#Possibly worst Forge fan ever

[stormandforge]

Me, still trying to understand what "technopath" actually means

[macaroni-rascal]

You know how I said that man would inevitably disappoint me? Well holy fucking shit if this isn't the only time he's ever delivered, and in the worst possible way. There won't be any CanNats fashion takes from me if he dares show his face there because I don't intend on watching. His blatant disregard for every human being he's ever come across is downright psychopathic and it's been filling me with rage for days. I can't imagine what that poor woman has gone through, carrying the trauma all these years, while watching him soar in his career and get praise, support and love from the blissfully unaware. I'm so sorry she went through that and I'm happy for her that she felt healed enough to expose him.

That said, Skate Canada wouldn't be Skate Canada if it did anything right. It's failed test after test, each of increasing difficulty, each time hiding behind a "due process" that is conveniently designed to fail survivors. But the sheer spinelessness it's been displaying in this case is such a low point, it's limbo dancing in hell. What baffles me is that it isn't even trying to cover its own ass, and I don't even know if it comes from hubris or sheer ineptitude and passivity. Even if it has no procedural recourse, the fact that no one, especially IAM, has had the cojones to go up to this fool and tell him in no uncertain terms that he won't be going anywhere next week is baffling to me. Their lack of self-preservation in this case should be studied by psychopathologists. I've felt for some time now that IAM has been losing its moral compass, but I was torn to shreds for voicing this opinion online, because this is apparently a lot of skating fans' emotional support coaching team. But they're human, and fallible, and in this case, they seem to be dying on a hill that's barely even a mound and it's bananas to witness. They so easily could've claimed an injury, announced a retirement and bounced, but they went to the GPF regardless, and their coaches at the very least went along with it, despite the fact that they were simultaneously screwing over another one of their teams in the process, in this case AlliSaul. I've long advocated against the disease that is skatingitis, which is the condition of not being able to see anything outside of skating, with the most severe case ever being Aljona. But how does this level of loss of perspective even happen? How far does one's head need to be up one's ass not to be able to read the fucking room to this extent? Are they truly that arrogant to think they can just show up at Nationals like it's nbd? At the very least, the other competitors don't deserve this shit to cast a pall over their event, which for many will be the last of the season.

I also can't help but think about how he inserted himself into Lolo's life, pursued her relentlessly despite her having a bf at the time, and he's now passed like a tornado through it, probably leaving her wondering what the hell it was all for. And the callous way he's treated her over the years, even calling her "a nobody" in the retelling of the tale of their tryout and decision to skate together, as if he is in any position to look down upon her. He had the right idea that time when he stabbed himself with a knife he himself had forged. How poetic, he should turn it into a hobby.

They weren't kissy at the GPF but she still made the decision to attend this event with him and pretend everything was hunky-dory, nothing to see here, business as usual. I understand wanting one last hurrah, but if this is a case of a trauma bond or codependency or whatever, why is nobody on her team looking out for her well-being? Why is nobody putting a foot down? What on earth do they think is going to happen? He's basically comicbook villain levels of vile. And to also think of all the collateral damage he's caused in the form of talented skaters quitting because he showed up to skate for Canada and they felt like there was no room for them to move up? Hell, Caro and Shane switched fucking countries at great personal expense and by all accounts Skate Canada made them pass through the Devil's Anus to do it, and now to watch it cower and dodge responsibility when it comes to something so fucking major? Seriously, when will there be a reckoning for Skate Canada? It's been losing the plot for a long ass time, doing clown shit even in a court of fucking law (thank god for that judge, though). What needs to happen? Does Sheldon Kennedy need to roll up there and bitch-slap some sense into them? What is the hold this raggedy-ass, good-for-nothing, held-togehter-with-paperclips, manbun-for-personality violent rapist have over them? He's done. Why go down with the ship? It's all disgusting and infuriating and disappointing and scary. All of these people have the integrity of an H&M t-shirt that falls apart after a single wash as far as I'm concerned. But I know nothing will change unless we hit them where it hurts, which is why I'll be contacting their sponsors, and I urge others to do so as well, because skating has been an amoral system for far too long and the victims are too many at this point, and clearly nobody cares about them. Something's gotta give. Anyway, I wish Marjo and Zak a very 4CC medal and Corpse Bride a good time at Worlds, amen amen amen.

Posted without comment because I have nothing to add, you've said it all.

[judas-is-so-so-silly]

13 and 24 because I choose ultimate violence 😈

Doing this for Ghost because I have opinions

Worst blorbo-ification - TOBIAS FUCKING FORGE. HE IS AN ACTUAL PERSON AND SOME PPL TREAT HIM AND HIS IMAGE SO WEIRDLY. Not to mention his children are on the internet and fucking SEE WHAT PPL SAY ABT HIM. For the love of god we can make jokes and say "oh yea hes an attractive guy" and say a lot of other NOT CREEPY things about him, but theres a point where it just comes off as weird.

Other than that for actual characters I would say Primo because he was a menace and there isnt enough gremlin representation of him. He used to pee on his ghouls, bros silly as hell and I only ever see him as either hot and sexy (true) or sweet old man (not true). He would be the most fun old man on earth PLEASE I NEED GREMLIN PRIMO REP

What topic brings up the most rancid discourse - the fact that the band is temporary. Literally all of the members (including tf) WILL NOT BE IN THE BAND FOREVER. BANDS BREAK UP AND STOP MAKING MUSIC. And tf is what 43 now? Hes not gonna be able to perform how we know it forever (I obviously hope he is willing and able to perform as long as possible) and there might be a different front man/woman eventually.

Ok but actual fandom talk I dont think a lot of ghost fans realize how old certain ages are and that some age gaps are only hot in concept. Of course all of the papas are smoking hot but let's be fr for a second(o), they probably struggle with old people things a lot more than we talk abt. Ofc you can make hcs and it's all fictional so you can do whatever I just think the fact that the papas are old isnt explored enough and when it is ITS SO AMAZING AGH.

[icannotgetoverbirds]

Severe fucking content warning

Content warning for literal fucking torture and abuse. everything else should be tagged. If I miss any content warnings please for the love of all that is holy tell me so I can fix it.

Psychological torture. Those are the words bouncing around my head this morning.

Did you know that sleep deprivation and social isolation are often considered to be tied for the worst tortures known to humankind?

Let me give you some more context. When I left mormonism, I lost everything in regards to my social safety net. Mormonism and my mormon friends and family were all I had.

It's by design, too; how is someone supposed to leave if their only safety net disappears when they do? Why would they even consider leaving if that safety net holds them perfectly because they can conform?

But when you can't conform, you fall through the cracks. As I did.

I didn't just lose everything, though. I didn't stop there. I also gained a neighborhood full of watchdogs who I was sure would herd me back to the cult at the first opportunity.

Going outside on foot was no longer an option - if any of my many mormon neighbors saw me, they would have Questions. If I gave any worrying answers, there was bound to be Visits. I wasn't strong enough to handle that.

Besides, I lived in suburban hell. Fifteen minutes just to get out of the neighborhood on foot, another fifteen to get to the nearest gas station. My depressed, broke self wasn't about to spend an hour walking for a round trip to the fucking gas station when I could barely handle doing my own laundry.

So I was trapped inside the house unless my parents or someone else with a car deigned to bring me with them on a trip. But it was fine at first, because I had an internet connection and multiple online friends; plus, I'd managed to forge one irl friendship with someone between deconverting and graduating high school.

My parents weren't happy about this for some reason (I have a working theory as to why and I'll get to it later). Their justification was that it was just generally bad for me to be spending as much time online as I was.

Of course, I wasn't doing great mentally, but they refused to believe that they could be at fault for that with their "mild" transphobia. Surely refusing to accept my newfangled, sinful identity on the basis of a false moral high ground couldn't possibly be the most significant source of my suffering; surely deadnaming and misgendering me couldn't be doing that much damage.

Surely refusing to assist the transitioning process in any way shape or form couldn't be a good enough reason for suicidal ideation. Surely I was just an undermedicated psycho for considering lighting myself on fire just to get them to understand my pain enough to... help me with the process of buying a binder with my own money.

Surely I just needed to get my act together and get over myself.

So, ever since that psych ward visit that treated me better than they did, they decided that I could only have internet access if I did enough of my chores around the house.

Doesn't sound too unreasonable until you remember that 99% of my friends were online. I tried telling them this, and their response was to encourage me to get back in touch with my old ward member friends. You know, from the cult I had just escaped. That, granted, my parents were still very much a part of.

(Remember that theory I was telling you about? That little tidbit is an important piece of evidence.)

So I was cut off from the world with significant regularity, having nothing but a flip phone to contact the one supportive friend whose phone number I had. That friend kept me alive and sane enough to stay that way for nearly a year as this hell dragged on.

At some point, my brother and his girlfriend moved back in with us. I guess they weren't a fan of all the sinning I was doing, because my parents had multiple talks with me about how I needed to give them more space (aka stop existing in the same room as them).

So, eventually, I was all but confined to my bedroom, since I could never sit them down to have a conversation about what times I was allowed to be downstairs and what times they would be occupying that space.

This all built up to the breaking point. I had just developed a new medical condition that left me basically bedbound in pain. I was forced out of bed anyways, because nobody was going to take care of me (probably due to the nature of the condition being considered 'sinful'). I did what I could as I could, as I always have.

There had been a misunderstanding about chores. My brother and his girlfriend were in charge of one bathroom, i was in charge of the other. Except I thought I was in charge of the wrong one. So while the downstairs bathroom stayed clean (despite me not doing much to maintain it), the upstairs bathroom became absolutely filthy.

It all came to a head when my brother yelled at me to take care of my responsibility. I finally figured out what had happened and explained to him why I hadn't been doing it, as well as why I wasn't about to start until I could actually, you know, stay standing for any significant amount of time. He yelled at me more and threatened to tell our mom.

I told him to go ahead, as any rational person would take one look at the situation and agree that I needed to rest. My only mistake was assuming that my mom retained any rationality for me.

So she called me and attempted to chew me out. mind you, i was ill and in debilitating pain already, so I put my foot down and asked her to save it for later. But I knew what was coming when she said we were going to "have a conversation" when she got home. She was going to take away my flip phone to force me to do as I was told.

My flip phone, 99% of the use for which was to call my one and only friend that i could access. My one and only friend who was the sole support in my life. The only person, the only thing keeping me sane.

That was going to be it for me. If she did that (and she'd done it before, so there was precedent), I was going to fucking kill myself.

So I locked her out of my room that night and tried to get a good night's rest in preparation for what would have to happen in order for me to survive.

At about 4 in the morning the next day, I packed up everything that i could carry and i walked out the door.

Every single thing I have been through since that day has been worth it to get out of that hell. I am still homeless over a year later and the only thing I wish I did different was to leave sooner and prepare better. Maybe get a nice duffel bag and do my laundry first instead of hauling all my dirty clothes in trash bags. I could've saved myself a lot of trouble by getting my documents together beforehand.

anyways. Befoer I came out as trans and not a mormon, my mother seemed fully supportive - or at least, like she was supporting me as much as she was capable of doing.

Afterwards? She never looked at me the same way again.

And so I have to wonder how two changes to my identity and lifestyle could wrench her away from kindness like that. How they could possibly cause such a significant change in how she treated me.

Here's the working theory.

Mormons prey on vulnerable people. Their missionaries are literally told to seek out the meek and weary and poor to "give them rest." This is also how they bring people back - they find out which inactive members are struggling without their safety net (which they often remove for the sin of inactivity/deconversion/etc) and those are the ones that they grasp at to try and bring back. Those are the ones that they reach out to, that they check in on.

So, how better to take advantage of someone's vulnerability than to make them vulnerable yourself? How better to make them vulnerable than to take away all of their safety nets? How better to tear them from their sin than to tear their sinful friends from them?

How better to break an apostate than to back them into a corner and bring in the walls? How better to turn someone towards your god than to give them no other choice except to be crushed?

And if they'd rather die than return to Jesus, well, then, at least you're sending them straight to the afterlife. Then they'll HAVE to see the truth. Then they'll HAVE to repent.

After all, all my mother needs to do to keep our family together forever is to keep me righteous. She already gave me a body. What loss is the rest of my life compared to the rest of eternity?

Better to die young than to live in sin. Better to be forced to come to Jesus than to choose to live free of him.

She wasn't a bumbling fool incapable of listening to me when I told her she was hurting me. She knew exactly what she was doing.

She abused me, TORTURED me, entirely on purpose. Entirely for the purpose of bringing me back to her god.

I have been tortured. I have experienced psychological torture. I probably have fucking brain damage from said psychological torture.

https://solitarywatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/SW-Fact-Sheet-5-Neurological-Effects-v230613.pdf

So, all that said, is it any wonder that I thought the streets would be better? Is it any wonder that I never want to see her again unless it's to use her grave as a gender neutral bathroom?

She nearly killed me. I think that was an acceptable outcome to her, too.

Certainly, the last thing she expected was for me to put my back to one wall and my feet to another and clamber out of that trap she made. Should've put a roof on it, I guess.

Anyways. If it seems like I've been less online/chipper than usual, it's because I've spent the past week coming to terms with this shit.

I love you all so, so much. Thanks for being there for me. Here's to staying alive; to escaping the trap; to finding our own families and leaving our abusers behind in the dust.

Here's to all of you. Y'all were worth the trouble of being homeless, easily.

[sapphire-weapon]

I can't say how long it's been this bad with A/eons bullying and harassing people who ship anything but A/eon [I've been in and out of the fandom over the past few years, but after RE4R, I got hyperfixated on RE so I've engaged more with the fandom lately than I ever have in the past], but coming from fandoms outside of RE (where what ship is endgame doesn't matter), I feel like at least a good 95% of the bully A/eon shippers came from those outside fandoms too where canon endgame ships seem to have more bearing on that media's quality than what the relationships in RE have. For example, Stranger Things is about one of the WORST fucking places for ship wars I've ever seen because the narrative of that show puts a lot more importance on character relationships and whether or not they'll work out than Resident Evil does. People in that fandom are used to fighting for their lives in ship wars over what ship should be the canon endgame for each character because they stress the importance of relationships and community between characters in that show so much. So I feel like it's possible that some of the newer A/eon shippers could've come from fandoms like that where they think they have to fight for their life for the endgame ship, because that vibe just feels so similar between fandoms. A/eon and Cl/eon are the new Twilight love triangle it seems. But regardless, it's no excuse for them at all to bully fans who don't ship A/eon (I've seen them bully some Cl/eons off of Twitter before even and now finding any content for that ship is so scarce over there these days). And I feel like with Death Island coming up, another piece of RE media like Infinite Darkness where Leon and Claire are present in the same location together and Ada is no where in sight and hasn't been since RE6 [aside from the remakes], it feels like they're losing some false hope for A/eon being an endgame ship when Capcom isn't about the romances in RE for the most part in the first place.

This has been going on since 1998 and I'm not joking.

And you know what other huge video game fandom was in vogue in 1998? Final Fantasy VII, which has the nastiest ship war in all of video game fandom history that still goes on to this day. Old Guard Aeon fandom was forged in the fires of ship wars, and they are stuck in their ways and will never, ever change.

You might think it's bad now, but you have absolutely no idea how bad Aeon vs Cleon actually was back in the day. You literally could not engage with the fandom as a Leon fan at all without taking a side. Those were your only two options. And, for someone like me, who didn't really fucking care about either of them, it was so, so exhausting.

There was no Leshley. There was no Chreon. There was no Serrennedy. Those were not options that were available to you. In fact, Resident Evil fandom (and survival horror fandom in general lbr) was actually very homophobic for a very long time until RE5 turned Chris Redfield into a gay icon with two of his alternate costumes (1, 2), and all of the gays finally started flooding in and saving this fandom from itself.

So, pre-RE5, you were either Team Aeon or you were Team Cleon and you kept your fucking mouth shut if you liked anything else, because you would get booted the fuck out of communities on LiveJournal if you mentioned it -- and, back then? That's all there was. You didn't have tumblr AND twitter AND tiktok AND whatever the fuck else. Fandom lived on LiveJournal. Period.

And don't misunderstand me. Back in the day, Cleon fandom was just as batshit crazy as Aeon fandom is today. I feel like Cleon fandom has mostly chilled the fuck out these days because the vast majority of them have accepted by this point that they lost the war, but back in the mid aughts? Oh, dear god, they were insufferable and just as cult-like.

Degeneration poured so much gasoline on the fire that RE4 started, especially when the director of that movie, when asked why Ada wasn't in it, responded with "She cannot be in everything."

And then Darkside Chronicles happened and made it SO MUCH WORSE because Aeon fans were pissed off that Claire was Leon's co-op partner for the RE2 campaign, and then Cleon fans were pissed off because the Leon/Ada kiss happened, and I just.

Seriously thank god for every single person who started playing these games solely because they wanted to take Chris to pound town. They are the real, true heroes of this fandom, and I am so, so, so, so grateful for them.

And, idk, maybe that's a huge part of the reason why Aeon fandom is still feeling so insecure -- because there was a fairly significant amount of time when it was possible that Capcom was going to tip the scales in favor of Cleon. Damnation and RE6 finally squashed that notion, and the ending of Infinite Darkness coup-de-grace'd it, but it was a real thing for many years.

And now with Leon/Ashley now also being a canon ship of sorts... all that shit is probably bubbling right back up to the surface. Because now, Aeon isn't The Only Canon Ship in Resident Evil anymore. Hell, Aeon isn't even the only canon ship for Leon anymore.

And after taking eighteen years of abuse and shaming and knowing just how nasty RE fandom can get, Leon/Ashley fandom better stay the fuck humble. I swear to god. Y'all motherfuckers just keep your fucking heads down and nod politely and say "Thank you, Mr. Capcom, for this wonderful gift." because no one in a million fucking years would have ever thought that we'd be the ones to become Leon's secondary canon ship.

And this next part isn't directed at you specifically, anon, but at all of my followers and especially the ones who've been contributing to the discussion tonight:

DO NOT fight with Aeon fandom, because I DO NOT want to see us become them -- or even become the second coming of Old Guard Cleon Fandom. Block them and let it go. I mean it.

[thestarlightforge]

I haven’t seen Velma yet, so I’m currently withholding judgment. But I fear the problem is not that it’s a bad show, but that Velma is not Devi Vishwakumar. (Or Dr. L.)

Now, I love Devi (and Never Have I Ever). She’s flawed, she’s loving, she really just needs to love herself—she’s so real. I also watched Mindy Project many moons ago, and I loved Dr. L, too. But Mindy Kaling lends herself towards these combative writing structures where characters’ flaws are often very, very on the surface and you have to dig for the good parts about them. Paxton H-Y was, it appeared, a womanizing a/hole. Trent was a lazy douchebag. Eleanor was a theatre stereotype and that’s it. Fab was a (probably autistic) closeted lesbian stereotype with no social skills. Ben was a rich, Hollywood-connected Jewish person (already a concerning bit of antisemitism) and a proud a/hole, lightly racist, rich smart boy stereotype. And then there’s Devi.

Once you spend some time with each of these characters, what makes them beautiful comes out. Paxton is a great brother, is tired of being constantly objectified, is a caring young dude and wants to be valued as a human being. Trent is one of the most oddly deep, philosophical dudes I’ve ever seen on TV. Eleanor has found some depth over the years. Fab had a fun, sweet coming out storyline, and then another with Aneesa where she learned to trust herself. Ben finally paid for his stress and his hubris, improved his relationship with his dad and friends, and is a much deeper guy now. Their friend group is much stronger for the turmoil it’s survived. Devi still has a long way to go, but she’s been through hell and learned a lot, too.

Kaling’s style works because, for the most part—Devi’s wheelchair moment being a horrible exception, and we breathe a sigh of relief she mostly abandoned that storyline because the research on how to do it elegantly was not there and it did not land—she knows the toys she’s playing with. She knows the tropes. So she knows how to upend them in interesting ways.

On the one hand, maybe people are right—maybe her style of storytelling doesn’t lend itself well to the Scooby Gang. But maybe, Mystery Incorporated fans are resistant to entertaining the possibility that Fred started off a lightly racist, misogynistic douchebag. Maybe the gang didn’t start off super close. Cartoons nowadays lend themselves to conflict, probably more so than when they were 90% marketed to kids, so theoretically, Mindy’s style of conflict-first should work. But people really love Fred, and Daphne, and Shaggy and Scoob. They remember them from the style of cartoon that dropped us into the middle of the story, when their emotional growth had happened already and their bonds were strong.

But maybe Fred got PTSD from Daphne getting kidnapped because they didn’t have a stellar relationship to start, but he realized how much of an ass he was and she came to be one of his favorite people. Maybe he became a golden retriever because he realized the error of his ways. Maybe they had such strong bonds in Incorporated because those bonds were forged with work and time and growth and change—and those are the best kinds of relationships, when they help each other grow into better people. We may be resistant to the Kaling way because it lays bare where our childhood heroes may have come from, and life is messier than the sweetness Incorporated served us. But isn’t it a good message, that even the worst douchebags can become how we remember Fred?

I don’t know. Like I said, I haven’t seen it yet. But it’s probably gonna give us lesbian Velma on screen for once, and Kaling is a pretty great writer, so I’m willing to give her a chance for at least a few episodes.

Okay, you can’t use Fred as the one to represent “awful, misogynistic, privileged white men” when that man was always a golden retriever of a human being.

In Mystery Incorporated, he cried because of how emotional he himself always is, he got instant PSTD in an episode where Daphane got kidnapped and for majority of the series, Daphane was just BEGGING for him to fuck her but he was oblivious and respected their friendship.

Shut up, Fred is a good boy.

[pagebypagereviews]

# 20 Must-Have Books for 2024 As we approach 2024, the literary world is buzzing with anticipation for the year's most awaited releases. From groundbreaking novels to insightful non-fiction, the upcoming year promises a treasure trove of literary gems. Whether you're a voracious reader or looking to add some variety to your reading list, here are 20 must-have books for 2024 that you won't want to miss. ## Fiction Favorites ### 1. "The Echoes of Tomorrow" by Eliza Montgomery In this gripping science fiction novel, Montgomery explores the consequences of time travel in a world ravaged by climate change. With its intricate plot and compelling characters, "The Echoes of Tomorrow" is a must-read for fans of speculative fiction. ### 2. "Shadows in the Vineyard" by Amirah Anwar This mesmerizing mystery set in the heart of France's wine country combines rich descriptions with a twisting plot that will keep readers guessing until the very end. Anwar's latest is a testament to her skill as a storyteller. ### 3. "The Last Symphony" by Carlos Ruiz Zafón Published posthumously, Zafón's final novel is a hauntingly beautiful tale of music, love, and mystery. Set in Barcelona, it serves as a fitting farewell from one of Spain's most beloved authors. ### 4. "Ariadne Unraveled" by Bethany C. Morrow Morrow retells the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur from Ariadne's perspective, offering a fresh and feminist take on the classic story. It's a powerful novel about agency, betrayal, and finding one's voice. ### 5. "The Book of Lost Names" by Kristin Harmel Based on true events, this historical novel follows a young woman's quest to save children during World War II by forging their identities. It's a poignant exploration of resilience and the power of names. ## Non-Fiction Nuggets ### 6. "The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis" by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac This urgent and optimistic book outlines two possible scenarios for our planet and the practical steps we can take to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. It's an essential read for anyone concerned about our environmental future. ### 7. "Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World" by Cal Newport Newport's guide to decluttering our digital lives is more relevant than ever. With practical advice and real-life examples, it's a must-read for anyone looking to regain control over their time and attention. ### 8. "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power" by Shoshana Zuboff Zuboff's groundbreaking book exposes how our personal data is being exploited by tech companies. It's a compelling call to action to protect our privacy and democracy. ### 9. "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants" by Robin Wall Kimmerer Blending her background in scientific inquiry with indigenous teachings, Kimmerer presents a lyrical and insightful look at the natural world and our place within it. ### 10. "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need" by Bill Gates In this accessible and authoritative book, Gates lays out a clear and practical plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions and avoid the worst impacts of climate change. ## Upcoming Talents ### 11. "The Weaver's Legacy" by Aisha Yusuf A stunning debut novel that weaves together the stories of three generations of women, exploring themes of identity, legacy, and the bonds that tie us together. ### 12. "Echoes of the Storm" by Charlie Jane Anders Anders' latest science fiction novel is a thrilling adventure set in a world where weather can be controlled, but at a great cost. It's a thought-provoking exploration of power, responsibility, and environmental stewardship. ### 13. "The Art of Resilience" by Rosa Brooks In this inspiring memoir, Brooks shares her journey from human rights activist to urban police officer, offering insights into resilience, empathy, and how to make a difference in a divided world.

### 14. "The Hidden Palace" by Dinah Jefferies Jefferies' novel transports readers to the exotic world of early 20th-century Siem Reap, as it follows the life of a young woman caught between tradition and her dreams of independence. ### 15. "The Silence of the Girls" by Pat Barker Revisiting the Trojan War from the perspective of Briseis, Barker's novel is a powerful retelling that highlights the often-overlooked voices of women in history. ## Must-Read Memoirs ### 16. "Educated" by Tara Westover Westover's gripping memoir about growing up in a strict and abusive household before breaking away to pursue an education is a testament to the transformative power of learning. ### 17. "Becoming" by Michelle Obama The former First Lady's memoir is an intimate, powerful, and inspiring account of her life, from her childhood in Chicago to her years in the White House. ### 18. "The Yellow House" by Sarah M. Broom Broom's memoir explores the complexities of home, identity, and family through the lens of a dilapidated house in New Orleans, offering a profound look at the American dream. ### 19. "In the Dream House" by Carmen Maria Machado Machado's innovative memoir uses narrative tropes to tell the story of an abusive same-sex relationship, breaking new ground in how we talk about domestic abuse. ### 20. "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls Walls' memoir of her unconventional, poverty-stricken upbringing is a moving tale of resilience and redemption. ## Conclusion The books listed above represent just a fraction of the incredible works set to be released in 2024. From thought-provoking non-fiction that challenges us to think differently about our world, to fiction that transports us to other times and places, there's something for every type of reader. As we look forward to these releases, it's

[headspace-hotel]

so, I had to read Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi for my YA lit class and to be honest it was one of the most generic, cliche YA novels I've ever read. The characters were just very, very flat and tropey, and the plot was so typical I was bored out of my mind, and there was so little actual...development to the mythology and worldbuilding. The writing wasn't the worst i've experienced, but it was so loaded down with cliches. In my opinion, the book is just straight up not that good.

In class not a lot of the people are creative writing majors (read: processing from a writer perspective) so the perspective is different, but something that was brought up was like "well, we have white privilege, and this book was a huge deal in terms of authors of color getting published"

And is it overstepping a boundary to say that I find that...troubling? It's implying there aren't any books by authors of color that stand on their own merits, that are worth reading for reasons other than being by an author of color?

I don't think my standards should be significantly lower because Tomi Adeyemi is a person of color? There are more authors of color having a harder time publishing and selling because of discrimination in the industry, but it seems like the difference there is that their books had to fight harder to get to where they are. I don't think their books are worse.

Also, there were plenty of SFF authors of color before 2018, it's not downplaying the discrimination to act like there weren't, and...did Tomi Adeyemi getting a seven figure book deal (!!!!!!!) change things significantly for other people in the industry? Has it become a less discriminatory industry?

It's specifically very weird to paint this as an instance of an author of color forging ahead and paving the way in an industry that didn't believe she could be successful, because she got a seven figure book deal and movie rights sold before the book was even out, her publishers were NOT expecting this thing to fail, and in fact they dictated to her that she was going to write a trilogy iirc.

I do wonder how much they hijacked her vision, to be honest, because it feels like her worldbuilding ideas were forced into a mold that was as "typical" YA as possible.

Also? The second book in the series (released one year later, in 2019) was badly received by fans. Here's the seriously weird part: The third book doesn't even have a title or release date yet. The last thing that's been announced about it was that it was set to release in 2021, and 2021 is almost over.

There are 19 (nineteen!) works about this series on ao3. People were calling the book "the next Harry Potter." Hardly anybody is talking about it on Goodreads it seems.

It's like everyone was giving it the highest of praises but nobody found it memorable.

[unohanadaydreams]

More discerning reading of the Bleach manga that is not at all deranged

So, absolutely canon that Isshin does not, in anyway, have real qualifications to run a clinic beyond *checks notes* basic battlefield first aid.

Urahara forged a certificate and made Isshin practice on gigai so no one would look to closely at it. This man learned by playing operation on fake corpses filled with Urahara Shoten candy.

What a weird ending to this flash back. The fact that Ryuken gets more time in this flashback then Masaki is criminal. I know letting women be genuinely impactful or important to the narrative is painful, but my god.

Also, so weird that Isshin even bothered to lie? What’s the point? Does she just not remember something being horribly wrong with her? Am I supposed to believe Ryuken didn’t spill the whole bag of beans to her or EVER see Masaki EVER again?

As though Masaki herself would allow that? Obviously she doesn’t love Ryuken romantically, but she does care for him and he was probably one of the only bearable parts of the Ishida household. You’re telling me a Kurosaki quit on someone?

Not to mention Urahara is too much of a troll to have let them go without mentioning what Isshin did while flittering his eyes around the room and beating his fan in little puffs like he’s saying some scandalizing gossip.

Here it is. The worst part of this arc. Aizen should’ve stayed responsible for Masaki’s death by doing experiments on Grand Fisher.

Not only does this crank back Ichigo’s development, but it is just so tacky!!!! The nazi imagery for the Quincies is clumsy and this is dumb. Especially when Yhwach goes on to strip the lives of his pure blood Quincy??? Also, the idea of an unclean Quincy is HILARIOUS when Yhwach can just bestow powers upon humans. He can just Make a Quincy pure Quincy.

Remember that one post I made about every villain having to do increasingly drastic things for Ichigo to play ball even though he supposedly is a character who is fighting them because of his own convictions?

It’s not enough that Yhwach is threatening the balance of the worlds and is going to collapse everything and almost killed his friends. He also killed Ichigo’s mom! Guess Ichigo’s heart is REALLY in the fight now!!!

*spits on this panel*

LMAOOOOOOO. I had assumed Mashiro stayed in the human world but this is AMAZING. I don’t remember this at all tbh.

Kensei rocked up to Yamamoto like “sure, I’ll come back to the institution that wanted to kill me because I wasnt a pure blooded shinigami anymore (I’m sorry I had to), BUT Mashiro has to be my super special girl still.”

Hisagi is truly living under the boot in every way possible. He is still doing all the work but is only a regular fukotaicho.

Also Hisagi having the confidence to tell Kensei he’s not allowed to bad mouth Tosen is amazing!!!! I’m sorry, my guy, but I can think of 1 extremely valid reason on why he does have the right.

First of all: Iba, you have no right to have the meatiest tits in the Seireitei, put those away before someone gets hurt.

Secondly, I’m pretty sure he would follow Komamura literally anywhere without asking, not just out of loyalty, but out of the idea that it’s unmanly to pry into another man’s business. He could be treading water in the middle of the ocean and only think to ponder after the first hour of kicking back sharks.

He is punching rocks outside of a suspicious cave and is just NOW questioning the turn of events. A true specimen.

I won’t mention Komamura or the the grandpappy dog because it’s disappointing and goes nowhere.

Akon is so committed to being cool and casual, when we all know that Mayuri would never give Akon the kind of leave time it would take for him to fully heal.

Also Akon himself knows very well this is the end of the world type shit and he’s certainly not going to be resting as it all escalates.

Why admit you are genuinely worried when you can just strut in claiming you missed the office.

These are genuinely so on brand and the fact that Akon can track how real shit is getting by whether or not Kurotsuchi is surveying them is so good.

Mayuri is the best unrelenting, neurotic creep to ever be a Captain because he is committed to macabre aesthetic and keeping horrifying close watch of Everyone in his division. Even Aizen wasn’t holding such a metaphoric gun to everyone’s head.

Akon 🤝 Mayuri, not having boundaries and deeming their curiosity and the act of discovery superior to acting conventional in almost any way. Akon is just more outwardly chill but his mind? ON.

Maggots nest men are just built different.

Genuinely can’t tell if he’s horrified or astounded here—probably both. Also I like how Kubo makes it clear that Kurotsuchi did a wardrobe change AFTER doing his funky experiments.

He spent half of those 24+ hours making his sunshine fit.

YEAH THIS IS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT!!!! All these allusions and hints that Seireitei ending isn’t the world ending; just the end of Shinigami and how they operate. And that shinigami were also NOT the start!!!! That they are sitting on the bones of something they haven’t ever figured out how to contain. And this old dog is part of the leakage that still exists. No fucking wonder Aizen was so obsessed with evolution.

Like you can tell Kubo was so into this story line and wanted to expand on it because he started putting his whole pussy into the chapter name page when Komamura’s fight started whereas previous and a lot of subsequent ones were just blurry up close shots of a previous panel in the tybw arc.

[raina16]

There is no evidence he was anything but a good father. Not even the Oath. He didn't force any of his by then very much adult children to swear that Oath.

His 7 sons were all very much part of Noldor society. They had friends and were friends with their cousins, despite him having no love for his half siblings, he never stopped his sons from being close to their cousins. His sons were also all clearly encouraged in their own talents, of which they had a variety. While they had the above, he'd also spent plenty of quality time with them over the years as they spent time exploring Aman, something even their mother enjoyed for a long time(it's how she and Feanor met), so there is again, no evidence he lurked obsessively in his forges and only came to yell at them about their grades. Sounds like they hung out together and did fun things.

When they chose him, they chose him freely. If I recall correctly even when Maedhros and Maglor are talking about the Oath, near the end, they don't blame him for it or for their taking it. Most likely because they, unlike some Silm fans, know they were very much strong minded adults at the time and did it of their own free, if not entirely right thinking, will. They call it madness and it was their own as much as his. He's not responsible for theirs anymore than they are for his.

Don't forget they had their OWN reasons for feeling guilty about Finwe's death that would have led them to jump at taking the Oath, to do something, to have a goal. They were in Formenos and decided to go out riding which is why they weren't home. Sure they'd probably all be dead too but just like Feanor felt if only he could have been there instead of at the Valar's stupid party he could have maybe saved his father, his sons most likely felt if only they'd not gone out riding maybe they could have saved their grandfather.( I always thought that would be an interesting "what if?" What if they hadn't gone riding? What if Melkor had wiped out his father *and* his sons? I don't think he'd need to fight half a dozen Balrogs for half a day to spontaneously combust upon hearing that news. I've not yet come across a fanfic about what if they'd all been killed.)

Frankly even if you take the most negative view possible of the years from his exile until his death, that's an extremely tiny percentage of his life and his time as a father. It would be like if you had a parent who had been, while imperfect as all people are, encouraging and loving to you all your life and then when you were 35 they went off the deep end and died a year later after having done terrible things. It doesn't even come close to making them a bad parent and negating everything good they did raising you and frankly if you decided to join them, that's very much on you by that age, you had the tools to choose otherwise and chose not to.

Feanor's sons were not by any means isolated. They'd lived long years among their people and their people's various opinions. They're choices and opinions were their own.

Actual evidence suggests they chose Feanor because they loved him and they loved him because he loved them for who they were. There is little to no evidence otherwise but definitely evidence supporting that view(again their friendships with their cousins, their wide variety of talents, which show they had freedom and encouragement).

Oh and that whole "took no counsel ever except occasionally Nerdanel" is clearly not true. The writers of this tale are contradicting themselves. Lol It even says the reason he turned back at the Helcaraxe was because he took counsel. Meaning him and other advisors talked about it and decided it would be a very very bad idea to try to cross it. And that's him during his "worst" years, taking counsel.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

reading every article in my twitter likes part 3

part one part two

took a break to bake some cookies and read a few chapters of Darcie Little Badger's new YA novel, but now it's back to the grind. for those of you playing along at home, I've made it as far back as my likes from early November 2021.

article 41: "Twitter Is The Worst Reader" by noted Fonda Lee on the twitterish tendency to assume the worst of everyone - particularly women, people of color, and other marginalized folks - at all times. of particular note is this scathing observation of twitter mobs demanding apologies from the targets of their harassment: "Never in the history of Twitter have I ever seen an apology be accepted or actually reduce the abuse leveled. One hundred percent of the time, they are dissected for inadequacy and insincerity, held up as proof of the offender’s malicious intent all along, and used as kindling to further fan the flames."

pried from behind the cold and unforgiving paywall of the New York Times it's article 42: "The Mark Zuckerberg Aesthetic" by Amanda Hess. I'm so tired of this utterly banal cyberpunk dystopia. there's not even any neon. and I would rather swallow a live iguana than ever have to interact with Zuck's shitty little metaverse.

article 43: "We Were Too Stupid for Jennifer's Body" by twitter user @/SamFateKeeper. did NOT expect this to talk so much about post-9/11 conservatism but I love the journey I've been taken on.

anyway probably should have mentioned that we've crossed the line back into tweets from October 2021.

article 44: "Thackery Binx is not Trans Masc, Sorry, and Neither is Rufio, or the Concept of Jonathan Taylor Thomas" from Julian K. Jarboe's substack. what a buckwild analysis of... something? characters that transmasc dudes of a certain age tend to project onto? also just a fantastic series of digs at poor useless Thackery Binx.

article 45: "New roots: Black musicians and advocates are forging coalitions outside the system" by Jewly Hight at NPR (our first NPRticle!). incredibly exciting to discover so many of my faves in this article - Amythyst Kiah! Yola!! Lizzie No!!! - discussing the way they've fought for space in a genre so heavily dominated by white artists. also a lot of cool new names to know - go listen to Roberta Lea n o w.

you guys are not gonna believe this but article 46 is ANOTHER entry from Ijeoma Oluo's substack. this time it's "All Of the Outrage You Could Ever Want." it's about "cancel culture," it's about accountability, it's about hierarchies of perceived value, you know the drill.

article 47: back to BuzzFeed for another article by Scaachi Koul, "Emily Ratajkowski’s New Book Tests The Limits Of Self-Awareness." an unsurprising and very fair criticism of Ratajkowski's essay collection, which I am still very much looking forward to reading based on my great appreciation of her September 2020 essay in New York Mag about experiences with an exploitative photographer. I don't need to her to solve the conundrum of benefitting from her objectification; I'm content to pick a stranger's brain.

article 48: speaking New York Mag, we've got "You Can Still Say 'Woman' But You Shouldn't Stop There" by Irin Carmon. I've never in my life seen such an impressive collection of pissbaby justifications for refusing to use inclusive language to talk about reproductive rights. grow up lmao.

article 49: everyone stop sharing that fake Bible verse about how Jesus was transmasc and read this article by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg queering Joseph of the infamous technicolor dreamcoat.

article 50 (can you BELIEVE I've done 50 of these? 40 of which I've read over the course of a single Saturday?): the intriguingly titled "The Politics of 'Jewface'" by Rebecca Pierce at Jewish Currents. an almost undeservedly thoughtful response to some comments that, at a guess, Sarah Silverman did not think about for more than approximately 0.003 seconds before making.

[imposterogers]

I rlly like what they've done this episode and imo it's the best possible way they could've taken things post endgame. HOWEVER the problem to me will always be that steve's incomprehensible ooc ending has left everything after off kilter in a way that can't be put right without rewriting endgame. the way they've written bucky's feelings is well done and sam getting the shield is great but steve's gaping absence is undeniable. If he had died it would be like,,, a justifiable sense of offness? Like of course everything is weird if their friend was suddenly torn away from them but that isn't what happened the mf CHOSE to leave and apparently told them abt it beforehand. It's just unfixably wrong.

it’s really messed up to want your favorite character to have died but it would have made so much more sense? imo tony stark was the wrong character to kill off. he was already retired, and it would have been very easy to write around him. there was no major marvel project about his friends coming out. there was no reason a billionaire with a wife and kids and a business he can run from home would feel the obligation to continue being a superhero

steve on the other hand, pre endgame steve would never stop fighting as long as his body could allow it. even in the comics, when his body is aged to 90, he continues to fight. I’m not saying steve didn’t deserve a happy ending. because he did. but in my opinion nomad/fugitive steve was a content character. he had sam and nat by his side, he had bucky healing in wakanda. he had a family and a place in the 21st century that he had forged for himself. and he was fighting for what he believed in, not what the government told him he should believe in.

so I can see how this posed a problem, bc you want a show without steve focused on steve’s friends and learning to navigate the world without him. sending him back in time to an alt timeline was probably the worst possible choice. killing him (as emotional and sad as it would have been) would have forced this narrative without tainting/ruining his character and the relationships the character had. sam, being forced to navigate becoming cap alone. bucky, his anchor ripped away and finally experiencing what steve had already been thru twice—the death of his best friend.

how could they have done this? it’s very easy to imagine. steve hears sam’s voice in his ear. the battle ensues. but steve realizes the only way to end it is the gauntlet, and he knows it’s a suicide mission, but it wouldn’t be the first time. he jumps on the grenade and puts on the gauntlet. bucky rushes to his side. they both know he is dying. they exchange the same lines as what endgame actually gave us

steve: don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone

bucky, crying: how can I? you’re taking all the stupid with you

bucky: I’m going to miss you

steve, light slowly fading from his eyes: it’s going to be ok, buck....

(for all the st*ggy fans the fade out could have been steve dancing with peggy with fuzzy lighting, figuratively reunited)

how does sam become cap? WELL GET THIS!!! steve absolutely broken over the loss of his friends took to writing letters to them, and in one of them to sam, he writes how he always thought sam would be the best man for the job, and if he ever got the chance he’d pass the shield to him in a heart beat, and he regrets not doing it before it was too late

the beauty of it is that the show could have functioned almost exactly the same, just instead of having to remember the No Good Awful Thing steve did, they’d be genuinely mourning and learning to come to terms with his passing

[hyenahunt]

Conquest: Epilogue - 1

Writer: Akira

Season: Spring

Proofreading: royalquintet (JP & ENG)

Translation: hyenahunt & haranami 

Nagisa: …I have still yet to become God, so all I’m able to do is sing and dance atop this stage and hope I bring even the smallest amount of happiness to everyone’s lives.

[Location: Conquest Stage]

Ibara: (At long last, the big day is finally upon us.)

(After the incident, Eve went on what can only be described as a rampage…)

(And, as per His Excellency’s orders, Adam carried out a vast array of jobs and a countless number of performances to keep up with them.)

(Consequently, His Excellency — who’s now gotten a taste for this “God Mode” or such — declared on TV that he would “expel” Jun and I as well if we didn’t obey him…)

(Amongst other inflammatory statements.)

(I was planning on following his every command, anyways; there was no need for him to resort to threats.)

(Although, I have devised a plan that would allow me to break away if worse came to worst…)

(But that will be much more difficult to execute now that he’s made such a grand, public declaration.)

(Aghhh, he’s so infuriating. What on earth is he planning? Why has he chosen to behave in such an unhinged manner—)

Nagisa: …Fufu. This is fun, Ibara.

…I was always jealous. To me, it seemed like you were the only one who got to do what you wanted.

Ibara: Saying that I was “the only one” doesn’t quite reflect reality.

Those ES idols have been following their every whim lately — Trickstar especially, although this can even apply to His Eminence Eichi now.

Nagisa: …Yes. What was it that they did… “Tempest Fest”? That looked like lots of fun as well.

…It seemed like a very important event to Eichi-kun, or perhaps the entirety of fine . So naturally, I wasn’t able to join at the last minute.

…Not even those who found the event pointless would enjoy watching someone ruin it with a smile on their face, after all.

Ibara: Yes, it’s exactly as you say.

In fact, I’m sure that the reason His Highness Hiyori was so enraged after hearing this plan was because he felt that his bond with you was being severed for the sake of mere entertainment.

It’s aaaall about feelings… Every last one of you just acts based on your feelings and nothing else! I, for one, am trying to actually work here.

Nagisa: …Yes. However, “work” and “torture” need not be synonymous; if we can enjoy the work we do, that is naturally preferable.

Ibara: If everyone started affirming and agreeing with that, this world would become one wherein no one would work if they didn’t feel like it, and the economy would collapse.

Modern society is but a castle of sand. It is only able to remain standing because we all devote our labor and money to it, distributing burdens amongst ourselves.

Nagisa: …That’s right. If only there were a God who’d be able to shoulder everything.

…I have still yet to become God, so all I’m able to do is sing and dance atop this stage and hope I bring even the smallest amount of happiness to everyone’s lives.

Nagisa: …I do not find that painful at all. On the contrary, it is a joy, and I am extremely fortunate to consider it so.

…Ever since I was a young child, completely ignorant of the ways of the world, that has always been how I’d understand and communicate with him.

Ibara: “Him”?

Oh, good ― you’re finally here.

Hiyori: ......

Jun: Heya. Sorry we wound up cutting it so close...

Ohii-san's been taking on a stupid amount of work, so he'd put off everything else and let it all pile up to the point it was getting crazy outta hand.

Hiyori: Hmph, I'll hold onto anything and everything as much as I please and whenever I please, thank you very much.

And if I can't, then it's your duty to carry it, Jun-kun, so basically the fact that we're starting late is on you.

Jun: Goddamn. Honestly, sometimes... it feels like you reached out to me all for the sake of getting me to lug your bags around.

Hiyori: Even if that were the case, the fact that you even caught my attention should be a reason to rejoice, no?

Hiyori: Be it a simple bag-carrier or anything else, I aspire to pick out only that which is beautiful and lovable.

Jun: (Mm~... As I thought, Ohii-san still seems to be in a bad mood.)

(He may be talking normally with me and all, but he won't even look in Adam's direction.)

(This is supposed to be the final performance of Conquest and he's still acting like this — it's really not looking good.)

(The plan was for Adam and Eve to stand side-by-side despite their apparent fallout, and sing all together as Eden—)

(As a grand finale where we reconcile with the power of song, or love, or something...? That's how the outline for this goes, anyway.)

(The only songs we've got prepared are four-person numbers, too.)

(So if he doesn't at least patch things back up before the start of the show, we're gonna have a real problem on our hands...)

Ibara: (—That’s likely what Jun is thinking at the moment.)

(After all, our fans online have decided to take baseless rumors as official information for some reason; they’re all rather riled up at the moment.)

(Adam and Eve will both strive to earn as much L$ as possible for the duration of this performance…)

(And the subunit who earns the most will gain the right to henceforth lead Eden.)

(Of course, we’d never make such a change in reality. We’re simply adjusting to how the general public is viewing this event.)

(Well, we could have simply declared the rumors false and ignored them completely.)

(But that would diminish the fans’ excitement; it would be a poor business strategy, and as such I’d prefer to avoid doing so.)

(There will be nothing to worry about if Adam ― if His Excellency ― wins. There would be no need to relinquish leadership.)

(But Eve got something of a head start, so it appears that they’ve got the edge over us, if only by a bit.)

(As such, there was another last-minute announcement.)

(We’ll have all the fans gathered here vote for either Adam or Eve, whoever they think gave a better performance.)

(The administration will be the ones to calculate the number of votes, so I can simply have them make up some figures arbitrarily in order to ensure Adam wins.)

(Adam and Eve are supposed to have a true confrontation here in order to reconcile, so this isn’t the smartest way to do things…)

(If the fact that we forged the numbers was found out, the public would lose all trust in us. There’s simply no other way, though ― I can’t think of any other feasible tactics.)

(This is but a necessary evil. That’s all it is.)

Hiyori: ......

Nagisa: ......

Ibara: (It appears that there’s still a rather frigid atmosphere between His Excellency and His Highness. I’m sure the audience will be able to believe this more than a forced reconciliation―)

✦✦✦✦✦

← prev ✦ all ✦ next →

[mindibindi]

I read your essay reply to that anon and it was awesome! 👏 I thought you might appreciate the thing I’ve been calling Elliot in my head lately: Murderer-in-Chief 😂…because of what he keeps doing to Liv 🥺

That's funny, Anon, but unlike a lot of other fans, I don't have a great deal of animosity towards Elliot. Maybe because I engaged more with SVU 1.0, rather than 2.0. Newer viewers might be shocked to find out that, once upon a time, in a TV landscape far, far away, Elliot Stabler was the solid centre of Olivia Benson's life. He could be volatile, yes, but that's not all he was. He was kind, steady, intuitive, protective, predictable. He had an instinct for when she was in need of support and offered soft, supportive, non-judgemental advice. He knew exactly what to say, how hard (or not) to push and when she needed him most. He was a perfect model of masculine dependability. And his unconditional love and consistent presence enabled Liv to heal much of the damage inflicted on her by an absent, violent father. Elliot knew this. Which is why he would never in a million years have walked away from her like he did. Like, never. Just -- never. As in: N E V E R. It just never would have played out that way. But ever since it did, this character has been altered to the point of assassination, with his worst faults magnified and his best made invisible. But the flaw here is not in the character himself. It’s in the writing.

I think there are many reasons for this flattening out of Elliot’s character (and let's not kid ourselves that it hasn't happened to Olivia too). Initially, one of the ways that SVU reinvented itself after Christopher Meloni's abrupt departure was to throw some of its bitterness on-screen at his character, who was absent and therefore unable to defend himself. Plenty of fans bought the narrative they pitched about how damaging a presence Elliot was for Olivia. And, in a way, in bringing Elliot back now, they have had to match him to this version they (re)wrote, a version which only represents a sliver of what his character was in the show’s previous incarnation. Also, I think the show’s brand has changed over time, as it has needed to. They no longer go for understated complexity; their formula is more character-driven and sensationalistic. Partly, this is because the television landscape has changed so much in the past two decades. They’re an old dog that has had to learn some new tricks. Not only are they competing with cable channels, now they have to reckon with the massive streaming services on offer. They've had to go big in order to survive. I think the final reason they have gone big, splashy and sensationalistic with Elliot's return is that Christopher Meloni is an extraordinary actor. He is possibly the strongest actor they've ever had on SVU and his chemistry with Mariska is truly the stuff of TV legend. They give him this big, sometimes ridiculously big, stuff to play because they know he can carry it off. And honestly, he is the only reason it works. Because, as I said in my last post, there is not a lot of sense to be found here. There just isn't.

The writing is brilliant one moment and appalling the next. But Christopher Meloni plays his character with such a core sense of integrity. He carries Elliot’s history with him, including his love for Olivia, even if the writing doesn't. Personally, I still prefer SVU to OC because politically I think the content is far more important. But Olivia has been flattened out too, over the years. Around Elliot, she turns into this woman who rarely sets a boundary, never expresses a need or desire and has lost the fire to call him out on his bullshit (which she used to do all the time). She just sort of sighs oh Elliot... and forges wearily on. And look, you could argue that the years have not been kind to either of them, that time has exacerbated their worst impulses. El has become more erratic and Olivia woefully resigned. But imo, one of the things SVU 2.0 does better than 1.0 is allow for healing. It follows through on characters’ issues, triggers, and responses, creating complex and consistent journeys towards understanding and growth. I think we're getting a little of that here.... I suppose just putting Elliot and Olivia in the same room together is a good start! But they could have done and could still do so much more if they weren't so obsessed with big moments, with portraying Elliot as an inveterate arse and Liv as an all-suffering saint. I would have liked to see these characters grow richer as they grew older. I would’ve liked their many dimensions to expand rather than shrink. But I’m pretty sure I know where the blame for this lies, and it’s not with the characters.

[independent-variables]

hello my dear @neptunesenceladus, your fic rec list inspired me to finish up this one! and like this is. a lot of fic feel free to ignore this, i finished mostly so i could get my recs all in one place XD

ok, fics!!!

forge the iron in your veins by afearsomecritter (jsaer)

WHAT IF. JEDI WERE SENTIENT SHIPS. AHHHHHHH!!!

watch it grow, child of woe by afearsomecritter (jsaer)

Ok this one. This one. What if Jango got reconditioned while on Kamino and had to reassess everything he believed about personhood. 

Etiquette Lessons (Type A, Type B) by ghostwriterofthemachine

Coping Mechanisms (Type A, Type B) Or: how to survive being a thing, advice from Obi-Wan and advice from Anakin. 

Of the Echo and Change by be_brave13

Ok this fic is gorgeous. This is about Luke trying to figure out who his mom was and if his parents loved each other and basically follows him from planet to planet, from cameo to cameo, as he pieces together the details of Anakin and Padme’s lives. Made me laugh, made me sob. 

for everything there is a season (Mountain Man Jesse) by electric_dreamer

CLONES POST WAR!!! LET’S GOOOOO!!! This is about Jesse basically fucking off to live in the mountains and come to terms with some of the fucked up shit that went down during the war. The prose is gorgeous and Jesse’s characterization is so so good. 

you're gonna need two bullets (Jedi Maul AU) by deniigiq

Jedi Maul. Need I say more. 

The Adventures of Palpatine's no. 1 Fan Club by orphan_account

This is one of the funniest crack fics I have ever read. What if Cody became the new emperor but also suffered severe amnesia and forgot he was Cody. And decided to chronicle his journey as the new supreme lord of the galaxy via diary entries. I’m. 

sand (glass) by electric_dreamer

Again with fucked up Jedi/clone relationships. What if Bly was in love with Aalya but wasn’t sure if his feelings were programmed or not. 

grinding bones, making bread by pantoracore

A clone contemplates death and the Republic’s war machine. Absolute chills. 

Dreamweaver by Bookboy

Ok this fic. I’m. Hm. This is an entirely original cast and is mostly about how to survive slavery through deception and stories. Draws a lot from Fialleril’s work. The worldbuilding is rich and the characterization is fascinating. (Clonecest at the very end, none of the of the main characters but some background relationships.) 

little bird, little bird by deniigiq

‘17 takes care of a batch of tubies, through the best times and the worst times. 

thank you for our service by batchmates

‘17 and Fordo hang out on Coruscant. 

this space may be a threshold by Scourge_of_Nemo

This is Boba/Din, it’s an AU and I have no idea how to describe it but it’s like. Modern? But also not really, and also everybody is a part of this very elaborate LARP/WWE— thing. Idk. It’s about intimacy and it’s great. 

End Racism in the OTW | Saltwater by Coline7373

Training on Kamino : )

End Racism in the OTW | Last Week This Benduday with J'hon Olivah: Clone Soldiers by Petra

I’M SO. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN AND I ADORE IT. 

May your troubles be less, And your blessings be more by Moisturize_Me

‘17 moves into his first apartment. Davijaan decides to sow chaos. This makes me laugh and sob in equal measure. Davi and ‘17… my absolute beloveds. 

Taxicab by nimblermortal

Numbers are not any less significant than names, as explained by a mathematician. 

love is with your brother by Petrichor (Mythmaker)

Rex is de-aged to Baby and Ahsoka observes the chaos, and also gets to take care of him and hang out with him and it’s just— sweet. 

Follow The Leader by DashRenders (Cydney)

Ezra makes a stupid joke about his and Sabine’s relationship and has to live with the consequences in the funniest way possible. I adore how their relationship is written here. 

Torn and Mended by Artemis1000

I have no way to explain my attachment to this fic but uh. It’s a crossover. With Mad Max. It’s Lando/Max. And. Yeah I can see it I need like a hundred more please. 

The Graveyarder by Trixree

Dogma joins the CG. Dogma is haunted. 

Both Haunted and Holy by imaginingstars

This is such a fun one, this is basically Fives doing his thing and saving the galaxy with the help of his siblings and a very handsome Jedi. Very sweet, always makes me happy. 

Masks and Ducklings by RMWrites

Chaotic Fox my beloved. This is basically Fox playing 5d chess with Sidious and impressing and terrifying some shinies in the process. 

knock, knock, it's housekeeping by deniigiq

Shmi needs to get a message to Anakin. What better way to get in contact than to join the war effort and befriend some clones. 

Carry the Debt by Anthem_of_the_Fates

This haunts me. This is a clone marching song, and it’s hopeless and beautiful and aching. 

Commander Cody: Marshal of the 7th Sky Corps by dio_icaurtica

The only Cody name origin story that matters. 

the better son. by deniigiq

Quinlan dealing with things and not dealing with things post-war. 

Father War by prouvairablehulk

What if Kote became a god. 

To Die, But Briefly by Waugh

This!!! Fic!!! Ok this centered on an original lead, she’s a Nightsister and she wants to make her way in the world, and it’s basically about her getting the hell off Dathomir with Savage and Feral in tow and almost immediately getting wrapped up in Phantom Menace era Sith and Jedi shenanigans. It’s some interesting Dathomir worldbuilding and really fun characterization. 

To Join in Love by menphina

When you’re a CG medic and you find yourself sort of maybe flirting with the guy in the drunk tank you’re stitching up. 

i live, i die, i live again by jaigeye

‘17 ends up on Tatooine, after the war, and with Obi-Wan. 

Battle Wounds, When You See Them That Way by ghostwriterofthemachine

Cal gets a tattoo. Psychometry does not mix well with tattoos. 

Steal the Soil of Her Life by ghostwriterofthemachine

Shmi origin story that broke my heart. 

dha munit by batchmates

Fox is not a safe person for children. Maybe. 

the house built on fresh snow by tiend

Very fun and very sweet. What if Jango and Shmi ran into each other during their time enslaved, and it changed both their lives for the better.

HELLO !!!

Having now finished binging all of your star wars fics, I come here asking for some recs. Just any of your favourites, bonus points if it will cause emotions (and tears).

Also can't stress enough how much I love your writing, it's so so brilliant <3

(this is neptunesenceladus btw, tumblr hates me and won't let me send asks with a side blog so you get this one)

HI!!! Good to see you, good to see you <3 Always happy to provide recs <3 <3 <3

I want you to know I went through my bookmarks and pulled like sixty fics and had a brief moment of panic, so this is not all of my recs just the first... thirty, or so. If none of these are appealing, oh boy, do I have more!

This list is not in any order other than bookmark order, most are on the shorter side, most are Gen and I am pretty sure all are complete. I tried to warn for stuff that could be a squick when I remembered.

False Dichotomy by nsmorig

Starting off strong with my favorite Cody fic of all time. If you read nothing else on this list I encourage you to read this (if the tags are not a squick) because it will re-shape your brain and shatter your heart into tiny pieces. Basic premise is Force Sensitive Cody gets captured by Dooku and survives torture, experimentation, and imprisonment while trying to figure out his relationship to the Force and to his personhood, and the ways those things are connected. 

What's in a Name by Sankt

This is about Fordo post war and it’s phenomenal characterization. 

The Last Poem of Jedha by schweinsty

How Bohdi Rook becomes a rebel and writes a poem. 

you're like a loaded gun by kazhan

Ok this is E and also Underage, so maybe it’s a skip, but it’s teen Boba/Cal trying to navigate sex and love and secret identities and it’s so fucked up and so good. 

chicken, cattle and cat by deniigiq

Obi-Wan and Maul living in domestic dis-harmony on Tatooine. What more could you ask. 

Little things [are the reason to live] by i_will_bite

Clone medics navigating a slightly hostile working environment and trying to make it less hostile T-T

Two brothers (and a kid) by meerlicht

What if. Waxer and Boil just stayed on Ryloth, with Numa. What then? 

with poise, with grace by andeemae

Stone falls through a hole in a roof and falls in love. Beautiful clone/OC romance and very cute kids, doesn’t shy away from the difficulties of being a clone in love with a civilian. Very much an inspiration for me.

second time around by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters

This is another one I wasn’t sure I wanted to put on here because it deals briefly with rape, but it’s such a wonderfully fucked up take on Anakin and Rex’s relationship. Or, how Vader views Rex. 

The Desert Storm by Blue_Sunshine

If you are looking for an epically long series to get invested in I highly recommend checking this one out. This series and its sister-series are some of the best characterization and worldbuilding for Jedi I have ever had the pleasure of reading and it is a fix-it in all the messy, hard, terrible ways people don’t usually write fix-its. 

Shape-Changer by Fialleril

This is a foundational fic for me. Incredible Tatooine worldbuilding. Inspired me to write the way I write. 

The Sun Is Bright, The Sun Is Blue by ambiguously

CUT AND SU ORIGIN STORY!!! 

most things may never happen: this one will by jaigeye

This is brutal but what if you were a droid and you had to dissect a person. 

Bad Deal by FettsOnTop (GTFF)

Boba/Lando my beloved. A brief look into their relationship and into Lando’s thoughts leading up to Han and them’s arrival. 

and the Force is with me by sauntering_down

Rex and Ahsoka and the way the war changed them, and what they can and cannot do in the aftermath. 

Twilight on Owl Creek Bridge by yellow_caballero

The Fox fic of all time. What if you were trapped in a time-loop with a ghost from the future but your life is so monotonous and simultaneously bizarre you don’t even notice. 

Fishhooks by yellow_caballero

The Boba fic of all time. This author does not write much for SW but every time they do it’s iconic. What if you were a teenager running away from home but also a perfect clone of your father created to be him but better but also his because you will never escape his body and his ownership and his love. What then. 

Staring into open flame by SLWalker

This is such a beautiful and heartbreaking read, it’s basically exploring what would have to happen for Maul and Obi-Wan to have a genuinely healthy and happy relationship post murder and bisection. 

Energy Drink Fox by carrinth

The crack comic of all time. What if Fox had space Monster.

lost cause by catboydogma

The foundational Dogma fic. The fic that got me wondering about how clones spend their time on Coruscant. 

the married au by dharmaavocado

Clone rebellion my beloved. Basic premise is the clones took over Kamino and then went out into the galaxy as a mercenary army of sorts. Rex and Cody are finding their place in the world, creating business partnerships, falling in love, manipulating public perception of clones. (Background clonecest, not between Rex and Cody.)

[robininthelabyrinth]

Three Gates - on ao3 (for content warnings check Ao3) - on tumblr: pt 1, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6, pt 7, pt 8, pt 9, pt 10

- Chapter 11 -

Nie Mingjue was fond of saying that all plans ended when the battle began, and all things left to chance would immediately default to the worst possible option, and Meng Yao found the statement to be true: it went from bad to worse almost immediately.

They received an invitation, if one could call it that, demanding that they send a direct disciple of the junior generation to the Nightless City for what was euphemistically called ‘education’ – and of course the only direct disciples of any generation were Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang, respectively, Meng Yao having become a regular disciple the way all the cousins were. And since obviously Nie Mingjue couldn’t go, that meant –  

They were going to have to send Nie Huaisang.

Nie Mingjue, of course, was of the view that the only choices for a response were between “fuck you” and “fuck you and your mother”, but even he knew they weren’t actually ready for a full-fledged war with the Wen sect. For all their careful years of preparation, a war machine took time to get going; they would need to buy time to consolidate their efforts and to build a wall that the Wen sect would not be able to breach.

“They probably won’t slaughter us all at once, all of us from all the sects,” Nie Huaisang said, his fingers nervously running up and down his fan. “Right?”

Meng Yao nodded, and Nie Huaisang’s shoulders relaxed a little. “Well at least they won’t make me practice saber too much,” he offered, trying to lighten the mood.

“You’re not taking your saber,” Nie Mingjue snapped, and even Meng Yao turned to stare at him at that. “They’ll seize every sword and saber the second you walk in, claiming to keep it until you’ve done well enough to earn them back – that’s fine for the other clans, since their swords aren’t spiritual weapons the way our sabers are, but as far as I’m concerned no Nie saber will ever voluntarily enter the hands of the Wen sect. Go to the forges and have them remake a practice saber to look like Aituan; you can take that instead, and if they ask questions about why you don’t wield it right, pretend it’s your weak cultivation.”

It was a good idea, actually, albeit one that Meng Yao wished hadn’t been said in front of Wu Bixian, but luckily there wasn’t much of a window between receiving the Wen sect’s demand and receiving the Lan sect’s urgent cry for help – as anyone might have expected, Nie Mingjue immediately abandoned all reason and insisted on going there personally to help.

“If you must go, take only a small force; we can do the most good where we can be most helpful, while still fooling the Wen sect into thinking we are weak and unprepared,” Wu Bixian advised, and Nie Mingjue scowled at him, dislike of the idea written all over his face, but then Meng Yao spoke up in favor of that approach as well, and Nie Mingjue listened to him as he always did.

Sometimes Meng Yao wished he wouldn’t.

By the time they arrived, the Library Pavilion was alight, as were any number of other buildings; Meng Yao only hoped that Lan Wangji had managed to get the rest of his sect to believe his message in time to do some good.

He hoped Lan Xichen was nowhere nearby – that he had escaped.

That he didn’t have to see this happen to his beloved home.

Nie Mingjue was barking out orders left and right, Meng Yao darting around to try to make himself useful – Chiwen could be used to fight, of course, and often was, but Meng Yao knew his strengths; he was better off flying around to help direct or rescue people, especially since he could always pick up an extra sword lying around to fight with, utilizing Wen or Jin or even Jiang and Lan styles that he’d picked up over time.

He killed some, commanded others…he hated it.

He hated war.

How had Nie Mingjue dealt with this? While Meng Yao sat at home, devising logistics with a cold and unfeeling eye, Nie Mingjue put himself in each battlefield, Baxia at his side, wading through the blood and muck to win victory for them…

When Meng Yao got home, he would have to do something very nice for him to show his appreciation.

Meng Yao figured that would be it, that they’d get out as many people as they could before being forced to retreat – the Wen sect forces were even larger than he’d anticipated, and he’d anticipated being vastly overwhelmed – but somewhere in the smoke and ash and screams Wu Bixian found him and grabbed him by the elbow.

“Come with me,” he said. “We have a limited amount of time.”

“To do what?” Meng Yao demanded, sick and tired of Wu Bixian and figuring that the heat of battle would serve as an explanation for his uncharacteristic vehemence. “What’s left to do? The Wen sect will be victorious beyond telling: the Lan sect has largely fled where they can, Lan Wangji has already been captured – they broke his leg –”

No Lan Xichen in sight, though, and Meng Yao could only hope that he was safe, wherever he was.

“The second young master Lan is a worthy prize, but there are even better ones,” Wu Bixian said. “How long can Qinghe refuse to bow before Qishan Wen if it has no master to lead it?”

Meng Yao’s back went cold. “Now? You must be mad; you can’t capture Nie Mingjue here. There are a million pathways in and out of the Cloud Recesses, now that the wards have come down – even if you did catch him, he’d only escape, and then where would you be? Your cover blown, with nothing to show for it –”

“I’m the one in charge of this task,” Wu Bixian snapped, his voice taut with tension. “Your role is just to listen and obey –”

“You mean you’re messing up this task. If Sect Leader Wen wanted him captured here, he would have come up with a better plan –”

Wu Bixian laughed. It was an ugly sound, sneering, and Meng Yao stopped at once, hearing it. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to,” Wu Bixian said. “You want to save him up so that you can use him later, don’t you? You want to trade him in for a reward. You know what Sect Leader Wen wants…”

And so do you, Meng Yao thought, and everything took on a tint of red in a way that suggested that Chiwen’s rage was starting to seep back the wrong way through their bond, their rage becoming one in a way that was highly dangerous. You know – no. You knew. You’ve always known.

Somehow Meng Yao had deceived himself into thinking that Wu Bixian must not have known about Wen Ruohan’s abnormal interest in Nie Mingjue, that he had been corrupted by a desire for power or riches or something like that, but that he hadn’t really known.  

Wu Bixian was one of the previous generation, one of Lao Nie’s contemporaries; he married in before Nie Mingjue was even born. He would have seen him grow up, known him as the child he had been and the man he’d grown up into, and despite all of that he knew what Wen Ruohan wanted, knew and didn’t care, and maybe he had even aided and abetted some of the incidents that Meng Yao had had to so strain himself to interrupt or misdirect or stop.

“Well, I won’t have it,” Wu Bixian said, and bared his teeth. “You won’t get the chance to sell him. Qinghe Nie won’t be disgraced like that! It deserves better than that – better than that abomination that has been taking up the seat of sect leader. I told Lao Nie when he was born to put him aside, strangle him in his crib before he had a chance to bring shame upon us, but he wouldn’t listen –”

Meng Yao actually took a step backwards from sheer shock. “What are you talking about?”

He’d always known there were nasty things said about Nie Mingjue behind his back, mostly comments about him having been raised without a mother or just the usual cruel things that people say about children they have reason to dislike, but he’d never heard anyone call Nie Mingjue an abomination.

That was a word for people like him, sons of whores too poor to command their own fate, not for true-born sons of the gentry –

Not for Nie Mingjue.

Wu Bixian sneered at him. “They covered up the horoscope as best as they could, but they couldn’t hide his face, that ridiculous height or that even more ridiculous talent – look at you, you’re surprised. You thought Sect Leader Wen wanted him for something as simple as lust?”

“What does his height have to do with anything?” Meng Yao asked, utterly at sea. He could see jealousy over his talent, even envy for his features, but Wu Bixian wasn’t jealous. He was – he was protective, he saw Nie Mingjue as a threat to the Nie sect, the fervor of the converted burning in his eyes. “I don’t –”

“He’s a furnace,” Wu Bixian said, and Meng Yao took another step backwards, the shock expelling the breath from him as effectively as a hit to the stomach. “A yang furnace, as opposed to the more common yin furnace you find in women, but a furnace is a furnace, in the end; he was born for dual cultivation, and that’s all he’ll ever be good for. All of that talent, all of that cultivation, what’s the point? It won’t do him any good; it’ll all belong to the man or men that claim him – why do you think Sect Leader Wen has been so patient all these years? The occasional impatience aside, he’s been waiting for him to grow ripe like a farmer waiting for the harvest.”

He laughed, his voice harsh. “Well, I won’t have it. I won’t see my Nie sect disgraced like that, with the whole world knowing that our ‘leader’ will be eking out the rest of his miserable existence on his knees or his back for whoever’s come to take advantage – it was one thing when he was younger, when he would have only been disgraced and cast aside for a new son, but now…? No. Sect Leader Wen will get his victory over the cultivation world, which is what he really wants, and he’ll get Nie Mingjue’s head on a pike, but that’s all. That’s all he’s ever going to get.”

The fervor of the converted indeed. Lao Nie hadn’t cared about his son’s unusual constitution – he’d cared too little, even, thinking that he’d hidden the truth when in fact he was sold out by one he trusted – but Wu Bixian cared; he didn’t want the Nie clan to lose face, he didn’t want to risk the disgrace. He had betrayed the Nie sect to the Wen sect to avoid it –

He would kill Nie Mingjue to ensure it.

Meng Yao knew what he had to do.

“And you, you miserable leech, are not going to stop me just because you want the gain for yourself,” Wu Bixian said, and turned to lead the way towards Nie Mingjue’s last known location. “Of course someone like you’d think it’d be better to sell him than to kill him; you don’t understand honor at all, don’t understand face – you’re only part of our Nie sect through by your mother’s tricks. Of course you think that everything comes down to a deal to be made, something to be sold, you’re just what your blood says you are, a fatherless son of a whore –”

Meng Yao drove Chiwen into his back.

“Meng Yao!”

Meng Yao turned and saw Nie Mingjue, who must have realized he’d lost sight of Meng Yao and come to find him to make sure he hadn’t gotten hurt.

Nie Mingjue’s eyes travelled from Wu Bixian, choking out blood as he died, down the length of Chiwen and to Meng Yao’s hand that held him: his eyes were wide and horrified, confused, even betrayed –

Meng Yao had never told him what he was planning with Wen Ruohan. He hadn’t wanted him to worry. He’d known how much even the mention of the man disrupted Nie Mingjue’s sleep; he’d known that he would reject any plan that involved putting Meng Yao in danger.

He’d thought he’d have time to explain.

He’d thought – well. He hadn’t thought that Nie Mingjue would find him with his saber in the back of his own commanding officer in the middle of a battle, one of the few crimes that Nie sect law called to be met with immediate execution or else at absolute minimum immediate expulsion from the sect.

“Trust me,” Meng Yao said, a plea more than an order, and then he turned and fled.