#Dan is clearly a Meta

[mikami1992]

Finally, after some missions through time, Dan has managed to be approved as "Officially Reformed", and only with some supervision from Clockwork and Danny, will he be free to return to live in the human world.

So with the help of Clockwor, Tecnus and Tuker, an identity was created for him as a Young Adult, who after a few years of traveling around the world, returns to the United States to begin his University studies.

Dante Jackson Nightingale is a Young Adult recently enrolled in Gotham University to study Business and Finance with some elective classes in Engineering, being the place chosen for the high educational level as well as the level of ecto of the city… but the Phantom of the future has other hidden intentions.

During his 10 years of rampant destruction, Dan had a period of "calm", the reason, the strange relationship he developed with Batman, a relationship that was about to bring the angry spirit back to sanity by focusing his obsession on something else…

But it all ended when a surviving and better-funded group of GIW caught Red Hood to experiment on him, so the Batfam immediately went looking for him, and at first the rescue everything went according to plan, but it was until the end where everything went off the rails with the appearance of the Joker… it was never known how it all ended with the explosion of the bat, but it ended up costing the lives of the Bat and the Clown, and some permanent damage to some of the Batkids.

The death of the Knight of Gotham City ended up reviving and fanning the flames of anger and destruction within Dan, which would cause a destruction greater than anything known before.

So, in this new reality, Dan plans to continue with his original intentions with the bat, this time proving that he was a worthy partner for the Dark Knight.

[demonic0angel]

Prompt: Dan Phatom as an inmate of Arkham Asylum?

Part 2, part 3

Harley hummed. She eyed the newest inmate, a gorgeous hunk of meat with dark raven hair and bright blue eyes. He was wearing the usual orange suit, but he wore it like a model, with the buttons opened and sleeves rolled up, highlighting his broad arms and tight muscles. He was as beautiful as a demon, and even though Ivy was way prettier, Harley still couldn’t help but be curious.

Harley nodded to herself, thinking for only a moment. Then she waved a hand, calling out, “Yoo hoo! You there! Hey, handsome! Why don’t you come here and spend some time with me and Ivy?”

Ivy rolled her eyes next to her. “Harley!” She hissed.

The man paused, tilted his head, and then smiled, flashing his sharp fangs before he crossed the prison yard to sit down with the two. People stared at them, but the man didn’t seem bothered.

“Hello,” he said politely, “what’s up?”

“You’re new here, ain’tcha?” Harley said rhetorically. “What’re you in for?”

The man chuckled. “I thought it was rude to ask?”

“Nahhh, in here? It doesn’t matter. Everyone already knows why we’re here, there’s no secrets around here. So? What’re you in here for?”

The man smiled. “I started teasing a little bird I found and then he started getting mad at me. I didn’t like how he made Batman go after me, so I made a building explode and I was tossed into here. I didn’t even kill anyone though!”

Seeing how large and old he was, Harley was a little worried and had to ask, “Which little bird?”

“The beautiful one with the black and blue suit and the pretty smile,” the man said dreamily, curling a lock of raven hair around his clawed fingers as he looked towards the sky in a daydream. “He was pretty funny too.”

Harley immediately cooed. Anyone who thought Nightwing was funny clearly hadn’t been hit over the head by his escrima sticks while he threw out obnoxious puns, but the way he described him was so sweet! He was clearly insane, so that was completely okay in her books!

“Awww, that’s so cute! Are you a meta or what? Those fangs o’ yours don’t look human!” Harley said, while Ivy shook her head exasperatedly.

The man shook his head with a small smile. “Not exactly. But I guess I do have meta powers.”

Ivy asked, “Then doesn’t that just make you a meta?”

The man shrugged and then asked, “What about you ladies?” Harley knew that he was just dodging the question, but she didn’t mind, so she began to prattle on about the recent museum break-in she and the girls did, but Selina got away while she and Ivy were caught. Selina was planning a break out for them soon, so they just had to sit tight and wait!

The man smiled, fangs appearing again. “Can I join you? I want to see that little bird again.”

Harley beamed, “Sure thing! What’s your name?” while Ivy groaned.

The man smiled and reached over to shake her hand. His hands were cold and large, like a chunk of ice. He smiled and his pupils sharpened into slits, but oddly enough, he still looked friendly, like a tiger in a way.

“Please. Call me Wraith.”

[vladdyissues]

so i've mentioned before how i think reign storm made vlad want danny's babies and i feel like you might like what i'm getting at when i expand on it because i am drawin' on ALL the lore for that headcanon

so in season 1, we absolutely got the arc that Vlad had a bit more in common with Jack than he wanted to admit (interests, skill, the ability to hyperfocus until the ectofilter makes their house explode), and that he was desperate for people to love him but unwilling to see them clearly enough to actually love them--he would happily sand off any traits incompatible with his vision, before accepting them as-is. he especially wants to sand off all the traits in danny he associates with Jack

if their relationship had changed in s1, it would be badger cereal all the way down for me. you could not get me to romantically ship it again, even with the chemistry, for love nor money. but it didn't

and then we got Reign Storm in S2

where we got to see vlad and danny being their most sincere and straightforward around each other. vlad was sincerely a magnificent bastard and danny was sincerely not putting up with his shit, but they're so much of their authentic selves only around each other. vlad still wants danny to be his son, to be influenced by him... up until the Pariah Dark fight

i am 100% certain he never meant for Danny to win there. he was waiting for Danny to wear Pariah down and pass out where Vlad could take his place in the suit and win, getting the credit AND the kudos for saving Danny. but that's not what happened

Danny, a younger, weaker, still half-mortal being in a suit actively draining him managed to win against Pariah Dark, who was so powerful it took multiple implied gods to seal him away the first time. all without Vlad having a single moment of true, lasting influence on him. and my theory...

is Vlad's ghost instincts saw this, finally saw Phantom as his own unrelated entity, and went "THIS ONE. MAKE BABIES WITH THIS ONE. LOCK HIM DOWN NOW, HE IS GOING TO BE A LEGEND"

(and so we get Dan and Dani in the same season)

and in every episode after, it is clear Maddie takes a backseat to Danny for him. he doesn't even plot the murder of Jack in any real way until the series finale. his focus is 100% on Danny and making his own Danny using the original Danny and/or putting Danny in a submissive/pliant position

i don't think he's consciously aware of any of this. or, if he is, he hates that he's thinking that way about someone nearly thirty years his junior. but i do think there's a hell of a story in half-ghost instincts being misinterpeted between the two halves of themselves and having to adapt to being their own, separate entity from humans OR ghosts

and that is my comprehensive explanation as to why I headcanon Reign Storm made Vlad's metaphorical ovaries start screaming for his attention

OH.

Shit. That's perfect.

Of course Vlad would wait until absolutely necessary to jump in and deliver the coup de grâce to Pariah. (Let the pawn sacrifice himself, do all the work, King takes credit, etc.) But the pawn... held his own?? The pawn fucking put that thing back where it came from or so help me?? By this time Vlad would surely know how to spot a good investment, and I just know the inside of his head sounded like hitting the jackpot at a Vegas casino when he saw Danny put the smack down.

Is there such a thing as Investments to Lovers? Arranged (Baby) Carriage?

Another thing you're absolutely right about is how Vlad's obsession with Maddie dropped off immediately after Reign Storm. Excepting Phantom Planet, naturally.

I love this meta. It's pure rocket fuel.

[lulu2992]

I’ve just found this interesting 10-year-old video I don’t remember ever seeing before in which Dan Hay, former “shepherd” (term they half-jokingly use in the interview) of the Far Cry series discusses the past but also the future of the franchise, a few months before the release of Far Cry 4. Mark Thompson, narrative director of the game, is also interviewed.

When he’s asked if he has “any interest in unifying the larger world and creating a larger meta-story between all the games” and if they’re all “in the same universe”, Dan Hay answers he’s “just gonna smile at that”, and after talking a bit about how invested the team is and how smart he thinks players are, concludes, “But your question is very intriguing, and it makes me smile.”

He then happily explains Far Cry is “near and dear to [his] heart” (he even has it tattooed on him because he lost a bet) and that he “[plans] on working on it for a long time” because he “can’t think of anything else”.

That was in 2014.

In June 2021, it was officially explained that Far Cry games were only loosely connected and each had their own world. In November 2021, Dan Hay left Ubisoft.

I don’t know what happened (or even if anything happened at all) and don’t blame the Far Cry 6 team for their decision to create a new timeline to tell their story (they didn’t really have a choice after the ending of Far Cry 5), but I admit I’m a bit sad we never got to see the full extent of that “meta-story” they clearly had in mind 10 years ago...

[lyledebeast]

I want to make an addition to the conversation with @fakehusbandgarbagedump and @malicious-compliance-esq without reblogging that long post yet again. Not only does Tavington kill with more efficiency than Martin but he also chooses his targets more efficiently in the first place. When Tavington murders one of his sons and orders the second taken into custody to be hanged as a spy, Martin has a choice to make. He can plead with the lieutenant, who already views him in a sympathetic light for taking care of British soldiers, who is actually tasked with carrying out those orders to spare his son and serve as a witness for his complaint to Cornwallis or O'Hara about Tavington's conduct, or he can do what he does. Even if we view those regulars singularly as faceless agents of an oppressive regime, going after them instead of Tavington directly leaves Tavington free to target civilians in the future, which he certainly does!

The privileging of the personal over the political in this fight is consistently strange. Almost every minute of interaction among the militiamen is spent highlighting familial attachments and personal grievances against the British at the expense of, I don't know, how these men would benefit from independence in the first place. The man who offers up Occam introduces himself with "They killed my brother down in Acworth. Every one of them redcoats deserves to die." I guess there's no chance his brother down in Acworth did anything that actually warranted hanging by redcoats. Then we have John Billings, who has clearly instilled his hatred of redcoats into the young son he brings to the recruitment meeting. When he later responds to the reverend's shrill "This is murder" with "They're redcoats, they've earned it, " he offers no particular cause for vengeance. Whatever it is, he leaves his young son with only a wooden pistol as defense for himself and his mother in pursuit of it.

Martin and his men's dehumanization of British soldiers ends up costing them dear. They're so focusing on killing them some redcoats, to paraphrase Baby Billings, that they aren't particular about which redcoats they kill. Targeting supply trains to keep the British in South Carolina is a sound military strategy, but it does nothing to deter British attacks on civilians. Indeed, it has the opposite effect when Cornwallis becomes so desperate to deal with the problem they pose that he's willing to allow Tavigton the use of tactics that previously repulsed him.

Unlike Martin and his men, Tavington is very particular about the enemies he kills. While Martin never so much as says Tavington's name, Tavington is honed in on him before he even knows his. The moment he gets Cornwallis's permission, he's off to learn that name from Wilkins, likely dragging Bordon behind him like The Red Queen in Through the Looking Glass. Once he has it, he makes straight for Aunt Charlotte's plantation and is walking through the front door before Martin can even arrive. He only targets other militiamen's families when Martin's eludes his grasp, and even then he has a list! He's not just killing colonials willy nilly, a I unjustly accused him of in previous meta. When he rides his horse into the nave and sees only women, children, and a handful of old or out of shape men, he knows he's in the right place.

The focus on Martin's emotionality clouds numerous other considerations at the end of the film as it has throughout, one of which is that he survives this war so much less scathed than many of his men. Despite monumental thoughtlessness on his part, he only loses two of his seven children, and he even gains a new wife. Dan Scott (Donal Logue) is the sole survivor of his family after the Pembroke Church burning, and the same is likely true for other, lower profile militiamen. There actually is a new world for them, but it is not the one they imagined when they signed up. Once the thrill of winning and independence have died down, they are still bereft of their families, and the redcoats are no longer around to take the blame. Where will it go?

[wherevenusholdssomeofficespace]

Hamster and Gretel Propaganda

Watch Hamster and Gretel cowards

Hamster and Gretel does have a VERY week first episode. However, it does get better and really hits its stride around episode 5 or so. So please don't write it off based on the first couple episodes. If you are a fan of PnF and MML, then you will probably enjoy it. It's full of the clever, slightly meta humor PnF and MML are known for. It's a little more modern in its humor, and that doesn't always work. But PnF itself ALSO had its contemporary humor that didn't really age, so that's nothing new. I'd say it falls in the middle of these two shows in terms of serialization, which isn't saying much, but it is in fact lightly serialized.

I understand preferring serialized shows (as usually I do too). However, that doesn't mean more episodic shows are bad. It's first and foremost a comedy. And it works at that. Granted, humor is pretty subjective, but I think its pretty funny. Its clever, and the unique situations the characters find themselves lends itself to originality. Obviously not all the jokes land, but I think each episode has something I laugh at every time. It is clearly a project that is dear to Dan Povenmire's heart, with references to his family practically everywhere. And that shines through in the interactions between the main cast. The characters are all very entertaining and our main cast show simple, but effective character growth. The characters I think are definitely the main appeal of the show. As is to be expected this show excels in wholesome and realistic family dynamics. Many of the characters echo previous archetypes shown in the Flynn-Fletcher and Murphy families. However, those families worked for a reason, and the Grant-Gomez family has enough of its own spin to keep it fresh.

"I gave birth to both of you. This is nothing."

If you haven't seen any episodes, here's a rundown of the characters. Kevin. The Guy with the minivan. He's the normie older brother, and the real main character, who feels overshadowed by his younger sister by the universe. But he's eager to insert himself into Hamster and Gretel's heroics and carves out a role for himself. While he works from the sidelines, he is a crucial member of the team. His actions often come from a place of protectiveness for his sister, in addition to the jealousy. However he never takes it out on her. Kevin is a teenage boy, and everything that entails. Awkward, a bit of a dumbass, and desperately trying to establish his identity. But he's also genuinely well intentioned, resourceful, and is a sweet and protective older brother to Gretel. I really appreciate how seriously the show, and the other characters treat Kevin and his contributions and struggles.

Gretel is an energetic, cheerful, reckless and stubborn girl. She's often oblivious to how Kevin feels about certain things. Despite her love for Kevin doesn't always take him seriously and is often annoyed with him and how he manages her superheroing, and tries to do things her own way, even when Kevin protests. Though she does value his attention and assistance. Kevin is the first one who Gretel will call out to for help in a pinch and he'll always jump in without a second thought, even if he's literally powerless.

The core of the show is the dynamic between Kevin and Gretel. They love each other, but also do get on each others nerves, and aren't afraid to tease each other. When they first received powers, Kevin was genuinely excited to be a superhero with his little sister, and though that didn't pan out the way he thought it was going to, both are genuinely happy to be a team. They trust each other immensely, and while the first episode is rather weak it does establish the amount of trust they have in each other. Despite Kevin's lack of powers.

The other titular character, Hamster is a talking hamster. He will not allow anyone to expect anything more than what he's already giving (he can talk what more do you want). But he's got a surprising amount out of depth. He's generally pretty inexpressive, but that contrasts with his petty hamster problems and his surprising variety of skills. Hamster's unflinching loyalty for Gretel, dry wit, and a penchant for messing with Kevin, really adds to team and family dynamic. Kevin and Hamster's growing friendship, built on friendly rivalry is another highlight of the show. Hamster may be a bit of a sarcastic grump, but we see him having to swallow his pride and ask for help and accept assistance somewhat regularly.

"We're more like neutral coworkers who live together."

Fred is an amazing character and rounds out the main quartet. Kevin and Gretel's cousin, a woman of many skills. A computer wiz, anime nerd, and talented gymnast among other things. Someone who on the surface seems far more suited to Kevin's role than he is. There's hardly ever a dull moment with Fred on screen who's constant cynicism contrasts nicely with Gretel and Kevin's more cheerful attitudes. Fred has grown up with the two of them and knows them well. She very clearly cares a lot about the two of them, though isn't afraid to call them out and isn't nearly as proactively concerned as Kevin. She's able to act as a mediator of sorts at times between the two of them. Fred also shows growth as she in individual episodes comes to appreciate people who aren't like her (emotional and cheerful), and comes to realize they have more in common than she initially thought.

"Yeah, they're still evil, 'cause you know, they're like teenage girls, but not supervillain evil."

The rest of the extended family is also delightful and has significant presence. Family is a central theme in this show, and the whole extended family often plays key roles in episode plots. It's very clear how important everyone is to each other and how family has made these people who they are. Carolina and Dave are very involved in their kids lives and have their own subplots and developed personalities. In addition Churro the family dog, Carolina's mother, her sister Meli, and Dave's sister (Fred's mom) Stacy really flesh out the family despite their limited appearances.

The rest of extended cast is also fun, really fleshing out the world. Bailey is Gretel's best friend and a particularly important reoccurring character. She starts as Hamster and Gretel's (superhero) biggest fan. Often oblivious, she's confident, energetic, intelligent and a genuinely supportive friend. She's still a somewhat reckless and obnoxious little kid, not unlike Gretel, but her passion, and strong principles help highlight Gretel's strength's and weaknesses. She's definitely the kind of weird little girl whose always got some weird facts on hand about some niche topic, which sometimes comes in handy. Her and Gretel's relationship is also a highlight as they unconditionally care about each other, but still often experience conflict, usually do to external forces.

Hiromi is the girl Kevin has a crush on, but a fully fledged character in her own right. She's goofy, passionate, hardworking, works at a comic shop, is the editor for the school newspaper, and ends up forming a fun friendship with Fred.

"I must point out again that vikings did not have canons. Or singing."

"mmm. Wouldn't be much of a musical without the singing."

"A girl can dream."

The villains are mostly one offs, but their often quite unique in premise and their motivations are often quite hilariously petty. Though, there is a slight overarching plot as the mystery behind the aliens motivations, which involves certain members of Gretel's rogue gallery. The plots are moving slowly, but developing nevertheless. The reoccurring villains also play a part in emphasizing the themes of family. Even minor villains occasionally have motivations related to their families. Two of the most frequent reoccurring villains, are Fistpuncher and the Destructress. A twins with the same powers as Hamster and Gretel who were given their powers by the same aliens, except to use for evil. They act as foils to Kevin and Gretel. Fistpuncher and Gretel are both impulsive younger siblings. Destructress and Kevin are both responsible older siblings, who want acknowledgement. Both sets of siblings are competitive, but care deeply for each other and have had their lives changed by powers beyond their understanding. Professor Exclamation, from the first episode, is also a reoccurring villain whose relationship with his son is also a major subplot. Nordle is a fun character who highlights Gretel's character strengths, as he develops out of his father's shadow.

I think some of Hamster and Gretel's main themes are family, trust and community, as it is in Phineas and Ferb and Milo Murphy's Law. I'll probably got more into those eventually. But I think there is another theme here of not underestimating people or making assumptions about them. Without giving too much away, whether its people repeatedly underestimating Kevin's skills, Fred learning that cheerleaders are just people, Hamster having a rich life outside of the Grant-Gomez's, or even just a grumpy clown being nice, characters are constantly subverting expectations. It may not be anything particularly mindbreaking to the audience, but to the characters they are constantly having to break through others expectations, or adapt how they view others.

Music, as always is top tier. I don't have anything else to add except that they're funny. Admittedly the opening is pretty weak. But there are plenty of other fun songs. I particularly like Don't Steal From the Banks, My Best Friend Bailey's Birthday, Ropa Vieja, I Think We'll Break for Lunch and How You Feel About Me.

"I'm a lemur and I love it and I'm standing on my toes"

Overall, the writing is witty, and there is a sense of continuity, between episodes in a lot of subtle ways so even as the episodes are largely self-contained. Conflicts are largely comedic in nature, and often absurd, which leads to creativity in how they are resolved. While they often are pretty predictable, they aren't particularly repetitive. I'm not really one to comment on voice acting, but the delivery of many lines really elevates the writing. Hiromi, Fred, and Fistpuncher in particular have really had some solid deliveries in my opinion that make okay dialogue, hilarious. I wasn't sold on Meli Povenmire as Gretel at first, but as the show has gone on I think she's improved, and really brings Gretel to life.

Overall the show is just a good time, and a sweet show about family and superhero shenanigans. The show is just fun to watch, simple, but effective and its a shame to see it go not only overlooked by people but looked at with disdain. It is definitely in part the shows fault for its weak start, I can't defend that. It's also not a particularly dramatic or emotional show, so if your looking for something like The Owl House or The Ghost and Molly McGee, you're not going to get it here. Though that isn't to say it doesn't have it's heartwarming moments. And it's not exactly Phineas and Ferb or Milo Murphy's Law either. But it's not fair to punish the show for something its not. Hamster and Gretel is delightful. So watch it cowards.

[radioactive-earthshine]

Wait.

Conner was homeless and Cassie didn't help him?

Weren't they dating at the time?

Where was Clark?

Tim?

Bart?

I have so many questions.

I avoided reading all of Superboy because of the unforgivable sexism but now I'm figuring that might have been a mistake.

1.) Conner was homeless and Cassie didn't help him?

Nope. Dan Didio did her extremely dirty.

Superboy #94 I don't even want to show the whole page of this because it is severely gross, but Cassie basically tells Kon to leave, despite Young Justice's HQs being more than large enough to accommodate him, and for some reason he was sharing a room with Slo-bo.... when it was more than large enough to house him.... idk.

"Stop depending on others" when you are BOTH sixteen and are in a TEAM where you HAVE to depend on each other to me sounds out of character for her, or at least in poor taste as it strips the compassion from her.

Didio decided this was the route to go with her, I'm not sure if he forgot these were sixteen year olds, or if he just didn't care, because either way it's not fair of a move to pull. You can argue that it's definitely something a teenager would pull but I think Cassie would at least have compassion here for Kon, even if she is a little high strung at this time and also dealing with PTSD (likely).

Cassie did recognize later in the issue that she was "rough" on him and it ends on a hopeful note that a new start for Kon would be good, but it doesn't bode to be a positive experience. His move was done on a sinking raft.

In a hypothetical situation where things go better and Cassie recognizes that it is unfair to demand that Kon leave when she herself has a home, a mother, and a large support system to protect her, I feel like she would allow Kon to stay at Young Justice like she allowed Slo-bo to stay.

2.) Weren't they dating at the time?

Nope. They didn't get together until later, they were flirting at this time in varying intensity. They both clearly liked each other but neither really made the push to make it anything more than being friends and annoying the hell out each other.

3. ) Where was Clark?

When Kon was actually homeless and looking for a place to live he was not present. A relator thought Superman was logically Kon's father but Kon quickly corrected that assumption and it cost him a place to live.

In issue #100 Clark reveals that sometime during the time Kon took up residency in Metropolis in the apartment complex he was working/living at, he had Jimmy filling him in on the chaotic events going on, but other than that he was not involved.

Clark did here what he should have done a long, long time ago. You can write a lot of meta, analysis and critiques for why it took Clark so long to act in this moment, and it would all be fair, but in the end he did finally help Kon.

Clark does eventually involve himself and save Kon from exploitation and a second homeless situation, thus ending Kon's comic series. He was too late, but he did solve the issue.

4.) Tim?

He had taken a leave of absence from Young Justice directly after the Our World at War story arc that preceded Kon's homelessness, so it's likely he didn't even KNOW this was going on.

Kon and Tim got into a huge fight as well, and it contributed to Tim's motivation for quitting because he didn't want to stay where he wasn't trusted (PTSD thanks to Granny Goodness as well).

Kon also did not know Tim's identity at this time, and he doesn't find it out until after The World Without Young Justice arc that takes place around Superboy #99. They're not really on speaking terms here from issues #94-#98, and in the majority of Young Justice they have more of a peer-based relationship than a friendly one. They do CARE about each other, but it's not this deep wholesome best friend relationship that Geoff John's made it into in TTv3 right out of the gate. They're not there, yet.

Tim comes back on the team AFTER the World Without Young Justice arc when his identity is revealed via Matt Stewart's meddling with events, by this time Kon is in Kansas with Ma and Pa Kent and the situation is over, his series is over.

In the hypothetical situation where Tim did know that Kon was homeless, I'd think he'd probably reach out to Dick over Bruce at this time and ask what they should do. Tim more often sought Dick out for these sorts of things than he did Bruce, and I feel like it would remind Dick of when Donna was homeless during his time as a Titan.

It would go from there I think, and Kon might have actually had a swifter response from Clark or maybe Kara or someone else with Dick sounding the alarm, but that's just one angle and all a "what if" and we cannot hold this as fact because... it's hypothetical.

It would make a GREAT premise for a fix-it fanfic.

TLDR: He just likely didn't know and they weren't close enough for Tim to know, but if he did he'd most likely ask Dick "WHAT DO?"

5.) Bart?

Bart left Young Justice at the same time as Tim did due to PTSD, however Kon knew exactly who Bart was at this time and they were very close friends. Out of everyone on Young Justice, they were the closest. Even so, Bart (likely) would not have known that this was going on with Kon as he had distanced himself from his teammates.

There was a point during one of the Impulse comics that Bart needed help for one of his cases, and he briefly considered reaching out to Young Justice but STOPPED because he had quit, he felt it was not a viable option, therefore it is logical to assume he was not communicating with anyone from his team.

Also to note, during this period of time of 2002, cellphones were not readily available (yet) and email, instant messaging and direct (expensive!) phone calls would have been the primary way to keep in touch over long distance, for them they of course could just meet up and chat but the comics don't show this happening when Bart left the team.

Kon likely never reached out for help, because Cassie told him to "stop depending on others" and it pushed a button for Kon to be stubborn and try to fix his own situation so he probably didn't even think to say "Oh hey btw I'm homeless!" (in fact the word 'homeless' doesn't even come up).

Had Bart known Kon was homeless and needed help, he might have asked Max for advice on what to do like Tim might with Dick, and Max has shown that when children are in peril (like with Cissie being abused by her mother) he will act.

I feel like Max would probably pull what Bruce did with Clark in YJA and tell him that he NEEDS to be there for him, NOW. It would likely be a push to get a more prompt reaction. Again though, this did not happen and is speculative.

Also, Max's 'death' almost overlaps Kon's homeless situation so another factor that can contribute to Bart not being able to help, or knowing, was that Bart himself was in crisis and in a full new transition from one household to another.

TLDR: Bart and Kon were extremely close at this time, but due to personal circumstances they likely just did not communicate well enough to convey the situation.

6.) I have so many questions.

Me too, why was Didio allowed to write anything, why couldn't he just remain a producer? He produced the Orion solo and that was amazing.

7.) I avoided reading all of Superboy because of the unforgivable sexism but now I'm figuring that might have been a mistake.

No, not a mistake. Not wanting to come across a lot of the more gross and unsavory themes that are depicted all throughout Kon's comics are a valid reason to skip it, however it is unfortunate that in order to really grasp him it would be extremely advisable to read it. If you are really deeply triggered by those gross themes, then don't hurt yourself, but if it is something you can consume to glean the rest of the events that are formative to Kon, I would suggest it.

[raeflora]

Hi again! I would really love your opinion on something, (since you said that if I ever want you to write meta on something specific I can ask)

Do you think that most D**ir shippers are Dan fans rather than Blair l fans?

I am going forward with the rewatch and I have been reading stuff here andvon other platforms and I have noticed that most D**ir focus on what Dan feels or what Dan does for Blair, ignoring Blair's emotional and mental state at the time

Furthermore they seem to want to rid Blair from all the things that make her Blair (like her ruthlessness and scheming)

Idk... For me Blair wouldn't be Blair without the good and the bad. So it makes me wonder if these people just.... Don't like Blair very much.....

hi!! this is such a good question tysm and this is gonna be long so I hope u don't mind 🫶🏻 I think generally yes d*ir fans do seem to be more fans of dan than they are of blair, and I think there are a few reasons (that I've seen) for this. some of it comes from penn badgley fans as a lot of ppl who discovered him from you on netflix have then watched gg and like dan purely bc it's him. some of it also comes from this rehash of the idea that chuck's "bad" bc of the pilot and ignoring his development, and dan's "good" bc... he's not chuck lol.

ur right in that a lot of them don't want blair to be, well, herself. as I said in my other meta post there's a lot of focus on how blair's "better" when she's with dan. she doesn't scheme, she doesn't do anything, really, except from talk about movies and artists. they think that this watered down version of blair is her true self, even though if u watch the previous 4 and a half seasons it's obvious that's just not true. they want blair to be this girl who's content to spend her days visiting museums and waiting around for dan who she's clearly not. there's nothing wrong with her that dan needs to fix, and chuck didn't corrupt her. she can be interested in art and movies and still scheme and be mean. there's no mutual exclusivity to any of her personality traits, they can all co-exist and are what make her blair. like chuck said in s2 it's stupid to want her to be anything other than what she is.

also, ur so right again in that they ignore blair's mental state. she's obviously not in a good place in s5 and probably shouldn't jump into any relationship after her divorce. but dan pushes her into it. throughout the show she belittles him, insults him, makes fun of serena dating him, and generally just doesn't like him. while they're dating she still doesn't seem that keen on him. there's talk of how she's happier and smiling all the time with dan, but she's not. she effectively throws a tantrum being seen out with him and she can't celebrate his career, she instead undermines and upstages him. her behaviour doesn't seem like someone who's found her perfect match. it seems like someone who's in a confusing transitional period of her life and clings to the nearest man, like she did with carter in s2. if dan was this great perfect man he'd say he couldn't date her right away, let her sort herself out. but no, he forces her to be more than just friends bc, where she's so isolated from everyone else, if she loses him then she loses her only support system (the fact that she becomes so reliant on dan humphrey in the wake of her miscarriage is something for another post) so she kind of has to get into a relationship with him, even though she's not ready mentally.

in terms of liking blair, I think that most d*ir fans like their own version of blair, instead of the canon version. this might be connected to them often preferring dan, and then they just project traits onto blair that aren't hers. I don't know why they don't do this to serena btw, bc her relationship with dan is significantly more important, and she was far more willing to do "ordinary" things with him than blair. ultimately I think they want d*ir, and blair individually, to be something they're not and were never going to be. d*ir isn't sethmer or paceyjoey or whoever else they compare them to. blair isn't someone they can shape into fitting their ideas like dan does, she's her own distinct character and if they don't like her then they should admit it instead of mischaracterising her

[gluffering]

12 16 and 19 for any media of your choice?

12: the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

As must as I want to point at an F/O that I don't see the fandom talk about as much.. let's be real most people on my F/O list aren't unpopular.

I know the question is essentially "character that is unpopular because people don't like them but you do" instead of "character who's unpopular because people don't KNOW THEM" but fuck it.

CYBERSIX THE WOMAN THAT YOU ARE. From the 1999 animated show that lasted like.. a single season before being canned. Idk shit about the comics and I intend to keep it that way, I read like 5 pages of it and decided that was enough for me LOL. Anyway she is so cool I love her.

I don't even remember the episodes super well other than concepts and stuff (the Youtube videos I used to watch this ages ago have DEFINITELY been removed by now) but I adore her.

During the day she has a male disguise who's called Adrian Seidelman and like

She's my bigender awakening. Side note but the theme song for this show is gorgeous, I had that shit on LOOP for a while.

16: you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

Pretty much any trope, headcanon or characterization that prioritises the fantasy over the character themselves. I could probably be ok with almost any trope if it suits the characters and it's written well (with obvious exceptions).

Ships are included in this. ESPECIALLY when the existence of the ship makes it clear that the shipper fundamentally misunderstands one/both/all characters that are a part of it. Blade X Dan Heng, I'm looking at you. If people could just stop bullshitting all over the place just because characters have tension with each other, that would be so awesome (mostly not related to the Dan Heng x Blade slight, just something else about ships that bugs me).

19: you're mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like...

I was a little ashamed about my Meta Knight fixation when I first had it, but I am hashtag over that shit.

Technically not a part of the question, but there's a bit of guilt whenever I get into a Hoyoverse game or just games in general that clearly have colourism (at the minimum) issues. It's kind of hard not to be when gacha games are like "WE'RE RELEASING A NEW 5 STAR!!" and it's another fucker who's so white you'd think they were ILL.

Genshin is particularly egregious for this, because what do you mean you're using their cultures yet there isn't a single black playable character? Not even ONE?? Give me a fucking break. This is one of the reasons why I take long breaks when I play these games because it's honest to god distracting. Beyond the fact that it's racist as fuck, how do they not understand that having almost every character who's the same colour as my WALL breaks the immersion? What the balls.

..

.. also blonde men.

[myblackcamera]

Pilot Blog: Hot Manhwa Semes That Will Make You Ignore Red Flags!

Category: Yaoi Title: Hot Manhwa Semes That Will Make You Ignore Red Flags! Meta-Description: Is your fictional man a red flag? I've listed all the hot manhwa semes that will make you go colorblind for them! _______

Toxic Yaoi often gets a lot of hate. But if we’re being real, they’re pretty solid reads.

Some people read it for the plot. But the cultured fujoshi? They read it for the plot.

The plot in question:



[Alt Text: Ahn Jiwon from BJ Alex Volume 1 Manhwa Cover]

That’s right - we’re talking about a manhwa semes with a lethal face card and a weapon that can kill - if you know what I mean. 

Manhwa semes who say “I’ll be gentle” or “Just one more round” even though we all know it’s a lie!

But with a lot of manhwas out there, it can be difficult to find a well-written and well-drawn seme. And by that, we mean someone toxic but HOT!

Here are the most toxic but hot semes of the season! (Spoilers ahead!)

1. Joo Jaekyung from Jinx manhwa



[Alt Text: Joo Jaekyung Jinx Birthday Art]

Coming from the left corner wearing the biggest red flag, the most toxic seme Mother Mingwa has created so far - Joo Jaekyung! 

Some people dislike Jaekyung for very valid reasons, and many of them concern our adorable uke, Kim Dan. 

The most memorable scene has to be when he throws away the Hermes keychain Dan bought for his birthday.

Now, Hermes is by no means cheap. But Dan thought he’d show some appreciation to his employee by buying him something nice and useful for his birthday. He even worked part-time jobs and skipped sleep because of it!

But for all his faults, Jaekyung is one hell of a man. He’s hot, he’s rich, and he’s well endowed. Who wouldn’t fall for a guy like him? (Well, if we ignore his personality)

When Jaekyung does the bare minimum, the entire fandom cheers. Yes - that’s how down bad his simps are for him.

And the smut scenes? Absolute art. Whenever he and Kim Dan smash, every panel is filled with their love juice. And when we see Jaekyung naked? That's the moment the spirit of feminism leaves a fujoshi’s body. 

Jaekyung isn’t nearly as bad as the other semes out there, but he certainly can do better. Season one just ended, and almost everyone is looking forward to his redemption arc when the next season comes. 

You can read Jinx on Lezhin.

 2. Kang Woojin from Love Jinx

 [Kang Woojin Love Jinx Lezhin]

If this is your man right here… Let me just tell you, you are BRAVE.

Now, there’s no shame in admitting that you love this man. Because Woojin is the type to sacrifice the world to save you - and that’s no exaggeration. 

He’s obsessive and possessive, but he will never lay hands on you. He will stalk you and invade your privacy, but he will also cut off everyone in his life to be with you.

Will he go that far? Yes. Yes, he will. He burned down the mountain his grandfather was buried in as an act of love and revenge. After all, he was the reason Haekyung (the uke) avoided him like the plague!

There’s just something about Woojin that makes us love him despite being such a huge red flag. You can call everyone who loves him crazy - there’s no changing the fact that this man will do anything for your love.

Read Love Jinx on Lezhin.

3. Cain from Yours to Claim



[Cain Yours to Claim Official Art Royal]

You might be surprised to see Cain here instead of Yahwi. 

Cain treated Jooin with so much love and respect from start to end. He accepted whatever he was given and stepped in for him whenever Yawhi would do him wrong. 

He did all that only for Yawhi to be the endgame. Imagine what Team Cain fans felt.  

Given it was a bit predictable, almost everyone felt it was a bit unfair, and Cain deserved better.

Cain also felt the same because he turned into a red flag from being a green one just so he could have Jooin. But even though he was controlling and possessive over Jooin, he always had his best interest in mind. If we compare him to Yawhi, you can clearly tell he was the better option. 

As frustrating as this manhwa was, at the very least, Cain had his happy ending. But Team Cain will forever stand for the fact that Jooin lost a good man.

Read Yours to Claim on Lezhin. 

4. Jaehyuk from Can’t Think Straight

 

[Yoon Jaehyuk Can't Think Straight Lezhin]

Jaehyuk is an a-hole. But he is a funny a-hole. And this ironically made him an icon in the BL community. 

Women don’t lie when we say we love someone who is funny. Why else are we turning a blind eye towards Jaehyuk, a homophobic playboy?

If we’re being honest, his only red flag is being homophobic. What's really ironic is the fact that he eventually turns gay. He turns so gay that he can no longer get it up with a woman. At least, not after tasting sweet Garam’s (the uke) butt. 

If you’re reading the current updates, you (and all the other fujoshi) must love how he’s become an absolute puppy for Garam. Cleaning the dorm for him, bringing him food, and, most especially, selling his stuff to buy a home for him. 

He’s not even boasting to Garam about it like he usually does!

The latest chapters made him even more lovable in our eyes. His redemption arc is ongoing, but we cannot wait to see how his character grows even more!

Read Can’t Think Straight on Lezhin.

5. Seungho from Painter of the Night



[Yoon Seungho in a bath from Painter of the Night - Byeonduck]

We all have a good reason to fear Seungho. Nakyum (the uke) does too. But if evil, why hot?

Seungho is a well-known sodomizer, and he kills whomever he feels like killing. Talk back to him? You die. Refuse his commands? You die. Well, you get the point. 

This is why Nakyum, despite being a painter, allowed Seungho to make advances towards him. And thank god he did. If not, we wouldn’t have found out how big Seungho's you know what was.

Now Seungho had a very valid reason for being who he was: daddy issues. That’s right, folks - he’s just like the rest of us.

Most people think Seungho’s backstory is a cop-out for the way he’s treated his bed partners (including Nakyum) in the past. After all, this is a common trope BL writers pull out whenever they have an irredeemable seme. 

But in Seungho’s case, this was well executed. It did not feel forced. Rather, it gave us a different perspective of his character. He was homicidal but also loving towards Nakyum. 

It’s no wonder why the “I can fix him!” girlies love this man. Not only was he willing to change for love, but he was also willing to sacrifice his life for Nakyum. 

Read Painter of the Night on Lezhin.

6. Ilay Riegrow from Passion



[Ilay Riegrow wearing a uniform]

If you like semes that will literally chase you to the ends of the earth, look no further. Ilay will find you no matter where you go. 

It’s as scary as it is arousing. It’s 'scarousing'. 

Taeui (uke) and the other Passion characters have called him a psychopath multiple times. With his track record of “accidentally” killing his subordinates? The claim isn’t too far-fetched.

By no means is Ilay excused for all his crimes. In fact, everyone acknowledges it. But a fujoshi is a lot simpler than you think. You see hot yandere, you simp. Crimes and all forgiven. 

With that attitude of his, it’s no wonder Taeui took revenge on him and ran away. He even changed his name and went as far as living in his future brother-in-law’s house.

But Ilay had a very logical plan in mind. He burns down an entire mountain. That’s right, people - we have another mountain-burning psychopath in our hands. Isn’t that hot? No pun intended. 

Read Passion on TappyToon.

7. Zhenya from Codename Anastasia



[Zhenya eating an orange — from Codename Anastasia Official Art]

If there’s any word that best describes Zhenya, it’s that he’s an absolute menace. 

This blondie looks like an angel but is actually the devil in disguise. (And if you haven’t read the novel and the manhwa, I suggest you skip reading this section.)

Still here? Well, here it goes:

He has assaulted him, kidnapped him, left him to die, and attempted to add his name to St. Peter's book. The worst part? He was behind Taekjoo's mom's death. 

So why are people still rooting for him despite all this? It’s because he has what we call pretty privilege. 

Look at the Tiktok edits. This man has over 359.3 million views! Almost all of these are thirst traps, and I'm not gonna lie; they’re mesmerizing. 

Does this man deserve the worst coming to him for what he did to Taekjoo? Yes. But is he also pretty? Definitely. 

But just as a friendly reminder to all the colorblind ladies: always keep these red flag acceptance in fiction only. After all, our preferences in fictional men do not necessarily reflect our taste in real life.

It's kind of like how we read Game of Thrones. Sure, we may root for the villains sometimes, but does that mean we condone their behavior in real life? Absolutely not. 

Read Codename Anastasia on TappyToon.

Did we miss out on your favorite manhwa seme? You can share more about who deserves to be on this list at the Otaku Community! Get to meet your fellow fujoshis and share your manhwa recommendations!

[blueiight]

I think Daniel is a proxy for the RJ though cause the show itself is a gay black man's story being told by an old [straight or so we think] white man. The black woman, Claudia, is not even in the room cause she's long gone [do they even have any black women in the writing team? certainly none of the credited writers for the episodes are black women...]. Hopefully it's done in a meta/self-critical way and not just taken as straight objectivity.

i dont think dan is a proxy insert for the showrunners or ‘what the show wants u to believe’ cuz of the sheer layers of storytelling in the first place but also.. daniel molloy is clearly bisexual [the bartender @ the gay bar in the 70s know him by first name] & 2) rj & co. have shown far more nuance in their interpretations of vc& the adaptive choices made in this show have suggest far more intelligence than daniel’s very cynical smug white lib pov. idk how showrunner teams work exactly but ive heard from @brightfelon the team incorporated a variety of black fem horror writers, phDs on local history of new orleans & the like…idk how high they r on the ladder exactly but i found their presence to make sense of why & how this adaptation reinvigorated my interest in the immortal universe.

[bwabbitv3s]

Yes, he just “accidentally” made a super weapon very much like the one the hero’s evil nemesis that wants to kill them is making. Only his is done first and giving them a low stakes practice run of exactly the skills they need to stop the nemesis version. Which will be easy and not a surprise anymore.

~How it starts is an accident. Really the first time was a fluke that later spawned an idea.~

Danny trying to be retired from hero stuff in this new dimension, but getting the itch to still do something. You can only go so long without a good fight or spar. He just does not really want to go through the trouble of joining a meta gym with all the background checks needed to keep the dangerous people out.

Danny also does not want to admit to his family or friends that they were right and he does need to visit more often. Lastly he really can't lose the bet with Dan about how he could not last a year without becoming a hero again. He really does want to get a good aerospace career here and he is already part way through his first semester.

He ends up channeling his parents and makes his own sparing partner. Just one itty bitty robot to spar with. Nothing too serious just strong enough to get a good workout in his ghost form. He even made sure to put a emergency stop switch on it! The robot is great and getting really good at fighting with each improvement to the coding he has been tweaking after fights. It is just what he needs to burn off energy. Only the Fenton luck eventually strikes.

After one session Danny finishes sparing and turns back human before turning it off and into rest mode like normal. Robot does not compute that the opponent is still there and the spar has stopped. As the ghost signature of a super powered individual has dissipated. It had not been programed to fight humans as a precaution. The robot used to Danny turning intangible and means that the Opponent must be hiding to do a sneak attack. They must search out for them to keep the spar going! It quickly rushes off to search for where the opponent has gone.

Danny turns round to the robot gone. Along with a very obviously off its hinges door that he swore had been locked.

Danny: Oh no. Music station in background stops and a reporter starts speaking: This just in. A killer robot has started to tear apart the city! Danny: No. It can't be my robot they are a sparing robot not a killer robot! Must be another robot one of the villains set to hunt down the local hero. Reporter: The robot appears to be impervious to officers weapons who have tried stopping it.

Danny is able to catch up to the fight after the local hero has already been fighting for a while. Really he would have been there faster but he kept having to go around police cordons and avoid broken streets. Thank the Ancients that he did all those modification on his motorcycle. He arrives just in time to see the robot tanking hits from the hero and start shouting out directions of where the shut off is.

The reporters keeping track of the fight right away split off a camera to start filming the guy on the supped up bike that looks a lot like the robot. Who in a pleasant surprise instead of joining in the attack starts they instead start shouting out how to stop the robot.

Danny: I am so sorry! I don't know what went wrong. It has never gone looking for others to fight!

The robot throws the hero over their shoulder as they try to wrestle them into submission.

Danny: The emergency shut off it on the back shoulder! It is under the plating there.

The fight ends fairly quickly after that. Unfortunately the hero and accidental evil robot creator is just out of range to clearly hear on the mics. Only a few bits come through and the robot creator is still wearing their helmet making it a bit hard to read them.

Danny feels a bit down for the next week after the accidental evil robot event. He almost gives in and start the mountain of paperwork for the meta gym. Then a real killer robot start attacking the city and unlike his it does not pull any punches.

Out of town hero's get called in to rescue people it is that bad right off the bat. Well for the ten minutes until the hero is freed up by this and can fight the robot instead of save people. Then it is over within moments as they go straight into ripping off armour plates before seeming to find what they were looking for and smash something. Turns out yeah, most dangerous robots have some kind of emergency stop. Even the ones by crazy villains need something to stop it rampaging if it goes off too soon. They just put a plate over it so it can't be seen.

Maybe it does not need to stop making sparing robots. Just make sure that if they do get out when stopping them they can be useful test runs for hero's. Not that he plans on them breaking out again at all! Plus it would mean he can really experiment with some of the more crazy ideas he wanted to try fighting but was worried about.

Danny a Rogue in one of DC city, but not the "I'm gonna kill everyone cause' I HATE LIFE !!!" no, he's "Oops, call the hero I accidentaly made a superweapon that I cannot stop (for the third time this week) !"

The Super Hero doesn't know what to do with him and you cann see Danny cheereing from a stand while the hero is battling the thing in a désolation landscape

[penuntutilmudotnet]

🤔Bolehkah Menarik Makmum Sebelah Utk Rapatkan Saf? - Dr. Maza🤔#2019 #S_DR._MAZA "It looks like you're working on a blog post for your WordPress site about whether it is permissible to pull a person next to you in the prayer line (saf) to align the rows, based on a discussion by Dr. Maza. Here are a few suggestions to enhance the post: ### Title and Meta Description - **Title**: Make sure your title is clear and engaging. For instance, "Bolehkah Menarik Makmum Sebelah Utk Rapatkan Saf? Penjelasan Dr. Maza". - **Meta Description**: Include a brief summary of the content that answers the question or highlights key points. For example: "Ketahui pandangan Dr. Maza mengenai hukum menarik makmum sebelah untuk merapatkan saf dalam solat. Baca penjelasan dan hadis yang berkaitan." ### SEO Improvements 1. **Focus Keyphrase**: Your current keyphrase is "Bolehkah Menarik Makmum Sebelah Utk Rapatkan Saf? - Dr. Maza". Consider using a shorter keyphrase like "Menarik Makmum Sebelah" to improve readability and SEO. 2. **Internal Linking**: Link to other related articles on your site to enhance the user experience and SEO. 3. **Content Enhancements**: - **Introduction**: Start with a brief introduction to the topic and why it's relevant. - **Hadith and Evidence**: Clearly present the hadith or evidence from Dr. Maza that supports the discussion. - **Conclusion**: Summarize the key points and offer a clear answer to the question. ### Readability - **Clarity**: Ensure the language is straightforward and accessible. Use subheadings to break down the content. - **Engagement**: Add relevant images or infographics if possible. This can help in engaging the readers more effectively. ### Additional Tips - **Featured Image**: Choose an appropriate image that relates to the topic. If you haven’t added one yet, you might want to do so. - **Social Sharing**: Customize the message for social media if you plan to share this post on platforms like Facebook. A good message might be: "Adakah dibenarkan menarik makmum di sebelah untuk merapatkan saf dalam solat? Baca pandangan Dr. Maza dalam artikel terbaru kami." Let me know if you need any more help with the content or any other aspects of your WordPress post!..." https://penuntutilmu.net/soal-jawab-pt/bolehkah-menarik-makmum-sebelah-utk-rapatkan-saf-dr-maza/?feed_id=1279&_unique_id=66e9e14a329eb Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/penuntutilmu.net/ Telegram Channel: https://t.me/PenuntutIlmuDotNet Thread: https://www.threads.net/@penuntutilmudotnet

[easygoodads]

Facebook deliberately drains the batteries of your smartphones

A persistent rumor claims that the Facebook and Facebook Messenger applications drain the battery of cell phones where they are installed. George Hayward, a former Facebook data scientist , revealed that Facebook could actually secretly drain the batteries of its users' phones for specific purposes.

The New York Post reports that this method, called "", allows companies to drain batteries to test certain features of an application or to observe the loading of an image. Hayward was fired by Meta, Facebook's parent company, after refusing to participate in these tests . He told the Post: “I told my manager it could hurt someone, and she said by hurting a few we could help the many. Any self-respecting data scientist knows not to harm people. »

Risks and consequences

Hayward, who was fired in November, first filed suit against the company in Manhattan federal court. The 33-year-old worked on Meta's Facebook Messenger app, allowing users to send each other text messages, make phone calls and video calls. Dan Kaiser, Hayward's lawyer, pointed out that draining smartphone batteries can put users in danger, especially "in situations where they need to communicate with other people, including the police or other emergency services . »

Meta's questionable practices

The complaint was withdrawn because Meta's terms of employment required Hayward to litigate his case in arbitration. Kaiser argues that most people are unaware that Facebook and other social media companies can intentionally drain their battery. Commenting on this practice, the lawyer added: “It is clearly illegal. It's disgusting that my phone battery can be tampered with by anyone. »

An ethical choice

Hired in 2019 with a six-figure annual salary, Hayward refused to comply with this request from Meta . “I refused to take this test. It turns out that telling your boss, 'No, it's illegal,' doesn't go down very well,” he said. At one point during his employment with Meta, the company gave him an internal training document titled “How to Perform Thoughtful Negative Tests.” This document included examples of these tests, and after reading it, Hayward concluded that Facebook had already used them. “I have never seen such a horrible document in my entire career,” he added.

This testimony reveals worrying practices in the technology industry , where the needs of businesses sometimes seem to take precedence over the security and well-being of users. In the meantime, Facebook and Messenger users should monitor the impact of these apps on their batteries.

[missmarthanightingale]

okay so my read on dan's whole interaction with this relationship between his friends is like. from his perspective he's just spent actual years watching yaz be in love with the absent doctor, & like, he's seen the ugly parts of it too, the way that yaz absolutely clings to this idea, this wild hope that she'll see the doctor again & that's sometimes the only thing that makes all of this worth it, so i feel like he knows that these feelings run deep, & to a degree that could most certainly be considered, uh, less than healthy. like this is not some harmless crush this is obviously a deeply important relationship for her

& then he spends like, a week with the both of them together & it rapidly becomes extremely clear that a) yaz hasn't ever said out loud that she has these feelings b) she is under the impression that no one else knows c) it is extremely unlikely that the doctor does not know but she's acting like she doesn't d) this situation is not healthy for yaz in the long run

so dan, as a reasonably emotionally mature older person & yaz's friend, has now set himself this mission of trying to help her out of this mess. starts by getting her to confront & acknowledge her own feelings & being supportive about it, as any good friend would, & then talking to the other party & going "hey. this girl is in love with you & we both know you know. you can't just pretend that it isn't happening, bc that is going to hurt her in the long run. stop ignoring this"

so despite the phrasing used, i don't think this is at all a middle school situation of "omg my friend likes you so you two should totally get together!!" i think this is a very deliberate effort on his part to get these two to accept the situation they're in & have a conversation about it, whatever the outcome of that conversation may be. he just wants them to communicate. like adults

[mrs-nate-humphrey]

I was thinking about how Blair x Jenny really want to be in control to make sure they don't get hurt or humilliated and can go far in making sure they're on top. And that made me think about how Dan x Blair get each other because both of them find it really hard to be vulnerable with people because they expect people to reject them/betray them, which stems from insecurity and leads to them being mean bc they're so on the defense all the time. Idk I think that's cool.

I love that you sent me this! I agree that that’s a really cool thing about those dynamics. Unconnectedly, but within the same theme of blenny parallels, I was thinking last night about how Blair & Jenny both use Nate the same way? Like, before people start yelling at me, I don’t think it’s questionable at all that Blair cares about Nate, or that Jenny cares about Nate. Blair’s been his friend since kindergarten, and Jenny & Nate have that special bonding-over-trauma kind of friendship where I feel like if either of them have PTSD flashbacks they’d call each other, you know? but anyway, I bring that up because like, not for a moment do I think Blair or Jenny didn’t care about Nate.

That said, neither of them is above using him for his social capital / for his family name. Both of them at some point want to be “Nate Archibald’s girlfriend” maybe not even out of really liking Nate, but just because Nate denotes a kind of stability and safety from other things, and being Nate’s girlfriend implies a certain... power? I don’t know. 

Your Dan & Blair parallel re: their vulnerability and meanness is one of the first things I realised / got into when it comes to them as a ship! I always love those “plot twist: we’re more similar than we thought!” kind of storylines in my romances, lmao. Unlike w/ Blenny, the Dair parallels aren’t obvious until suddenly they are, whereas Jenny actively wanted to be like Blair, until she didn’t. Idk, it’s all really fascinating to me. 

VERY unconnectedly, your ask made me think about like - Nate & Serena. Nate and Serena 100% also have the “find it really hard to be vulnerable with people because they expect people to reject them/betray them” but they overcompensate by going the other way, by being too nice for their own good, by being too tolerant and forgiving than they should be. Idk. I just love how all these characters are fleshed out in ways that you can make parallels between any and all of them, and at the same time, they’re not repetitive or bland. It’s very good.