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I thought the ad above was part of the i-am-a-fish post, and I was so confused that I had to do a double take 😅

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Why do I feel like Duolingo has changed a little since the new update?

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With Twisted Wonderland? All the damn time.

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WHY DO I ALWAYS FIND THESE AT NIIIIIGGGGHHHHTTTT

I'M WHEEZING I CAN'T SCREAM

High res. Beast Costume Deuce Spade base art and groovy

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HIS LIPS

HIS EYES

HIS HAIR

HIS CHEEK

HIS POSE

HIS EVERYTHING

JUST..... UUUUGHHHHH

High res. Relaxing in room Idia Shroud base art

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Duo WTF

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Interesting ad I found on tumblr today

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Literally Miss Bustier pulled the "it could be worse".

It's like saying "Yeah, Chloé is really mean to me, but you know! At least she's not beating me up, right? Sure, she says really mean things and makes me feel like crap, but AT LEAST I'M NOT GETTING MY ASS BEAT."

This mentality is really awful, especially from a teacher. It's like, who cares if things "could be worse"? Reassuring her that there are worse people out there doesn't make Marinette's problem any better, it's just telling her to be grateful it isn't worse, so she should give Chloé a pass.

And telling Marinette to forgive Chloé, just to set an example for the others? Set an example for what? To be passive and forgive the bully, because you're on a higher moral ground?

Chloé don't care! You can be as morally superior as you want, but it's all passivity in her eyes, so she'll just keep going and going!

That's like if you're being bullied by Regina George and you're just glad it's not Heather Chandler. Sure, Regina George gaslights you and talks behind your back, but at least you're not being cussed at and being threatened to be beat up like Heather Chandler. So, count your stars, right?

And of course, when Chloé got Miss Bustier fired later on, did she try to say it was fine, because it could be worse? No! And when Chloé was basically exiled from Paris, did she try to protest and preach forgiveness?

Funny that when it affects you personally, suddenly forgiveness isn't an option.

Saying that it could be worse doesn't make your current problem go away, and it doesn't make it better. This isn't a trauma contest.

Do you think that Ms. Bustier is overhated?

Not particularly. I don't have any strong feelings about her, but she's clearly a terrible teacher who is in way over her head. I totally understand why she sets some people off. If she was a real person that I actually had to deal with, then she'd probably set me off, too, because she so perfectly encapsulates toxic positivity. If you're not familiar with that term, then here's a quick definition:

Toxic positivity is the act of avoiding, suppressing, or rejecting negative emotions or experiences. This may take the form of denying your own emotions or someone else denying your emotions, insisting on positive thinking instead. Although setting aside difficult emotions is sometimes necessary temporarily, denying negative feelings long term is harmful because it can prevent people from processing their emotions and overcoming their distress.

Read that definition and then look at this scene from Zombiezou:

Marinette: But Miss Bustier, it's so not fair! It was Chloé, pulling another...Chloé! And...I'm the one who's getting in trouble?! Miss Bustier: Of course you're not in trouble, don't worry! As the class representative, I want you to set a good example for your classmates. Don't give into feelings of anger. Try to forgive Chloé instead. Marinette: I don't get it... Chloé is the meanest person I've ever known. Miss Bustier: Come on... There are much worse people in Paris right now than Chloé Bourgeois. I'm sure people like Chloé are capable of great things. The problem is, they only think of themselves. They don't understand the meaning of love, and we can't force them to change. But perhaps we can show them by setting a good example. That's why Marinettes are so important in today's world; because they have a lot of love to give. I'm counting on you. Marinette: Yes, Miss Bustier.

This is toxic positivity in action. Marinette is told to set aside her extremely valid feelings as if anger is a terrible thing, but it isn't. All emotions have their place and ignoring them can do real harm, a lesson that Miraculous really struggles with. It seems to see "negative" emotions as bad and they're really not. What matters is how we express and address our emotions, not that we experience them. If you want to see a family friendly piece of media do this topic right, then go watch Pixar's Inside Out.

There's also the fact that Chloé is never punished for her actions in this episode. She ruined a gift that probably took Marinette hours and yet Miss Bustier puts the onus to fix things on Marinette, blaming the victim and doing nothing to actually fix the situation. Canon mildly complicates this with Chloé's father's willingness to meddle, making punishing her apparently impossible, but Miss Bustier doesn't even acknowledge that here. The stated logic is that you need to be nice to your bully and that will hopefully magically fix things, which is a terrible lesson that I don't want any kid to learn! What kind of logic is that?

I'll admit that I'm a big fan of "an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind," but that doesn't mean that you should never acknowledge harm or fight back. It just means that you need to be measured in your responses and pick your battles wisely. If this episode was about that, then I'd be fine with it, but that's not the lesson here. There is no point where the wrong done to Marinette is even mildly acknowledged. Miss Bustier's initial reaction to seeing Marinette's ruined gift is:

Miss Bustier: Well, I think this present is wonderful. It'll be my new cosmetics bag! Then I'll be able to think of both of you every time I use it.

And we go straight from that to the toxic positivity.

Something is wrong with this woman. You shouldn't even take this approach with preschoolers! While I could see this being a good final solution to something like Chloé scribbling on Marinette's drawing, Chloé's behavior still needs to be addressed. She is still the one in the wrong here. The one whose behavior needs to change.

This is one of many cases where there are two paths to take with this character. The writers clearly want Miss Bustier to be a wonderful teacher, but they wrote a victim-blaming disaster who shouldn't be in charge of anyone. If you're ever adapting her, then it's up to you if you want to redesign her into her intended self or if you want to lean into the bad writing. I think both paths have merit because the writing is so bad that there is no way to make canon Caline work as a good teacher. She's too fundamentally flawed so you either acknowledge how awful she is or do a major overhaul where she's much less forgiving and actually acknowledges things like the Chloé problem.

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And then your mom, who is right next to you, hands you the wallet, says "I'll just go get something", and leaves you to stand there while you panic on how to tell the cashier you're not done shopping, but you might have to hold the line a bit while waiting for your mom to come back with said item

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BRO WHY'D THIS MAKE ME EMOTIONAL??!?!??!!!?!???

4 years ago today, Tumblr replied to Taylor's post on Twitter:

''Hey Taylor, how has your day been? We miss you.''

(On November 25, 2020)

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Just read Newsweek's article on Billboard about why Beyonce was named Greatest Popstar of the 21st Century, and there's just something that bothers me.

No argument on the decision. I can see why she was chosen, given her record and her history—and for Taylor Swift, just reaching 2nd despite only just making the century is impressive on its own.

But... the article said Beyoncé was "the bar" for the pop stars, which—I don't know—felt kind of off to me.

Maybe I'm reading things wrong or my own bias towards TS (I really don't know, that's why I'm saying this here) but Billboard's statement sounded kind of biased. Don't get me wrong, Beyoncé is an amazing artist. She's set milestones, inspired so many people, admired by even other artists (TS included).

But Billboard almost seemed to have gone too hard on the defensive. I feel like they didn't need to explain so much.

OPEN TO DISCUSSION

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Bruh why did Duolingo judge me so hard 😭

I literally got a perfect lesson and Duolingo deadass said "You made 0 mistakes. Unlike in real life"

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HFJGJDKANWJDJJEKEKW

THEY ARE NOT SLOWING DOWN????? DEUCE WITH ANOTHER SSR EVENT CARD WHERE IS LILIA'S???? CATER FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER 7 UPDATE BOOOOOOOOYYYYYY DORM LEADER CAYCAY IS THAT YOU???? THE BRAIDS???? HELLO????? AFTER I'M SQUEEZED DRY BY ROOK YOU HIT ME WIT THISMMWMMDMW?????

damn deuce's biceps.

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YES

Vil has the chance to do something funny as hell

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High-res Base card for Rook Hunt - Room Relaxation

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BRUH JUST WENT FULL-ON SCAR

I AM MELTING 🫠🫠🫠

*** Book 7 Spoilers ***

Book 7 - King Leona Sprites

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Was like WTF??!!!?!?!? Then I see the thumbnail, and for some reason, it made sense who made the poll.