#+ I don't think that's why people are gonna judge you for that particular choice Phoenix

[msmc-796-official]

We've made our no-NHP stance pretty clear as a squadron, I'd say, but that doesn't mean we're not down for some friendly discussion on the subject! I've interacted with a fair few NHPs in my time, as has Slipshod (can't speak for Kennedi - no clue which one's she's talked to, if any at all), so we certainly have some opinions.

For myself, I'm going out on a limb and saying SISYPHUS. Something about the certainty of it all is... oddly comforting, especially as someone who regularly has DHIYED-related "episodes" while on deployment. It'd be nice to have someone who always knows exactly what's going to happen next, if only for the advance warning.

-- Angel

+++++++

easy choice - one I almost made before the scylla incident happened and I swore off of NHPs forever, actually. gimme a LUCIFER any day, they know a good time when they see it and I find their competitive streaks endearing ...okay, so maybe I'm a little biased as a toku pilot, but c'mon, it really is a match made in hell -- Slipshod

+++++++

If I must choose, I would select an ATHENA. They seem to have a solid head on their shoulders, which is a trait I appreciate both in a squadmate and in a prospective partner. Let it be known, however, that this statement is purely a hypothetical, as I have no romantic interest in anything whatsoever - humans, NHPs, or otherwise. (I believe Phoenix once referred to this condition as "asexuality".)

-- Lockbreaker

Calling the Lancer Fandom on tumblr, if yall had to date an NHP type just by vibes alone, who would you pick? I allow choices from both first and third party sources. In my honest opinion? Probably the Noah, they seem friendly enough.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Stardew valley bachelors (and krobus and the wizard) witnessing the farmer chug multiple jars of mayonnaise. Just really slinging it back.

Okay ngl I never did this till right now and I got everybody's reactions so this is based on the responses my farmer got after doing this

Spoilers: they've all known my farmer for about 7 years so it's nothing too shocking to them,,,but it's still highly questionable lmao

.....

Shane

"Umm..."

For years, him and Pam were beer addicts...and now comes along you, the new farmer who's a very...different kind of addict.

An addict to mayonnaise, that is.

For years, people have been judging him for his habit, so it seems fair that he should be allowed to judge you 100% for having the weirdest fucking habit in the valley.

He started opening up to you (in his 2 heart event) and you're just sitting next to him, drinking mayonnaise to wash out the beer he offered you.

Only after you two get closer does he decide "well shit, they're weird..but they're also one of the few who care about me,,,"

And he eventually lets go of it altogether.

But he'll still tease you about your mayo addiction from time to time.

"What're you gonna put in the potluck this year? Gold star mayo? Or did you already eat it on the way here?"

"Oh shut up."

"Heh heh."

Sam

"Gross!"

Considering it's one of his hated gifts, this shouldn't come as a surprise to you.

But the way you've absolutely freaked him out by drinking it in front of him (and subsequently making him miss his kickflip) was hilarious.

"That's what you get for skating on other people's property." You shook your head, smirking as you bring out another jar. "You think Jodi needs some for later? Or should I just drink it in front of her, too?"

"NO! Stop. Please don't do that." Sam hisses. "One, she might uninvite you from future family dinners. And two, she'll think it's one of those weird trends and blame me for it!"

"A trend..hm? Doesn't sound like a bad idea. This town could use one more tradition." You laugh, consuming the jar and not missing the look of horror on his face.

"A-And I thought Abigail eating rocks was nuts...you two would be great friends.."

Harvey

"Umm..."

While he's well aware of the many health benefits to mayonnaise, he wonders if you know that they're best as a condiment....not a beverage you can just sling back.

"But you told me to lay off the Joja Colas, doctor," you pointed out to him. "You're telling me those are a healthier alternative to this?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying at all." He huffs. "It's just..erm..I've never met someone who enjoyed mayonnaise by itself..it sounds-"

"Disgusting?"

"N-No! I didn't mean it like-"

"I'm kidding, Harvey." You laugh a little, amused by his nervousness. "You know any side effects to drinking large quantities of mayo?"

"..none in particular, but that doesn't mean you should-"

"Then if I start feeling anything different, I'll let you know. Thank you." With a wink, you pull out some dinosaur mayo and drink it on your way out of the clinic...with poor Harvey wondering wtf that was.

Regular mayo was fine, but that green icky-looking mayo...had him gravely concerned over what you were doing to your body.

Elliot

"Why?!"

You thought you were being subtle, drinking a little bit of mayo while hanging out at his beachside cabin.

But nope.

You've absolutely horrified this man. Traumatized, even.

It's almost as bad as the time you left a super cucumber on his doorstep, and the next day he sent you a letter demanding to know who made you play this "cruel prank" on him.

In reality, you thought it'd be a nice gift and he'd make something poetic out of a rare sea creature you fished up.

Apparently not and that's when you quickly learned it's a hated one.

"Oh don't be so dramatic," you shake your head. "It's easier to carry than some full course meal."

"But you could have any other food....why that?" Elliot asks, now genuinely curious about what goes on in your mind to think mayo is a suitable choice in food.

You have no explanation though other than "it's most convenient for me and I like the taste".

So he leaves it alone but....maybe it's better not to drink it around him without warning (or drink it when he's buzzed and he may not remember you doing that).

Sebastian

"Umm..."

And here he was, on Ginger Island, hoping to get a brief vacation away from the valley and all its weirdness.

Yet you came along to visit and check on your beach farmhouse--bringing tons of mayo jars with you.

You got thirsty while talking to Seb in the hot sun, and instinctively began chugging the first thing you opened out of your bag.

You don't even realize what you've done until he gives you the strangest look ever.

"Have you always liked drinking mayo...like that?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Um..not since moving into the valley and learning how to make it." You shrugged, smiling sheepishly as you brought out another jar. This time a green color.

"What's that one?"

"Oh! Dinosaur mayo. It's a lot thicker and kinda tastes like a kale drink-"

"I'm sorry, there's dinosaurs in the mines?"

Alex

"Umm..."

"What?" You shoot him a defensive look, cradling the half-empty jar like it's your baby. "You've eaten every raw egg I give you, and I never judge."

"But..that's a little different, isn't it?" He chuckles nervously. "Eggs are great for protein! Drinking straight mayo is...erm....are there any benefits..?"

"It's easy to make with all the eggs in my coop, and um..it keeps my energy up so I don't pass out."

It's an awkward explanation, considering you simply drink mayonnaise for the hell of it and didn't think too much about the "health benefits".

But Alex completely agrees with you, not making any further comments on it in the future.

Although how he's eaten dozen of raw eggs without getting some kind of salmonella poisoning is beyond both him and you.

Perhaps you're both a little bit strange, but he eventually came to accept that about himself.

Wizard

"Umm..."

From the moment you met him and obtained forest magic, Rasmodius knew there was something peculiar about you.

From gleefully retrieving ectoplasm and prismatic jelly for his studies to assisting him in getting the dark talisman back from his ex-wife's home, he's come to trust you as a potential apprentice.

So to drink mayonnaise while looking through his catalogue of expensive magical architecture had him....a bit confused.

"What?" You look at the man standing by the bubbling green pot, his eyebrow raised in question. "C'mon, surely this can't be the strangest thing you've seen."

"No, whatever keeps your spirit and energy nourished is fine and all. But..mayonnaise seems most unconventional. That's all I'm saying. Now I must focus.."

And that's all he says about the matter, not really caring too much.

You're grateful he didn't overreact.

Krobus

"........"

"You're not gonna say anything?"

"About what?"

"About..y'know..me drinking mayonnaise?"

"Why would I? You gift me void mayonnaise. I eat it and use it as a moisturizer all the time!"

Finally, somebody who finds your habit relatively normal---but the only downside is that somebody isn't human.

Makes you often question if you're really human yourself.

It never bothers Krobus whenever you need to sling back a jar of mayonnaise and pull out another one when you return from the mutant bug lair or hike through Cindersap Forest to reach the sewers.

He thinks it's just a normal thing humans do, but when you mention how it's very much not normal in your "culture"..he thinks THEY are weird for not accepting your tastes.

Welp, at least he supports your weird yet harmless habit.

You did try void mayo once and nearly keeled over, so you stick to regular/duck/dino mayo from thereon.

[alsanderecho]

Tales of San Derecho: The Portrait (Part 1)

"Why do we have to hang that old portrait here, Karl?"

"We don't have much of choice, Jason. It has to hang in one of the fraternities or else the university loses a huge endowment..."

"But that old man is pretty creepy."

Karl Sanderson couldn't really disagree with his fellow fraternity brother. The portrait of the late Walter J. Truman showed a silver-bearded man of later years, dressed in a dark suit. His clear blue eyes seemed to be passing judgment on anyone who looked at him too long. He shuddered unconsciously.

"I know, but it's only temporary. A few weeks at most."

The dean of the university had been quite insistent that portrait needed to go up in Gamma Alpha Epsilon's main room. It had been one of the few things recovered from the fire that destroyed the frat house it had previously been in. That the dean had also strongly hinted that this wasn't a request that ΓΑΕ could refuse, unless it wanted to be blamed for costing the school millions of dollars in funding.

"I hope so, Karl. It's really gonna be awkward in here until it's gone."

Jason Chang looked down at his smart watch, seeing a rainbow colored alarm going off.

"Hey, we gotta get ready. The girls from Delta Iota Kappa will be here soon to duscuss our plans to protest at the Governor's speech tomorrow afternoon..."

The gay fraternity members turned and left the room, not noticing that the man in the painting's expression has grown considerably more dour. A flash of something sparkled in his cold blue eyes...

==========

During the meeting, someone brought up the new decoration in the ΓΑΕ house. Carl wasn't sure who, but it quickly became a very hostile topic. In particular, the president of Delta Iota Kappa, Sandra Lake, had some very choice words about the late Mr. Truman.

"That old pig was not only homophovbic but massively misogynistic! I heard they only allowed women to be awarded scholarships when he finally died!"

Carl nodded slightly, as he'd heard the stories from some of the professors over in the Social Sciences department.

"It really sucks that bastard of a Dean stuck you all with that painting. I mean, it looks like the old goat is judging us or something!"

And it was true that Truman looked out very harshly from the painting, those cold blue eyes staring at the gathered students. Of course, it was still a shock when Sandra threw her soda at the portrait, the sticky drink dripping down the glass that protected the canvas.

"Sandra!"

"What, Karl? He deserves it! Hell, the Governor deserves the same!"

After that outburst, the meeting really broke up. They all knew whst thry were doing tomorrow anyway. The fraternity members went back to their rooms, while the ΔΙΚ girls left. However, Carl escorted Sandra outside personally, as he has something to say to her.

"I get that you have real issues with the history of this university, Sandra. But I think that was a bit out of line."

"Maybe, Karl. But it sure felt good to do it though. Just like it's gonna be tomorrow at the protest!"

The frat president could only shrug in agreement. He and Sandra were very different people. He preferred to talk things out, while she was all about taking action.

==========

Sometime later when Karl woke up, he was surprised to find himself on the couch in the main room. His memory was fuzzy, but he swore he'd gone upstairs after his chat with Sandra. But then his eyes locked onto the portrait of Walter J. Truman, as it seemed to loom larger on the wall.

Those eyes…it's like they can see right through me…

The Midwest-born president of Gamma Alpha Epsilon shook his head. He was letting himself get spooked by a painting. Yeah, he knew that Truman had been a big mover and shaker here in San Derecho decades ago, but Sandra had had a point earlier. His time was past. So what if the university was funded by his money? That didn't mean he had to agree with the dead man's well documented bigotry against gay people.

Standing up, Karl took a long look at himself in a mirror hanging on another wall in the room. His normally well styled sandy blonde hair was a mess, a proper nest of bed head. He ran his hand through it, but his eyes suddenly noticed something was off with his clothes…

The fuck…

He was sure he'd changed into a set of old comfy pajamas, but now he was wearing a pair of oversized khaki shorts with a dark red polo shirt. The whole outfit hung loose on his thin body. He squinted a little, his vision blurry until he took off his glasses, not yet realizing his vision was now a perfect 20/20.

On the right side of the polo shirt was the Greek letters ΜΑΝ. His mind surprisingly knew it stood for Mu Alpha Nu. But there wasn't any fraternity called that on campus, right? At least, he was sorta sure there wasn't.

Suddenly, Karl felt a tightness in his stomach, and dropped to one knee. It felt like someone had slugged him out of the blue, so he lifted the polo shirt to see what had happened. His abs were now very prominent, a six pack you could grind meat on.

"This isn't right…brah…"

His panic at the sight meant when his pecs surged forward with mass, Karl was caught off guard and fell back onto the couch. Tossing and turning, his body began to swell with muscle, even as his Midwest accent began to mix with very chill "bro" lingo.

Inside Karl's mind, he was struggling with new thoughts invading his mind. Memories of wild parties slipped in as his knowledge of the law and progressive causes fell away. He was straining now to remember why that stuff was more important than hanging with his frat brothers.

"Like, duuuuude…"

As he stood up, there were several faint popping sounds from his spine, as his height climbed up almost half a foot. The polo shirt was clinging pretty tightly to his rather swole body, the khaki shorts doing nothing to hide that this BRO never missed a leg day. He looked up at the painting again, his jaw widening into a rather cocky smile.

"Wassup, old man? Like what you see?"

But those words struck him as very inappropriate, even as a joke. After all the founder of this fraternity wouldn't ever look at another man like that. EVER. Bros don't do bros!

His now tremendous feet slapped down on the floor as he turned to look around the room. On the left was a massive built-in bar, with racks of bottles and glasses.

"SWEET! Looks like we restocked after that last party…"

As a new tan settled over his skin, Carl Anderson was focused on getting himself a brewski, sliding to his usual spot in front of the frat's private bar. 

His favorite pair of shades dropped over his now cool blue eyes, as the sound system sprang to life. The thumping beats began to reverberate through the whole house, and into the sleeping members of Gamma Alpha Epsilon, starting their own transformations into the brothers of Mu Alpha Nu...

=============

Outside of the house, the Greek letters of the fraternity that hung next to the front door were shifting in time to the beat inside from ΓΑΕ into ΜΑΝ. In the back, the fraternity's carefully maintained garden was ripped apart by brick and mortar as a huge bruck barbecue sprung up. There was a loud pop as an extra large jacuzzi dropped into place where a fountain had been. Strings of cheap lights dropped themselves across the now dryed out trees and began flashing in sync with the rhythm of the music.

Back inside, the eyes of the portrait had returned to a neutral state, almost pleased with the changes it had wrought so far. But its power wasn't limited to this building, having found another victim not to long ago...

==========

Sandra Lake, president of the Delta Iota Kappa sorority had taken a slightly longer walk back to their house. A trail of cigarette stubs followed the outspoken lesbian. She'd wanted to be alone for awhile, her mind on that awful portrait back at the ΓΑΕ house.

Truth be told, she'd heard a lot of rumours about it than she'd been willing talk about at the protest meeting. Like how it had passed from fraternity to fraternity, each changed by their time with it. It sounded like just some mumbo jumbo, but seeing the item in person, she somehow knew that wasn't actually the case

She shuddered slightly, not realizing that she was about to experience those rumours first hand. Her outburst earlier had drawn the portrait's attention and its influence began to work its power on her.

As she walked, Sandra's very masculine wardrobe began to change, her baggy flannel shirt and well- worn blue jeans shifting and warping into something more appropriate for her new self. The flannel became a dark pink zip-up baseball jacket while underneath, her plain white t-shirt became a hot pink crop top against which her now d-cup breasts pressed outward to command attention, where the Greek letters for Beta Alpha Epsilon were now streched across them. Her now tight low-rise jeans hugged her juicy heart-shaped rear as a black thong nestled between her full and round cheeks which peeked over her jeans.

Her hard-edged face disappeared under a layer of cosmetics that served to emphasize her plump red lips and high cheek bones. Dull brown eyes soon dazzled into clear blue. The dry brown hair she'd had trimmed into a tight buzz cut flowed outward in an explosion of shiny blonde that came down to her back. Her engineer boots began twisting themselves into a pair of black sneakers with pink accents.

Inside her mind, Sandra's thoughts of fun with other girls were being interrupted by a flood of the things she could be doing with some cute guys. She shook her to clear these strange thoughts, but only found herself returning to them. After all, this university had the hottest guys in the country, according to her fave sites on the web. She moaned a little as thoughts of those hot bods welled up from her memories, even as her various lesbian encounters faded.

Other accessories for the blonde bombshell of a sorority sister soon appeared. An old flip-phone became the latest model of Peachtree smartphone, with all sorts of bling decorating its case. Shiny gold bracelets wrapped around her wrists, as bejeweled rings slid onto her thin fingers. The tips of her pink nails were adorned with a single fake diamond.

Chewing on the bubblegum that had appeared in her mouth, Shondra Waters, the president of the soon to be formed Beta Alpha Epsilon approached the doors of the Delta Iota Kappa sorority house. She wrinkled her nose at the sight of the place before pushing her way inside.

As the doors swung closed behind her, the first insults to her once-fellow lesbians spilled out of the hyper-hetero slut's mouth and began to spread the influence of the portrait. It wouldn't be too long before this sorority became Beta Alpha Epsilon, as evidenced by the Greek letters ΔΙΚ on the sign outside of the building which began twisting into ΒΑΕ...

//////////////

The first part of a sub-series for San Derecho. It's based on some old CYOC stories I did, but reworked to fit into this world. I hope to have more in the future, as we see the transformations of others at the fraternity and the sorority. The images in this story were AI generated, but the text was not.

[sparklecinnamonbunny]

For the Wholesome OC Asks, I want 20 questions of your choice that you have yet to answer for Sunday. Go. Go go go go go go.

(jk. I mean, I *want* that many, but I won't ask that of you. Instead, give me two and two and two for Sunday, Envy, and Ava!)

I am *so* late answering this. I'll do a bunch to make up for it! (EDIT: Turns out CTRL+ENTER posts shit! Which is bad when you're maybe just trying to SHIFT+ENTER.)

Sunday 13. Do they prefer warm or cold temperatures? Moreover, what is their favourite season and why? Sunday vastly prefers warm temperatures, and can tolerate hot and humid weather more than cold. She despises winter weather, even if she likes the aesthetic. That said, her favorite season is autumn! Samhain, Halloween, and her birthday all line up around the same time, she feels magically powerful, and the weather's really nice for a while. 38. Find one quote from a book, a song, or a piece of media that would make them feel at peace. There's a ton of quotes that make me think of the gal, but one that would make her feel understood is from Virginia Woolf's The Waves: "I am made and unmade continually. Different people draw different words from me." 41. If they were a bath bomb, what scents and colors would you use to describe their personality? If Sunday was a bath bomb she would give no shits about staining your tub. You'll have a gloriously goth bath experience, and step out feeling renewed and silky smooth, but it'll cost you some scrubbing later. Color wise, we're looking at either blood red or pitch black, with swirls of golden glitter throughout. It would have a strong scent, with notes of rosemary, sage, amber, and clove. Kind of incense-like, but still botanical. It's not for everyone, but it could be for you.

Ava 41. If they were a bath bomb, what scents and colors would you use to describe their personality? While I'm still thinking about bath bombs, Ava Sunbeam's would be deceptive. The outermost layer would promise pink glitter and cloyingly sweet raspberry sugar, but once you let it fizz, it would turn out to be a purple, black, and silver galaxy with very few traces of the original pink glitter to be found. The true scent, once revealed, would be a far richer combination of patchouli, plum, and black cherry. 5. What is the song you most associate to them? I'll take this opportunity to plug Ava's playlist, which you can find below! It's hard to pick one quintessential Ava song, but my top three in no particular order are You're Gonna Go Far, Kid by The Offspring; Mastermind by Taylor Swift (shocking, I know); and Magic's In The Makeup by No Doubt.

42. Let them vent for a second, without the fear of being judged. What would they like to say? "Admitting this feels like confessing my faith is weak, but... I'm exhausted. Do you know how hard—" Here, Ava assumes her usual valley girl fry, "—Like, how hard this is? I'm surrounded by flippin' idiots, like ALL THE TIME, and everyone thinks I'm stupid! I'm not stupid! They don't even know what's coming for them! They don't know a thing!" "And then, I like, have to pretend that I LIKE them? That I'm some vapid pop star that's there to look pretty and suck dick? I don't even think I like dicks! And then that asshole, Nathan, wants to talk about how 'metal is deeper than pop' and how I 'couldn't understand the depths of his darkness?!' News flash, douchebag, I come from the darkness! I have witnessed brutalities beyond human comprehension! I—" Ava clears her throat, checks to make sure she's still alone, and continues, softly, "I'm just, like, tired of this. I know it's important, but it's a thankless job. The worst part is, sometimes I feel bad for Toki. Gag me. Like, he's just as important as the others, and he gets shat on ALL THE TIME. Ugh, I wish I could just make the Prophecy turn a little faster. Every time I hang out with them, there's a moment where I think about how easy it would be to kill them all. I don't know how much more of it I can take, I guess. And don't get me started on the Seer..."

Envy 1. Give them a warm drink of your choice, what would it be? Would their choice differ from yours? I'm feeling a hot apple cider right about now— the kind of drink with just enough spice to warm you up inside and out. Envy doesn't go for cider that often, though. Given the choice, she'd much rather have a cup of hot tea. She collects unique blends, and is the kind of person to have a favorite strain of oolong (Green Heart oolongs from Taiwan). She's always got a pot of something at the ready when she's home. 17. What positives did they extrapolate from the worst moment(s) of their life? The worst moment of Envy's life (and there's been a king's ransom of highs and lows) was the first time she had to use the nail bat in the back of the bar. She'd been living in LA for about a year and a half at that point, and had just recently started presenting as a woman. She kicked out a group of skinheads fairly early into her shift, and a couple of them skulked around outside until close. The fight was closer than she'd like (and really, she was lucky they didn't have knives or guns), but she prevailed. Between the wonderful knowledge that she could still win a fight and the oddly affirming experience of being insulted as a woman, she walked home with newfound confidence. This developed into the self-assurance she still carries to this day.

37. Give them your credit card for five minutes; what would they buy? Nothing cause I'm broke as hell If she had unlimited play money, she'd spend it on clothes, shoes, and DIY construction projects. She likes to dress boldly for work and cozy at home, and she can never have enough slouchy cardigans and band tees. Let alone her bondage gear and dominatrix outfits... Anywho, she's the type of person who always has a project. She's fixing shit at her bars, building something new, or sprucing up the community garden. If someone needs a new garden bed, she's diving right in.

[spiders-hth-is-an-outlier]

Not to smack the fun out of anybody's hand or whatever, but it's just funny to me how high a percentage of The Last of Us discussion is "did Joel do a good or a bad thing? Why? What would you have done in Joel's situation? What SHOULD Joel have done instead?" Because -- I guess that is, to me, the least interesting question to ask? Or maybe I should say -- since that actually is a suite of related questions, not just one -- that the least interesting frame to me that a person could place around The Last of Us is one about morality.

And I notice that all the time, actually, just more so with this show -- the idea that stories inherently pose a series of exam questions for an undergrad ethics course, that most stories are essentially dressed-up, detailed trolley problems. I'm not even really able to say "no, that's the wrong way to read fiction," because says who? You could read all fiction through that frame, locating yourself as the impartial judge determining everyone's relative virtue and vice within the story. That's not an inherently more or less correct way to read than, say, to read primarily for aesthetic pleasure. It's just A Way.

I'm not even trying to persuade people to abandon moral judgement as readers -- I don't! I, personally, find it impossible to watch Stranger Things in some impartial state, unaffected by how reprehensible I find Billy; that colors the way I assess scenes and plotlines that feature him, the way I get onboard or don't with writing choices that involve him. I like to think I leave room for some complexity, but I definitely do apply that moral frame, which is fine! It's A Way to approach a text, and sometimes it's the right one for a particular reader encountering a particular story at a particular time. More often it's not right or wrong, just one option.

But it does seem like the default assumption when most people talk about stories, which is how you get these endless stupid debates over whether it's morally acceptable to like Kylo Ren or Severus Snape or today's Next Top Targaryen, and nobody can get past the fact that these characters appear extremely differently depending on whether you're applying a moral interpretive frame to their story or not. You're basically just spiking a volleyball in the face of someone who's here to play badminton. You're not winning the game, bud! That's not how this works!

Anyway, Joel did nothing wrong, or else he's history's greatest monster, it literally does not matter to me, because I don't care about that reading of the show. It's just hard to avoid it, because obviously very many people care very deeply, which is kind of boring to me, but what are you gonna do.

[navree]

hey! before anything just wanted to say i love your meta, you always have super thoughtful responses :)

anyway just wondering, what do you think the portrayal of alicent making a window in the wall of her own prison/being a woman for trump etc? i really don't like how this played out on the show but i'd be curious to hear your thoughts

Oh thank you that's so sweet!!! Glad that there are people who like whenever I babble on about things <3

I'm gonna separate this into two different things, because the concept of "making a window in your prison" and "woman for Trump" are two very different things. I'll start with the latter, because making a comparison between Alicent and women for Trump is incredibly stupid and not supported by the text of the show. This one gets me kinda heated, cuz as I've said, I work in politics, so this isn't just an interest, this is literally something I am spending my life doing, and here's the thing: Women for Trump is a very specific political group. It is a political group borne of a very specific time in the United States of America, and you can't really make it analogous to one lady in a society modeled in Middle Ages England. And more importantly, even if you take away the actual literal Women for Trump group (which is a political group that's an offshoot of the American Tea Party movement that's mostly just a Tea Party lady and people she knows who support Trump) and refer to just women who happened to vote for Donald Trump, it still doesn't make sense.

The fact that there were women, in particular white women, who voted for Donald Trump in spite of their best interests, in spite of the fact that it would mean things like appointing anti-choice judges or just in general his horrible attitude towards women and his long history of sexual assault and harassment and abuse, is an incredibly complex topic. It's a mix of things like various other prejudices taking precedence over group self interest (willing to accept Trump's misogyny because you're super homophobic or racist and like his homophobia and racism), and just how politics specifically grew and spread in the American populace in the 21rst century. None of these various sociological and very specific factors apply to the situation of.........Alicent following the precedence of law for her kid? There's nothing in Alicent's story or what she does that supports this idea that she is operating against her own self interests due to much stronger societal prejudices and hatreds that have been present in her society for centuries (bastardphobia isn't a real thing) and because her own personal convictions (say, supporting anti-choice measures because someone personally is anti-choice) are stronger than the overall societal good (the fact that anti-choice measures are unpopular and incredibly bad and also affect so much more than just abortion access). It literally just doesn't make sense to me at all that it's a comparison being made, and I think it's telling that it's a comparison primarily being made by people who probably think that voting in midterm elections is a waste of time.

(also if the argument for it is "alicent's got internalized misogyny just like women who supported trump" then i'm gonna be honest imma need you to pull textual receipts for alicent's supposed internalized misogyny, because that is literally nowhere to be found in anything alicent's actually said or done in the entire ten episodes we've gotten so far)

Now that that's out of the way: Alicent making a window for herself in the walls of her prison. There's no denying Alicent's done that, she has and she herself seems aware of it in her conversation with Rhaenys where she brings it up. But, that's not a bad thing? Rhaenys implies that this is a sort of failing on Alicent's part, because rather than just be imprisoned she should have tried to "escape", and many people much smarter and more eloquent than I have pointed out why that's a ridiculous thing to say to Alicent, especially coming from someone as privileged and with as many resources as Rhaenys. The Shawshank Redemption is not based on a true story, ladies and gentlemen. If you're in a prison, literal or societally constructed or anything, the best thing you can do is just try to find the best of things for your time there until you're out. The idea that Alicent is in a bad situation, imprisoned in her marriage and by the role society has for her, and makes the best of that, finds the power she can wield where she can (participates in Small Council meetings, essentially becomes regent when Viserys becomes incapacitated) and helps who she can with her power (offers Dyana comfort and contraceptives and a way to start a new life and does attempt to discipline her son for his actions) and finds whatever happiness she can (in her love for her children and attempts to bond with them) is not a bad thing. It's kind of how the world works. I don't think there's anyone, anywhere, who hasn't been in a situation they haven't wanted to be in, however fleeting and however great or small, and hasn't just decided "let me find the things that are good in this while I'm stuck here". Monty Python wrote a whole song about it. No, I don't have any issue with the fact that Alicent, in a situation she cannot get out of, did the best she could and found contentment, if not happiness, where she could get it.

The issue I have with it is that the show seems to be leaning more towards the fact that this is some kind of flaw on Alicent's part. Again, as I've mentioned, I don't view Alicent making herself a little window in her prison as a bad thing, because that's all she can do with the tools she has available. She doesn't have dragons or armies loyal to her personally or a claim on any seat of power. Her power derives first from her husband and then later from her husband (along with her own authority and goodwill that she's cultivated during her queenship), and if, like Rhaenys said, Alicent is someone who wants power, it makes no sense for her to try and cut herself off from that by "escaping", rather than just making the system work for her. That's just what most people do and have done throughout the entirety of history. It is incredibly rare for someone to affect the change they want from outside the system unless you're talking about a sweeping societal issue, and even then that involves the system largely getting on board with the outside view and acquiescing to it. Alicent's doing the same thing everyone does, the same thing Rhaenys herself did, she's making the world she lives in and the confines of her gender work for her as best as she can, despite the limitations. It's not a bad thing, or an immoral thing, or a weak thing, it's just something people do.

And lastly, part of that view seems to come from the idea that Alicent is being cowardly because she does want ultimate power, but is choosing to stay confined to the gender norms of Westeros that refuse to give it to her, even while knowing that she's being disadvantaged. That's the entire impetus behind Rhaenys's line of Alicent imagining herself on the Iron Throne. But the show has never so much as hinted at the idea that Alicent wants the throne. There has been nothing to show that Alicent is power hungry and that Alicent would have taken the throne for herself if she had the opportunity. Alicent's involvement in politics is a combination of her doing her duty towards the realm as queen (a good queen counts the cost to her people, etc) and her genuine good nature that makes her want to try and be certain that things are going well not just for people she knows but for the realm at large. Alicent's motivations have never been about power, her motivations have been primarily about duty and love: duty to the realm and duty to her father and family but love for Rhaenyra and love for her children, and everything is borne of those two key concepts. We know Rhaenys wants the throne, because she was denied the throne solely on the basis of her gender in spite of the fact that Viserys was ill-suited and she would have been better, so it makes sense that she might view other power-grabs through that lens as well. But the narrative doesn't push back on the fact that, just because that's how Rhaenys sees the situation doesn't mean that it's correct, because Alicent has never expressed that desire. Then it becomes some shoddy writing that nobody tried to think about for longer than two seconds, because good line outweighs actually making sense. That's a problem that isn't unique just to this scene, it also shows up in the "now they see you as you are" thing which, baller line, makes no sense in context and is just bad writing.

TL;DR: Some of it is just bad analysis from people who don't understand narrative, the show, or American politics that does not hold up whatsoever and I refuse to entertain beyond a scathing critique, some of it is people taking a normal thing I don't have an issue with and I think is a decent part of Alicent's characterization and twisting it in bad faith for some reason, and some of it is just writing that wasn't thought through all the way.

[itsbeenliketenyearsitsprettywild]

I get and agree a lot of what you're saying: this is in part about getting the audience to engage with a punitive system of justice and better understand the difficulties and struggles that come with such a system, especially how black-and-white systems rarely seem to solve anything.

However.

I don't think it's just saying that. It's not just saying 'calling anyone guilty is bad, how dare', or that there is no hope for such a system.

What they're asking is actually a lot more nuanced: 'how do we take a system that is in no way built to help the prisoners in question, and figure out how to help them out long term anyways.

The reason I say this is pretty simple actually: the authors (Yamanaka and DECO*27) said something similar in an interview.

Yep, this is the quote people have talked about before where the creator says that he'll give us hell if we forgive everyone. But even more than that, it's explained why:

To put it in real terms, forgiving a murder means that those people will all come back into society as they are.

Which. Implies a LOT about what the creators think is possible, depending on what our choices are. That is to say: even though this system is by it's nature punitive, we can still induce positive rehabilitative change in the characters through our decisions and guilty verdicts.

Now, is it gonna be neat & pretty to do so? Fuck no: as you said yourself, OP, this system of justice we're participating in isn't actually meant to make them better in any given way, just validate or condemn depending on the choice. If we choose guilty, we won't get to add nuance to what they experience - they're just as likely to get metric tons of trauma as they are to change their behaviors.

Or hey, even both things could happen!

Like I would argue happened with Fuuta; Kotoko was responsible for most of the trauma and pain he went through (and in no way am I trying to excuse that), but PAST that- he's now he's at a point where he's not judging other people's decisions nearly as harshly as he was at the beginning, if we're going by the timeline conversation he had with Muu about Haruka. The only one who he's trying to hold responsible is Es, and that's because he sees the parallels in their behaviors compared to his previous ones. For all it was horrible and ugly to get there, he has changed his behavior.

But that's the best we get to do, if we want to try to make things better when we're put at the head of a black-and-white system of justice.

After all, Kotoko in particular is proof that forgiving a prisoner isn't always exactly helpful or rehabilitative, either - if a prisoner sees it as being told they're right, that can readily use that as justification to keep up or even escalate their terrible behaviors. For all a guilty verdict can turn out badly, forgiving someone can be just as disastrous depending on the person's mindset.

Because, the thing is. we were essentially just given a hammer and nails, and told to make these ten 'murderers' healthier members of society using only the shitty inappropriate tools at our disposal. Any rehabilitating we can do will be clumsy, and will depend just as much on the person in question being open to changing.

So, does our judging hurt people? Absolutely, but that's not exclusively the purview of a Guilty verdict. And, as much as we actively bring pain to those who aren't forgiven, it does sometimes give them a chance to change for the better, should they be open to it. But, that's not always going to be the case, and that's something we have to be aware of, even as some of us may choose to vote guilty.

TL;DR- While the system of justice we're participating in isn't made to make people better, judicious use of not forgiving people can help make improve their behavior - and on the other side, forgiving people who don't deserve it can lead to them acting worse. No matter how you vote, people are going to get hurt either way - it's all about figuring out the best of two bad options for each prisoner, and stubbornly working for as many small successes as possible.

I- god- I need to talk about how Milgram as a system makes you assign who the "worst" is out of the cast. Which one doesn't seem guilty for the actions? Which one didn't have a good enough reason? Which one is most dangerous? Which one is the scariest? Which one is the most Deserving of punishment? Which one Deserves Support the Least?

When Milgram asks who deserves to be forgiven and who shouldn't be this is what they mean. This is why Jackalope insists that you can vote for any reason. This system is Built to find the "Worst One" and Punish Them.

ES SAYS THIS IN AMANE'S T1 VOICE DRAMA:

Es: Don’t make me laugh. I’m not your teacher at school; it isn’t my goal to teach you things or guide you on the right path. Milgram’s goal isn’t to turn you back into decent human beings and get you back into normal society. What is needed here is firm, honest judgment and decisions.

Es: Milgram's goal is not to help people, but to judge them "firmly" and "honestly."

It is NOT a coincidence that they are saying this in Amane's T1 VD. Y'know, the same character whose cult punishes them unjustly and unfairly under arbitrary and often unreachable standards.

And look- I get that they committed murder. That is indeed a crime, that is indeed a horrible thing to do.

However, there is an Underlying Theme here that is being explored! If this work was just about what was murder and who actually committed murder this series would be over by Trial 1 and characters like Mikoto, Amane, Haruka, would be guilty and also Dead.

Milgram is actively making us engage with this System of Punishment and find out that No, it actually isn't that easy to prevent the evil from hurting the weak. That people get hurt in this pursuit of justice. That this black and white system of punishment Does Not Actually Help Anyone!

And this is such a cool and interesting part of Milgram that I wish people we're more willing to engage with! I wish we, as an audience, we're more willing to accept that Our Judgement Hurts People. That this is a part of the experience of engaging with the musical murderer series that asks the audience if their willing to forgive or not.

(And I also wish the risk of people attacking me for this is a lot lower but ah well.)

[marengogo]

Why you all are obsessed with the fact that Jimin is working so it's normal that Jungkook hangs out with Tae lmao what this means 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Jimin is working 24/7 and Jungkook is basically using Tae because Jimin can't go out? Why you don't admit that Jungkook PREFERS to hang out with Tae and not with Jimin. Jungkook made his choices, jikook don't want to spend a lot of time together, deal with it ! If jikook wanted to see each other they could find a way but they don't want to! Jimin's work is only an excuse! And stop victimizing taekook! They're happy together and fans love their new "free" taekook era. So stop crying.

Welcome to the Sonyeondan Colosseum Anon!

In case you are not aware of the rules in this particular ground, here is a link → SONYEONDAN COLOSSEUM.

- 🥷- 👩🏾‍⚖️- 🥷- 👩🏾‍⚖️-

Judge Marengo: Attorney Marengo, we meet yet again

Attorney Marengo: I have the impression we will be meeting rather often, Your Honour

Judge Marengo: *looks at her pile of cases and is not impressed* … all my cases for today are against your client.

Attorney Marengo: … Haters gonna hate and Players gonna play? *awkward smile*

Judge Marengo: *looking dead serious* Please make it quick Attorney Marengo

Attorney Marengo: I shall.

Why you all are obsessed with the fact that Jimin is working so it's normal that Jungkook hangs out with Tae lmao what this means 🤣🤣🤣🤣Jimin is working 24/7 and Jungkook is basically using Tae because Jimin can't go out? 

Attorney Marengo: Objection. The Prosecution is generalising at its best. They seem to be under the impression that I represent every Jikooker on this planet. Yet, had they done their “homework” they would know that not only have I never correlated the two facts, but also I don’t give a fuck about what most people think: I am not all Jikookers. 

Judge Marengo: Sustained. Moving on.

Why you don't admit that Jungkook PREFERS to hang out with Tae and not with Jimin. Jungkook made his choices, jikook don't want to spend a lot of time together, deal with it ! If jikook wanted to see each other they could find a way but they don't want to! 

Attorney Marengo: …

Judge Marengo: Order in court 👩🏾‍⚖️👩🏾‍⚖️👩🏾‍⚖️! … I would like to remind the Prosecution that the defendants are not the protagonist of a Soap Opera and this is not a Tv-Series Pitch Meeting; this is the Somewhat Respectable Court of My Law. Any statement uttered within this Unholy Grounds must be backed up by reliable evidence, which by definition aren’t fabrications, he-said-she-said, assumptions or Trust-me-sources. Moving. On. 

Jimin's work is only an excuse! And stop victimizing taekook! They're happy together and fans love their new "free" taekook era.  So stop crying-

Judge Marengo: I have said it once, and this is going to be the last time I will, I don’t like repeating myself: do not make a mockery out of these unholy Grounds. This case is quite clearly not a case hence, we shall move. if I want to watch a bad telenovela, I will do so, on Netflix, from the comfort of my home, not in this court. Time is ticking; on to the next case.

Always fairly and squarely yours,

Marengo.

[dangermousie]

No matter how progressive people on tumblr make themselves out to be, ultimately they don't hesitate to justify homophobia under the guise of cultural sensitivity

Yes.

And honestly, it applies to issues other than gay rights as well.

Yes, you should respect other cultures and not impose your own morality. Of course. BUT!! That only applies to things that do not involve oppressing a group of people. To be blunt, if your cultural or religious beliefs discriminate against and mistreat a group of people, like fuck will I respect them! If your society thinks women shouldn't get education, gay people should be jailed, political dissent is bad, blah blah blah, I am not gonna play along.

And people conflate cultural choices people make for themselves (always valid) and imposing them on others (not valid.) Take various dress codes for women related to various religions from Christianity to Islam to Judaism. People who scream e.g., that wearing hijab or a wig is per se oppression are dumb as hell - if a woman wants to wear it, it's her right and her choice, and yes, do not judge. But I am never just gonna say a society which mandates it and punishes you for not wearing it is OK because "culture." There is a difference between personal choice and coercion.

According to this logic, we should never judge anything ever except our own modern society. Are people gonna say slavery in 19th century American South or serfdom in 19th century Russia were OK because in that society it was viewed as normal? Spartan infanticide and helot hunts are a-ok because it was the norm? Pogroms? Child labor and marriage? Racism? Marital rape? Criminal penalties for birth control? Murders of albinos? Genocide? Execution for the "wrong" sexual orientation or religion? Because all of these were once considered the norm within various societies (and some still are.)

I grew up in a culture where there were a lot of attitudes that should be abhorrent to any right-thinking person and the thought of someone excusing all of it "because hey, it's their culture" is SICK.

Cultural understanding should mean understanding why people in a particular culture think a specific way or maybe being understanding and not judging them as irredeemable because they don't know otherwise; it doesn't mean approving of various horrors because it's "culture."

It's just a bit of hypocrisy to make themselves feel superior from the safety of their own corner where none of this will ever affect them.

[meher-sumedha]

Gwynriel Headcanon - The Summer Solstice

Alright this chapter is extra long so - COMPENSATION

Gwyn woke up to the sun literally shining in her face. Tarquin wasn't here this morning to wake her up as he usually did. She actually liked when he came to wake her up, mainly because she always got him to cover the windows.

Today he didn't come. Gwyn knew why. Last night was, well, the first time she'd ever been kissed and it was by her childhood friend. She used to have a crush on Tarquin but now all her feelings were mixed, because of Azriel.

Faerie wine was very powerful and when people drink it, they forget what happened the entire night. The only reason Gwyn didn't forget was that she had thrown out some of the wine and mixed a lot of water in it. But still, even mixed with water, faerie wine had messed with her actions.

She would never kiss anyone like that. But she was glad it was Tarquin, not anyone else. But she had wanted someone else to be her first kiss beside her mate, and it was not specifically Tarquin.

She finally got up to face the judging faces of everyone. As soon as she got up, her head started paining. Hangover. She mustered enough strength to take a bath and wear her usual leathers. Shit. Because Tarquin didn't wake her up, It was 1pm, she was 4 hours late for training. She ran running down the stairs and in the ground, but she saw no one there.

She then clutched her head which was paining like hell. Azriel then came up beside her and offered something. "What is it? " She asked, her head still paining. "Poison", "What!", "Relax, I'm kidding, it's gonna help with your hangover" Azriel replied.

She took the bottle right from his hand and drunk all of whatever was in it. It definitely wasn't poison but it definitely wasn't good either. Gwyn gave the bottle back to Azriel and wiped her lips with her hands. "Where is everyone? " She asked while sitting down on the grass and extended her legs. She then patted a place beside her.

"Summer Solstice" He replied and sat down beside her. "Oh" Was all she replied. That was why the weather was so much hotter today.

Azriel didn't know what to do next. He knew the effects of faerie wine. He wanted to talk to her, he'd searched the entire of the summer court for her that morning because she wasn't in the dining room for breakfast as usual. Then it hit him to actually check the place she might be in, her room.

When he had went in her room, she was sleeping soundly, her hair slightly on her cheeks. Azriel was relieved. He didn't know what would've happened to him if he hadn't found her. He didn't want to think about it either.

He sat down on his knees beside her bed, he then slightly took the hair out of her pretty face, so he could see it better. She moved to his side and his hand was under her face now. Azriel froze, not knowing what to do.

He just stayed there for hours, not wanting to wake her up, but secretly enjoying the feeling of her face in his hand. Only if he could share this moment, only if she was awake. His shadows were gently around her, playing with her hair but not waking her up.

When she finally shifted and his hand was free, he got up and left. He didn't have an excuse to stay with her anymore and didn't want to deal with his feelings if he did. His shadows were restless, begging him to go back but he didn't.

He then looked at Gwyn, her head tilted back and her hand slightly touching his. He came back to reality and asked, "Are you going to the ball?", "What ball?" She asked. "Tonight's ball, here, in the summer court. "

"Oh, I didn't know there was a ball but I'm probably not going" She was now facing him. "Why", "I don't have anything to wear" She said. "So what, you can go in your leathers" Azriel said jokingly and Gwyn laughed.

Gwyn's laugh was like freedom to Azriel, he loved it. "Yeah and then Quinn will kick us out of the court" She said jokingly but Azriel forced a smile, she still didn't call him Az but she called that pompous ass Quinn.

"You should go, the Nesta and Emerie are also coming" He said. He wanted Gwyn to come to the ball so that he had an excuse to see and talk to her. "Really! " Gwyn said was excited now. "Yeah, the whole inner circle is coming" He said. "Well, then I'm definitely going, I'll see if I have anything to wear" She said and got up and left. "Byee Az" She said and went inside the house, leaking of joy.

Oh god. He had waited a months to finally hear her mouth say his name. Even if it was just 2 letters.

Gwyn couldn't wait to meet Nesta and Emerie and Nyx. She missed them so much. She first went to the dining room to eat something. As soon as she finished her lunch she went to the ground to do some training. Azriel joined her when she was practicing her kicks.

It was and unspoken agreement between them. That whenever the other person approached while you were training, you will practice with them now. Gwyn was panting after two hours of training, they even used knives now, it was Gwyn's speciality but it was Azriel's too. So he always won but still Gwyn never yielded, never.

They were both panting and covered with sweat when Gwyn started running back to the house. "Where are you going" Azriel shouted at her. Gwyn turned back and ran to the house while facing Azriel, "I'm gonna see you at the ball" Was all Gwyn shouted before turning her back to him and running to her room.

When she entered her room, she saw many people a beautiful red dress, it looked like a ball gown and had a note attached to it,

Red always was your colour. ~Quinn

The dress was beautiful, it was around 5pm right now. "You are invited to the ball tonight, our high lord asked us to help you get dressed, please take a seat here" One of the girls said. "You may wanna take a bath first" The other one said.

"Yeah, yeah" Gwyn said and walked into the bathroom. It was just a friendly gesture, right? It meant nothing more, Quinn was just being friendly, wasn't he? At this point Gwyn was questioning all her life choices.

Gwyn didn't waste another moment thinking about it. She took a bath and went out in her room. All the girls were working on her all at once. Someone was putting on makeup, someone was doing her nails and her hair and whatnot. After 2 LOONG hours they were finally done.

Gwyn was looking like she'd always wanted to - beautiful. She wasn't just looking magnificent, she was feeling it too.

The girls then directed her out of the room and took her to the ballroom. The gate was opened and she entered. The people were dancing and singing and they were all so happy. From the corner of her eye she saw Nesta and Emerie. She literally ran towards them.

"I missed you both soo much" She said while hugging them tightly together. They hugged her back to. "Wow Gwyn, youu look beautiful" Nesta said, "She's right, you look hot as hell" Emerie said and Mor shot her a look.

"Thank you, you all look great too" She said to no one in particular. She then saw Nyx in Feyre's hands. She bowed in front of Rhys and Feyre. "High Lord, High Lady, How are you?" She asked them. "We're very good, Nyx missed you a lot" Feyre said and Rhys put a hand around her waist and kissed her temple. Gwyn admired the couple so much. She admired their happiness and hard work. She admired their child a lot too.

"Has he spoken anything yet? " She asked them, playing with Nyx a little bit. He caught her little finger and she smiled. "No, not yet, but I think he's close to it" Feyre said and smiled at her baby.

"Still don't want to talk to others" Someone whispered in her ears, their breath hot on her neck. It was Azriel. He looked great half naked during practice but right now in a suit he practically looked like a god.

When Gwyn turned around, Azriel stopped breathing for a moment. She was looking magnificent. He had never seen her in such a dress. He had never thought he would ever get the chance to do so anyway.

Azriel didn't speak anything for a moment. He couldn't, his voice was stuck in his throat. He was suddenly pushed a little from behind and he blurted out "You look beautiful".

Gwyn smiled, a rare smile which she only reserved for Azriel. Azriel was usually a very composed and cool person, right now, he wasn't. His shadows were playing with Gwyn. They were reckless. They were playing with her hair, her dress, her hands and whatnot. Gwyn started laughing. She enjoyed their company.

Oh god. Gwyn's smile, that smile. Her eyes, her laugh, her smile. God, what Azriel wouldn't do to see her this happy everyday. When Gwyn laughed, he was finally brought back to reality and he realized it wasn't a dream. He then finally got his shadows in a leash and stopped them. They were wrathful when he did that but still listened to him.

"Thank you, you don't look to bad yourself too" She said and walked away. Why didn't I ask her for a dance? It's not too late, I can still ask her.

When Azriel turned around to find Gwyn, he saw that she was with Tarquin, dancing and laughing and smiling. When Tarquin rolled her and dropped her low enough, with his hands on her waist, he whispered something in her ear and Gwyn laughed. He heard her say Thank You before he was interrupted.

"He's in love" Jack, one of the bastards from training said.

"What the hell are you doing here? " Azriel asked. "Tarquin invited all of us. And if you wanna get the girl, don't just brood and stand here, ask her to a dance" He replied.

"I don't need advice from a 16 year old who's barely lived" Azriel said, knowing how paranoid and annoying he sounded.

"Hey! I'm 18 and you might wanna stop being so rude to everyone. I gave you advice cause you desperately needed it, you can take it or leave it."

He started to walk away but "what did you mean by 'he's in love' " Azriel interrupted him.

"He looks at Gwyn just the way she looks at you" Was all he said before walking away.

What did he mean be 'she looks at you', that little shit didn't make anything easier, just more complicated. But one thing he was right about, he should ask Gwyn to dance.

He was just going towards Gwyn when he saw her dragging Tarquin out of the ballroom and into the ground. He followed them and saw Gwyn put a hand over Tarquin's mouth. What the hell was she doing?!?

"Tarquin, just a moment" Gwyn said to him. "But why are we here" Tarquin asked but didn't move her. "Tarquin just keep quiet", "But why-" He was cut off by Gwyn kissing him. Azriel started to walk towards them but he was pushed into the wall by Elain kissing him. His eyed widened. WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON!

Then Molly came out of the ball room, in tears. Gwyn stopped kissing Tarquin and again put her hand on his mouth. He didn't interrupt her this time. Gwyn's eyes met Azriel's and Azriel suddenly regretted everything in his entire life.

Then came Tom running after Molly. "Molly I-I'm so sorry" He said. "Why did you kiss her then, WHY?" She started hitting him on the chest now. Gwyn then got away from Tarquin and came in between Molly and Tom. "Molly listen to me" Molly still tried to reach Tom and probably kill him.

"MOLLY" She shouted and Molly finally stopped. "He wanted to kiss you, it's just that you and Samantha were wearing the same dress" "But", "No buts, Tom wanted you to be his first kiss, he told me", it was true. Tom had told Gwyn he wanted Molly to be his first kiss.

Gwyn then cautiously stepped aside. "Is it true?" Molly asked, her voice breaking. "Yes God ye-" Tom was cut off by Molly kissing him. Gwyn smiled at them seeing how happy they were.

Suddenly a black mist surrounded them. That mist which could mean only one thing.

Nightmare Suriels

Tag List - @trashforazriel @imsointobooks

@hlizr50 @shisingh @katiebellf

Make sure to leave a comment

[seyaryminamoto]

Just saw your “Thanos sucks” post and you couldn’t be more wrong. Thanos was a “hero” despite everyone claiming him to be a villain. If you look at our real world; there is strong evidence that a lot of humans, a LOT of people really should die and we’d be all the better without them. Thanos wanted people to learn how to control overpopulation and be grateful, but because as in our real world people are idiots; no one cared. It’s humans who are the problem; not Thanos. And he was right to be (1)

(2) angry in Endgame; there were still a lot of people still living. Tony Stark was the only sensible character living in a cute home with his wife and daughter, until he decided to join the stupids and reverse the snap. Thor was especially whiny; you’re gonna live a thousand years, find a new brother and just get over it already! And as the Falcon and Winter Soldier showed, society went to hell because the Avengers undid the snap; poverty and all. The Avengers are the real villains not Thanos.

... Thanos, is that you?

Oh. Guess not.

Look, dude. Really, dude. Mr. Anon. Whosoever you may be.

Let me really unpack what's going on here, can I?

You're a fictional-genocide apologist. At the very least, fictional one. I dare not say if you would be an apologist for it IRL, but it's weird enough to hear about anyone who genuinely thinks genocide would be the answer in any setting, fictional or otherwise. This is not a good look in any sensible human being. This already is enough of a bad point that I really could just stop here because you're very happy to share with us how appalling your morals are, but you know what? I'll keep going.

You're a Thanos fanboy. I get that. Clear as day that you are one. But you know what? You're probably a more disturbing one than expected for reasons that I really want to illustrate to my audience, however large it may be: you're in my inbox with two fictional-genocide apologist asks over an ask I answered... on August 10th, 2019. Your asks turned up in my inbox on November 30th, 2021. This offers two possible explanations as to how you came across that post: first, you somehow dug this post out from the mcu or thanos tags which I used carelessly because I assumed there was so much content posted to those that my little ask wouldn't even feature there, and that means you went back two years and about three months in those tags AT LEAST, looking for any criticism and anti-Thanos takes so you could barge into inboxes with an unwanted and unfounded opinion, trying to justify an intergalactic mass murderer. Second possibility: you singled me out in particular, hell knows why because I've deliberately NOT talked about the MCU in ages, especially in my blog, because a certain movie I hate and its influence in later content has almost killed every shred of love I had for the MCU altogether. Thus, you... somehow came for me, hell knows why, specifically hung up on finding one Thanos post buried in the depths of my archives, to defend, again, an intergalactic mass murderer. Again: this is not a good look. It's actually kind of worrisome. I have a hard time believing my Thanos post is the only one that offended you to this degree... so you probably went to every inbox you could find to defend this fictional character with your edgy explanations as to why mass murder/genocide is completely justifiable. Uh-huh. Okay. Sure. Your morals are worrisome, but you do you as long as you don't actually start enacting this insane set of beliefs in real life.

You are here giving me Kira-like justifications for Thanos's choices. I, actually, brought up Kira from Death Note in my original post to say that, had Thanos done THAT, maybe his crusade would make more sense as a morally-driven one, but I still argued that he has no way of truly being a jury, judge and executioner when it comes to who's a good or a bad person. How the hell does he know? Especially when he targeted such a large group of people. It defies reason, logic and sense. You can't seriously believe that he looked into the hearts of every being in the universe and cherrypicked who was good and who was bad... because hey, if he'd done that, your argument falls and crumbles upon itself, doesn't it? You said the Avengers are the bad guys: why didn't Thanos kill all of THEM? :'D had the snap been easily controlled and targeting the tRuE bAd GuYs™, why the hell didn't Thanos kill all of the Avengers and everyone who could have posed a threat to him, and then left nothing but powerless farmfolk in every planet he wrecked across the universe, for instance? I mean, seriously, what's your reasoning for this? You don't have one, do you? Yep, you don't. Moral superiority argument: denied. Thanos didn't select people because they were good or bad, the snap is 100% random and a bunch of good people died and a bunch of bad ones did too. It's plain stupid. It doesn't resolve shit. And THAT is what I was calling him a dumbass for :') it's not that I don't want villains to be villains, my dude... is that I want my villains to MAKE SENSE. And Thanos does NOT make any sense. That's what my post was about. But apparently you only read the bold lines going "THANOS IS A DUMBASS!" and ignored everything else I talked about, huh?

You have zero arguments regarding what I was REALLY arguing about in the post. I don't even remember if Thanos explicitly says that he's trying to "teach" people "population control", because man, I only watched Infinity War and Endgame once and I honestly don't care to revisit them. But, again, you're talking about apples and oranges while I was discussing whether I liked a mountain or beach vacation better: it has no relation with my actual grievances. What did I bring up? That Thanos's plans make no sense. And that's not Infinity War's plan, which is utterly idiotic, whether you ate it up or not, it's THE LONG GAME. We're supposed to think this guy was plotting for the events from Infinity War since, at least, the first Avengers film: look at every single one of Thanos's appearances in every movie between that Avengers and Infinity War and tell me at which point in time did he do ANYTHING that benefited his cause up until Infinity War itself? Hahahahaha never. He TRIED? Yes, and failed every time. Hence, I insulted him because his plans were actually utterly stupid. Giving the only Infinity Stone in his possession to a Loki who got his mind twisted into wanting revenge on Thor was such a stupid concept I can't even wrap my head around who'd ever DO that. Asking a crazed fanatic like Ronan to get one Infinity Stone for him instead of picking it up himself (or sending his genuinely loyal minions like the ones from Infinity War who died in 10 seconds :'D) is so ridiculous I, once again, can't even wrap my head around it. Everything he did failed because none of his plans MADE SENSE. It's stupid. He could've achieved the goddamn snap offscreen for all we know: he could've just taken advantage of the Tesseract's portal opening himself to take the damn thing during Avengers! He could have used the Tesseract to reach every other Infinity Stone's location and take them from whoever held them (not sure if Strange had the time one yet but who the fuck cares, if Thanos had enough stones when he went for the Time one, he totally would've taken it). He could have sacrificed Gamora since before we even KNEW her, well before she could even join the GoTG, because that would've gotten him his damn stone, apparently. Please, enligthen me as to WHY none of this happened? Oh, because Marvel needed to make more movies? Hahaha, that's not a narrative argument. That's external and unrelated to the subject at hand. That's not a way to explain a character's behavior. This is not consistent with the concept of a guy who somehow is "englightened" the way you see him and a genius who found the perfect solution for the universe's problems: this guy is a six-time-sanctioned DUMBASS and I stand by this belief, not because his ultimate goal was stupid, which it is... but because he took like 10 years to achieve said ultimate goal when he could have, arguably, reached that goal in 2 months if he had just bothered to TRY. So, using your words, which I ironically never used in my post, Thanos SUCKS! :'D

The snap is plainly the most ridiculous concept for "population control" that could have been proposed. I'm reading some articles about how this is based on some edgelord philosopher who believed that the food production in the world would always be too little compared to the constant growth of a population, a belief that now seems completely out of place because, while yes, global hunger is still very much real, there's certain places in the world where food waste is ASTRONOMICAL, the problem is in distribution rather than lack of resources in many cases, you could even argue corruption. But it's not impossible to do the opposite damn thing Thanos did, which I'm not even the first person to bring up: MAKE MORE RESOURCES. This guy has the power of the universe at his disposal: he can outright create galaxies, planets, EVERYTHING he wants... and yet he made the harebrained decision to ax everything by half instead. And yes, it's EVERYTHING. Come here with whatever nonsensical argument you want, but here's Marvel proving you wrong: he cut all resources by half too. This is the word of Feige, a guy for whom I don't have a ton of respect due to how he's handled a lot of things in the MCU, but in general, if he approves? It's canon. And so, this is canon: Thanos resolved NOTHING. He killed plants and animals just as much as he killed humans and higher lifeforms of which we're not even aware of. It's plain idiotic to think that this could be a solid solution when the ratio of population and resources is effectively THE SAME after the snap. This is really the brilliant plan you're trying to defend? Because it's honestly laughable. I repeat: this guy has the power of the universe in his hands. He can do ANYTHING with those stones. He could probably even rewrite reality so that populations are somehow self-sustainable and no longer need to eat! No more resources needed whatsoever! :'D He could have rewritten people's MINDS into not being the monsters you gladly accuse everyone of being so that they'd all be nice and share resources properly and devise better systems of resource production! This guy literally can do WHATEVER HE WANTS... And this is it? This is his brilliant choice? This is what he was going for since day one? Congratulations: you're stanning a dumbass.

Anon... this is possibly the most ridiculous argument anyone has tried to have with me. I am partially hoping/believing that you were just trolling around and wanted to rile up people who don't like Thanos. If that's how it is, consider me trolled and consider my time wasted, go cackle like a Disney villain because you achieved your wicked goal... but if that's not how it is, and you SERIOUSLY believe everything you said up there, I'm gonna be pretty harsh and say... stay out of my inbox. Quit embarrassing yourself. Go support fictional genocide elsewhere. I'm not here for this. I'm really not here for this. I'm here to love the things I love, to create content I care about, and occasionally to throw shade at badly written characterss, and your so-called hero, like it or not, is one of the most cringeworthy characters in the entire MCU. And, again: I don't even CARE about the MCU anymore. Practically every new thing I see of it makes me want less and less to do with it. Find someone who actually wants to argue with you endlessly about Thanos because man, I've got plenty of better things to do but roasting you one time honestly sounded like a good time. Doing it again would lose all the novelty, so stay in your fictional-genocide-apologism club and hang out with the reduced population of nasty human beings who believe everyone should get wiped out because they're morally heinous, without realizing how morally heinous you sound by spouting that kind of drivel :'D I mean, let's be real: if the snap was indeed codified for bad people alone, can you be 100% sure you WOULDN'T make the cut? :')

[dazaily]

todoroki bringing his s/o to an amusement part

my first bnha work... kinda nervous posting this cuz like bnha(?) idk,, but for my manz, i will pull through!! hope u enjoy ^^

description: you and todoroki have been dating for awhile now, but recently he realised he never initiates dates, and so he planned and invited u to an amusement park for a date. 

warnings: gender neutral! reader. fluff. clichéd. i wrote this at 4-5am.

* ·    　 ˚  + 　　　 ·    *  ˚ 

my manz is innocent, like lbr, he aint gonna know shiz abt dating..

sooo, the first few weeks into ur relationship(?) he was alr facing his first crisis.

he felt like nothing changed, despite having transitioned from a platonic to romantic relationship.

and so, being the sweet and clueless lil bean he is, he went to seek for advice from his one and only bestie bakugou, midoriya.

“hey, midoriya, what does one do in a relationship” why am i making him talk like someone from the shakespearean era tf

“oh, um todoroki?? are u asking for y/n? if so, i don't think im not the right person u should be asking,, i mean ive never even been in a rela--”

“well, u were my best choice” 

midoriya notices the absolute chaos they are surrounded by in the 1A dorm 

“ok i may be the best choice.” said in tiny.

so after a discussion that dragged for way longer than it had to be 2 days, todoroki settled on the idea of bringing u on a date to the amusement park.

cute idea right? yes. there's no twist, like i said this is a fluff. 

n e ways, he was an awkward lil bby asking u out, cuz he's not used to receiving or giving affection,,,, he's trying his best.

“um, y/n, are u free this sunday..?”

“sunday, hmm i think i alr have smtg planned..”

“oh, um, well then, its fine, its nothing important..”

if u weren't hit by a pang of guilt, idk what type of monster u are.

“nah, that was just jokes, so whats up?”

and that was how y'all ended up in universal studios japan. usj

endeavour’s bout to be big mad when he realises the missing money from his wallet.

“sHOUTOOOOO!!” >:[

n e ways..

so ur date started with u dragging shouto around the entire park, with the goal of riding every single ride 

ofc he was fine with it, he was happy as long as he got to spend time with u. a simp.

but since u guys went on a weekend, there were way more people than u guys originally expected, like wHOA,,, 

the park was basically filled with people from all over the world, even though it wasn't holiday season..

so ur dreams and hopes of riding eery single ride, may be impossible..

hAH, YOU THOUGHT, YOUR MANZ FATHER MAY BE THE WORST PERSON ON EARTH, BUT HES STILL TOP 2 HERO. 

ur manz got u the express pass.

the one time ur grateful for the existence of his father.

so yall spent the first 2-4 hours just riding every single ride u could possibly find. 

shouto’s probably the type that is willing to try anything, i don't think he’ll be scared of any rides in particular. 

in the contrary, i feel like there'll be rides that he's lowkey excited to ride on, since he never had the chance to enjoy these events and places as a child. cuz of his sh*tty father.

he would ofc try to hide his excitement, but after being by his side for awhile, uve learnt how to differentiate his different emotions, despite his general nonchalant self. 

him being excited, makes u happy, cuz its rare that u get to see these sides of him.

omg pls protect him at all costs,, he needs it,,, he's so precious,, shower him with all the love in the world.

so y'all be running all over the place, until hunger slaps u in the face like that isekai truck that ive been waiting for. 

and so its food time!

“hmm, since were in an amusement park, we should get some hot dogs, churros, oMG and cotton candy!!”

“..what? c-ch-churros?? what are those?”

“holy sh-- u don't kNOW WHAT CHURROS ARE!? we’re getting churros right now.”

“but, i want soba... the cold one”

u ended up getting both. cuz it isn't todoroki without cold soba.

and it was back to running around the entire park riding everything.

but instead of running yallz were walking hand in hand, as if u guys were an old couple taking a stroll in the local park

and instead of the entire park, y'all were just in the harry potter section..

don't judge, its cute. and the food did some numbers to ur stomachs, so u were avoiding some rides till u digest ur food. 

while walking around, the sun was setting creating a beautiful scenery. 

wanting this to be a lasting memory, u convinced todoroki to take a photo together. 

u wanted to take an aesthetic couple photo to show off to other people who were trying to steal ur hunk of a man. 

at first u had asked random passerby to help yalls take a photo,, but being the attention-starved lil bby he is, he felt awkward posing in front of random people. 

which led u guys to just set up the camera on a small ledge with a castle in the bg. 

it was then, todoroki had experience a flashback to the conversation that him and midoriya had. 

“hmm, wikihow says that every date has to end in a kiss, for it to be called successful..”

“is this website trustable??”

“it should be.. anyways just do it.”

coming back to reality, todoroki suddenly felt a sense of urgency, the date was coming to an end, and he hasn't kissed u yet,,,,

at that moment, as the timer of the phone camera was reaching 0, with u and ur wide smile posing for the camera

todoroki gently turned ur head to face his, and he had kissed u, for public display.

ur face immediately turned red, but u eventually returned the kiss, after getting over the shock. 

after separating, todoroki was silent, slightly scared and worried of ur reaction(?)

“why didn't u tell me u were going to kiss me~~ u should've told me so i can at least look good in the photo~~”

“..huh? well, um, i just had he sudden urge to do it?” kinda ooc

he was flustered, confused, embarrassed and giddy all at the same time

but the hugest wave of relief came over him, as he began to relax. 

“well we can just take another photo if u don't like it--”

“nO, i like this photo. but im always open for another kiss.” ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

getting over ur prior embarrassment, u tried flirting with him, returning the bold action he had pulled off earlier. 

“well, i wouldn't reject an offer like that would i..”

surprising u by picking up on the offer u suggested, todoroki gave u another kiss, easily taking ur breathe away.

well, ig this just confirms that wikihow is reliable. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

i can't believe i ended a fic with a kiss,, this is the most cop out ending ive written but im way too tired to write properly rn,, 

˚  ˚ . ·   　 * 　 ⋆  * 　

a/n: hihi, so im kinda nervous posting this, cuz thus far i have only done haikyuu works so like??? i feel like i have an overall better understanding of haikyuu characters and their dynamics, but i wanted to write something for my precious icyhot <3 if this piece does well, ill try and write more about bnha characters. hope it was good!!

[sometimes-men-need-help-too]

How do you feel about us radfems? We have very opposing opinions and I want to know an MRA's thoughts. Also may I ask why you're against feminism, I mean feminism is about females, don't expect us to always talk about men's problems all the time, it's like asking asking an animal activist why they are more focused on animal problems then humans. Please be respectful and have a wonderful day 😊

A couple things:

- I am sincerely sorry that I'm just now responding. For some reason, I wasn't getting notifications for this blog and suddenly I am. So who knows what's up with that lol

- When I mention feminists in this response, I'm not meaning all feminists. Just some. I wanted to say this here instead of putting "(some)" each time

-sometimes I ramble unintentionally while trying to get my point across. If I do that, I apologize.

--

1st question:

So I actually had to Google that term, Radfem, because while I've seen it on here, I didn't really know what it stood for.

And after looking what you guys believe, I can't say I really agree with it. I mean, I'm sure you guys are lovely people; I just can't get myself to agree with things like we live in a patriarchy and such. Beyond that, I don't really have much of an opinion about y'all. I'll get into some of what you guys believe and what I disagree with when I get to answering why I'm anti feminism.

--

2nd:

I have many reasons why I'm against it. This is in no particular order.

- I don't believe we live in a patriarchal society and that women are some 2nd class. I live in the U.S. so I can only speak for here but I don't think that we are dealing with as much sexism as feminists like to say we do. Of course, it still happens somewhere, we'll never fully be rid of it, but I feel like we have it pretty good here.

We have rights. We can do the same things a man can, except for something that may be out of our physical capacity.

Part of the issue is that it seems controversial to say that men and women are different. It's a fact. We aren't built the same. We have different ways of doing things, on average. It doesn't mean that it's bad or some sort of derogatory thing.

Being equal doesn't mean we're going to be equal in the strictest sense. It's just not possible. And it's okay. It really is.

- I also feel like instead of trying to work on solutions or raising awareness about issues going on in other countries where girls dont have these same rights, there's just a lot of complaining about trivial things.

- Feminists say we should respect a womans choice but if we choose not to be a feminist, that isn't usually respected. They can get nasty with us and assume that we want male attention or we're brainwashed and we let the men in our lives decide for us or we hate other women. It's dumb. If you really respect someone's choice, that includes a choice you dont necessarily agree with.

There's this mold one has to fit into in order to be fo considered a "real" feminist. You have to think a certain way. For example, I'm pro life and that's not acceptable. Again, I'd be met with sexism and hostility simply because I'm not conforming to the standard in which they believe to be okay.

It pretty contradicts when feminists say that if you're for equality, then you're a feminist because that's not true. Because, again, there's a standard one must abide by.

- This is kind of hard to explain but I also feel like the feminism movement, in a way, is actually harmful to girls. They keep getting this idea thrown around constantly that they're oppressed and such and that kind of negativity isn't good. It puts false ideas in their head and they start to believe it and they go around, thinking that society sees them as inferior. Does that make sense?

- I understand what feminism is for. However, we get told that feminism is for everyone, feminism is for men, too. But it's hard to take that seriously when the amount of men bashing posts out there is unreal. Why would any guy want to be part of a movement that thinks the worst of them and thinks it's acceptable to do so because....reasons?

- The hypocrisy. This is another huge one for me. I see it too much. For example, being against body shaming but turning around and saying, "small dick energy" to a guy that disagreed with you and then trying to justify it by insisting it was just a joke.

I have important men in my life, like my dad, and I can't overlook those things. I wont overlook it. Even though the movement is more for females, it doesn't give someone a right to be dismissive toward issues that affect men and then say that, well women have it worse.

I've seen that and it's disgusting. And when you bring the behavior to light, then people will say that, "oh, well they're not a real feminist."

Okay. But why aren't people doing more to move away from those supposed fake feminists so the movement doesn't get looked at as every feminist being that way? Like I said, I'm referencing *some* feminists, not all. There are good feminists out there of course. But I just dont think that there's something being done enough that distances them from the very vocal ones that we see on social media and such.

- what's also pushed me away is the lack of respect when it comes to discussing stuff online. Granted, some of that could be people mouthing off because it's the internet and people do that. But it's frustrating when I'm genuinely interested in a discussion and because it's something someone disagrees with I get a response like this:

"He's not gonna notice you, girl."

"No❤"

"Kill yourself:)"

Or name calling

Or some other immaturity

It doesn't help. It makes it look like we're supposed to blindly go with whatever is being said and we cant question it. That's not right. It prevents good conversations from happening because they're so quick to judge and assume and scream at you. And that's sad, because we don't need yet another thing to divide us.

Anyway, I hope that answers your question! Thanks for asking!:)

[valkerymillenia]

Umbrella Academy

season 2, episode 8

Once again- live blogging my thoughts and reactions in one post to avoid spamming.

So this is how the FBI gets their hands on Vanya, huh? Seems most fan theories were wrong.

Oh, Sissy's last name is Cooper!

I did wonder about that -how did remember her name despite forgetting everything else? If she knew her name then she should have been able to remember other little fragments.

Of course the feds focus on the fact that her name is Russian. Cold war bullshit. I guess they think she's a spy or since Russian sleeper soldier or something.

"I'm not Russian" -you kinda are though 😅 Tatiana was Russian and gave birth to you in Moscow sooo...

DID VANYA JUST SPEAK RUSSIAN?!

Is that one of the 7 languages that Reggie all the siblings or....? Does it... Does it have something to do with her powers or her birth place?

"simple-minded boy"? FUCK YOU.😠

"communist threat" there it is 🙄

Oh no, she's losing her cool. Here come the powers... I keep wondering how she does that 'sucking the life' out of someone thing. 🤔

That's a lot of puke.

Poor Five, he's starting to crack under the stress.

Why is Ben gagging? He's dead, he shouldn't be able to feel or smell the puke.

Loving Robert's real curls starting to show.

"I regret nothing" -hmm.... Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of.

"there's a giant dead white boy on my couch" 😆

"Oh, I see. It's gonna be one of those kind of nights, huh? So are we burning or burying?" -this is why I love Klaus! He doesn't even flinch, he doesn't care what happened, he doesn't ask, he just immediately decides that he's going to help his sister get rid of a dead body like it's the most natural thing in the world.

Although, it would be interesting if Klaus actual saw the Swede ghosts too. I just want Klaus to be seeing ghosts everywhere again, ok? I want that struggle from season 1 to be brought back and not swept under the rug for plot convenience. As a writer, if you make something an important character trait, you stick with it and they haven't done that with Klaus, they are half-assing his struggle with his powers.

It's the Swede really going to...? Oh good, saved by the cat.

Oh! So that's what "lavender" means! I was right, it was the perfume, it was probably obvious but I'm a little dumb.

Ah! Lila is trying to hire Diego for the Commission???

Diego is so confused.

"colorful history" sounds so wrong and sexual 😣

Diego is so full of bullshit. His loyalties absolutely lie with his family, he's just too defensive to admit it.

Reginald FRAMED Pogo's family drawing? So he's a better dad to the chimp than his own kids, huh?

THE TELEVATOR!!!!!!! PLANS FOR THE TELEVATOR!!!! I love comic references, please tell me we'll see a real televator in the show!

So Reggie really is planning something about JFK...

"are you involved in something nefarious?" "Quite often. Did you have something more specific in mind?" -at least he owns it 😆

"shaggy man" -ah! Poor Diego!

Reggie really loves this Grace, huh? But she has a point.

Five is losing it a bit, huh?

The baby powder 🤣

"I have to find myself" -RIGHT! I was wondering when this would come up! Old!Five was there for the JFK thing so Five just has to find his old self and his briefcase in order to correct all this mess. More comic references!

"arguably the most dangerous assassin in the time-space continuum" -DAMN RIGHT 💯

"paradox psychosis" 🤣I know it's supposed to be super serious but the symptoms are so funny...

"a spotter? What is that? Like a wingman?" 😆 This parallels that "Body man? What's that? Like a masseuse?" line in s02e02 where Five is the confused one.

Five, do you really think your brother can stop you if you spiral? Because I don't.

Luther doesn't have a great attention span, does he?

Harlan's drawing is interesting... I get a feeling it's important.

Shit, they are torturing Vanya!! This is so bad!

LSD? LSD?????? No, that's a terrible idea with her powers!!!

Eeeewwwww the eyeballs! 👁️

That's a hell of a bad trip... The way the music makes with the visuals reminds me of my synesthesia though.

Oh! So this is where the scene of all the adult siblings in the Academy uniforms is from!!! (I remember someone saying it was Diego dreaming of having a drugged hallucination in the asylum, they were pretty close! It's Vanya drugged by the FBI instead!)

"I get you" -that is not the face of a person that gets this at all, Luther!

"Don't freak out." -like that ever worked 😆

Lila trying to have her cake and eat it too with her mom and Diego.

That informational video 🤣🤣🤣

Free coffee! Weekly donuts* (*fees apply)! Wow, so tempting 😒

"whatever your skill, education, or comfort level with moral ambiguity (...)" 😆

Are the Fives just having a staring contest? 🤣🤣

Ah! How can Five be bitchy and aggressive to HIMSELF 😆

"all those years on the apocalypse, we never stopped working about our family." -why does Luther look so damn surprised to hear this?? Why the hell does he think Five is doing so this for?!

Wow, Five is really bitter about his body, isn't he? He's making old!Five so nervous 😅

Oops, there's stage 4 for old!Five!

And there's stage 3 as well and stages 5 and 6 for little!Five.

I get a feeling Five doesn't really have the accurate calculations, he's just lying and using the originals.

"I don't trust him!" -he's... He's you...14 days ago! How do you not trust yourself?

"but he's you" "exactly" 🤣🤣🤣

I'm so afraid how what Diego is going to do. I get a feeling hell fuck up trying to be a misguided hero again...

"I'm Diego. I have a knife." 😆

"it's very shiny" 🤣

So Diego is a legend, huh? 😏

"there's been a coup d'etat" "what's that? Cadillac?" -don't play dumb, Diego, I don't believe for a single second that you don't know what a coup is.

So the new apocalypse WAS Vanya's fault but by proxy (actually more the FBI's fault), she was just a small domino. So literally the only one that didn't actively do anything to impact the timeline ends up being the one doing the most damage (again)? PLOT TWIST!

Oh no, DON'T GET ANY IDEAS ABOUT YOUR SISTER, DIEGO! YOU SAW HOW BADLY THAT ENDED LAST TIME!

No, I refuse to believe "she will always be the bomb" 😠😠😠😠

LOL, hi, Dot!

NO! LUTHER, YOU MORON! DON'T GIVE HIM ALL THAT INFO! YOU'LL CHANGE EVERYTHING AND CEASE TO EXIST!!!

These dumb siblings exhaust me

"little jerk-off" -why are you insulting yourself, you weirdo? 😆

Old!Five with all the PP symptoms and yet he says he never felt better in his life 🤣

"you're getting paranoid" -you both are, and sweaty, itchy and gassy. All that's missing is the homicidal rage at this point 😅

Vanya's hallucination shows us a twisted paranoid view she has of her siblings and it's very interesting:

-Ben is protective, defends her, he can do no harm, probably because he died young so nostalgia blurs her memory of him

-Allison defends her but is also arrogant and condescending, speaking as if she's implying that Vanya is weak, probably because Vanya feels that Allison is perfect and has an inferiority complex

-Luther is just as arrogant and looks down her, calling her lazy, but does so without malice (more mockery than anger)

-Klaus is accusing and suspicious but still on the fence and excitable, probably reflecting Vanya's own doubts and how she herself sees Klaus

-Five just stares, judging and silent but unable to look away, probably because she trusts him but she also doesn't know him, there's the same nostalgia effect as Ben but because Five came back (to stop her) the inferiority and fear of judgement is still there

-Diego is completely different, awkward and detached, this one is the most interesting because he's one of the people that was most vocal and mean against her in season 1 but apparently she sees a kindred spirit in him to an extent, either that or she fears she means nothing to him

Maybe I'm overanalyzing again...

I totally predicted the dishes would be brains but it's still gross.

Ew, the chewing... 😫 It's giving me the creeps.

Why is she seeing Harlan's drawing? She was gone already when he made that particular drawing (I knew it would be important), is she connected to him now??

And how does she remember her own birth??

Holy shit, Harlan is feeling Vanya's pain!!!😲😲😲

"why are people so much heavier when they're dead?" "You got a lot of practice at this?" 😅

Ben and Klaus conversation actually makes me feel a bit better about the possession but it makes no sense at all 🤣

Poor Ray keeps meeting in-laws in the weirdest situations 🤣🤣🤣🤣 his face! 🤝

Ray is having a nervous breakdown 😣 poor guy...

The moment Lila notices Diego is missing, the intercom chimes "Loyalty isn't a choice, it's a lifestyle" and if that isn't foreshadowing for Lila choosing sides then I don't know what is.

This is a really painful way for Vanya to recover her memories but it's so well done!

Holy shit... 😳

Klaus asking the real question here. She's being tortured, Klaus, go help!!!

HOLY SHIT! HARLAN HAS VANYA'S POWERS NOW?!

No, no, no,no, no, no nononononono! This is so bad! A child with a disorder that makes emotions hard to regulate suddenly having an apocalyptic level of power that connects directly to emotion is just a recipe for disaster!

[theangrypokemaniac]

@nyarthsis

If Team Rocket 'always had a heart for unpopular Pokémon', that's an admission their Alola catches aren't particular loveable creatures, so I'm not thinking anything too controversial.

You're saying they take pity on the animals no one wants, as in it's normal for me not to find them adorable.

Some Pokémon, such as Lucario, become fan favourites without the advertisement of a regular role the anime. With Wobbuffet, Bewear, Stufful, Mareanie and Mimikyu, do people like them for themselves, or because of their association with Team Rocket?

I think its the latter. I can't imagine there would be such interest in them were they to be owned by a Twerp or appear as a one-off. Really then, it's not what or who they are, it's to whom they belong that matters.

Alola has really devalued catching. Rather than be true to the source material, so battering a Pokémon into submission, as Ash did with Bulbasaur, Primeape, Muk, and many others, now you have to ask their permission!

Bewear didn't even get that. She hung around for no reason, and her 'friend' Stufful was belatedly tacked on. I see why those two were left behind, as Team Rocket had no right to take them elsewhere.

In terms of welfare, Mimikyu and Mareanie are better off staying with them, free and safe, rather than locked in the insalubrious depths of H.Q., but then it never bothered the writers sending previous Pokémon into an uncertain future, so what difference does it make now?

It can only be that, like their predecessors, there is no intention to ever bring them back, but unlike the rest, the fans can't even be allowed the vain hope of a return, not with this rather awkward disposal.

It's feasible that Jessie and James could call their base and request old monsters to join them, but it's difficult to imagine they'd fly across the world to Alola, wander through the woods, pick 'em up and go all the way back again. Why make parting so final and irreversible?

It does imply that Game Freak don't like them, so why should I?

I keep noticing this fickle attitude. A new era starts, we're expected to fall instantaneously in love with every element, beg for more and yet more. Then, once the next region arrives, this adoration asked of us is meant to evaporate and immediately transfer to the next batch.

Well why start to like them, if eventually the makers don't care, to the extent you wouldn't even know previous Pokémon had ever been alive?

Have you heard one mention of Seviper, Yanmega, Dustox, Cacnea, Carnivine, and Mime Junior since they left?

Why were they happy to chuck Wobbuffet after Sinnoh, yet fetched for Kalos?

How could Team Rocket live without it for an entire generation but suddenly it's indispensable again? What do you imagine the rest of their Pokémon felt about that?

Have Jessie and James wondered allowed how Arbok, Weezing, Lickitung and Victreebel are doing?

What of the last two generations?

What is this nonsense where every character is so detached from the past?

Supposing I was to force myself to appreciate them: since they've gone, never to return, I'd be dissatisfied with the show, thus no better off than I am now.

My feelings don't run on a switch. I can't find myself besotted one minute then dump the object of affection without a second thought, just because Nintendo want it from me.

Even if I had a more positive opinion of the current interpretation, there's no benefit to becoming involved when it's all so fleeting.

Mareanie is ugly, with three teeth. I think he's a sea anenome, so ought to be more attractive, but it's covered in nipples instead!

It looks like a bonsai tree growing breasts, reminiscent of the hideous content lurking within an Hieronymous Bosch painting.

The idea that all Mimikyu copy Pikachu, the most famous Pokémon, when in their world it's nothing special, is too stupid for me to accept. How could that be coincidence?

It's referencing reality, acknowledging the real world's view of Pikachu as the star, so if it's breaking the fourth wall, it invites disbelief.

Wobbuffet does sod all. It's a complete dead weight and has no attacks. Yet it's the one to survive generation after generation. Where's the logic in that?

I suspect his popularity rests on being there so long he's considered part of the furniture, the sole catch in which you can invest an emotional connection whilst fairly certain he'll remain around.

By now it ought to have developed some semblance of a personality, but it's as faceless as ever. Other Pokémon that have been and gone had a bit more about them, but Wobba's so bland no one can summon the energy to write him out.

If he went, what would you miss? Breaking out of his ball and hissing 'WAAAAAHBUHFEH'? Is that so integral?

I have several objections:

What is it meant to be?

Why does its tail have eyes?

Why is that never mentioned?

Is it a sort of quadruped, or has it only one foot with four toes, arranged like the bottom of a medical walking stick?

A lot of my reactions to Pokémon are influenced by encountering them in the games. With Wobbuffet, I remember first coming across it in the cave near Blackthorn City, and just as you're winning the fight, it pulls out Destiny Bond and suddenly you're both down.

When you finally get one, it's tricky to train. You have no choice but to guess whether the opposition will launch a physical or special move, and mostly you get it wrong. He never learns anything else and doesn't evolve, so it's that forever.

Persevering with Magikarp is worthwhile, but what's to be gained from taking any time out to fight with Wobbuffet?

The anime eliminates this problem. You're aware of the nature of the approaching onslaught because you can see it coming, and the opponent said it aloud.

In this context Wobbuffet should be the most powerful Pokémon in the universe. Come on, it can deflect every attack!

Is it? No. It has a successful defence about once a generation, and still loses the battle. I can't say if it's worse to be utterly pointless, or to not fulfil one's potential.

I resent it muscling in on the motto, as if it's considers itself of equal rank to Meowth. No it's not!

When I was young, there was a tendency for magazines to refer to Team Rocket as a duo. Meowth was judged to be in the same position as Pikachu: a main character yes, and valuable enough to be accorded the privilege of liberty, but still very much owned by people.

You would see references to Jessie and James as his Trainers, though how they assumed this worked went unexplained. Even if shared, one had to have to caught him, thus be his proper owner.

Later on this developed into them being three equal members, and the term 'TRio' emerged, but now, although perhaps not officially recognised, there's an attitude of treating them as a quartet.

It's just wrong! Wobbuffet's not been around since day one. He didn't join Team Rocket voluntarily because he had nowhere else to go. It was a choice made for him by his original Trainer, so out of his hands, or rather his flippers.

If he was an independent Pokémon who just tagged along one day, that would be different, but it belongs to Jessie. Promoting one of hers means James is lesser, and no longer equal.

In each generation Team Rocket catch at least one local Pokémon, but as Wobbuffet's there, it ends up with Jessie having more on her side than James, and I dislike the imbalance. Plus the one he does get is violent.

It can't be solved by giving him another new one, as then he's captured two in the region, and she has only one, so again it's skewed.

Whilst Wobbuffet does count in numbers, he's not on the level of the rest, who fight regularly. He's both there and not simultaneously.

I'm still irked the way Lickitung was ejected to make room.

It was the best Pokémon they ever had! It took out Pikachu, Vulpix and Bulbasaur with one move! It would've won those Princess Dolls for Jessie if the writers hadn't changed the rules so that Lick only affects those of sound mind!

It was as if they realised their mistake too late, and so Lickitung was featured less and less to avoid it dominating a fight, then hurriedly traded away for something reliably feeble.

The following analogy you may not understand, but I think it fits rather aptly:

There's a game called Final Fantasy VIII. One of the side quests involves you racing through a castle under a time limit. If successful, you are rewarded with Odin as a Guardian Force, which is a deity that will provide a defence.

Unlike others, he is out of your control, but every so often, as you enter battle, he turns up and annihilates your opponents. It's very welcome.

Unfortunately this game was programmed by bunyips, who clearly didn't want the last section of the game to be accidently easier for you. Oh no. If you're progressing, it ain't gonna be through luck, or turning the console on and off until he arises.

Therefore, towards the close, you come up against ex-friend Seifer. Odin is fixed to rush to your aid, but when he does, bloody Seifer slices him in half, horse and all!

He killed Odin, the ancient King of the North! The Lord of Valhallah! The Father of the Vikings!

It's not normal fighting death, it's irreversible. He's gone for good.

After this Gilgamesh introduces himself as a replacement. He too will randomly appear and set about the enemy.

The problem is that whilst Odin destroyed monsters unfailingly, with Gilgamesh it's a rarity.

He uses four swords, and which you get is also a lottery.

One is the same as Odin's, two deal average damage, but not death, and the worst one depletes 1 HP, so it might as well not have bothered.

Not only does it arrive but a fraction of the time, but it's in a fraction of those times that it's of any assistance, which is something of a comedown.

Lickitung is Odin: didn't see it often, but it tore the place apart!

Wobbuffet is Gilgamesh: once in a blue moon it provides rescue, but it's on a lot lower percentage than it's predecessor.

It's difficult not to be disappointed.

[beingatoaster]

I was on an RPF blog earlier (don't ask, I went some dark places today in search of fandom content) and I was struck by the screenshots the blogger had posted of YouTube celebrities with captions like, "look at that yearning" and "so horny"

and like

I don't judge people for shipping fictional characters who are friends--I absolutely do it, smarter people than me have essayed on the hows and the whys and the cultural underpinnings of it all, and people can ship whatever the fuck they want

and it's not my scene personally, but on general principle I feel the same way about RPF, I may not go there if you don't bring it up in front of the subjects I'm not gonna yuck your yum

but in this particular case all I could think was that most of the screenshots showed, "person looking at Friend who is happy, and being happy that Friend is happy," and the rest were, "person looking at Friend who is doing amazing and cool thing and being impressed and pleased," and, like

that's how friends look at friends! it's how friends SHOULD look at friends! it's how I'd look at my friends all the time if I had a face capable of that range of expression!

so anyway I don't wanna be one of those people who judges other people's shipping choices, but also, it feels like a more stark reminder than usual that one of the pervasive Cultural Underpinnings involved in shipping patterns is absolutely our weird mass emotional constipation about valuing and expressing how much we value friendships, and the weird tendency we seem to have to ascribe intensity of emotion to Romance Only

anyway I'm on my third night of insomnia so I'm a bit incoherent, but look at your friends like they're cool and amazing, damnit, because they probably are