#also if anyone wishes to disagree with me or say ‘i agree but [opposite of what i said]’: save it!

[ovisiphorus]

People are annoying and suffer from not knowing how to write properly and from not knowing how cartoons are made so go “well I would have changed THESE parts of what’s already a cohesive narrative I don’t get the point of and THEN it would have been good!” about both SU and other media. This sort of snotty and annoying refusal to engage with a text then became the defining way to interact with media going forward.

Also the backlash started right around the time where the right wing and such sentiment was taking over in droves globally and online. The cultivation of “irony” and “cringe” def had an outsized influence on queer people and many internalized it so refused to extend grace to a queer-positive, progressive, queer-created show with a narrative about restorative justice and instead devolved into the crowd of dipshit chuds also hating on the show for being [slurs].

It’s aggravating, what’s happened. And from my POV as a Black queer person who understands narrative and what Sugar and company were saying and also knows how cartoons are made, the way people went and go extra ham talking about real life issues wrt this show, allegedly to HELP me/people like me, I think it sucks and I refuse to give people who behave this way the time of day or my attention.

speaking as a fan of both, why do steven universe fans talk about it like it’s miraculous ladybug. steven universe was actually good

[dalliancekay]

Aziraphale and Manipulation

I want to address a couple of things re: manipulation

Aziraphale is naïve and gullible and easily fooled

Aziraphale is a manipulative asshole who doesn't take no for an answer

Metatron

Points 1 and 2

Funny how both of these seem to be true at the same time for people who dislike Aziraphale or think that Crowley should never be challenged or disagreed with or teased, even though in canon, he literally says or acts in ways that prove he absolutely loves his unpredictable spouse who makes him laugh and react and act in unexpected ways.

Which also points to the strange discrepancy in how fanon Crowley is incredibly powerful, having had created the entire Universe AND brought a human back to life (neither of which is true btw) and also weak cos he gives in to his partner against his will (I know this is not how manipulation of that kind works, but I also don't think people who accuse A/C of this unhealthy dynamic understand our couple so it's just a stupid comparison because Aziraphale knows exactly when to back down from teasing his love, much like he did with the car colour to calm Crowley's agitation).

I am not going to address these points at any length anyway, because I think they are, frankly stupid. I am just pointing out that people who make Aziraphale a villain can make him a villain in any way they wish, even if the points are on opposite scales and both untrue.

And just so you know, Crowley would hate you for this. Crowley adores the angel because Aziraphale is constantly challenging him, surprising him and bringing his best self out. Because Aziraphale is silly and kind and believes in the best of everyone and thinks being good is a superpower.

Point 3

I feel like my manipulative and your manipulative might be different manipulatives in the fandom. Especially when it comes to Final 15.

For me, Metatron being manipulative means him not saying things straight, not saying what he really means, because such things as he wants and plans are not really 'good' good, if you see what I mean. And we can't have that for Heaven. After all, we aren't killing Job's kids... we are just ... not stopping Hell from killing them - Gabriel learned from the best. When Metatron decided on running circles around Aziraphale and has carefully chosen his words ("Now if you wanted to work with him again, that might be considered irregular..."), he made sure Aziraphale understood that the 'offer' was actually a way out of something far worse that Metatron was not going to stoop down to name (or perhaps he did but we didn't see it).

And Aziraphale understood and his heart broke and he started to feel truly terrified (we saw it in real time - just compare the above gif with the below one when Furfur too, threatened Crowley

And then poor Aziraphale tried to go on and explain all this to Crowley while not knowing how and suspecting he will be closely monitored while doing so.

Now. Anyone who thinks Aziraphale would want to make Crowley an angel to make him HAPPIER has completely misunderstood both Aziraphale and imo, Good Omens too.

Crowley was happy when we met him before time in S2 because he was innocent and fully himself (3/4 goofy, 1/4 part self-centred). This is not something Aziraphale could achieve (even if wanted to - but why would he?) by making him an angel again. And he's definitely not stupid to think this would happen. It might have happened if they took Crowley's memories perhaps. And he'd be back to his young self. Like Gabriel/Jim. And if you think Aziraphale would agree (or like!) that, you are insane.

This:

is a threat. Letting Aziraphale know that him going to Heaven (and Crowley agreeing to one more drastic change on top of going there) is the only way they could perhaps work together again. Staying, was never an option. And I don't actually care if that's something that can be done and/or whether Metatron would have followed through if Crowley by some miracle had said yes.

Because Metatron clearly expected Crowley will say no (I also suspect he had good reasons to expect this, perhaps some that Aziraphale doesn't know of), and I bet Aziraphale knew in his heart of hearts that Crowley would never agree either. Perhaps he didn't even want him to agree. He wouldn't want Crowley to be unhappy. But then, he was going to end up unhappy anyway, was he not? They both were. There was no other way. So if Aziraphale allowed himself a bit of hope that they could be together still, who are we to blame and judge him for it? (No, don't answer that.) He must have thought this is forever. That they are parting forever.

But for some people, it seems to me, Metatron being manipulative means that Metatron pulled on some of Aziraphale's 'strings' and blinded him to make him come to Heaven against reason/common sense/better options/forever and ever with his love.

Whether it's his trust that Heaven can be made good - Aziraphale is many things, but he is not vain, he could not possibly think he can fix Heaven by himself like some incarnation of Melon Tusk. Try? Perhaps. With Crowley? Maybe. But in current situation? He did not believe that.

or perhaps Aziraphale missed Heaven? Missed being part of the Plan? Missed God? Wanted to get back on it? Like the poor little lost sheep he is? Please. The angel pursed his lips and looked over his shoulder when Crowley was happily switching on stars in his Nebula, talking of suggestion boxes. Aziraphale knew Heaven was far from perfect or benevolent or merciful or even understanding, long before Crowley.

So no, Aziraphale wasn't led like some puppet on a string, fed a few lies, gotten a few bits of praise and forgotten everything he ever thought or knew. Do you think Aziraphale is so stupid he didn't see Metatron wanted him to come to Heaven without making a fuss? He didn't need to see (what Crowley saw in Heaven) to understand he was being made to come quietly. And perhaps Aziraphale understood too, that coming without cuffs and with his memories intact will give him whatever little leverage he can get.

Metatron also knew giving the wayward angel in front of him any spare moment could end up in disaster, because that exact thing happened before.

What was Aziraphale supposed to do if Metatron didn't take a no (a several of them in fact) for an answer? Metatron is the Voice of God, apparently the highest being after God. Was Aziraphale to ignore Metatron? Go back to the bookshop and lock the door?

What would have happened? Metatron would throw his arms up and go - oh well, I guess I'll leave them to their Armageddon averting, huge miracle making partnership where they can easily fool and blind both Heaven and Hell combined with barely any effort. No reason I should worry.

But he should worry.

Because Aziraphale fooled Hell easily once

And he can do it with Heaven too

And he will.

[queerprayers]

begging for christians to remember jesus was jewish. like, that is an inescapable part of him. yeah he's also universal but like it's incredibly fucked up to say he would've been palestinian when that's factually not true

Hi, beloved, I agree with your first two sentences! I'm going to try to write this response as neutrally as I can, as I don't think answering this is the best place for me to elaborate on things unrelated to your specific statement. I am not an expert, but I don't think any of these paragraphs require expert information—though of course further nuance can be found elsewhere.

There are many different ways to look at calling Jesus Palestinian, and for much of my life I was not aware of them. I had always called him Palestinian—for instance, there are hymns I grew up singing that reference Palestine. This is not a new phenomenon, although of course knowledge and discussion of that term has increased in recent years, and currently is very tied to specific ideological and material conflicts. This was also not a political statement—neither a Palestinian nationalist, anti-Israel, or antisemitic one (do note that I am differentiating these positions)—especially because anything written before the founding of the modern state of Israel did not (and could not) take that into account.

It is common practice to reference where historical figures are from with what the land is now referred to—saying they were born in "modern-day ___." Bethlehem is currently annexed as part of the West Bank, so it is accurate to say he was born in modern-day Palestine—while this is obviously politically controversial, as some wish to make that land fully a part of Israel, and whether Palestine should be considered a legitimate state is not agreed upon, we can at least agree that is currently in a territory named Palestine.

To use the geopolitical language of his time, Jesus was a Judean (although the name Palestine was used for parts of that land by the Greeks previously, and the phrase "Jewish Palestine" is sometimes used). I would agree that it is inaccurate to say Jesus was Arab, which I think is what you're getting at. The modern ethnic identities of Middle Eastern peoples were not in place, and Islam had yet to unite areas the way it did later. I would agree that "Jewish" is the best way to refer to his ethnicity, and this was his category in the Roman Empire.

The people who call Jesus Palestinian for further reasons besides his hometown being in modern-day Palestine have a variety of opinions—some are Palestinian Christians who identify with his experience of hardship, some are nationalists who support reclaiming the entire land as Palestine, some find that the most historically encompassing term, etc. These reasons can obviously be antisemitic and an attempt to distance him from Judaism, but they can also be reclamations of a complicated identity or simplified/summarized historical reasons, and I don't think they're all "fucked up"—which brings me to the last thing I want to point out:

"Palestinian" and "Jewish" are not opposites, nor are they mutually exclusive. Of course the modern usage of Palestinian has been narrowed and tied to Arab ethnicity and Islam, but there are Jews living in Palestine, and furthermore, there are Arab Jews. Israel has a history of mistreating Arab (and African, and probably other categories of) Jews, even those who are Israeli. To call Jesus (or anyone) Palestinian is not inherently to erase his Judaism, and I think to say it is in fact erases the lived experience of Jewish people who are minorities even within their own faith. It is also to tie "Jewish" with "Israeli" inextricably, which makes it harder to have nuanced conversation, and binds all Jews to a state they have differing opinions on.

You can (and should) disagree with some of the reasons people call Jesus Palestinian, or you may not consider it the most accurate/relevant/useful way to describe him, but please leave some space for the word Palestine to be a reality, and allow the complicated history of a land to produce many ways to refer to the people who have lived there. And when people do introduce more political reasons into the conversation, those experiencing genocide finding solidarity in their religious figure being born in the place where they live is not my priority right now—especially when there are actually people being actively antisemitic in their politics.

These are discussions that others more knowledgeable/relevant than me have had, and I will link some examples and sources below. 

<3 Johanna

"Was Jesus a Palestinian?" (Got Questions) 

"Was Jesus Palestinian?" (The Conversation)

"Jewish Palestine at the Time of Jesus" (Encyclopedia Britannica)

"Is Jesus Palestinian? Palestinian Christian Perspectives on Judaism, Ethnicity and the New Testament" (Dr. Michael J. Sanford)

"Who are Mizrahi Jews?" (Vox)

"The plight of Ethiopian Jews in Israel" (BBC)

"There is a Holy Land Called Palestine" & "Christ is Alive! Let Christians Sing," two examples of the kind of thing I grew up with (Hymnary)

[gwenllian-in-the-abbey]

What do you think of book&show!Rhaenyra as characters? And who do you like more?

Hi anon! I've been turning this one over in my mind since you sent it, because I wanted to give it some thought (and anyone who is sick of reading show critical stuff, just skip this one. I don't hate the show, I just think it's interesting and fun to dig a bit deeper). What it comes down to for me is that while book!Rhaenyra is fun, I wish the show had been braver with their depiction of Rhaenyra.

While book!Rhaenyra's motivations are not particularly complex, I feel like I understand her better than show!Rhaenyra. She hasn't heard a prophesy, nor does she feel any real responsibility toward the kingdom to make her second guess the war; her father had made her heir and that was that. Anyone who disagrees can go ahead and die. Her motivations are not particularly noble or self-sacrificing. If anything, it's the opposite. Book!Rhaenyra loves the finer things in life, she's headstrong, and a bit of a mean girl. She goes after what she wants unapologetically, lies through her teeth and never backs down. Book!Rhaenyra never weighs the consequences of her actions, she is vengeful and reactive. She is given terms which would allow her to keep Dragonstone in perpetuity, and unlike her show counterpart, she doesn't even consider them. She says no outright, even before Luke is killed, and replies to tell Aegon that, "I shall have my crown or I shall have his head." And while surely she values the lives of her sons, you get the sense that she never even considers the danger this war puts them in because losing isn't even an option for her. She's going to win because of course she is. And as a reader, you never question her motivations really because, whether you agree with her or not, it is easy to understand that she is fueled by a self-righteous conviction that she will be taking what she feels belongs to her, and woe be to anyone who gets in her way.

Show!Rhaenyra, on the other hand, is more thoughtful. We see this when she's crying at half-dead Viserys' bedside telling him that being heir is a burden, and we see it when she truly considers Otto's peace offer, when she tears up to see the page that Alicent saved from their girlhood. We see it in how she talks to her sons and in the way she apologizes to Alicent at the dinner table. She seems to have some concept of what is at stake, and understands that the throne is a tremendous burden and responsibility, and that the lives of her people are in her hands, and moreover that she does have the option of backing down. When she considers the peace offer, she very clearly states that the prophesy means that she has a responsibility to keep the realm stable, and maybe it is not the best thing for the realm is to throw it into civil war in order to sit the throne at all costs. But all of this, the added sense of awareness of the enormity of the the responsibility and the desire to do right by the realm, while they make her an easier person to support, also makes a lot of her actions that much harder to understand.

One of my main nitpicks with the show as a whole is that the actions of the book characters do not always fit the personalities of the show characters, and so the characterization seems inconsistent. Rhaenyra is aware of the gravity of her position, she learns about the prophesy and the threat to the realm, and then proceeds to have three bastard children (and this is a problem, because it jeopardizes her position. If she gets caught or Corlys/Laenor change their minds and disavow those kids, it's over for her). We have things like Rhaenyra asking for Aemond to be "sharply questioned," which comes from the book, when the episode before she was offering up a dragon and a Jace/Helaena engagement (a show invention, and even though it's not a great deal for the greens if you give it some thought, it reads to the audience as a peace offering). Or you have her telling Daemon she needs his help to fight the greens, and there's this whole conversation about making their enemies believe they're the kind of people who will kill to protect Rhaenyra's claim, but then in episode 8 they have this attempt at reconciliation between Alicent and Rhaenyra and in episode 10 Rhaenyra is going on about how Daemon has "gone to madness, gone to his war." She's seriously entertaining Otto's peace offer (which never happened in the book) while sending her sons off to muster support.

F&B has pretty thin characterization, but what is there comes mostly from the characters' actions and their dialogue. To create a consistent character, the writers needed to start there and ask, what kind of person would say these things and do these things, rather than taking the character they conceived, and trying to shoehorn canon events into that characterization. And the thing is, the show could have created a more fleshed out version of book!Rhaenyra and still made her sympathetic. Take Shiv Roy from Succession, for instance. Shiv is someone who is a victim of misogyny, but also undeniably not the best choice for CEO (neither, of course, are any of her brothers). She's overprivileged and not nearly as experienced or as smart as she thinks she is, she gets in her own way, and in trying to be "one of the boys," she consistently overshoots and alienates actual allies. But she's also a victim of misogyny-- she is expected to provide a woman's touch to delicate matters, but is expected to be as ruthless and cutthroat as the men. Her fuckup brothers are given endless second chances, but Shiv has no such leeway. The specter of motherhood hangs over her constantly-- once she becomes a mother, she will be cast out from the world of men, an asterisk beside her name. And show!Rhaenyra does lean into this a bit (think of Rhaenyra's boobs leaking in the small council, her being stuck giving birth at the moment when leadership is needed in episode 10), but it doesn't commit to the darker side of this. It is not brave enough to make Rhaenyra a bad person as well as a victim.

The thing about Succession is that the show never asked us to view Shiv as good, or as a better choice than her brothers. It didn't even ask us to find her particularly sympathetic, although I certainly do find Shiv sympathetic in some ways. She has a genuine love for her family that makes the moments when she betrays them even more bittersweet, and we can understand her as a pretty bad person while still understanding the ways in which patriarchy screwed her over. In fact, in some ways it was refreshing to see that a woman could be privileged, ruthless and occasionally cruel and still get fucked over (this article is a good breakdown of Shiv-- now imagine a Rhaenyra in this mold!). But central to the difference between HotD and Succession is that Succession doesn't ask us to view the "throne" as a force of good, nor the position as a force of change. The CEO position in Succession is pretty explicitly toxic. Roman refers to the company itself explicitly as a cage. The audience is meant to understand that the person who "wins" is going to be more miserable and more morally compromised as a result. And the Iron Throne is similar. It's a throne made of literal swords! The closer you get to it, the more cursed and compromised you become. But so far, HotD not only insists on casting Rhaenyra as a protagonist, with the addition of the prophesy and the vision of the white hart, winning the throne becomes something she must do for the greater good, her claim something she has been righteously chosen to uphold. And if winning the throne is righteous, then the throne itself must be righteous too. And that's a framing that I don't think can hold up through the Dance, but I fear that the show may have backed itself into a corner by casting Rhaenyra as the correct choice, which inherently frames the throne as something she is right to fight for, no matter the cost to the people, her family, or herself.

[olderthannetfic]

While we're on the topic of Mainstream Publishing Discourse...

There's a lot of discussion about how a lot of sci-fi/fantasy written by women and especially WOC that is not YA gets miscategorized as YA on Goodreads and other sites like that. And sure, sometimes it's unfair and just misogynistic/racist. Like, no one should be calling NK Jemisin's writing "YA."

But sometimes you get writers who will make that argument about where you're like.... okay, the reason people keep thinking you're YA is because of actual features of your writing that are similar to YA. Like if R.F. Kuang (she's the one I feel like gets complained about the most lately and I recently read Poppy War and Babel and agree with the complaints) wants to stop being seen as YA, she could maybe learn to have enough faith in her readers to not feel like she has to mention the moral of the story - that is already obvious from every other feature of the story - explicitly spelled out like 50x. She also seems to assume that her reader will disagree with her unless she does that, which is a strange thing to conclude about "colonialism bad" which I don't think anyone who is picking up Babel and reading the description on it is going to go in thinking the opposite of! And that is what makes it feel like YA: because so much YA is designed as intros to "serious issues" for teens that writers assume don't pick up on that stuff without explicitly being told (which I think is a bit insulting to teens, but whatever, it is the genre convention and it is why by 15 I was already reading books for grown-ups in both my free time and my classes). You don't NEED to do that and if you didn't, way fewer people would think your books are YA!

Or like Erin Morgenstern, you'll be seen as YA less if you were able to construct a coherent plot and characterization and didn't instead seem to be going entirely on aesthetics and vibes. Or like Casey McQuiston, whose books absolutely do read like YA books that just have more explicit, fanficcy sex scenes in it. You cannot be shocked people think of Red White and Royal Blue that way when it has such a YA-tastic romance premise that there have been multiple actual YA books since that were blatant rip-offs of it.

I also saw a post about how a lot of these books seem to be set in things like "magical boarding school" or focus on teen protagonists and like, yeah, I feel like in general if your books keep focusing on teenagers in a very similar to way books written FOR teenagers, you can't be shocked that people keep thinking they're YA. Of course there are books about teens that are for adults, but they are usually approached in a very different way with different plots.

Anyway, I do wish people would stop assuming that books that are clearly not YA "are YA" because they are sci-fi/fantasy written by women, because it just makes it that much harder to talk about the ones that really do feel like YA in ways where the authors should probably take that criticism to heart a little bit more. Someone like Kuang clearly does want to be writing for a more adult-litfic-style audience, and should probably listen to the people telling her that her books are too didactic in a way that feels insulting to people who aren't BookTok YA readers.

I tried to bring that up to my book club though when we read Poppy War and one person wouldn't stop shouting me down about how it's "just sexism and racism." And I had to keep shouting back, dude, yeah, I know that's what the discourse is. I know that's why writers like this can brush that off. I'm saying though that in this case, I think some of it's warranted based on how *the book is actually written*

--

[horizon-verizon]

I feel like I watched a completely different episode from people claiming he’s trying to be a good king. Did people not see the fact he doesn’t take his small council meeting, while on the verge of war, seriously? He was more interested in silly pony games than the actual work of ruling. He dragged a toddler to the meeting to “prepare him to rule” but then wanted to be fun dad while again, the country is about to be in a war where both sides have nukes.

In the throne room, he’s more interested in trying to essentially buy love than making the hard decisions of being king. Same as when he’s drunking and brainstorming names for himself with the frat bros (instead of being with his wife and their children), he just wants people to love him, because he’s such a spoiled little shit that neither of his parents really did.

For my part I don’t think Aegon has been improved compared to season 1, this episode proved that he was incompetent and impulsive and he wants to make a lot of decisions in a hurry to the point that Otto and Alicent have to stop him from going too far and the fact that he wants to send Vaghar wherever all the time makes me realize how much he and the other Greens overestimate this dragon and they seem to rest all their hope on it while Caraxes, despite being younger and smaller, will end up killing her alone.

Aegon is trying to be the "good" king he thinks is "good" and gain the smallfolk's favor. It's a deal of "if I make them like me and just give them what they want in the moment (without regarding the disadvantages to either me or them if I agree), then whatever I do, I am genuinely a good king".

Is it disingenuous, of course. But yes he is trying to be a "good" king, and another part of that goodness is being unrelentingly violent or commanding or to expect others to bend to his will to get what he wants...bc yes there is an element to that in how the nobles of this society evaluates a "good" king already--that "ruthlessness" to accomplish one's goals or to annihilate OR subdue/disempower his enemies. Problem is that Aegon thinks he has to and is entitled to cross boundaries of select others whenever he wishes to "prove" he is king and that others must comply bc he is King and only their submission proves he is king even as he doesn't do anything t really show them why is rule would be in their long term or immediate interests/comfort. There is no balance or attempt at intelligently coming up with ways for pursuing the war or to rule the realm. He wants his cake and eat it, too, and tbf, in this world he very well could if he had been named heir...bc he has a penis.

With him, it's just his mercurial will and endless search for self-indulgence. Ironically, exactly like how many Rhaenyra antis-accused her of being, bk or show, when all evidence shows the opposite or her simply trying to cultivate autonomy and happiness while performing real/idea of duty.

So, in this way, Aegon is written brilliantly and TGC turns the party, i admit. They really conveyed his bk character so well. I actually didn't feel they were portraying a "likeable" person or a good father at all, he's still very negligent and more interested in Jaehaerys as an heir/self-affirmation. And he allows himself to bond w/Jaehaera even less bc she is female. (Not that I thought you were saying, anon, that they wrote him terribly. As you say, the episode proved how ridiculous he truly was and anyone who genuinely thinks he is a good person, father, or a ruler has some serious self examination to go through).

What would make it better if in the next episode he actually starts to sexistly call Rhaenyra all sorts of shit as he does in canon as he's doing his smashing fit thing or elsewise. I actually didn't mind the "green heavy" episode, both bc it was here at least interpersed w/black stuff but also tgc really gave it. And despite Phia's excellent acting, I simply cannot like the B&C scene and disagree with the possibility that canon greens exaggerated B&C. I mean, hello, in the bk Jae's head was cleanly cut off in one swoop while in the episode they sawed it off....less gory where?! We don't need to see gore or lack thereof to know its there or hear it happening and to compare which is worse.

So there's that.

[teegeewrites]

Blooming Birthday Flower

Blooming Birthday Flower

Synopsis: Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach have traveled to the enchanting land of Sarasaland to celebrate Princess Daisy’s birthday. Luigi dreams of sharing an intimate moment with Daisy but is held back by his shyness. With a little encouragement from Mario and Peach, however, he finally gathers the courage to invite Daisy on a date and to his delight, she enthusiastically agrees. The day after her birthday, Luigi and Daisy set off on their date, his heart filled with hopes for a smooth and enjoyable time together.

I confess; I am 100% Mareach trash! 😂 While it isn’t my OTP or anything like that, it is my favorite fictional ship. The idea of a short, working-class plumber who is considered to be conventionally unattractive (though there are some people who disagree with this notion) but possess a heroic spirit with a heart of gold paired with a tall, stunningly beautiful princess with one of the purest hearts imaginable is one that definitely appeals to me and my romantic tendencies.

With that said, following closely behind Mareach is the other plumber and princess pairing. I adore the idea of a timid, somewhat clumsy plumber who rises to the occasion when needed being paired with a beautiful, athletic, and vivacious princess who radiates energy. While their opposing natures might suggest friction, it seems that here, opposites truly attract. They bring out the best in each other, and I would love for Nintendo to delve deeper into this dynamic in their official materials.

I mention all this to introduce my very first Luaisy story. I had always wanted to explore this pairing, but ideas were hard to come by. Then, one night, the thought of Luigi taking Daisy out for a special date right after her birthday hit me like a rhythmic drumroll, and from that moment I was off and running!

Admittedly, not everything was smooth sailing. In fact, this was one of the more challenging fics to write. I was pleased with how the introduction and the events leading up to the date unfolded, as well as what happened afterward. Yet, when it came to writing the date itself, I hit a wall. I wanted it to be a success, but I also wanted some conflict to spice things up. My main concept involved Tatanga resurfacing to kidnap and wed Daisy again, only for Luigi to step in and save her. Unfortunately, I faced a significant writer’s block that made me feel incapable of doing this plotline the justice it deserved. Instead, I went with a minor confrontation between the Luigi/Daisy duo and an ex-boyfriend of hers. The ex, brimming with arrogance, looked down on Luigi and attempted to belittle Daisy for her choice of partners. However, Luigi wasn’t having it; he confronted the guy and made him back off, even if it required a bit of force. While Luigi could handle the insults thrown his way, he wouldn’t tolerate anyone disrespecting Daisy. It was a tough scene to write, but I think it ultimately came together nicely.

In spite of the pesky writer's block that struck me in the middle, I can proudly say that I’m satisfied with this fic. It’s my second longest behind Burning Desire and ranks as my third most popular on AO3 based on the metrics. It seems to have resonated well with some of the more devoted Luaisy fans, which truly brings me joy. This has inspired me to write more about this pairing, including a completed fic that I will discuss later and a current WIP. The one thing I wish I could improve is the title: I’m terrible at coming up with those. 😅😂

[cotillion-the-rope]

personally, i feel the opposite! of course the bugs are bug sized. the struggles are bug sized. the pale king and the radiance did absurd nonsense and killed countless sentient beings over the tiniest patch of land because that's what gods do.

but of course there aren't humans in the hollow knight world. the crossovers are for fun. seeing the characters balk over giants is entertainment only.

and the abyss is unknowable as ever. who says it's a puddle? it's deeper than any human as it is. it could eat one. it could eat anyone. it's the void.

I guess maybe it's because I like god characters in stories. People with all this power to mess with mortals and the world but are also still people and thus susceptible to all the nonsense normal people are. Such as jealousy and pettiness which in gods leads to major problems for the world and everyone on it. But if said god character is a bug then their reach and power is meaningless. Their entire world ends if a random child pours water on Hallownest. And ignoble wretched end for everyone, god or otherwise. The implication of that being possible is just not something I like.

Though I guess that holds some truth to life. If we get unlucky and get hit by a big enough asteroid in the right place, we all die. But even then, that's unlikely whereas bugs get killed all the time because for most of them it takes almost no effort to do so. I have a phobia of moths so whenever one gets inside I put my cat in the room and let him take care of it. Can you imagine if a lazy house cat had been the one to kill the Radiance? If god characters are being killed I want it to take effort, be a struggle and a fight, something earned through great effort.

Also, giant bugs are just cool. Planets inhabited by giant bugs has been a staple in various sci-fi realms for ages and for good reason. Like look at the antlions from Half-Life, now those are some cool giant bugs.

But I guess the Void Sea could still technically be infinitely deep. We don't traverse all of it or even get close to diving into it. So I'll grant that one.

Rambling aside, agree to disagree of course. Especially since it is just for fun, no one's having a cat come in and bat the Radiance to death or having a human come in and apocalypse Hallownest with a can bug spray. It's just the implication of that being possible that annoys me. I guess maybe because I've spent too much time thinking about Hollow Knight in general. But like, don't many of us think about aspects of Hollow Knight a bit too much and thus get annoyed by this or that thing?

I just wish there was a tag for when people did it like 'bug sized bugs' or something. So I could block it and not be annoyed by these implications. And I guess it would be nice the opposite way around too like 'people sized bugs' or whatever if anyone's annoyed by it the opposite way. But it doesn't pop up enough in the fandom for that to be a thing. So we all just have to quietly go 'wow, don't like that' before moving on with our lives when it crosses out dash. Or occasionally making a post about it just to get the thought off one's mind like I did.

[shawnjacksonsbs]

It really is just supposed to be about love.

Not the kind you only talk about, but the kind you feel and share. You may not know you're doing it, but the people around do. Trust that. 7-22-23

"Peace means far more than the opposite of war. Peace, like love or like hope, is an action one can take, something that can be done, not just something that might arrive." - Mr Fred Rogers

Looks like I've reached that point again.

That point of no getting back.

The ones where all the help and love I show(ed) is not good enough anymore to even be remembered, let alone validated.

Being disrespected and all the help taken for granted as a hole keeps getting dug deeper and deeper, can't. . . It just can't.

I want it over. Mainly so, the resentments and toxicity can stop growing and festering.

I believe wholeheartedly that healing will happen at some point in the future, and I don't want it worse now and even more difficult to fix for anyone later.

Hard to help people who aren't ready to help themselves, though.

As we all know, there just has to come a time, where even I have to say enough is enough.

Again . . .again . . .again.

I imagine it must get old reading how my gratitude is based loosely on a hope for loved ones who still have issues and struggles, even if they are mostly self-inflicted.

I am grateful though, for my life and in my ability to at least say that I tried, and I've been trying and trying and trying in the physical, emotional, and financial sense. Not just spewing crap based on hearsay. I've been living it.

I slip a lot, but I know I will continue to do what I think and feel is the right thing regardless of how I might get played or what anyone else thinks.

I can't say that that shit doesn’t hurt my heart. Being overlooked, when others have seen it, is painful, but I have to remember to try as hard as my heart will, that hurt people hurt people and it's not as personal as it feels. They're just stacked attacks. Resentments that kill all joy for everyone involved.

The next best thing to a healing is going to be forcing an uncomfortable change. Further enabling is out of the question.

I imagine the worse part for me is feeling all the pain from everyone, even those causing the pain. None of this is what I want, but we don't always get what we want, right?

Holding on and hoping my work doesn’t suffer too much as trust issues ensue.

I hope the next inevitably painful step isn't too uncomfortable.

Sorry about all the feels in this entry, but I went as generic as I could make it, but I needed to vent my hurt out.

And it's only the middle of the week.

Wish me luck.

I'm sure I'll add more before Saturday arrives.

~

The second part of my entry comes in another form.

I have been, for the last few weeks, watching a show called the Chosen that my oldest son turned me onto.

It's a good interpretation, in my opinion. Most of you that read and follow me already know where I stand on belief and faith . . .

Doesn't change the fact that I'm open-minded and open-hearted and long ago went from feeling disrespected by people trying to guide me into religious directions, to that of feelings of love when they do. Mainly because I believe they care about me. I also believe we bring out the good, sometimes even bring out the better in each other(s).

After mentioning that I was watching the show, with some very close . . .friends, who just happen to be Christian and who are also pulling for my 2 oldest sons, respectively, I was reminded of a conversation we had about gay rights (kinda irrelevant to this entry). I'll limit each side, but to say we agreed on love and disagreed in other areas is where we ended the conversation.

I believe with my whole that they care about people, maybe differently, at least as some would view them, but regardless, it got me to thinking. And I already believe that things happen the way their supposed to, if not then go back and change . . .any past event, but accepting things that have passed is easier than accepting the things we are presently involved in. The, like "right now" acceptance is a most temperamental thing to be sure, for some. Dare I say, for most.

Doesn't change the fact that it's all suppose to be love from, the judging Christian, to the judging Muslim, to the judging atheist.

Believe what you want, but when start judging others, you fail, I don't care. All of us. It’s a constant failure, but we can try and learn to curb it. Mild or completely brainwashed, discrimination is wrong.

The clip (in the comments) set this all in motion in my mind, as I struggled with my day in my heart.

Granted videos like this that are generally meant to resonate in my heart, usually only point me to the hypocrisies attached, sometimes I find places to the love, the light, the silver.

The following is what I said to him: "Tell me how the beginning of this video reminded me of our conversation about gay people's rights.

Then, in the middle, I felt . . ."well, maybe it going a different direction", and then nope right back to the forefront of my mind at the end.

You know that already knowing all the stories, and a bunch of the passages and scripture helps me lean into the Chosen, and its interpretation.

All the while the same thing gets stuck in my brain; what if people are getting hung up on the Jesus being real part without putting enough stock into what the hell he was actually saying, doing, and who he chose to associate with.

Finding common ground would mean, that most humans on this planet believe in the God of Abraham, from there it’s just differing conviction, even if only personifying the universe under the guise of love. It's still bigger than any one of us.

Why isn't "just love" enough?"

~

It’s been a very heavy week for me.

If people focused more on actually doing what Jesus was saying about others, it would be leaps and bounds above the “judging others”. Don’t even have to believe in it to do it, and with it. . . PEACE.

Sorry Paul, I know this was a long one. (lol)

~

So, I guess I'll close. Be kind, love . . .everyone, and be grateful for it all. It really is that simple.

Until next week;

"There is no normal life that is free of pain. It's the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth." - Mr Fred Rogers

[l0velylecter]

Thank you for writing from a girly/feminine perspective! A lot of popular writing styles nowadays stick to the very tomboy-ish and gruff "not like other girls" perspective and I have trouble relating to that. I hope I'm not offending anyone with this ask but it's nice to find a writer, especially in the COD fandom, who doesn't perceive femininity and gentleness as a weakness.

Hi, darling anon! 

Thank you for this sweet message. Before I continue, I just want to clarify that :

There's nothing wrong with tomboy-ish and gruff girls, but you are right: there is something wrong the moment their authors use them to bring other women down for being the opposite.

Whatever I will say next is just my opinion, nothing is fact-checked, so feel free to disagree if you do 

I noticed that a lot of times, things get lost in translation very easily when writing about women. And in this block of text, when I say women, I also refer to non-cis women. Often modern media have, unfortunately, conditioned us into thinking that women are inherently weak, so we tend to either accidentally (or with purpose) make women 'different from other girls / unlike other girls.' to have people take them seriously.

But the real question here is: What's wrong with other girls?

There are many ways to uplift women other than bringing each other down. Of course, girly girls can co-exist with adjectives like smart, badass, powerful, strong, and independent. 

And honestly, as a girly girl, I am quite tired of girly-girl erasure. And I am tired of girly girls being portrayed as only two-dimensional characters with no worth or substance to the story. Always the punchline to an overused and unfunny joke. 

And even if these headcanons and imagines are all so well written, as lovely as it is to see kick-ass readers/characters who can let's say: physically fight, use a gun, and are part of the military, as a girl who can't even lift her suitcase I find myself unable to relate to these pieces. One might say: ' But it's just fantasy, it's supposed to be unrealistic.' 

I agree, however, I want my fantasies to also cater to my perception of reality if you get what I mean — my preferences and style. Maybe it's easier for me to see myself as a benefactress to a private military unit than a soldier. This is why I prefer to write about readers as civilians, non-active duty personnel, people in non-military professions, etc. because I can picture it better. And as a writer, my skill of writing can also improve and expand, sooner or later I won't be that restricted in writing and can write about all sorts of readers in all sorts of scenarios. Because I know I cannot put women into boxes, certainly not one that excludes people from enjoying a fandom: which in this case is call of duty.

By the end of the day, my wish is to see more inclusivity in writing about women/female characters! women are allowed to be traditionally feminine, women are allowed to be kick-ass, women are allowed to be smart, women are allowed to be brave, women are allowed to be strong, and women are all allowed to be all of the above at once! 

If you don't agree with how an author writes their reader, it's not difficult to scroll and find something more to your taste. I have received a few messages in my inbox complaining about how I am writing unrealistic reader povs, I never reply to these because by the end of the day: this is all fantasy. And I'm sorry, but to quote one of these messages: maybe it is difficult for certain anons to see themselves as an 'it girl'...but not me though ( stay safe💋) 

In conclusion : women of all backgrounds and settings are not weak, and women shouldn't be restricted to just a 'trope' or a label. there is strength in being gentle and there is courage in being kind. 

Again, please correct me if I use any wrong terminologies, and these are all just my opinions. Thanks for this wonderful compliment anon, you gave me a chance to speak out about what I've held in my heart for a long time. You made my week <3 

smooches x

[sammygvfslut]

i like you a latte | s. kiszka

Summary: Words cannot espresso how much you mean to Sammy Kiszka.

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: Hey besties!!! this is my first ever sam fic, and i really hope you guys enjoy it! it’s super cheesy so beware of some tooth-rotting fluff ahead. any and all feedback is appreciated <3

Loud chattering and the sounds of espresso machines hissing and whistling filled the cafe. Every few seconds or so when a new customer walked in, a soft ringing above the door rang. Glancing at the clock, you sighed as it read 7am. Way too early for your liking. You wished to be back in bed under the covers with your cat Joey snuggling. Plus, the cold weather made it even harder for you to get out of bed every morning. Damn you, winter.

“Good morning.” A voice said suddenly, startling you as you slightly jumped. “Whoops, didn’t mean to scare you there for a sec.”

Turning around at the voice, your heart fluttered and a smile pulled at the corners of your lips. “G-Good morning, Sam! Nope, didn’t scare me at all. I was just uh...focusing very hard and you caught me off guard.”

A chuckle rumbled from his chest, his own lips curving and flashing that beautiful grin. God, he made you melt. You took a quick chance to admire his appearance for the day, luscious brown locks pulled back into a low bun with a few stray pieces framing his face, and he wore a slightly oversized brown grandpa looking sweater. He exuded true fall energy today and all you wanted to do was snuggle with him watching a movie while sipping on hot chocolate. “Right. Focusing on what exactly? Staring at the register?”  

“S-Sure. Yes, the register.” Totally not him instead. “Um, I realized it turned off right now and my mind blanked to turn it back on.”

Sam placed a hand on your shoulder as he laughed, his touch leaving a wave of goosebumps to rise out of your skin. “You’re so cute. I’ll leave you to that then, but if you need help trying to get the register to turn back on again, let me know.” And with that, he sent you a wink and turned on his heel away to start on the customers orders.

Alright, alright. So maybe early shifts weren’t as bad as you thought thanks to your insanely charming co-worker. Sam and you had been working together for the past year, and almost instantly you started falling for him. He welcomed you with open arms and he was a great help when it came to your training. Your co-workers were nice too, but Sam took that extra step in making sure you were comfortable with what you were doing. If you made a mistake and were freaking out about it, he somehow knew the way to calm you down. He was too precious and good for this cruel world. And most of all, out of your league too.

With his dashing looks and amazing personality, you just knew there was no way he’d ever feel the same about you. Except, any time you’d voice that thought to any of your friends at work, they’d tell you you’re crazy and that he likes you too. Apparently they caught on to the signs more than you did, which wasn’t a shocker considering that you’d have no clue if a guy was interested in you unless he blatantly confessed. So, trying to figure out hints was completely pointless for you.

“Uh oh, she’s deep in thought,” one of your friends/co-workers, Danny, teased. He also happened to be Sam’s best friend, and current band mate since the pair are in a band with Sam’s older twin brothers. “I bet I can guess what, or who you were thinking about.”

“Don’t even say it,” you warned with a finger, “He’s literally four feet away from us—”

“So?” Danny rolled her eyes with his arms folded. “Why don’t you just tell him how you feel? Come on, it’s been almost a year now. What’s the worst that can happen if you confess?”

“He can hear me.” You stared blankly at him, shaking your head. “Absolutely not though, Danny. I will not embarrass myself from the humiliation I’d have to face from his rejection.”

Danny groaned frustratedly, placing his hands on both your shoulders and shaking them. “You’re so hopeless! Y/N, how many times do the guys and I have to tell you he likes you too!” He raised his voice a little louder than necessary which accidentally caught the attention of almost everyone in the cafe. Sam included unfortunately. Danny’s eyes widened, silently cursing under his breath. “Carry on, everyone.”

As much as you hated to admit it, Danny wasn’t lying when he mentioned about the guys agreeing that Sam likes you too. Every time you came over Josh’s apartment and Sam was there he’d find any little excuse to have his arm around you or teasing you constantly. You’d shake it off that he was just treating you like a friend would, but of course the guys would disagree with you.

“We’ll finish this conversation later,” Danny told you sternly, “But for now, and don’t make it obvious, but Sam’s looking at you.” A mischievous grin spread across his face as he winked and stepped to the next register before greeting a new customer and taking their order.

Heart pounding out of your chest, you slowly looked over your shoulder in Sam’s direction. You saw his head quickly turn and finish off the drink in front of him. Your cheeks burned at this and tried taking deep, slow breaths to calm yourself down. Didn’t work much, but as a new customer waved and told you their order, your breathing turned back to normal.

On the other end of the counter, Sam was currently freaking the hell out from what he heard a few minutes ago between you and Danny. He didn’t mean to, but he also wasn’t that far from either of you. Plus, Danny wasn’t the best at keeping his voice low. He had a strong feeling he knew you were talking about him, and for that reason alone he overflowed the cup he was pouring into and made a mess. He cursed under his breath and wiped his hands on his apron, shaking his head.

You caught sight of this and rushed to his side, grabbing a cloth from under the sink and started wiping the sticky counter. Sam was certain his cheeks were tomato red from his embarrassment, making a complete fool of himself for not paying attention to what he was doing. More so focusing on your conversation and your damn smile from earlier. You weren’t the only one here with a crush.

“T-Thanks, Y/N.” Sam chuckled nervously, throwing the cup in the trash and tossing the drink pitcher he held in the sink. “I’m normally not this much of a dumbass.”

“I’m not too sure about that one, Kiszka.” You teased lightly with a grin. “It happens, don’t worry,” you assured. “I’m just glad it was cold tea you spilled and not steaming coffee. I’d hate for you to get a third degree burn. That happened to me once, don’t recommend it.”

“Didn’t I drive you to the hospital for that?” he asked. “I think that might’ve happened a few months ago.”

Your eyes widened at the memory. “Oh shit, you’re right. God, I’m still so sorry I had to drag you into that.”

Sam shook his head, lips curving and cheeks no longer flushed. “For the hundredth time, stop apologizing about that, Y/N. You know you can count on me for anything, so of course I didn’t mind driving you to the hospital. I remember even blasting some ABBA on the way over there so you’d have something else to focus on instead of the pain you endured.”

You smiled at the memory. “Didn’t we also go out for ice cream afterwards?”

He nodded, lightly rubbing his arm. “Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I mean, I always have fun when I’m with you.”

Your breath caught in your throat at his last few words, blinking slowly. “O-Oh.”

Oh? That’s all you have to say? Nice one, Y/N.

Sam’s heart dropped. Fuck. Maybe you weren’t talking about him after all. Maybe it was Danny or one of his brothers that you had a crush on and he was mistaken about it. He wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow him whole right about now. Being anywhere but here sounded splendid to him.

“Y-Y/N, I—“

“Ihavefunwhenimwithyoutoo,” you muttered all too quickly, and poor Sam barely even understood what you said. He didn’t have the chance to ask you to repeat yourself because you quickly walked away to the back and he was left with a tug at his chest, frowning.

Within the next few days after Sam’s tea spill, literally, things between you and him became...awkward. Something went off in him to become even more clumsy than normal and forget everything he’s ever known when you’re near him. He’d get flustered, stuttering a lot, messing up orders, dropping dishes, and nearly tripping all the time. He hated it so much and wished he could just muster up the courage and apologize for being such an idiot and confess his feelings to you. Even during your hangouts with the guys, Sam and you wouldn’t interact as much and honestly you were well aware you were being super childish and immature about the situation. Sam did too, and he needed to snap the fuck out of it.

The next few days at work Sam would ignore Danny’s little side comments about his immaturity and continued working in silence. For the rest of his shift he didn’t talk much to anyone other than the customers. He wanted to talk to you when he had the chance, but then he’d quickly back out and walk the opposite direction.

He couldn’t figure out why it was so futile for him to just grow a sack and tell you he likes you. He’d never gone through this struggle before. Then again, as cheesy as it sounded, the other girls he’d asked out in the past couldn’t compare to you. Never in a million years, and maybe he was too afraid that he didn’t deserve someone as amazing as you.

Nearing closing that same day, it was only you, Sam, and Danny. The flow of customers died down and not many people came in towards the end of the night which you were grateful for. It finally gave you the chance to relax a bit and start cleaning things up ahead of time so you wouldn’t have to stay after. Joey and a nice warm bath were waiting for you at home.

While Sam decided on working the register and you and Danny would clean, he grabbed your arm and led you into the back.

“What are you two still doing not dating each other or talking?! It’s been way too long now, Y/N. And since it’s only us three tonight, you have no other choice. Come on, I know you can’t take this any longer, and he can’t either. I can take over the register for a bit while you and him talk.”

You chewed on your bottom lip, contemplating his offering. As incredibly thankful as you were for his help, you were also scared shitless of the possible outcome. Perhaps it was finally time though that you say fuck it and say what you needed to. You couldn’t go on for any longer to keep your feelings bottled up inside. Maybe, just maybe he might feel the same way, and by God you hoped that would be the case.

Inhaling, you nodded slowly and made your way back to where you were. Your eyes searched for Sam and saw he was busy making a drink, except there was no one else here besides you, him and Danny. It could’ve been a drink for him, so you shrugged this off and went towards the sink to start washing the dishes.

A few moments later, Sam cleared his throat from behind you. “H-Hey Y/N, so um, I know the créme brûlée latte is your favorite, and I thought I’d make you one. You seemed really stressed and busy today and I wanted to try to cheer you up. I hope that’s okay.”

Your heart swelled at his generosity and your cheeks burned as you felt his gaze burning into you, his palms soaking from nervousness. “Sam, you didn’t have to do that for me.”

He shrugged casually, a small smile on his lips and his cheeks tinted a light pink. “It’s okay, I wanted to. And I uh, tried my best on the art. Hope you like it.”

Raising a brow, your gaze dropped on your cup and your eyes widened as you saw what he was referring to. A small coffee cup with the words I like you a latte around it.

“It’s true,” Sam chewed on his bottom lip while running his fingers through his hair. “I really like you Y/N, and I’m so sorry for acting like such an idiot these last few days around you. I don’t know what came over me, and I’m sorry that I didn’t talk to you much either.”

Setting your cup on the counter, you took a step closer to him and cupped his cheek, rubbing your thumb softly against his soft skin. “You don’t have to apologize for anything, Sam. I’m sorry for not talking to you too, as well as for making a fool of myself. I tend to do that around someone I like.”

Finally, the realization dawned on Sam as a wide grin pulled at his lips. “Glad we’re on the same boat.”

“I-Is it alright if I kiss you?” he asked shyly, his eyes sparkling as he looked at you.

You giggled. “You don’t even have to ask, loverboy.” You playfully rolled your eyes and cupped his other cheek before connecting his lips with yours.

A smirk pulled at Danny’s lips as he glanced at the two of you, shaking his head. Josh and Jake owed him $20 now. 

It was about damn time that Sam and you finally espresso’d your love for each other. 

tagging these lovely folks bc they helped inspired me and their work is amazing <3 @godlygreta​ / @flowervanfleet​ / @dharma-divine​

[olderthannetfic]

+ https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/726559602488049664/httpswwwtumblrcomolderthannetfic726161996552?source=share

(I am the anon you’re responding to. Hello!) I admit, I was a little bit annoyed when I first read this—I’m also in a situation where I’m obligated to my family and forced to see my abuser all the time and, if I were to tell my family what she did, the only person who wouldn’t either accuse me of lying or tell me it was my fault is my mother. I’m aware of how much incestuous abuse fucks up family life and how difficult it makes trusting and being open with them—and I’m very sorry you are also aware of this.

The point I was initially trying to make was that abuse is abuse, and abusers are going to abuse whomever they have the easiest access to, regardless of what circumstances surround that abuse. But you’ve brought up some really good points that I hadn’t accounted for in my initial, admittedly anger-fuelled, comment. You’re absolutely right that cultural expectations and other family members’ reactions, knowing or unknowing about what’s happening, can make things worse and that is something that needs to be discussed more. I apologise for implying those didn’t have any impact at all in my previous comment (I was intending to call the previous anon’s unwillingness to look up research into consensual incest or acknowledge any points of view that did not agree with their own lazy, not that anyone who felt there was a connection there was lazy).

I think what keeps me from being willing to say that, as a rule, the familial aspect of incestuous abuse is the key part of it is that there’s so many varying aspects that go into abuse, how do we account for people whose situations are entirely the opposite of each other? For people who have no familial obligations or family, just their abuser? For people who don’t think of their abuser as family? For the million other unique circumstances that surround each individual case of abuse? To me, it feels like the only things they all have in common is that someone was abused by a family member, so the abuse seems the practical thing to focus on. I suspect we will have to agree to disagree there.

At any rate, I truly wish you well, anon, whatever that may be worth to you, and I hope you’ll soon find yourself in better circumstances. Best wishes to you and all your endeavours.

--

[noxiatoxia]

here is my honest opinion .. i think shinigami eyes (the plugin that marks transphobic accounts. not the actual death note concept) is stupid and nobody should use it.

this isn't even about supporting or not supporting the political beliefs it intends to go against. i would say the same thing about a plugin that marks all accounts that are homophobic or a plugin that marks all accounts that are racist, etc. i just think it is stupid and the person using it cannot think on their own.

you are relying on a group of people who vet reports to tell YOU who is and isn't "okay" to interact with. and there are sooo many false red flags on accounts. PLUS, there is a genuine degree of flexibility here. someone marked red may genuinely want trans people dead while another person marked red may be a detransitioner who is critical of internet transgender culture but still supports being able to transition, or something. like regardless of your opinion on either of those, you have to see they are not the same in any capacity, but they get labeled the same.

i just don't trust anyone who can't think for themselves and relies on a fucking plugin to tell them who the "bad guy" is. like maybe use your brain and check for yourself.

also. another opinion. in general i fucking hate this culture of "you cant reblog/follow from xyz person because they hold xyz beliefs (and if you do you must agree with them)" bro what the fuck are you talking about. i dont fucking care if someone is a trumper and they draw good art im not reblogging because i agree with their politics im reblogging their art piece of a lake with trees because it looks pretty. i follow SO many accounts of people who have almost OPPOSITE beliefs to me on various political subjects and idc. im not following them for their opinions i follow for the funny fucking memes they post. i dont know why this is controversial. i LIKE seeing opinions i dont agree with? I DONT WANT TO BE IN AN ECHO CHAMBER?? thinking critically about shit requires you to engage with stuff you disagree with so you can examine why you disagree with it.

inb4, im not saying you have to follow or engage with people who upset you. im just saying that 1) you cannot consider yourself well-versed or critical on a subject in which you refuse to read up on the oppositions opinions and 2) its dumb to somehow think its bad or immoral that there are people who wish to follow, engage, or otherwise ignore the political beliefs of but still interact with those they disagree with. that is all.

im boytta say something controversial (maybe). r u ready.

[skitzs]

More thoughts

A few things to take note of: This post was written by a new fan of Free! (so I just got here, literally)

I might not know wtf I'm talking about here... no hates please. I'm a total newbie. Over the course of a week, I think though? Or almost two weeks, I have made some progress and decided on which characters are my favorites.

This is also coming from a person who almost shipped Ikuya x Haruka thanks to Dive to the Future LMAO- AND thanks to Dive to the Future once again- for making me realize that Haru acts differently when it comes to Rin (out of everyone), after all. Like, there's just something in the way he would act and think whenever/wherever Rin is involved... something to that effect. And thus, my stance on shipping RinHaru just became more SOLID instead.

Disclaimer: When I type out stuff like this, I often jump from one topic to another as I struggle composing myself and perhaps, complete my thought process...because there's just so many things running through my head xD like, I so desperately want to say them, or type them, but my attention span oh lord. Sorry in advance.

Right, so...

This is a post about my feelings about Haru, I suppose. (And Rin) (and some of the main casts??)

I know that for some, this could be up for debate, but coming from someone who just joined the Free! fandom not even two weeks ago like me (so technically, this is from an outsider's perspective), I would say Rin is the most suitable person for people like Haru (or you know, the perfect candidate to be with Haru) who, for the most part of the series, showed us just how "lost" he was in terms of what he could be in the future, which is always an important factor in anyone's life.

And I will tell you why I think so... You might tell me, "Why not Rei? Why not Nagisa? Why not Makoto? They were the three characters that were always by Haru's side the entire show!!" and I would agree with you on that... On the part that they were the three characters that were always in the same screen/scene/picture as Haru throughout show. But to see them as, "always by Haru's side in the sense that they met/make Haru realize his ACTUAL needs, as well as EVERY need?" I would have to disagree... They are great support for Haru, that much is true, but in terms of his future? The real deal? Long term kind of thing? It's an entirely different story.

Rin, however, made me see just how much he respected Haru—apart from the 1st season, obviously, since it's a plot device so we have a franchise haha. Post-war, Rin started coming back down to his senses and this is where we're finally seeing the REAL Rin. The real Rin who gave importance to Haru as a person, as a friend, as a rival, etc. And they didn't even have to be together 24/7, Rin just knows Haru SO WELL, he knows him like the back of his hand. It's as if he almost didn't leave the country and stayed with Haru all his life for him to memorize the little things that matter to Haru, that makes the guy happy.

Haru's routine goes: he wakes up, he hangs out in the tub, he gets out of it, and then wear an apron to cook his favorite meal, saba, before kickstarting his day. Rin never complained and even thought it was SO Haru... much like Nagisa, tbh! Another character who accepts Haru for the way he is! ^^ If I know anyone who did the exact opposite, well... whoever they are, I'm sure it's because they wish nothing but the best for Haru! But the question is: was it really the "best" for Haru? But that's besides the point. Thing is, Rin accepts Haru for who he is, and I love that for them... Makes for a healthy long term relationship, if I do say so myself. Less fights, less arguments, just healthy banter here and there. And I say healthy banter because I know that somewhere in there, Rin teased Haru about his saba obsession HAHA. (he even smelled it from him xD)

And so, LONG TERM relationship-wise, Rin takes the cake for me. Can you just imagine them being together for years and Rin still smiles at Haru lovingly, going, "Oh, my husband? Yeah, he loves eating mackerel. Haha. That's just how he is. If you don't have mackerel to get my husband fed, please get out of my face. Thanks."

I also love how Rin is not afraid of hurting Haru, or breaking his walls down, if what he'll tell him/do to him would mold him into something GREAT. All for his betterment, really. For Haru to be the best version of himself, something he didn't exactly expect - or something he never considered, before Rin.

Because all this time, Haru thought he'd just be a normal person come his twenties/twenty years of age, and really? That's it? For someone as talented as he is in the sport that is clearly a part of him?

We know Haru would say things such as, "I only swim free. I just like being in the water..." but that's not at all true. Not anymore, at least. If you remember, in season 1 when he raced Rin again and he lost to him, where Rin said "I don't have to swim with you again. Ever." Haru had some sort of awakening inside of him. Sure, we later on found out that it was still not about winning or times, but at least it was more than just being in the water, moving forward. He explicitly said that "I want to swim with Rin" — all shipping talk aside, that was Haru basically admitting that it was not just about him being in the water anymore. He craved more. So it is safe to say that whatever influence Rin has over him it is something positive. Rin will always have the greatest impact on Haru's life, no matter if it's positive or negative (i.e. quitting swimming bc rin quit too - unbeknownst to haru, rin quit swimming bc he hit a wall back in australia tho!), there's no doubt about it.

(God, I love their dynamics.)

(Anyway.)

I know some would argue that Rin's being below the belt for pushing someone off-kilter like that, some might even accuse Rin of being selfish/pushy/toxic (meh he ain't), but jeez... That someone—Haru—thanked Rin for showing him something he'd never seen before, MANY TIMES, instead. He was just so grateful, man. The RinHaruRalia is one of the many proofs of that. It was not a smooth sail, for sure, it was rocky as heck... so many obstacles that Haru had to face, so many breakdowns and stuff like that, but HONESTLY THOUGH. Success is not something that was given to us just like that, it wasn't something that was handed to us on a silver platter... We fight for it, we cry and we break and sometimes even lose ourselves in between. But all that was part of the journey. And in the end, it was worth it. Who could've done that? If it wasn't for Rin; only if Rin didn't open his big mouth— But wait. Did Rin just really...give Haru some type of purpose...in life? Something to struggle and work for and train for, all because he really wanted it too, anyway? HUH. Just because he didn't consider it before (because hurray, no one ever gave him an idea except for someone who was miles away from him at the time), doesn't mean he really didn't want it in the first place :)

Rin just made him see the light, end of. Love that for them!!

Another thing, while I was watching I noticed how fond Rin was whenever Haru was simply being Haru. You know, his usual self. Like anything Haru did, Rin accepted no question. Oh, so Haru wanted to do this? Okay! Rin would be like yeah sure, because I know how you are, Haru, and I can jive with that. As long as I know you would be fine in the end, why not? He was never that friend who went, "Don't do that! Oh no, not that! Haru, stop!" even though Haru was basically doing something remotely...harmless? Just merely enjoying being himself??

Like, those are little things that one should be granting a friend. They were primitive things that could make Haru smile and happy, why can't you let him be? It's not like he'll hurt himself for real? And maybe Rin knows this, therefore he lets Haru be Haru, and that's so kakkoi of him, hands down. Makes for a healthy long term companionship, eh?

And to summarize, since my stomach is grumbling now and I haven't taken my lunch yet haha, these are just some of the keypoints as to why I think, personally (which means you don't have to agree with me, I'm not and will never force you to), Rin is GOOD for Haru. He spoils him, he tolerates him and at the same time accepts him for who he is/what he is, is never afraid to TELL HIM WHAT IT IS, speaks his mind around Haru, doesn't tiptoe around Haru, etc.

Anyone who's in a longtime friendship with someone, or anyone who is best friends with their partner/girlfriend/boyfriend must know how lucky they are to have someone who can easily bonk them right across the head, unafraid to get frank with them, if they're already being stupid. I myself know. Because they're being real to me—transparent with me. They never had to worry about being on my good side, because they know what their doing was only for my own good.

And you know why that is? Well, no other reason aside from they love me. They want to see me grow into my full potential, and I think that's... *insert any positive adjective here*. And for that, I would surely love them back, I won't even have to question it.

And that, my friend, is RIN to Haru. They are perfect for each other, best anchors of one another.

Byebye

[forgottenroisin]

"Reading!" It was a real laugh, despite herself, which sprung from her throat. "I can't seem to recall the last time you spent an evening reading. Pray, what about?"

Something to change your mind, I pray, she thought and, with an inadvertent sigh, she began methodically to seal up her paints and her brushes so they'd keep well for next time.

Despite herself, a flush of pleasure unfurled through her, tugging at her heart at the sound of Eithne's praise and she sat back, from where she'd been knelling, on her feet to take it again with fresh eyes. But pleasure soured at the next sentence and her flush turned to palor.

"Oh, Eithne," she whispered, and she hated that tears stung her eyes -- always she felt upon the verge of crying in confrontations, moments when she most wished to appear strong! -- "It's not worth that!" Perhaps she oughtn't to have said it -- they'd argued enough about it -- but she couldn't help the protest, particularly when put in this way. No, no! You cannot sell yourself for me! It was too awful to think.

"Eithne, I'd rather put away my paints forever than let you make such a sacrifice," she said, this time more gently, though just as earnestly as slowly -- heedless of the paint on her hands -- she took Eithne's in her own. "If you do it for me, for any of your sisters," she added, pleading, knowing they would each agree. "Then do not do it at all."

But Rosie knew better, and she felt that in her gut. It was for them, of course, but not just for them: it was for all of Malconaire. This was always how it was meant to be: they were, each of them, to wed for the good of Malconaire's people in one way or another. But this?

She fell silent then, knowing they'd talked it all out before, knowing the futility of her argument, knowing the cruel certainty of a fate already sealed. Slowly, she sank onto the edge of her small bed beside her sister and, sighing, almost by way of apology, leaned her head upon Eithne's shoulder.

Rosie did not know what to do. She did not know what was best. But each of her elder sisters, in their way, seemed to know. She had always been content to follow their lead. Terrible, then, that they each now seemed to disagree. Eithne would do anything to se this through; Brigit anything to stop it; Aoife, stolid as ever, keeping her own council. And what was dreamy Rosie to do? To say? To think? Every word of advice she seemed to get stood in opposition to its fellows. I will ask Edmund, she determined. He was the cleverest person she knew, and -- in this matter, at least -- about as objective as one could be. But she feared he would perceive prudence in Eithne's choice -- and deep down, some part of Rosie whispered that that would not suit her at all. Deep down, she wanted him to tell her to fight for her sister, however she could.

"Oh," whispered Rosie. "That does sound marvellous!"

She'd not meant to sound so wistful -- but it was what she felt. It was to be, she now knew, her last joyful feast day, for upon the next Eithne would be wed to Cassimir. Once that was done, Eithne would do her all to raise Malconaire to its greatest ranks once again and that, at least, was a blessing. But with that going on, she had no doubt that the wish to wed into their family would also return -- and that, whatever fine promises Cassimir might make now to Eithne, each of his stepsisters would be wed to best please himself and his perceptions of what he wanted for himself. It would cause a rift between the couple, an irreparable one, perhaps, but Rosie did not doubt in his callousness. He would do it.

She did not mention this to Eithne, however: that was not her burden to bear. Eithne's nature was to trust in those of others, and Rosie would not disturb that for all the world. She would believe Cassimir could change -- as she should -- and Rosie should be glad beyond belief if it were true! And if anyone could help him, why, it was certainly Eithne! But some small forboding inside whispered to Rosie that it was not to be.

Besides, Eithne was right that the overall good of the woodland realm which was, by rights, her own, far outweighed their own concerns. They'd been meant to marry to advance its causes from the start. Strange to think, Rosie considered with a sudden splash of colorless humor, that perhaps Valentina's ruinations had been a small silver coin to them after all -- it had given them a few more few more years all together.

She giggled despite herself at Eithne's suggestion about the Emperor. "Guardians know he'd seen a line a mile long! And that just of souls he'd touched!" She did not mean that in a good way. "I do not think the night could possibly last long enough for him to take them all in. No wonder he fears our traditions so!" she joshed, lifting her head to turn a wry look upon her sister.

"Oh," she sighed. "But how I wish I could invite Cassandra...and Edmund." Cassandra perhaps she might have gotten away with -- if Cassandra did not tell anyone what she'd seen no one might ever realize it had been a Samain feast, but Edmund would recognize it right off. And it would put him in such a difficult spot.

Eithne was too perceptive by half, Rosie often felt, and she squeezed her eyes shut at her question, chewing on her lip. She turned, then, facing her sister full in the face. "I--I think I should wed Cormac Calleary," she said, abruptly, then held a hand up. "And you cannot object because you're going through with a far more awful idea! I think I should marry him for Malconaire -- think of the trade potential to help bring coin back into our coffers. Think how we could rebuild the village! And he'd take me in a snap, you know he would! And not care a trice about my dowry! And I'd be a good Lady Calleary, I would. You've trained me so well, really, haven't you, and I'd feel no real concern because at my worst," she added with a little snort of laughter. "I know I'd still quite outsine my husband! And, and--I know I'd do such good, and I'd make everyone so proud and...everything...but..." She turned and looked at her sister again and squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, a little flash of stubbornness there about her shadow-dark eyes. "But I don't want to."

Midnights || Roisin + Eithne

The house was quiet when Eithne finally made her way upstairs from cleaning up the kitchen. She was tired-- she felt as if she had been more tired in these last weeks since she'd accepted Cassimir's proposal. She'd thought she might feel a sense of relief-- Malconaire was secured now, wasn't it? She'd be the lady, as she was meant to be, and could care for everyone here as she'd always wished to do.

So why did every step feel so much heavier now?

At the top of the stair Eithne made to turn into the little room that had been her own these past two years (Valentina had yet to even so much as glance at the dower house and Eithne was not planning to moving back down to the main level of the house until her step mother was out of the home!), however she saw a small flicker of candlelight under Roisin's door. She raised her hand to knock... paused... dropped her hand and took a step back.

It had not been easy telling her sisters about Cassimir. She'd almost wished there was a way they could find out without having to hear it from her, but she knew that was selfish and unfair. They'd, of course, reacted with concern, disgust, utter horror at the news. Eithne knew their reactions would not be positive, but she hadn't realized how much their reaction would sting. She didn't want them to be happy, but Eithne also didn't want to cause them distress... but she had with that news.

Taking another step forward, Eithne raised her hand and knocked lightly on Roisin's door before cracking it open slightly, glancing inside.

"Awake still, littlest sister?" she asked, her voice low.

[musclesandhammering]

Hi, just wanted to say i respect your willingness to stand up for your opinions.

I know you have got some push back re your thoughts on the classification of Cas as gay to the potential exclusion of other LGBTQIA+ identities.

Its valid to be upset that Cas is reduced to just one when he hasn't identified specifically as any particular one and could fit other definitions better. That said, most people only seem to be using gay as a general term, almost an alternative shortcut for queer. Its not accurate but not meant badly.

I think partly using gay to describe Cas is because its shorthand for the uneducated and partly because it recognisably for a straight audience pulls Cas firmly over to the opposite spectrum (a way of saying that he is definitely not hetero but homosexual for less educated people about the differences).

Given that even now, with all the discourse on 'open for interpretation' on the confession scene, there are too many people insisting it is not queer at all this adamant insistence that Cas is gay is really just a fierce opposition to that view point.

The truly awful consequence is that representation is so minimal that people are left to argue over the scraps and it divides the queer community.

The key is for queer artists and producers to make more content - written by people who know and understand what representation should look like and make those stories engaging to the general audience. Thats hard though, takes time and cost money so adding in a shout out to queer art programs.

https://deadline.com/2021/06/out-loud-list-2021-out-in-hollywood-lgbtq-tv-pilots-1234779522/

Hi! So before I answer this I should acknowledge that I’m in a really weird place on the queer cas discourse spectrum because I’m someone who 1000% believes Cas is nonbinary and also part of the queer community (asexual, demisexual, omnisexual, or pansexual would be my guesses but I’m open to debate) but I also vehemently despise destiel and the confession scene. So just…. disclaimer lol.

But yeah, you’re definitely right that a bunch of people use “gay” as a shorthand for “member of the queer community” instead of to mean just plain “homosexual”. And that’s totally fine! It draws a firm line for cishet people, is easier to understand for people who aren’t as educated on lgbt matters, makes people feel more included, and also is just a lot less of a mouthful than, say “omnisexual” lol.

And I also totally agree with you that the fact that some straight people are trying to nitpick the confession scene and claim it wasn’t romantic and Cas isn’t actually lgbt is…. Absurd. Even though I hate that scene and wish it didn’t exist, it does, and it very much was a romantic confession, and people need to accept that. And frankly straight fans need to realise that there were plenty (and I do mean plenty) of indications all throughout the show that Cas is definitely not straight. Straight people clinging to him is just sad at this point.

However………… what I was mostly referring to in my initial post (and all subsequent posts in which I argued with the troll) are the rabid destiel shippers that refuse to believe Castiel is anything but a gay (homosexual) man who’s head over heels in love with Dean Winchester. And, trust me, there are a lot of them.

These people tend to despise any woman who comes near Cas (Meg, Hannah, etc) to a point that verges on misogyny, trash anyone who claims Cas could even have the potential to be attracted to more than just men, get angry at people who suggest he’s asexual and thus not attracted to anyone, and are often dismissive of his genderqueerness as well….. all because they see these things as threatening to their precious ship. *eyeroll*

When I come across fans like this it becomes really hard to see them as just fellow members of the lgbt community who disagree on the topic of his sexuality because 1.) Let’s be real, a lot of them are straight women who just fetishise gay men and 2.) It’s pretty obvious that they don’t actually care about representation (despite the fact that they’ll scream queerbaiting any day of the week, lord knows), they just care about gathering evidence to support their toxic trash ship. And if that means calling people homophobic, they’ll do it, but if it means insulting other non-homosexual lgbt fans, they’ll do that too.

I’m glad you brought up the issue of lack of representation on a broader spectrum, though, because that really is the heart of the matter. I said earlier that a lot of these shippers are straight women- and that’s true- but there are also a lot of them that are queer people themselves that are so starved for representation that the second they see two men share a meaningful bond, they start shipping it. And they’ll blindly go to the mat for said ship. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a great couple, and it doesn’t even necessarily have to be genuine queer subtext- it can just be a platonic male friendship- but lgbt fans are so goddamn starved for lgbt rep that they become a little crazed and obsessive when they think they’ve found some. That’s what I think happened with a lot of destiel shippers. And that’s not their fault! That attitude could absolutely be resolved by having more queer romances and a larger variety of queer characters in tv and film. But, idk…. I guess we’ll see if that happens :/

Thanks so much for this response, though. It was super polite and intelligent and informed and I LOVE getting in-depth asks like this! <3