#Lillie haters are not to be trusted

[slicksquid]

if I see a gen 7 hater I floor it

[flwoie]

LOVE IN DISGUISE — PARK SUNGHOON

SUMMARY Secrets are meant to be kept. Sunghoon never keeps secrets though, well except one—his friends being members of a super secret spy team. He finds out on the night he gets kidnapped and is rescued by them. That night, his friend offers him to be a part of the team to stop an organization, SPY-DER LILLIES, from destroying their campus and agency, I.R.I.S (International Resource for Intellectual Spies). And like the goofy goober he is, he joins for a jetpack and to impress his longtime friend and crush, the black cat agent, in order to win her heart before the spiders come crawling up his back.

TUNE IN TO WATCH THE SERIES OF SUNGHOON LEARNING HOW TO BE THE WORLD’S GREATEST SPY WITH HIS FRIENDS AND HIS JETPACK!

STARRING spy! sunghoon x spy! f! reader (WITH txt’s beomgyu, loossemble’s yeojin, lsfm’s kazuha, nwjns’ minji, kiof’s belle, xdh’s junhan)

GENRE smau + written, romcom, episodic, friends to lovers, college au, spy au, characters inspired by my friend group, heavily inspired by that one spy kickin’ it episode (s3, ep 21)

CONTAINS 15+, profanity, light violence, brainrot😭, spy terminology isn’t fully accurate, also 50% of the chapters in here are not even spy related, incorrect timestamps (pls ignore) (chapters will specify warnings)

STATUS airing (whenever i feel like it @ 5PM CST) | july 9, 2024 - …

SOUNDTRACK

TAGLIST IS OPEN ✧ SEND AN ASK OR COMMENT UNDER MAIN MASTERLIST

🗯️ GUYS IK IVE BEEN DIPPING SMAUS BUT TRUST ME, I WONT DIP THIS ONE….

📻 : “I.R.I.S. TEAM 5 REPORTING, OVER…!”

MISSION #001 — PILOT IN DISGUISE

↳ sunghoon joins his friends’ spy team

one : jetpack joyride [0.9k]

two : the haters be hating [0.3k + smau]

three : my tall american friend

four : cuz im a sigma…👻

five : theres many girls in the fish

six : chicken butt

seven : when there's a screen, ao3 must be seen

eight : im gonna touch u lil bro

MISSION #002 — PARTY IN DISGUISE

↳ the boys throws a boys-only party in the lair while you’re out of town

nine : back early [0.2k]

ten : w rizz amirite

eleven : fake gucci pants..

twelve : H H HELL NAH🤦‍♀️ [0.5k]

thirteen : like the roblox game?

fourteen : the hell is spoogle images [0.7k + smau]

MISSION #003 — ENEMY IN DISGUISE

↳ the team keeps tabs on an I.R.I.S spy-in-training, who’s possibly a part of the SPY-DER LILLIES

fifteen : and ur dumb

sixteen : hide ur ladies🤫🥱

seventeen : luh luh loserrr

eighteen : what an ugly pepperoni […]

ninteen : PAUSE…

twenty : btw calc is short for calculator […]

twenty one : diss me diss me now u gotta kiss me

MISSION #004 — GAMES IN DISGUISE

↳ when the team is sent on a mission to defeat a tech team of SPY-DER LILLIES, they get transported to the internet world

... to be added

MISSION #005 — WITNESS IN DISGUISE

↳ the team joins a witness protection program after witnessing a fight between two canadian spy organizations

… to be added

MISSION #006 — CRUSHES IN DISGUISE

↳ in order for sunghoon to pass his final spy assessment, he needs to get over his crush

... to be added

MISSION #007 — CAMP IN DISGUISE

↳ the team is recruited to be camp counsellors for I.R.I.S spies-in-training

... to be added

enhypen masterlist

[edwardsissyhandsthtdanceslikeabb]

Gothic direction & Harry Potter

⋆ ★

Something that really elevates The Series that Shall Not be Named for me is the romantic *(ethereal, evocative, immersive) quality which flourishes the things i most enjoy about it.

Namely Snape, and — as i've come to realize — also my probably tie-fav movie: The HBP (gof slaps fawk the haters).

★

i don't think many ppl would use the word gothic to describe HP, but the HBP is an inherent tragedy

─── · 。ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

It opens doing smth which is shameful that its special in, YA and all, and gives weight to the throughline of harry's trauma, fears, loss and anger, all encapsulated, and their subsequent fallout. and its atmospheric and personal and dark in an uncontrived way so many fail at.

then in swarm the death eaters

and that ornate, theatrical quality persists — from the flair of dumbledore's rings to the insurmountable mass of the dark mark. we are subsumed into hp anew through harry's deadened eyes, blanching flashes. and this remains present still in the sweeping landscapes and wholesale destruction ushered in by excess, theatricality and darkness epitomized: the death eaters.

its all visually and emotionally absorbing, with the movie itself looking like an oscillation between dream and nightmare — like something nearly euphoria-esque if it isn't also shot on film — and conveys tone enchantingly.

narcissa is triumph and relief, power and terror all in one and the poetic, nearly Shakespearean tone of the scene itself is immensely gothic

⋆ ★

the hbp maintains this undercurrent of darkness, later horror, throughout, maturing what had previously been motifs and threats, and before that amateur monstrosities or concepts, into the fabric of the storytelling itself

— its in draco's compensatory nastiness, in giving your flesh to congealing that of another, the angst, rivalries turning violent and bloody, and the existential threat expressly looming in hogwart's very walls. and sets a tone of brooding mystery as the trio spy on narcissa and draco, and one of emotional terror as snape doubles down with the death eaters.

an ultimately haunting, melancholic tone

the later installments navigate tonal extremes with a masterful fluidity, platforming teenage highs and inner conflict with contrasting and yet equal artfulness, but at the heart of it all is the fundamental disruption of canon, the sacrifice of a narrative titan — the final transmorphing of preconceptions which act as much as an existential threat to the core of our main as they do to the world around him. the martyring of dumbledore is inevitable and in that even more tragic, this nigh-omnipotent figure unflinchingly volunteering himself to fate — and its then that we question convention, grapple with forces bigger than archetype and main characters.

its in this uncertainty and betrayal that i think its best explained why im so invested in snape (and would argue he's the narrative heart but i digress). i've heard it claimed that the half blood prince reveal lacks impact bc it wasn't tied to a central mystery, but the reveal isn't an investigatory one, its entirely emotional.

snape is an inherently gothic character, but his story is also immensely romantic, in both senses.

he's dumbledore's closest ally, despite everything, he, as well as the audience through the first movie, have let our guards down, we've seen harry and snape empathise through legililemins, we've seen him tend to dumbledore's wounds, seen them confer over top secrets in the quiet cover of empty towers, we've seen him question dumbledore's objectification of harry through prioritising fate over his safety — and follow him despite that (we may have even seen the depth of his love for lilly or his patronus but i forgor), and even if snape is generally unpleasant, a character we had previously thought unshakeable trusted him, and harry needed dumbledore.

so when harry says that snape betrayed his trust, that dumbledore trusted him (and so he trusted him), i felt it, i felt harry's rage and hurt and floundering, i felt the depth of snape's betrayal, i joined harry in his ache for repentance, for morality, for something — a validation of their time spent, of the magnitude of trust and connection and life. to throw that all away lanced me just as severely as it did harry. to hold goodness and not have it be enough was smth basal and deep. it was epic, with snape revealing he had been a source of inspiration and betterment for harry, that harry had learned from him and equally used him to wound, that this half-blooded boy he had a tenuous empathy for could be someone so reprehensible — someone backdropped by screams and blazing fire and weaponizing his exceeding magical aptitude against harry, remorseless

that was cinema.

for dumbledore to welcome his death at snape's hands, to have almost preempted it and yet seeming unbetrayed.

for dumbledore and snape both to bear draco's cross and protect the innocence of a child, still pure, in over his head. to have dedicated themselves to the youth, to harry's destiny regardless of him knowing it or not, that is the epitome of gothic poetry to me.

so when the reveal comes, that dumbledore hadn't been mistaken, that someone couldn't so fundamentally and unflinchingly betray another, express humanity only as platitudes made cruel by their seeming earnestness. when snape too martyrs himself, and we see his earnestness, his emotion, his sincere love and loyalty, it shakes you with relief, it makes you believe, understand again, no longer so hardened, crumbling just as snape does, just as harry lets his resentments dissipate.

and so, a second act kickstarted by the perversion of canon is restored through snape's sincerity — the knowledge that the force most powerful is indeed love, and stolen youth and innocence allowed are life again, the central theme of heart cemented ultimately, by snape.

a reconciliation of the past and a gratitude for the future and all that was given to get there.

[onesheeptwosheepandachicken]

26 Reasons why Qrow is not Ruby’s father and why Taiyang is Ruby’s father

In response to the toxic aspect of the fandom attacking CRWBY and demanding that their desires for Qrow be chosen over canon, or how they feel their theory is more valid than the show itself? I have researched RWBY to make this 26-point Discussion as to why Canon is valid, and fancanon is not when it comes to Qrow Branwen, Ruby Rose, Taiyang Xiao Long, and Summer Rose.

 1.       “Monty said NO”    Most obviously. Monty Oum.

   He said in this tweet that ruby and yang are half-sisters…half-sisters,  which means they share the same mom or dad…in this case Taiyang….

  https://twitter.com/montyoum/status/492070189731565568

Now people have claimed “he obviously meant step-sisters or cousins” Why is it that every time we show the English dictionary to you people or ask you to read it, that you claim you are being attacked or that you claim Monty was misleading us?

 2.       The writers said NO

   Miles Luna debunked this theory on Reddit…

   He pointed out that Ruby sees Qrow as a Role model, so she adapts her colors to be similar to his.

   And you don’t need somebody to be blood to be your role model.

https://www.reddit.com/r/RWBY/comments/7x3w4s/crwby_ama_w_miles_luna_kerry_shawcross_and_paula/du5d67g/?

 3. “Rooster Teeth said NO” Rooster Teeth even said that Qrow is "Ruby and Yang's Uncle" They also said “Ladies, he’s not your man”

https://twitter.com/RoosterTeeth/status/1067205612331782144

 4.  “But what if Summer had feelings for Qrow? Why does Qrow Serve Ozpin?” Qrow said in Volume 6 " No one wanted me... I was cursed... I gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world... I thought I was finally doing some good... " So he was saying he wasn't wanted, so no relationship with Summer. SUMMER DID NOT WANT HIM. And he was literally saying he served Ozpin because Ozpin gave him purpose. It’s pretty sad how people think Qrow can only be a complex character if he obsesses over another person’s wife and child. What , you wanna make him Severus Snape, the Lilly Potter stalker who insulted a girl’s face and tried to poison a boy’s pet and publicly outed a teacher?

https://rwby.fandom.com/wiki/Qrow_Branwen/Quotes#So_That.27s_How_It_Is

5, "But Qrow could be lying" Except in volume 6 Qrow literally said "Don't lie...we're better than that"

And in volume 7?

" Long time ago. I just found working alone tends to be for the best "

" Gotta say, I’m still not really used to working with other Huntsmen in the field. "

And finally World Of Remnant on Patch.

" Nice place to raise a family, if you're into that sort of thing. "

https://rwby.fandom.com/wiki/Qrow_Branwen/Quotes#So_That.27s_How_It_Is

  6.  “Qrow fans claim that Ruby and Summer form a core part of Qrow’s character and backstory.” WRONG! The main accusation for demanding Rooster Teeth / CRWBY change the backstory for Qrow would accomplish nothing.

Raven already pushed Yang onto Taiyang to raise on his own.

Qrow forcing Tai to Raise Ruby alongside Yang while Qrow could regularly visit, and while Summer lived with Taiyang, Yang, and Ruby?

It would cheapen Qrow’s character….blood isn’t everything.  Neither are cliches.

 7. “But what if Qrow gave Ruby to Tai to raise after Summer’s death?” Volume Chapter 6, Burning the Candle.

Yang tells Blake that she (yang) and Ruby were raised together by Summer and Taiyang…not by Taiyang on his own, but by Summer and Taiyang.

Yang clearly had memories of being raised by Summer and Tai both,  which meant that Summer and Taiyang lived together raising Ruby and Yang for Several Years.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZkN-53h5Os

  8. “Does Taiyang care about Summer or Ruby?” Taiyang was noted to have shut down when Summer didn’t come back…. Yang noted this in Volume 2 Chapter 6, and Ruby mentioned in the first episode of Volume 3 that Taiyang missed Summer. Qrow also said that Ruby is Taiyang’s “Special Angel”…. Ruby has also pointed out numerous times that Taiyang is Overprotective of Ruby. In fact, Ruby's conversation with Penny about overprotective fathers.

 9. “Qrow knows Taiyang is Ruby’s Father. Taiyang knows Ruby is Taiyang’s daughter. Qrow has referred to Taiyang as Ruby’s father during volume 3 and 7. Taiyang referred to Ruby as his daughter in volume 3.

 10. “Why didn’t Taiyang train Ruby in Martial Arts?” Taiyang is a martial arts fighter.   Ruby has neither the build nor the personality for ruthless hand to hand combat like her sister… Taiyang would trust Qrow, despite his semblance.   Remember how bad Ruby was in v5?

 11. “Qrow’s semblance is not what his fans exaggerate it to be”

Speaking of Qrow’s semblance? He was playing video games with his nieces,   taught at Signal Academy,   and could train Ruby… Clearly,  his semblance is not what theorists make it out to be.

 12. “Why doesn’t Qrow treat Yang the same way he treats Ruby?”

Yang is the daughter of Qrow’s sister,who abandoned the team.

During a one on one interaction between Qrow and Yang after yang vs mercury, Qrow called his own niece crazy, after she had been framed.

Qrow was not empathetic to Yang.

Qrow may not like Yang’s resemblance to Raven.

Ruby is the daughter of his two closest friends, so of course he’d prefer Ruby over Yang.

 13.  “Examples of Taiyang caring for Ruby.”

Volume 2 Ruby was excited when Taiyang sent a package in the mail, not even knowing it was Zwei.

Taiyang was at Ruby’s bedside in V3, and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

He also tried to bring her breakfast in bed.

Taiyang said he wanted to chase after Ruby, but had to nurse Yang back to health.

During the V8 broadcast, Taiyang was upset when the broadcast was cut.

 14. “Genetics research”

Black hair is the subtype of the pigment for blonde hair…

Also, Ruby’s got the same hair strand that Yang and Taiyang have.

Finally, black hair is more dominant.

So Ruby doesn’t need blonde hair to be Taiyang’s kid.

https://askinglot.com/is-black-hair-a-dominant-or-recessive-gene

https://www.quora.com/If-a-jet-black-haired-parent-and-a-blonde-parent-have-children-what-color-hair-would-the-children-likely-have

 15. “The STRQ Photo”

The photo....Qrow was with STRQ for four years...do you really think Qrow is not allowed to cry on the photo unless he was romantically involved? Can't a man grieve over the death of a female friend that he was NOT in a relationship with? Or are men not allowed to have female friends? Ichigo and Rukia from Bleach for example...friendship. They were his friends, his family. People seem obsessed with the idea that Qrow cannot care about a woman unless he was romantically involved or unless he's their bastard father.

 16. “Men and Women…as friends, platonic” Harry Potter as a book showed that a boy and a girl can interact and still be friends…

Why can’t Qrow be Summer’s friend?

Why does he have to be her lover?

We’ve seen Qrow talk about Innkeeper’s skirt lengths and leer at Barmaids who flirted with him.

Also, he’s shown to be bonding with both Clover and Robyn.

People act like he doesn't flirt with anyone , and yet he does.

 17. “Bad Luck Charm” Qrow has spent his whole life with his semblance, named after a Crow.

Raised by the Branwen bandit tribe.

“You and I are not the same, you don’t want the burden of my name” Both Branwen and Qrow are names that Qrow hates due to his semblance and past…

People may think of him as cool, but Qrow suffers from self-loathing.

So NO, the Bad Luck Charm song does NOT in fact allude to Qrow being Ruby’s father, but that Qrow hates himself, hence a major part of why he’s alcoholic.

Proof of which is his volume 6 exchange with Ozpin about being useful, which Qrow disagrees with, leading him to drink further. Yang literally said that she had never seen qrow so drunk before in v6.

And Ruby encourages his self-worth leading him to try giving up alcohol….

His alcoholism is tied to low-self-esteem, not relationships.

 18. Manga Anthology

Taiyang was shown in the Manga Anthology to have shut down upon Summer’s Death. That impacted his relationship with Ruby and Yang. Qrow? Is relatively unaffected. The good Uncle helping around the house. Taiyang haters and Qrow stans took this to demand that Qrow is entitled to Ruby, despite Taiyang recovering and doing his best to be a father. Anything Qrow does is worshipped like Mother Teresa, while anything Taiyang does, good or bad, is downplayed and smashed. Taiyang loved Summer so much he was devastated by her death. Qrow was unaffected. Think about that.

 19. “I like Brats” Why does Qrow spend time with kids he’s not related to? Because he likes kids. You know how there are adults who enjoy being around brats? That’s Qrow. He didn’t have romantic feelings for Summer, he liked being around her because she was like a kid. Similar to how Blake likes Ruby’s idealism? And trusts her leadership?

 20.  “Taiyang the 2-timer accusation”

A woman on youtube claimed that Taiyang was a 2-timer who cheated on raven with summer, as there was, in her and her friends’ minds, “no way that taiyang could be with half his team” When asked about TaiQrow as a joke, she was angered that people even ship TaiQrow.

But let me ask you this. Are you the same person you are now that you were 10 years ago? People claim that Qrow was somehow cool in beacon…because he’s cool now. But Taiyang, who raises two kids, and holds a job and a house…cannot be ruby’s father…because he’s not cool? And that somehow he was never cool? I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had to be cool to be a parent. I also had no idea people were only allowed to be in one relationship per lifetime. Raven freaking abandoned Tai for the tribe. Summer chose Taiyang over Qrow. People literally make Qrow out to be either an OC in a shipping fanfic, or a Naruto fanfic where Naruto is written to be fawned over by a girl whose canonical spouse, boyfriend, or male friend is somehow rewritten as evil.

1 year…..in 1 year since Raven abandoned Taiyang and Yang, Summer Rose the friend of Taiyang’s who he had known for 4 years, became more than a friend.

So no….Taiyang is not a two-timer…he moved on from Raven.

 22. “Why can’t Taiyang talk about Summer?” To WHO? He’s barely got 15 minutes of screentime, and the writers did NOT do him any favors when they had Qrow demand he leave so Qrow could tell Ruby a secret Ozpin trusted him with, before telling Ruby to run away from home leaving only a freaking note. Terrible daughter. Even Yang was prepared to do the same! To a man whose first wife abandoned him! At least Weiss has a legit reason for acting as she does against Jacques, several at least. Ruby? No. Now why would Taiyang talk about Summer’s fighting style to Yang when trying to get her to stop acting like Raven in her fighting style and semblance? Sure if there was more time…but RT at the end of the day isn’t some money-hungry political entity, it’s a startup at the end of the day, they don’t have the ability to do a full anime episode. Also, Taiyang cannot go out on these active missions…he was a schoolteacher who did not do missions until only recently…he was retired, remember.

 23. “These fanworks make more sense to me”

Qrow fans have tried using fanworks to justify their theory or ship, the same way Blacksun fans or Adam apologists make similar claims, and even Raven fans try to claim Raven is somehow a good mother. What do these fanworks do? Hate on Taiyang. Dismiss Ruby and Yang being half-blood siblings. Ignore multiple elements of the show or scenes. Occasionally shit-talk the writers.

Every time somebody tries to make a “rwby rewrite” or “rwby alt” or “Qrow is ruby’s father au” they cannot do it without completely rewriting the characters in so many forms and even the show, till Qrow, Raven, Taiyang, and Summer are NOTHING like they are in the show…And ONLY how a shipper wants qrow to be.

Or rewriting qrow to be nothing like he is in the show.

Most Alt or Rewrite consists of making Taiyang abusive, a cheater, or refusing to allow him to interact with Summer, while regularly pushing qrowxsummer at each other.

So no…it’s not that it makes sense to them through some fanart….a headcanon that has been debunked is no longer headcanon. A theory that is shut down is no longer a theory. There’s a reason anti-vaxxers and flat-earthers still exist. Because to them, their theories make more sense than reality. Which is why people still believe Qrow is Ruby’s father the same way people believe vaccines cause autism. Neither are true, and no amount of facts will shut them down, but they’re both popular theories.

 24. “Qrow Rings and Cross”

People claim that Qrow was married to Summer or that his cross represents him mourning Summer. Did the STRQ photo, in v3, the same volume as his appearance, not show Qrow with his rings, his cross, and angrily scowling, while Summer was right next to Taiyang?

 25. “What about Summer Rose’s choice?”

Remember how I said making Qrow’s character based on solely Ruby and Summer, ignoring everything regarding the tribe and ozpin giving him hope, and the grimm reaper…was bad writing? There’s a reason people hated v5. Raven was proven to be the deadbeat, Qrow was shown to have friends, and that Taiyang knew about Salem, and of course it was confirmed that Yang and Ruby again were sisters by Raven.

Now how about Summer? Team leader….took a man and a daughter who were abandoned by her friend…and made them her own. Yang calls Summer Rose “Supermom” and “Her Hero”…was literally willing to storm a bandit camp so Raven could use her portal to take Yang to Qrow, so she could get to Ruby. And yeah, I know the RWBY critics scream “why didn’t Yang just look for Ruby in Mistral?” It’s a bloody kingdom, and Yang was pursuing a lead, that Tai had given her, and Qrow told Yang he’d look after her sister. Remember that? Oh wait, RWBY Critics forget, my bad. Anyway, she’s more of a sister to Qrow than his blood sister Raven, she’s more of a mother to Yang than Raven, and she’s more of a spouse to Tai than Raven. Good Stepmother. Non-married couple. Relationship built on trust. Blood is not the same as family. (Example Weiss’s remark to her father) (Or Dom Toretto)

So making Summer into a throw-away character who dies so that a brooding jerk of an alcoholic can claim character development? Making a woman nothing except a throw-away for a man to get development is BAD WRITING. For God’s Sakes, even Pyrrha was written better than that! She interacted with team rwby, nora was always helping her out, and so was Ren (though those shakes are a crime against humanity” But when Qrow fans try to demand he’s ruby’s father? Their fanworks make Summer as much of a flat character as Preston Harvey from Fallout 4, where they make Summer unable to do anything but be obsessed with Qrow and having his child, similar to how Preston cannot think of anything other than “Another settlement needs your help, I’ll mark it on your pip-boy”

 26. Finally, the accusations that CRWBY are lying.

“You have to be ****** if you believe CRWBY when they say Qrow isn’t Ruby’s father” “CRWBY is lying, it’s what writers do” “It’s okay for writers to lie, it’s good for plot” “I’d prefer it if CRWBY was lying to us” “Monty is dead, the writers should change it now” “Monty is dead, nothing else in the writing matters” “Monty was hiding the truth from us” “CRWBY is hiding the truth about Qrow being Ruby’s father” “It makes sense for CRWBY to lie to us” Look at this…Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, Tumblr, Reddit, instagram…. The first quote? Was a woman who was using an anti-autism anti-disability slur defending the theory. Never have I ever seen people so obsessed with a  theory that they would deny reality and be rude to the very writers and original creator. But the QrowxSummer and Qrow is Ruby’s Father fandom group has made countless cases of this. THIS is how they defend their theory? And people upvote, like and support these remarks? SHAME SHAME SHAME

 Conclusion:

I get how people desire qrow to be Ruby’s father for ships or fanfics.

Even to where they make Taiyang a hated character just for the sake of making sure nobody disagrees with them.

But the attacking of RWBY and CRWBY, claiming that “this needs to be fixed”, or getting angry at RT for not giving you the non-canon ship you want? Claiming that just because you want it to be so, that somehow your ship/theory has “validity?”

That reflects poorly on the fandom and critics.

But then again…. It’s easy to ignore what’s real and what’s a fact that when theorists and ship-pushers and CRWBY Haters on youtube tells you to stop listening to monty and the writers, and instead believe whatever you want and claim whatever you want, Because surely you know what’s better for the show than the people who worked on it, right? Ha ha ha, no. THAT is the ULTIMATE disrespect somebody calling themselves a fan could ever give. And if you think or agree with that type of logic, you should look in the mirror.

I looked for backup sources to defend CRWBY and RWBY, you’ll find them below.

Backup sources include:

 https://aminoapps.com/c/rwby/page/blog/qrow-is-not-rubys-dad/422o_0rbCYuoXj36VoB7obK3MXPZRbPKkz5

 https://aminoapps.com/c/rwby/page/blog/why-the-qrow-is-rubys-father-theory-is-wrong/z668_nQlIxu0dmRdRpEPxqE3qlWlZEmoE2

 https://aminoapps.com/c/rwby/page/blog/qrow-cant-possibly-be-rubys-and-heres-why/8BB5_LPVCmu2bonkw8eEP3Yokg8m8zJlgNV

 https://aminoapps.com/c/rwby/page/blog/why-qrow-isnt-rubys-father/lXXx_5QoUQuPVGo3Wgko3wJ52mMBl7644P

 https://aminoapps.com/c/rwby/page/blog/is-qrow-rubys-father-short-answer-no/422o_0rbCYupDKezxPxpdje7dRn3nB8YvZ

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPbft3KJd6o

https://aminoapps.com/c/rwby/page/blog/qrow-is-rubys-dad-theory-debunk/d33g_pQEcbu1NKQoMEv0kmDpP6N8bmowkkq

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

Were you ever annoyed at Tenn for breaking cover so many times? There was the time when Lily convinced him he would see Sophie at the school, then when he snuck on the ship, and lastly on the bridge when Minnie followed us. I see why people would be upset with him, but i mean Minnie is his only biological sibling left, and he hadn’t seen her in a year. He’s literally the sweetest, best boy and he deserved better :(

I don’t think annoyed is the right word. 

I don’t know what you’d call it.

Because I like Tenn as a character [yes, even now piss off ya haters] and I wasn’t ever mad at him for doing what he did because I perceived him as a naive, hopeful kid who doesn’t think things through. 

It’s like what AJ says. It’s obvious that breaking cover was stupid because that��s what Lilly was trying to do and Tenn just so easily fell for it. I understand that he wants to know what happened to his sisters, but kid, walking up to a bunch of raiders who want to kidnap you and turn you into a soldier is not the smartest way to go about it. 

And, ultimately, yeah, if he hadn’t broken cover, Mitch probably wouldn’t have gone after Lilly like that and my son would be alive. Tenn even apologizes for trusting Lilly. 

Then him sneaking onto the boat or getting caught and brought on just kind of made me go “Yeah, okay, this might as well happen, sure.”

But then we get to the bridge scene. 

He can see that Minerva’s bit and she’s dying and she’s lost her goddamn mind. She’s literally like, “Hey, I’m going to kill you so that you can go see Sophie and Mom and Dad, okay?” and he just… 

Okay? Minnie I’ll go with you?? Even as she’s being devoured in front of him and Louis/Violet’s holding him back he’s STILL trying to go to her??

Hence why AJ has to “make the right call” or not depending on if you trust him.

Which either kills Tenn or it kills Louis/Violet.

That pisses me off. 

As I’ve said, I actually restarted the episode after realizing that Louis was going to die because I didn’t want AJ to make any more calls. 

I think what almost made it “easier” for me to let Tenn go and be killed in order to save Louis is the conversation we had with Tenn in ep1 when he’s drawing. He tells us that he isn’t afraid of death because it isn’t scary, and he gets to go to the place where everyone gets to be a person again, like what Minnie was trying to persuade him with. 

I’m not happy that he died or that AJ had to shoot him like that, but at the same time, I get it? If Tenn wants to desperately to go to Minerva as she’s being devoured by walkers then I’m not going to let Louis die because of it. 

And I almost hate saying this because I feel like I sound like Jane and her whole “let them die, ya can’t save ‘em, and if ya try, more people will die” thing.

Because you know what this whole thing with Tenn reminds me of?

Sarah. 

Tenn is like Sarah in a lot of ways but the conflicting idea of saving them at the risk of another’s life is done much better with him. 

Because Sarah only kind of gets one person killed and that’s Reggie [but c’mon it’s Reggie I mean-] when she doesn’t do her work or when Clem doesn’t because she’s busy helping her. 

And I guess you could say she’s a little responsible for Nick’s death, but we all know that’s the writers fault 100% so I barely count it. 

Other than that, Sarah isn’t directly or indirectly responsible for any major character’s death. 

It’d be different if in her first optional death that if you slapped and saved her, you lost Luke or Jane because of it but no. Luke and Jane make it out regardless if you leave her to be devoured or slap her.  

Unlike Tenn, who you can argue is indirectly responsible for Mitch’s death [an important character damn it!] and directly the cause of Louis/Violet’s [VERY IMPORTANT CHARACTERS AUGHH] death.

And shit, if you REALLY want to spit some harder accusations at him, you could even go as far as to argue that if he hadn’t left cover, Louis/Violet, Aasim and Omar might not have been kidnapped and none of this would’ve happened.

[I personally believe it would still happen because game and story guys c’mon]

The reason I say they wrote this kind of conflict better for Tenn’s story and ultimate fate than they did Sarah’s is because Tenn’s has different outcomes. 

You either save him, or you save your lover/best friend. 

Are you willing to sacrifice Louis or Violet for a kid who’s literally trying to walk into a death trap with no thought for the one holding him back?

I understand that he’s all fucked up from seeing Minerva like that and his ideas of “going somewhere better” are causing him to do this, but I personally would rather let him go than to sacrifice Louis/Violet.

And that really fucks me up. 

He did deserve better, anon. I have watched or played any of the endings where he survives instead, and I honestly don’t plan to. It sounds wierd but I’d rather have Louis and Violet alive and safe and I wierdly find him dying, coming back as a walker for AJ to find a fitting end for him. Not totally deserved because I want all of them to live, but that’s just how it goes. 

I don’t know if these thoughts make much since but it’s 3 in the morning where I am so I don’t know how clear I’m being or if my point comes across as strange or whatever. 

All in all, I don’t hate him, I hope he’s somewhere better now, and I’ll bring him back to life for my fics. 

[hannahlovestheatre]

Riverdale + Heathers = how very...(a good rant and review)

Ok so to start off if you're someone who doesn't watch Riverdale and only watched it solely to watch this episode because you thought it would be "trash" or you were politely curious or whateva whateva, here's a small, spoiler free synopsis of what's been going on this season...

This season of Riverdale has had a hard focus on cults and a massive drug possession. The people running this cult are complete wackadoos and Betty Cooper is determined to stop them as they have taken her mom and sister and also they are bringing out the worst in the citizens of Riverdale and ya know KILLING SOME OF THEM. The cult branches out from a creepy board game come to life called Gryphons and Gargoyles but we don't have to touch on that as much. The drug thing is all on Veronica Lodge's father but her mom has been helping on the side and so has Jughead's mom. Everyone in the town is turning against each other and it's been hard to find trust in people that don't see things through the eyes of "The Farm" or are trying to distribute some strong ass drugs.

Tbh that's not even a good description but it gives some good background on the main points of drugs and cults. Now...

Heathers is a world renowned CULT classic movie. The creators clearly used the term to their advantage (literally the only people to applaud at the end of the school's production were the MEMBERS OF THE CULT) and once again connected their characters to the characters of another piece of work and saw this as another opportunity to do a musical episode considering their Carrie one was a success for them even though it wasn't everyone's favorite, but of course I liked it, and Heathers is now a staple to the world of musical theatre.

I think that the Heathers episode was executed a lot better than the Carrie one. I appreciated the Carrie one more because that musical is so slept on and they were able to get the word out about it. But the Carrie episode was more focused on being an episode about the school musical and showed more of the rehearsal process and what the numbers looked like in their production rather than incorporating the songs into real life to make them seem more relatable. The Heathers episode actually incorporated itself into the current storyline of the show and helped tie up some loose ends with the relationships of this season. All the songs they used supported the conflicts and state of mind for each character. They didn't even have the cast sing songs that their Heathers characters sing like for example Betty and Jughead sang Seventeen even though Betty was cast as Duke and Jughead isn't even in the show (we will touch on this later because I think my puddle of tears is still in the living room). They also heard our prayers to have Casey Cott sing more and then threw Cole Sprouse in there to make it even better. (Thanks Riverdale creators!)

Long story short, it seemed more like if Glee were doing a Heathers episode which I stan hard as I am the biggest gleek to ever gleek.

I think they picked all the right songs, Fight For Me was the biggest surprise choice to me but I liked what they did with it again for context sake. If they had found a way to add Freeze Your Brain, The Me Inside of Me, and/or Shine a Light I would have been interested in seeing that. It also would have been cool to see I Say No (Betty would have nailed it as she is saying a big fat no to this cult).

I also wasn't as mad about them using the lyric changes that are in the school edition because it hit me. This is a HIGH SCHOOL putting on a production of HEATHERS THE MUSICAL. Since most schools would either get a big checkmark in the NO box to even put on the show, if a school did get the clear to put on Heathers, they would 100% have to do the school edition. So ya know what haters, they're actually being realistic with the production they actually got the rights to put on. It makes so much sense coming from a hardcore theatre nerd like myself.

Yes I would say some of the cast was autotuned but my mom thought everyone was a great singer and she was very genuine in that comment. Casey Cott, Lilli Reinhart, and Camila Medes are definitely the most polished but Vanessa Morgan, KJ Apa, Madelaine Petsch, Ashleigh Murray, and COLE SPROUSE are also very strong singers. They have more guts to sing this hard score than most people do in community theatre productions of Heathers.

I do think the casting of their musical was mostly spot on only I didn't really see Josie playing Veronica. But going back to my point on the episode not really touching on the actual musical production of Heathers that's happening, it didn't really matter. They pretty much never showed her singing Veronica's stuff so it went right over my head. I think Toni could have been a great Veronica as her Dead Girl Walking had spot on interpretation but actually Betty could have knocked it out of the park as Veronica and Toni could have been Duke to heighten the conflict between her and Cheryl at the time. They didn't HAVE to do it this way because they know the show better than we do but if I were casting Hearthers with Riverdale characters, that's where my head was going.

I know everyone said Betty should be McNamara and Veronica should be Duke but as I watched the episode, I realized everyone based that off looks because McNamara's dad is "LOADED" and the poor girl tries to kill herself because of what goes on outside of the social circle aka literally what Veronica is going through on the show right now. It all clicked. I believed her when she sang Lifeboat. And Betty is a low key savage. She isn't thirsty for Cheryl's power in real life but she does want to make a statement and be heard and to win this battle over the town cult. It made sense once I saw it in front of me.

Cheryl is Heather Chandler. Period.

And again they didn't really focus on their actual production of Heathers and that particular cast but let me say this rn. If Cole Sprouse does not play JD at any point on the future, the world is cancelled. I really didn't think he would ever sing in these kind of episodes or at all, because the show does have the actors perform on occasion. However, when they announced this was happening, I had a glimmer of hope that Jughead would play JD because it makes so much sense...and then he didn't...and then he sang Seventeen anyways and broke my fucking heart. I'm not sure if he really was singing the entire time because the man went up an entire octave between the verse and the chorus but man I was picturing a future production of Heathers starring Cole Sprouse and Lilli Reinhart. It needs to happen. This was literally 2 minutes of the episode and idek if y'all feel the same way but man it wrecked my emotions and my OG Disney Channel stan was losing her mind over Cole Sprouse singing her favorite song from Heathers.

It's 11:47 PM so I need to wrap this up before I fall asleep and forget everything lol.

As a wrap up, I really liked this musical episode and I really liked the other one but it really grinds my effin gears when people jump to conclusions because theatre people aren't doing theatre things. Theatre is inclusive. The arts are inclusive. We can't close our walls to the select few people that "got our criteria to be in the community" (oh wait, isn't that like a cult...? I guess their plan worked).

If you've seen my other posts you know I could rant about this topic for days but long story short, if you aren't willing to not just be a part of the community and welcome everyone in and accept everything as its separate entities but still have your opinions on it without jumping to conclusions...did you eat a brain tumor for breakfast because what's your damage? ❤💛💚💙

[rev-tfsoens-teachings]

You are born after the order of greatness and distinction. You are an epitome of creativity and innovation - If you have haters you've got to be blessed.

And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.

And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” Exodus 19:3-6.

We serve a God who sees us as a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and a holy nation. The above scripture portion tells us that God chose us, so that we should be a special treasure to Him above all people (Believers are special to God, they're above all people).

Man is precious in God's sight, many may not know it or acknowledge it, but God sees His children as precious and priceless. Religion has wrongly taught christians that those who wear white dress are only precious to God, and only they should serve Him. Every person who knows and loves God is precious to Him, every person who is saved and born again is precious to God, and he is a king and priest unto God on the earth to rule and reign through Christ Jesus (Revelation 5:10). If we are not ruling and reigning the problem is not from God's side, it's from our side, it's because we are ignorant, we don't acknowledge and believe God's word. The devil feeds on ignorance and ignorance of the word of God.

It is human nature to have low self esteem about self and others. We see our height, weight, colour, qualifications, contacts, influence, wealth and weigh ourselves and others. God never sees the outward appearance of man, He always sees the inside of man, because He knows what gifts and greatness, He has put on the inside of him. God saw the Israelites as a special treasure above all people, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, whereas Pharaoh saw them as bonded slaves. God sent Moses to deliver the Israelites from bondage, He performed miracles and brought them out from different dangerous situations, because they were precious in His sight. God sent His one and only Son Jesus to redeem us, because we are and we will always be precious in His sight.

Many times Christians when they go through decades of health issues, problems and challenges (drunkard husband, nagging wife, wayward children, debts, separation, divorce, barrenness etc) they lose their faith, hope, trust and confidence in God. Like Job they start questioning God If You are there then why am I going through all this?, why only me Lord?, why not Lilly Mary or John David?. Like Elijah they say, Lord I've had enough of this problem, please take me away from this earth, I want to be with You (there is no believer who has never prayed this prayer at one point in his/ her life, every one has said this prayer). Many don't understand that God allows us to go through problems, so that we could get closer to Him (God is close to the broken hearted, the more you're broken, the more closer you'll get to God).

It is wisdom to run to God in times of trouble and not run away from Him. Peter had a desire to walk on water like Jesus, so at His command Peter came out of the boat and started walking on water. The moment Peter shifted his focus from Jesus to his surrounding's he started sinking and he cried out Lord save me, Jesus lifted him up made him walk on the water again and took him safely into the boat, and those that were in the boat came and worshipped Jesus saying Truly You are the Son of God ( Matthew 14:22). Peters problem opened the eyes of others in the boat and they came to know that Jesus is the Son of God. Your problem is for your benefit and for the benefit of others. Your problem and testimony will open the eyes of people around you and help them to know about Jesus, and it will help them to spend eternity with Him in heaven.

The secret to a victorious Christian life and a closer walk with God is to never question God in problems why me Lord? instead we should ask God what is the miracle that He will perform in this problem?, what is the anointing and glory that is the going to be released from this problem ? ( the anointing breaks every yoke of bondage). The Israelites always questioned Moses and Aaron why did you bring us out from Egypt into this wilderness to die ?. The generation that asked why? why? perished in the wilderness, and the generation that didn't ask God why me Lord? went into the promised land.

Today thank God for all the problems that you had undergone, and are going through, thank God that your problems brought you closer to Him. Thank God that He has called and chosen you to be a special treasure, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and a holy nation set apart for good works, from before the foundations of the earth were laid. Remember that you are a king and priest unto God to rule and reign on this earth. Tell yourself no matter what people may call or say about me, I'm a king and priest unto my God on this earth. My God never saw defeat, so I'll never see, smell, hear, taste, think or face defeat - Thank You Jesus.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:9,10.

For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) Romans 5:17.

Father we thank You for the word. Thank You that we are a special treasure, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and a holy nation set apart for good works. Lord we uphold every person who is going through tough times and seasons in their lives, give them the grace and strength to go through it cheerfully without complaining, perform a miracle in their lives and let their problems, miracles and testimonies draw people to Christ in Jesus matchless name we ask and pray. Amen and Amen.

[lees-book-log]

My one star reads the past yearish because I am first and foremost a hater (in no particular order):

The Unhoneymooners by Christiana Lauren-I am genuinely concerned for anyone who enjoys the romance in this book. Seriously the mmc is everything I wouldn’t want in a friend, let alone a partner.

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover- The main character is named Lilly Blossom Bloom and she wants to own a flower shop? Need I say more? No but I do seriously have issues with the portrayal of domestic abuse and the impact this book has had online (tiktok in particular)

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne- It just wasn’t to my personal taste. I mean the size difference being mentioned on every other page alone was insufferable.

The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jenson-Looking back I am glad that I read this if only because it got me back in to fantasy but it was a huge let down. The fmc really made me hate it though, In my opinion she was terribly annoying an inconsistent. The author shoved her characteristics down our throat but her actions never proved that she ACTUALLY had those traits.

Luna and the Lie by Mariana Zapata- I actually would have never picked this up or finished it if not for a friend. Zapatas books in general are not to my taste. While I love slow burn I hate her writing style. It’s like she rehashes the same things over and over again to make her books longer. I also don’t like the way she describes men, it’s traumatizing. This book in particular pissed me off sm.

this is my own fault for trusting tiktok.

[greenlikethesea]

i am not the LOTR buff, so i hope that my dearest blorbissimo’s answer helps! (i could listen to her thoughts for hours on this subject, among other things, ain’t she grand? :D)

one thing i can help with is career stuff! thanks for everything you’ve provided already i’ve thought extensively about this, and a few of these ideas just popped into my head or have been percolating in an incomplete way until this moment! here’s a basic run down, with some fleshing out.

steve: okay, so @sparklyslug​ and i have this ongoing joke that our brains are psychically linked because without me telling her that i envisioned middle school guidance counselor, she wrote middle school guidance counselor. it’s the toughest age group but it’s the most worth it for him. he works in indianapolis proper and then when he and eddie move to bloomington in 2009, finishes his career at the local public middle school.

eddie: mechanic! he had a knack for it because he had a hunk of junk van that he was constantly getting into trouble with! he’s the mechanic that women trust because he’s not going to try anything weird with them. unfortunately, they also cannot flirt with him to get a deal, which amuses the other guys at his garage ENDLESSLY.

nancy: she’s a hard hitting investigative journalist, baby! nancy, in our fic, is a classic capricorn who throws herself into work in order to deal with her trauma. she’s won awards. she’s often on a plane. she flits in and out of people’s lives and lives for that epistolary relationship.

robin: film critic for several area newspapers/professor of film studies! i think she also makes movies on the side, has won some awards in the local circuit, but it’s just for fun. she primarily reviews films and teaches film studies courses at butler.

argyle: this is explored in the upcoming jargyle i’m writing, but argyle is kind of a jack-of-all-trades handyman/dogsitter/odd job guy. whatever pays the bills, man! this makes him, like, THE DUDE to call if you need literally anything. i think this is very sexy of him personally. (this is fairly close to how i make an income, so it’s a perfectly valid way to make a living)

jonathan: he’s a line cook for like a million years before his chronic pain gets so severe he can’t work -- now he lives off social security/disability and also does off the books photography for extra income. hopper sends him and argyle money once a month and they do not talk about it.

dustin: works at eli lilly in the research and development until the whole turing pharmaceuticals thing happens and he dramatically quits the entire industry with an email addressed to the whole company because he cannot bring himself to be associated with an industry where it’s okay to do that to people, and goes into developing prosthetic limbs instead.

will: novelist and illustrator! he’s written a very successful series about his times in the upside down that’s on the level of like, hunger games in terms of in universe popularity, and has also done a limited comics run about one of their campaigns from when he was a kid. in this universe, he did a guest issue of sandman for charity and it is VERY sought after as a collector’s item as the run was limited!

mike: to show that we’re not mike wheeler haters (we are not! we love the kid! it’s no one’s fault but the writing team that he’s been underwritten!), i think he goes into writing player manuals for table top role playing games and probably helps develop magic the gathering and other card based games.

eleven: librarian! we feel SUPER strongly about this one -- we feel like she would really like the work and she would be a natural at it. she works in a neighborhood branch of the chicago library and helps develop the children’s section as well as building a adult literacy program for those who struggle with reading at an older age.

lucas: lucas is an architect! he’s a huge advocate for accessibility in cities as well as making sure what he’s designing is environmentally sound. he starts off in public service before opening a private firm with his wife, who is also an architect. later in life, he focuses on affordable housing.

erica: erica is a labor rights attorney, because she has a huge thirst for justice and loves sticking up for the underdog. she initially wanted to go into intellectual property law, but it was important for her to stay in the midwest, as she felt there was more work to be done there, and didn’t want to go to the coasts.

max: our bbgurl max!!!! i thought a lot about this one. max is the president of a disability advocacy organization for the greater chicago area and is instrumental in lobbying for statewide policy changes to archaic disability laws, particularly those involving income equality for disabled individuals, particularly lgbtq individuals.

Okay, feel free to tell me to reread the fics because I didn’t catch it:

In the ithilien-verse, what do Eddie and Steve do for a living? Please feel free to share the other characters’ careers.

What’s the significance of the Evenstar tattoo sugestión in “Three Weddings”?

Thank you!

YEAH GET OUTTA HERE HOW DARE YOU ahahahahaha no worries at all, ty so so so much for asking!

Steve is a school guidance counselor (I don’t think we’ve necessarily specified what level but I’m thinking middle school), and Eddie is a mechanic (listen it’s a fandom trope for a REASON it’s so GOOD) though when he was in California he mostly worked as a bartender, dealed a little on the side but largely stopped by the time he got back to Hawkins. El is a librarian (we gave this a lot of thought ahahaha), Erica is a lawyer, Will is a writer and artist, Dustin does brilliant science things at Eli Lilly pharmaceuticals. @greenlikethesea WHO AM I MISSING??

The Evenstar tattoo is a callback to the first fic in the series, where Eddie and Steve go to see Fellowship of the Ring together and Eddie reveals his big mushy feelings for Steve-as-Aragorn (mushy feelings he and I share). The pendent in the movie is so, ugh, deeply romantic, I’m just having inarticulate feelings of it is mine to give to who I will—like my heart, and it was a gift, keep it, and how it sort of signifies Arwen’s support for Aragorn even when there’re parted, a signifier of her willingness to give up her elven heritage and live as a mortal in order to be with him. Faramir/Eowyn is where my heart resides in the books but WHEW Aragorn/Arwen will really getcha in the movies for sure for sure.

[llilly15]

I hope I am wrong

This is the week of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. No one doubts this is a watershed moment in the history of American democracy. In addition to those appalled by Trump’s election, I hear from readers who voted for the man. His supporters are jubilant. In a word, they want anyone who didn’t to shut up and eat dirt. Some express their passion by shouting in capital letters.  GET OVER IT. LIBERALS LOST. END OF STORY. But they don’t stop there.

They give multiple reasons for celebrating Trump’s victory—of course, it meant Hillary didn’t win. Most reserve a special place in hell for her. But they also say they are joyful because Trump will obliterate the legacy of President Obama, the accused closet-Muslim whose eight years in the Oval Office brought the country to the edge of ruin.  (Note to self: The U.S. economy added 178,000 jobs in November, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent, the lowest level seen since 2007.)

Comments in my column about Trump’s hate-mongering, racism, and misogyny tend to be a sore point.  In their reply, most Trump supporters simply ignore or deny Trump’s culpability in fomenting fear and loathing among Americans. Trump’s own statements are insufficient to convict him of bigotry.

Others just deflect by changing the subject entirely or point to those accusing Trump as, in fact, the real haters. Hillary’s “basket of deplorable” is mentioned frequently as Exhibit “A.”  

Others who comment rebut Trump’s imagined shortcomings, choosing instead to focus on his good qualities, most especially his machismo. They gloss over character flaws associated with the man’s temperament, intellect, and/or personality as perceived by others. His supporters are hypnotized by the incandescence of the radical change he promises. Their gloat burns bright with the prospect of whatever purpose of revenge they harbor. It runs the gamut, from extinguishing the cult of liberalism to the demise of the “slobbering” media, eradication of Obama socialism, the banishment of leftist historians, destruction of academia, the exile of milk toast millennials, and lopping off New York and California from America’s body politic.  

I will give Trump supporters this: Most are passionate in their belief Trump will be good for the country. He will, they say, reverse the economic decline suffered by the poor and middle class under eight years of Obama. They trust the billionaire implicitly to fulfill all the promises he has made to resurrect America from the grave of liberalism. There will be a chicken in every pot and one in the freezer to spare. And no one is going to get away anymore with stealing their chickens.

Trump supporters tell me he will engineer a government takeover sufficient to chop off the head of the hydra-headed beast strangling free enterprise. His corporate capitalist cabinet will run the nation like a private sector business. The military will serve as its security force. It’ll be a free market at its most efficient, absent the friction of governmental oversight and regulation. Who better than Trump to squeeze public coffers to produce private gain and destroy entitlements for the undeserving?

Trump will wipe out the safety net that keeps the country’s slackers afloat at their expense. The Affordable Healthcare Act will go down in flames, dumping the 20 million Americans who have health insurance for the first time. He will lead conservatives in their fight to privatize Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.  It will be the end of American socialism

And for those waving the flag of white nationalism, they tell me it just feels great to have the black guy out and the white guy in, and an American Putin as Commander-in-Chief. They imagine Trump as their personal angel of vengeance. They boast he will crush diversity and freedom of religion as an American ideal. Jews, Muslims, women, LGBTs, and people of color will be put in their place. He will be the undisputed leader of disunion, neuter federal government, and permanently erode the rights of federal citizenship.  Civil rights are for white people.

Of those excitedly anticipating the Trump presidency, one wrote, proposing we make a bet. He suggested we agree in one year to check-in with each other and mutually assess the state of America under Trump.

He predicts Trump will usher in a new era of American prosperity. I predict Trump will be the worst president in American history and put our democracy at risk. If he is right, I buy him dinner. If he is wrong he’d buy mine.

I thought it a civil proposal, offered in the spirit of closing the distance between us on a matter about which we profoundly disagree.  

But there’s no satisfaction in winning a bet that Trump will be a disaster for the country. It’s a zero-sum game. We all eat off the same table, no matter who hosts or buys the dinner. I say without reservation I hope I am wrong. But I thank you for asking, my fellow American.

Leslie Lilly