#Abuse of hashtags

[twl-83]

Friendly ROP PSA

To help everyone who is tempted to resurrect unecessary anti-haladriel shipping arguments based on anything that does or does not happen in Season 2.

Please understand...

[xinganhao]

🪶 dead poets society!hhu x reader.

i heard the hip-hop unit asked you to join the dead poet's society! ✶ part of my svt university milestone event

⤿ hip-hop unit as members of a poetry society, choose-your-own romance (🙂), poetry references. more content + poll for special chapter under the cut. ♡⸝⸝ prompt from @taeraegyat! + a special shoutout to @biniaiahs, who helped me come up with the plot. that's #oomf <3

SEUNGCHEOL'S WRITE-UP.

i think i still see love as something that's built from the ground up. something you work on, something that can be encompassing and grand. even then, i'd be a fool to think it won't inevitably end. all good things do. (much like this club, though that's a sentiment for another essay.) the fact that it will all eventually crumble doesn't make it any less worth pursuing. and so we build our empires, brick by brick, in hopes that we can have everything our heart desires. that same night when i told you about what i want, i think i could have been clearer. i want everything, yes. but more than that, i want you.

WONWOO'S WRITE-UP.

we need people to live. that seems like a simple, cardinal truth— an echo of 'no man's an island'. it's not always easy to accept, though. i think that's how i've spent most of my days. don't get me wrong. being alone ≠ being lonely. i've always been fine with myself, fine by myself. but love is like a cat curled up in a patch of sunlight. oh-so comfortable in taking its time, coming and going whenever it pleases. much like you. you're a bit unfair, because you've made me less lonely. because now, i don't want to be alone when i can be with you.

MINGYU'S WRITE-UP.

i have a page bookmarked on my google chrome. 'funny, random & weird holidays'. i told you once before that i'm always looking to celebrate something, because that's just the point of living! to find small but certain happiness in our day to day! otherwise, life gets tedious and tiring. so can i be blamed for wanting to mark 'international joke day'? (july 1, by the way.) i think it's a bit of a coping mechanism, really. maybe on 'say something nice day' or 'richter scale day', you'll finally look my way. maybe if it weren't just a random thursday, you'd finally feel what i've always felt for you.

VERNON'S WRITE-UP.

this isn't the best version of me yet. i know that for a fact. there's a lot more that i can still be and i'm sure the same stands for you. on my end: i can probably be funnier, cooler. i could be more honest, too. the closest i've come to the truth is when i slipped and i said i needed to see you. not want; need. i like to believe that in a couple of years, i'll be the type of guy who can sweep you off your feet. i don't expect you to wait. it's just a quiet, blind hope— that i may one day be deserving, if i ever dared to ask.

[poplarbark]

this weed pen aint shi—

[earthspark-shockwaves-reduction]

[cyarskaren52]

[killmymind]

it’s okay to admit you’re wrong about a celebrity btw.. not everyone is secretly gay and pushed into the closet. just because you want his relationship with maya to be fake doesn’t make it fake. stop making up excuses to defend an abuser and believe women for once 👍

[drykoolaid]

They r watching wall-e

Kinda forgot to feed you guys for a while until I shitposted WHICG SOMEHOW GOT 1,000 LIKES TF??? Anyways my work has been screwing me over butttt I thought I’d post on a full moon n shit bc that’s sick asf

Uhhhh bye

[cyarskj1899]

Mind you people say Kanye is acting out to this very day cause he lost his mom years and years ago. Megan hasn’t even gotten a fraction of that grace!

everyone cares about mental health when it comes to Kanye and excuses his antics. You can find articles about his guilt surrounding her death in 2023!!!

but Meg must take full personal responsibility regardless. Megan lost her mom even younger than he did. We don’t see black women as human.

[signanothername]

And that

ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between

is how Starscream became a mother

[sammygender]

thinking about dean growing up and putting everything before himself. hunting and his brother and his dad and his dad’s revenge quest for their mom. he doesn’t matter. he is entirely irrelevant. thinking about dean internalising this as just what you do, just how people behave and how they should behave. him viewing selfish as the worst thing you can possibly be.

then thinking about sam growing up and fighting. brave enough to challenge their father and rebel against him and voice something different, brave enough to focus on what he wants. dean seeing this and it stings - he could never do that. how is sam acting like that? he can’t believe that’s the right way to behave. so sam must be selfish, just in believing he has any right to his own life.

dean sublimates himself for the family and expects sam to do the fame, and his resentment and jealousy that sam doesn’t turns into anger and making sam out to be the mean one, the one in the wrong. and this never goes away. this is always what dean levels at sam - that he’s selfish, that in wanting to make his own choices he’s rejecting their family, rejecting dean……. awful. toxic. evil evil message to send to sam. entirely in character. dean wants to prioritise sam, would save him over the world. but he doesn’t care what sam wants.

selflessness isn’t always a charming character trait. it’s not the same thing as a generosity of spirit and it’s definitely not the same thing as being caring. sometimes selflessness just means you’re incapable of prioritising your life and incapable of understanding how anyone else could or should prioritise theirs. sometimes it means you still act selfishly, you just convince yourself you were objectively in the right, because doing something actually for yourself is unthinkable. sometimes it means you think the very act of having wants and boundaries is selfish, no matter whether they’re yours or anyone else’s.

anyway… thoughts on dean’s specific brand of awfulness regarding sam. what does it matter to him what sam actually wants? since when did it ever matter in the winchester household what anyone wanted? dean had to deal with things he didn’t want for the mission (for john). sam has to deal with things he doesn’t want for the mission (for dean). augh. the cycles

[earthstellar]

TF Earthspark S1 Episode 21: What it Means to Be Believed -- An Analysis Post

Putting this analysis behind a spoiler cut, as these episodes came out today!

The conversation between Hashtag and Starscream here immediately reminded me of the times I've spoken with abuse victims.

Hashtag: Is this how Megatron treated you?

Starscream: ...You believe me?

Hashtag: I believe he hurt you.

Starscream: You don't know me! You couldn't possibly understand what I've been through!

Hashtag: Then tell me. When bad things happen, it isn't always our fault. There was this Mandroid guy, and he hacked my systems! And I...

So, let's talk about this exchange.

Starscream starts out aggressively just before this conversation, attempting to order Hashtag around.

She declines, and immediately identifies that Starscream's behaviour has likely been informed by prior abuse.

She highlights this in the moment and gets Starscream to notice his verbally aggressive approach by making him realise that he is behaving how Megatron used to treat him-- She does this by using questioning, not by using accusatory language.

This is REALLY IMPORTANT, and is a good approach. When someone is behaving poorly or offensively, encourage them to reflect in the moment by posing a question. It prevents any sense of being challenged, as they are now set up to challenge themselves. "Is my behaviour actually negative? Am I being hurtful?"

This approach is successful, and stops Starscream outright.

It shocks him, to be given the leeway of genuine understanding. This catches him off guard so severely, that we actually get a totally honest reply from him. "You believe me?"

Which is a really significant moment, because Starscream is constantly subject to being, essentially, assumed evil. The other bots often see his negative behaviour and lashing out in a very surface-level kind of way; They don't further investigate or try to think about why, exactly, Starscream is like this.

We don't know how he used to be, before the war or during the war, in this continuity quite yet. But it is heavily implied that a lot of his current behaviour is informed by trauma, and some of that trauma very clearly stems from his prior relationship with Megatron.

Starscream is genuinely surprised that anyone is willing to look past that surface level and actually think: Why is he like this? Where is this behaviour coming from?

Hashtag rightly identifies that what Starscream is saying and how he is saying it is very reminiscent of commanding language; She knows Megatron was his superior officer during the war. She knows Starscream has a poor relationship with Megatron. She knows that as a lower ranked Decepticon, he likely was subject to at least some mistreatment, and that mistreatment is echoed in his "taking command" approach here.

Because to Starscream, "taking command" means being aggressive and controlling. It means using intimidation and belittlement to stay on top.

And Hashtag rightly assumes that this is likely because this is how Megatron did it.

This is how Megatron treated him.

Of course, Starscream responds defensively, as anyone might expect.

It hurts to become aware that you are mirroring harmful behaviour, that you are acting out your hurt on others in a way that hurt was inflicted upon you, and Starscream understandably retorts by claiming that of course, Hashtag doesn't know him-- Or, it is implied, his past.

He is trying to protect himself or instil a sense of control over the conversation by creating distance, while also trying to work up some defensive anger in himself-- How presumptuous of her, to assume!

Except, she's right. And he knows that.

So instead of throwing a fit, he listens when she continues.

Hashtag does two very correct things here:

First, she lets Starscream know that she encourages him to talk about it. She's willing to listen.

Second, she offers some support by starting to talk about her own experience of being abused-- When Mandroid took away her self-agency and assumed control of her.

This is a good and fairly common way that abuse victims tend to offer support to one another; It's often encouraged in certain types of group therapy or support sessions for people to share similar experiences, or experiences that evoked similar feelings, when it's appropriate and beneficial for those present (including the speaker) to do so.

She is attempting to reinforce to Starscream that even though she might not know his pain, she knows her own-- By sharing that trauma with him and being vulnerable herself, that might provide a connection point for them both and could possibly encourage Starscream to open up a bit to her.

This is roughly where the conversation is interrupted, so we don't get to hear Starscream's response.

But I think Hashtag intuitively had a very good approach here: She identified a traumatised person lashing out in a way that was familiar to them but harmful to others, in a way that is indicative of potential prior abuse, and made an effort to provide a safe opportunity for Starscream to talk it out without any fear of repercussions.

She made sure Starscream knows that she is listening and paying attention to him.

She made sure Starscream knows that she believes him, that he does have someone willing to hear his side of the story and genuinely take him at his word.

And that is immensely important; It is common for abuse victims and traumatised people to attempt to self-isolate or lash out, and she saw through Starscream's behaviour here for what it was: An abused person lashing out, trying to close off, behaving in hurtful ways that reflect the hurtful ways they were treated as a defence mechanism.

Starscream needs someone like Hashtag, who won't judge him based on preconceived notions of who he was as a Decepticon, who is willing to listen and give him an opportunity, who is willing to counter his withdrawal by providing honesty and letting him know that she wants to keep the conversation open and give him the space to speak freely about his hurt.

I also especially like that she makes a point of mentioning that we are not at fault for how we are hurt by others. We're not always in control of how we feel, or how we express our feelings.

She doesn't blame Starscream for lashing out. She gets it.

Alleviating Shame: It Is Not Your Fault

Hashtag had her autonomy violated in a very serious way, and although it's not the same thing, Starscream as part of a militarised faction and command structure lost a lot of his autonomy to his service under Megatron-- You don't get to walk away if you're second in command, assuming he held that same position in this continuity for most if not all of the war.

Hashtag is forced to deal with what Mandroid did to her, and Starscream is forced to deal with how Megatron treated him.

Neither of them had any say in what happened to them, or what was done to them, or how it hurts afterwards.

Hashtag knows she has support from her family, but who does Starscream really have? The other fliers, sure, but to what degree? How much support does Starscream really get from anyone, ever?

By letting him know she's been hurt too, even though she didn't get to finish her sentence, she's let him know that he's not entirely alone.

By making the point that nobody can be responsible for what others do to them, Starscream is told outright-- possibly for the first time--that the way Megatron treated him is not his fault.

Internalised Blame: Guilt and Failure Under Megatron's Command

Starscream may very well blame himself, to some degree; We don't know exactly how he's internalised anything, but we do know that Starscream was reasonably high ranking, and was in that command structure for most of the war.

In most militarised ranking structures, it is often the case that officers are considered responsible for errors, mistakes, losses etc. that may fall under a branch of their command which are many times realistically somewhat beyond their ability to control.

This can be a significant source of internalised blame for a lot of former military officers or even military personnel in general; "We lost X soldiers/civilians/etc. and it was my fault" is not an uncommon sentiment, even when realistically it is no single individual's fault and certain circumstances or occurrences are beyond anyone's control.

Megatron likely came down hard on Starscream for any losses, whether it was territory, soldiers, or anything else. He likely came down hard on Starscream for just about anything, after a certain point.

It's entirely possible that Starscream started to internalise these situations as personal blame, as both a result of serving in a war where officers are held ultimately accountable, and as a result of Megatron's treatment of him in general.

He may not have been able to separate "challenges experienced as a commander" and "personal failings" after a while.

And any further/prolonged abuse from Megatron would have only compounded that trend of internalising anything and everything as blame, failure, his own fault-- Not as an officer, but as a person-- Even if it explicitly could not have been.

Emulating Harmful Behaviours: Identify, Understand, Address

This would go some way to partially explaining why Starscream starts to exhibit this aggressive, commanding behaviour; He ends up likely unintentionally emulating Megatron's harmful leadership style, because he sees Megatron as being successful and powerful and in control, while he feels as though he is the opposite in every way.

Abuse has a tendency to make people feel less-than. It can remove people's sense of agency and confidence. It can make people think that their personal traits or inherent elements of their self are suddenly no good, that they could have done something or should have done something, if they were "better".

This is one way that abused people can sometimes start copying or reflecting harmful behaviours from their abusers; They don't know what else they can do. They may be disconnected from themselves to the degree that adopting these behaviours seems like the only "right" option, because it's the only thing that makes people back off, that makes them have that sense of strength or control that their abuser has stripped from them.

I say this a lot in some of my posts, but it's important to remember that while a behaviour may not be OK, we do need to understand.

It's important to recognise this type of repeating back prior experienced abuse, and to not dismiss people who may be hurt when they are lashing out or copying abusive behaviour-- It's important when safe and appropriate to do so to identify this is happening, to make an effort to understand it, and help the person do the same. That's when addressing internalised abusive behaviours can start.

This can take a lot of work, therapy, support, etc. to start identifying, let alone start addressing it-- But it's very possible for abuse victims to restore their sense of self and regain confidence in their capability and identity.

When abused people reflect back prior abusive behaviours that they have experienced, this does not make them a bad person. It means they have been abused, and they may need help to realise they are doing this, and may need help to identify why in a safe way, and may need help to start actually processing trauma in a healthier way for themselves and others.

Hashtag has opened a door for Starscream in more than one way, in this episode.

She's giving him a chance to do this.

She's helping him identify his harmful behaviours, she's acknowledging that he feels bad, that he was made to feel less-than, in ways that she might not have experienced herself-- But she's experienced similar feelings if not the same exact situations, and she's willing to share her own trauma with him. Hopefully he feels he can share with her, too.

I've spoken with plenty of abuse victims, and it's common to hear "You weren't there, you don't know!" or similar retorts when attempting to encourage conversation around some sensitive or traumatising memories or experiences.

It's not always appropriate to provide one's own traumatic experiences in response, but in cases where it is safe and appropriate to do so, I have rolled up my own sleeves and shown my own scars. I have talked about my own traumas as a way of showing support and as a way of showing someone that even if their individual experiences were unique, the feelings they experienced were not, and those feelings can provide a common ground and help provide a point around which to help build rapport. It can also help provide perspective, external to themselves, which can be ultimately positive.

It can also be a show of good faith: I'm not going to judge you. I believe you. I have been hurt, too. Our situations are different, but the way we were made to feel at times was similar.

When appropriate, this can be a pretty effective way to help someone open up about things that are potentially very hard to talk about, or to discuss feelings that are very complex or "tangled" in a way that takes some work to sort out in a healthier, safer way.

Hashtag offered her own traumatic experience to Starscream here, as a way of hopefully meeting Starscream halfway.

And hopefully, it was at least to some degree successful.

So I think Hashtag did a great job in this scene, and I hope we see Starscream take this opportunity that has been afforded to him to give the Malto Bots a chance...

...And to give himself a chance, as well.

----

This is entirely unedited as I continue to watch the episode, as I just got home from work, but I hope it was interesting to someone! :)

[diazheartsbuckley]

Fuck it Friday ☀️

Life has been so busy this past week, so I haven’t gotten much writing done. Therefore I present to you: another snippet of my BTHB fic where Eddie gets racially profiled.

Just rereading and editing it makes me so angry 🙃🙃

“You? A firefighter? Right. If you want to lie, at least make it credible. Second-rate citizens don’t exactly do that kind of thing, you know?” Atkins says and Eddie can feel the anger seething beneath his skin, knowing that he should keep his mouth shut but he can’t. “And you sure as hell don’t fit in here, so quit lying and just come clean or I’m gonna have to search you, Eddie Diaz of LAFD” He says it mockingly, almost looking proud of himself. “Of course your name is Diaz” He mumbles to himself, but loud enough for Eddie to hear it.

The anger is burning deep in Eddie’s chest and he feels an overwhelming sense of frustration welling up, threatening to break his otherwise relatively calm and collected behavior.

“I’ve got my ID and badge in my right pocket. Is it okay if I reach for it?” Eddie questions and lifts up his hands to show that they’re empty before he slowly makes a move to reach for his wallet and badge. Atkins takes a quick step backwards and Eddie swears that he sees a flash of anxiety on Atkins’ face despite the fact that he’s the one with a deadly weapon.

“Put your fucking hands where I can see them. People like you don’t belong in this neighborhood and you should know that. I’m sure that there’s something in here that’ll prove that” He grabs the grocery bag again and empties the contents on the ground and Eddie finds himself balling his fists up against his sides. Atkins rummages through it for a second before he turns his attention back on Eddie, his eyes scanning him from top to toe. “Your people are always selling drugs, so if they’re not in here, where are they?” Atkins steps way too close for comfort and Eddie takes a quick but composed step backwards.

“What the hell are you doing to my things? I’m not a fucking drug dealer despite what you think” Eddie snaps, his voice rising in anger and he moves his hand, pointing with it towards the cruiser, staring at Atkins who reaches for his radio. “Don’t fucking do it, just let me show you my ID, so I can get home!” Eddie is done, done being treated like he doesn’t belong in his own neighborhood.

Tagged by @dangerpronebuddie, @hippolotamus and the wifey @tizniz 💗

No pressure tagging

@watchyourbuck, @jeeyuns, @cal-daisies-and-briars, @exhuastedpigeon, @daffi-990, @honestlydarkprincess, @wikiangela, @bidisasterevankinard, @eddiestummy, @kitteneddiediaz, @monsterrae1, @actualalligator, @loveyouanyway, @epicbuddieficrecs, @ronordmann, @devirnis, @underwaterninja13, @wildlife4life, @thewolvesof1998, @theotherbuckley, @elvensorceress, @pirrusstuff, @extasiswings, @bucks-daddy-issues, @inell, @giddyupbuck, @badthingshappenbingo, @maygrantgf 💗

[cosmics-beings]

EarthSpark Starscream as an 'apology' to TFP Starscream thoughts.

And maybe, grieving TFP Starscream as well for the pain he went through.

Last thing I'm going to say about episode 21 starscream (save for reblogging people's points) because I legitimately wanted to take a break and write/draw, is that I wonder if the ES crew was looking specifically at how TFP starscream was treated and saying 'we don't wanna do that again'. because not only was tfp star's abuse laughed at but it was justified, not just by the writing but the fans. even though, at least I, could see that starscream didn't deserve half of the shit he got in tfp. But he was always intentionally made to be a joke or comic relief, and it was really upsetting when trying to discuss that, having people dissuade points or saying he deserved his abuse because he 'betrayed megatron'. when canonically in TFP, Starscream didn't betray megatron until megatrons started physically mistreating him.

GOING back to ES. I just think that ES Starscream is supposed to be like an apology, or even a love-letter to TFP Starscream. Because TFP Starscream and by extension RID Starscream never got to find happiness, he never got to get that redemption or that support system. he was always seen as inexplicitly evil, EVEN when he tried to help the autobots, even when he tried to do good. I will never forgive tfp for making Starscream the only decepticon who didn't get redemption when he did more than all of them to help the autobots. Like he tried so hard at moment and was essentially treated worse than garbage by the writing.

More of what im trying to say is that it's extremely fitting but also refreshing to hear Blum's starscream, who we previously just knew from TFP who was a clear victim of trauma, treated like shit, finally getting the happiess and the nuance he deserves. It is so nice to not see the pain he goes through being justified or made a joke. Because if someone told tfp starscream what hashtag told ES Starscream, then there would've been an actual change. But no one did, not even the autobots. Most people ridiculed him. But can you imagine if someone protected tfp star, how he'd react? how he'd change?

SO ES starscream is just, to me at least an 'i'm sorry you were treated this way, it was never funny' to TFP starscream because even if tfp is done and over, you can't help but feel TFP Starscream is getting justice as well. And of course this isn't to take away from the victory that ES Starscream has, and it's not taking away from his narrative nor decentering him. Seeing him not be just a victim but a survivor of abuse and smiling at the end, and being happy and living on his own terms is nice for once. And even tho we'll never get that with TFP Starscream, i can't help but feel he can finally rest easy.

I can't help but grieve Prime Starscream, because he never got this, and his story ended with him being inexplicitly seen as evil and deserving of his abuse. But this is a step in the right direction.

[earthspark-shockwaves-reduction]

bro...... when I saw all the funny fandom content about starscream bonding with hashtag as like. A Concept while only the first two batches of eps were out I was like "oh yeah that would be a funny haha scenario starscream of all bots ending up the dad 2 to the iPad baby" but now I'm just

[c0rpseductor]

every time i stumble on some vocal incest shipper in unrelated tags i become more and more convinced 90% of people don’t actually understand what incest is. like, at all

[rimouskis]

the reality is I need to get the hell off of pinterest, because my apartment is lovely and uniquely put together and everyone who enters it compliments it on its decor (yes, yes I am going to hype up my humble, small apartment) and YET I look up after scrolling The Feed and immediately think "I need to change absolutely everything"