#don't lack basic decision making skills then post about it

[phxntomhives]

Welcome to my sideblog

That has most likely become my main one. But idk how to change main and second one. So yeah.

I will try to keep this blog mostly related to Kuroshitsuji and twst but who knows what I will like next. From memes (mostly repost because I am not that funny) to theories you can find anything here.

I am not spoiler free BUT I try my best to protect the new fans and hide things under the cut. Unfortunately, I am human, so you may run into spoilers, I am truly sorry.

I am 25, she/her pronouns, INTP. I would love to get to know more people in the fandoms I am in, but eeeh my social skills are lacking. So feel free to hit my dms, I don't bite I promise. I am trying to make more moots/mutuals pls

Here most thing you can find me posting about/comments etc (under the cut because it became long ops)

Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler

Sebaciel shippers do not interact. I will just block and move on. If you see me liking one post tagged like that it's because I am stupid and I don't always read the tags, pls let me know and I will fix the problem.

Now that the important part is over: I AM SO EXCITED FOR THE NEW SEASON AAH. The Weston College arc is my favourite so I am very happy and it feels so nice to see my children here :3

I am up to date with the manga as well, so if you need to cry with someone, I am here. Sobbing.

My fave is Ciel, and Lizzie slander shall not be tolerated (half joking, you are free to dislike her but I am ready to fight at any time to defend her).

A couple of things you may want to check? If you are bored???

New manga chapter comments under: #Phxntomhives Kuro manga yapping

"The Parade of Battlers" song analysis

Finny grew up (chapter 211 spoilers)

Short analysis of the GFantasy May cover

Silly theory of the cricket's ending dance.

He sure is very much unlucky when it comes to life decision...

Vanitas no carte/The case study of Vanitas

Up to date with both anime and manga! And not so patiently waiting for each update. I miss them, I hope for a new chapter soon.

Twisted Wonderland (JP SERVER)

Up to date with main story and eons behind with the events ops. No I do not know japanese, tho I am trying to learn, but I started the game when that was the only version avaiable and I will not start again on eng server sorry. (Technically I have started but I had no more space on my phone and one had to go)

If you are curious about what I think about the story check #phxntomhives twst yapping (because I plan to type a lot and refuse to keep updating this list it's supposed to be pretty after all)

Theory on how the events are canon.

Silver gets a title copium.

Tokyo Aliens

READ IT LEGALLY. FOR FREE. HERE I TELL YOU HOW.

WHY IS THERE NO FANDOM IT'S SUCH A NICE STORY. PLEASE GIVE IT A CHANCE.

I AM LIVING OF HALF A POST AND FANMADE TRANSLATION. HELP.

Parallels between Tokyo Aliens and Negai no Astro

Spoiler/Analysis from scans: chapter 41, chapter 42, chapter 43, chapter 44, chapter 45, chapter 46, chapter 47, chapter 48 (After I added these I basically took over the tags plsssss)

Dr stone

It's appearing more on my feed so I had the feeling I had to add this lol. I love it dearly, I finished the manga and I need to catch up with the anime. I am extremely worried about the rumored (?) new volume that is coming ngl

Negai no Astro

Damn, I am hooked.

Parallels between Tokyo Aliens and Negai no Astro

Aaand honestly many more, feel free to ask! If it helps, here is my not updated because it takes forever MyAnimeList! But I probably missed many of them so really, just come and ask.

I may drop some suggestions to read too sometimes, here they are

Suggestions for you <3

Why you should read Merry Marbling

If you like Negai no Astro or Tokyo Aliens PLEASE CHECK THE OTHER SERIE MENTIONED.

#kuroshitsuji #black butler #twisted wonderland #tokyo aliens #twst #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #mutuals #searching for mutuals #negai no astro

[fqirycollective]

Structural Dissociation in DID

Disclaimer

The title says DID and not systems in general because OSDD systems still fall under the secondary dissociation group, whereas DID systems fall under the tertiary group. The theory I'll be talking about specifically mentions DID, so I don't want to mess with that. However, I imagine it works the same way in all systems as it's with how systems form. This post also came from the abstract one source, but after a bit of research, I agreed it made sense.

How does DID form?

The current theory of why systems form is the theory of structural dissociation. This basically says that children are born with multiple ego states that deal with different aspects of life. From the ages of 7-9, these ego states will integrate and form into one personality and one identity. However, when severe and repetitive trauma occurs, the brain may put up dissociative barriers between these ego states. These barriers prevent them from integrating and forming one sense of self. As the child grows up, those non-integrated ego states then form their own, seperate senses of identity and personality, creating alters.

What is the orbitofrontal cortex?

If you remember back to our "Effects of Trauma Pt. 2," we mentioned the orbitofrontal cortex. This part of the brain is right above the eye sockets. The orbitofrontal cortex is responsible for the cognitive part of decision-making, but also temporal organization of behavior and experience-dependent reorganizing neocortical processes. However, it's also responsible for the development of emotional regulation and the development of the self which is important.

The orbitofrontal cortex's role in the development of DID

As mentioned previously, the orbitofrontal cortex involves the development of emotional regulation and sense of self. The orbitofrontal cortex is impacted by trauma in general, especially in childhood when children are still developing their sense of self, learning "proper" behaviors, etc. With an orbitiofrontal cortex that doesn't work properly due to trauma, children may not be able to develop the emotional regulation skills they need which is likely to lead to dissociation. Beyond that, it's theorized that the ego states will latch onto the different parts of the caregiver that the child sees (disorganized attachment is important) and create conflicting states of self which are normally integrated into one. But because of that dissociation from a lack of emotional regulation, the brain will raise those dissociative barriers between the conflicting parts to "keep peace" (my own interpretation) and so the part latched onto the positive side of the caregiver can go on with daily life without the trauma.

Other Parts of the Brain

Other parts of the brain are at play (amygdala - processing memory and emotional responses, hippoocampus - memory and emotion). However because the orbitofrontal cortex specifically deals with the regulation of emotions, behavior, and identity, that's the one the theory links the most to the theory of structural dissociation. I also think it makes sense as it deals with what would cause dissociation (emotional regulation) and impact the sense of self to the extent of DID.

#did system #osdd system #osdd #did alter #did osdd #dissociative system #osdd support #osdd community #osdd things

[hms-tardimpala]

I saw your tags on my master and commander post and it took me like a full minute to realize when you said one of your top 3 ships you meant relationship and not tallship 😂😂😂

I was definitely watching it for the boats, the sets, and the depiction of sailing culture in the time period. It's wild that they actually did some of thr filming in the Galapagos islands.

They really made it hard not to ship Aubrey and Maturin, though, eh? They literally play duets with each other!!!

I'd love to hear some of your favorite thoughts about the movie if you want, but also no pressure if you don't feel like it or don't have time.

Okay, so. First of all, I'm not very good at talking about media I love past saying "I love it". The people of the server astonish me with their analysis skills. So I'll just say what I really like/what I thought was well executed. And I won't be able not to mention the books, sorry. THANK YOU for allowing me to talk about something I love, though.

(The HMS Surprise is definitely my number one tall ship, by the way 😁)

More than the Jack/Stephen ship, I'm into the Aubrey-Maturin series for the same reasons you watched the movie. I love the sea, naval history, the Napoleonic period, and ships. I also love books/films/shows that go into the social details of a historical period. Jane Austen style, you know. (the books have been described as "Jane Austen at sea" and it's so true)

I think the movie did that well. It portrays the hierachy and class rules in the Navy and british society at large at that time. It always takes the time to show that there can be leeway in this very codified environment, though: fraternisation when success is achieved against impossible odds, Jack allowing Stephen to be his rebel and to question his decisions when captains in the Royal Navy basically had the power of God on their ship, etc. These things couldn't necessarily happen on land, in England, but in this wooden world where men are driven to extremes, they are possible. The movie really makes it clear that Jack isn't the sole hero here, the whole crew is, and this is a group effort of every minute.

One of the layers of Jack and Stephen's relationship is how different their backgrounds are. Even without reading the books, you must have noticed how at odds with the rest of the characters Stephen is (and not only because he won't wear a uniform). Jack is a navy man through and through, since childhood, a red-blooded englishman who believes in and embodies the establishment, although he is able to recognize that there are rotten apples in the barrel and that the powers that be aren't necessarily wise or worth following. Stephen is a civillian: Irishman, catholic, physician, naturalist, an Age of Enlightenment man, who believes that the class system and monarchies are rotten and should give way to a more egalitarian regime. Still, he has a strong sense of duty and puts all his skills in the service of the Naval Intelligence (not shown in the movie), because Bonaparte is just worse than the british state. Stephen's lack of knowledge of/disregard for the ancestral customs of the Navy enables him to be a friend to Jack, an equal, when captains are supposed to be alone (see: Silver being a partner to Flint in a way Gates, a simple quartermaster, never was). They make each other better by disregarding the usual rules of british society in the privacy of their cabin (yeah, they canonically share the cabin, btw). Their use of first names for each other in the movie is a great example: at this time and between a captain and a surgeon, it should be totally inappropriate. (See: Flint calling Gates "Hal")

I like how the movie handles the theme of duty. The characters are in the military in wartime, so obviously they live and breathe duty. Jack's character and his relationship with Stephen are well written enough that it's 100% believable that he would go on an Achab-style quest for the Acheron, going beyond his orders, AND drop it to have Stephen operated on land because he's looking at that cello in his cabin and thinking that no, he can't do it, he can't sacrifice this one, duty be damned. I eat that up.

The fight choreography is amazing. The battle scene at the end is so obviously the result of a lot of talented people working very hard. The music makes your soul travel (the Boccherini string quintet is one of the sounds of love to me). The historical accuracy is crazy insane. (Except that in this particular context, it would make more sense for the enemy ship to be american, not french, like in the book, but eh, american movie. And once you accept this one, the rest is accurate as fuck). The clothes, the technology, the ship, the children at war, oh my it's so perfect. Every time you watch, you catch new details. It's funny! The books have great humor, and that carried over to the movie. It has great performances, too.

I just love it. It stands strong on its own, but when you've read the books, sure you see everything that's missing, but damn, few fandoms are blessed with such a good adaptation.

I can only recommend the books with all my heart, it's one of the rare series of which I can say that it changed me as a person and I'm better for it. The start can be rough because of the naval jargon (although you like ships already, so who knows), but in my experience you can just ignore it and your brain will absorb it and deduce the meaning from the situation as you go along. By the third book, you'll be convinced you can sail a tall ship and you'll be able to predict how the characters will fix damage/alter course/fight, etc. The books just score high on all the points you can expect them to hit.

Here are some posts to make you want to read the books because I can't help myself:

Sorry this was so long. Sorry it turned into a book recommendation. Sorry I rambled (I'm low on grammar and english fluency at this hour). Thank you for giving me the occasion to ramble. Love 💙

#I wanted to answer this privatly but I messed something up with the draft idk #master and commander #aubrey maturin

[radley-writes]

hiii there. i was wondering (all good if not!!) if you have some advice on setups and payoffs. something i get feedback on a lot is that my payoffs don't feel like payoffs because the setups are lacking. i'm wondering if i'm missing something big. thank you in advance!

What a good question!

To simplify, I’m going to assume that setup = fuck around, and payoff = find out, and that you are writing genre rather than literary fiction.

First off: you are not alone.

The setup/payoff balance is notoriously hard to master. Sometimes, there’s so much of the former that the latter falls flat (I’m looking at you, Game of Thrones Season 8). Other times, the climax is so big and showy it feels disjointed from everything that preceded it, as if the writers had a specific vision in mind but didn’t quite connect the dots that led up to it (I’ve heard Batman v Superman falls into this category).

So, what’s the gold standard?

We’re aiming for a long-term progression over the course of our novel, which culminates in one scene (or several) that feels like a natural escalation of those rising conflicts.

Getting this right falls under two categories of writing skill - pacing, and the causal chain (what spurs one character to act in one way, which has a knock-on effect that will in turn stimulate the character to act in a different way).

You don’t have to master either of these on the first draft. Like everything, these can be ‘cleaned up in post’ - i.e., edited into submission. Pacing has been discussed to death - but here are two basic tricks for improving your causal chain, whether you’re a plotter who wants to get everything perfect before you start writing, or a pantser who is trying to wrangle with a messy first draft!

Work forwards towards the climax. Write a short, one-sentence summary of each chapter or scene, cutting out all the dross. Read the resultant plot synopsis. Does this feel coherent? Does one action naturally incite the next? Put yourself in your characters’ shoes - can you truly understand why they’re making those decisions? Have you conveyed that in the text? (Necessary caveat: you can be as implicit and subtle as you like with character motivations, but they still need to be in there.) Does the story feel character-driven (i.e., your character is making choices that affect the plot, rather than constantly being acted on by outside forces)? Do the consequences of these actions feel realistic? Do they all drive in the direction of your final payoff?

Work backwards from the climax. You have a super-cool climactic scene in your head. Now you have to earn it. Look at every element in this scene - setting, Macguffins, characters, emotions... Try and trace the route of each of these back through your novel. Why did you choose this setting for your climax, and can it be improved to be more thematically relevant? Think of the Chekov’s Gun trope: if a gun goes off in the climax, have you hung it on the wall at an earlier point in the novel? Similarly, if you have any plot twists/dramatic betrayals, have you laid the framework for them before the big reveal? What are your characters feeling at this point in the novel, and why? Have their goals changed from the start of the story, and why? How do they feel about that?

It’s important not to forget Rule of Cool. Not everything has to be 100% logical. This is fiction. You can toss in a few extra explosions that your characters miraculously survive.

But you have to keep at least your big toe dipped in reality - if only to the point where every choice your character makes should have a believable consequence attached, according to the rules of your fictional world. If those choices and consequences all point in the direction of your climax, I’d say that your set-up and payoff are more likely to feel balanced.

Obligatory disclaimer: All writing advice is subjective. What works for me may not work for you.

#writeblr #writing advice #plotting #pacing

[dominiquewritesthings]

A Simple Guide to Video Games

From someone who plays casual video games! 

I suggest you play casual video games and find something you like about them. A lot of casual games are typically free-$15 dollars on Steam. Some of them are Indie games that are from smaller developers and others are from more prominent developers to explain the price a bit. Some games may price between $60-$80, which is a lot cheaper than casual games. My favorites are Stardew Valley, Super Auto Pet, The Sims 3 & 4, Friendly Fire, I Love You, Colonel Sanders (don't judge), Space Bear, The Supper, and more! On that list, I only paid for the Sims 3 & 4 and Stardew Valley. 

Understand which kind of games your character would play. Personally, I don't mind casual horror games, but I also play a lot of comforting games. Shooters are definitely not my thing. I'm so bad at them, but I love watching others play them. Racing games like Need for Speed and Mario Kart I play with friends, but I don't own them. 

Develop a gaming ritual for them. Are they healthy gamers? A completionist? Do they consider themselves a bad gamers? Are they a planner? All of this will impact how they enjoy video games. If they're a completionist they'll be sure to complete every side quest and help every NPC! If they're healthy gamers, they tend to stretch during their long gaming hours, rest their eyes, and drink plenty of water. If they consider themselves bad gamers, they may be secretly talented but lack confidence. If they're a planner, they probably plan a lot in their personal life or maybe need control. A lot of the time, how someone plays video games says a lot about them in real life.

Understand that playing video games is a skill. When you play a game, you may not be automatically good at it. Since a lot of video games are either skill-based or strategy based, it takes a lot of work and dedication to get better. This even applies to casual games! I was horrible in Stardew Valley at first, but then a friend of mine showed me some of the basics and now I'm Stardew-Rich. In fact, I made my first 2 million by myself on 12/17/21! I would definitely look into how video games can improve hand-eye coordination. There are some studies that suggest gamers are better drivers because of this. 

Not all mods are bad! Mods can prolong the shelf life of a video game and make it a lot more fun! For instance, there is a huge mod community for the Sims 4. You can find mods for so many things like adding more clothing options, adding new gameplay features, and more! A lot of gaming communities embrace them because they can help gamers continue to enjoy the game while they wait for the developers to come out with the next big thing. 

Lots of us go to the internet to get better at our favorite games. Take Super Auto Pets for instance. That game is tough! It seems easy enough, I mean all you have to do is pick animals to win a fight, right? But when you take into account that the game is not modeled based on real-world animal skills, things get tricky. YOu'd think the flamingo would beat the mosquito, but when you take into account the powerups that the game gives them and how that may impact late-game, it's better to have the mosquito than the flamingo. Of course, this would mainly make sense if you played the game. Or... if you watched youtube videos, witch streams, and looked at the discord for tips like these! Though these may not help you since you can't replicate the gameplay in Episode due to copyright, it will help you understand how much strategy goes into a game like this and how that may impact your character's decisions. 

P. S. Figuring out what time I should schedule Ko‑fi posts! Bare with me because consistency is not me as an author! 

#Episode #Episode Interactive #Writing Advice #Black Author #Author

[lutawolf]

I had a question swirling in my head for a while now, but didn't know how to best phrase it without it potentially coming off as offensive. But you kinda mentioned it in the latest Kinn as Dom post yourself, so I'll jump right onto that.

As a Dominant to a sexual submissive, you have to recognize when they need to lead. There are times when they are knowledgeable and it would do harm to not recognize it.

Basically, the question I had in mind was along the lines of "How do you reconcile dominance with cases of lack of (technical) expertise/competence?"

Making good decisions means making informed decisions. But everyone's human with limited capacity and skills, and we live in a world where things get more complex by the day and sought education focuses on hyper-specialization most of the time. How do you correct a dominant who is right in the midst of doing not the most efficient, an uninformed or outright bad decision without overstepping? (And how do you keep sticking to it, when you are absolutely sure if it's a bad, bad take? Since a Dom can overwrite a subs choices, as I understand?) If it goes really awry, I'm guessing the rescind your trust and submission will happen, but before it goes that far, how do you make one, who isn't recognizing on their own, understand/stop without breaking anything yet? I'm guessing it kinda boils down to broader beats of mutual respect and good communication, and knowing each other well, but I was curious about more practical cues/advices.

(I was also wondering if there anything about that which might even transpose to strangers. Like there are these cases of those clichéd wannabe alpha-individuals trying to dominate e.g. a meeting or something. If you do know things better, taking reigns yourself and kicking them off their high horse isn't so difficult. But hell is the aftermath with such individuals often a pain in the butt. I have been wondering the longest time how you could feed up good information the most elegant way without breaking those alpha-prides, but also not wholly rescinding being credited for your part towards the better result.)

Hey hey,

If we got lost in the woods. It would be team work that saved mine and my husband's ass. I can find water, food, make traps, and loads of other thing. I however, can't find my way out of a paper bag. I have zero sense of direction. So, it would be stupid of me to not recognize that and follow him back to civilization. As we often nature hike, this has happened a few times.

A Dominant doesn't mean all knowing. If you know more, then you need to let them know. It's how you address them that is key.

Example: I fucking put Dominante instead of Dominant on the recent post. Here comes the lovely iffy, "hey question Luta, but why Dominante" Now, honestly I don't need to be tiptoed around that much. However, I highly appreciate the amount of respect she showed me. Only a bad Dom would be unappreciative of how she handled that.

The same would go for situations in the work force. It all in how you word it. Being respectful will get you much further with a Dominant, than trying to enter a pissing contest. Example: A Dominant is putting something together wrong. "Hey, I've done this a few times already. I would love to help if you don't mind?" Nobody but a jack-ass is going to argue with that.

Just because there is difference in the power balance doesn't mean no respect. Well unless you are a slave to Master but that's deep submission and it is consented to. Anyways, in anything other than deep submission there should be respect on both sides.

Hope this was helpful 💜💜💜

#luta #luta question and answer

[chicken-fifi]

Hi! I just have a question related to K-POP in general. If you noticed 1st gen lasted a long time and 2nd gen was exactly 7 years, 3rd Gen was only 6 years because people wanted 4th gen bands right? Now if we take the 7yr generation thing 3rd gen should've ended in 2019 making bands such as Stray Kids 3rd gen but it ended in 2018. Cool. Now if we add 7 years to 2018 it is 2018+7=2025. But 5th gen started in around September 2023 people didn't give 4th gen bands even 6 years. Now trainees usually join the company around 13-14yrs of age which is ig the age of maknaes of a few 5th gen bands like BABYMON, VCHA, UNIS. Like literally Heechul yesterday posted on his story with a screenshot of Chiquita's age commenting that even his cat is 3yrs older than her. Now my question is WHY ARE PEOPLE SO MAD ABOUT COMPANIES DEBUTING MINOR IDOLS!! IF THEY'RE FORCING THE GENERATIONS TO START EARLY!!! THE COMPANY MIGHT NOT HAVE ADULT TRAINEES OR 17-18 YR OLD TRAINEES TO DEBUT!? Now even if they do it's all about potential if a 17-18 yr old trainee does not have the potential to debut yet they will not debut them just because they are older. If a younger trainee does they will debut. It's just how life is! If they debut someone who can't properly sing live they will bashed ex LE SSERAFIM (girls have talent but they urgently need proper vocal training).

And boycotting your favorite idols because the company is not treating them right! It may work and may have worked in the past but i can also have serious counter implications too. The company may mistreat the more! make them work more. Please think before boycotting Companies are not the only ones at fault. Netzines should realize that if they demand for a generation before it's time minor and young idols will debut. Sorry for my rant but im just so sick and tired of this minor idol and boycott this and that shit.

I woke up to this and have been debating on whether or not to even answer it if I'm being honest, and I've decided to do so. Despite the fact that I know I'm going to be treading in some murky water with my own views, but oh well.

For starters, people are allowed and will boycott anything they want, regardless of the repercussions they may have that may counter what they originally wanted.

Number two, I personally don't listen to any of the 4th or 5th gen artists in Kpop. It's not something that has called out to my attention for many of the reasons that you've brought up, in addition to the fact that I don't agree with putting any 13-14 yrs in the medias line of fire, especially one that is known to be as toxic as it is. There is so much pivotal stuff going on in those teenage years that should be at the forefront rather than a career in the entertainment industry in my opinion.

I also have the mindset that if you can't do the basics (singing live, dancing well, etc) you shouldn't be debuting. Granted there is always room for growth and improvement, but if you can't do the foundational stuff, companies shouldn't be debuting groups that are then set up for failure because they lack such basic skills.

I do agree that companies aren't the only ones at fault, but they are ones that are choosing to debut younger and younger idols in such conditions, which as grown adults, they should know better. And it's so easy to say from an outsiders perspective who doesn't run a company or has to keep in mind the money and cost of paying employees, bills, taxes, and such at all times, but they have the ultimate decision of saying no to debuting trainees that aren't ready. They have the ultimate decision on who they choose to listen to. They are the ones that run this shit sadly.

These companies/agencies, know they have other artists who are talented and have been around for years, who deserve the proper management and comebacks fans and people have been waiting for, but they choose to put children, literal children, in the line of fire for the sake of profit that ultimate harms them because they aren't ready.

This is also probably out of context and I should've mentioned it earlier, but I also think about the trauma it could lead to for such young individuals. We've seen and heard about from various child/teen actors here in the states, so it's ignorant to not think about it being something that happens abroad.

At this point I'm rambling so I'm just gonna stop before it get any more incoherent.

And officially to answer your question, people are angry for the right reasons in their own opinions, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. They never asked for a new generation to start, they asked for the already existing one to do better. To be good at what they're supposed to do. Not for another repeat to happen.

I more than likely will be deleting this at some point because I just don't want to even get involved in this mess, since I quite frankly don't have the mental fuck to give. I don't listen to anyone in that generation so there you have it.

#more than likely won't be answering any asks on this topic once i post this #so don't send them expecting to start stuff #i'm growing a pair and will be blocking people #cause quite frankly i'm tired #interact with this post or don't #don't get mad for people boycotting whatever they want to boycott #it's their choice and as far as anyone should be concerned it's none of our business to judge them for it #unless it's just ethically and morally wrong for basic human purposes #then you're just wrong

[denturesmelbourne]

Why Custom-Fit Mouthguards are Essential for Athletes?

When it comes to sports and athletics, safety should always be a top priority. One often overlooked but crucial aspect of athlete safety is the protection of the oral cavity. In the fast-paced world of competitive sports, where every move counts, athletes need more than just skill and strategy – they need the right gear to safeguard themselves. This brings us to a small yet mighty accessory: mouthguards.

In this blog post, we'll delve into the significance of opting for custom-fit best mouthguards in Melbourne over their generic counterparts.

The Basics of Mouthguards

Before we explore the advantages of custom-fit mouthguards, let's understand the fundamental role mouthguards play in an athlete's life. These protective devices are designed to shield the teeth, gums, and jaws during high-impact sports activities.

Whether you're a professional athlete or someone who enjoys recreational sports, the risk of oral injuries is always present. That's where mouthguards come to the rescue, providing a layer of defence against unexpected blows and collisions.

Generic Mouthguards: A One-Size-Fits-None Approach

Generic mouthguards, available over the counter, may seem like a convenient option. However, they often fall short of delivering the necessary protection. The one-size-fits-all approach tends to compromise both comfort and effectiveness.

Ill-fitting mouthguards can slip during intense moments of play, leaving athletes vulnerable to injuries. Moreover, the lack of customisation might result in reduced speech clarity, making communication on the field challenging.

Custom-Fit Mouthguards: Tailored for Peak Performance

On the other hand, custom-fit mouthguards offer a personalised solution. Dentists create these mouthguards by taking impressions of the athlete's teeth, ensuring a snug fit that adheres closely to the contours of the mouth.

This tailored approach not only enhances comfort but also maximises protection. Custom-fit mouthguards stay securely in place, providing an added layer of confidence to athletes during games or competitions.

Advantages of Custom-Fit Mouthguards

1. Enhanced Comfort and Wearability

One of the standout benefits of custom-fit mouthguards is the superior comfort they offer. Unlike their generic counterparts, these mouthguards don't cause discomfort or interfere with breathing, allowing athletes to focus entirely on their performance.

The snug fit ensures a natural feel, promoting wearability for extended periods without any irritation.

2. Optimal Protection Against Injuries

The primary purpose of a mouthguard is to protect against injuries, and custom-fit options excel in this regard. The tailored design ensures comprehensive coverage, safeguarding not just the teeth but also the entire oral cavity.

This can be particularly crucial in contact sports where unexpected impacts are part of the game. Athletes can confidently engage in their sport, knowing their smiles are shielded from potential harm.

3. Improved Speech and Communication

Communication is key in team sports, and an often-underestimated aspect of mouthguards Melbourne is their impact on speech clarity. Generic mouthguards can hinder effective communication, leading to misunderstandings on the field.

Custom-fit mouthguards, with their precision fit, allow athletes to articulate clearly, ensuring seamless interaction with teammates and coaches.

4. Durability for Long-Term Use

Investing in a custom-fit mouthguard is not just a one-time benefit. These mouthguards are designed to withstand the rigours of regular use. Their durability ensures that athletes can rely on them for the long term without worrying about wear and tear.

This longevity makes custom-fit mouthguards a cost-effective choice, considering the potential expenses associated with dental injuries.

Making the Right Choice for Athlete Safety

In the world of sports, every decision counts. Choosing the right mouthguard is no exception. While generic options may offer a quick fix, the long-term advantages of custom-fit mouthguards cannot be overstated.

From enhanced comfort to optimal protection, these personalised accessories cater to the specific needs of each athlete, empowering them to perform at their best without compromising safety.

Conclusion

The journey to peak athletic performance involves more than just skill development and rigorous training. It encompasses making informed choices about protective gear, with mouthguards Melbourne playing a pivotal role in ensuring athlete safety.

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[riftstudiosnyc]

Aid in establishing a recording studio

There are fundamentally such boundless things that ought to be thought of. It encompasses the room, beneficiary decisions and strategies, soundproofing and acoustic treatment, studio screen positions, and more. I've zeroed in on everything thoroughly. I truly don't remember I'm particularly skilled about the field. I manage Do-It-Yourself projects and high-priced household items that amuse audiophiles. Regardless, since I've never chosen to please them, I'm fine with that. My businesses specialize in punk music. Therefore, for my purposes, winning the show really has just as much to do with the chance of the music as it does with the production. Therefore, my general goal is to locate a charming focus area. Essentially, I think I've really had the decision to do this in my recording studio.

I made a choice that could be helpful to local entertainers who typically lack the financial means to stay in a master recording studio. I never, ever had the money at that time or in the future. How is it that you could think I appeared? I would prefer to have a sufficient number of helpful hints and misdirections available to assist novices in entering the sound recording industry. Actually, the affiliation shouldn't be surprising. Although it won't always be immediate, it will generally be less obnoxious.

Start with the room. Stop if it doesn't sound great. It's time to act. To help clean up the low-end thunder, place bass gets in the corners. Place broadband insurances at key reflection thinks commonly through the room. There are a lot of Do-It-Yourself manages both of these. By stacking fiberglass into a self-made frame with wire, I helped myself get bass. I then covered them with inexperienced content at that point. I basically took some love seat cushions from the roadside and used them for the reflection networks. Nonetheless, I attempted to spray them with a sanitizer sprinkle. Both of these methods will be extremely helpful. Since beneficiaries will consume what you feed them, it makes sense to provide them with something they can enjoy and process quickly.

A fluctuating retail price does not have to accompany extraordinary studio equipment. We should research intensifiers. If used correctly, a modest collection of Crack Studios could guide you through an entire gathering.

Plus, there are similarly exceptional different brands that give serious strong regions for quality at a spending plan cost. Do some evaluation. Look at some enhancer shootouts on the web. Ideally, condenser intensifiers should reproduce the typical room sound. The most common choice for overheads for a drum set is a set of condenser microphones that are matched. As the situation progresses, there should be obvious conclusions, but there are no specific headings. primarily post for stage problems. Additionally, have faith in your ears. Go with it if you expect it to sound perfect.

In the recording studio, precise screens play a crucial role. They are essential for producing an unambiguous sound. An all that considered level tedious reaction is required. High and bass frequencies shouldn't be silly. The room ought to be incontestable at some point in order for the screens to function unambiguously. At this point, the significance of acoustic treatment may be the most significant aspect. Make assessments of the room with a fair condenser assessment mouthpiece. For this, I use the REW Room EQ programming. It's astoundingly easy to utilize and can be set up rather rapidly. I had the option, with barely any energy left, to keep my room at 3db across the entire repetitive response. In addition, I have received no unpleasant remarks regarding the recording studio's sound.

As a result, there are a few different ways to set up a recording studio. The best time to follow the current hit record is right now.

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[armiesofhell]

I'm trying to do my work for online chem while listening to taz, and I've been incapacitated several times by panic attacks and absolute laughter. Please stop, mcelroys, i just want to do chem.

#please dont try this at home #seriously #do your at homework #don't lack basic decision making skills then post about it #just #do #chem

[never-mess-with-the-uchihas]

This is by some noice SasuSaku hater 🙃

"When Itachi finally opened up to Sasuke he brought their foreheads together, symbolising that all the distance and lies between them have finally come to rest and they're two brothers who love each other. Kishimoto made it VERY clear in the manga what the poke meant and also explained that the Clan symbol isn't as important as we think.

I have no idea whyyy he forgot about his own writing and made Sasuke poke his wife/daughter even though its meaning has already been established, and the more affectionate gesture(bringing foreheads together) has also been drawn?? Plus Sakura has plastered the Uchiha symbol ALL over her house, clothes even the goddamn lunch box lol. Sasuke himself doesn't even wear crest, but in his novel he asks Sakura to adorn the Uchiha crest in his proposal (COMPLETELY forgetting/disregarding Itachi)?? What was the point of giving the whole Uchiha crest explaination through Itachi then? A SasuSaku fan told me that in one of the Novel Sasuke thinks that his bond with Sakura is even stronger/unbreakable than his bond with Itachi? Wtf!? How can Sasuke compare ANYONE's bond with Itachi lmao. Heck I think as much as he loves Naruto as a bro, Sasuke still wouldn't put even him in the same pedestal as Itachi, but he's talking like that about Sakura?? How will you compare your Brother’s love to your Wife's love like it doesn't make sense!? Especially for Sasuke who loves and respects Itachi more than anyone else-? And we're supposed to eat that shit up? They are canon I know, but don't think the novels make any sense honestly

I don't understand the decisions these writers took regarding SasuSaku and their fans dance in happiness after reading all this too, completely ignoring the true meaning conveyed earlier in Shippudden. Whatever we have to accept it and move on I guess…"

Me:

Lol... Who the hell is this stupid ass person? XD

I highly doubt he/she has even read the manga or any of the novels, or even watched the series properly. Because more than 99% of this post is based on pure garbage 😂.

"How can Kishimoto forget that Forehead poke and Clan Symbol is a negative thing AND BLA BLA BLA"

Another one of those idiots who believes tha THEY KNOW THE SERIES AND THE CHARACTERS EVEN BETTER THAN THE FUCKING CREATER.

They completely choose to ignore that, Even till this day, Sasuke remembers Itachi's forehead pokes more than he remembers that forehead-to-forehead touch. I don't understand, How can these people expect Sasuke to JUST COMPLETELY FORGET A GESTURE THAT ITACHI HAD GIVEN HIM HIS ENTIRE LIFE ?

What Sasuke really remembers AGAIN AND AGAIN is Itachi's last words to him -

"I will love you Forever"

Not the forehead-to-forehead touch.

And what's their problem if Kishimoto has shown Sasuke to use Itachi's forehead poke as a positive gesture to his wife and daughter? Why can't these people just accept that Sasuke is finally happy, and MOVE ON WITH THEIR FUCKING LIVES.

"Plus Sakura has plastered the Uchiha symbol ALL over her house, clothes even the goddamn lunch box lol.

What is so "LOL" about Sakura having the Uchiha clan symbol in HER OWN HOUSE!?

It wasn't just Sakura, The ENTIRE UCHIHA CLAN USED TO HAVE THEIR SYMBOL PLASTERED ALL OVER THE HOUSE AND THE WALLS OF THE STREET. EVEN IN THE POLICE STATION, ALL OF THEIR CLOTHES, LUNCH BOXES.

SO, IS THIS PERSON GOING TO "LOL" THE ENTIRE UCHIHA CLAN, NOW?

"Sasuke himself doesn't even wear crest, but in his novel he asks Sakura to adorn the Uchiha crest in his proposal (COMPLETELY forgetting/disregarding Itachi)?? What was the point of giving the whole Uchiha crest explaination through Itachi then?"

Which novel is this person even talking about?? 😂😂

First, Sasuke doesn't wear his crest because HE IS ON S-RANKED TOP-SECRET UNDERCOVER MISSIONS MOST OF THE TIMES. NOT BECAUSE HE IS ASHAMED TO WEAR HIS FAMILY CREST.

And THERE IS NO SUCH NOVEL where Sasuke said any of these shit. And What Itachi actually meant was the "Unreasonable Pride" that people felt over a symbol and a clan. HE WAS ASKING TO LET GO OF THAT UNREASONABLE PRIDE, NOT THE LOVE FOR HIS CLAN. He never said that YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOUR OWN CLAN AND IT'S SYMBOL. People really need to use basic comprehensive skill to understand the actual meaning of the words. DON'T TWIST AND TURN HIS WORDS AND BLAME SASUKE FOR "DISREGARDING" ITACHI, when he did no such thing. EVER. STOP BULLSHITTING ABOUT SASUKE AND ITACHI JUST BECAUSE YOUR SHIP DIDN'T BECOME CANON.

"In one of the Novel Sasuke thinks that his bond with Sakura is even stronger/unbreakable than his bond with Itachi? Wtf!? How can Sasuke compare ANYONE's bond with Itachi Imao.... How will you compare your Brother's love to your Wife's love like it doesn't make sense!? Especially for Sasuke who loves and respects Itachi more than anyone else-? And we're supposed to eat that shit up? They are canon I know, but don't think the novels make any sense honestly I don't understand the decisions these writers took regarding SasuSaku and their fans dance in happiness after reading all this too"

WHICH NOVEL IS THIS PERSON EVEN TALKING ABOUT !? 😂

WHERE THE HELL ARE THESE PEOPLE EVEN BRINGING THESE SHIT FROM!?? THEIR LACK OF AWARENESS ABOUT THE ACTUAL FACTS IS STARTING TO MAKE MY HEAD HURT, TBH.

SASUKE HAS NEVER. I REPEAT NEVER. COMPARED HIS LOVE FOR ITACHI WITH ANY OTHER CHARACTER IN ANY OF THE NOVELS.

And No, We don't "dance with hapiness" after reading what you did, because what you have been reading was nothing but ultra mega Bullshit. 😂

READ THE ACTUAL NOVELS AND MANGA, AND REALLY WATCH THE SERIES BEFORE CLAIMING THAT THE AUTHORS ARE FORCING YOU TO "EAT THAT SHIT".

And Just stop BRINGING UP RANDOM FAKE STATEMENTS, just to prove that the Novels make the characters OOC.

"Whatever... We just have to accept it and move on I guess..."

Which You clearly weren't able to do. Considering the fact that it's been FUCKING 7 YEARS. And you are still going on and on.

#sasusaku #sakura haruno #sasuke uchiha #pro sakura haruno #haruno sakura #pro haruno sakura #sakura uchiha #pro sakura uchiha #uchiha sasuke #pro uchiha sasuke #uchiha clan #pro sasuke uchiha #sasuke sakura #boruto #naruto #sasuke #sakura #pro sasusaku #pro sasusakusara #sasusakusara #itachi uchiha #uchiha itachi #itachi #pro uchiha itachi #sasuke itachi

[scandalsavagefanfic]

Hello! I am a huge fan of ur writing. I've loved everything I've read of yours. I've read alot of what you've posted, except for a couple of the tags that are squicky for me (so I'm very thankful you tag very thoroughly). No judgement for the squick, it's just not for me. & when I'm having a bad day, I usually just go thru ur ao3 and find something to reread. I think about Therapy's Bruce & Jason every damn day. While I obvs appreciate ur darker more "problematic" content (I really vibe with some of the themes you write about bc of my own trauma, & so it's very cathartic to read about in a fictional setting), I am truly a sucker for ur more happy content. The Happily Ever After verse also lives in my head rent free. Idk more wholesome stuff just seems more special when you write it. Anyways. I would die for you. But the point of this ask is cause I'm curious as to why you don't like Urban Legends? I'm sorry if you already talked about it here or on twitter and I missed it. I was just wondering because I really enjoy your take on things and would love to hear why you dislike it. I've been enjoying it so far personally, but I am always open to DC comics criticism.

Aw thank you so much! I'm so flattered by everything you just said. You're so sweet ❤❤❤❤❤

I haven't talked about Urban Legends here or twitter (I haven't been very active in either place lately. Just a lot going on and no energy 😔) but I'm happy to do it here.

Before I start though, I just want to add a standard disclaimer and make it clear that if you like it, there's nothing wrong with that and you don't have to let me ruin it for you lol. Like what you like.

That said, since you asked...

I said this when I was talking about it on discord, that there is a difference between hope and expectation. I always hope that a new story centered on Jason (or anyone really, but things have been especially egregious for Jay for 15 years) will be good or at least treat the character with a minimal level of respect (to be honest, the bar is super fucking low). But my expectations always temper my hope, to keep it from getting unrealistic. Because my expectations are based on experience.

The long history of Jason Todd, since even before his resurrection, has been one of retroactively trying to make him "a bad seed" in order to absolve Bruce of any responsibility in his death.

I don't even expect DC or their writers to start honoring the fact that Jason was not an angry, reckless Robin (and less of the later than Dick or Tim and definitely Damian). There plenty of ways that retcon can be folded into his history and be compelling and sympathetic. And if they're going to stick with that retcon, I'm only asking that they do it in one of those compelling and sympathetic ways because Jason was 15 when he died, heroically, in one of the most selfless acts in comics, to save a woman who literally handed him over to be brutally murdered. He was 12 when Bruce plucked him off the streets, he'd been homeless and fending for himself for at least two years. I personally think that Jason's story hits harder for him and Bruce if their original, canon relationship, of Jason as starry-eyed and eager to learn and absolutely devoted to Bruce and Bruce to Jason, is preserved. But Jason's origins does leave room for a meaningful interpretation of him as angry and frustrated at the lack of meaningful results of Bruce's methods.

And that's really where my irritation at stories like Batman: Urban Legends, Cheer and Batman The Adventure Continues has it's roots.

Every time one of these stories comes out, I think (or hope, rather) that this will be the one that remembers and respects the origins of the Jason and the Red Hood, that takes into account the changed sensibilities of comics readers in the 30 years since Jason's death and the subtle, 20 year, retroactive campaign to make him the "bad Robin". The "born bad" trope is played out and literally no one likes the message it implies. That some kids are just bad eggs and there's nothing parents or the adults around them can do. Especially when it's played as the kid's fault. If Jason's time as Robin is going to be characterized by anger, then it should be rooted in anger at the social injustices he witnessed as he grew up in an impoverished, crime-ridden, area and the horrors he faced raising himself when every day was a battle for survival. There are topical, meaningful, stories to tell with that backdrop.

But those are never the stories we get.

⚠⚠ Spoilers for Batman: Urban Legends, Cheer ⚠⚠

I'm particularly disappointed in Urban Legends because for the first issue, it looked like that was the kind of story we were going to get. I was put off by the first flashback of Jason being mesmerized by Bruce's guns, and I got that feeling in my gut that it was a bad sign. Jason depicted as impatient and overconfident and the scene with the guns is heavy-handed foreshadowing that got my spidey-sense tingling. I had a inkling then (in the first three pages) of how this story was going to play out, but it was early and I could still see many narrative paths that could lead to a satisfying story. My concerns were soothed somewhat and the little flame of my hope fanned, with the flashback of Alfred scolding Bruce, with Barbara's concern for Jason. A bit of worry returned with the way Jason ruthlessly pursued an addict who didn't appear to be a dealer and with the ending of the issue. The stuff with the addict sat wrong with me but the ending was tempered some by how despicable Tyler's dad was written. The scene was clearly set so that the reader could sympathize with Jason's decision and the scene with the addict could be brushed aside as a side-effect of comics over-the-top need for constant action, so I still held hope.

Issue 2 made me uncomfortable and it's where my hope starts to take a backseat to my expectations. I can dismiss Jason's self-deprecating internal monologue as unreliable narration, except that the flashback reinforces his thought process to explicitly show that it's not unreliable narration, and should be taken at face value. Jason faces physical abuse at the hands of his mother's drug dealer and when the flashback continues later, Jason kills the drug dealer. To be clear, this is a pre-Bruce Jason. His mom is still alive. He's like... 10. He kills this guy for shoving his head into a wall and implying Jason's mother paid for her drugs with sex. This is a scene that serves a single purpose. To show that Jason has always been prone to violence.

In the spirit of full disclosure, there is the small chance the drug dealer might not be dead. But the story obviously wants the reader to think he is, and it hasn't done anything to change that yet.

Starlin already did this story with The Diplomat’s Son in 1988 and he did it infinitely better. AND that’s still technically canon. So now I’m supposed to believe that Jason lost his cool bad enough to kill two douche bags before his sweet 16? Like it’s totally normal for abused kids raised in poverty, who’ve led hard and heartbreaking lives to just... haul off and kill people? That’s bullshit, and when taken with the Jason in the third issue, who is little more than an idiot thug, this story is really doubling down on some fucked up stereotypes.

Which brings us to the most recent issue. I went into this installment with very low expectations. I thought this story was going to be about Jason, through this experience with Tyler, a young boy with a similar background to Jason's, coming to the realization that Bruce's way is the best way and that Bruce did his best by Jason.

That would be annoying (in no small part because it takes increasingly absurd levels of plot armor to keep Bruce's no kill rule relevant, let alone irrefutably right). But I can probably live with that, if only because maybe if Jason officially falls back into line with the Bats crusade, maybe I'll get stories that treat him with respect, stories that don't relegate him to comic relief, dumb brute, or a background body with no lines in a story about the Joker burning Gotham (like Jason would just fucking stand there quietly for that).

And that may still be where the story is going, Jason realizing Bruce is right.

But holy shit do I not have the right words to describe how fucking insulting and gross issue three is.

From start to finish--including the flashback--Jason is written as cruel and fucking stupid. Like straight up dumb.

The entire issue is Bruce explaining the fucking basics to Jason like it's his first day. And Jason flies off the fucking handle and terrorizes a doctor he knows isn't a part of making the Cheerdrops, beats the shit out of some random addicts, and finally, when he can't accomplish anything on his own because he's a dumb brute he calls Barbara for help and rushes in with no information where he's promptly incapacitated and must now wait to be rescued by Batman.

This panel is the least of the issues sins but I can’t screenshot the entire story but it’s representative of the tone for the whole issue (and retroactively tainted the prior two issues).

This is beyond insulting. The only conclusions Jason comes to in this issue are the ones Bruce leads him to by talking to him like he can’t make the simplest connections. And like... in this story Jason can’t make the simplest connections.

This (and the Jason throughout the entirety of this issue) is a far cry from the Jason we fell in love with in Under the Red Hood, who was competent and strategic and intelligent enough to seize control of Gotham’s underworld from Black Mask (who’s no fucking slouch, he’s the first and only person to unify organized crime in Gotham) AND elude and manipulate Bruce until the time and place of his choosing.

This is a far cry from even the Red Hood and the Outlaws Jason who is competent enough to fight the League of Shadows and Ra’s al Ghul (among very dangerous and skilled others) and smart enough to create antidotes for mind control nanotech viruses.

As he should be, by the way. Jason Todd is one of the best, most comprehensively trained fighters in DC’s stable of non powered vigilantes. He’s not irrational or hot headed. He’s pragmatic, tactically minded, and patient. He’s a detective. Right now. Has been since he was 12. Bruce doesn’t have to make him one because he already is. 

Jason is not a stupid thug who uses his fists because his brain doesn’t work. And I can’t tell you how so very exhausted I am by this narrative. 

This is actually the most egregious example of Jason’s skills and intelligence being not just undermined but dismissed entirely. Even Morrison’s Jason had some degree of competency. 

The one, single redeeming factor of this story is the art. It’s beautiful. And Marcus To is a godsend he seems to be one of only a couple of artists who remember that Jason was a child when he was Robin and I’m literally only buying this book because of him. 

Anyway, I’m sorry. I didn’t want that to come out so... um... passionately lol. I’m just very very tired. My intention with this isn’t to ruin it for you, if you like it, that’s fine. 

But this issue shot this story to the top of my "Vehemently Despise” list. 1) Batman: Urban Legends (Cheer), 2) Battle for the Cowl/Morrison’s Batman and Robin, 3) Batman The Adventure Continues.

I hope the next issues somehow salvage this dumpster fire. But I’m not expecting it.

(Damnit. That sounded harsh again. To reiterate, I’m not trying to judge anyone who enjoys it, I just personally hate it and you asked me why lol 😅)

#Batman #red hood #batman: urban legends #nice art #shit story #or at least shit characterization #jason todd deserves better #this response got long and I didn't edit it #please forgive any errors #and/or unclear spots #spoilers

[wickedpact]

A ranking of all the TTT stories in order of how much I liked them.

(Oh god this is so long)

1 My Mother's Axe

BABY ANDYYYYYYYYYYYY. Honestly this one had the trifecta of developing a character's motivations, developing a character's backstory, & developing their personality. The story starting out with Andy teaching Nile to use the axe was so charming and fun, and you could feel that chemistry they had in Opening Fire, the way they teased and bickered with each other so naturally. I loved the wedge between them on the subject of the axe, how Nile was perhaps a little too young to understand Andy's feelings about whether or not its the 'same' axe. I also love how the axe is obviously the symbol of the franchise and hugely important, but you never get a sense of exactly how important it is to Andy until you read the story.

I love the entire Ship of Theseus theme, and how it feels so natural that for Andy she has to get attached to the idea of things rather than the things themselves because she'll always outlive the things themselves-- the axe is symbolically her mom's axe, even if physically it isn't. And I love how she clearly clings to that concept so tightly. "This is the labrys she held in her hands...." IT GETS ME.

And the fact that this sense of BELONGING, of FAMILY, of CULTURE is so important to Andy that she clings to it (figuratively and literally) with both hands. And of course it's important to her, she spent so long alone that the woman doesn't even remember her birth name. That axe (or the idea of that axe) is all she has left of her mother and that family/culture she was born into.

PLUS on that note I love how Andy doesn't remember if her mom was her actual biological mother, but it doesn't matter to her. This woman was her mother in all the ways that counted. And how her mom BETRAYED AND KILLED Andy but Andy loved her so much that she avenged her and carried her axe for thousands of years. THOUSANDS OF YEARS!!!!!!

I also loved how the story transcends the timeline of the whole franchise and seeing Andy through the years. Loved seeing her with the varying squads and with varying axes. Also baby Andy was so cute. It was cool seeing her so young. like holy fuck. Andromache The Scythian, Immortal Warrior (but smol). Love that.

Also I think this one is one of the few ttt stories that doesn't suffer from length problems.

tldr: goddammit greg you've done it again.

2 Zanzibar and Other Harbors

Zanzibar my beloved. I've said before, but it's downright comedic how little regard there was for Joe and Nicky's character designs in this story. The same person who does the colors for the regular comic did the colors for this one too, and you can tell, every panel of this story was Beautiful.

Ik there was A Lot of criticism of this one (lmao @ how the fandom had no idea what was to come) but I thought a lot of The Discourse was a bit dramatic. I did think Nicky came off as a little oblivious to Joe's feelings in this story, but I've said before, I honestly think that was a 'tone not translating' thing. It felt like Nicky was nagging Joe for [checks notes] saving innocent people, but Joe was so amused by Nicky's complaints I really do think it was supposed to come off as teasing.

Plus I know the 'Joe running off into danger and Nicky reluctantly following' dynamic wasn't popular (I'm a pretty meh on it meself) but I did love how Joe's impulsiveness (if you want to call it that) was interpreted as heroism and not hot-hotheadedness. All of the examples Nicky and Joe talked about included Joe explicitly saving people. (and it also took A Lot for the nazi to actually provoke Joe).

I also feel like their characterization here was closest to the movie canon-- the bit where they hear the woman scream and Joe goes running in to save her while Nicky swoops in on Joe's heels to comfort her while Joe and the nazi were fighting reminds me of the train car scene. Joe had suggested First that they go find Nile because she needed to be protected, and Nicky later added that Nile probably also needed emotional support. Similar reactions.

But it was So Good, the themes of queer community and the enduring nature of queer culture are Not themes you see in media that often and it was such a delight how it was done. Also it's one of the few more modern TTT stories that has a completely valid excuse for taking place when it did. Chef's kiss.

3 Passchendaele

I love the Duality between seeing baby Andy and then seeing Mama Andy in the very next issue. This story doesn't have a ton of meat to it, but the entire concept of Andy adopting a war orphan straight off the battlefield PLUCKS MY TENDER LITTLE HEARTSTRINGS, and I think it's especially poignant for comic!Andy. I think most people wouldn't think twice about movie!Andy doing something like that but comic Andy is so hardened and almost cruel sometimes, and seeing that even for her the world hasn't beaten all of the compassion from her yet is SO!!!!!!! this woman contains MULTITUDES okay, she's violent and angry and tired and Done but she's also so kind and compassionate and THE STRENGTH OF HER!!!!! Also the idea of her and Yitzhak co-raising a kid together is so damn cute. It was #mysterious pre-Yitzhak-story but now it's cute. holy fuck. It's cute.

& the headbonk panel of her and Zeus lives in my heart. anyways.

4 Many Happy Returns

I Know people weren't thrilled about Booker being in this one, but I've developed a pet-peeve about that: this story was *not* booker-centric. Booker only exists in this story to the extent required to explain the importance of the gesture Nile makes towards him. If there was a story about Booker making some grand gesture of kindness to Nile no one would be saying it was Nile-centric. bc it wouldn't be! Booker exists in this story to explore Nile's kindness, its not about him. I saw that a couple times and it bothered me. anyways.

AAAAAAAAAA I loved this one, the art was beautiful, I loved how Andy Nile and Booker were drawn (like their comic selves but.. more looking like actual people). I loved Andy and Nile's Bants, how Andy wanted to jump right in and Do Violence but Nile was basically telling her to hold her horses.

I feel like I'm just repeating the post I made on this story a few days ago, but I LOVED how Nile's plan revolves not around violence or Cool Mercenary Skills but on Nile's own life skills (as she canonly did a lot of minimum wage job-hopping before the marines in comics canon). Her plan used her skills, not the skills of an immortal warrior, and HER SKILLS were in fact more useful for the situation! lov to see Nile's resourcefulness and planning skills.

AND HOW NILE WAS PROBABLY WATCHING BOOKER??? it's so Much bc 1.) nile knew booker A SINGLE DAY and yet he made such an impression on her emotionally that she had to keep an eye on him and 2.) she said in the movie she wanted Booker to get off free with an apology. Yes she's a member of the team but that doesn't mean she's necessarily going to follow orders like a good little soldier. I also love how she convinced Andy to go along with it. her HEART, her KINDNESS, her THOUGHTFULNESS, UGH.

5 The Bear

Honestly I have like no negative things to say about this one other than a.) character design issues which is less about the story itself and is more of a 'tog comic in general' criticism and b.) too short, but it was supposed to be a tease, so.

But I loved Yitzhak, I wasn't expecting to really like him at all but like I said in my other post, he tickled me. I love characters who are Kind™, especially if they have little reason to be so given their backgrounds. Chef's kiss. Lov him.

6 Bonsai Shokunin

I know this one was a little controversial bc of the outsider POV but whenever I see people upset about that they never point out that the Outsider Guy (the samurai) existed as a reflection on Noriko. His ideas are explained in the text to develop hers. The whole story follows how she gave mercy to a scared young man and in response he murdered Noriko, repeatedly! Who gave him the right to inflict such pain and suffering on the world? In his opinion, the lack of response from the gods was his permission. And for Noriko-- over and over again she dies and suffers because she gave mercy, which lines up with her ideas in FM about how it's their fate to rule mortals and if they don't align with that plan/fate/whatever then they suffer. It shows some background to those ideas and how they developed in her mind outside of Ocean Madness™. Additionally, his idea of 'the Gods have done nothing to strike me down so it's fine if I do these things' kind of explains how Noriko may justify her own morally corrupt actions-- she's died so many times and it's never stuck. Maybe if she did die any of those times, or while she was in the water, maybe that would've been a sign she was doing something right, or at least doing something normal. But she hasn't died. Fate isn't done with Noriko yet. And maybe there's a reason for that. In her mind, it's just not a very pleasant reason, is all.

There were things I was kind of meh about tho. I did kind of wish we saw something of Noriko and the team, or smth explaining the way she was before her dip in the pool-- personality, likes dislikes, etc. but it wasn't bad or anything. It was super vague tho, I had to read it a few times before I got what it was going for. Liked the art. Liked the bonsai metaphor. And of course I Respect the decision to use the 1300s (1200s? I don't remember off the top of my head) rather than using the last 200 years.

7 Strong Medicine

Honestly looking back, this one made me kind of sad because both this one and Bonsai Shokunin explored character's ideas on Fate and The Divine and how that intersects with immortality and I totally thought that theme would be continued, especially with Love Letters. But Then It Wasn't™.

Admittedly.... I had to re-read this one to remember most of it. I liked Booker's ideas on God, 'The conductor of the symphony just may not be very good at his trade' but the plot itself was kind of forgettable. Some fuckin cowboys try to kill a doctor (their second) because he couldn't save their sickly brother. Book tries to stop them, gets killed, and then comes back and kills them all before they get the doctor. Alright. I liked the artstyle because the characters were ugly in a similar way that leandro's are, but way more bearable.

I love the Irony of Booker concluding that there is no such thing as fate or destiny and nothing has meaning, AS HE UNKNOWINGLY SAVES MERRICK'S GRANDFATHER FROM BEING KILLED. Booker getting fucked over by life/god/destiny yet again. It also kind of explains about where the fuck hell Merrick's interest in immortal mercenaries even came from.

I originally had this one a lot higher and then I thought about it and moved it down like two spots.

8 Never Gets Old

I liked seeing Booker interact with his kid. And we got a name for the kid! Philippe was a little bitch though, he was a little obnoxious. I liked how Booker was so thrilled to experience a restaurant with his kid (and since we know he was there before, it can be assumed he went with all of his kids and yet he was so charmed each time). It fits with his line to Nicky in the moon landing story about how you don't appreciate beautiful things 'unless you have someone to share them with'. It was charming to see Booker interact with his kid, and to see him so happy. Also lmao @ Booker's big fat Ye Olde Crush on Andy.

However at the same time it was like.. of all the things to write about,,, I guess? Booker's Night Out...... alright. Especially since Book had so many stories.

I don't know, it was alright. The old man killing him really came out of nowhere, (but the 'Salut, asshole!' panel was funny tho).

9 How To Make a Ghost Town

I've hit a point where talking about these stories has gotten less fun. I liked this one but I felt like Achilles getting lynched was not really necessary for a story that was already tragic (a story that already involved Achilles doing a lot of suffering at the hand of bigots). When we first got the blurb for this story I thought it would be about Andy returning to the squad and making friends with Booker after losing Achilles and them butting heads on the idea of family and when to cut off ties. So a little bit of my underwhelmedness about this one might be just my expectations being different.

Honestly I was pretty interested in Andy and Achilles' relationship and I would've liked to see more of them-- like, what was their dynamic like? What did they love about each other?

But anyways Andy leaving and Achilles getting killed anyways feels so pointlessly tragic (which I suppose is the point..... I don't like tragedies) she left to save him and yet people killed him anyway. Meh.

I did love the bits about Andy wanting to have a domestic life (Andy and her multitudes again) and the little detail about how she buried her axe near the road but he buried his guns under his bed-- he was an escaped slave, he never had the luxury of assuredness like Andy did. It was a sad story.

10 Lacus Solitudinis

'You put this one above love letters crim??? how could you???' easy, lmao.

There was stuff in this one I liked. But to talk about stuff I didn't like: (I'll keep it brief, I know ragging on this story has been done time and time again)

UH, setting aside the 6 year cold shoulder between Joe and Nicky, I thought their chosen method of conflict resolution was... bad at best. Nicky's inability to talk about his feelings was also annoying, especially since the entire point of this story is a fight Joe and Nicky had, and yet we don't get both sides to the story, which is...... important? That fact is especially annoying bc in the absence of Nicky explaining his side of the story, it's absolutely a possible (and admittedly probably unintentional) interpretation of the text that we do get that Joe routinely resolves conflict between him and Nicky by simply cutting Nicky out of his life entirely until Nicky just. caves? Even if it takes years?

WHICH i could get into that interpretation and how fucked up i find it. but im not going to. out of restraint.

I don't know, I think there are a lot of interesting ways to go about this conflict but 'Nicky wants to kill a guy and Joe refuses to acknowledge his existence until he stops because he thinks Nicky is too much of a Good Boy to get his hands dirty like that' ('I wont watch as the world turns his (...) compassion into something ugly'. ) wasn't.. how I would've done it. (I mean you know Joe doesn't give a shit about what Nicky is doing in a moral way, because Joe doesn't even care or mention that Booker is killing those cops too. Joe only cares because he doesn't like the idea of Nicky changing in a way he finds undesirable.)

admittedly I've said before, I do like the emphasis Joe's reaction puts on Nicky's kindness. Joe has a complete inability to cope with Nicky simply Not Being Kind. It speaks to the steadiness of Nicky's compassion all those years. but still that fact doesn't make it the conflict feel worth it

hm. I said I would be brief and I wasn't.

oh well. basically I thought there was interesting conflict potential there but it wasn't done the way I would've liked, and the way it was done leaves a lot of disturbing (and again probably unintended) interpretations to lie.

What I did like? Andy and Joe having that pessimist/optimist dynamic. Joe nerding out about science. Andy not being impressed by The Achievements Of Man. I loved Booker needling at Nicky about his outdated slang and also trying to give him Older Brother advice practically in the same breath. I loved Booker giving The Worst relationship advice ever and Nicky being like 'I Will Not Do That, Ever, Thanks.' the family vibes were so good. The Joenicky vibes left a lot to be desired tho.

11 Love Letters

I talked about my problems with Nicky in this story (and Lacus Solitudinis). I don't know, the story isn't bad but I do hold a little bit of a grudge towards it because its very existence begs the existence of a solo Joe story and we didn't get one. If we never got this story, then we could happily count Lacus Solitudinis and Zanzibar as The Joenicky Stories™ and move on with our lives. sigh.

I remember when we first got the blurb for this story I was really curious about why Nicky specifically + the setting, and the answer kind of feels like 'the author had an idea for a story like this and saw ttt as a good enough place to utilize that idea'. Plus I was really underwhelmed by the Romantic Sentiment in the letter. If you look at it line-by-line, the majority of the letter is actually Nicky talking about how lonely and disturbed he is, rather than actual,, yknow,,, Romantic Sentiment. I mean, compare the van speech and this letter and this letter is just kind of meh in comparison. I liked nicky calling joe wise! and I liked the brief sun/moon metaphor! and otherwise it was eh. It didn't even have cute squad banter, which is why Lacus Solitudinis is above this one.

12 An Old Soul

Nun orgy. Nun orgy?????? Nun orgy.......

The whole story felt like a setup to have a nun orgy. Why did Booker have abs? Why did they do that to Andy's nose? ?????? the art was good at least.

nun orgy.

#tales through time spoilers #obviously #long post #seriously dont open that read more unless youre committed to scrolling past all these Words

[goth-albino-angel]

Yugiri's smile is everything. She has so many of them and they all mean different things. When she's relaxed, when she's excited, when she's confused, when she has no clue what's going on but everyone else is happy so she's happy, when she's relieved, when she's proud... She has so many different smiles and if Tumblr didn't have the 10 image rules, I would absolutely gush about every single one of them in detail. Unfortunately, if I do that, all of those posts will probably be eaten out of the tag, so instead, here are my top 10 favorite Yugiri smiles so far, images included. (Pre-Revenge episode 9)

10. Season One, Episode 2: The First Smile/ 9. Season One, Episode 10: The Sentimental Smile

Episode 2 is the first time we ever see Yugiri smile. Before this, she seemed relatively nonplussed or generally disinterested in pretty much everything going on. Even though she was in a different time period with complete strangers and a madman demanding her to be something she has no knowledge of, she was fairly calm. Then the first time we see her smile, it's when she sees something completely familiar. Her own face. Not only that, but she directs that smile toward the character that is going to become basically her little sister. The first one means so much and it's so important.

Within the same vein, her smile to Kotaro in episode 10 is one during an emotionally heavy moment. It's the first time he's hit an actual snag in his plans. Sakura's singular focus on the Arpino show rather than on the bigger picture of the group as a whole would have been a massive roadblock had she not realized her mistake.

Yugiri is the only one who properly realizes the reason they were sent into the mountains in the first place. Instead of simply sitting on the information, she's proactive about it and actually goes to discuss the problem with Kotaro. She wants to understand his reasoning so that she might be able to help him. And when she turns toward him, she also gives him the observations she's witnessed throughout her new life. This smile may be low on my list of favorites, but it's still unbelievably important.

...Also, when they released the preview image of this smile, my brain short-circuited for ten minutes, so it had to make it onto the list regardless.

8. Season Two, Episode One: The Professional Smile

This smile isn't much out of the ordinary for what we've come to expect of Yugiri, but it's on here because this was our first look at Yugiri after basically two years of very little. None of us knew how the group would come back, how the writing team had incorporated the unexpected pandemic, how things would play out, or what would be happening. The Promo showed Tae's hand flying off to knock off Sakura's head, but as 2018 displayed, the promos can't always be trusted. This showed that, even in this new world where she's only been awake for a year, she's putting her skills to use and working just as hard as the others. Thanks to the conversation from Episode 10 of the first season, we know she was trained as a geisha which would make service work much easier than it would be for the other girls.

I don't have too much to say on this one, to be honest. I do like that she's in softer lighting, as opposed to the others who were all surrounded by harsh lighting on their season two introductions. The softer lighting lends itself well to the lack of pigment and coloration in the girls' makeup, allowing Yugiri to look like she has some color, even if she still looks somewhat pale and tired. It doesn't give her quite the same sickly look the others have at their jobs. The red dress? 100/10. Perfect decision.

7. Season One, Episode Five: The Proud Smile

SHE. DOES. GYMNASTICS. She has every right to this smile! I did the math for this specific part of the episode and Yugiri got third place. The judges liked her rope aerobics so much, they shot her all the way to third place even though her distance was zero meters. It wouldn't have gotten her interviewed, but it would have at least put Franchouchou at the forefront. I still applaud Tae snagging first place, but Yugiri deserves some praise. She really did go face first into the mud on a bike and said, "Never again." She's so proud of herself. I'll be gushing about the actual gymnastics part in a different post a little later, too, but she definitely deserves to be proud of herself. I'm really gay...

6. Season One, Episode Four: The Cute Smile

Originally, this was just going to be me doing some keysmash version of a squeal or something, but there's something I'd like to draw attention to. I'm pretty sure that, by this point, Franchouchou only knows two songs. Yomigaere, which was supposed to be performed in episode 2, and Mezame Returner, which is what's being performed here. Of these two, Yugiri has more experience with this one, but from what the audience had been shown, it wasn't good experience.

Memorizing the lyrics would have been the easy part for her. It's that a good portion of the dance practice was also spent helping Lily get the steps down and potentially calming her frustrations. Then the performance itself would have been a complete disaster if Junko and Ai hadn't gotten over themselves at the last minute to finally help.

This is the first successful performance of Mezame Returner we're witnessing and it's clear the group's had more practice since then. You can see how excited and happy Yugiri is here because this one is actually going well. They had a bit more time to prepare, the two lead roles were actually involved this time, and the audience also was clearly enjoying the performance. She's so happy and it's just so heart-warming to see. Yes, even with the CGI. Don't @ me, she looks adorable.

5. Season One, Episode Seven: The Sassy Smile

This one also was just going to be a squealing keysmash thing, but again, I have something to point out. Look how much more confident she is now that Junko and Ai have, once again, gotten over themselves. Yugiri sees the effect that Junko stepping in had on the others and just like the rest of the group, her movements are more relaxed and free.

It's more obvious, actually, if you look at the way the other girls are moving directly after Junko helps Ai up in comparison to how Yugiri is moving. She did a spin while waiting for Sakura and Lily to finish their segment, and she could be cheeky during her own. She sensed that the tension had mostly dissolved and because of that, she allowed herself to relax and could properly throw herself into the performance. When she throws out this smile and wink, it's not actually directed at the audience. It's Yugiri telling the others that they've got this without breaking the performance.

4. Season Two, Episode Four: The Gentle Smiles

I put both of these here because Yugiri's just... so... caring? So much of what she does is passive that you don't realize just how much work she puts into relieving the stress from the other girls until long after the problem has been resolved.

In the first, she's speaking to Sakura. No doubt, Yugiri probably noticed how worried Sakura was about Junko. Even though Sakura was trying not to let the others catch on just how anxious she really was, Yugiri still knew that something was bothering Sakura as well as Junko. Yugiri knew that the key to easing Junko's mind lay in placating Sakura first. She's seen what happens to them all when they fall apart and she wants to avoid that at all costs. So, Yugiri lifts Sakura's spirits and gives her back the fire and determination to make a great performance.

In the second, Yugiri is watching Junko eat. Unlike the others, it's clear Yugiri knows that Junko is in much higher spirits than when last they saw her. Junko would likely have still been a stuttering, quivering mess otherwise, but she wasn't stuttering and her actions were purposeful and self-assured. Yugiri is very observant. She would have caught on that something had happened to make Junko feel better. What makes this smile even better is that she's not the least bit disappointed. The reason she made dinner was to help Junko, but she doesn't view the meal as a waste of time. She's so focused on other people, that she's happy Junko is feeling better at all and even offers her different platters to help keep her mood up.

These are high on the list for two reasons. One, they're a show of just how much Yugiri does for her girls. Two, YUGIRI COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS HEADCANON CONFIRMED BITCHEEEESSS!!! I GOT ONE RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!!

3. Season Two, Episode Six: The Affectionate Smile

I will be completely honest, I have no idea why this one is as high as it is. I admit, I did spend three hours replaying this single thirty second scene because it's really sweet and Yugiri and Tae don't interact very often, so seeing Yugiri not only be worried for Tae, but also be immediately reassured that Tae would be fine was just something my heart didn't know it needed until it had it. The sheer level of affection Yugiri shows toward Tae is too adorable. Especially since Yugiri usually only has moments like those with Sakura and, to a lesser extent, Lily. This smile's really cute, it's in the middle of a wholesome scene, and it made me love both Yugiri and Tae that much more.

2. Season One, Episode Three: The Excited Smile

Once again, an entry that was going to be a simple squealing keysmash until I realized there was something to point out here as well. This is the first smile we ever see from Yugiri that's genuinely enthusiastic. She has plenty of them, especially during her performances, but this is our first time seeing her fully incorporate herself into the group as an actual member and actually look excited to do something with the others. This was an omen of adorable things to come and damn did it deliver.

Honorable Mentions.

I'm only going to touch on each of these briefly because to be honest, there are a LOT of smiles I could've picked.

The first one is from episode 6 when the group is talking about their very first meet-and-greet. Lily asks Yugiri if she's keeping up okay, and Yugiri remarks that she's taking things as they come. This was a small look into the kind of character she is. As I mentioned before, she's very passive in the way she operates, but that's to the benefit of those she cares for. This is her admitting that she doesn't want to be a problem and it's just sweet that even though Lily is worried about her, Yugiri's still highkey thinking about everyone else.

To the right is a shot of Yugiri during Electric Returner. This one is just the squealing keysmash because she looks so genuinely ecstatic, it's contagious. She's NO DAMN CLUE what happened or why they sound so different, but she is absolutely living her best second life.

The next shot comes from the beginning of Yomigaere and is somewhat of a repeat of the above. She's excited to perform for such a big crowd, she's glad Sakura finally agreed to actually participate, and she's living her best second life. Whoever animates Yugiri's CG model? I love you. I want to send you a gift basket. She's always so happy during performances.

Then comes her smile after the group finds out Sakura's memories are back. She's just glad Sakura, her Sakura, has come back to them, that she accepts her crap luck and is still willing to stay. For Yugiri, this goes under the list of Best Possible Outcomes. Her family is whole again and she's so relieved.

Last in the top row is the first full frontal shot we get of Yugiri in the Saga Jihen music video. She's so unbelievably adorable here. I wish I could've gotten her first expression, but the curtain was still rising and without photoshop, I'm not editing an image to the degree needed to get her whole face lightened. Point is, she's cute and everyone deserves to see her adorable face on the first song she got to be center for.

First on the bottom row is Yugiri looking apologetic from episode 8 of Revenge. She's so cute. It was an honest mistake and she had no way of knowing the paper belonged to Kiichi. No doubt, that was probably why she offered to help him rewrite them later.

Next is how cute she looks in big sister mode. She's wiping the mud from Kiichi's cheeks and is taking such care with him. Throughout the entire episode, she treats him like a little kid and it's likely because her role was big sister for so long that she doesn't know how not to treat him that way. It really does shed light on just how kind she is to everyone, though, that she doesn't even think about her dirty kimono and focuses on cleaning him up a little first.

Then we have her smiling at Kiichi as she remarks on how beautiful his dream of reviving Saga is. She even says she hopes it comes true. His dream means something to her. She can't even fully see it, he can't even fully see it, but they don't need to. What Itou didn't understand this whole time is something Yugiri understood immediately just from listening to Kiichi talk. They don't need to see it in their minds, all they need is to feel it in their hearts, and that's something Yugiri knows.

And lastly on the honorable mentions, because this post is already super long, Yugiri smiling while she's cooking for her guests. It was a tossup between this or the pinwheel because it's just really nice that Yugiri can simply enjoy mundane things. I chose this one because it's a direct contrast to how she was at the beginning. Before, she ate with a disinterested expression, but now, she's cooking for guests rather than just for herself. The lift in her mood is obvious, and it's something so small but so heartwarming, I couldn't resist.

I would've put the pinwheel moment anyway, but unfortunately, as a com major, formatting and design are everything and an extra picture on the top or bottom without a balancer would've thrown the whole thing off. Maybe next time.

NOW FOR NUMBER ONE

1. Season Two, Episode Eight: The Softest Smile

This should have been expected. There's something genuinely touching about the fact that Yugiri really does give her everything, even to complete strangers. These girls barely know her, everyone in town barely knows her, but because her dance students suggested Yugiri go out and actually experience, Yugiri gives it actual thought. She doesn't dismiss them, she doesn't deride them, she doesn't make them feel foolish or anything like that. She treats their suggestion the same way she would if it had come from a close friend. And she does actually take them up on it.

Later, we see her come into contact with Kiichi to demonstrate that even full-on strangers aren't exempt from her kind heart, but this means more. All we know is that these girls take Yugiri's dance class, and from the way they speak when we first meet them, it's clear Yugiri has a professional wall between herself and those she instructs. But she still treats them as she would the girls back in Shimabara. It's proof that, even in the past, Yugiri really was just as kind-hearted as in the present. It's a show don't tell kind of thing that just speaks so deeply to the writer in me. I love this smile. It's everything. Her smiles are everything. She's everything.

#Yugiri #Yuugiri #Zombieland Saga #Zombie Land Saga #Zombieland Saga Revenge #Zombie Land Saga Revenge #Angel has spoken #rip mobile users #I'm sorry but I needed to do this #also sorry about the slight passive aggressiveness for entries five and six #I'll do better