#I'm happy to have some new things to say about this show

[poguehearted77]

Bubblegum Ballerina

Pairing: Dental Student! Reader x Single Dad! Rafe

Summary: Spring rolls around with new beginnings, starting with a new placement for you in a pediatric dentist's office and meeting a patient's handsome (and single) dad.

Just some headcanons unless it should be a full-fic??

Single Dad! Rafe would bring his five-year-old daughter Ella to the dentist ten minutes early because he hates being late and knows that his little girl would do anything to try and stop him from taking her because she hates the dentist. She once even hid his shoes just so she wouldn't have to go.

Single Dad! Rafe would immediately lean over the counter and whisper to the familiar receptionist he'd seen for years, asking about you the second you whisked Ella away and out of sight.

Ballerina! Ella would ramble in her chair to you about her upcoming ballet performance and how her daddy bought her a new tutu because he tells her she's the best ballerina ever.

Dental Student! Reader could listen to Ella's cute stories and pink passion projects for hours but when the dentist entered and it came time to start her cleaning Ella immediately started to fuss, squirming and refusing to open her mouth.

Dental Student! Reader would do her very best to keep Ella relaxed, offering to hold her hand and telling her stories about magical ballerina's that got to dance with fairies as a treat for going to the dentist and staying calm.

Ballerina! Ella hated the mint-flavoured polish and always asked if they had the bubblegum flavour after trying it once and now refuses to have anything else.

Single Dad! Rafe lights up when he sees his daughter running to him with a clean bright smile and a goody-bag that she says you helped pick out for her, making sure everything is extra awesome like she is.

Single Dad! Rafe who nearly trips over his words when he finally gets to speak to you about how everything went, hoping that she wasn't too much to handle, showing that he's well aware of his daughter's anti-dentist antics. He's both happy and sad to hear that Ella has a small cavity, but the joy creeps in when he realizes he gets to see you again soon.

Dental Student! Reader scans Rafe's hands looking for any signs of a ring or implications of a Mrs. Cameron and she's not as subtle as she thought she was when Rafe grins and waves his left hand to regain her attention (but actually to show the lack of a wedding band)

Ballerina! Ella who begs reader to come to her ballet performance so that she can see the new tutu her daddy bought her and watch her dance. Rafe immediately apologizes for her outbursts and insinuates that you're a very busy person but you accept without thinking.

Single Dad! Rafe brings two bouquets of flowers to the recital, one for you and one for his little ballerina who ran off to show all her friends the flowers her daddy got her. Leaving the two of you to talk and address the budding romance between you.

- nsfw! Rafe who hasn't fucked anyone since the divorce struggling to hold himself together when he sinks his cock into you for the first time. Leaning down to whisper filthy praises into your ear.

- Further down the line when things get more serious, the two of you would get a secret kick out of sneaking away from those Ella's friends exhausting birthdays for a quickie in the back of Rafe's truck parked 2 blocks away, reappearing just in time for the candles.

- Single Dad! Rafe who has a tiny little breeding kink and gets hard anytime he thinks about filling your stomach with his cum and knocking you up with his baby. "You'd look so perfect walkin' around the house--tits all big n' swollen, belly round with our baby. Whaddya' think? Hm? You want that for yourself? Wanna be my good little housewife that takes care of our child while I'm at work before I come home n' take care of you?"

[yunjinstoy]

˖ ࣪ ‹ missing hours 𖥔 ࣪ ᥫ᭡

cho hyunju x fem!reader.

c/w: smut, phone sex, hyunju before transition, dirty talking, sub!hyunju x powerbottom!reader, needy hyunju, mentions of dick, full porn, sugarmommy kinda?? reader, little mention of breeding, and others things, lowercase intentional. hyunju rose dialogue.

a/n: guy's it's my first time posting something so please give me constructive tips!

you've been with hyunju for almost 5 months, and it was wonderful. she was the sweetest girl you could ever asked for, caring, lovely, understandable, comforting..and a nice cooker, of course. she was the first girl to not care about your money, even tho she knew that you have good amount of it, she never asked, and whenever she did for some reasonable and no doubts reason, she was so embarrassing to ask you for money, but you didn't care.

if you could, you would buy everything in your power to make hyunju happy, happy wife happy life, as they say.

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some weeks ago, hyunju talked about how much she wanted to do the bottom surgery. it's not like it's anything new for her to talk about, she always did, she always showed how she wanted to be fully transitioned but she was also very afraid to do so. but since you guys got more comfortable and more intimate, she gained some confidence and desire to have surgery. it would be in thailand, she would say, because there's a lot of procedures well done there. so, the next day, you caught yourself searching for thailand travel flights and gender transition surgery clinics, and of course, you brought the best ones.

when you showed it to her, she almost cried of joy and expressed how much thankful she was for you by kissing your whole face (you loved it). but she also got feeling guilt because you spent money on her, but why wouldn't you? she deserves everything she wants. the girl was so happy but then reality touched her. you would not come with her since you had work to do that day, money doesn't come for nowhere, right?

she pouted while looking at you, sad that you would not be with her in such a beautiful and memorable moment in her life, and trust, you were so sad as she was, you wanted to go with her and give her all the love and comfort but you just... couldn't.

୨୧┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈୨୧

it's been two days since hyunju arrived at thailand, on the 3rd day, the surgery would be done. it's was fucking difficult for her not being with you, even if it was only two days since she saw you, she missed you so much like she was not seeing you for weeks. she mumbled from one side to the other with longing, she missed your sweet face to her, your soft hearted words for her, your touch which was always hot, since you had warm skin. urrgh, she missed you and she needed you so much. some hours passed, and it's has already 11pm for her, the time where you guys would call each other before hyunju passing out in sleep, so it wouldn't be long before you called her. she was waiting anxiously, and finally, she heard the phone ringing.

"hello?" you say, amazed at how quickly she responded.

"hiii baby! how was your day? busy one?"

"not really, it was fine. and you? how you doing? nervous about tomorrow?" you asked, already knowing the answer. how badly you wished you were with her right now. and so did she, your voice and genuinely concerned tone made her feel safe and loved, and that only made her long for you even more.

"mhm...but it's gonna be just fine.. everything is going to be as it should and it won't take long until you're with me tomorrow after the operation, right?" you could sense her nervousness through her voice but as she spoke the rest, she became happier and more relaxed.

"yes, baby. i can and i'm so excited to see you..and to see our future place to live in." a smile appears on your face when you remember all the promises of living together in thailand.

"thank god...i've been missing you so much."

"aw really? i miss you too."

"no, i really miss you badly. i can't stand not having yours slightly touch."

you paused for some seconds, not responding to her. you always loved when your girlfriend was needy, just because it was something rare to happen because she was an expert on containing herself. so in this case, she was really missing you.

"i need you here, sleeping with me, killing me with love and kisses. i wanted you to touch me until i sleep... it's so difficult here without you."

she continues confessing this and that, and you could tell she was imagining everything she was saying out loud as you hear her pauses and heavy sighs. you didn't know what to do or say, should i let her continue or should i respond something? you thought repeatedly.

"i need you, i miss you. i-i wanted to enjoy the last night together while i have...you know.." her voice trembles a little bit but you couldn't decipher whether it was desire or nervousness. you gulp hard as you got what she meant. was she for real?

"w-what?" that was the only thing that escaped from your mouth. how pathetic.

"i wish you were playing with my co...cock..." what came out of her mouth sent you to heaven, the shy way she said such thing. and she was not helping neither since you could clearly hear her panting heavily. you were trying to putting the dots in order, was this really happening? does she want it? should i risk it? but as you were thinking hardly, hyunju spoke.

"please...say something, help me.. somehow."

okay, fuck it. it's your girlfriend and she's extremely needy for you, so why would you deny her with your head bubbling up right now?

"what are you wearing?"

"a blue pajama-type dress, no underwear."

nasty, you thought. even without you, she would be still that naughty. and in some sense, you could feel your blood popping up thinking about her being like this, all alone. without you taking care of her.

"you're so naughty, hyunju. i know you really want me to suck your cock and feel your gland beating in the back of my throat but no underwear isn't resolving nothing, baby, you know that, right?"

"i-i know...It's just to stay relaxed at night because i always end up thinking about you and then i get hard...and it hurts when i have something rubbing down there.."

"my baby thinking about me at night? about what? me bouncing on your big dick already dirty with cum of both of us?"

"f-fuck yes, i want that so bad.." it was hard for her to control her breath while speaking and you could tell right away.

"how bad?"

"so so so fucking bad, i need you to r-ride my cock so badly... it's throbbing and craving for your pu..ssy..feels so good when i'm inside you, you make me feel so fucking go-good..please please let me-"

"let you what?"

"let me touch myself while thinking about you swallowing my cock, please please pleas...se, i c-can't anymore..."

"turn the camera on and touch yourself."

and hyunju did. she placed her phone right in front of her so you could see exactly how her face looked like at the moment. she was with her cheeks extremely red, same as her lips which were also wet from the times she bit her lips to contain herself. she was wearing what she told she was, and it suited her so well. her cock was full out, hard, juicy, and throbbing with need. she waited some time for you to admire her, because she knew that you would. and then finally, she placed the palm of her hand on top of the cock that had been begging to be touched for some time now. hyunju started to masturbate herself and you swear that the view was way better than any work of art. her free hand was glued to her mouth, being bitten to contain the louder moans and pleasure that hyunju felt, but she failef miserably since you could perfectly hear every sound that came out of her mouth, her eyes closed tightly and her eyebrows that the furrowed and moved with every movement that hyunju made on her own cock.

"just like that, baby...imagine it's me there, imagine your hand is my pussy taking care of your desperate dick."

"lo-ve...i'm gonna...i-" the hand that surrounded her cock began to make much faster movements. you could see her dick twitching.

"cum just inside of me, hyun."

and then, her orgasm arrived. the jets of liquid were falling down on her cock and hand. oh, how you wanted to lick that. her chest coming and going fast desperately, controlling her panting breath as she opened her eyes slowly as if she had just woken up.

"you did so well, my baby. you-"

she cut you off.

"i need...more, i want to make the most of my last day with a dick...and with you, please let me cum more."

reality hit you, this was going to be a long night and the best phone call you ever had, you should send her to thailand alone more times.

[obae-me]

How He Kisses

Hey there, so things are...kinda awful right now, and while I don't want to fully distract myself from my other works I'm chipping away at, I did want to post something a bit short and sweet to hopefully- well, saying "to make everyone feel better" feels sort of self-inflated, but if I can make everyone stop and think about something happy for just one second, that's more than I can ask for. I have no idea how similar this is to my hug headcanon ones. Not really checked for too many errors, this was all kind of done in the spur of the moment, but I don't think that matters too much.

Lucifer

Proper and slow. He likes being patient, kissing you once before pulling back to look at your face. He feels a sense of Pride when he can see the effect he has on you, knowing that he can comfort you like this. He's a perfectionist, he likes the whole experience to be included. That's why he likes to do it more often when you two are alone, knowing he has the freedom to do whatever it takes to make this moment perfect. Whether it's music, a lit fireplace, over a dinner, under the comfort of a blanket, everything is set up for you. To show his love for you, nothing less than high quality will be accepted. The kiss is simply the bow that ties everything together. And he'll take his time to relish in this moment with you.

Mammon

Fervent and greedy. He cannot contain his love for you. Even around his brothers, he lets it slip. So when you find yourselves alone, it's like pulling the lid off a stuffed container. Your eyelids, your ears, your forehead, cheeks, chin, lips, none of them shall be spared in his spree. It's almost frantic, as if he doesn't get as many now, he'll never have them again. He craves all of you, and he wants to be only yours in equal measure. Love, soul, attention, all of it is for you. It's as if he has to make up the seconds lost whenever you're apart. He never wants it to end. He hardly breathes. Every one is just as good as the last, and he is focused on making it just as wonderful an experience for you as well. After all, he wants you to be greedy too. Tell him your every desire.

Levi

Eager and grateful. Push past the anxiousness and the self-doubt, and you find a Levi that adores you more than anything. Like an ultra rare drop he can't get anywhere else. If he can stand in line for days for something he wants, he will stand with you till the end of time. His kisses show that, how deeply in love he is for you. Given the chance, he has the confidence to prove to you how special you are to him. Every kiss gets him more excited than the last, and in turn, he's determined to do whatever it takes to make you feel just as joyous as he is in these moments. Thank you for being here with him, your presence means more to him than you currently know, and he'll spare no effort to start showing you that.

Satan

Meek and curious. Whether or not it is considered if he's kissed someone before, every time he kisses you, it feels like the first time. He almost always has a distant look on his face, as if he's thinking about a million other things at the same time, and every million of those thoughts is something about you. He learns something new every time and commits it to memory. Which way your head naturally tilts, where you prefer his hands to be, how many you like, how long they take, he's going to remember them all. Well, he says that, but oftentimes its as if his mind wipes after every kiss. It's hard to think during those moments. But he's not worried about it, that just means he'll have to keep going. He has no plans to leave your side anytime soon after all.

Asmo

Uplifting and addictive. He likes to kiss for every occasion, every emotion. Happy? Kiss. Excited? Kiss? Sad? He says he saves his best kisses for those moments especially. Maybe it's shared love that makes his kisses almost tingle, or maybe its some kind of magic. It makes you feel light. And he'll give you as many as you want. He adores kissing you, not able to get enough of it. It's as though he's almost on clockwork, having to give you an embrace at perfect intervals throughout the day. He can't get enough of you, and he can't help but get giddy at the thought of running to your side and letting you know exactly just how much he loves you.

Beel

Warm and encompassing. Gluttony often gets mixed up with Greed, but this is one of those instances where the differences are clear. Every kiss is slow, and feels as if it lasts several lifetimes. It's as if he's drinking you in, savoring this moment in it's entirety. Of course he'll come in for seconds, and thirds, and fourths, but it comes steadily. Something about his kisses fills you with a warmth that's hard to describe, similar to soup or a hot beverage seeping through every part of your body to endure the coldest of days. It makes your toes curl like they're in warm socks. It makes you feel as if nothing can get to you. And with him around, nothing will.

Belphie

Soft and persistent. No amount of drowsiness can stop him. Even if he's asleep, the demon that will normally sleep like the dead will wake himself up and make sure to give you a kiss. They're so gentle, and it's difficult to tell if its tied to his personality, or if he's afraid of hurting you. Sometimes they're as light as a feather, almost tickling you. If you're falling asleep, they'll never wake you, only guiding you towards sweeter dreams. With every movement you make, you'll almost recognize the sensation of his kisses. They're like a promise, an assurance, that even in the deepest darkest of dreams, he's right there. They always lull you into a sense of peace.

[tulpanya]

take me out!

includes : (mouthwashing) anya, curly, daisuke, swansea.

summary : it's time for a date! the types of date [character] takes you out on!

warnings : gn! reader. pet names ("hun" - curly, "babe" - daisuke).

ANYA

quiet night in.

The smell of takeout wafted through the air as you brought in the food, Anya's mouth already watering. Unable to wait any longer, she paddles her way over to where you're serving the food on some plates. "This was a good call, Anya." You grin, the food getting to you as well. "We really needed a night in!" She nods in agreement.

"And I already rented the movie," She chirps, taking her plate and walking with you back into the living room, where blankets, pillows, and various candies are strewn for maximum comfort.

Snuggling close together under the covers, with full bellies and a good movie, Anya couldn't help but feel her heart do little somersaults because this was a night she definitely needed.

café.

It was a small cafe with a warm environment, and you and Anya often frequented the place whenever you two had time. "They have a new design- a cat!" Anya says, she's always been in awe of how they manage to do the cute little designs in her lattes. You both order and when she shows you the cat you can't help but snicker.

"Why're you laughing?" Anya asks, confused by your reaction.

"Because it looks just like you!" You say between laughs, begging for her to hold it up a little so you can take a picture of her and cat-latte-art-her. She gives an awkward smile, not quite seeing the similarities but pleased you seem so happy. You instantly make the picture your lockscreen.

"Wha- don't do that!" She cries out, embarrassed by the photo.

"But you and cat-anya will give me strength when I can't persist!" She, reluctantly, lets you keep the picture as your lockscreen.

botanical garden.

You were running late, and as much as that disappointed you, it was also totally worth it to see Anya standing there in all her beauty. Despite the most beautiful flowers surrounding her, she was, without a doubt, the most gorgeous thing within the vicinity. After she anxiously checked her watch and glanced around, you finally snapped out of your stupor and greeted her.

"Anya, sorry I'm late- a train-" Anya lets out a relieved breath, reaching for you and pressing a quick kiss to the corner of your cheek.

"I'm just glad you're okay," She pulls away and chuckles at how flustered you look from a simple kiss and her worry. "Should we... walk?" She asks, her hand reaching for yours, interlocking fingers with you.

"Y- yeah! Yes, let's go!" The flowers were nice, but you both seemed a little distracted with each other— you'll both have to visit another time.

CURLY

stargazing.

It's so cheesy and cliche, yet Curly somehow manages to pull off a 'night under the stars' perfectly. A beautiful spot, a comfortable blanket, some simple snacks, and of course an extra coat that he can wrap around you should you get too cold.

He's got your head resting on his shoulder/chest, and he occasionally points out a constellation. "Over there is Delphinus," He says, his eyes never leaving the stars. He truly loved the night sky, it's obvious he always had. You hum, snuggling closer to him.

"What about that one over there?" You ask, pointing to a bright one.

"That," He says, a grin on his lips that just screams trouble. "Is Venus, planet of love." He moves so he's hovering above you now, mischief in his eyes. He leans down, pressing a kiss to your lips, before another, and another, and the planets and stars are long forgotten as you two kiss under the night sky.

hiking.

Whether you have been hiking before or not, Curly is always excited to wake up early with you and go for a hike. He's like a golden retriever with how much energy he has as you two move through the rocky terrain.

He's still ever the gentleman though, "Let me help you," He says, lending you his hand to step over a particularly rough part. He doesn't really let go of your hand after that, much preferring to make sure you stay by his side instead.

By the time you two reach the top, the view is most definitely worth it. "It's beautiful," You breathe, eyes looking out over the horizon. Curly smiles, his gaze trained on you and only you.

"Sure is."

food truck.

It's greasy, messy, but Curly absolutely loves getting food from a food truck with you and just walking around the city/a nearby park. "Damn," He mumbles with a mouthful of food as the greasy food began to drip down his chin. You can't help but laugh at his panicked face as he tries to lick it up (and fail).

"Hold on you big baby," You tease, grabbing a spare napkin you shoved in your pocket and wiping the grease away for him. He swallows his food and bites back a laugh.

"Thanks," Curly leans in for a kiss but you push away his head, "Wha- hun?"

"Oh, no way! You choose to get extra garlic. I'm not kissing you." Curly whines for a little, pouting about not getting a kiss but eventually gets over it at the promise of kisses after he brushes his teeth. "You're something else, you know that?"

"You love me." He declares rather confidently, and you can't deny he's right.

DAISUKE

videogames.

"I'll be your player two, babe." Daisuke so chivalrously offers up the player one position to you, which you gladly take his offer for. It's a two-player puzzle rpg game where you have to help each other throughout the game- and Daisuke is already vowing his 'life' to you.

"Not that way, not that way!" You exclaim, trying to keep Daisuke from falling off the screen during a boss battle.

"I know, I know!" He squeaks tilting with his controller, "The controls are all backwards ugh! I'm tryin', just give me a second, okay?" You both are so focused and intense, fighting the boss battle with the utmost seriousness. And when that beautiful flash of 'You Win' shines on the screen you both hug each other with relief.

"Finally!" You cheer, "I thought we'd be stuck at that boss for hours!" You fake cry tears of relief, and Daisuke joins in with your faux tears.

"It's all because of your amazing leadership, babe! Thank you for not leaving me behind~"

"I literally couldn't..." You say, suddenly a little deadpan. You pull away and give him a pointed look, and all Daisuke can do is giggle, knowing he caused more trouble than help throughout the game.

"It's because my guy was all weird- next time I'll be player one and you'll see!"

"Suuuure, Dai... Sure."

karaoke.

The first time Daisuke took you to karaoke you didn't expect him to have such a nice voice, but now you look forward to going to karaoke with him just to hear him sing!

"This one's for you babe!" Daisuke points to you, just as he has for the last several songs he's dedicated to you. You simply clap and cheer as he dances about, singing another love song. That's when he realizes that it's actually a duet, and he begins to beckon you on stage.

"C'mon," He urges you to hurry, and you (albeit hesitantly) join him on the little stage area and take the extra mic. You join in on cue, both of you now singing your hearts out together- and the next several songs continue on like this until you're both so exhausted you collapse on the sofa in the karaoke room.

aquarium.

"I have a special connection with the fish, just watch." Daisuke says almost too confidently before putting his forehead against the fish tank with his eyes squeezed shut. You just watch in amusement, wondering how long he'll do this. Finally he snaps his eyes open and turns to you with a proud smile.

"And... what did you just do with this special connection?"

"I just told all the fish that I love my partner so, so, so, sooo much." He says, nodding along with his words. You snort a laugh, shaking your head at his antics. "What? It's true! They had to know, don't need some stingray trying to woo you."

"I doubt that'd happen," You say, wiping some tears from the corner of your eyes from laughing too hard. "But good to know that all the fishes know how much we love each other." Daisuke grins, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you to the next exhibit.

"Now I gotta go make sure the crustaceans know too."

SWANSEA

sport event.

Swansea had somehow managed to snag some pretty good tickets to an upcoming game of his favorite team- and he had invited you to come with him. You didn't know much about the sport, but that didn't stop you from researching into the game as much as possible before going with him.

Swansea had to bite back a snicker as you showed up fully decked out in the opposite teams merch- seems you got a little confused, but your enthusiasm melted his heart. "I- I know that!" You declared when he told you about the mishap. "I wanted us to have a rivals-to-lover thing going on."

"Riiiight..." He eyes you suspiciously, not believing you one bit but he'll let it slide. Despite the embarrassing mistake, Swansea seems proud to have you by his side as you two attend the game even though some other attendants seem to be giving you a nasty glare. He just flips them off before wrapping his arm around you.

restaurant.

Swansea enjoyed listening to you chat about your day, the quiet atmosphere of the cozy restaurant only added to the experience. When the food finally comes out you excitedly get ready to eat, only to notice Swansea's meal looks a little more appetizing.

"Mm? Oh, no... No, absolutely not." Swansea sighs, shaking his head. He could already feel a little headache forming.

"Just a bite?" You ask, batting your lashes. Swansea groans, begrudgingly offering a bite of his food. That was, as he knew, a mistake as you moaned about how good the food tasted. You then offered him a bite of yours. He rolled his eyes.

"Give it to me."

"Thank you~" You coo, swapping plates with him. You take his hand and give it a little squeeze. "You're the best~"

"Just eat your food."

bowling.

"You're not winning." Swansea said, rolling his eyes. You had never once won since you two started going bowling regularly. You scoff at him, putting on your bowling shoes.

"I'll have you know I've been practicing!"

"Alright, if you win, what do you want?" Swansea concedes, indulging your competitiveness. You hum, thinking before a grin grows on your face. He did not like the sight of that.

"When I win, I want you to admit that I'm a waaaaay better bowler than you." He scoffs this time. You shrug, standing up and approaching the lanes. "Afraid you'll lose, Swans?"

"Hardly, I'm just thinking about how good you'll look vacuuming."

"Wha- If I lose I have to vacuum?!" Swansea rolls his shoulders, his gaze hardened by the bet you two had set up. "W- Well, that's only if I lose- which I won't! So prepare to admit your defeat and to vacuum!" You say, before ultimately losing the match.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed!

[alvie-pines]

*parts of this are bolded because im neurodivergent and it helps me organize my thoughts

I can definitely see how that title reads as confrontational, but I also think there is a nonconfrontational reading where the "rising" in question is not a call to arms or dominance in a conflict but a call to activism and action. I can't say which the artist intended, but both can be considered.

And at the end of the day, I think the actual contents of the song matter more when it comes to classifying the genre. Since the actual song talks about things like not funding genocide, the screams of children, and bombs falling, and doesn't glorify weapons or fighting except the line "kuffiyeh in my hand and my other hold a stone" which can be interpreted as throwing stones at soldiers, I think it's mostly peaceful and definitely anti-war.

The lyrics don't have to be somber, peaceful, or nonconfrontational to be an anti-war song. What classifies something as an anti-war song is that the main message of the song is that war in general, or a specific war, is bad and should end.

Intifada uses rhetoric I don't like, I agree with you on that. But I do still think it's pretty anti-war. Only one line stands out to me as encouraging violence, which is the "a new intifada in the west bank, gaza or jerusalem" line you pointed out. But aside from that one line, I think the overall message of the song is still anti-war, as most of it is calling attention to the unjust destruction brought on Palestinian civilians during war and occupation. Even if it uses rhetoric deserving of critique to make that point, its still part of the genre.

I personally have only ever seen "from the river to the sea" used in a peaceful anti-war way by pro-ceasefire protestors. Granted I've only attended small protests in the NYC area. People say it has a violent history but I don't know what that refers to, so if you could show me what people mean by that I would be grateful.

And finally: yes, there should be more Israeli anti-war songs on the list. I'd love to add some myself, but I don't know any. I'm not Israeli or fluent in Hebrew so its not really my area of expertise. If people could recommend songs though I'd be happy to do the editing, I love working on wikis. And adding them is a great way to see if they've just not been added yet, or if people are removing them (antisemitic).

Really interesting how the English wikipedia page about anti war songs lists songs like "intifada" and "Palestine will rise" and "from the river to the sea". I might be wrong but I don't think those are actually anti war. Also it has no Israeli anti war songsvbut shir lashalom? Idk feels fucking off.

[balkanradfem]

Alright, this one is for all the people who read my 'spatula' and 'roommate emergency' posts. Because if you suffered trough those long whiny posts you deserve to know the insane continuation/ending to the story. Warning for high levels of drama and plot twists. Under cut because long.

So, after all of the emergency and spatula debakl, I was starting to feel slightly less warm to my roommate; not enough to be mean, but I decided to focus on my own stuff and not give her as much attention. We were still saying hi and casually chatting, but I wouldn't take food if she offered. She bought some fruit juice and told me to drink it, and I didn't wanna be mean so I just said 'you should drink it too', and ignored it. I will not be mollified with some fruit juice.

I felt happier focusing on myself, but I also started to get a little anxious, because what if the roommate gets mad at me, and then moves out? And then I thought, wait, that's an insane thought. Nobody moves out of a place because their roommate is a bit withdrawn and depressed, and doesn't give them tons of attention. Besides, I haven't done anything ever to cause her harm or distress, I'm just living my life and leaving her to hers. I'm fine.

So yesterday late evening, I went to the bathroom and noticed all of her shampoos and shower gels were missing, and immediately got worried about it. Why would she remove all her bathroom stuff, unless she is actually moving out? But she never said anything. It was already so late at night, I couldn't go bother her about it. It was 11 pm. I tried to not worry about it and fall asleep, but I couldn't. Thinking how maybe she's moving out, and then I'd be alone looking for a roommate in January when the bills are the worst, filled me with anxiety. How would I pay my rent? I heard her then, leaving her room and going into the bathroom. I made a split-second decision to get up and confront her about it. I needed to be sure.

I caught her in the hallway, and asked 'Hey, I saw you took all of your shampoos, are you leaving? If you're leaving I need to know.' She smiled at me and then reassured me that if she was leaving, she'd tell me. She then showed to me how a lot of her hair started falling out, and she thinks it's because of the shampoo, so she threw it away and now needs a new one. Oh okay, I thought, that's a relief. I told her thanks for explaining, and how I got so worried I couldn't sleep. She laughed at me for being silly and worrying, and I grumbled 'don't laugh at me' as I went back to my room and wished her a good night. She seemed so happy I talked to her, probably because I wasn't initiating any conversations lately.

Next morning, I woke up sad, so I was moping in my room, and at one point she stopped by my room asking if I was okay, and if I'm going to work. I replied weakly that I was fine (I wasn't, I was kinda sobbing and forgot my room door was open) and that I didn't have work that day. She said okay. I heard her leave.

After I calmed down from my sadness, I realized I needed to contact her employer, because she was supposed to pay her share of the bills, and even though I reminded her two days ago, she forgot, and I needed that money. I hate bothering people about money, so I just sent a little 'how about today?' message thinking that was friendly enough. Her employer responded with 'sure I'll send you the money via [roommate name], she still isn't at work.' I responded with 'she left, she should be there soon'.

And then I thought, maybe I was wrong when I heard her leave, so I got up, knocked on her door, and said her name to check if she was still there. No response. I pushed the door open.

My heart sank to the bottom of my feet.

The room was empty. The bed was empty. There was a mess on the floor but mostly trash. Her things were gone. Her clothes were gone. The key to the apartment was on the table.

I was immediately stricken with shock, and the realization that she lied to me yesterday, when I anxiously asked if she was leaving, she smiled and reassured me that she wasn't leaving while she was already packing her bags! But why?

I panicked then, thinking what I should do next. Was she okay? Was she safe? Did she go to a friend's place? Should I call her employer and check if she still went to work? But that's probably not what the roommate wanted, I needed to find her and ask her why, and what to tell to her employer, because I didn't know the right answer. I grabbed my bike and headed outside and tried to find her in the city.

No luck. After half an hour I understood too much time has passed, she could have been anywhere. She's left and cannot be found. I couldn't call her, because her phone doesn't have a real SIM card so calls don't work. I relented and called her employer to check if she was at work, and to try and find out what happened.

I needed to be calculated in order to get any kind of information, so I called and said 'Hi, just checking if [roommate's name] got to work safely?' And employer says 'No, she's still not at work'. So I go 'Did something happen yesterday? Something is wrong'.

Her employer was extremely evasive on what exactly happened. She started listing events like 'she wouldn't clean the windows, we had a media day yesterday and she had to talk to the cameras, she got mad about something, said she didn't want to work, that her head hurts, but wouldn't sign the form saying she's quitting, then she changed her mind and asked for a free day, but she already had two free days, she was unreasonable' it was a mumble-jumble of events I couldn't put together right. And then I finally told her that [roommate's name] is gone. She took her things and left the key. The employer didn't even seem that shocked. I was still in shock. I asked her to call me if she managed to get in contact.

I was still struggling to accept just what had happened. I then remembered that even though we never used it, at one point I added her on facebook, and maybe this could be our point of contact. I wanted to talk to her just one last time, to find out what happened at work that forced her to leave, and to say goodbye. I couldn't accept that she is just gone after all that, with no explanation, no goodbye.

I went to the park, connected to the internet and frevently searched for the little icon in my messenger. I found her. I sent her a message saying 'Hey, please tell me why you left. I won't bother you, I just need to know why.'

No response. She was online. I knew she saw it. But nothing.

I couldn't accept it. I tried calling her on facebook. She immediately blocked me.

I was left staring at my phone in disbelief. This was it. This was all I would ever get for closure. I'd never find out what had happened. Not from her employer, and not from her.

I felt heartbroken but at the same time had no time to deal with the emotional impact, because I had incoming panic about rent and bills! Her employer would definitely not want to pay her dues now that she was not even living there anymore, and I needed a roommate to stay afloat. Then I remembered, there was one person who viewed the apartment a month ago and wanted to move in, but wanted a solitary room – maybe she'd be interested in it still, since solitary room was now free.

I took my luck and called the woman. After I'd explained who I was and why I was calling, she was delighted. 'I thought about you every day!' she said excitedly. As a lesbian, I love a woman saying that to me, but, it was not the time. She's a 60yo divorced straight lady and I have to keep it together. She said she would move in tomorrow evening, and I said okay, not believing her fully because honestly who can you believe? 'I would tell you if I was leaving' was still ringing in my ears.

I knew now what I needed to do. Go home and... clean out the apartment.

It was as sad as you can imagine. I had to take down the christmas decorations that we had put up together, because the new person would surely find it odd to see a christmas tree at the end of January, and I just think it's nice so why take it down. I had to go clean out roommate's room, which had a fair amount of trash in it, and I realized, some stuff from her work, the key to her workplace, her working clothes. I understood I'd have to return those to her employer, who later called me to ask about it. I said I would bring it immediately.

Her employer wanted to talk to me, but only to convince me that the roommate was a lazy, messy, unmotivated and disobedient slob, which I didn't believe. I knew this lady was abusive and mean to my roommate and likely the reason roommate left. She was trying to paint my roommate as the villain so badly because she wanted to cover up her own abuse. I didn't believe any of it and I left. She didn't give me any money for bills. She promised to give it later.

I went home, and continued with my cleaning journey. I found some interesting things my roommate left behind. She left some random food items, like some oil and pasta, and then one transparent produce bag filled with something white. Rice, I thought? It was salt. Then, while clearing out her table, I found 3 pens, and realized all three were mine. Later I found a 4th pen, also mine. There was also some stationary paper from my desk. This explained why I could no longer find a pen in my room, they were all somehow ending up here. But I never invited her to just take my pens? It seems that every time she needed to write something down, she'd take a different pen from my desk, and never returned any. Well, that's not a horrible crime, I thought, it's just pens. None of them worked anymore, even though I made sure to only keep working pens on my desk.

I thought about what her employer said, about her being messy and leaving stuff everywhere, and even though I argued back and said to her my roommate was nice, some of it didn't feel so true anymore. She was leaving stuff everywhere, and created lots of messes. The first week she arrived we cleaned together, but that was the last time she cleaned. Every other time it was me cleaning alone. And she would sometimes spill stuff on the floor, or on the stovetop, and leave it. Or leave all counters cluttered to the point where I had to move her stuff before using them. But I thought she was just too busy to pay attention to things like that. Then while cleaning I found one of my fanciest kitchen cloths, with several holes burned trough it. That is a bit too chaotic, I thought. Why must you burn my cloth?

I was riddled with a lack of understanding of what happened; how could she have been here in the morning, talked to me like everything was okay, and now I will never see her again in my life, and never know why? Why would she do that? I have in the past, helped roommates flee from abusive situations, and if they had to quickly move, I would help them pack, lie to their abusers for them, hide their stuff they couldn't take with, so they could come get it later. Why would she find me unsafe to tell the truth to? I would have helped. I would have told her employer whatever she wanted me to. I've been on her side and advocating for her from the start. I convinced the employer when she was sick to let her off work, I held her hand when her eyes were sick, I bought her medicine, I offered to go anywhere and everywhere with her to translate and speak on her behalf when she needed anything. It couldn't have been just because I was moody and sad for a few days. I couldn't understand it.

The only reasons I could think of why she did that, was either she was worried I'd be mad she's leaving, worried I'd try to stop or follow her (which I wouldn't), or someone else instructed her on what to do and they spelled out to her to tell nobody.

The lady who wanted to move in called me again, and said she actually wanted to come and sleep here the same evening, and I now only had a few hours to clean everything out. I was exhausted, shaken, emotioanlly in shambles. But I washed all the windows, cleaned the fridge, washed the furniture and the floor, changed all the decor, put my spare cover and fresh bedding in the other room so the new roommate could sleep there without having to buy anything. The new lady has a list of red flags on her too; some of her behaviour is what I wouldn't want in a roommate, however, what choice do I have. I welcomed her, made her tea, explained all the rules, and then witdrew to my room to eat some peanut butter because I had forgotten to eat all day due to stress and shock.

And then I wrote this down! It's still the same day as I'm writing it. I talked to my roommate in the morning and now a new person I don't know is in that room, and I'm still stunned. What on earth happened today? I still want a phone call with an explanation. I didn't deserve to be left like that. I can't make out what to think of her now, this has never happened to me before. I had people leave on short notice, but never secretly, never while lying to me about what they're doing.

I still feel like she'll come here any second! Like I'll hear her voice again saying hi and how are you. But I never will again. It feels so weird. I'm both sad and relieved. She must be in a better place, far from her employer and with her friends who understand her and can help her find a better job. I'm relieved she's probably safer. But I'm sad about not getting a goodbye. Sad about being blocked, when all I wanted was an explanation. Sad about 'I would tell you if I was leaving'. How many times in life do you get anxious, then reassured that you're worrying for nothing, but then the anxiety turns out to be correct and the person purposefully lied? That doesn't bode well for future references.

I can't figure out if she was a nice person, and there were good reasons warranting her leaving like this, or whether I just misjudged her.

So yeah, unsatisfying as it is, this is the end of my Nepali roommate era, we sure had,,, times, and it sure did, end. I would like to apply for the drama free life from now on please.

[kkpaaw]

Ed n Edna would have adopted Lloyd in a heartbeat if they had found him before the show started I'm right and you're all wrong

They would be such good parents for him man but Lloyd would likely be overwhelmed at first LOL

Going from having no parents looking after you to having two very loving and dotting parents would be jarring and he wouldn't know how to handle it

Meanwhile u have Jay who would be annoyed as shit at first having this random little kid here disturbing his peace having to share his room with(i mean going from being an only kid with ur own room ti having to share it with a random new child would definitely be annoying), but at the same time he kinda likes it cuz with Lloyd around and needing more care than him his parents aren't as overwhelming and suffocating to him anymore (not to say they neglect him, I would never suggest the amazing Ed n Edna would do such a thing)

Lloyd would have no trust in them at first and would be very reserved believe that they want something from him in exchange of giving him a place to sleep and food

(Doesn't help that Jay is being cold to him in the beginning)

So he woudl be doing what he usually does to push folks away, be annoying as shit and cause problems. He's certain that all these problems he's pulling will eventually cause Ed n Eda to drop the "masks" he's convinced they have and reveal what they want,

But it never happens.

They never snap at him, or yell at him, or hit him. The most they do is lightly scold him heck they more often scold Jay who tends to be the one getting angry at him

Despite all lthe trouble he causes they never withhold food, or threaten him. They still treat him with the same level of kindness they had since the beginning and he doesn't know how to handle it.

Is this really real?

Do they really care this much about him?

The thing that finally had Lloyd accept all this was real and that they do want him was the day Edna gave him Mr. Greenbean

A little green stuffed Pig that Edna made herself to go along with Mr. Cuddlywomp, Jay's lil stuffed horse

Lloyd Loved that pig the moment he laid eyes on it and he couldn't stop himself from crying.

It was the first gift anyone has ever gotten him and was made with such love and care

They really do want him....

From then one Lloyd slowly started to adjust to his new life. His pranks, while never fully stopping did die down and were less..destructive.

He still had one problem though that kept him from fully adjusting to this new life

Jay

.

The moment that finally tips Jay and Lloyd's relationship from hostile to...something is when Jay walks in on Lloyd having a panic attack over breaking something in the kitchen

Lloyd(who had finally gotten used to having a stable home) had awoken early In the morning thirsty so he went to get a glass of water. He tried to do it in the dark as to not disturb anyone but had accidentally knocked a glass over shattering it.

Jay woke up not long after him hungry as he usually is at that time of day and noticed Lloyd was missing and then heard the glass shatter

Worried he ran into the kitchen only to see Lloyd on the ground crying nnd panicking as he tried to pick up the glass but in his panick all he was doing was injuring himself with the glass

Jay managed to calm him down and help aide the cleanup as well as providing first aid to Lloyd. They ended up having a loong conversation about Lloyd worries I nwhich Jay told him some insecurities he himself had

After that well

Their relationship was different

Jay didn't feel so negative about Lloyd anymore and Lloyd starting feeling more comfortable around him. They actually started to hang out and realize how much they had in common

It was... nice

(He did slip up and call Ed dad one time which made Ed literally cry but thats besides the point-)

Lloyd felt safe and happy for the first time in a long time. He wouldn't give this up for the world.

And then a random old man found Jay while he was testing an invention and everything changed

[thenoellebird]

((Howwwww do you think I felt seeing 'Oh cool! That author who throat punched me responded? Why is there a lecture on inc-OHHHHHHHH I HAVE ERRORED GREATLY. Also chapter 7 was another good one and I am nervous Stan is about to have a new scar on his left shoulder opposite the one he got from his fight 30 years ago. The guilt/frustration and the idea that 'whenever I see my brother and we fight/argue I get a new super scar' is throwing some ideas at me. I like how the kids are responding, Mable seeking reassurance and even though Dipper is still mad, but also trying to move towards normalacy (I think that's what it looks like to me) so he is acting like he normally would. I will say Stan getting cared/babied y Ford is such a funny concept because he should like it but it's not a pleasent time.))

Sequel 👁️👁️ ?? I await to see how I can read another one of your works and then go back to work as if I hadn't just had my heart stomped. The loony bin idea came from Dipper & Mabels guide to non stop fun where Stan says the Ink blots remind him of his loony days. It's on page 146 in a throwaway line bUT THE PLOT IS STILL THERE!!! Especially since we know he did a lot of unsavory/traumatizing stuff during his drifter days. (If you get a chance to see the cut line where Stan was supposed to say he wouldn't have survived the summer when he was pleading to dipper during not what he seems. My guy really is not defeating the depression ideas at all.)

(don't worry about it, mistakes happen to the best of us. I'm just glad that it wAS a mistake and that my stuff ISN'T associated with...all that crap.)

Stan is going to have a lot of scars ALL over his arms. (A HC that I have is he had a bunch of minor ones that we don't see in the show because when have ever seen that one scar on the inside of his arm besides Roadside Attraction--point it out to me in other episodes if y'all can see it--either it's a continuity thing that didn't matter or it was to illustrate that we can't see Stan's scars) Though his shoulder might be worse than everywhere else.

I looked up the thing about the "loony bin" that you talked about and OMGOSH the theories are insane. I actually freaking love this idea and am now thinking of adding at least another extra chapter in my fic for stan and ford to have some very important conversations about each other.

I don't think we can cover everything I want to do just in chapters 8 and 9...we might have a chapter 10 we'll see. I know how the fic ends, and I know how the next one begins, and it's kind of nice how they fit together. I don't want them to be the same because like u can start the new fic yk without reading the old one even though the context makes it better and stuffs.

Stan doesn't think he deserves babying, even though he secretly wants it more than anything. He wants to let himself be cared for, but he's always too scared that it's too good to be true and he thinks that once people figure out how bad he is they'll leave him. He knows Ford left him once, and so while he's anxious to cling to Ford, he also feels like Ford might want to leave again since Stan is "worthless" and since he loves his brother, he'd respect that even if he didn't like it, because in his eyes, Ford is worth more than the world.

As for Stan himself, yes he is very depresso. He needs LUUUUV. so while I want to like have his trauma detailed and stuff, I also want to give him the world and a few more hardships because that keeps life interesting. For us, not for him. He'd rather be happy. And he will be happy, but nobody is happy all the time.

Actually, I started writing this before I found out about the cut line (that just confirmed everything that I thought) and I was actually like "oh my gosh I kind of wish they'd've kept some version of this" type deal yk? super cool though.

I actually want to include Stan and Ford talking through some of Stan's trauma from the drifter days, and also Ford's trauma from the portal. Most of that will probably come in my second fic, though.

I also have a reverse portal AU fic that I'm slowly working on (bringing to liiiife) and it seems really good so far. I'll probably end up posting it at some point.

Anyways, here's a picture tease for the start of chapter 8

I realized I drew it the wrong way so I had to manually mirror it by editing my photo. It's kind of funny...I didn't want to redraw it but I realized too late XD

Hope y'all enjoy. And thank you for the info (hehe and the ideas)

[strangeshadowdreamer]

In the 2018 "Venom" Eddie was scared of Venom and angry with him for symbiote eating him from inside. At the end of the first movie, they sort of became friends.

In the second movie, Eddie is no longer scared of Venom (for example, Eddie starts a fight in their apartment. I think Eddie logically understands that Venom is physically stronger than him, but Eddie is so subconsciously sure that Venom won't hurt him that Eddie fights with him. If Eddie had been afraid of Venom, he wouldn't have done it). Eddie wants his "normal" life back (working as a reporter, Ann). And he can't get it: Ann is going to marry Dan, Cletus is about to get executed (so no journalistic fame in the near future), and Venom is constantly asking to eat humans (i guess it is mostly because the alien is clearly bored with having to sit by and watch Eddie live "normal" life, since Venom doesn't seem malnourished).

At the end of "Venom 2" it seemed to me that Eddie changed his attitude to life and Venom and sort of showed acceptance that "normal" life is no longer an option. Eddie even showed some enthusiasm to try to enjoy this coming new way of life (he agreed to be superhero with Venom at that cene on the beach). And this is fine character development

This could have led to greater character development further, but the 3rd movie is just so disastrously bad in every way. It feels like in the 3rd part character development of Eddie and his relationship with Venom degarated to such a negative value, that things got worse than they were in the first part. And it is illogical if the direction which was outlined at the end of 2nd part is taken into account

"one thing i would like to say is that i do NOT ship venom and eddie in the movies" i'm happy to hear thar I'm not alone with such attitude 😊

back on tumblr momentarily to say i watched venom 3 for the first time yesterday and god what a shitshow. not even going to get into details bc it's all self evident if you watch the movie but like one thing i would like to say is that i do NOT ship venom and eddie in the movies not from movie 2 onwards. eddie is an asshole he's upset all the time he hates venom and hates having fun. meanwhile venom's charming, curious, has many interests, is optimistic, appreciates the good in life, has a lot of love in his heart and is just after a good time... literally: venom leave that wretched beast and come into my arms i will take you to karaoke i will take you dancing we will eat chocolate so big you wont need brains but i will allow you to eat one occasionally as a treat. and so on.

[phantom-of-the-501st]

Mando, Bo-Katan and Other Things

Spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 3

The S3 premiere has left me with some thoughts so I'm gonna write them down here because I haven't done a Mando analysis in a while!

Going into this season, one of the key questions is whether or not Din will realise that the ability to identify as Mandalorian does not hinge entirely on whether or not you hide your face. Now I've seen different opinions on whether or not Din should ditch "The Way" ranging from him choosing to keep the helmet on all the time again to him just taking it off whenever.

Personally, I kind of fall somewhere in the middle. Taking the helmet off is something that is obviously very uncomfortable for Din and while I could definitely see him coming to terms with that rule not being something he has to stick to so rigidly, I don't think that that would mean he could automatically resort to taking it off without any issues. The creed was something that he was willing to put above his own life, so it's not going to be easy for him to move away from that. But then there's the matter of Grogu: the one thing that Din put above the creed itself. In my opinion, I think a good balance would be him taking the helmet off around Grogu and around Grogu only. I could maybe see it evolving past that, but for now, I feel like that would be a suitable solution for him.

But let's go into a little more detail about some things.

Din and Grogu

The boys are reunited! And with that comes some interesting avenues for how their relationship will evolve. Something I have said in the past is that throughout S1 and 2, while he is clearly showing a much more vulnerable and protective side around Grogu, it always felt as if Din was still trying to keep some semblance of a wall up between him and the child. We never see Din actually refer to the kid as his own in any way and I think part of that may be Din trying to stop himself from becoming too attached. Now obviously that didn't work, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was partly due to him knowing that he would have to let the kid go.

Din has lost his family, and so has Grogu, so they both know the pain of saying goodbye. Din also knows that he is going to have to give the kid to a Jedi at some point, so if he can try and put up a wall between them, then maybe that goodbye won't be so painful for either of them. At the end of the day, that didn't work because both of them are going to risk everything for one another, but I'm interested to see if this shifts slightly going into this season.

Grogu chose to go back to Din, meaning that Din now knows that that is where he wants to be. And I hope that this means we'll see Din becoming much more open around him. He doesn't have a mission to take him anywhere anymore, so he can just spend more time with him as father and son. We do already see a little bit of that in Chapter 17 when Din is showing Grogu the ship controls (my heart melted). He's teaching Grogu what it means to be a Mandalorian and what it's like the lead the life that Din does. Knowing that he doesn't have to give him up means that Din can open Grogu up more to his own life because this is (hopefully) how he'll be spending it from now on.

But let's tie this back to the helmet thing. Will Din choose to give up the ways of the creed if it means being able to show Grogu his face?

I think it's definitely possible, but it is going to create a lot of internal conflict for Din. Din wants to show Grogu his face, he wants to get rid of the physical barrier that is between them, but doing that would mean surrendering his connection to the creed. Yes, I mentioned earlier that Grogu is the one thing that Din has ever put above the creed itself, but this isn't just about a choice between Grogu and the Covert, it's a choice between Grogu and Din's own identity as a Mandalorian. Din took his helmet off once to save Grogu and once to say goodbye because he couldn't truly know that he would see him again. A split decision in a moment of high emotions is not the same as asking someone to give up their entire identity for the rest of their lives.

As the audience, we know that the helmet rule is kind of stupid. Of course Din can be a Mandalorian while taking his helmet off! But it isn't like that for him. He was raised to believe that the only "Way" was the Way of the Mandalore. He's been indoctrinated into this belief that showing your face means giving up your identity. And for someone like Din, who has spent the majority of his life sticking rigidly to those rules, letting them go is not going to be a simple decision. It means unlearning so much of what he's been told and going against everything he believes in. For him, this is still the only Way.

Which leads me onto my next point.

Bo-Katan

We only see Bo-Katan for a short time at the end of the episode but something she says here actually links to something The Armourer once said, which actually links to the helmet thing. Look at everything connecting!

Bo-Katan reveals that her people left once they knew that she didn't return with the Darksaber. Her entire group has collapsed because of what they believe (that only someone wielding the blade is a worthy leader). But let's think about this from the perspectives of Din and the Covert.

The Armourer once said that the ones who survived the Purge were the ones who followed the Way of the Mandalore, suggesting that they survived because they were the elite. They are the true Mandalorians and that is why they had survived for so long. And yes, they haven't been thriving the entire time, but look at them now. At the beginning of the episode they are in the process of recruiting a new foundling: their forces are growing! And then on the flip-side, you have Bo-Katan and her forces, aka the people that the Covert don't consider as true Mandalorians. And they're failing. Their group has collapsed. For someone like Din, who is trying to navigate his identity and what it means to be a Mandalorian, being told that the Way of the Mandalore is the only Way and then seeing the "other-side" falling apart probably reinforces his belief that he needs to be redeemed. He needs to follow the only way. And the audience know that Bo-Katan's forces dispersing has nothing to do with the helmet thing, but to Din it's evidence that they aren't true Mandalorians.

And I think it's interesting that the downfall of Bo-Katan and her people is due to their inability to let rigid beliefs go. Her people left because she didn't have the Darksaber; they didn't see her as a worthy leader. But that rule is almost as ridiculous to the audience as the idea that you can't be a true Mandalorian if you show your face. Yes, the person who wields the Darksaber has to be "worthy", but someone not having the blade does not make them a bad leader. They claim that without the saber, then they can't be a competent leader at which point, they're not following the leader, they are following the Darksaber itself (which then begs the question of why the person wielding it really matters).

Concluding Thoughts

Overall, I'm very excited to see where this season is going to go and how Din's relationship to the creed, and to Grogu, shifts. He wants to show his face to the child, but that means turning back on the way of life he's been leading this whole time. And is that a good thing? Maybe evolution is the best thing, even if it means giving up on the rules that you so rigidly live by.

I think Alex at Star Wars Explained over on YouTube put this really well. He said that we're seeing some interesting parallels between those who are choosing to evolve and those who are sticking to the one thing that they know. Nevarro is prospering because the people chose to turn away from their life of crime. The pirates wanted things to be the way that they were and they lost the fight. Bo-Katan and her people are stuck following the way that they know and because of that, their group collapsed. The Covert are following the rules that they believe to be right and while they are under the impression that they are doing well, they had to be rescued from the creature by Din, the one who has evolved (or is in the process of trying to find his way). I think it's an interesting narrative and I would definitely check out the Star Wars Explained Chapter 17 review because the video explained this better than I did.

Din's growth is going to be an interesting thing to watch and I hope that Bo-Katan gets a deserving character arc as well. I'd be lying if I said I knew where this season is going but I believe that it'll be an interesting look into what it means to stick so rigidly to a particular way and how that can affect your life, for worse or for better.

Random Thoughts

Now that the longer, waffly, slightly more insightful bit is done, here are some random thoughts about the episode that don't really fit anywhere else but I feel like sharing.

I love that we get to see a new foundling being recruited at the beginning of the episode. At first I though that it might have been Din but even though it isn't, I think it is something to reflect on. We're watching a child make a commitment that will affect them for the rest of their lives. While it may seem like the right thing for them to do now, what happens if they get further down the line and realise that there is more to the world and being a Mandalorian than the Way of the Mandalore? I mean look at Din; he made the same decision that this child did and now he's stuck in an internal battle about his own identity.

Do you think that Grogu is aware of what exactly is going on with Din and the creed? Because he's over 50 years old, but he's also still a young child. I definitely think he's aware of the fact that Din is struggling and that the creed is why (look at the puppy eyes he gives The Armourer) but do you think he knows the full extent of what's going on? Does he feel guilty that Din is going through this struggle because he chose to associate with Grogu? Does he think that maybe it would've been easier for Din if he has stayed with Luke? What is the poor child thinking???

Din sitting all hunched up in the Anzellan's store is hilarious and it's a crime that they didn't show us him having to crawl in there.

Were the Mandalorians aware that there was, as the descriptive captions called it, a dinosaur turtle in the lake before they started the ceremony? You'd think they'd check to make sure that there weren't any man-eating monsters in there before they started. Has this happened before? Did they know that this had a chance of happening??? Feels like maybe they should've looked into that.

The droids holding Greef's cape are adorable and we need more of them.

Ngl, the way they explained where Cara Dune went is hilarious to me. She got explained away in one sentence. I love it.

[mymp3]

not gonna do one of those "year in review" art things. but i will say this, even though this was a tough year, im really happy and the things i did end up drawing. lots of little things and comics. just doodles and the occasional piece. just things that made me happy. next year i want to continue that, i just wish and hope i'll continue to draw and that i'll make things i genuinely enjoy. i wanna go into 2024 with a smile. :)

[asktheritobowyer]

(Blogger here. Okay wow, this is a surprise. I wasn't expecting to get hit up for one of these. I greatly appreciate it @themindbehindthejork thank you so much! I'm more than happy to share a bit about myself. )

Last song: Wice - Star Fighter ( Was listening to a playlist and this was the last song, so last song lol )

Fave colour: Dark Blue

Last book: If manga's and comics count then Twilight Princess Manga, if not then Godzilla official novelization.

Last movie: Sword of the Stranger. Pretty old animated movie, but it is phenomenal. Really good fight scenes and story.

Last TV show: Castlevania Nocturne Season 2. If you haven't yet, go watch it, it's a lot of fun! Lots of great fighting scenes and has some nice comedy to.

Sweet/Savoury/Spicy: I'm going to break the rules and say all three, since they all have their importance in foods. Plus when you combine them they can make some stellar dishes.

Relationship status: Single. Just me. By myself. I'm still enjoying life though so it's all good. XP

Last thing I Googled: How to think when you draw tutorials. They've been helping me a lot when it comes to figuring out how to draw. If your looking for tips on how to draw, I'd recommend checking out their stuff!

Looking forward to: Monster Hunter Wilds. I really can't wait to play it. I love the Monster Hunter series, so I'm really excited to play the next instalment. Also looking forward to meeting new people here and getting to know them better. Hope they're interested in getting to know me to!

Current obsession: How I'm I supposed to answer this lol. I have way to many. But I'll just limit it to two. Zelda related stuff for one, and Drawing tutorials for two.

No pressure posts: @askthegerudochampion @askriju @tulin-sageofwind

Forgive me I don't know your main blogs, and no pressure! Do it if you want to! ^_^

Tag game: People I'd Like to Get to Know Better!

Thank you so much for the tag @seagull-energy

Last Song: We Can Be Anything by Baby Queen

Fave Color: sage green

Last Book: For Whom the Bell Tolls by Jaysea Lynn (oh my god that book was amazing, 10/10 reccommend)

Last Movie: Trolls 2 (had to show @axidentshappen my current hyperfixation, we going backwards)

Last TV Show: tbh I haven't watched much tv recently (maybe owl house???? atla???)

Sweet/Savory/Spicy: savory

Relationship Status: singleee

Last Thing I Googled: who voices king peppy in trolls (his voice sounded soo familiar)

Looking Forward To: moving!! Im moving into my new townhouse in like 4 days, im so excited to actually have storage, and room for a desk

Current Obsession: the trolls movies, specifically Floyd

no pressure tags :D @axidentshappen @avenin @magiccatprincess

[lucybellwood]

Lemme tell you a gay little story about an eagle.

Our town (~9,000 people) has a couple garages, but there's a big one on the main drag. My family has been going there for decades. I drive past it every day.

There used to be a huge pine tree on the corner of their lot, but last year it became a hazard and had to be taken down.

Shortly thereafter I drive by and see they've hired a guy to chainsaw sculpt the stump into a bald eagle.

Birds own my heart, but nationalism makes me twitchy. I withhold outright condemnation of the eagle, but I'm skeptical. (The original owner—an objectively Good Dude—sold the business to a younger couple a few years ago, and I don't have any knowledge of their whole deal.)

Then it turns out someone on staff is really into making costumes for the eagle. Every holiday. Every month. Stuffed turkey, witch costume, menorah headpiece, bunny ears. These people love to dress their bird.

The changing of the eagle suit becomes a source of joy every time I drive through town.

Until June, when the eagle is bare.

Now look, maybe I'm expecting too much asking my garage to celebrate Pride. But this is a small town. Every time I drive by that stupid eagle—this thing that has previously brought me so much joy—I feel hurt. I feel reminded that there are plenty of people in my liberal bubble who don't consider my community worthy of celebration. I drive to work, I feel bad. I drive home, I feel bad. The eagle is mocking me.

Then my A/C quits working.

So I book an appointent to bring my car in—and realize what I have to do.

I pick all this up at a thrift store for under ten bucks. I print the shirt with some weird heat-transfer fabric crayons I find in a cupboard. I loop gold elastic around the sunglasses and pray they'll fit on the eagle's head. (It is also important to draw your attention to the price of the feather boa.)

(Nice.)

My reasoning is thus: if I show up with a complete costume ready to go, someone will have to look me in the eye and say "We don't believe in that," at which point I'll be finding a new garage. But if they let me dress the eagle, then people in town get to have the joy I've been missing since the start of the month.

I listen to a lot of hype-up jams on my way over. I hate confrontation. I also don't wanna have to find another garage. I want to believe that this decision isn't actively antagonistic, but I'm not particularly hopeful.

I talk through the A/C issue with the guy at the desk, hand over my keys, then take a deep breath.

"Who's in charge of the eagle?"

"Oh, that's all Dylan. Second bay from the end."

I walk down the row of hydraulic lifts and find a disarmingly smiley middle-aged man pouring fluid through a funnel. I introduce myself and explain that, since the Pride parade is this Sunday and the eagle seems to be missing a costume, I have taken the liberty of making one myself, and can I get his blessing to go put it on?

Dylan grins this absolutely giant grin and goes

"Oh hell yeah."

So that's what's up now.

Happy Pride.

[dailymanners]

Tips and ideas for how to respond when someone is being rude to you

For personal reasons I won't get into, I have a history of just freezing when some is rude / hostile / aggressive / condescending / patronizing / etc. It's obviously not something I'm happy about at all, most people who freeze or fawn aren't happy about it and would change it if they could.

One day I confided in my co-worker, a middle aged woman in her 50's, that this is something I struggle with. Considering how confident and assertive she always struck me as, I was shocked when she told me this is also something she's struggled with.

The advice she gave me is to just memorize and practice a few broad statements or reactions that you can pull out of your pocket so to speak when someone is being rude or disrespectful to you. It's not easy if you're someone who's been conditioned to freeze or fawn, but practice helps. Practice saying these things when you're alone. Put up a sticky note next to your bed or on your bathroom mirror with these phrases and practice them when you see them. Practice saying these with a partner or trusted friend, role-play scenarios where you might need to use these phrases.

Here's a few phrases that have worked for me. The nice thing about them is that they tend to shut down the situation rather than escalating, while still letting the aggressor know that you don't find their behavior acceptable.

"Are you okay?"

This works well in professional settings, because it's not like your work place's residential bully can run to HR about you asking if they're okay (but they might if you try to retaliate and give them a taste of their own medicine). However, it still effectively sends the message "I think there's something wrong with your behavior and don't accept it". It's also not likely the response they're expecting, so it'll likely throw them off and prevent further verbal aggression.

"Could you repeat that for me? I didn't catch what you said."

This one is most effective for people you believe to actually have a conscious and might regret what they said if they actually thought about it a little more. I find that often when I do this one, when people repeat the rude/snippy/patronizing/etc thing they either shamefully stumble over their words and show some remorse, or they change altogether what they say. In the off chance they don't regret what they said and end up repeating exactly what they said, this at least buys you some time to think of a better reaction since you're no longer caught off guard by a sudden rude and snippy remark.

"Can you explain what you mean by that?"

Similar logic to the last one. Often when people are being rude/snippy/patronizing/etc they're caught up in their own emotions in that moment and didn't think it through. This is a polite and civil way of putting their rude behavior in the spotlight and making them reconsider what they said. The other advantage to this one is that in case you did misread their intentions and they meant no harm by what they said or did, this gives them an opportunity to clarify that, instead of you just feeling bad over a statement or actions they actually had no ill intentions with.

If anyone has any further examples of reactions / responses / statements that have worked for them, I'd love to hear about them. I'm new to studying the art of how to civilly yet effectively shut down bad behavior from others, so I'm always open to hearing more suggestions.

[severepink]

Observing Adam

Where I go way too deep into something that probably isn't that deep. It's long, it's long as hell.

Okay, so you'd think with how Adam talks he's just a typical misogynist, right?

This man worships pussy. So much so, he's named a whole ass angel, one of his best, Vagina. You'd say that he objectifies them and thinks of them as being lesser, but I don't think that's the whole story. In fact, I think he might be the original simp.

All of these exorcists so far have been women. All of them. He refers to them as ladies or bitches interchangeably, he sees them as being completely capable of absolutely decimating leagues of some of the most vile beings who have ever existed, and they have, to the point it was only after thousands of years that there's been a risk to this hierarchy.

He's a self-centered, egotistical, loud-mouthed, arrogant asshole, no doubt about it, but I'm beginning to suspect something now.

If Adam and Lilith were created from the same dust, if they were created as equals, I am more than willing to bet... Lilith is also a self-centered, egotistical, arrogant asshole. But, she's likely far more intelligent, composed, and duplicitous.

Lilith was allowed to refuse Adam and leave of her own free will and garnered her own independence. A new wife was created for Adam, she was replaced. My guess, is she thought Adam wouldn't be able to live without her, to come back and find herself replaced entirely, she was enraged.

I believe both Adam and Lilith were both incredibly dominant individuals who fought over ideas, thoughts, and ultimately in the bedroom as well, if we take into account the creationist stories.

I'm willing to bet she likely manipulated Lucifer into twisting humanity against its original concept. What if Lucifer's intention truly was to just spark something within Eve, like independence and thought and creation, but it was Lilith's poison within the fruit that tainted her, then subsequently Adam, with sin.

Lilith thrived in hell, while Lucifer's dreams of creation were dashed. She didn't suffer as he did, instead the power of her voice grew with hell. Her voice grew so powerful that heaven found it to be a threat, her actions instigated the beginning of exterminations.

Charlie said that when she was a little girl, she didn't know Lucifer at all. I don't think this was because of Lucifer, he's seen here, picking her up, inviting her to share in his thoughts and dreams, showing her something wonderful. Something she could see within herself.

Charlie says that it's this moment that sparked her will to fight for her dreams. Which is strange, because at the very beginning of the story, Charlie says it was her mother's dream that was passed down to her.

Lilith took Charlie away. In this scene, Lucifer wasn't done showing Charlie his thoughts and dreams, he's still yearning to show his daughter these things at this point.

Lucifer loves his daughter. He loves Charlie so, so, so much. So why wasn't he allowed to build a relationship with his daughter for the longest time? He was waiting for the opportunity to get to know her, but with how much he adores her why didn't he do it sooner? He didn't comment on 'It took you a while-' he just said he missed her smile. They don't want to be pulled apart, again.

Now, we know Vivziepop has said that Lucifer and Lilith love each other, but Lilith 'wears the pants' in the relationship. We see all of the pictures all over the walls of a supposedly happy family. I don't think the relationship was as loving as originally portrayed and Lilith is a woman who desires control above all else. She likely tried to mitigate what influence Lucifer had over their daughter when she thought his angelic thoughts and behaviors became more than what she approved of.

Lets take it back to Adam and Lute for a moment. Again, Adam is a loud mouthed idiot, he's a jerk. The moment he realizes there are demons in heaven, he's ready to go on the attack. It's only because of Lute that he didn't end up doing something absolutely idiotic.

I gotta say, Lute and Adam's relationship is an absolutely fascinating one. He's a disrespectful dick head in how he talks, but how he acts is a different story. He allows Lute to man-handle him. He does listen to her, even if he's a whiny bitch about it.

Look at him, this is the face of a man listening, a dumb one, but a dude listening all the same. He doesn't manhandle her back, he doesn't even pull away until she lets go of his collar. Of all the shit he complained about, between being grabbed and being told what to do, his biggest complaint is that she's telling him to shush.

We know that Adam is the one who suggested the exterminations to begin with, so Sera says, and this was because of the power that Lilith was amassing. To him, Lilith is a threat. Even when he was willing to move on, to go to another wife when Lilith didn't want him or want to submit to him (fair babe, he's a bit of an idiot), she came back with an angel and proceeded to manipulate his new wife Eve. This is the supposed progenitor of man-kind, the original dick (hilariously enough), the reason civilization even exists at all. He and Eve had to fight for their lives after being tempted with the fruit. They had immortality, they had no ideas of shame, they were supposedly 'innocent' creatures before Lilith and Lucifer came along. He and Eve had to fight tooth and nail to survive after being cast from Eden. I think it shows in how willing and ready he is to take lead and do what he believes needs to be done, now out of a need for entertainment rather than a need to defend or protect. But, he still stopped to listen to Lute's advice. In the mythological story of Adam and Eve, Adam is the one who has to tell Eve that god said don't eat the fruit. Eve never heard god speak to her, so she was vulnerable to the snake's manipulations. She will now die because she ate it, and because she did not want Adam to take another wife, convinced him to eat it unknowingly. Funnily enough, Adam tried to explain to god that 'she lied to me and gave me the fruit' and in this actual mythology, Adam was punished for listening to his wife. Even without mentioning Lilith in the original mythology, Eve didn't want Adam to take another wife, so when we consider it within the context of Hazbin Hotel, it may be likely that's how it went down. Eve knew of Lilith, knew that she could be replaced, and decided that she would take Adam with her.

I believe that Adam does and did rely on the women in his life to help him with direction. I think Adam knows he can be an idiot and is willing to listen, even if he doesn't agree with what he's hearing. He did listen to Charlie in the beginning, he just didn't believe in her, like everyone else and he, out of anyone there, probably had the most reason not to. Cain and Abel were his and Eve's sons, his own child became the first murderer. Out of jealousy, the same kind of jealousy that no doubt has caused Lilith to act how she did. Adam isn't going to have empathy for sinners. His family, his legacy, were filled with the original sinners. He probably had to kill his son Cain in hell during the first exterminations. What do you think he would have had to feel, if it came to be a fact that sinners could be redeemed? That maybe his son, could've been redeemed? Or any of his progeny for that matter? How did it feel when his sons, his progeny, weren't given the same mercy as the Hellborn that Lucifer managed to keep protected through some deal with the angels or god? Not to mention that Charlie could've been his daughter. Charlie is the product of the people who completely and totally destroyed the paradise he'd been born into. She's the daughter who is protected and immune from the slaughter while all of his sons and daughters are judged and killed. I believe, even though he was a dickish prankster to Charlie, he was surprisingly patient and even somewhat amicable, willing to even ask her how her weekend was like he was just trying to get to know her.

Adam could just see all of the angels under his employ as being disposable. He doesn't have to name them, or think about them in any individual fashion. But, he knows Vaggie, recognized her instantly. Thought she was badass. Lute's the one who saw her, tore her wings off, and walked away. I'm surprised they even let her live, because this just goes against everything they're doing. They're an army and they saw one of their own showing empathy to the enemy.

Look at this dumb ass. He's being a shit-head, a dick, a bastard. But, he admires Vaggie's ability to pull Charlie, congratulates her, this dude isn't even judging her for being a lesbian. I don't think it's because he objectifies women, this dude loves women, he just does. He respects fellow vagina lovers. I don't think he respects liars in the slightest though. He's being underhanded, he's trying to be manipulative (he's not very good at it). I think he's brutally open and honest about everything and that's probably one of the reasons he's such a bastard anyways, because sometimes you just need to shut-up and he's not good at that.

I don't think he respects Sera for that either, he's more than willing to let others know what the hell he's doing, but under Sera's lead, he can't be open about it. I don't think it's his jam to act this way, it's why he sucks so bad at it and I think that's why Lilith is so antithetical to him. I also think that's why he's possibly even being manipulated.

It's kind of crazy that Adam is the only one who tries to come up with what allows someone to get into heaven. So here's his list: 1. Act Selfless: Maybe at one point he was! He had to have been, to be one of the progenitors of mankind, he would have had to work, sacrifice, and give to his wife and children for them all to survive. Eve would have had to do the same, no doubt. He may not seem selfless, due to his raunchy behavior, but he's served heaven since he's been there. He's served humanity in some kind of facet. 2. Don't Steal: Considering the only other humans are his spawn, he likely had to try and get them to not steal from one another for them all to have an equal opportunity of survival. He and Eve likely both knew they would need to work together to survive.

3. Stick it to the man: This, however, is interesting. Who is 'The Man' he speaks of? God? The only other people over him or were equal to him were women. He speaks like a rocker, and I think in this case he's using the term 'The Man' in a gender neutral way. I think he allowed some amount of Authority to Lilith when they were supposed to be seen as equals, it comes so naturally to him as a character when it comes to the other women he's been interacting with. I think she is the 'man' that he's been sticking it to- Pun somewhat intended. ((This third one may also simply be a tongue in cheek reference to when Alex Brightman played Dewey in School of Rock on Broadway! Thank you to the user who brought this to my attention!))

Adam is a bit of a hypocrite, isn't he? He likes to fuck, he's made that abundantly clear. Full of lust you could say. It was his original purpose after all, and he is judging Angel Dust for something he probably would've done himself at one point or has considered doing (maybe not the having sex with men part). Angel Dust does all of these things, Adam doesn't even deny it. He even looks nervous. He's angry, but doesn't deny that Angel has done those things. He doesn't explain it away or try to lie or move the goal posts, he's just asking what is an actually very valid question.

Why isn't Angel Dust there if he can do things equal to what Adam himself hasn't done? Serenity continues that line of thought. It isn't until Charlie is realizing no one knows what it takes to get into heaven.

Adam is more than willing to let Lute take the lead here, he's willing to give her the stage to clap back, he's giving her back-up antics. By all means, they could be pushing and fighting one another, there could easily be body language expressing something other than their general comfort around one another. They aren't fighting for a spotlight like you'd expect Adam to try and do considering his egotistical attitude.

Adam fucking sucks at keeping his mouth shut and he sucks at lying. He nearly blew the secret out of the bag once, this time, Sera is the only one who tries to stop him and to be honest? Lute looks a bit too thrilled at it. He knows he fucked up, but he doesn't think it's a big deal that anyone would know. For fucks sake, they've already condemned souls, his progeny, to suffer. What's the big deal if he kills them?

I have to re-iterate what's happening here. Charlie is proud she caused this chaos, that she caused these angels to fight amongst themselves, even if in this case it's a good thing. But, this is like history repeating itself to Adam, the reflection of his ex-wife, entering his domain, causing strife among his people, being happy about it.

And the venom he expresses when it comes to the 'liar' portion, god Alex Brightman destroyed when he got to this portion specifically. There is some vehement disgust in his tone when he says liar.

Adam isn't a good person now. But, I think he used to be a good person. By all means, Adam himself could've been the first murderer when his wife made her mistake. He, at one point in time, had to have been good enough to foster civilization itself with Eve. Both good and bad. Adam's original purpose was to be fruitful and multiply. Ordained by god (or maybe just angels) himself, divine power directed and created him to fuck. He didn't chase his ex-wife down, he was given a new one, Lilith was allowed to leave. When he left things alone, when he tried to move on, his ex-wife and a scorned angel destroyed the paradise he was in with Eve. He had to struggle and toil, he had to feel shame in his own body. He had to find out his first born son was the first murderer. His second son killed. We don't know if this is going to be canon in the story, a lot has changed, and if Adam is the first soul who reached heaven, then what did happen to Abel? Was Abel considered a sinner? Or did Cain kill Abel after Adam had passed? Either way, he had to witness his children kill, he had to watch his descendants behave in a range from saints and monsters. He's seen genocides, he's seen famine, war. Adam is desensitized to the plights of his descendants. Maybe he even saw it as a duty to cleanse the universe of their existence at one point, because they were his responsibility.

At the end of this episode, he is properly scolded by Sera and does seem ashamed of himself. He isn't huffy, he is reminded that he should be ashamed of acting that way.

I love Lute's enthusiasm, she's absolutely brutal when talking about Vaggie and with how she handled Vaggie. I think it's funny that Lute is so brutal she's even made Adam uncomfortable. It's cute that he's made uncomfortable by the excitement and all he does is tell Lute, the premier hype woman over here, to chill. She's so proud of herself too, look at her.

He fully expects these exorcist bad bitches to go in there and fuck shit up. But, you know it's hilarious that he's throwing horns? This dude, this angel. First human soul in heaven, loving rock n' roll, the devil's music, and throwing motherfucking horns. It's poetic really. I think we can probably assume where things are going.

Now, this is the first point we've seen Adam being a real piece of shit to Lute. I don't think Adam likes it when people think he's too dumb to notice something, especially something so damn obvious. This is such a drastic moment of vitriolic, uncontrolled anger directed towards Lute. Adam knows he isn't the brightest tool in the shed. He likely knows he's obtuse and misses shit. It's why he sucks at lying, he knows he's not smart. That is why I think he's afforded women opportunities to direct him without fighting back against their advice and their choices. I'm sure Lilith made it obvious how dumb she thinks Adam is. I'm wondering if this might be where their ground breaking fight might've come from. Who's to say he didn't allow Lilith to take the lead, or listen to her like he's done with Lute here and now? Perhaps to an even greater point? He listened to Eve and ate from the fruit of knowledge and he was punished for it. Being seen as so dumb he can't formulate a simple fact is a sore spot for him.

Adam is incredibly powerful. It took a bit out of him to exercise that power, probably because he's out of practice just like Lucifer said. At one point, he probably wasn't so sloppy and weak willed. He's gotten lazy. Sloth like.

I think it got real personal here. How viscerally and personally he attacked Charlie. No one but Charlie truly thought sinners could be redeemed, or that they were even worth it. Not even one of the original sinners. Maybe he never considered the possibility, maybe what happened really did make him see the world as black and white to cope with that happened to him, his wife, his children. Charlie's desire to fight this idea would destroy the foundation for all of his coping through the years. He stopped seeing them as family, even though he's grandiose about his founding role in humanity. Does that itch the guilt that may lurk under the surface?

I don't think Adam thought much of Charlie at all. I don't think he had any intention of coming to kill her in the beginning, despite seeing her, despite who her parents were. But, I think with the constant push, with how eager she was to disrupt the pre-conceived idea of order, it reminded Adam and reflected her parents so much, he was eager to kill her for revenge against them. I think this electrical interference on the mask is a direct reflection of sin. Namely, wrath, in this moment.

Now, this. THIS. Is something that made me want to write this whole fucking essay. Is Lucifer implying that he not only gave Eve the Fruit from the tree of knowledge, but FUCKED HER TOO? Homies, I'm sorry but holy shit. That is some hydrating tea. I'd be pretty pissed too, fucked over twice by women who were supposed to be literal soul mates, who you were made for, who were made for you?

I knew he would have a goatee, I could almost hear it. I gotta say, I'm a sucker for how he looks. I think he's hot. He is a bastard, but so are a lot of the hot dudes in this show. It's just a theme.

This exact series of lines prompted so many of the thoughts that I had about Adam and why he thinks or acts the way he does. At one point, Adam did have to work himself to the bone and learn to survive from scratch alongside Eve. He isn't entirely without cause to not think that he deserves some respect or recognition from his descendants.

But, that doesn't give him the right to act like god himself. It's... well... Blasphemous. Isn't it? One of the worst sins is to think yourself to be worthy of worship, as if you're a god.

This is the moment that gave me empathy for them both. You could probably see the kind of loving person Adam could have been at one point with how he looks at Lute, even as he's laying there, dying. He's not crying like a bitch, just looking at Lute softly. Lute screaming for him, screaming his name. They cared for each other deeply.

And this... and this.... and this. WHAT DEAL DID YOU MAKE, LILITH? Did you make it with Sera? Did you make it with Adam? Did you make it with Lute? Did you really just want a little 'vacay' away from the hell you helped create? Left her husband, depressed and lonely. Left her daughter without any care or guidance. Maybe Alastor was sent in her place, perhaps? Seven years since he was seen after all, but why wouldn't he show up sooner if Lilith did care? Did she make a deal with Lute and Adam? Did she let Adam smash it so she could stay in heaven? Did Lute let her stay in exchange for getting Adam out of a position of power? Or was it maybe Sera who commissioned Lilith with a deal? Either way, I'm in full belief that it wasn't Adam's idea to move the extermination day up. I think he's a patsy, a scapegoat. I think Lute may have been manipulated, potentially, into manipulating Adam into this position. Was it even really Adam who came up with the idea to do the exterminations? Or was he the one who simply decided to fight originally because he was told heaven was at risk due to Lilith's rising power? The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions. I think it could be any number of these. Either way, Lute certainly does think she had authority over Lilith. Is it Lute just having hubris? Or is Lilith truly bound, just like Alastor, Husk, and Angel Dust?

Of course, now that we know a soul can be redeemed... and we certainly know that angels can fall. I don't think this will be the last we see of Adam.

[restesdelune]

TOWL magic in Alexandria ❤️‍🔥

I love listening to Danai Gurira talk about Michonne and Rick’s characters & relationship. After watching The Ones Who Live, I got to this interview about episode 4 "What We", and I believe it planted the seed of an idea for my first fanfic When In Alexandria.

Their story is so compelling, and as she explains so well, this episode had to have them talking, finally. So much has happened.

Things between them couldn't stay inferred anymore, and they had to express themselves to find each other again. Danai the playright was about to show us how it's done, and Oh boy, she did !

Danai was so specific and detailed in her writing, and it shows, it can be felt thanks to their incredible acting performances. The theatre quality of writing of also makes up for a perfect bottled emotional episode that I can't get enough of.

So I started writing, and it took me a couple of chapters before understanding that what I was trying to do, was to bring some of that DG magic to The Walking Dead Alexandrian arc when, after a very difficult time on the road, they find themselves struggling to adjust to the new community.

I wanted to experiment with what could have happened, specifically with Rick and Michonne, if they actually took the time to talk to each other. What would they say, what would they learn, what would be revealed by the change of environment...?

It's also born out of frustration about the way Michonne’s character has been handled at that point of the story in the show, like so many Black women characters who are obvious love interests for the main protagonist, but neither the writers nor the fandom (bros and other racists) can deal with their white hero being in love with such a sensible and badass woman who happens to be Black.

Even if the actors couldn’t be more obvious in their performances, Andrew Lincoln being the incredible ship captain that he was, we barely get to access Michonne's layers once they get to Alexandria. She's on the sideline, so the Jessie mess can happen, and it's really not gracefully done in my opinion.

I love the fact that Michonne remains quite mysterious, to us and to Rick, and I wanted to try and find a way to make Richonne happen as soon as the group get there, because it made sense to me and to a lot of us I believe.

I am no Danai Gurira of course, and it's my first attempt at fiction, but I put all my heart in it, and I'm now approaching 20 chapters, a few dozen thousand words and having a blast.

So if you’re still in TOWL withdrawls, if you like The Walking Dead, and you enjoy Rick and Michonne the way I do, maybe you'll enjoy the first 13 chapters too. NSFW.

Happy Shipping

Danai and Evette talking about episode 4