#also i think that people should know that activism doesn’t stop with one country and that talking about what’s happening in sudan and congo

[jisnoir]

== carrd! == 27/01/2023 uyghur muslims, yemen, afghanistan, palestine, kashmir, POLICE BRUTALITY IN INDIA, philippines, serbia, antisemitism, black lives matter, educate racism, protest tips, lgbt rights, do the right thing, hongkong, more help carrds, escapes.

[plow-and-propose]

Orange Flags (found in any post but especially ones about politics)

We don't always have the time and/or energy to do our own research, so here are some things to watch out for:

No sources. Obviously this doesn't 100% guarantee that the post contains misinformation but it does mean you can't easily verify it. Is OP right? Wrong? Outright lying? You don't know!

Contradicting sources in the notes. Again, doesn’t necessarily mean that OP is wrong, but you should absolutely do your own research before sharing if several different people are providing contradictory evidence.

'Unreliable' sources. What constitutes as unreliable depends a bit on context but be especially wary of unsourced screenshots (could be taken out of context), clearly biased sources (e.g. 'Nationalist News of [Country]' type newspapers), and second hand sources (e.g. a different, unsourced tumblr post).

Minor mistakes. Like an incorrect statistic, an exaggerated number, or a omitted detail - something fairly small. Maybe OP just misremembered or forgot about this one thing, but it could be a sign they've made an error or lied about something far more major.

Urgency. Obviously there is a lot of reason for urgency when dealing with crises, but if a post gives you the vibe of go go go there's no time to explain share this give money do it now don't think about it go then OP may not have stopped to check their sources, or even be actively using urgency to mislead you.

And lastly here's a tip: if you're not sure, save the post as a draft. More information might become available later.

Stopping the spread of misinformation is hard. We all want to help and sharing posts feels like a very quick and easy way to do it. But it's also very easy to share the wrong thing by mistake. Try to stop and think.

Source for this post: my own experience. These are things I've picked up over many years of being gullible online. I highly encourage you to take the time to educate yourself about how to stop the spread of misinformation.

[fasolabean]

warninggg this is a long one ,,,

(Okay so I started writing this uhhh vent before more posts on the n//fts appeared later so plz keep that in mind hah)

So I haven’t been too active on here for the past month – a bit personal start, but I’ve moved to a different country whooo!!!! (its terrifying) (my brains been involved in fandom stuff as usual but physically I wasn’t lmao).

But I wanted to talk ab the n//ft (censoring bc idk ab bots here) thing bc while some people on here provided some great context and threads, most of the talk has happened on twitter. So like. Since it was first confirmed what the raffle thing was I was veryyyy disappointed, especially bc K has made fun of this very thing on stage previously. And like yea, the nature of what hes doing is different than the n//ft crypt0 scams, since the cost of the paywalled content is set and not fluid and the raffle thing was free to enter, and I know there have been threads about the website not being the worst on twitter (link) (edit: now here on tumblr too). But still man. Both of these could’ve been done on either an independent website or through stuff like youtube members or patreon. Or hell, even just on the merch store? Like buy a promo code that buys you access to the material?

Also like I get that this was probably a contract that would be rly hard if not impossible to terminate. STILL though, I wish we just got an even short thing like “hi sorry I wasn’t aware this is gonna be a one time thing we’re not doing it again”. I don’t mind extra content being paywalled personally, I know some people do, but I just really wish it wasn’t don’t with that technology. And yes, I also now know it’s a safer way to handle shit like that but I just cant see this excuse being used for commercial use? Like maybe I can see why I could be made to use it for like idk an important document, but a raffle ticket? Nah

I also, ugh. Felt weird about mikke in the team since the winter. This whole thing seems to be – at least to a large extent – either done or influenced by him, judging by even the fact that the europass thingy webpage has oy photomikke marked (no im not buying it but i did look around curiosity was stronger). Also the previous thing that had made me go hmmm about käärijä as a brand was the bnb, which now seems to be ran entirely by mikke and his wife. Like stick to your photos man? That being said tho, Jere IS an adult and he IS the face of this brand. If he doesn’t think hes qualified to make business decisions all by himself (which I get, this shit is hard), nothing is stopping him really from getting a professional to help him with those things. And if there IS something stopping him then hey man I think you should go to the press with that lol. From any interviews ive seen or read, you can feel he feels this responsibility to keep his friends and family that initially helped him afloat. But I wish he understood that not letting people who in the end are not professional about business and PR and having them stick to their own thing does not have to mean cutting them off.

But now I just wanna share a thought that to some might seem like me defending him – which, in case you didn’t get I am very much not lmao. The thing is, im really glad the fandom is able to call him out on a shitty thing – like a bad baaad business decision. You can like somebody’s art, hell you can even like the public person they are, while not agreeing with everything what they do. What annoys me though, is that apart of the kä fandom, he is also often talked about (usually negatively) in the wider esc fandom. Over the past week I’ve seen multiple threads on twitter from people that rarely ever mention him about this. That would’ve been like, not that much of a deal (though sometimes it really got… engagement bait-y) but the amount of bodyshaming and shaming of his fans that comes up with every valid criticism is making me wanna pull my hair out.

Especially cause he’s neither the first finnish esc-related artist to do that (Robin and Cyan Kicks are mentioned on the kollekt website) nor is he the first esc artist of his influence to do it either. Last year Loreen and Alessandra have released n//fts last year, and Loreen did a very similar raffle a couple months ago. Now I wanna be very clear: I don’t want this to be like. Cancelling these people, that would be so hypocritical of me. I also don’t want this to be like a fandom war like oh youre mad he did xyz?? Well THIS and THIS person did THAT!!1! I’m just merely annoyed that these people doing essentially the same thing went with no echo at all, but now I’ve seen us (the fandom) be literally called the r slur and the most vile things being said about jere and, for some reason, his appearance???

Idk man. I really try to  make it clear im not trying to excuse his decisions and I think being angry and/or disappointed at him is absolutely understandable. Im just angry that every single time he fucks up, every single time he makes a mistake, my timeline is filled with a wave of people rejoicing in it. I know he’s a controversial figure, he’s been one since day one, but I just wish he’s gotten the same amount of shit his peers do for the same actions? And this happens every time, and each time im like “well ig I can see why hes so bad when it comes to criticism”. Because imagine doing a thing that your peers have done with no/minimal criticism and then the moment you try it out you get people calling your fans slurs and commenting how stupid you are. Like ngl id also think any criticism was hate lmao.

Again I wanna be very VERY clear im very critical ab what he chose to do. I wish he took some responsibility – and hope he maybe does, at some point in the future. This year has been a whole lot of bad business decisions for the käärijä brand in my eyes, and I hope he can actually see where its gone wrong and do something about it, both for his and our sake. I am also happy to see fellow fans who are able to call out their fave. But man I am TIRED of him just getting all the shit (from people who very visibly fans are not)?? And now I have the proof that it is comparably more than other people and not just my bias towards him because wdym there’s been at least 4 esc artists, 2 of which more famous than him, and 2 umk artists doing exactly the same thing with almost no echo??

TLDR (thishasover1kwordsfuckshit); I wish he did better, simply. I kinda cling to some hope that maybe hey finally this time he will see that criticism can be constructive. I think this is still a level of fucking up that you can like, come back from. Pity it’s connected to the eurotour since kinda souring my excitement ab my first concert in a new country a bit :(

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

It’s one in the morning let’s talk Six of Crows analysis - it feels like it’s been ages since I did any analysis, which is like the entire point of this account so sorry about that but here we go: We should talk more about Adem Bajan you guys okay because first of all he effectively comes to represent the vast majority of everyday people in a clear juxtaposition to both Inej and Van Eck, but he also is in a position of far less choice than I think we give him credit for.

As a reminder, Bajan is a young Suli boy (presumably somewhere around 19 but we have no confirmation of that) working in the Van Eck household teaching Alys music. He is highly implied to be having or to have interest in having as affair with Alys, and was Van Eck’s chosen jailer for Inej at the beginning of Crooked Kingdom. Van Eck claims he made this choice because he thought “a Suli boy would be most conspicuous” when he was attempting to lure Kaz into a trap to save Inej, but it was also an inarguably smart decision in that, as Inej even comments herself, Bajan was easy to talk to, made her feel nostalgic, homesick, and alone, and very nearly succeeded in drawing information out of her without having to restore to torture. If anything, resorting to torture was Van Eck’s major mistake at this point but that’s really a conversation for another time. Bajan is a really interesting character because he doesn’t want to hurt Inej and specifically encourages her to tell him things so Van Eck won’t escalate things further, but when Van Eck does escalate things Bajan is unable - or possibly unwilling - to stop him. For this Inej calls him a monster, and when he claims he did nothing replies “no, you’re the man who stands idly by congratulating himself whilst the monster eats its fill”. She draws a Suli phrase on him that effectively means he’ll be rejected by the community forever and his spirit/soul won’t be accepted, and she describes it as the worst fate or something along those lines sorry I can’t remember exactly. But what’s the most interesting thing is that even though he claims not to believe in any of it Bajan gets noticeably upset by this and says “that’s not fair”. Inej is surprised that he’s this soft, and there’s a very clear juxtaposition between the lives they have lived.

BUT - let’s look at this from Bajan’s perspective. And remember - this is important - Bajan is not described as an employee of Van Eck’s, but an indenture. An indenture. So Bajan is a young boy indentured in a foreign country to a man as high up in the country’s government as you can get and who has clearly been illustrated to the reader as a terrible person on several different levels that I won’t dissect in too much detail right now. He appears to have acclimatised himself to Kerch surroundings and acts with elevation above his status, because that’s what he has to do to survive in the upper echelon of a deeply classist society that actively diminishes and disapproves of his culture. (<<if anyone wants references for that let me know and also I’ve written about it quite a bit before so that’s kicking around on my page somewhere) He refuses to speak to Inej in Suli because “it makes me maudlin” and my question to you is: is he rejecting the language to further attempt to fit in and as a product of internalised prejudice, or because it’s so incredibly painful to be half-connected to a culture not only that he has forced himself to reject but also that he feels he can never safely return to? Probably both. He tells Inej he doesn’t believe in Suli superstition, religion, or culture, and yet is deeply upset when she uses it against him. Is this because he actually does believe, or wants to believe, in the Saints and the Suli interpretation of them but has rejected them for survival and the supposed betterment of himself? Possibly.

Bajan strikes me as very similar to Jesper in the way he presents himself as free, flirty, and casual, but had a considerable weight to almost everything he says and considerable pain hidden closer to the surface than he may have realised. I think there are parallels between him and Inej if we want to see them, but also a very stark difference in the way Kerch and Ketterdam have treated them. Bajan may not be privileged but even as an indenture he has - or at least as far as we know has had - a far safer and kinder experience than Inej has. This could be related to gender since the hyper-sexualisation of Suli culture is mostly centred on women - “the Menagerie always stocked a Suli girl” (I’ve intensely analysis this quote before so I won’t now but ugh there’s so much to say) - but we do know there are young boys captive at the pleasure houses as well although less commonly and it’s also possible that this difference is linked to Bajan’s decision to turn his back on Suli culture in order to appeal more to Kerch society whilst Inej continually embraced her culture and arguably became more religious in response to her experiences.

This is complicated because I’m not entirely sure how I feel about Bajan. I understand and support Inej’s perspective and everything she saw whilst in a far more dangerous position that he was, but is it possible that this was a lonely boy who saw someone he thought was like him and tried to communicate with her the only way he thought was safe? You are completely isolated in a foreign culture and hate yourself for having suppressed your own upbringing in order to survive, but now you meet someone else who yes, is in more danger than you, but who you might be able to help so that she can help you in return. You aren’t safe to speak freely and so you subtly tell her that you are an indenture, hoping she acknowledges that none of this is of your free will and because you know that she was indentured too (and remember from a societal pov there is very little understanding of what indentured girls at the pleasure houses actually go through and although that doesn’t excuse ignoring Inej’s trauma it may explain why he doesn’t fully acknowledge that their positions aren’t equal), you tell her that speaking your own shared language makes you feel maudlin, hoping she realises that you desperately miss your homeland and using your language makes you feel even further from your family than you already are because you can’t share it with them. She doesn’t seem to be taking any of it in, your employer has every intention of hurting her and you don’t know what else to do, so you make a last plea: you ask her about home. You think you’ve already made it clear that speaking about home is painful, so you ask her about it to invite that pain, to share it, so you both understand. But it fails, because she only sees your employer puppeteering you. You openly beg her to tell him the truth so that he won’t hurt her but she refuses to comply, and after all of your efforts and your desperate attempts to connect and beg her to help you both go home, her response is to turn your home against you and banish you from it for eternity. So when you see her the next morning, how could you possibly look her in the eye?

Bajan did not make all of the right choices in his brief time on the page. He didn’t. But maybe he was trying really hard, and he had no other options left.

Anyway I’m not saying this is definitive one way or the other it’s just an interpretation but I find him a very interesting and very sad character and I although I support all of Inej’s actions in these scenes from her point of view I do find myself wondering how she appeared to Bajan and how he felt in the aftermath.

[lacewise]

Hey. I’m still seeing near daily hate speech on my timeline, especially to Jewish and Israeli people (minding their own business!!!). Stop it. Get over yourselves. People other than you also have a right to live.

Hate speech, bigotry, and threats are never acceptable behaviour. There should especially never be a time when intersectionally marginalized people don’t feel safe in communities meant for them on the basis of one of their other identities. I thought we went over this. That includes Jewish people. That includes, explicitly, every group that you think “deserves” it, because discrimination against them is “for a reason” (the only reason is discrimination). If it doesn’t, you have biases you need to unpack and grapple with… yourself. A good start is a lot of listening to Jewish people who explain how it’s discriminatory (which they shouldn’t have to do). No arguing. Just listening.

I’ve seen this about Black people, I’ve seen this about Romani people, I’ve seen this about Muslim people, I’ve seen this about Latine people, I’ve seen this about trans men, non-binary people, ace people, aro people, he/him lesbians—and I could go on. Right now, most often, I’m seeing it about Jewish and Israeli people (which are not interchangeable groups). It needs to stop. It needs to never have begun. You need to deal with this, now.

Unfortunately, I think I need to include some examples of antisemitism: sending Jewish people unfounded conspiracy theories and allegations is harassment. That includes using tags meant for in-Jewish community use.

Spreading the unfounded conspiracy theories because they “sound like” what you think about Jewish people is antisemitic discrimination.

Making Jewish people “prove” to you they have the “right opinions” before you’ll let them into spaces they have a right to access is antisemitic discrimination. Which you’d think a group of people who just learned collective punishment is bad would know.

Saying things like, (and I really hate quoting discriminatory language, so I won’t forgive anyone who made this necessary) “But so-and-so is Jewish” or “Did you know so-and-so is… Jewish…?” is monstrous. It’s antisemitic discrimination, and it’s pretty actively trying to cause harassment campaigns (or worse) against specific Jewish individuals. If you see that, you need to report and block whoever is doing it. I really don’t care what the current euphemism they’re using for Jewish people is, euphemisms have a history in discriminatory practices going back hundreds of years.

Trying to dox Israeli people, trying to mass report them off the internet, telling them to “Go back to their country” (really?), are all active and organized harassment campaigns I have witnessed. Which, after October 7th, strikes me as both violent threats and a support for terrorist attacks.

Some of you were platforming people who are clearly calling for progroms for months and then demanding to know why any Jewish person deserves to live in Israel.

This cannot keep happening. This cannot happen.

Don’t harass Jewish people. Don’t harass Israeli people, especially using antisemitic conspiracy theories. Not every Israeli person is Jewish, and every Israeli person cannot be constantly and individually held responsible for the failures and violence of the Israeli government. If people are committing crimes, you need to focus on the individuals and groups directly and provably responsible, and the government itself. And you still shouldn’t engage in hate speech or harassment campaigns. I shouldn’t have to debunk multiple conspiracy theories at once to say, “Don’t harass Israeli citizens.” You just… shouldn’t be doing it.

Don’t spread hate speech. Don’t engage in hate speech. Don’t engage in harassment campaigns. Don’t justify or defend other people doing it.

[g0g0at]

Malevolent part 47

Oooh let’s go

What is that sound???

Thank you for the exact hours Yorick, I’ll be putting that to good use

Oh one of those medieval prison things.

A gibbot? Joyous name mmm

Are we about to get a sick fic esc episode?

Arthur talking about the air again… he’s been doing that a lot this season…

John shaking Arthur “REST GODDAMNIT!!

Bro straight up has the plague

“If Arthur says he’s fine, he’s fine” NO THAT IS NOT TRUE FOR HIM

John is being so understanding

John pep talk

“He was just a man” he also SUCKED

Arthur you’re not a bad person for this my guy

Probably would be dead otherwise ngl

“I don’t have an answer that will make you feel better”

John is already human

I mean you can try but the plague is contagious

“You know what the right path forward is” I mean mostly

“Thanks you keeping us alive” part 2

Hehe John bragging a little

Oh witches hand?

Welp. Time to desecrate a corpse

ARTHUR SHOULD NOT CLIMB HIGH PLACES!! NOT WITH HIS FALLING OFF OF THINGD HISTORY!!

Yorick you’re being sneaky…

Why did I know he was gonna say eye?

Eye gouging time again 😔

Hand of Malevolen(t)ce

“I am in no rush” ok Yorick thanks

Is he seriously climbing this

Couldn’t he tip it?

The laughing cough BAHAHHA

“There are no wrong answers in brain storming” sounds like my highschool teachers

Shame he doesn’t have an axe

How are you gonna get the pin? Shake it?

John has had enough of being dead named

Haha! Rocks!

How good is your aim?

Hey he hit it! John sounds so proud

Wii Golf

Alexander heyo

Alexander please don’t eat the eyes

ALEXANDER STOP THAT!

“I scared him away 😞 “

Is Alexander actively against Yorick?

Bro is calling himself a nerd 💀

For someone “not good at athletics” he’s good and running a such

“You wanted to fit in” HEY HEY HEY

“If they could see me now” *throws rocks at a corpse*

WHAT WAS THAT

Was that John tapping the cage to guide him? That’s a new trick

Mist creature

Oh no split decision

And another hole!

RIGHT NOW?!! WHY NOW?!!

YORICK PRIORITIES PLEASE

Oh dear

This is not good

Arthur you are “folding” again

Black candle?

Dark magic…

Oh dear dark world shit

What is happening

Did it get rid of the creature?

Oh the vanguard and yorick are seperate?

Hmmm

Interesting…

Hey he called him John

Yorick lore

I thought the antithesis was gonna be “the hand of god” ngl

Oh that’s actually useful af

Haha it was the owl!

Lilith? Sent by Kayne maybe?

Oh ok nvm

Arthur is just getting chased by every second outer god oml

Shape shifters…

Maybe Arthur needed to die for whatever reason

Who is she…

Limited uses AUGHHHHH

SCRATCH

Is John hearing those whispers?

Oh dear

Ok ok so. Alexander is or works for Scratch. But if Arthur is her “favourite”. Then…

Mmmm maybe Arthur NEEDED to die and come back, for some reason

Oooh this episode has so much lore

Can you bluff a god like that??

Maybe don’t confront her…

Double lie

I mean you guys are both ok at lying

Arthur is struggling

Oooh ok it’s starting to make sense

So you only gotta worry about her if she’s nearby that’s some benefit

John and Yorick bonding moment?

John saying he’s projecting and that he thought Yorick was a mistake… does that mean… does that mean John thinks that he’s also a mistake?

“Purely for appearances” yeah ok

Very poetic, my friend

Looks like we’re ramping up to the final season(s)

“We’ll stare it down” well… John will

Yeah play it up! Arthur’s acting skills have improved since the train

John is getting excited too BAHHAHA

How close are you guys to the castle?

Oh they’ve all be cut down hmmmm

Mmmm storm environment

King Louis?

Was there an 8th Louis?

So we’re in a different timeline

That’s a LONG reign

King John hehhe

France and England become one country??

Oooooh world building

AYE CASTLE!!

Eeee I’m excited

Hopefully it’s not full of dead people like in Carcosa

“I know far too much, you will need to be more specific”

That’s a big question

He needs some cough drops

He sounds like he’s gonna pass out kinda

King in Yellow has some French influence, this’ll be interesting

Oh my god he needs some soup and cough drops

Yorick sounded kinda concerned for him there dang

Yeah probably better to rest in the castle than the rain

Cows might be difficult to fake

That cough sounds real (if Harlan recorded this while sick I guess it would be)

Gold ring, good choice

Lovely description from John

Oh is this castle fucked up

Good lord that is a horrid cough

Everart… that sounds familiar… oh that’s a disco elysium character

Oh my god he literally sounds like he’s dying

“Not the way you taught me”

He is mixed up HE HAS THE PLAGUE

“Lean on me” I thought he meant literally for a second ngl and was like “well good luck with that”

Let John handle it for a bit

Castle time!!!

Oh the sound design….

Is Yorick in the bag??? Doesn’t matter if he’s quiet if they can SEE HIM

Oh this sound design is AWESOME

Don’t get stabbed…

Oh WHAT

Of course the castle is fucked up why am I surprised

How does he eat? Does he? Fucked up castle

This imagery is nice

Maaaaaaaaan maybe this castle was a bad choice

AH CARCOSA MENTION

All righty castle time!!

Mmmm I’m nervous tho ngl

Oooh can’t wait for next week!! The castle!!

[jujumin-translates]

★ Main Story | Act 13 - Budding Spring | Chapter 11 - Pause & Pose

Citron: 《It seems that there are no problems regarding this matter.》

Personnel: 《Understood. Well then, there is one more thing I’d like to discuss--.》

Personnel: 《Actually, ever since your activities have become more widely known about to the general public, Citronia-sama, interest in foreign culture and arts has been growing.》

Personnel: 《There is a proposal that the country should take this opportunity to invite performances from abroad.》

Citron: 《I think that’s a wonderful idea. I will talk it over with my father.》

Personnel: 《If that’s the case, I will make putting together a rough outline my number one priority.》

Citron: 《I’ll be keeping an eye out for promising theater companies and other groups on my end.》

Personnel: 《Thank you very much for doing so. I will have a rough outline ready in time for the International Arts Festival, so please wait until then.》

Citron: 《Regarding that… please put the status of my attendance on hold due to scheduling circumstances.》

Personnel: 《Would you like someone else to attend in your place? His Majesty also said that this would be a good opportunity to promote Zahra to places abroad…》

Citron: 《No, if we do participate, I would be the person most suited for it… but I’m currently tied up with some other things. Please just give me some time.》

Personnel: 《Understood.》

Citron: …

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

*Typing*

Tsuzuru: …Phew.

Masumi: …It’s noon.

Tsuzuru: What are you? Some kinda hourly reporter? Chill, I’ll take a break soon.

*Phone buzzes*

Masumi: …

Tsuzuru: If you know who it is, you should answer right away.

Masumi: I know.

Masumi: …I’m answering a call, so get out.

Tsuzuru: Huh? I’m supposed to leave?

Masumi: Go.

Tsuzuru: Yeah, yeah, I’m going.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

*Door closes*

Tsuzuru: (Maybe this is Masumi’s way of getting me to take a break.)

Tsuzuru: (Guess I could go for a walk after I eat lunch…)

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

*Shop bell rings*

Shop Worker: Welcome. Please take a seat anywhere.

Tsuzuru: …

Syu: Oh, would you look at that, if it ain’t Minagi-sensei.

Tsuzuru: Huh--.

Tsuzuru: (I never would’ve expected to see Otomiya-san in a coffee shop like this, it’s like seeing an animal in the wrong environment… Like a bar would make sense, but here?)

Syu: I ain’t out drinkin’ all the time, y’know.

Tsuzuru: (Busted…)

Syu: You alone? Come ‘n hang out with me for a bit.

Tsuzuru: Ah, well, if you insist…

Tsuzuru: (He even acts like we’re in a bar.)

Syu: Damn, that Yukio’s really done it again.

Tsuzuru: Huh?

Syu: The Fleur Award.

Syu: This is Yukio we’re talkin’ about, so I bet he’s all “Theater is the best” and “It’s more fun when everyone’s aiming to win the Fleur Award ♪”

Syu: He probably hasn’t even stopped to think about all the people who got caught up in this and now can’t tell left from right in the confusion.

Tsuzuru: Haha…

Tsuzuru: (I’m really starting to feel like I’m one of those people…)

Syu: So, how are things goin’ for you? Figure out what you’re gonna do to win?

Tsuzuru: Ah, we’re thinking of doing sequels for our debut performances…

Syu: You don’t say. That sounds pretty interestin’.

Tsuzuru: It’s just, this is my first time writing a sequel, so I’m having a lot of trouble trying to figure out how to make it work and what kinds of things people are expecting from me. I’ve got a huge weight on my pen, so to speak.

Syu: Why can’t ya just keep doin’ what you’re doin’? Doesn’t the fact that you chose to do sequels to your debut performances show that you’ve got some kinda determination?

Tsuzuru: Well, I mean, I guess so.

Syu: Well, if you’re in need of some more help--.

Tsuzuru: ?

Syu: …Ever heard of a director named Akazaki?

Tsuzuru: Oh, I have. Isn’t he pretty famous?

Syu: He’s a director and a playwright, and every few years he runs a scriptwriting camp to train the younger generations.

Syu: He’s doin’ it again this year and asked me if I knew of any promising young talent.

Syu: I was actually gonna recommend you, Minagi-sensei, but I decided against it ‘cause I figured you’d be too busy for it.

Tsuzuru: A scriptwriting camp… those actually exist?

Syu: Playwrights who have participated in it in the past have done things like won theater awards overseas and have been selected to work on major dramas, so it’s got a proven track record.

Tsuzuru: I’ve never done anything like that before, so I’m really, really interested.

Tsuzuru: But considering that the results for the first quarter are gonna be announced in three months, I don’t know if I’d have the time for it…

Tsuzuru: (I’m pretty attracted to new challenges, but given the timing, I feel like I’ve gotta hold back on this one.)

Tsuzuru: I’ll definitely want to participate whenever the next one happens.

Syu: Got it. I’ll keep ya posted for when that time comes.

Syu: And like I said before, I think you’re doin’ fine as is, Minagi-sensei.

Syu: If you’re goin’ back to the basics, let your past self teach ya about ‘em within the script for your debut performance.

Syu: Think about what it is you wanna write about. It’s pretty easy to find that sorta thing in your first work.

Syu: Writin’ what you wanna write is one of the upsides to workin’ for a specific theater. This sequel’s somethin’ that only you can create, Minagi-sensei.

Syu: Do what you want whenever ya get the chance. Before it gets to a point where ya wanna read somethin’ but can’t.

Tsuzuru: --.

Tsuzuru: (...Right. He can’t read any more of Hakkaku-san’s sequels.)

Tsuzuru: (And if it weren’t for the changes in the Fleur Award system, we might’ve never brought up the idea of doing sequels to begin with.)

Tsuzuru: (Blindly clinging to the opportunities put in front of me. That’s how I did things back during RomiJuli.)

Tsuzuru: (Thinking it could’ve been both my first and last chance, I was willing to do anything and everything I possibly could.)

Tsuzuru: (That’s why now, I--.)

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

[hareofhrair]

Please tell me if you're a zionist or not. Because the notes on that post of yours are absolutely rancid regarding Palestinian people and I need to know before I submit your url to the zionist block list

No, I am not a zionist. Israel, like any ethnostate, should not exist and what they are doing to the Palestinians is unquestionably genocide. I fully support Palestine and their right to resist in the face of annihilation.

I am also not anti semetic, for the record, and stand with the many Jewish people who support Palestinian liberation.

I also recognize that while Biden or any president is unlikely to ever stop supporting Israel as it’s too critical to colonial and capitalist action in that area, Trump has voiced support for Israel straight up nuking Gaza.

There is unfortunately very little we can meaningfully do with this particular election for the Palestinian people. Continuing to pressure the democrats may mitigate the damage to a degree, but I’m aware how thin a comfort that is to a country currently being massacred.

But we cannot help ANYONE if our democracy is actively overthrown, as Trump has made extremely, unambiguously clear he intends to do. He has every intention of making himself a Putin style dictator, with the full support of Putin himself, who knows he can use Trump as a puppet, in a manner so like the way we’ve overthrown democratic countries and installed puppet dictators in the past that the dramatic irony would be heavy handed were it fictional. We almost deserve it.

But we are a country full of innocent people the same as any other, who don’t deserve to suffer and die to punish the idea of western imperialism, which the vast majority of have zero control over.

The one tiny bit of control we DO have is through voting.

This is not a situation I’m happy with, but this isn’t a situation of trading Palestinian lives for American ones. This is a situation where saving Palestinian lives isn’t even on the table, and refusing to acknowledge that is only going to make the situation worse. We can either save American lives and hope it doesn’t make the situation in Palestine actively worse. Or we can refuse to do anything like petulant children and watch everyone die.

Vote, and then get back to organizing your community, participating in protests and direct action, volunteering and donating to relief and evacuation funds, and voting in local elections so that we can maybe end up with some better options next time!

And if yall ever get the violent revolution off the ground, I’ll be right behind you! But if you tell me you’re not voting because the only moral action is firebombing a Walmart, you’d better firebomb the goddamn Walmart.

And to the assholes in the notes of that post and talking shit in my asks, for the record, I’m a disabled trans lesbian living in goddamn Louisiana, living on less than $1000 a month. Aside from my friends in Florida, no one is getting the ass end of this garbage government more than us. And for the record, yeah, I’m boycotting McDonald’s, and anything else I can. I’d boycott Starbucks too if there was one within 50 miles. I vote in every local election. I organize as much as I can in rural Louisiana. I take direct action whenever I get the chance, which isn’t often given my lack of mobility and remote location, but I’m willing to bet I’ve done more than most of the assholes in the notes.

Let me put it very plainly, TLDR: if you refuse to vote because you think it doesn’t make a difference or you think it’ll make you complicit in this country’s crimes, you are actively putting your personal comfort and moral purity above the lives of the Palestinian people, as well as above every vulnerable person in this country on top of it. If you want to save Palestine, start by not letting our god damn democracy go up in flames.

[typewriter83]

Hi! I've been following your work for some time now, and I think you're such a prolifically skilled writer. I prefer the canon dynamic between Joel and Ellie, and the fact that their relationship has father-daughter themes but isnt purely that, yet also isn't romantic. However, I will dabble in some stories about Joellie and I do find that concept interesting. Just out of curiosity, I was wondering what your thoughts are on one of the OG fics, Flying to Wyoming? I noticed you mentioned it in a previous post listing fics. I know that while it's well-written, it's also considered a rather controversial (and at times, extreme) fic, and for good reason. I'm interested in seeing what other people think.

Oh, hello! First of all, sweet new cub, you’re too kind - I’m so touched that you enjoy my stories. Like sincerely touched. Thank you.

I came into the the TLOU fandom from the show, looking for Joel&Ellie stories, and had no interest in the romantic ship - shh, don’t tell the cubs - but it was fics that drew my attention and curiosity and eventually the brain rot sent in. I’m a fan of the canon dynamics too - minus Ellie’s treatment of Joel in Part 2, but that’s a topic for another day.

But yes, let’s talk about Flying to Wyoming because on the surface, it’s the quintessential Joellie story - discussion below the cut - it’s LONG, so buckle up.

FtW is one of those stories that I should have let lie, should have let it be a one and done, enjoyed it and never gone back. I read the entire 600k word behemoth in less than a week, which means I was speed-reading, skimming and not in great depth and detail. But at the end, those last paragraphs of the final installment, I was crying, like tears flowing down my cheeks and I wandered my house like I’d lost real people in my life. (Am dramatic, didn’t y’all know?)

The basic dynamics of the story are there - a sweeping epic, cross-country survival adventure where a teenaged orphan girl falls in love with her older male protector, one of the first people that’s ever protected her, ever put her first. Much like the canon story, Ellie starts off terrified of Joel and what he might be capable of, and Joel treats Ellie like cargo because he doesn’t want to get close to her and fail yet another that comes into his life. And, honestly, this story could have been a platonic story, 100% it would have worked - even with undertones of a teenager crushing on an older man, it would have worked. But, because of the twist the writer takes, we have a whole different angle that’s being built up to - trust me, guilt-ridden Joel is my bread and butter and there’s a lot of guilt in his inner dialogue. Ellie’s a very curious, horny teenager - which is pretty much on target for the character. I’ve written both these angles, myself, and so have others.

So, what’s my problem with it? It’s a lot. The change in dynamics after the FtW2 - it’s been awhile since I’ve read it, so if I mess up the timeline, that’s on me - Ellie is still 14 when they set out for SLC and the explicit sexual activities ramp up pretty quickly especially at the bed and breakfast. I’m judging here - okay, maybe a little, and I have no place to judge - but that’s a lot for a young teenage girl. My problem with it is simply a matter of opinion - Ellie was so young. Am I a prude? Was I sheltered? Maybe - or maybe it just wasn’t my cup of tea for reading material.

The writer is talented, his depictions of a broken world are brilliantly detailed. His depictions of how states would fight states and the scars left in the earth after battles that took place long before Ellie was born are gorgeously detailed. His descriptions of abandoned and desolate towns along the highways are incredible. Some of my favorite scenes come from their stops along the way, but namely the town at the edge of the Mississippi where they stop for bike repairs - it’s a real bonding moment for Joel & Ellie and the town’s description is vividly painted.

Those are my positive takeaways from the story - the writer draws you in with his depictions of the broken world and it’s part of the draw to the TLOU universe for me as well. The whole idea of two humans walking - or on the back of a bike - across a broken country, it’s just so compelling.

Back to the Joellie aspect of the saga.

It’s made very clear in the final story - which by the way is the best title: The Home at the End of the Road is just a perfect title to describe not only their home once they settle in Jackson, but Jackson itself is their home at the end of their long journey. I could weep - anyway, by the final story, it’s made clear that Ellie is considered an adult by end-of-the-world standards when she turns 16, and Joel is finally ready (at peace?) to give himself completely to her. I didn’t particularly care for the scene itself - it’s not how I would have written it, it’s not what I was looking for or expecting, but we’re not yucking on anyone’s yum here, it just wasn’t it for me.

The story jumps ahead by a good decade and immediately takes a sad, different kind of dark turn - we know Joel is mortal (for some of us, he’s not, but here he is) and the writer spends the last chapter showing that they’ve started a family but Joel’s mortality is this dark cloud over the home at the end of the road.

What I’m about to say next is entirely my opinion - I never had a chance to speak to the writer, he was long gone from ao3 by the time I read this story - this is my opinion. The idea of the war between FEDRA and surrounding communities felt like it was taken straight out of The Walking Dead - I don’t mean that in a bad way, just that it felt out of place for the universe. TWD and TLOU take place in different times beyond the start of their respective outbreaks - TWD is about 15ish years after the outbreak when the show ends and FtW is about 30-35 years after - that’s a big difference. I don’t think there are a lot of big communities out there in the TLOU universe - not like what was depicted in FtW, and an all out war against FEDRA. Again this is just my opinion.

When I set out to write Every Night Has Its Dawn, I wanted the epilogue to be an homage and draw inspiration from the final chapter of Home at the End of the Road. I wanted to show that living at the end of the world could be possible for Joel and Ellie and the family they have together. I was so devastated by FtW ending with not only Ellie losing Joel and one of her children, but then she loses her own life. It was too heartbreaking, and I had another vision.

That’s a lot of fucking rambling to get to the point. The story itself is a good story - the details and the way the Joel/Ellie relationship were written were not my cup of tea and I can see why you say that it’s an extreme example of the forbidden ship. It is. It’s a lot - there’s a lot of graphic descriptions of underage sexual activity, and it’s depraved, a lot of it. Does that make it bad? No, it makes it someone else’s enjoyment. It gives us writers inspiration though - there’s a lot he writes that I strive to write, but there’s a lot that I would change, and maybe did a little to fit into my universe.

Anyway, that’s my long winded take. If you stick around this long, y’all deserve a medal. Drop a line if you wanna add something to this. I would love to discuss more.

🫶🏻

[junkiepunkie]

the Scottish hate crime law

[I’ll preface this with the fact I’m Scottish] So... a lot of bigots appear to be having trouble understanding the new Scottish hate crime law. Let me explain.

This law is a massive step forward for Scotland, in my opinion, in the fight for social equality. It criminalizes the targeted abuse/purposeful discrimination of trans and gender non-conforming people, disabled people, as well as some other categories. If a person is reported under the law they can be charged as committing a hate crime -which would be true as that is in fact what that is- and at the very least all reported cases would be investigated, at which point you could be either found not guilty, guilty of non-criminal hate or guilty of a hate crime. Now, to me this is ABSOLUTELY FAIR and COMPLETELY WARRANTED, because I’m not a piece of absolute shit. The only people who could possibly be worried by this law are people who actively commit hate crimes and whom we should therefore have no sympathy for regarding this matter.

But why do I think people don’t understand the law? Well, that’s simple. Some people are angry because Humza Yusaf (first minister and there for leader of the country) and a Tory MP who’s name escapes me right now have both been accused of hate crimes, but only the Tory MP is maybe going to be charged. Now, Humza is being reported over talk that he was racist -to fucking WHITE PEOPLE!! The literal dominant socio-economic race- in a speech made 4 years ago about George Floyd. Spoiler alert: what he said wasn’t racist it just made idiotic white people uncomfortable. The Tory MP, in stark contrast, compared identifying as non-binary to announcing you were a cat. ....People are mad.... that only.... one of these men.... is getting charged....

now, I know what you’re thinking. “Ok sure, that is pretty stupid, but I mean, people have a right under this new law to report what they deem to be hate towards their race and so they weren’t exactly wrong-“

except that this new law doesn’t deal with race, that law was passed years ago. If this comment Humza made was really that bad they could have reported it years ago, but instead a ridiculous amount of white cos people decided to try and play a racism card without even understanding the idiocy of their own actions. Idiots.

in conclusion, I’m proud of Scotland for passing laws to keep up with the times yet I am also deeply dissapointed in my country’s population for taking advantage of a new law to be bigoted.

terfs suck.

trans people are entitled to rights.

white people need to stop calling things that check their privelage attacks.

[princeandrogyne]

this is super long so first of all sorry and second of all as always free to trash it if it sucks or you don’t really want to bother. also thinking about it now tumblr might nuke this because the word count is very wordy so also if shit glitches out lmk I’ll try my best to repair any misunderstanding or egregious typo. but of course no response necessary even though I love open dialogue I obviously understand I wrote a whole fucking essay here and sometimes that’s just like. very overwhelming. no rush and no pressure forever and always. I know the possibility of people hearing me out is always lessened with the increase of yapping I do. I don’t blame anyone for that.

wanted to start this off by saying I have no grand delusions of saving anyone. I am already highly doubtful what I say really does anything to people I know in real life because I know people are resistant to hear things they already discarded, so of course it’s not like I expect this deluge of words on a screen to mean much to anyone, let alone you. but maybe I’d still regret it if I just turned away. ah, who am I kidding? I regret everything I do, even the small details and meaningless actions I take. I regret every word I say, usually. I suppose I am lucky in a sense that the powers that be pumped me with the anxiety chemical more so than the depression one. I’ve never really been in your place before, but I can understand it. I’ve definitely thought about killing myself, but it’s always ironically been tampered by the very thing that causes me to spiral. anxiety is a survival mechanism after all, and the fear of regretting my choice, of everything changing for the better the instant I give up always pulls me back. the one good thing about anxiety is it gives you a fear of death even when the rest of you doesn’t.

sorry for talking about myself (yet again) for so long. I’m getting to the point. basically, I’m sorry you’re going through this and you should know there are people, so many people who care about you. they want to see you alive. active. they want to hear your words or see your art or just see what kind of person you’ll grow into. hell, I barely know who you are and am communicating with you through an anonymous message on tumblr yet I care an honestly greater amount for you than people I’ve known in real life (granted a lot of the time those people were sort of shitty but I digress. I don’t think you’re a bad person. the opposite, in fact) the absurdity of this communication (and how very gen z of us) still hasn’t made me care less. I again, being a bunch of words on a screen, don’t know you very well, but I think you really don’t deserve to be in this position. you don’t deserve to be pushed into hopelessness, nobody does, but it makes me genuinely kind of angry that young, talented, well-spoken, interesting people end up feeling like this, just because of the realities of who you are, the things that make you interesting and clever but different brutally colliding with the deeply shitty world and country we live in.

but I can also understand how nice platitudes don’t mean much. being dead is kind of the worlds best excuse to stop caring about what others think, even if they think well of you. and people, it’s always hard to really be convinced they actually care, or if they’re trying to simply protect themselves from feeling bad in the future. I still can’t read people. I rarely trust people. I get that. I guess if you don’t trust people, trust that change is inevitable, and maybe it’ll just take time (as all things do) to see the changes. you mentioned half of the reasons you had to keep living were gone. what if more reasons arise? actually, not what if, more reasons WILL arise. it’s the nature of nature. inertia is antithetical to existence. Is this valuable advice? I don’t know. I have more words I could put here but I’m not a therapist or a writer even and I don’t want to be misunderstood if I do try and give direct actual advice. I guess I still know my limitations confined to this hyperspecific and imperfect mode of communication…I don’t know. allow me to just simply join a chorus of support, of hope and of getting as close to something we could call genuinely as possible.

I know I said I wasn’t coming into this with delusions of grandeur, but by god I wish I could express something so beautiful to convince someone to keep living. how egotistical of me, really. yet this isn’t really that, and I’m sorry I can’t do that. as I finish writing this I’m even kind of confused why I’ve spent so long on a piece of writing that’s probably shit and probably more of an annoyance than anything. forgive me for the dramatics but something deeper than logic compels me to try speaking here. is this what a parasocial relationship is. is this what the internet was made for? maybe I’m a hopeless fool who thinks there’s more that life can offer for people like me or you. maybe I can’t help trying to preserve something I feel is valuable.

I hope you don’t kill yourself. I feel like you have more to say. I hope the people around you can reinforce that, I hope they don’t stop giving you reasons to live. the world has more to give you. I have more to say.

Please never be sorry for talking to me. In fact stop apologizing for it altogether. 

I have anxiety as well, but its drowned out by disdain for life and being alive. I used to be very scared of heights, and roads, and dead things, and i didn’t go outside very much because i was terrified of even scraping my knees. And now i don’t care. If i hurt or die then peace is upon me. The only thing that really gives me anxiety now is staying alive.

I like that you talk about yourself. I am getting to know you. However i think you are a bit strange. That anyone could find myself “talented, well-spoken, interesting, or clever” is… Disheartening. There are much better people than me to attribute these to, i hope you get to meet them. And i dont think you should be sorry that I am going through anything. It’s not your fault. Im certain I was built to experience bad things until I die. 

My inertia declines with every passing day. I am mentally very slow. My brain has had palpable degradation of function for quite some time. I also am becoming emotionally less … careful, and physically i am doing probably worse than ever. I am so slow. I don’t think i want more reasons to live in the first place. I don’t want to be kept here anymore. 

It’s ok that you cannot find anything to convince me. Many people have tried. I’m a bit of a lost cause. You’re not egotistical. You’re just trying to be a good person and do what you’re supposed to do. I think you should stop seeing anything I write as valuable though, if anything I’m taking up your time and energy. There is certainly more to life I think that can be offered to you, you have proven yourself kind and thoughtful. I don’t think that I am anything like you though.

We’ll see what happens. I don't think anything i have to say is necessary or hasn’t already been said.

[backstage-if]

hi! since you said you were looking for an excuse to talk about the families... 👪 for all the ROs? (and Wille and MC too, if you want!)

YOU'RE A LIFE-SAVER. Of course, there will be more... nuance in the actual IF and some of these are spoilers.

👪 FAMILY - what is their family like? what is your ocs relationship to them? does your oc have any siblings?

Under the cut :)

MC They were raised by their mom and she is basically the only family MC knows. I think I said this before but her family cut contact before MC was born, so… no grandparents, no cousins. Their father is out of the picture, too. MC and their mom were basically on their own and all the other had, so they really clinged to each other for most years. They were glued when MC was little. The mom is very supportive and always encouraged MC to pursue arts. I think seeing their mom work so hard to raise them and also being the reason her parents stopped talking to her… can make MC scared to disappoint her? Also some of their abandonment issues come from THIS lack of other relatives. 

I can’t exactly say what their relationship is like now because I plan to leave it to the player, but what I CAN say is that their mom tries to be involved, at least. Also, no siblings. 

Bonus: I talked before about the mom having a close friend group, so, yeah, MC grew up with 3 aunts (!!) who all lived in different parts of the country, but they used to call on their birthday, send gifts and visit sometimes. 

C

A nurse dad (Jaymes), an accountant mom (Sloane) and a teenage sister (Meredith or just Edith). C’s relationship with their parents… used to be better. Things were fine when they were the funny kid who, yeah, sometimes got sent to the principal’s office for whatever reason, but also had the best grades in class year after year, graduated with honors and left for college. C’s parents don’t really understand why they want to be an actor and this really strained their relationship. C figured this out during their college years and just immediately went to San Thérese after graduating, so them and their parents didn't have much time to talk about it. The rest of their time together? Yeah, they get along well. 

C's parents are quite serious people, but they appreciate their child's humor. They like how C knows who they are (even if that's why they're butting heads) and how caring they can be. They really should just meet face to face and talk for a while. 

C gets along well with their sister, very grumpy (Edith) and sunshine (C) sibling dynamic. They talk at least a few times every week and are always sending each other random messages. Edith looks up to her older siblings, even if C doesn't see that.

NEIL

His mom (Cora) was Neil's favorite person, but she unfortunately passed away when he was 19. She just really loved being a mom and, even if she was busy because of her career, she always made time for him. Taking him to the theater, mom-son painting classes, being part of the activities at his school, things like that. Core also tried to make sure the media wasn’t pestering her son until he was old enough to decide if that was the life he wanted. She was the actress, not him. 

Things were different with Neil’s dad (Émile/Edwin). He wanted to be a dad, but didn’t know how to be a good one. Privacy and such were always a sore topic between him and Neil’s mom because too much attention made Neil overwhelmed at a young age and Émile was always using his dad title for good headlines and paparazzi pictures, but he didn’t actually find a way to connect with his son. As Neil got older, he was fine having a very neutral, kind of distant relationship with his dad, but then his mom got sick, his parents got a divorce and Neil finally accepted that his dad isn’t the kind of person he likes to have around. 

I don’t think his dad is an angry man, but Neil is the only one who knows how to get on his nerves.

Also, because Neil’s dad doesn’t really understand how to raise a child and keeps with his acting career, Neil has been basically raising his sister (Laurie, 8) since he turned 19. He makes sure she gets to school on time and she talks his ear off every day after coming back. They go to the park. Neil bakes brownies for her school’s fairs. He tries to be who his mom was to him and they get along well. Neil doesn’t introduce her to anyone he doesn’t consider a close friend.

JOY

Joy’s parents had some issues with their other pregnancies and she was a really wanted, loved baby… and child, teenager and adult. Joy and her parents simply are very close. She is an only child. 

Her dad (Dustin) is a dentist and her mom (Anne) is a historical-fiction writer. They both are interested in arts and it was their idea to introduce her to theater during her middle school years to see if some of her shyness disappeared. They were worried about her social life for a while. It worked, she blossomed. 

There’s nothing much to say aside from the fact that Joy loves her parents very much. She cares about their opinion and she always tries to make time for them, at least weekly. She moved to her aunt’s old apartment to try to be a little more independent and it worked. Their love can be a little suffocating, but they’re trying to listen more to her and spend less time worrying and living their own lifes.

Her aunt (Rey) was Joy’s inspiration when she was growing up. She is a very confident, laid-off woman who likes to spend her time traveling and meeting people. Joy thought she was awesome and she still does. Rey moved from her old apartment a few years ago to live with her wife and left it to her favorite niece. 

Also, Rey was the one who adopted Patroclus for Joy. 

SPENCER An English teacher dad (Corey), a restaurant-owner mom (Natália), an older sister (Helena/Lena, 28) and a younger brother (Jonas, 12). 

Spencer gets along greatly with both of their parents, but especially their mom (and they believe they’re her favorite). A lot of their curiosity and passion for trying new things comes from their parents. Corey likes to research, read and learn every aspect of the thing he sets his mind on. Nat likes to be more practical and simply… try, even if things go wrong at first. They’re very in sync as a couple and Spencer is quietly impressed by that because they’ve been together for a long time and are very stable.

Lena, the oldest, is where Spencer’s perfectionism comes from. Their sister has been a bit obsessed with being always right ever since her teenage years, but, while she got over this idea a while ago, Spencer is still kind of set on being the best. Even if Spencer is a very calm person, their competitiveness appears when it’s against their sister (their parents think it’s because they’re so close in age).

Jonas, the youngest, is a hurricane. He is always going by Spencer’s apartment uninvited, going with his friends to see their sibling at the coffee shop, messing with Spencer’s stuff to see if they get angry. They don’t. Spencer loves his brother and doesn’t care about his tricks, but sometimes pretends to do so he gets happy. 

A

Surgeon mom (Simran), musician dad (Azad) and half-brother (Rohan, 12). 

A lot of A’s selfishness comes from their parents and how they (A) views their divorce. 

They’re quite similar to their mom when it comes to personality, so they understand each other and it makes it easy for them to live together. They don't mess with each other's personal stuff, have a similar taste for food and know where to find the other when they want to talk. 

A small, childhood-constant part of A makes it hard for them to see their dad as absent. He tries not to be, but his career hasn’t yet launched and it takes a lot of his time and has been taking a lot of his time for years by now. It affects both of his children. 

A’s mom isn’t the biggest fan of theater. She watches plays, but doesn't have a passion for it or anything. Still, when her child came to her saying that they wanted to act, she supported it. 

A is close to their little brother, they see each other every month. It could be better, but it isn’t bad. 

WILLE Their parents (Veronica and Albert) have a clothing store together and Wille has twin siblings (Becca and Luke). 

Wille’s parents are pretty much still in love. They’re disgustingly sweet together. 

They wanted Wille to keep taking care of the store later in life, but they believe their parents are more relieved that they didn’t want to. 

Wille studied business at college because of their parents. 

If anyone asked Wille for the name of their siblings, they would have to think about it for at least a minute. 

They don’t really talk to each other and that’s all Wille wants people to know.

[hetastates]

Western Wednesday except posted on a Thursday

How each (Western) state acts when they get the wrong order at the drive through.

Alaska: Pretty sure this guy sources a lot of the food that is served in the drive through to begin with. Despite this, that doesn’t actually have any effect on how he behaves when he clearly ordered an elk burger and you give him a Fillet o Fish. This isn’t even a McDonald's — how and WHY are they giving him a Fillet o Fish? Now, let’s be real here, being that far up North will mess anybody up, and being that far away from the rest of your country means that a lot of hatred and Karenage is stored up and bottled inside oneself. And that’s exactly what Alaska does — he just grumbles and drive away, possibly while the food is still in the employee's hand. Will he say or do anything about it? No. Will he write a one star review on Yelp? Also no. You’d best believe that he’ll hold that grudge forever — and probably mutter something about this is why he doesn’t go to fast food places.

California: People may think that just because she’s rich means she doesn’t really work hard, but this is not the case. When she’s not actively on set, she works in various state parks. She loves animals. This job is very laborious, and when Cali gets off work, she’s famished. Oftentimes she’s too tired to really correct an employee if they pen down the wrong order. It doesn’t stop there, though — of course it doesn’t. California is vocal. California is loud. She will devour the entire wrong meal, not even once questioning how she was served a Fillet o Fish when it clearly is not McDonald’s, and then, after the very last bite, after she’s licked her fingers clean, she will go up to the register and unleash the wrath of a thousand grizzlies about how this was NOT her order. "But you ate the whole thing" has no gravity in this situation. Do you know who California is?! Yeah, she’s annoying, okay, she’ll give you that, but will you be able to function without California? Don’t mess with California. She’s larger than life. And you? You’re just an incompetent speck of dust who gave her a FILLET O FISH!

Colorado: Dude, does he even notice? Pretty sure that altitude sickness got to him. He didn’t even drive himself here. No, he got an Uber. He doesn’t even question the fact that he went to a drive through vegan bakery and they sold him a Fillet o Fish that was purple. He can hardly taste the difference. Despite the way Colorado behaves, he is completely sober, but living on the mountains for so long, well, he’s, by default, high. This is some good food, though. Would you like a free coupon? He collects coupons for things he'll never use. It’s his love language, and he loves you so much. You’re so awesome, did you know that? You’re, like, a star. You’re, like, Vega.

Hawaii: Hawaii is the epitome of someone who is sensible and a normal human being. She knows how to party — oh, she KNOWS HOW to party — but in day to day interactions she is the person we all should be but no one actually is. She is the one who says, "Oh, excuse me but I think you mixed up my order" and she waits there calmly for the issue to be sorted out. How did Hawaii ever get so normal? No wonder she’s slowly drifting away from the chaos empire, a few inches annually.

Idaho: Like Hawaii, Idaho is chill. Idaho's a farmer. Idaho honestly doesn’t have the energy to complain. All food is good food, after all. She’ll eat whatever is given to her. She came here specifically so that she didn’t have to cook tonight — she doesn’t care WHAT you give her. Yeah, so she ordered Mountain Dew but you COULD give her dirty mop water. She won’t complain. Unless. Unless you give her a potato meal. Do you think this is funny? Like some kind of joke? Ha, ha, Idaho is a potato farmer, VERY funny, HILARIOUS, BRAVO, do you realise how you come across when you do that? You know, wise guy, BACK IN HER DAY when people made a stupid practical joke—

Montana: It depends on the nature of the mix up. If what she ordered was more expensive than what she got, she'll go up to the front, stern but not impolite, and fix the mistake. She'll circle that Toyota Tundra into the parking lot and walk into the store and wait. However, this does not apply if she’s getting a discount. Did she pay for chicken nuggets and receive a whole rack of baby back ribs? Well dang, guess it’s her lucky day or something! Maybe she should try the lottery! In the long run, Montana doesn’t care all too much about her food — as long as it’s filling and not made of pure sugar, she’ll be happy. Montana is in it for the money. And she goes out once in awhile so that people stop making fun of how cheap she is. She’s not cheap, dang it, she’s frugal!

Nevada: Nevada is strange. When it’s just him, he’s a very chill guy. When it’s him and literally anyone else, whether it be him and a girlfriend, him and a coworker, him and the guy across the street, he can get really uptight and confrontational in an attempt to impress and to come across as something of a macho man. His love for music, geekiness for cinema, and green thumb (as well as his ability to survive 290 days in the desert on a vegan diet — he would never back down from a dare) are really what make him macho and manly, but for some odd reason Nevada thinks that people will be completely wowed if he screams in a fast food worker's face about how he got the 6 pack and not the 4 pack and how he wanted HONEY MUSTARD WITH HIS CHICKEN NUGGIES >:(. It’s like he’s a completely different person when others are around.

Oregon: …. …. … If you don’t understand why he’s sitting there glaring at you as if he’s trying to activate some magical eyeball lasers to completely disintegrate you, then eventually he’ll just drive away, still coldly staring at you through the side mirror of his car. Oregon has a weird way of expressing his emotions which, for the most part, involves menacing stares. He looks like a guy who thinks he’s in an emotional music video but in reality he just looks like Hannibal Lecter got caught drunk driving during a downpour and doesn’t know how to operate his windshield wipers.

Utah: She doesn’t even tell employees that they mixed up her order; she just asks to confirm the ingredients in the wrong order are okay for her to eat. If she wants chicken nuggets and she’s given a Fillet o Fish, she’ll double check to make sure it was made in non-alcoholic batter and that it doesn’t contain caffeine. She could just say "Excuse me, I think you gave me the wrong order, I ordered chicken nuggets" and it would probably be faster and less burdensome than what she actually does. She doesn’t want to come across as mean — and she doesn’t. She comes across as paranoid.

Washington: WASHINGTON is the kind of guy that would go full Karen at a fast food restaurant. He would pound on the drive thru window — in fact, he would climb through it, get stuck, and require police and fire services to pull him out. He’s done this on multiple occasions. No one is quite sure what goes on in Washington for a man to behave like this, but this man clearly ordered a six piece chicken nugget meal. The amount of bad reviews this guy has given is astronomical — and these are long and detailed, too. Washington doesn’t speak to the manager. Ironically, even the mention of a manager is enough to send him running. He just wants his nuggets, man. Why’d you do him dirty like this?

Wyoming: Another sensible being (rare to find on this planet earth), like Hawaii, Wyoming doesn’t really ever want to cause a scene. She prioritises her time above all, and returning a mixed up order would just be a pain in the rear that she doesn’t want to deal with. Something about the bureaucracy and the red tape — at KFC. Whatever that means. She'll glance at her order, knowing very well that this is not what she wanted, and begrudgingly mutter, "Okay, whatever" before leaving. Whether or not she'll be back is debatable. Wyoming does not like to make a big deal out of things. In fact, one of the things that angers her most is when others make a big deal out of things. Anything that can be okay whatevered SHOULD be okay whatevered.

[neverwritewhatyouknow]

Ok hi respectfully I think your “hypothetical” question on twitter was not the best way to get your point across. This movie is a really big deal for queer Latine folks and treating the reduction of background character’s religion as something worse than a fully white British actor playing an ethnically Latine character was very selfish of you. If Nora’s Jewish identity was more central to her identity in the book it might have made it into the movie but that’s not my point. Alex is a canonically Mexican character being played by TZP who is actually Mexican himself. That doesn’t happen often. Latine characters get played by actors who aren’t from their countries all the fucking time (not that you or any non-latine notice, much less care) and finally that’s not the case with this movie. It makes me really sick how you are trying to overshadow what this means to queer Mexicans, Mixtec and queer Latines. If you want Jewish representation that’s fair but you should fully understand the significance of this first, acknowledge that the method you used to make your point was harmful, and stop making it all about you.

Hi, respectfully

Jewish isn’t just a religion. Judaism is the religion. Jewish people can be followers of Judaism, but you don’t have to be religious to be Jewish.

It’s an ethnicity, a culture, a people, a tribe.

I am in NO way trying to devalue the importance this movie is for Latine people. I’m so fucking happy that they actually cast an actor for Alex who actually fits Alex. That was the first thing I checked when the whole cast was revealed. I literally couldn’t be happier.

I do notice every single time that a minority in anything is played by the wrong minority, so thank you for assuming I don’t. I actively work in the Hollywood industry, I live in LA, and I’m a part of various organizations that fight for the rights of all minorities to have equal and positive representation in media, that always includes Latine people.

The question, in question was to prove that it’s wrong to erase any minority. People, a lot of the time, don’t seem to want to really understand where others come from unless you make a super big and wild example. Do I want a white guy to be Alex? FUCK NO! Literally even when I was typing it, I was like, there’s nobody who would agree with this, it’s fucking insane. (Luckily, it only looks like 2 people agreed and I’d claim those as bots before thinking anyone would agree).

Was it the best comparison? Probably not. But was it effective to get people to understand that canon ethnicities can’t just be erased when the production wants a cool actor? Yes. And it’s not to take away from Alex or his story or anything even related to him, it’s to show that the question is So blindly upsetting, because it is really upsetting when your ethnicity and culture get erased. It’s so painful and upsetting and terrible. No matter who it is. Jewish characters are so rarely played by Jewish actors, non-Jews play them all the fucking time. So yeah, I get it, Anon. We’re fighting the same fight. We both want representation for who we are, and we both deserve that a million times over

Nora also isn’t a background character. She was one of the biggest characters in the book. She was in just about every important scene that wasn’t just Alex and Henry. She’s kinda a big deal (don’t know if they made her smaller in the movie, especially with the whole June thing). Her Jewishness was on every page, it was central to her because it’s who she was. She was smart and awesome and cool, and Jewish. It shouldn’t have to be central to her story to be worthy of representation. Jews don’t have to “play Jewish” to be seen as such. We exist just like you, it’s just a part of who we are. We don’t have to constantly be, what? Eating bagels and talking about pogroms? to be seen as Jewish. We’re normal people. It not being central to her is actually what makes her so different from other Jewish characters, because she’s not a Jewish joke.

Queer Latine people SHOULD celebrate this movie. I’m celebrating with you, for you. But two things can be true at once, Alex is fucking great and obviously should only ever be played by a Latino actor. Not even a question. And, that it was wrong of the movie to erase Nora’s ethnicity too. Because Jews deserve rep.

And honestly, if you want to be mad at anyone for the hypothetical existing at all, blame the production. Not for removing Nora (I mean, yeah, that’s the reason for all of this), but because for the past year I’ve been trying to show them how what they did was wrong and I’ve been educating on Jew-erasure and antisemitism, and informing them on all things everything. And they have remained silent or blocked when questioned at all. I wouldn’t have had to post it, had the movie acknowledged at any point what they did, besides the blocking.

But anyway, welcome to my Tumblr, Anon. Please take a look around. If you have any questions, you know where my Ask box is. I’m way more likely to see messages on here than Twitter.

[too-many-rooks]

Writing procrastination game!

Thanks @lastlymatt for tagging me, I got rambly so I’ll put this under a ‘read more’

Tagging @pigandpepper @known-concepts @countessrivers

1.) what’s the name of one of your wips?

My doc names are usually very boring 95% of the time I finish a fic and think it’s ready to post and realise I need a title. How about ‘Yassen Bedroom Visit’?

2.) Describe a Wip in the format of __+__=__

SCORPIA heir Alex + totally normal kidnapping and drugging in the middle of the night get to safety orienteering exercises = childhood trauma

3.) What tags/warnings will one of your Wips need if you share it?

Forced child seperation?

4.) alternative title to a wip?

I don’t really have alternate titles! Titles tend to come pretty late in the process!

5.) which wip are you most likely to update/finish next?

Probably one of my s3 aus I’ve got brewing, there’s a longer thing I posted the first chapter of today but I also have some one shots, one where Yassen gets wounded fighting off Alex’s enemies and Alex basically has to hold him down to say he cares about him, and another where Yassen comes to chat to him in the middle of the night (while Alex is sleeping) and they catch up.

6.) what is one of your wip’s document title, not what it’s name is but what you have it saved as?

Again, extremely boring. Some examples - ‘Tom/House introduction’, ‘stables’, ‘the ball’, ‘heir apparent 1-9’, ‘hunting’ ‘hostage’ ‘orienteering.’

On reflection, these are very badly organised. But, hey Ho.

7.) post any sentence from your WIP?

Okay this took me forever to decide bc I want to share like, all of my sentences, but here’s a sentence from my SCORPIA heir Alex thing where Yassen just tries to take a day off, but is interrupted by Alex sneaking out of school/the country and mountain his school is on

‘Rubbing his eyes with his forefinger and thumb, he blocked out the little blonde headache sat before him, and sighed, already imagining the state of his email inbox when he got back to his laptop, which he’d sworn would stay folded in its case for the rest of the day.

“And how long ago was this? When should I start expecting panicked calls from your father?”‘

8.) a scrapped idea from your WIP?

Not necessarily a scrapped idea but evidently one I forgot about and rediscovered as I was flicking through google docs - originally a pre-season 3 idea (but could work post s3) where Yassen retires, and decides it’s time for Alex to retire too, even if he doesn’t want to. Very “congratulations you are being adopted! Do not resist.” Meme with Yassen that I’ve seen on here, the bit I’d written was him contemplating the least traumatising way to kidnap him, to make sure they’re a happy family unit post-kidnapping

9.) what’s a story you would love to write but have yet to start?

Alex sees dead people AU - Ian knows, when he dies his ghost becomes bound to Alex, and helps take care of him/watch over him in the field, Alex bumps into Yassen at Point Blanc and immediately recognises the ghost bound to him as his father, especially as he begs the assassin to stop pretending like he can’t hear him for once and let him see his son, to protect him.

10.) how many WIPs are you actively working on?

Four - regency fic, darker Alex s3 au, two other s3 aus I mentioned earlier. Suprised myself by how much of this longer ‘SCORPIA heir’ Alex thing that I’d put off for a while I’ve actually written. That’s one that I really want to finish before I start posting bc I’m bad at doing work without an immediate emotional reward/it’s a longer than anything I’ve written before and I don’t want to give up on it when it’s half published. I had been delaying it till after s3 but maybe time to get to work (will try and finish regency fic first)

11.) is there a scene your struggling to write now?

Oh I mean so many but the most immediate stumbling block is with the regency fic, chapter after this one they go to a ball and that’s almost basically written and so is a lot of the next two chapters but there’s things I need to thread into this chapter that just don’t want to be threaded - I need Alex to start being a bit more suspicious of Yassen, and remember that whole thing about his uncle being murdered now he’s a bit passed the initial princess diaries revelation moment.

I was thinking like Alex waiting up for him on Christmas Eve or something and falls asleep then is woken by Yassen sneaking back in and Alex noticed he’s got blood on his clothes or something and Yassen just shrugs him off and reacts more strictly/authoritatively than he has before. But the scene is a bit sludgy I my mind atm.

12.) Not a question but a second kudos!

[eddieydewr]

I think what people forget, ignore or probably in the case of most younger fans, just don’t know, is that a two state solution has been offered multiple times in the past. One time so much as to give the Palestinians like 90 percent of what they wanted or more, and every single time they refused. At a certain point we have to be more critical of the Palestinians as well for having the option of peace multiple times and rejecting it every single time it was offered. And I don’t think we can or should ignore the fact that they elected Hamas, who stated in their founding charter they want all jews everywhere dead. To me this shows a fundamental incapability for these two groups of people to ever live peacefully in the same region until that ideology ends. because while the Israeli govt and military has a laundry list of problems they should be called out on, and the regime needs to go, and crimes they have committed need to be brought to justice, you also can’t make peace with a government/people whose ideology wants you dead full stop. Until that changes, there is no solution because what can be done? This is why this conflict has raged for so long with no solution and is considered insanely complicated, and why the simple bad guys vs good guys binary that gen z has ascribed to the situation doesn’t work.

Jews have indigenous claims to the land and even if they didn’t, realistically millions of jews are not going to up and leave because 1) where would they even go? where would we put them? whose land would we have to take so that they could have somewhere to go and what would be the fallout and other potential problems caused from that? the logistics of that are a nightmare and many jews live in Israel because other places of the world did not want jews or it was unsafe for them there (we also need to recognize most of the arab countries had lots of jews in their countries but have expelled all or almost all of them over the years so Israel was the best place for them to go) and the whole they are just white europeans and have other passports and can just up and leave to their other homes is not applicable to most of fhe people there and insulting to isrealis who have a long lineage in the middle east 2) as we have only been shown even more this year, the world is not a safe place for jews, the quickness in which so called liberal minded western people devolved into nazi like rhetoric is alarming, and they definitely deserve a place to protect themselves …. so yea this has no solution until hamas is gone and the palestinian people decide for themselves and through who they elect to lead them, that peace is more important than hating jews cause at this point that’s the only thing stopping a 2 state solution which can be the only solution to this. Cause israel is not going to be dissolved and the jews and palestinians can not live together in one state in harmony as the history of the middle east has shown us

(And I sure hope all the people who want Israel to be dissolved because they are “white colonizers” are willing to give up their home and land if they live in north america and give it back to the. native americans , if not then they need to shut up, stop grandstanding and think of actual solutions )

This post might sound like I am laying the issues all on Palestines feet and that I am some Israel bootlicker, I am not, both sides are at fault here, and both sides need to be active in trying to make peace and stop killing, however it can’t be ignored that at least Isreal has tried many times to give them what they want and end this but they always refuse and instead elected terrorists. And then they attacked and slaughtered hundreds… Like I support their right to want to have their own land but I do not support their actions so far and inability to accept any compromises and i can’t with the “noble savage” cliched trope that the internet has given to Hamas.

omg i don’t think i have much to add because you are right lol and i agree re. palestinians having their own land. young people also don’t realise that even the jews who never left were treated like second class citizens during the ottoman empire and the british mandate. when it fell into the UN’s hands, the arabs and palestinians didn’t even want 99% of the land because they hated the idea of living next door to jews. and now, 70 plus years later, one of the hamas leaders the other day reiterated that he doesn’t want a two state solution and wants the jewish ppl gone. so… the conflict isn’t going to be solved overnight, no matter how hard american college students scream for a ceasefire and boycotting businesses/brands that aren’t necessarily explicitly linked to israel.

lol btw, yesterday i saw an irish guy on twitter who is very radical and his bio said ‘refugees always welcome’. a lovely sentiment but i know he wouldn’t extend his welcome to israelis if they were to be displaced. 🤪