion were bitten instead or did I just go nope NaNo project?

Okay, let’s see, how would a show that actually focused on worldbuilding, werewolf dynamics/culture outside of “I’m the alpha now”, and pack-as-family be more interesting than a show about what is either the most hilariously bad excuse for a Good Guy™, or an unsatisfying good guy turned villain story that didn’t realise that we were actually interested in the character’s lives outside of Scott?

With the Hale pack 2.0, the show would be about rebuilding that, about human and werewolf norms clashing, and finding a middle ground that isn’t “you’ll heal/werewolves made them do it”.

Because TW does have so much potential for all those things, but Scott’s not interested in them unless it directly affects or benefits him; but we never see non-abusive pack dynamics.

And this might just be because I grew up with wolfblood/still haven’t finished the order, but actually seeing that kind of pack bonding/history outside of “let’s save the day” is so much more interesting. 

-

Werewolf!Stiles is interesting, because I can and have seen it both ways with a pretty even split?

(I’ve also answered Stiles saying yes to the bbite at least twice now, and that answer hasn’t changed. Unless it’s time travel. post5a/b Stiles asking Peter or Derek for the bite would be hilarious.)

First off, “Stiles would kill everyone he lies about giving a shit about!1!1!” is absolutely hilarious, given that Scott was the one who tried to kill Stiles, hurt and only didn’t kill Jackson because Derek and Stiles interfered, hurt Isaac, because of “control issues”. But sure, Stiles is the one who would kill everyone on sight. /sarcasm

Okay, so. Stiles wants to be part of this world, does everything he can to learn about it and knows when you can’t do something because werewolves. He has also shown that he’s willing to make sacrifices (skipping the lacrosse game in 1x9(?)/Eichen House in 3b/the relationship with his dad) if it meant keeping people safe, because he knew not doing those things would hurt people more than they could benefit him. 

(Meanwhile we have Scott “being bullied” into playing lacrosse/not caring if The Darkness™ hurt anyone— Isaac or anyone at school/lied to his mom, Allison, Kira constantly. Go figure)

Other than that, I honestly can’t tell how much control I would want canon!Stiles to have. Because with fic, I could go either way, for obvious I need to fixate on something other than adhd and werewolves, please, reasons, but canon? I don’t think perfect control on at least the first full moon is something that's actually possible given, you know, canon. And depending on if you go with Stiles being bitten instead of Scott, it’s not a particularly interesting story. 

But everything in canon suggests that he would be self aware enough to know that, and not go to a party like a certain other person I will not name here. 

-

But that’s one of the main— issues I have with this line of thinking. It’s always how would this compare to Scott. You always outdo the other, when you can’t really compare it in the sense they are both very different people, who are going to handle the same situation very differently. Scott’s go to response when Shit Happens is to avoid it for as long as possible by distracting himself with school/lacrosse/gf of the season; while, despite for that throwaway line, Stiles always needs to be there— he researches werewolves, stalks Theo, helps the Hales. 

As I said before, neither is the most thought out or safe option, both are a normal response, but you can’t— It’s hard to compare them because Scott got bitten “because of” Stiles, and didn’t have any how to werewolf 101 he really listened to. While with Stiles it’s either a) him getting “himself” bitten that night and being excited about it, b) him wanting the bite, knowing what to expect, with a lot less trauma, c) getting bitten without consent but with that understanding of what is happening. 

-

Now, Kira’s story is something I would pay good money to actually see done right. Because can you imagine of they did kill off Scott in 3a, and Kira had to navigate a) BH’s drama, b) coming into her own powers, c) actually dealing with not being fucking told about that, and d) not being fucking lied to end just getting yeeted into the desert?

#teen wolf #anti scott mccall #at least this one is under 1k lmao #idk if this makes sense my brain doesn't like words atm #on a completely unrelated note I'm two scenes from Werewolf Yoda™ #and I can't wait to actuall write that tomorrow #Kira's part would have gotten longer but words are hard #and while wolfy stiles/hales have been an interest for a while #going into detail with her would be a whole new narrative that would completely screw over my nano #also who doesn't want domestic werewolves? #submission

[hippityhoppityyourenowmyproperty]

Reset! Rant (part 3)

Chapter: 16

That familiar feeling of rage returned to him. His fist and teeth clenched and he had the urge to hit something, preferable someone. Bart was the first thing that came to his mind, but he had better control of his Impulses than his brother did. He couldn't let Thawne win.

This is another big hypocrisy moment. He is not better at controlling his impulses than Bart is. Whenever he gets angry, he starts insulting and picking on Bart. He hurt Bart before because he couldn't take Kon making fun of him, and while doing so, he made the mission more dangerous and more prone to failure. He let's his anger out on Bart every time, and he had multiple agressive outburst. He's not as in control as the story leads on.

Bart hopped to his feet and rocked on his heels. "I screw up all the time. Everyone says so. That's why I'm not supposed to do the hero thing without an adult. That's why I wasn't invited to join the Teen Titans."

"Are you kidding me?" Thad's tone was sharp and angry. "What business does anyone have in telling you you how to help people? What business do you have in even listening to them? I don't see you calling yourself Kid Flash and running at Wally's side like and obedient puppy. You're not a side kick."

...................................."In any case, we're more than capable of operating on our own. We don't need some nosy busybodies lording over us and expecting obedience just because of the legacy we inherited."

At the first glance, this looks like Thad trying to emotionally support Bart and make him feel better. At the second look, not so much. Let's untangle what exactly is happening in this conversation. Bart is explaining why he is still supposed to have adult supervision, namely because people think that he can't handle missions on his own and that he'll mess up. Then Thad argues that he's not a side kick and therefore no one should tell him how to do the hero thing. Which...doesn't really makes sense. It was said that the reason why people are convinced that Bart can't be a hero without some guidance is not because he's part of a legacy, it's because they think that because of his impulsiveness and trouble at focusing he will screw them up. They're not expecting obedience because Bart is part of a legacy, they're expecting a willingness of Bart to work with a mentor because he's not experienced enough and will mess up at being a hero, otherwise.

Thad is self-projecting here. If he didn't misunderstand the situation for being about legacy, he wouldn't have tried to make Bart feel better. I'm certain he's just saying this because he's angry about the legacy he is conected to. The only reason Thad rants about Wally is because it reminds him of his situation with his legscy, and not becaus he's mad at Wally for being mean to Bart. Again, Thad is doing this for himself.

Remember when I told you to keep in mind what Thad said about Bart somewhere in Chapter 11? "Bart lacks the capacity of forethought that is requiered in an operation like this"? Also remember how Thad is always insulting Bart's intelligence, criticizes him and says that he won't survive without him? So what about the "In any case, we're more than capable of operating on our own"? This is not Thad suddenly making a turn around and seeing the flaws of his thoughts he had earlier. Thad's always saying what fits his interests best. He changes his opinions on whatever suits him best at the moment. He's such an obvious hypocrit at this point. He's bending his opinions on whatever he needs them to be. This is one of the most in your face instance of Thad gaslighting Bart. Through denial, controdiction and lies relating to his actions and words, he's planting seeds of doubt in Bart. Thad is making Bart question his own perception of memory, perception of reality and his sanity, whether Thad is intentionally gaslighting Bart or not doesn't matter. It's still damaging.

Chapter: 17

Thad thumped his fist against the garage door. "At least I had Craydl before. Now, I'm stuck with you." He glared at Bart again.

Gosh what a horrible fate, Thad. I feel so sorry for you. No really, I can't fathom what an awful nightmare this must be for you! He can never be satisfied, can he? He can count himself lucky that Bart is tolerating his toxic behavior. He is stuck with Thad. Bart is the one who has to put up with his constant belittling and verbal abuse. No one forced Thad to stay at Bart's home, Thad just decided that it now be that way. If it bothers him so much he could've asked to stay with the Garricks. Which would've also made more sense for everyone involved because Jay has superspeed and can look after Thad in case he would try to kill anyone else again.

Also note how Thad is threatening Bart through his gestures.

"Besides, mom said I'm the big brother and that's what big brothers are supposed to do." Rolling his eyes, Thad snorted, "Thanks for the touching moment, but it's not making my situation any better."

This is a form of withholding. It's also condescending demeanor.

Thad clenched his jaw and fists and said nothing in return. He stalked back into the house, punching the doorframe as he passed by.

He threatens Bart yet again.

I'm pressing buttons", Thad snapped. "What does that accomplish? This-" He pointed at the television, "is frivolous. It does nothing!" Bart tilted his head, looking at his brother then the controller. Then, without a word, he punched Thad. Startled, Thad stared at him, and then noticed the surprised expressions on Jay's and Helen's faces. Bart stood up. "Well, aren't ya gonna hit me?" Thad eyed Bart warily and stood. "What is this? Is this a trick?"

"No I'm serious. Hit me." When Thad hesitated, Bart insisted, "Fighting game im real life. Right here." Helen sucked in a breath as she realized what Bart was up to. "Not in the house." Bart nodded and grabbed Thad's arm. "C'mom! I know a place that's still in Manchester." When they ran off, Jay tipped his head to Helen. "I'll keep an eye om them." Once the boys were sure that nobody other than Jay was watching, Bart faced Thad with a combative stance.

Thad struck with a punch and Bart blocked with his forearms. Jay stood aside and watched, ready to intervene in case the fight got out of hand. Every now and then, a particularly solid strike by either boy, he tensed up and stepped forward, but they would continue on as if there was nothing to worry about. As Jay watched, he saw Thad smile for the first time. It was a wicked, predatory grin, full of bloodthirsty pleasure. Bart wasn't smiling. Instead, it was taking everything he had to hold himself against Thad. Sparks of static and stray speed force lightning trailed after them. Then Thad slipped past Bart's defenses and slammed down with an elbow and up with a knee. The next thing Bart knew he was looking up at Jay's concerned face. The elder speedster held out an arm to halt Thad. Thad's yellow eyes gleamed and he was still smilling, spoiling for more. Jay held out his other hand to help Bart to his feet. "You all right, son?"

This whole scene is so wrong, in so many ways, for so many reasons. Yes, you read this right. Bart suggested that Thad beat him up in order to let Thad get rid of his anger. Jay and Helen hear this offer, and say fucking nothing about it. Once again, they're irresponsible and neglectful. Helen shows absolute zero concern for Bart's well being. For crying out loud, the first thing she says after she realizes what Bart's suggesting is: "Not in the house." I repeat, the first thing that comes to her mind after she hears that Bart offers getting beat up by Thad is: "Oh no! My poor house! Everything will be so messed up!" I mean, damn. You have to be a really neglient, bad parent when you're more concerned with the state of your house than with the physical and mental health of your child. Helen and Jay should have been disgusted and put off by this offer. Helen should have said something along the lines of: "If Thad has anger issues, then that is his problem to work through, not yours. It's not your responsibility to keep his emotions under control. You are not his personal punshing bag, and you shouldn't put his well being before your own. No one expects you to make sacrifices like that for him." But nope, she is more afraid of what will happen to her precious kitchen than of the fact that Thad might break every bone that Bart has in his body because he feels like it. They both know what Bart is suggesting, and they don't see anything wrong with it whatsoever. They should have been horrified by this suggestion.

And keep in mind: This all happens after Thad killed the clone and almost killed Max and Bart. Helen knew of both altercations. She knows how brutal and vicious he can get. She knows that Thad is quick to violence, so why isn't she more concerned? Wouldn't she be at least a little scared that Thad might kill Bart because he can't control his brutal urges again? The only resonable explanation I can find is that she doesn't care about Bart. That's why she let's this happen, that's why she allows Thad to emotionally abuse Bart and call him names right in front of her eyes. She never makes Thad apologize for what he does to Bart, not even once. I don't like accusing her of favoritism, but that is what it looks like. Seeing how dispicable Thad's actions and words are is not that hard. Helen should have noticed by now. Jay isn't much better in this. He watched until Thad hit Bart so hard that he fainted and collapsed. I know that I couldn't stand idly by while watching a kid beat up another kid until he lost his conciousness and still feel like a good person.

If you think that we've hit rock bottom yet with this scene, think again.. Jay's and Helen's complete lack of concern makes Bart's actions seem like this was a healthy, acceptable way of helping people deal with their anger. That this is something normal in a sibling relationship. Worse, that offering someone to hurt you so that they can relieve their anger is something that is expected of you. A relationship where one part is expected to take responsibility for the other's negative emotions is a twisted, damaging one. You get what this is saying? "Someone's anger justifies them hurting and beating you up." This is just as bad as "abuse justifies abuse" (Which is also being taught here.) God, those are terrible, atrocious morals to teach to people. What Helen should have done with Thad the moment he moved in with them was taking him to an anger management class and getting him a good therapist, not ignore/encourage Thad's abusive tendencies.

Jay sat down at the table. "He's not as mean as his brother though. That kid...For his own grandfather to make him like that..." Jay shook his head with a frown. "If I ever get a chance to meet that man..." He clenched his fist on the table. "I hope I never do."

"Same here", Helen replied.

Seems like Thad's not the only one who takes a liking to being hypocritical and two-faced. This makes total sense, talk about poor Thad and all the abuse he went trough, but completely ignore the fact that he is abusing and actively inflicting pain on Bart right now. They're furious about what Thawne did to Thad, but when Thad does the same things to Bart it's totally okay and fair. In case you couldn't tell, this is a shit moral. Stop trying to justify abuse by saying that the abuser has been trough a lot and just needs an outlet. Having been abused does not give Thad the right to ruin Bart's life. It does not give him the permission to be a toxic jerk to him. He should be held accountable for his actions. Abuse doesn't justify abuse.

Chapter: 18

"So, you don't know anything on how to properly maintain it." Thad snorted and rolled his eyes. "Wonderful. Do you know where engineering is? Take me there. I'll do what you neglected to do and actually learn about the mechanics of this ship." Bart opted to ignore Thad's nasty tone, brushing it aside as just how Thad talked.

....................................

"If I'll get lonely, I'll come visit." Thad snidely assured. Not wanting to listen to another degrogatory rant, Bart decided to just let Thad find the room on his own.

This is critizising and judging and a put down, delivered with a very very condescending tone and manner. Do me a favor and take a shot everytime you read the sentences "Thad snorted" or Thad rolled his eyes." You'll be drunk in no time, trust me. Bart has been exposed to Thad's emotional abuse so long that at this point he is willing to accept Thad's verbal abuse as normal.

Chapter: 19

Thad:"They probably got distracted by with something shiny."

Thanks again Thad, for enforcing hurtful insults and exaggerated stereotypes about people with ADHD.

Thad:"Moron! Can't you come up with something that simple?"

Again with the name calling and the put down linked to Bart's ADHD.

"He's a nuisance" grumbled Thad.

"Not that I've had much first hand experience, but that's what siblings generally are, from what I've heard."

"So wanting to strangle Bart is normal?" Cissi laughed. "Everyone's wanted to strangle Bart at one point or another. That's just him."

Oh now it all makes sense! It's Bart's own fault for being abused because he's so annoying! Remember folks, if you've been abused, it's your own fault. If you hadn't been so burdensome, they wouldn't have treated you this way. They can't be responsible for their actions, it has to be you! How can we expect them to control their impulses and get a handle on their anger? That really would be too much to ask of them. The victim is to blame for being abused, that's obviously the logical conclusion here, right? God I hate this fic so much.

This whole conversation serves one purpose: Normalizing and rationalizing Thad's repugnant behavior towards Bart. Look! This is how healthy sibling relationships work! This is how they're supposed to be! Except not really.

This conservation is actually very cleverly done, because it only shows Thad's oppinion while stimuntaneously making it seem like Cissi agrees with his values about relationships when she's really not. They're coming from two completely different points of views, but that is concealed here.

Starting with the "He's a nuisance."

"That's what siblings generally are."

I get her statement, there will be many times when one can get annoyed with their sibling and not find themselves in an abusive relationship. Every sibling pair fights and argues, that's in the nature of things. It only gets problematic when that's literally the only thing you do. When the only thing you are to each other is an annoyance and someone to get mad at. When every encounter with them ends in hurtful words and accusations. Indicating that your brother/sister is sometimes a nuisance in a playful, teasing way is fairly common in healthy sibling relationships. "Those 5 minutes before you were born? Haha, those were the best 5 minutes of my life." Something like this is normal. The problem here? Thad doesn't mean what he says in a sarcastic or playful way. He's completely serious with this. This is all he sees in Bart. An annoying idiot who always stands in his way. There's no sympathy and no compassion for Bart. Only unjustified resentment and hatred. See, in a positive brother or sister relationship the individuels really love each other. Despite the jokes they sometimes make about not wanting the other around, they see more in their sibling than an annoyance. Thad doesn't, and that's what Cissi misunderstands. Thad is dead serious about his feelings towards Bart in this conversation. All he sees in Bart is a nuisance he has to tolerate. He has nothing but contempt for him. He doesn't try to see more in him than that. Thad has no right to complain about Bart. He has been nothing but nice to him. Despite all the shit he put Bart through, despite Bart still tolerating and trying to support Thad in every way he could, Thad somehow still has the audacity, the arrogance to make himself out to be the victim in this situation. Thad is an abusive jerk to him, if anyone has the right to vent, it's Bart.

Moving on to the "So wanting to strangle him is normal?" argument. Feeling a desire to hurt your sibling 24/7 just for existing isn't normal. Cissi means what she say in a more playful, harmless way. None of Bart's friends would go through with harming Bart because he was annoying them. There's a big difference between wanting to do something, and actually doing something. Moreover, Cissi doesn't get that Thad would like to hurt Bart all the time and not only when he was being annoying. Thad wants to hurt Bart even when he is nice to him. Thad means it in a "If Bart looks im my direction one more time I might strangle him and I really don't care if I accidently suffocate him and he dies." Cissi doesn't. Thad is aggressive and violent to him for absolute no reason. The emotions Thad feels towards Bart aren't normal, not in the least. Stop trying to justify his abusive behavior.

And, I think this goes without saying, hurting someone solely because they're annoying you isn't okay, either.

#tw manipulation #tw abuse #sibling abuse #bart allen #impulse #inertia #reset!rant

[an-ephemeral-blog]

Openly structured communities

If someone asks me, “What is open source software?”, I have an obvious answer: “Software that is licensed as open source and makes its source code available for users to review, modify and share.”  Ditto “What is open science?”, to which I’d respond: “Science that is made available to review by anybody and available to reproduce by anyone with the necessary skills and equipment.” 

It’s important to note that open source software and open science can be created by ‘closed’ communities.  A secretive company that makes all of its employees sign NDAs could create open source software and “throw it over the wall” periodically to users, ignoring all bug reports and feature requests.  An elite group of researchers could work in isolation and only after finishing publish all their materials in an open access journal. 

That this doesn’t often happen is a testament to the way our values express themselves in all aspects of our lives.  Someone who believes strongly in open access is unlikely to enjoy participating in a secret scientific cabal, for instance.  But the conflation of ‘open products’ with ‘open communities’ can cause problems when people assume that all they need to do to foster an open community is create a specific kind of product licensed in a specific kind of way.

Now, secret scientific cabals are obviously not ‘open’, so most open-aspiring communities are unlikely to adopt that structure.  But what structure will they adopt?  Too often the answer is none.  While a lack of formal structure may work for some small projects, it can also cause significant problems, problems which subvert the open and egalitarian aims of community members.

Jo Freeman’s classic essay, The Tyranny of Structurelessness, explains why a lack of formal structure does not prevent structure from emerging:

Contrary to what we would like to believe, there is no such thing as a structureless group. Any group of people of whatever nature that comes together for any length of time for any purpose will inevitably structure itself in some fashion. [...] The very fact that we are individuals, with different talents, predispositions, and backgrounds makes this inevitable. Only if we refused to relate or interact on any basis whatsoever could we approximate structurelessness -- and that is not the nature of a human group.

[...]

As long as the structure of the group is informal, the rules of how decisions are made are known only to a few and awareness of power is limited to those who know the rules. Those who do not know the rules and are not chosen for initiation must remain in confusion, or suffer from paranoid delusions that something is happening of which they are not quite aware.

For this reason, many ‘structureless’ communities are less open than even formally structured closed communities.  While the latter may have a high barrier to entry, for instance employment at a specific company, at least the route to meaningful participation is clear.

Perhaps you are already convinced that a formal structure for your community is desirable.  Excellent!  Back to our earlier question: which structure?

The same egalitarian impulses which can lead a person to reject formal structure might also inspire someone to say, “Let’s let the community decide what structure to use!”  While, again, this may work for some projects, especially small ones, it can also cause problems.  I see two reasons for this.

First, the process of choosing a community’s structure can be enormously complex.  It is a task which requires the cognitive ability to compare multiple abstract systems and select from among them that which best fits your project and community.  It also requires the interpersonal social ability of communicating with members of the community to gauge enthusiasm for the proposed structure.  If there are pre-existing tensions within the community, you need to know of them and how to navigate them.  And of course, you need to feel empowered to do all of this individually or collectively.

Which brings me to the second problem.  In some ways, “We’ll let the community choose the structure!” just kicks the issue of structurelessness down the road a bit.  Because what does it mean for the community to choose the structure?  Which structures will be considered?  How will community members give feedback?  Who determines who a ‘community member’ is as this phase?  Who is organizing the feedback process?  How will a decision ultimately be made and where does that power come from?  You end up needing to pick a structure in order to pick a structure.  It’s turtles all the way down.

In the best case scenario, however, these two problems cancel each other out.  Few people are willing or able to take on the social and cognitive burden of setting up an initial structure.  Therefore members of a community may be relieved rather than upset when someone steps in to propose an initial structure without consulting them first.  So long as that initial structure is itself an open structure, people will often greet it with open arms.

But what makes something an open structure, if it’s not the fact that it creates an open product nor the process by which the structure was adopted?  That is, shall we say, an open question.  ;)  Here’s one possible answer:

An open structure is transparent.  Governance work is done, wherever possible, in open channels: forums, mailing lists, logged chats or in-person meetings where notes are taken.  A maximally transparent structure doesn’t just take notes, it also summarizes them for ease of reading and crafts communications channels like announcements-only mailing lists where people can learn about major decisions without having to weed through information that’s irrelevant to them.

An open structure is accountable.  It gives community members clear routes to making small and large changes to both the outputs of the structure and to the structure itself.  For instance, a structure may have a founding charter from which it derives its authority, and that charter may specify that changes can be made to the charter given a vote of 3/4ths from members, membership being a role also defined by the charter.

An open structure is inclusive.  Participation in the community and in the governing structure is limited by behavior rather than by irrelevant personal characteristics such as employment by specific organizations, a lack of educational credentials, or demographic differences like race and gender.  To be clear, the characteristics I just listed are only commonly irrelevant.  Communities formed around an identity or requiring specific skillsets only taught in certain credentialing programs may find them quite relevant.  Restricting membership based on those characteristics may make a community comparatively less inclusive, but they should still be considered under the broad umbrella of ‘open’.

Without a formal structure, it can be difficult for newcomers to tell if a given community is transparent, accountable, and inclusive, and near impossible for them to trust it will remain so. 

Why would an informally structured community that is currently transparent, accountable and inclusive ever lose those attributes?  There are many reasons, but chief among them is the fact that each of the values I listed above exists in tension with other important and desirable values.  For instance, ‘transparency’ exists in tension with ‘privacy’.  ‘Accountability’ exists in tension with ‘stability’ and ‘efficiency’, as the work of holding leaders accountable can cause unpredictable changes and slow the development process down.

I see ‘inclusivity’ as existing in tension with a phenomenon that I don’t have a pithy one-word label for, and it is the inclination to prioritize the needs and desires of those who are doing most of the work.  Like ‘privacy’ and ‘efficiency’, this inclination is an inherently positive thing and something that open communities need to respect.  If there’s one person doing 90% of all translations for your documentation, for instance, her opinions on how to change the translation process should count for more than any other random member of the community.  But how much more?

Open communities may value transparency over privacy, accountability over stability and efficiency, and inclusivity over prioritizing individuals based on behavior, but they should not always and in all cases do so.  Where they draw the line is a judgment call, and having formal discussions and structures which address these tensions help to make this a conscious and ongoing judgment, rather than a hidden and outdated one.

There are many templates out there for making new websites, for drawing up a new open source license, or for setting out to conduct a new reproducible science experiment.  I would love to see some templates drawn up for how to create an open community.  I think it would be a tremendous help for many people currently struggling to make their communities as open as their products.

#openness #structurelessness #the tyranny of structurelessness #open source #open science #open communities

[miximax-hell]

Hey there! It sure has been a while, huh. ww; But, hey, I kept my promise!

So, how have you guys been? I’ve been rather busy. America is cool, but this university is quite demanding sometimes. I’m not complaining, considering I came here to work and all, but I wish I had some extra time. All I want to do after I’m done with my classes and homework is be lazy, to be perfectly honest.

What have you all been up to? Since I last showed my stupid head around here, I beat Undertale (just beaten—no true endings whatsoever), Layton and the Unwound Future (SO GOOD AND SO SAD) and Portal. I have also been rewatching Inazuma with my significant other, which is awesome! Oh, and I watched the newest Tri movie. It might not be perfect, but I get so easily pumped with that.

…And I have also been working on this nightmare.

Never in your wildest dreams would you assume that these four views took well over 20 hours of work (although I’d be willing to bet it took over 30). And that’s if we don’t take into account the amount of time I spent on OLDER VERSIONS OF THIS. I have been procrastinating on Fubuki’s miximax for years because I knew it would kill me. But, luckily, I’m not dead. I just wished I was a couple tens of times during the process. I hope @miyukiko​ won’t kill me either when she sees this, considering what I’ve done to her baby.

But it’s done! The result might not be the best and the rust might not help either, but this is it! Fubuki is finally done!! And, considering I have been working on this little shit for 2-3 years, I have my fair share of ideas about him. I’ll only cover one subject today, though.

Anyway, just in case anyone has never watched Digimon (which is a sin according to 8 different major religions), Fubuki is miximaxed with Gabumon, one of the main characters from Digimon Adventure, 02 and Tri! Not my personal favourite, but fairly awesome nonetheless.

As usual, more about FubuGabu under the cut.

It’s 2:30 am right now. You know, just for reference. If I eventually start not making sense whatsoever, please keep that in mind and spare me. I will gladly fix any nonsense as long as you haven’t stabbed my heart yet. ww I’ll hopefully be done quickly, though, so I might not have time to screw up too much.

Okay, let’s do this!

As I said, there’s a lot to say about FubuGabu. For once, I know what FubuGabu’s powers and hissatsus are. There’s a lot of little things to say about his design. I have details about his backstory and even about small, useless facts. I know about FubuGabu’s personality, Keshin and even Soul. But, today, let’s go for a much anticipated approach. …Not really.

Since I already mentioned it once, let’s talk about groups. If you don’t know what I mean with “groups,” feel free to check this out.

I will assume you all remember what I already mentioned about Fubuki and Someoka forming a duo within this project (and not just within this project, honestly—they make a pretty great team!). If you are late to the party or your memory is simply almost as bad as mine, though, feel free to check THIS LINK to see what the heck was going on there.

First of all, let’s look at what (else) ties them together. I will skip the points I already explained last time, though.

The first and most obvious new point that puts them together in a group is, of course, that they are both miximaxed with monsters! And not just any kind of monsters, but the best kinds of monsters. I can hear someone screaming “MONSTER RANCHER SH*TS ON POKÉMON EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK” from here, so let’s point out that we are talking about popularity here. Ww

Pokémon and Digimon have always been the big guys when it comes to monsters beating the crap out of each other, but they have always been big rivals. For decades, people have punched each other’s faces while debating which franchise is better. Someoka, too, once considered Fubuki his biggest rival and a big piece of shit. But Fubuki and Someoka grew to be great friends, and, now, much like them, Pokémon and Digimon have joined for a common cause too:

Kick ass. (not really)

Because of this, with a bunch of love in my heart for these two, I call this group the Monster Duo. Beast Duo sounds better to me, but the “mon” in Digimon and Pokémon is there for a reason, all right.

So, yes, fictional monsters link Someoka and Fubuki together. But that’s far from being all. Combining the two concepts I have already mentioned, note how both of them have miximaxed with ice beasts! This doesn’t just make them awfully strong, but it also boosts their compatibility a great deal!

This is especially obvious when this terrific duo performs its combination hissatsu, Wyvern Blizzard. Not only it gets a powered up, but Someoka goes all out and, instead of summoning his usual wyvern, Zekrom himself comes to the field and wreaks havoc. This imbues the ball not only with Fubuki’s ice, but also with Someoka’s electricity, creating a shot like none other before.

Fubuki does something very special too at the time of kicking the ball, actually, but that will have to wait until we talk about FubuGabu’s powers some other day.

Okay, we know that these two are ready to kill people. That’s awesome and all. But what about them? What’s their dynamic like?

We all know Fubuki and Someoka. They actually have a really courteous and kind relationship! They truly care about each other and their well-being. But, in this story of sorts, they have already known each other for a good while now. It’s been well over a year now. Before this whole and unknown mess happened, Someoka and Fubuki were each playing for the respective schools—in other words, away from each other.

Being able to play together again is a breath of fresh air for them both. They came to trust each other a great deal during their Aliea and FFI days, so their first goal is to recover the complicity they once had. They will soon find this to be much more challenging than they thought it would be, however.

There is a big difference between growing apart from someone and growing without someone. Someoka and Fubuki haven’t just been sitting on their butts. They have practised and learnt a lot on their own, at Raimon and at Hakuren.

Suddenly, their style doesn’t match anymore. It doesn’t click as immediately as it once did. Fubuki isn’t the same he was when he first met Someoka, and Someoka’s view of life is completely different too. Fubuki’s mind is at peace now that the spirit of Atsuya isn’t screwing up with him, and he isn’t the reckless and mindless beast he once was. Someoka has come to trust himself more than anyone else after not being selected for Inazuma Japan during the first selection. In a sense, their roles have reversed. This wasn’t an issue when they could still train together often, but time has opened a rift between them. A rift that seems too big to jump across.

This is not to say that they aren’t friends, though, and that’s what makes it tough. It’s not that they don’t feel like playing together anymore—it’s that they are starving for it, but they fail whenever they try to. It’s rather frustrating to be fond of someone and see that you simply can’t understand them anymore. Their old dynamic is lost, and trying to work around it is useless.

…Or is it?

This is where their miximaxes come into play. Kyurem’s incomplete on its own and seeks to join forces with someone compatible with it out of sheer instinct. Gabumon’s (or, rather, Garurumon’s) savage style resembles the fierce plays Atsuya’s spirit once brought to the field. This might be just what these two close friends needed in order to remember what used to make their teamwork great: fast, ferocious and dependent plays that wouldn’t work without a perfect bond.

It’s not enough to bring them back to the position they used to be in, but it’s just enough for a reminder. This change in their attitude—as I have mentioned before, people’s personality changes upon mixitransing—brings them to a middle point that they can work with. Their plays begin to connect. They can see why and how things work now and not before. It gives them a starting point—a way to learn how their friend has changed and how to cooperate with him. To put it simply, they are learning again that they are reliable partners.

There is probably a lot more to say about FubuGabu and SomeKyu, but the fact that SomeKyu is way newer than FubuGabu hasn’t allowed me to think of their relationship as much as I have thought about everything else. …And whom am I trying to kid? I have purposefully avoided thinking about FubuGabu for OBVIOUS REASONS. But, hey, I can work around things! If you feel like I missed any important points, please let me know and I’ll see what else there is to say!

In any case, I really love Monster Duo and pretty much everything about them. Their story isn’t as dramatic as it could be, but I feel like these two have already endured enough drama before. Let them focus on other things instead, even if it’s just for once. They deserve to be happy and have problems that are easy to work with! And, needless to say, they deserve soccer-related problems. That would actually be new. ww

Oh, and I want Monster Duo to have a brand new combo hissatsu, but I’m still thinking about it. It’s 4 am now, though, so I’m definitely not going to figure it out right now, I’m afraid. It’s sleepy time for me.

...Zzz.

(Oh, and my personal favourite is Tentomon.)

#Inazuma Eleven #Fubuki Shirou #Aliea Raimon #Inazuma Japan #settei #info #miximax #mixi max #groups #(I'm sorry Miyumama)

[isabellelambert1975]

Bloggers’ picks – the best Christmas gifts for gardeners

I’ve asked a range of leading bloggers to recommend the best gifts for gardeners. I set a price limit of under £50.

And by gardeners, of course, I mean ‘anyone who loves their garden.’

Note: There are affiliate links to Amazon in this post, which means I may get a small fee if you buy. But it doesn’t affect the price you pay. I’ve also given alternative buying options wherever possible.

For gardeners struggling with weeds…

That means most of us! I’m starting with Alison Levey’s suggestion for a practical Christmas gift for gardeners. Alison writes The Blackberry Garden blog, which is currently the UK no 1 gardening blog according to Vuelio. She describes herself as an ‘obsessional amateur’ and writes about her garden, garden visits and garden related subjects.

Alison suggested a Sneeboer ‘wrotter’ – ‘a great name and an extremely handy-looking tool. You can never have too many weeding tools.’

It’s available on Amazon as a Sneeboer weeding fork, but the cheapest place I found to buy it is Peter Nyssen, where it is called a ‘wrotter’ (£21 at the time of writing this).

Gifts for gardeners who travel alot…

Michael Perry (Mr Plant Geek) emailed me from China with his suggestion for plant lovers who travel alot. Michael is a ‘plant hunter’, horticultural new product developer, TV presenter and social media expert. His blog posts over the last year have come from China, New York, Japan and more.

Michael Perry – although I think he has since dyed his hair either silver or purple…

‘Gifts for gardeners? There’s just one obvious choice for me – the Plant Messiah book by Carlos Magdalena!’ says Michael. It’s sub-titled ‘adventures in search of the world’s rarest species. ‘I’m sure you know it. It’s an indulgent storybook about some of the world’s most amazing plants and, in some cases, how they were saved! Whilst I am travelling so much I can’t always be around plants, but this book, I CAN!!!’

Michael also has his own range of gardening clothes and accessories, including the Rude Botany range. These are t-shirts and more with slightly ‘rude’  (or even quite rude) sounding botanical names. They’d make good Christmas presents, too.

Christmas gifts for the veg grower

Firstly, a gift suggestion from Michelle Chapman of Vegplotting. She started blogging about her allotment in 2007, but soon found that the blog grew beyond that. Vegplotting now covers most aspects of gardening and grow-your-own, as well as food, travel, lifestyle and her home town of Chippenham.

‘A Christmas gift?’ she said. ‘That’s a no-brainer because I mentioned my choice in my post about Glee  – the gardening industry exhibition held every September.  It’s the Haws 5 litre metal slimcan watering can. My colour choice would be Claret to match Santa’s jacket, though there’s plenty of other colours to suit every gardener’s taste.’

Michelle Chapman would love to get this Haws metal watering can for Christmas.

‘It’s great quality, not too heavy when full, British made and the kind of thing I wouldn’t buy (I’d go for much cheaper). But I’d be ridiculously delighted if someone bought this for me. What’s not to like? I already have the wellies to match ;).’

Richard Chivers is also an allotmenteer blogger. His blog, Sharpen Your Spades, is a family, allotment and kitchen garden blog. He says that a new fork or spade would always be welcome under the tree, but he has several other suggestions.

‘A seed packet organiser is invaluable for all my packets of seeds – I was given one similar to this by Burgon & Ball.’

‘Wellies’ photo from Richard Chivers’ blog – with an excellent reminder that we could add gardening gifts for children to our Christmas list!

Richard raised the issue of gifts for children of garden-lovers, which is an excellent point. ‘I bought a very nice child size tool set for my daughter Ava earlier this year. Its been fantastic for making her feel part of the gardening – something that’s her own. Unfortunately it came from Wilko and I don’t think they do it anymore. It was £10.’

I’ve had a look for children’s gardening tools on Wilko, but couldn’t find any. However, they may return next summer. The only children’s gardening tools I’ve personally used with children are Kent & Stowe Kids Range.)

For the gardener who loves to preserve & pickle…

…why not get them into brewing their surplus produce? Brew-your-own used to be 1970s hippy, but it’s now 2018 hipster. Nick Moyle is one of the Two Thirsty Gardeners, who blog about growing your own and turning it into wine, beer, lager and more.

Their book, Brew It Yourself, distills (ha-ha) all their best recipes and would be a great Christmas present in itself. I thought it would be mainly aimed at men, but my jam-making and pickling female friends seized upon it (see this review of Brew It Yourself on my YouTube channel.)

And Nick’s suggestion for the gardener that brews, pickles and preserves is ‘a nice selection of Kilner jars and bottles.’

Kilner clip top bottles make a great present for the homegrown brewer, pickler and preserver.

‘I always find that no matter what you’ve been making, the resulting drinks always seem to taste nicer if they’re presented in a lovely bottle,’ he says. ‘And Kilner jars are the best for infusing. If you get a small selection as a gift then, if you’re lucky, you might get a filled one in return.’

The professional gardener’s present

David Marsden is a professional gardener, and writes The Anxious Gardener, winner of the 2015 Garden Media Guild blog of the year.

‘As a working gardener, friends and family almost always buy me gardening related gifts,’ he says. ‘So, a present which has nothing whatsoever to do with the garden would be a delight. Having said that, I rarely spend much on decent work-clothes, so a strong pair of multi-pocketed work trousers, with knee-pad pockets too, would be very welcome. Or else a bottle of excellent single malt.’

Questioned further on what type of trouser he’d like to be given, he sent this link:

 I’m convinced! I’d quite like a pair myself.

For the owner of a large garden

Anne Wareham, the Thinkingardens blogger and author of The Deckchair Gardener says that she’d like a new strimmer.  She and her husband, photographer Charles own Veddw, a major garden in Monmouthshire.

According to Alan Titchmarsh, Veddw is one of the ten best British gardens and the hedges alone at Veddw are worth a visit. So strimmers are an important part of Anne’s gardening armoury.

I told her I’d met a parenting blogger who’d moved into a house with a well planted garden. The blogger knew nothing about gardens and had no time (children, job, blog etc…) So she and her partner strimmed the garden all over in autumn, down to the ground in some places. ‘And it sprang up just as good the next year,’ she said.

Anne says that this is very much their approach at Veddw (though I suspect a very much higher level of expertise lies behind it). Certainly there are lots of useful gardening short-cuts in The Deckchair Gardener – it would make a good present for gardeners who’d like to do less and enjoy their gardens more.

Anne wouldn’t be drawn on which brand of strimmer she’d like, as she hasn’t bought one recently.

For the crafty or thrifty garden lover

Emma Varnam is a top crochet, knitting and design blogger and author of several books on knitting and crochet. Her Christmas present suggestion is an enamel mug with a delightful mug cosy you can make yourself.

The pattern for this charming mug cosy is on Emma Varnum’s blog.

She’s created a mug cosy pattern, which you can find on her blog (it’s free).

‘Enamel mugs are perfect for drinking that warming cuppa in the garden as they are more robust than our favourite china,’ she says. ‘However it is always a great idea to have a mug cosy to protect your fingers from the heat of the enamel and keep your delectable brew warmer for longer.’

‘Make the mug cosy with chunky yarn and purchase a lovely Falcon enamelware mug. You can often find enamel mugs in charity shops.’

Emma’s latest book Granny Squares Home – 20 Crochet Projects with a Vintage Vibe would also be an excellent present for a craft-loving garden or interiors addict.

For the urban cottage gardener

Julie Quinn writes The London Cottage Garden blog about small urban gardens where colour and profusion are important. ‘I’d choose the Collier Campbell Archive  book for two reasons.

The Collier Campbell Archive – a book of pattern and colour to inspire the colour-loving gardener.

‘Firstly the designs of Sarah and Susan are a history of our baby boomer lives in patterns and colours. They follow in the tradition of William Morris, and since the 1960s  their fabrics have influenced fashion and interior decorative design:  1960s Liberty florals, 1970s Jaeger dresses and 1980s Habitat sofas in a Bedouin stripe. ‘

The Collier Campbell ‘Seaside Garden’ fabric – beautiful!

‘Secondly this book full of vibrant patterns is an inspiration to a cottage style gardener – so many different colour combinations and all pleasing to the eye.  Whether your taste is a soft tapestry of pastels or deep earthy tones of North Africa, you will find a page in this book that speaks to you.’

The Collier Campbell Archive can also be bought at the Fashion & Textile Museum shop.

My own suggestions for gifts for gardeners…

I’ve mentioned several already, but I’d like to add one more. I think most garden-lovers would really enjoy Monty Don’s new book, Down to Earth. (And the Amazon price is particularly good at the time of writing). I’d particularly recommend it if you know someone who is just starting out gardening, although I think we can all learn from it.

There’s a video review of Down to Earth here:

Inspiration for your Christmas decorating

I love Christmas so the next few weeks on the Middlesized Garden will be about your garden and festive decorating. But don’t go away if you’re not a Christmas- lover  – normal gardening will soon be back!

I’ve kicked the Christmas season off with a short video on Christmas colour themes. Red, of course, is traditional – but see how festive pink, orange, blue or white can also be:

  One last word on gifts for gardeners…

You will have noticed that no-one has mentioned hand cream. Just saying!

Pin for reference:

 The post Bloggers’ picks – the best Christmas gifts for gardeners appeared first on The Middle-Sized Garden.

from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/bloggers-picks-best-christmas-gifts-gardeners/

#The Middle-Sized Garden