#Also applies to Tories

[ibboard]

[Description: Two images of a man next to a whiteboard. In the first he is pointing to the writing that says "'Both sides are bad' posts are specifically designed to encourage Americans not to vote". In the second part he is sat next to the board which now says "Keeping people from voting is literally the only way Republicans can stay in office. If you don't see the connection, you have a problem"]

[everything-maxriemelt]

[happy-tori-friends]

mine creachures arrived (i underestimated how large they would be)

now they get to live on the dusty bedside shelf with some other friends :)

[mixelation]

was thinking about the "i met god and he called me a SIN" bit from the latest chapter, and I have to wonder - is that because she's Not From Narutoland™ and thus the shinigami does not know what to do with her, or is that because she was brought in specifically by a *Jashinist* ritual, and the shinigami looks at her the same way it looks at hidan, ie: "you cannot pay me to put that thing in my body, let the skull dude keep it".

LOL spoilers i guess??

i guess the difference is subtle enough i might change my mind by the time it becomes relevant, but something closer to the former. tori is meant to be Very Otherworldly but it manifests it weird ways-- like her heart rejecting zetsu :( how unromantic :(

although i do kind of like the idea of tori being more closely related to jashin, so i might end up playing with that a little? plasticity HAS a vague plot outline but details get changed or made up as i go, so i guess it depends on how things develop

[mollyolikeme]

heyyy yea, just joined the fandom and I’m here to say 

what the fuck, when the fuck, where the fuck, how the fuck, who the fuck, and just fuck yes.

[crownprincessoftherusalkas]

Tori: Feels like you're being a little harsh.

Zak: Thanks, good note. I was going for extremely harsh, I'll turn it up.

[queencvbra]

one thing no one ever brings up when you grow up poor is when you finally get to a comparatively stable place in terms of finances, the guilt that comes out of nowhere when buying anything purely for yourself and for your own enjoyment

[demetriandelibinaryboyfriends]

Me seeing questionable and often vitriolic takes regarding Demetri Alexopoulos and Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz and scrolling onwards

image of me politely not engaging with an interpretation of a character from my shows which i do not agree with and find to be in slightly poor taste

[bingqiv]

election day makes me so unbelievably nervous and i hate it

[cxtori]

Osamu Dazai ✮ Reckless (Angst Version)

summary: you vent your frustrations to Dazai after the crazy stunt he pulled with Fyodor

genre: angst, kiiinda comfort, cleaning his injuries, Dazai being a protective idiot

wc:835

warnings: n/a, some Dead Apple spoilers

tori’s note: I’m posting a second version of this story that will be more lighthearted/fluffy than this one. I just liked the concept and when I started writing I realized this could go two different ways. So I just wrote both lmao. Here's the fluffy version!

You were frustrated. No, that only begins to describe it. You were pissed, furious, irate. Whatever other powerful words there are to describe extreme anger, you were feeling it. 

You pour some antiseptic onto the cotton pad in your fingers, the fibrous material soaking up the liquid quickly. You raise it to Dazai’s back and press it against the deep wound resting there.

“Ahh,” Dazai hisses. “Jeez, you could be a little more careful.” You can hear the pain in his voice, but you can also hear the teasing tone underneath it. Your face scrunches in annoyance.

“Shut up. I’m still mad at you,” you huff and continue to clean his wound. 

He’d explained what had happened, how he’d been quite literally stabbed in the back with a poison coated dagger. looking at its placement, it’s a miracle the blade didn’t hit his spine. just an inch further to the right and this whole situation could have been very different.

“I can’t believe you left like that. You should have told me,” you say quietly. 

“I couldn’t. It wouldn’t have worked out like this if I did, you know that.”

And you did. But still. He disappeared so suddenly and the next thing you knew he was working with someone who planned to destroy your home? You knew Dazai would never betray you like that, not seriously. But at the same time, seeing him in that light scared you.

You finish cleaning his back and apply antibiotics and bandages, adding to the many that were already wrapped haphazardly around him. 

Once you’re done, you move to stand in front of him and begin to clean the various cuts and scrapes on his front side. You prepare another cotton pad and swipe over the wounds, none of them being severe enough to require much attention.

As you work, Dazai’s eyes are keenly focused on you. He watches as you carefully clean him up, a soft but determined look on your face, though it’s almost entirely hidden by the frustration distorting your features. 

A smile spreads across his lips and he wraps a hand around your free one. You ignore him, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of falling for his flirty little tricks. 

You were both aware of the effects he had on you and, though he didn’t use it against you often, he would use it to his advantage. And right now it was in hopes of getting you to not be angry at him.

As your eyes scan over the marks scattering his body, your vision begins to blur. Before you can stop it, there are tears falling from your eyes. Are these angry tears, sad tears or relieved tears? You have no idea. Maybe it’s all of them at once.

“You idiot. Why do you have to be so careless?” You ask, your voice just above a whisper. Dazai looks at you, his smile slowly fading into a thoughtful but somber expression. He knows you aren’t expecting an answer, but he replies anyway.

“Because I care for you.” And that’s really all it boiled down to. He recklessly puts himself in dangerous situations if he knows that’s what it’ll take to protect his home and friends. To protect you. Even so, you hated his methods.

“I was so worried, Osamu,” you say quietly, afraid that your voice will crack too much if you speak normally. Despite your low tone, the pain and fear in it rings loud and clear. Dazai’s hand grips yours tighter.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to act like you’re working alone.” He doesn’t reply, only drops his gaze to where his hand is wrapped carefully around yours. 

You’d had this conversation countless times before. That he is part of a team that is more than capable of handling serious situations. That he doesn’t have to jump head first into danger to solve problems. That he has other’s to lean on. That he has you. 

But no mater how many times you said this, it never changed. And it terrifies you.

“It’s just… what if you had-”

“I didn’t, that’s what matters,” Dazai says, cutting you off. His hand leaves yours to rest on your face instead, his palm cupping your jaw as his thumb strokes over your cheek, wiping away your drying tears. 

“Please, don’t ever do that again.”

“You know I can’t make that promise.”

He was right. He will continue to keep you in the dark if he knows that’s what it takes to keep you safe, even if you both hate it. There was no point in promising that he wouldn’t. 

His hand moves from your face to the back of your neck, tangling his fingers into your hair. He brings your face closer to his, his dark brown eyes looking into yours intently.

“I love you, more than anything,” He whispers and places a kiss to your forehead. “And I only want to protect you.”

And that’s what he’ll continue to do.

©Cxtori 2024 please do not copy, plagiarize, repost or translate any of my works. reblogs are appreciated

[charliewinter60]

Why the rugby lads where not at Nick's birthday party - Heartstopper Season 3

I''ve seen people question why Charlie invited "his" friend group to Nick's birthday party and not the rugby lads, despite them being Nick's friends and Charlie being cool with them.

Firstly, the Paris Squad is both of their friend group.

In season 1, it's Nick the one that gets closer to Tara and Darcy. Charlie befriends them when they go cheer him at his first rugby match, but Nick is the one that opens up to them and gets to know both as the three get vulnerable and talk about their past. (That's not to say Charlie isn't close with Tara and Darcy, because Charlie has had his moments with both later down the road.)

Imogen started out as Nick's friend. She joined the group because of the sleepover in season 2 and the friend group saw the real Imogen, compared to the facade she puts on to fit in with the "cool" kids. (Hence why Tara, Darcy and Elle weren't really cool with her in season 1.)

Tara in particular is Nick's safe space second to Charlie. He confides in her, is the one that talks stuff about Charlie before taking action with him, and is the one that helps pick back up Nick when he feels down. (Something he doesn't do with Charlie, since he wants to be the one that picks Charlie back up and he can't afford to be down in front of him to be ready for Charlie whenever he needs it.)

And while Tao, Isaac and Elle come directly from Charlie's friend group, he grew a bond with each one of them and isn't just friends with them because "they are his boyfriend's friends.". Tao and Nick particularly, have a beautiful friendship, very similar to Nick and Tori's.

(All of this applies to Charlie as well. He befriended Imogen and developed their own bond and is not just friends with her just because it's his boyfriend's friend, but that's not the main thing here.)

And secondly, the reason the rugby lads aren't there is because Nick still cannot be his authentic self with them. Not because they wouldn't accept the real version of Nick, but it's because of Nick's anxietys. Similar to Imogen, he still feels the need to put on the mask of this tough guy. They don't know half of Nick's personal issues, whether it be his sexuality, identity or even the non-queer issues like his complicated relationship with his dad. He may appear confident on the outside, (And while he still is.), he is still full of insecurities but cannot let his guard down due to the fear of what could happen.

In the end, Charlie wanted Nick to feel safe and at ease on his birthday. He wanted "the perfect day for him" so he invited the Paris Squad, the only people where he can let his guard down and feel supported whenever his anxiety gets the best of him, which unfortunately is something the rugby lads, despite knowing Nick for longer, don't let him do.

I'm sure that in an alternate timeline, where Nick is fully open with them, Charlie invites the rugby lads to the birthday party. Because while the friend groups could clash and it be somewhat awkward, Charlie would be the bridge between them, since they are pretty friendly towards him. Also, except for Isaac RIP, they were all coupled up so they were in their own worlds. 🍂

[ukfrislandembassy]

See also Britain's recent experiences with Conservative governments with increasing proportions of minority ethnic ministers but also increasingly crueller politics and stupider policies at the same time.

I'm trying to write this post about identity-blind admissions/hiring vs affirmative action and I keep running into the idea that this is mostly just lipstick on a pig; I care about fairness and diversity in the abstract, but equalizing the racial makeup of the US ruling class just isn't a political priority to me.

It's good to try and eliminate the explicit racism in the system, but as long as a racial gap in socioeconomic status exists, a racial gap in ability will as well - between two equally talented student populations, the one with greater access to resources, less proximity to violence, more stability and support, etc will always perform better, even in the absence of explicit discrimination.

Even if you construct a perfectly "fair" system, it will ultimately just replicate the material inequities that exist in the broader society. If you construct an equitable system (ie, one that creates a ruling class that matches the racial distribution of society at large), you still won't have fixed the underlying issues that caused the discrepancy in the first place, and by fiddling with the system, you'll piss off a bunch of other people (in this case, Asian Americans) in the process.

The liberal theory seems to be that if we find the Barack Obamas of the world, who would've been denied admission to elite institutions due to racial discrimination, and elevate them instead, the material problems will work themselves out. But I'm just not convinced this is true - it seems to be operating on a sort of pseudo-ethnonationalism where minorities in power will work to the benefit of "their people" and eventually even things out.

But with the way ruling classes work, it seems like most of the time the ruling class becomes "your people" for new inductees, and everyone else becomes, well, everyone else. Without leaning too hard on a Marxist framework, it seems like the ruling class empirically has a strong sense of class consciousness.

And even when this isn't true, when you encounter people in power who seem to genuinely want to change the world for the better, it's hard to imagine any racial divides being magically healed without some engine of economic redistribution behind it, and this is a task that requires more than just individuals who care about it.

None of which is to say that it makes sense to just throw up your hands and say "society is racist, so I guess it's okay for Harvard to be racist too." By all means, hold their feet to the fire as much as you can. But it's hard for me to write about this without feeling like it's all downstream of the central goal of the leftist project, making a more equitable world.

[fudgetunblr]

I finished heartstopper season 3 yesterday and I wanted to share some of my favourite moments in no particular order:

Tao and Elle having a discussion about Elle’s dysphoria in the context of them being intimate. I think it’s really important to showcase this and start a dialogue about it. Just all of the discussions were important actually, Elle knows Tao loves her and he doesn’t care, but that doesn’t mean it’s not affecting her, especially with all the transphobia in the world and all the legislations right now.

How they adapted Charlie’s mental health struggles. From Nick asking for help from his aunt, which I think will really help people understand how they can help people that they love, to showing both Charlie and Nick’s perspective when he went away. They both struggled in their own way, and I think it was both important to showcase how Charlie wasn’t magically better after going away, and also how it’s important to not forget yourself when you’re trying to help someone else. Nick loves Charlie a lot, and he wants the best for him, but that doesn’t mean that all of his own feelings doesn’t exist as well.

Bonus points for Tara and Nick having a conversation about it. Where Tara applied her experiences with Darcy, and how although she loves them, and they were going through a lot, Tara still tried to also take care of herself.

Darcy coming out as non-binary.

Charlie applying the skills he learned in therapy to help Tara with her panic attack.

Imogen realising that she’s queer. Just hers and Sahara’s entire arc actually, and how they didn’t get together, because sometimes that isn’t the answer?

Isaac coming out as aroace and the characters having an important discussion about friendship and how it’s just as important as their romantic relationships. He doesn’t want a romantic relationship, but he’s constantly surrounded by people who make it seem like the most important thing in the world, and having that constantly shoved down his throat when he is reevaluating things about himself isn’t actually that easy.

Tao’s videos. Bonus points to Mr. Farouk going 🙂👍🏽

Tori’s entire arc, and also her confronting Charlie about how she feels abandoned by him sometimes.

Michael was also just great. Unironically so funny. I love the little gift he found for Charlie and then all of them just meowing😭💀

Charlie telling Nick he loves him through the door and then immediately running away 💀 girl, give him a minute

Sex Ed basically being a class where you put a condom on a cucumber and then showing pictures of STIs. Some experiences are truly universal I’m afraid.

Nick dressing as captain America.

Nick stumbling over himself after meeting Jonathan Bailey (I don’t remember the characters name lmao, but he was so real for that I’m afraid).

Charlie taking small steps in his recovery by wearing a t-shirt to the fair 🥺

Darcy’s grandmother 🔥 new favorite character unlocked.

Those are just a few things I can think of right now.

[bizarrebazaar13]

FL-inspired book recs!

brought to you by hotel wi-fi

Locations

The Royal Bethlehem: “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and “The Room in the Tower” by E.F. Benson. these are short stories, not novels, but they are fairly quick reads and are about locations where reality becomes twisted. the yellow wallpaper deals with mental illness and medical neglect, while the room in the tower is more about the overlap between dreams and the real world.

Port Carnelian: Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. ok, hear me out on this one. if you’ve ever thought port carnelian would be great if it actually dealt with British colonialism and racism in a meaningful way and also had a murder mystery, you might like this book. a much younger Mycroft Holmes goes with his friend Cyrus Douglas to Douglas’s home in Jamaica to investigate a series of mysterious deaths.

Ladybones Road: The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley. Nathaniel Steepleton finds a gold pocket watch in his bedroom one day, but he cannot open it or even hear it ticking. six months later, it opens on its own, and an alarm goes off at the precise time that a bomb explodes in Scotland Yard. he then goes in search of its maker, Keita Mori, who claims the watch was stolen from his shop. Mori has a gift for elaborate clockwork, and though he seems kind and relatively harmless, Nathaniel is sure he is hiding something.

Ambitions/Major Storylines

Early Light Fingers: The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz. it’s a Sherlock Holmes pastiche, but it can still be understood and enjoyed even if you don’t share my Sherlock Holmes autism. I specified early light fingers, because the mystery of what exactly the house of silk is, and the theme of corruption in highest levels of society, reminds me a lot of exploring and learning about the orphanage. just a heads up, this book is centered around a murdered child, and deals with the systemic abuse and neglect of children in victorian london. its biggest content warning is also its biggest spoiler, so I won’t give it here, but feel free to ask me. I had it spoiled for me on accident and still liked the book a lot.

Late-game Nemesis: “The Moonlit Road” by Ambrose Pierce. another short story, it recounts in three parts the murder of Julia Hetman, as told by her son, her husband, and Julia herself. it specifically reminds me of the dreams of the dead section of nemesis.

Evolution: Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant. Tory Stewart becomes obsessed with mermaids after her sister Anne’s disappearance. Anne was filming a mockumentary about mermaids in the Mariana Trench, but the ship she was on disappeared, and was recovered weeks later with no trace of the crew. footage was found that appeared to show the crew being murdered by mermaids, but it’s largely believed to be for the movie, not real. seven years later, Theodore Blackwell recruits Tory as part of his mission to return to the Mariana Trench and capture a live mermaid. it hits sort of the same spot for undersea survival horror that the diving bell section of evolution did for me.

Exceptional Stories

The Bloody Wallpaper: Sign Here by Claudia Lux. hell is an office. literally. Peyote Trip sold his soul while he was alive, and now works in hell, convincing other people to do the same. he’s one deal away from a big promotion, and all he needs is the soul of one last member of the Harrison family. normal laws of space and time don’t apply, the real hellscape is capitalism, and secrets don’t stay hidden forever… sound familiar? in terms of violence and body horror, I don’t think it gets much worse than the text of the bloody wallpaper. one of the main characters does have a pretty brutal backstory involving christianity-related child abuse though.

Totentanz: Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. set in late 1920s Mexico, the story follows Casiopea Tun and the Mayan death god Hun-Kamé on a journey across Mexico and eventually into the underworld. Casiopea finds Hun-Kamé’s bones in a chest in her grandfather’s house, and when she cuts her finger on one of the bone shards, Hun-Kamé becomes bound to her. together, they must find the rest of his body, which has been scattered around Mexico by Hun-Kamé’s brother Vucub-Kamé, who took over control of Xibalba from him. Hun-Kamé intends to retake Xibalba, but he and Casiopea must face sorcerers, demons, and twisted family dynamics- and that’s before they even get to the underworld.

[mixelation]

on the topic of my minato liking difficult people because he likes to feel like he's "winning" when those people like him back. i talked about this a little with obito in toxicity, but this ALSO applies to his platonic relationships. for example, kakashi is his favorite student because kakashi was the hardest to impress.

at the start of mutagenicity, his favorite team 4 member is deidara. itachi is an asshole, but he's largely pretty good at following orders and staying in line in front of minato. tori just seems kind of like a smiley people pleaser at first. but deidara? very obviously incredibly anti-authority, deeply distrustful of adults, AND he's iwa's little pet project, PLUS minato loves wild and inventive ninjutsu creation. minato is going to charm him so hard. he's going to get deidara to accidentally call him "dad." he's going to win

except!!! deidara is much harder to charm than an actual eleven year old. deidara surprises himself with how much he likes special treatment and attention, but also, he has an adult's commitment to his own ideals. he'll accept weird student-of-the-hokage-wife perks, but he'll be very suspicious and might bite you over it. he's never going to accidentally call anyone mom or dad. it's slow going

also being on team 4 is like. itachi somehow gets worse, even to minato. he talks back. he's judgy. he looks unimpressed like 70% of the time. tori turns out to be..... the worst? malicious compliance is through the roof. she does not appear to respect him, god, or the natural law.

minato: why doesn't your team respect me

kushina: what are you talking about :) they love you!!

minato: ???? DO THEY THO

and then he's entered a vicious cycle where he doesn't stop them because he wants them to like him. why won't they like him!!!! is this what happened with hiruzen and the sannin?!

[wisdomofwinter]

Tactical voting: UK general election 2024

This website lists every constituency and who to vote for to get the Conservative Party out of government

They are updating at the moment but tactical voting is a great tool to make the best out of our terrible electoral system.

I know Labour are not a good alternative to the Tories at the moment, but we cannot have another Tory government. This is damage limitation.

Update: Best for Britain has another tactical voting resource https://www.getvoting.org

Also

Make sure you are registered to vote wherever you will be living on 4th July (especially important for students!) https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Check whether you can vote in a general election- Irish citizens and some commonwealth citizens living in the UK can vote! https://www.gov.uk/elections-in-the-uk/general-election

Make sure you have photo id https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate

You can also postal vote https://www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote or apply for a proxy vote https://www.gov.uk/apply-proxy-vote if you cannot vote on the day