#and feel free to disagree or have actual evidence!!

[originalleftist]

Re-blogging to reply because this cowardly dipshit turned off comments.

You can find extensive evidence with less than 5 minutes' Googling. Just for a start, here's an article from Reuters (the link won't embed, but it works if you enter it in a search bar):

https://www.reuters.com/world/israels-pm-aware-very-violent-incident-against-israelis-amsterdam-his-office-2024-11-08/

Don't worry, it includes footage, since you've taken it upon yourself to declare that that is the only valid form of evidence.

It also confirms that:

-62 people were detained.

-10 remain in custody (so much for your "one random angry guy", who you imply doesn't exist but also try to paint as justified in hunting Jews "Israeli thugs" if he did).

-It describes "what the mayor called "antisemitic hit-and-run squads"'

-"Mayor Femke Halsema said Maccabii Tel Aviv fans had been "attacked, abused and pelted with fireworks around the city, and that riot police intervened to protect them and escort them to hotels. At least five people were treated in hospital."

-It notes the context of increased antisemitic incidents in the Netherlands since last October, including threats against "many Jewish organisations and schools".

-It also notes reports of "Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters chanting anti-Arab slogans before Thursday evening's match." Nobody denies this. There is no Conspiracy To Hide The Truth.

It is, however, a pretty big leap from that to your "entire population of Amsterdam telling the same story consistently about Israeli terrorists causing mayhem for days", a ridiculously hyperbolic claim that I have seen literally nowhere else, and for which you naturally feel obliged to provide ZERO evidence, even while demanding extensive footage to prove an orchestrated attack on Jews. Never mind the eyewitness testimony to that (but they're Lying Jews, so they don't count, right?)

More fundamentally, however, where we disagree is that any bigotry or violence by certain individual Israelis would justify a pogrom hunting down Israelis/Jews.

But that's what it always comes down to. Violence against Jews is downplayed, and attributed (if acknowledged at all) to lone individuals, while anything bad - real or imagined - that an Israeli or Jew does is used as justification for any and all retaliation, up to and including mass r*pe and total extermination (this is basically the entire pro-Hamas argument in a nutshell).

Here's some more footage, since we've already established that that's The Only Legitimate Form Of Evidence:

You might like this source, it engages in a bit of "both sides" attempt to justify the mob, but I link it because it includes extensive video.

-Groups of people wearing Palestinian flags.

-A seemingly unconscious man on the ground being kicked.

-A man forced under threat of violence to stay "free Palestine".

-Another person forced to do so while swimming in a river.

-A man pleading "I'm not Jewish" and still being beaten.

-An eyewitness describing how people "were ready in exactly the places, strategic places, with bat, with knife."

That last one is not something that happens spontaneously- it has to be planned. So is showing up to a riot wearing Palestinian flags, for that matter (I find nothing inherently offensive in a Palestinian flag, but bringing one to a riot requires premeditation, and it also underscores the larger political motivations, that this was not just over some football hooliganism).

I know none of this will convince you, because bigotry is by definition not based on facts and reason. I know that you are not engaging in good faith, since you started out by preemptively dismissing any evidence outside of a very narrow standard, including all eyewitness testimony by the actual victims. I know that you will probably dismiss any evidence provided as Jewish Media "Zionist propaganda". Hell, it's quite possible that you're a paid troll, and know full-well that you're lying through your teeth. Like Holocaust deniers, you likely are denying it not because you really believe it didn't happen, but because you know it did, you support it, and you want it to happen more.

I'm just putting the facts out there for the benefit of anyone who stumbles on this post.

PS: reported for violating Tumblr's policies re hate speech and advocating terrorism.

Don't worry guys! We overreacted! They were just looking for any of the football hooligans who stayed and not because they want to harm jews! (Sarcasm)

[soapdi-spencer]

Marius OCD headcanons

-Unmedicated and unaware that what he's going through is abnormal

-Combats his intrusive thoughts with attempted suppression or "replacing" a negative thought with a positive one

-Combined contamination OCD and counting OCD with hoarding tendencies

-Washes his hands frequently but doesn't consider himself to be particularly clean. Avoids touching doorknobs/keypads/any other door opening mechanism with ungloved hands wherever possible and has developed a technique of using his elbows for everything

-Counts up to 10 over and over again in his head and sometimes gets so wrapped up in it that he ends up zoning out. Also counts things like tiles

-Obsessively collects various items regardless of importance, not just his own kneecaps, in case he or somebody else needs something later. His hoard has started to breach containment and spread to other areas of the ship

[everafterwhy]

if you’re going to lie and make a fake post for clout about ever after high coming back, just don’t please. ESPECIALLY ON TUMBLR. fans who want it back get excited and annoyed. it creates disinformation and therefore misinformation. also i DON’T want ever after high to be rebooted (which i have discussed many times) and i don’t want to see it or have that anxiety—“oh no what if it comes back and they ruin everything” ://

also. i have a very definitive outlook about this: ever after high is NOT coming back. i don’t believe that mattel can get away with it after everything with disney. plus (i’ve heard) mattel has started producing disney’s dolls again and probably doesn’t want to risk that money-making partnership. the only viable time i can imagine they would reboot eah would be if the new mh reboot does REALLY WELL. and they have mga/specifically rainbow high to compete with, so i’d imagine they put all their resources into that.

the only reason my opinions on the monster high reboot are any different is because i joined the mh fandom post-reboot (gen 2) and since it’s already had a bad reboot, i didn’t care about mh gen 3. if i had been an mh fan before gen 2 i would have had the same feelings i do about eah.

[hauntingofhouses]

Very interesting to me that a certain subset of the BES fandom's favourite iterations of Mizu and Akemi are seemingly rooted in the facades they have projected towards the world, and are not accurate representations of their true selves.

And I see this is especially the case with Mizu, where fanon likes to paint her as this dominant, hyper-masculine, smirking Cool GuyTM who's going to give you her strap. And this idea of Mizu is often based on the image of her wearing her glasses, and optionally, with her cloak and big, wide-brimmed kasa.

And what's interesting about this, to me, is that fanon is seemingly falling for her deliberate disguise. Because the glasses (with the optional combination of cloak and hat) represent Mizu's suppression of her true self. She is playing a role.

Take this scene of Mizu in the brothel in Episode 4 for example. Here, not only is Mizu wearing her glasses to symbolise the mask she is wearing, but she is purposely acting like some suave and cocky gentleman, intimidating, calm, in control. Her voice is even deeper than usual, like what we hear in her first scene while facing off with Hachiman the Flesh-Trader in Episode 1.

This act that Mizu puts on is an embodiment of masculine showboating, which is highly effective against weak and insecure men like Hachi, but also against women like those who tried to seduce her at the Shindo House.

And that brings me to how Mizu's mask is actually a direct parallel to Akemi's mask in this very same scene.

Here, Akemi is also putting up an act, playing up her naivety and demure girlishness, using her high-pitched lilted voice, complimenting Mizu and trying to make small talk, all so she can seduce and lure Mizu in to drink the drugged cup of sake.

So what I find so interesting and funny about this scene, characters within it, and the subsequent fandom interpretations of both, is that everyone seems to literally be falling for the mask that Mizu and Akemi are putting up to conceal their identities, guard themselves from the world, and get what they want.

It's also a little frustrating because the fanon seems to twist what actually makes Mizu and Akemi's dynamic so interesting by flattening it completely. Because both here and throughout the story, Mizu and Akemi's entire relationship and treatment of each other is solely built off of masks, assumptions, and misconceptions.

Akemi believes Mizu is a selfish, cocky male samurai who destroyed her ex-fiance's career and life, and who abandoned her to let her get dragged away by her father's guards and forcibly married off to a man she didn't know. on the other hand, Mizu believes Akemi is bratty, naive princess who constantly needs saving and who can't make her own decisions.

These misconceptions are even evident in the framing of their first impressions of each other, both of which unfold in these slow-motion POV shots.

Mizu's first impression of Akemi is that of a beautiful, untouchable princess in a cage. Swirling string music in the background.

Akemi's first impression of Mizu is of a mysterious, stoic "demon" samurai who stole her fiance's scarf. Tense music and the sound of ocean waves in the background.

And then, going back to that scene of them together in Episode 4, both Mizu and Akemi continue to fool each other and hold these assumptions of each other, and they both feed into it, as both are purposely acting within the suppressive roles society binds them to in order to achieve their goals within the means they are allowed (Akemi playing the part of a subservient woman; Mizu playing the part of a dominant man).

But then, for once in both their lives, neither of their usual tactics work.

Akemi is trying to use flattery and seduction on Mizu, but Mizu sees right through it, knowing that Akemi is just trying to manipulate and harm her. Rather than give in to Akemi's tactics, Mizu plays with Akemi's emotions by alluding to Taigen's death, before pinning her down, and then when she starts crying, Mizu just rolls her eyes and tells her to shut up.

On the opposite end, when Mizu tries to use brute force and intimidation, Akemi also sees right through it, not falling for it, and instead says this:

"Under your mask, you're not the killer you pretend to be."

Nonetheless, despite the fact that they see a little bit through each other's masks, they both still hold their presumptions of each other until the very end of the season, with Akemi seeing Mizu as an obnoxious samurai swooping in to save the day, and Mizu seeing Akemi as a damsel in distress.

And what I find a bit irksome is that the fandom also resorts to flattening them to these tropes as well.

Because Mizu is not some cool, smooth-talking samurai with a big dick sword as Akemi (and the fandom) might believe. All of that is the facade she puts up and nothing more. In reality, Mizu is an angry, confused and lonely child, and a masterful artist, who is struggling against her own self-hatred. Master Eiji, her father figure who knows her best, knows this.

And Akemi, on the other hand, is not some girly, sweet, vain and spoiled princess as Mizu might believe. Instead she has never cared for frivolous things like fashion, love or looks, instead favouring poetry and strategy games instead, and has always only cared about her own independence. Seki, her father figure who knows her best, knows this.

But neither is she some authoritative dominatrix, though this is part of her new persona that she is trying to project to get what she wants. Because while Akemi is willful, outspoken, intelligent and authoritative, she can still be naive! She is still often unsure and needs to have her hand held through things, as she is still learning and growing into her full potential. Her new parental/guardian figure, Madame Kaji, knows this as well.

So with all that being said, now that we know that Mizu and Akemi are essentially wearing masks and putting up fronts throughout the show, what would a representation of Mizu's and Akemi's true selves actually look like? Easy. It's in their hair.

This shot on the left is the only time we see Mizu with her hair completely down. In this scene, she's being berated by Mama, and her guard is completely down, she has no weapon, and is no longer wearing any mask, as this is after she showed Mikio "all of herself" and tried to take off the mask of a subservient housewife. Thus, here, she is sad, vulnerable, and feeling small (emphasised further by the framing of the scene). This is a perfect encapsulation of what Mizu is on the inside, underneath all the layers of revenge-obsession and the walls she's put around herself.

In contrast, the only time we Akemi with her hair fully down, she is completely alone in the bath, and this scene takes place after being scorned by her father and left weeping at his feet. But despite all that, Akemi is headstrong, determined, taking the reigns of her life as she makes the choice to run away, but even that choice is reflective of her youthful naivety. She even gets scolded by Seki shortly after this in the next scene, because though she wants to be independent, she still hasn't completely learned to be. Not yet. Regardless, her decisiveness and moment of self-empowerment is emphasised by the framing of the scene, where her face takes up the majority of the shot, and she stares seriously into the middle distance.

To conclude, I wish popular fanon would stop mischaracterising these two, and flattening them into tropes and stereotypes (ie. masculine badass swordsman Mizu and feminine alluring queen but also girly swooning damsel Akemi), all of which just seems... reductive. It also irks me when Akemi is merely upheld as a love interest and romantic device for Mizu and nothing more, when she is literally Mizu's narrative foil (takes far more narrative precedence over romantic interest) and the deuteragonist of this show. She is her own person. That is literally the theme of her entire character and arc.

[megjobeth-amy]

I wish people would stop making fun of Katara talking about her dead mom like she has other flaws that can be pointed out and also why are we still going after girl characters for dumb shit?

and please don’t say “well Sokka never talks about their mom!” yes he does they both talk about their absent parents and are deeply affected by it because it’s traumatic!! these are kids experiencing some heavy deep trauma how Katara handles it is just one way

and we see different responses in different characters as well this just feels like fandom continuing to go after girl, especially feminine, characters for literally anything they do

[violetasteracademic]

Does Elain Archeron want to be human again?

Theory debunk ahead.

I have personally *tried* (though I am absolutely not perfect) to take a hippocratic oath with my presence on the internet and wish to do no harm. The Libra moon to my Virgo sun is always trying to approach things peacefully. The wing 2 on my type 1 ennengram is always trying to take an open hearted approach to compassion and empathy for others while still defending my views on Elain (and Azriel).

However, the take that Elain's book is going to be centered around her acting in risky, irrational, or damaging ways because she has one goal and that is to be human again, is a theory I have ZERO respect for. So, with all due respect, which is none, please feel free to self insert disrespectfully at the end of each point as I systematically debunk this theory. This is probably the longest post I'll ever make. Strap in.

So, where TF did this come from?

On my tiktok, I addressed the fact that the rumor that there is going to be a betrayer in the Night Court ranks has zero grounds. We should collectively start to work to realize this is as accurate as Sarah having an announcement on May 1st, but alas it is a losing battle. However, I received a comment that said they also agreed that it was fake UNTIL they saw someone use text to support it. Apparently, one of the human queens insinuated there is a traitor in the Inner Circle. This is why, even though Sarah NEVER said this, people are now continuing to push this "Elain will be a traitor" agenda. Even accidentally or unintentionally out of her desire to be human. I made a whole video on this, but for context, here is the quote being used to fuel this:

Briallyn and Nesta are in a game of chicken with Briallyn trying to force Nesta to get the Trove by threatening she'll have Cassian kill her, and he'll never recover. When Nesta calls her on her bluff and says Briallyn won't kill her, Briallyn responds that there are other court members as delusional as Nesta (she is referring to her love for Cassian making her weak, delusional, and vulnerable) and she can just keep threatening members of the Night Court's loved ones until someone gets her what she wants. However, she put in *quite* a bit of time and effort on trapping Nesta first, didn't she?

My friends. Where does Briallyn say "there is a traitor among the Inner Circle's ranks?" Where does it say there is a mole? It doesn't. Yes, Briallyn has spies. As do all courts and kingdoms. But to suggest Briallyn said there is already a traitor in the Inner Circle specifically because of these quotes is unhinged and beyond willful distortion of the text to serve an invented narrative based on an unfounded rumor. I don't have time or energy to recap the whole vid, but moving on from this for now. Disrespectfully.

The next layer of the conversation is this: They think Briallyn is probably still foreshadowing Elain because Elain wants to be human so badly she'll unintentionally harm the Night Court and betray them, somehow, because of this quote and the conversation with Amren on Solstice. To which I said, there is way too much evidence in ACOSF that Elain is healthy, adjusted, and has friends and purpose in Velaris. The response to that was, well that's Nesta's perception and we can't trust her.

While the convo on tiktok was, I felt, respectful discourse and we agreed to disagree, the parasite in my brain went into full annihilation mode over this theory after thinking on it.

Because by this logic- if we aren't allowed to trust Nesta's or Cassian's perceptions that Elain is healthy and well and adjusted, or glowing with good health and finding purpose and friends, then we ALSO aren't allowed to trust Amren's assumption that Elain was curious about her choosing her Fae form because Elain wants to be human again. Elain never actually said that. Amren assumed it:

(yes I'm bringing so many receipts I exceeded the photo limit and had to start combining pages.)

At no point does Elain say anything about wanting to be human. In fact, this entire conversation is about Elain's curiosity over why Amren chose the form that she did, why she selected the gender, ect. It's honestly an interesting conversation, and when Amren makes assumptions about Elain having ulterior motives for asking the interesting question, *Elain's brow furrows in confusion.*

Elain straightens and becomes cold at Amren's assumption Elain still wants to be human. One could read this as Elain feeling embarrassed for being called out, but the pure fact is that it isn't the only explanation. In fact, Elain has spent all day cooking for everyone, spent the week shopping for Solstice presents and waxing poetic about the importance of honoring Solstice traditions (more on that later) and participating in the Fae customs, fussing over her appearance for the dinner she prepped for, ECT. It's equally as likely that she is hurt over being misunderstood by the new friends and family she has spent the day trying to making a perfect Solstice meal for and shop for everyone. Which is, if I'm not mistaken, Elain's whole damn theme. Her loved ones don't really see or understand her, while she observed and understands everything. Far more than they give her credit for.

Or maybe Elain has a fucking BEAST FORM. And is curious about what her powers can do with changing form.

The point is, it is all theory and assumption from another character. So, the dinner conversation at Solstice is now off the table using the very logic enforcing the Elain betrayal plotline by suggesting Nesta's perceptions of her are untrustworthy. So are Amren's. What's next? Disrespectfully.

There's only one other item people can use, from ACOFAS, which is Feyre's perception that Elain still wants Grayson. Which again, by this logic, is off the table now.

Feyre is the one who says Elain wants a human man. Elain didn't. So this can no longer be used as evidence.

All Elain says is Lucien is not entitled to her time and affections, and it's impossible for Lucien to care for her because he does not know her. Hmm. Someone thinking they know and care for Elain without actually knowing her. Theme, anyone? I thought I heard a theme bell chime.

Alright. So Nesta is wrong about Elain. Amren is wrong about Elain. Feyre is wrong about Elain.

So where are the grounds that Elain still wants to be human based on the text?

They don't exist.

But oh, that's not even the fun part! NOW is the fun part.

By eliminating others perceptions of Elain from the conversation as they are unreliable, what does that leave us?

Perhaps with Elain's own words and actions and nothing else?

You guys, I felt like a kid in a candy story with this one. Let's see what Elain told us about her thoughts regarding the human lands, starting with the most recent publication ACOSF:

Elain describes in great detail how she was bullied by other girls when she was younger. It's interesting, because Nesta previously said that Elain used to love balls and parties. And yet here, we find out that Elain wasn't treated well by the other girls in her own words speaking on her own experience. She goes on to *shudder in distaste* that in the human lands, it would have been perfectly suitable for Nesta to have been married off and "reserved" until she was old enough to reproduce. A thought that made Rhysand, a Fae, choke on his wine. And then of course, those same girls that tormented her delighted in her downfall.

When Elain speaks for herself instead of others speaking for her, it doesn't seem like she thinks very highly of the human lands, their customs, or their behavior, or the balls she attended does it? She certainly doesn't have any friends or anyone she misses. Everyone turned their backs on the sisters when they lost their money. And Elain witnessed this with Grayson as well, who turned his back on her the second her circumstances changed against her will again.

So uh, no. I don't think Elain is desperate to go back there.

And if course we have this ACOMAF banger:

So.... yeah. In Elain's own words, sharing her thoughts and beliefs, this is what she thinks about the rulers of the mortal lands. By the way, these same queens had her kidnapped and risked her life and took everything from her so they could test out whether mortals could survive being thrown in the Cauldron. But please, tell me more how Elain misses her human life so much that she'll screw over her friends and family to get it back. Disrespectfully.

Alternatively, in A Court and Frost and Starlight, here are the lovely thoughts Elain had about Fae culture:

Here's Elain working with her friends to bake Feyre's birthday cake, a representation of the three sisters:

Here's Elain surprising Nesta and Azriel with presents her very first Solstice, after chatting with local vendors and working with the Night Court's trusted healer:

Here is what Elain, Elain and no one else, has to say about being a member of the night court and ready to use her powers to serve it:

This is what happens when you cherry pick context. You create a new set of rules, which people like me are more than willing to follow. And if the rule is: Elain's thoughts and feelings are the only pieces of evidence allowed and not anyone else's thoughts or perceptions of her, it actually only proves the theory that Elain is going to betray the night court because she wants to be mortal again and return to the mortal lands even more wrong. Considering the theme once again, of how misunderstood and unseen Elain has been, the unbelievably ironic meta-ness of it all is overwhelming. Please, unplug yourself from the Matrix. Pay attention to Elain. It's in your best interest to at least attempt to see and understand her if you plan to read her book, or you are going to be very lost and confused.

Disrespectfully.

[transmutationisms]

Feel free not to answer this ask so you dont have to step into this particular hornet's nest but do you have any thoughts about people sharing inaccurate science about COVID in order to push for more COVID regulations? I agree that COVID is being neglected and we need better policies but I'm also a biochemist so it pisses me off to see people cite research in a way that makes exaggerated and terrifying claims. Two years ago, I was warning my colleagues against this condescending "just trust the science" approach but now the same crowd pushing that has shifted to pushing "don't trust any of the positive science, only my catastrophic interpretations of it". Can't we mask without also trying to convince each other that COVID is a guaranteed one way ticket to death and permanent disability?

you must be new here haha i swing bats at this hornet's nest like once a month. yeah i think the current state of covid communication sucks a lot. i mean the truth is that "follow the science" is always a disingenuous sentiment; Science doesn't speak, and scientists disagree with one another. and it's naïve to pretend majority consensus is a reliable mechanism to identify truth—anyone who has followed the covid aerosolisation about-face will recall that although linsey marr was not the first researcher to challenge medical orthodoxy on airborne disease transmission, even well into the covid pandemic the idea of aerosol transmission was marginalised by global health authorities because it was politically inconvenient, out of favour with powerful established academics, and reminiscent to some of pre-pasteurian miasma theories of disease. those who would "follow the science" were not presented with a convenient dichotomy between reasonable evidence-backed expert consensus and fringe peddlers of heterodoxy; to evaluate these positions required actually, yknow, reading and evaluating the arguments and evidence from multiple competing positions, and deciding which had the greater explanatory power. which is good epistemological advice only insofar as it's so obvious as to be trite.

fundamentally a huge driving force of this situation is the social, political, and institutional forces that make expert knowledge (a generally good thing) all too often synonymous with inaccessible knowledge. i don't mean inaccessibility caused by knowledge being specialised; obviously this is inevitable to some extent simply as a result of the fact that no one person will grasp the entirety of human knowledge. but the fact that knowledge is specialised, specific, highly technical, and so forth doesn't automatically mean, for example, that it has to be monetarily gatekept from all but a select few with the resources to persevere through a highly punishing, nepotistic, hegemonic university system; this is a political problem, and one that additionally has the effect of enabling and sheltering low-quality work (see: replication crisis) behind the opaque walls of university bureaucracy and the imprimateur of the credentials it grants. in lieu of an ability to actually engage with, read, or challenge much of the academic research being generated on any given topic, the lay public is supposed to rely on signs of reliability like possession of a degree, or institutional reputation. what we in fact see again and again, and with particularly high stakes in the case of something like a pandemic, is that these measures are instruments of class stratification and professional jockeying that don't inherently ensure quality information: MDs can and do peddle anti-vaxx lies and covid / long-covid denialism; the CDC and WHO can and do perpetrate bad and outdated scientific advice, like that masks are unnecessary and isolation periods can be shortened for convenience. many of these are just blatant cases of kowtowing to political pressure, which arises from the capitalist logic that counterposes disease prevention to economic growth.

this all leaves us in a position where it is, in fact, smart and correct to evaluate the information coming from 'official' and credentialled sources with scepticism. the problem is that in its place, we get information coming out of the same capitalist state-sponsored scientific institutions, and the same colonialist universities; the idea that some chucklefuck on twitter is telling you the secret truth just because they correctly identified that the government sucks is plainly absurd. where covid specifically is concerned, the liberalism of academic and scientific institutions is on display in numerous ways, including the idealist assumption, which many 'covid communicators' make, that public health policy is primarily a matter of swaying public opinion, and therefore that it is always morally imperative to form and propagate the most alarmist possible interpretation of any study or empirical observation. this is not an attitude that encourages thoughtful or measured evaluation of The Science (eg, study methodology), nor is it one that actually produces the kind of political change that would be required to protect the populace writ large from what is, indeed, a dangerous and still rampant virus. instead, this form of communication mostly winds up generating social media Engagement and screenshots of headlines of summaries of studies.

meanwhile, actual public health policy (which is by and large determined at the mercy of capitalist state interests, and which by and large shapes public opinion of what mitigation measures are 'reasonable', despite the CDC repeatedly pretending this works the other way round), remains on its trajectory toward lax, open exposure of anyone and everyone to each new strain of covid, perpetuating a society that is profoundly hostile to disabled people and careless with everyone's life and health. this fucking sucks. it sucked that we have treated the flu like this for years, and it sucks that we are now doing it with a virus that we are still relatively immunologically naïve to, and that produces, statistically, even more death and disability than the flu. and it sucks that the predominating explanations of this state of affairs from the 'cautious' emphasise not the structural forces that shape knowledge production under capitalism, but instead invoke a psychological narrative whereby individuals simply need to be sufficiently terrified into producing mass action.

[dr-spectre]

Hello everyone, I got some announcements to share and some plans for the future of this blog now that the Grand Fest is over and the news drought begins.

(LONG POST AHEAD!!!!)

I think going forward I'm gonna change how I approach myself acting online and be less "OH MY GOD HOLY SHITENWIOEDISIWIEOE GUYYS!!!"

Because to be honest with you all... I've been feeling very self conscious about the way that I've been acting online and I feel like I gotta channel my passion for Splatoon in a much more healthy and less EXTREMEEEEE way.

I am aware that um.... people have blocked me... and you know, that's to be expected of course when you are online and you're slowly building a following. Still really stings, though, and I think it's due to the fact that sometimes I can be sorta- "This is what happened, and if you disagree with me, you're an idiot and you're wrong!!!!!" When I make posts. And I don't wanna do that, and I don't want to come off as a gatekeeping fan that thinks lower of other people who might not know my stances very well. I wanna educate people and present my stuff as more of "Hey guys, this is what I think actually happened in this event. Feel free to take a look! I think this is really cool and I wonder what you guys think of this perspective that i have?"

And sometimes I can be pretty loud mouthed and stuff and I have talked shit towards certain characters. I remember one time I made a post where I said "what the fuck is wrong with Marie?" And said some stuff... I probably rubbed a lot of people the wrong way with that post... and other posts. I'm so sorry if I have made some of you upset in the past or have said some awful things about your favourite characters in the series...

As you guys probably know, I am passionate about Hypno Callie and I have very strong stances and opinions on her. And that leads to me get a bit... out of control. Callie is my biggest comfort character and to see certain people try and push this vile and disgusting event that happened to her... that she was kidnapped by Octavio and the Octarians when she was alone, and that he brainwashed her and forcibly put the shades on her, or he tricked her and he removed her memories too...

and I try to see the same event in a completely different lens... I see it as more of Octavio manipulating her in a more subtle way and due to Callie's poor mental state and desperation, she heard him out. Octavio used the shades as a way to control her more easily but he doesnt have full direct control over her because her influence helped motivate the Octarians. Octavio still wanted Callie to be... well... Callie. Plus, Callie was more than willing to help the Octarians as well, as she thinks they are cute. I do have evidence to back it up as well as articles and definitions explaining how hypnosis actually works and its limitations.

But this perspective gets compromised and put into question in my head when people keep pushing and pushing and PUSHING the other thing. Then it feels like I have to yell and get mad.... I've seen it as recently as when Blushing Tide came out and I looked at the YouTube comment section on one of the uploads and I just kept seeing people say "oh it's like Tidal Rush but without the brainwashing" or some shit like that idk. I dont remember it well but i know I saw the word floating around. (Don't look at YouTube comment sections. You won't get anything of value from them.)

Anyways, I also wanna cut back on swearing too because sometimes I border on being a hazbin hotel character and I DO NOT want myself to get to that level LMAO!

So what shall I be doing now that Splatoon 3 is officially wrapped up? Well... I wanna do more creative projects and fun stuff like that. I got good reception from my haikus for the Grand Fest and I think doing more stuff like that sounds really really fun!!! And it might actually give me a reason to finish stuff as well lol...

Like I have a God damn Splatoon 2 hero mode finale rewrite that's nearly done and it's been sitting on my Google docs since JULY!!!! I have also made plans to do a fan sequel to the Squid Sisters Stories that takes place in between Splatoon 2 and 3 because that time frame for the Squid Sisters has been barely touched upon. I'm also doing a personal project where it's basically what I want to see out of a Splatoon 4 and I've been really enjoying making that. I dont know if I would ever share it but... it's something to do for me at least.

I also wanna involve myself in the community more, I received an ask where someone said (I forgot who asked I'm so sorry) if I could do a thing where I receive Splatoon OCs and critique them. That sounds really fun!!!

Maybe i can do photo mode competitions or showcases!!! Where I choose a theme (Callie, water, Splatsville, etc) and people submit their photos and I critique them and showcase them to everyone!!! Does that sound like something people would be interested in?! I would love to know as virtual photography is a hobby I love to partake in and I wanna encourage more people to try it!

There is also other stuff i can do like going over the Idols outfits and rating them, but I don't have the motivation to do that at the moment and I know it's not gonna be as in-depth as the one I did for Callie.

Anyhow, that's basically what I have so far. I think im gonna slow down on posting and I'm gonna chill out. Or at least I'll try to chill out.

I've just been feeling incredibly guilty and kinda... sad that I've been acting in a certain way for a while. And I really wanna change that. I dont like making people upset and I don't wanna be the kind of Splatoon fan that puts down others who don't even know any better and don't know who I am....

But enough being sad, I wanna focus on the present and make sure that my future on here is bright!!!

[green-eyedfirework]

It starts on a windswept evening in Bludhaven.  Dick is running across rooftops, breath caught in his throat and wind roaring past his ears, using every trick in the book to remain one step ahead of his pursuer.  The sound of sirens shriek in the distance, evidence of the police presence Dick managed to attract.  Somewhere amidst the cacophony is a crooked mob accountant being placed into police—and, hopefully, protective—custody.

He did just almost get assassinated, after all.

Dick doesn’t stutter, doesn’t falter, doesn’t fall, but it doesn’t matter.  He’s not fast enough.  On the next rooftop, a steel grip latches onto his shoulder and hauls him back—before Dick can raise his escrima for an attack he’s slammed against the brick of the rooftop access door hard enough to squeeze the breath from his lungs.

By the time he blinks the dark spots free, his escrima are gone, his wrists are above his head and squeezed in an inescapable grip, and there’s a gloved hand wrapping around his throat and pushing his head up to stare directly at the orange-and-black mask of his pursuer.

Dick grins.

“You’re too clever for your own good, little bird,” Deathstroke growls, and they’re inches apart, close enough that Deathstroke’s gun holster is digging against Dick’s stomach in a way that makes him want to shiver.

“Really?” Dick asks, testing how much space he has to move.  Deathstroke doesn’t budge an inch.  Dick’s mouth feels very dry.  “I think I’m just clever enough.”

“No,” Deathstroke disagrees.  His thumb rests on the underside of Dick’s jaw.  “Because then you would’ve realized that getting rid of my target meant that there would be no one left.  Except you.”

Something sinks inside of him, deeper than his stomach, a flash Dick almost doesn’t recognize.  But he’s not paying attention to it, because there is a mercenary pinning him to a wall in a grip he can’t squirm out of, and charm is just another tool in his arsenal.

“Oh?” Dick asks, voice sly.  “What’re you going to do about it?”

Deathstroke makes a low, inarticulate sound, and the hand around Dick’s throat leaves to instead pull the man’s mask off.  The mercenary looks incandescent, eye narrowed and roiling, expression twisted into a snarl, and Dick doesn’t have any time to react before a fist twists in his hair and holds him still for the mouth that plunders his.

Dick makes a shocked sound and Deathstroke swallows it, taking like Dick is just a limp ragdoll to be used as he pleases, and this time Dick definitely registers the warmth of arousal.  He can’t move—the fingers in his hair tighten to the point of pain to force him on his tiptoes, the hand holding his wrists feels like it could crush his bones, and Deathstroke has caged him so effectively that Dick can’t even try to dash himself against the bars.

The fire inside of him grows.

It’s not the first time they’ve kissed, it’s just.  It’s never felt like this before.

Dick makes the smallest of whimpers as Deathstroke shifts, the weight pressing against him something his body classifies as extremely hot, but the mercenary moves back and not forward, disengaging the kiss.

“Why did you stop?” Dick pants, peering up at Slade’s faint frown.  The fingers in his hair have loosened as well.

“You sounded hurt.”

“I’m fine,” Dick says, aware that he’s already half-hard and his cup is getting quite painful.  He pouts at Slade.  “Can we get back to the kissing?”

Slade makes an irritated noise and lets go, stepping back for good measure, and a part of Dick cries in disappointment.  “And give you more incentive to try this shit again?” the mercenary huffs.  “No.  Get lost, kid.  If I see you again, I’ll shoot you.”

“Mm-hmm.”  Dick darts forward and braces himself against Slade’s broad shoulders to get a quick peck.  Slade grumbles but doesn’t try to stop him.  “Sure you don’t want to come to my place for a consolatory drink?”

Slade looks unimpressed.  “Does that line actually work?”

Dick smiles up at him, still leaning against the mercenary’s solid bulk.  “I don’t know,” he says, low and languid, “you tell me.”

Slade’s eye darkens and Dick laughs as he’s pulled in for another dizzying kiss.

~#~

The encounter is as satisfying as ever, Slade is an attentive lover, and Dick curls up, sated and spent, in the mercenary’s warm arms when he’s done.

But.

It didn’t feel the same.

It didn’t feel like it did on the rooftop, exhilarating, electricity with a thread of danger, and Dick isn’t sure why.

He’s got a taste of it, and he wants more.

~#~

The next time is months later—this time, Slade’s playing security not assassin, and unfortunately for him, Dick may have accidentally kinda sorta exploded the collection of chemicals that he was supposed to be guarding.

“Sorry?” Dick tries, escrima already out as he faces Deathstroke across the catwalk.  The nearest perch is too far to reach and Deathstroke is advancing, a solid line of threat.

“Sorry?” Deathstroke echoes, and he’s unsheathed his sword.  “Sorry?”  Dick jumps back before it bisects him in two, and oops, looks like he’s really pissed Slade off this time.  “Is sorry going to put half a million dollars in my bank account?”

“Half a million dollars?” Dick says, momentarily distracted.  “I didn’t know they had that kind of cash.”  He ducks the swing of the sword and jabs up with the escrima and curses when all Slade does is shudder.  “You sure they could’ve paid you in the first place?”

Dick’s too close—too close for Deathstroke to swing that overcompensation he calls a sword, but also too close for Dick to dodge Slade’s retaliatory swipe.  It sends him crashing into the catwalk railing, stunned and breathless, and before he can get back up, his escrima are yanked from his grip and tossed to the floor below.

Slade’s in his personal space now, and fighting hand-to-hand against Deathstroke is never anything but a losing game.  Dick loses fast and hard, ending up bent over the railing, metal digging into his hipbones, hands twisted behind his back.

“You cost me a paycheck, kid,” Deathstroke growls.  Dick is shoved further over the railing, hanging in the void a solid thirty feet above the warehouse floor, and the only thing keeping him from falling is Deathstroke’s grip.

Dick swallows against the vertigo, faintly dizzy, heart beating fast and throat tight.  “I’ll make it up to you,” he manages, breathy from adrenaline and not by choice.

Deathstroke presses closer, until Dick can feel his weight layering on top of him, the precarious angle doing something to Dick’s head.  “Yes,” Slade says, low and dark and dangerous, “you will.”

Dick’s blood rushes south so fast he gets dizzy.  He’s suspended thirty feet off the ground, the warehouse is in chaos below them, Slade’s a heavy, present threat against his ass, and all Dick can think is no, not here, he wouldn’t.  He makes a sound closer to a whimper than he’d like.

The world spins inhumanely fast and when Dick can see again, vision blurry and breaths too fast, he’s standing on the catwalk.  Slade’s hands are on his shoulders.  “You okay?” the mercenary asks, voice gruffer and gentler than it had been a minute ago.

“‘M fine,” Dick says automatically.  “Just—got a little dizzy.”  No—that wasn’t what—Dick doesn’t know what did happen, only that he feels strangely off-kilter and Slade’s hovering isn’t helping.

Slade stays silent for a beat too long, clearly not buying it, his grip firm on Dick as he looks over the catwalk.

Dick is breathing hard—and abruptly aware that a certain part of him is aching.  He presses himself closer to Slade and breathes out, “You wanna take this somewhere more private?”

Slade keeps him at arm’s length and flicks his forehead.  “Fuck off, kid.  I need to go shake someone down for what money they will give me.  Get your ass out of here before you blow up something else.”

“Technically the explosion wasn’t my fault!” Dick calls after the retreating mercenary.  He feels like sulking and he doesn’t even know why.

~#~

He gets himself off when he gets home, once, twice, and a painful thrice.  He still feels unsatisfied.  Dick growls and does his best to block out the memory of Slade’s dark threat reverberating in his ears.

~#~

It can’t be the heights.  They’ve fucked on rooftops before, though admittedly never quite so close to the edge.  It can’t be the threat of being seen, there was once when they almost were caught and the situation had been more boner-killing than arousing.

It can’t be the roughness, Slade is plenty rough during sex and Dick has never felt like that.  That thrill that goes deep into his toes, like adrenaline pricking at every part of him, like Dick is freefalling without a net, half terrified and half excited and all gleeful—

Oh.

Oh.

Dick runs the situations back over in his head—Slade, forcing that kiss, and Dick pinned in place unable to fight it, and then Slade holding him down and insinuating what he wants while Dick hung helpless��

It’s the danger he wants.  The thrill and the fear.  Taking the world’s deadliest mercenary to bed isn’t enough, not when there’s a part of him that knows that if Slade truly wanted to ruin him, Dick wouldn’t be able to stop him.

The thought should not be making him hard.  It is.

Dick imagines the warehouse again.  Imagines Slade bending him over the railing, threatening to drop him, ripping the back of his suit open.  Imagines Slade shoving into him, hard and rough, with no thought or care for Dick’s pleasure.  Imagines his inability to move as Slade fucks him, cries ringing out, begging Slade to stop, please, while the mercenary just laughs—

Dick comes so hard his vision goes white.

He returns to himself, panting hard, staring up at the ceiling, hand wet and sticky.  Well.  That was his answer.

Fuck.

~#~

For a half-second Dick imagines trying to bring this up with Slade before violently shutting that thought down.  Nope.  He has no wish to see Slade’s reaction to that.

~#~

Even if labeling his desire has made him all the more desperate.

~#~ Even if Dick really really wants it.

[helaenatargaryencore]

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐞𝐧/𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝

(This is just my opinion feel free to disagree but please be respectful!)

Rhaenyra Targaryen

Now in the modern day I feel like royalty wouldn’t be such a big thing for the Targaryen’s so like yeah they might have the biggest business that runs Westeros and it’s seven cities but no throne would be involved so basically her and her younger siblings would not really be rivals at all, she actually is quite fond of all four of them and has her own fashion line/ or I do see her building up her own business but I see Rhaenyra Targaryen the best dressed woman in Westeros since she was a child being a huge fashion icon and designer, now in modern day she of course would neither need Viserys to choose her husband so evidently I see her meeting Harwin when she has a drunken run in with the police when she is 19 and he takes her home instead of going down to the station so we have that, they get married a few years later and have exactly 6 kids, yup six with Jace, Luke, Joff, Aegon, Viserys, and Visenya. Now I see Rhaenyra being a cool mom like allowing the kids to have friends over she would provide the best snacks and order food, clothing wise I see her dressed in wine and crimson reds, black, and I see her in maroon/dark purples, she feels comfortable in pantsuits mostly she also enjoys braiding her silver long hair extravagantly and she is totally a sip on wine and charcuterie board girlie, she also owns this cute cat named Syrax who is spoiled and lazy but serves like her owner.

Aegon Targaryen

Now Aegon is nothing like in the show (because I say so!) but he is a little immature and he cannot be trusted with his adult money at all, like he will spend it all. Definitely has a man cave and his house/apartment gives off Ken’s mojo dojo casa energy, I don’t see much of a paternal bone in his body but he is great with the kids! (In his own way) and no incest here it is not normalized in the modern world(or at all but anyways) everything he wears is definitely brand named and he is a shoe head I purely believe that, drank a lot in college but went to rehab and got better, hasn’t touched a drink in forever, got himself a golden retriever rescue which he named Sunfyre. He has never had a serious relationship, he hasn’t tried to either so I believe in him somewhat.

Helaena Targaryen

She is like a modern Stevie Nicks/fairy aesthetic like girlie, she is also a single mom to three (no man deserves this perfect girl :( she definitely is a cool momma, she owns a doggy named Dreamfyre, Jaehaerys got his own pup which he named Shykros and Jaehaera is a little different and got a small lizard (Helaena is all for a bigger reptile but Haerys opposed and Alicent said she would no longer visit if a huge reptile was in their home) and Maelor got a kitten of his own (I cannot think of a name he would give it) I see hel wearing lots of blues and yellows, whites even and she definitely wears crystal rings/ jewelry in general, she also loves to use different colored eyeshadows and liner and it just gives her an ethereal look, definitely is her thing and all of Westeros tries it because of her<3 she loves insects and has cute little insect decor in her home like cute little embroided pieces and paintings, loves going to cute cafe’s and bakeries with her babies and taking nice pictures🩵 and def uses the blue heart emoji the most. Definitely closest to Rhaenyra and Aemond (also Daeron maybe) definitely owns her own little book/crystal shop where she sells all the best books, candles, trinkets, anything to do with crystals, knitted scarfs that are so cute, needle work and knitting supplies and it definitely gives off cottage/fairy/insect core

Aemond Targaryen

Definitely has a hair care routine, I said it, also all his clothing is dark colored, dark reds and greens, loads of black clothing and grey clothing too, definitely wears a good ol sneaker (Converse/Vans) mostly the classic black and white ones, owns doc martins for sure, was the top of his classes all throughout high-school, college, and university, wears rings and chains but not excessively, knows how to style himself correctly, will either be covered in tattoos or have discreet ones no in between! Definitely runs one of the fam businesses and that’s when Viserys sees all the potential he has. He has this dark kinda aura to him and also is very serious but a complete gentleman, he did lose his eye and yes to Luke but I headcannon that they played with the family heirloom dagger and when Luke was swinging it he sliced Aemond, the family kinda separated but Rhaenyra paid for all medical costs and even wanted to pay for a prosthetic eye (she did) it took a while for the family to go back to normal but it did happen. Definitely goes to the sept (equivalent to a church) with Alicent so she doesn’t go alone or feel alone but he isn’t too close with the faith anymore. I see him owning a Doberman or Great Dane named Vhagar. Adores his nieces, Visenya and Jaehaera are his biggest prides.

Daeron Targaryen

He is def the youngest like in his teen years, is a genius academically and socially can be a little clueless but he still gets it mostly, owns a beautiful dog named Tessarion. On the school soccer team for sure and he definitely has a job in retail with friends, definitely loves video games and would walk into the kitchen with his headset and controller in hand to get chips while Alicent tells him to wait until after dinner, has a entire closet dedicated to hoodies of all colors/brands. Closest with Hel, mommas boy 100%.

Alicent Hightower

Isn’t a sibling but she is mother! Now modern wise she isn’t as intense as in the show, obviously she doesn’t hate Rhaenyra either and no they were not friends she actually was a few (very few) years older than her when she married Viserys, she hates her husband though, her frontal lobe wasn’t even developed when she married him but she formed an unlikely alliance with Rhae, she is religious but not as much as in the show, she you know wears the seven pointed star and visits the septs, definitely is a queen at hosting events and holidays. Great at sowing and alternating clothes, does fundraisers and huge donations to charities also does charity for the sept, MILF! Oh I’m sorry what who said that 😏, is a fashion icon and dresses in greens/blacks/ even reds. Has the best hair in Westeros! And she wasn’t fond of animals but made a friend in Balerion the dog Viserys has but doesn’t take care of, he rests at her feet while she sews/reads, Also speaking of reading she loves classic literature, sips wine while she cooks and does yoga and meditation you cannot convince me that she doesn’t.

So these are pretty much headcannons I have for the modern Targ/towers and I will do a part two for Hels kids and Rhae’s kids including Baela and Rhaena, hope you all enjoyed this little blurb I put together 💗

@madame-fear a little first work 💗

[anxresi]

Based on what I’ve seen and read, it would appear as though...

...Adrien is the SECOND most underused and underappreciated character in the show (after Chloe, of course).

How could someone, with SO much going for them in terms of relevance to the plot (his dad is the main baddie, him being the main love interest and co-superhero, his NAME being in the title for God sake) be so wilfully ignored?

Let’s just say, Fu’s words about Ladybug and Chat being ‘equals’ sounds awfully hollow when presented with the actual evidence in canon. 

From what I understand, he even spent the big S5 finale locked up with Kagami ROBBING VIEWERS OF SEEING HIM CONFRONT HIS FATHER AND DISCOVERING THE TRUTH.

Inexcusable from a storytelling POV IMHO, but so is having your only apparent agency in the show being Marinette’s arm candy and messing up a LOT during superhero duty so Ladybug can look good by comparison.

What are his other interests, besides trying to make her happy in and out of costume? What are his other personality traits, apart from being a pliable doormat to her every whim? None, as far as I see.

‘Girl Power’ isn’t intentionally writing male characters to be subservient to their female counterparts, it’s about making them EQUAL in terms of importance & relevance. In as far as what I’ve learned about Adrien on the show of late, it looks like they failed miserably on both those counts.

Bring this up with Astruc, and naturally he’ll accuse you of being a ‘sexist’ or worst a ‘misogynist’ (talk about the pot calling the kettle black) and say something along the lines of ‘you just don’t want a GIRL in charge’.

Well considering about 99.9% of the people who bring this up with him ARE female, I fear he may have got his wires crossed on this one. EVERYONE wants a more equal partnership between the two title characters, and suggesting if you do you’re some kind of bigoted chauvinist is gaslighting of the highest order.

(Mind you, this coming from a guy who recently said Ladybug was Barbie and Chat Noir was KEN, so we can’t expect too much from him)

I must say, being an absolute Chloe stan (as if you didn’t know) I was a bit out of my comfort zone during this short rant, but I think it ties in nicely with my problems with the show’s formulaic and contradictory writing in general, so I thought I’d give it a go anyway. Hope I did okay!

 (Don’t get me started on that ‘Marinette must learn a lesson in every episode’ bullshit, either)

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to get in touch. Oh, and one more bonus meme to add to the collection... 

...Hopefully, you’re beginning to see my point. :p

[dullgecko]

(Look, this was going to be a quick little thought about the aftermath of the goblin situation, but then my angst-loving brain got all excited. Oops?)

Once the whole "oops all goblins" ordeal is over, Riz definitely feels some kind of way about how the rest of the school treated his friends while they were goblins.

Had they all been turned into halflings or other small species, he was pretty sure there wouldn't have been anywhere near as much of a reaction. Sure, some people would have had the reaction of "Oh they're so small now, that's cute" but that would have been it because halflings are still much more respected than goblins are.

Instead, there had been a weird mix of "Oh that's so cute" and "Oh that's so weird" because obviously goblins ~are~ weird, but these little hybrid ones were also pretty adorable and that made it okay. Riz did his best to shield his friends from the worst comments, but he still heard and internalised every single one of them.

Aside from the occasional Helio kid, no one was outright racist towards the bad kids while they were goblins, and even the most racist Helio kids didn't physically hurt or threaten any of them. And that was good, Riz obviously didn't want his friends to get hurt, but he also knew why they were getting a free pass on things that he had been routinely bullied for and that hurt more than he cared to admit.

Him getting overwhelmed by light or sound was disruptive and something that he should just deal with. Adaine getting overwhelmed was met with sympathy and patience.

Him needing to bite things was gross and harmful and dangerous. Fig biting things was funny and cute.

His tail had been a target to step on and cause him pain. Kristen's tail was treated with utmost care, even when she tripped over it herself.

Him eating strange foods was disgusting. Fabian eating strange foods was cool and experimental.

Him being angry made him dangerous and monstrous while also not taken seriously because he was so small. Gorgug's rages were still taken seriously, no matter his height.

Riz knew that he was weird (practically everyone he met reminded him of that), but he had also grown up as one of the only goblins, and he was well-acquainted with the various forms of racism. Seeing his friends get treated so well really really hurt, because maybe it was just him that was the problem after all. (Later, with both of them crying, Fig would vehemently disagree with him about this).

So once it's all over, and Riz has had a chance to recover from the hypervigilance of watching 5 new goblins, he falls into a really bad dysphoria/dysmorphia/self-loathing spiral and he ends up with a whole clue board for all of the ways he has decided that he is Wrong based on the ways people treated his friends compared to how he is treated. He kept it hidden for a week or so, withdrawing more and more until he stopped talking with his friends beyond basic necessities, flinched away from any touch, and by the end of the week just fully stopped spending any time with them or replying to any messages.

That weekend, they all broke into his office where they found him just staring at an alarmingly cluttered clue board, surrounded by piles of even more "evidence", including extracts from old monster manuals describing goblins as dangerous vermin, old research papers that claimed that goblins don't feel emotions but use signals like tears to manipulate "actual people", and a hastily scribbled note saying that dominate monster had been specifically used on him and no one else.

Once the bad kids worked out what the board was, Fig confiscated and destroyed it while Adaine removed all of the other "evidence" Riz had gathered but hadn't yet added. There was then a very tearful and intense conversation about everything (or as much as Riz could put into words, which definitely isn't everything but is still a lot to be dealing with).

He begged them not to tell his mom about the board, and eventually they agreed, on the condition that he talks to Jawbone or some other therapist instead.

Not long after that, a lot of the outdated and harmful information about goblins mysteriously disappears from the school library. In an entirely unrelated event, a huge bonfire party is held at Seacaster Manor :)

(A couple of weeks later, Riz still isn’t doing well exactly, but he is doing a little better and has finally started accepting hugs again even if he has to fight against his brain telling him he shouldn't).

I love getting this kind of stuff its so juicy.

The whole 'his friends get treated well as goblins' thing definitely hits a nerve. Mostly because everyone who saw them at school knew who they were (they've saved the world several times they are lowkey famous except for fig and gorgug who are just famous famous). They're not real monsters they're just cursed/sick so they got a lot of free passes for things that Riz would never be able to do without putting himself in actual danger.

Plus, the whole situation with them being hybrids? Yeah, they were pretty. Riz wouldnt say cute because they were the same size as him and almost adults for fucks sake. It makes him wonder what the fuck is wrong with how he looks if he's constantly being told goblins are disgusting, but only if the goblins look like him apparently.

And hey, maybe he was just manipulating people by pretending to have emotions? More than one research paper was saying it, and right now he wasnt feeling much of anything. Had he ever felt much of anything? Maybe he was just tricking people the entire time.

[outeremissary]

What is the worst thing your OC does in their story?

Is there a canon character that your OC needs to ask forgiveness towards?

Is there a canon character your OC needs to forgive?

for Carmen or Balthazar maybe??

This got really out of hand- originally I just intended to do one or the other, but I got a little lost in the sauce trying to decide and uh. Both, I guess? I've changed the order of questions in order to put aeon spoilers under a cut for anyone that matters to; I think the rest is reasonably spoiler free for both games.

[prompt list]

Is there a canon character that your OC needs to ask forgiveness towards?

Well, both of them are awful people who often treat others poorly, so in my eyes yes.

But narrowing in more on actual Plots and Arcs, two come to mind for Balthazar. First of all, there’s Tristian, who Balthazar treats dismissively at best and cruelly at worst early on in knowing each other. He’s been willing to drive in the knife on Tristian’s failures in ways that he couldn’t really appreciate the real impact of, and while it’s never really asked there’s definitely a degree to which forgiveness and regret are a necessary part of them becoming closer. He tries to make it up, in his own way. There’s also [redacted] later with Tristian but we’re not getting into All That here. The other character(s) who leap to mind are Regongar and Octavia in a much more mundane way. Balthazar did have a relationship with Regongar early on where he strung Reg along and took advantage of Regongar’s Actual Feelings to manipulate Regongar into imposing his whims onto other people without having to get his hands dirty or be the bad guy in a situation. He also tried to drive a wedge between Regongar and Octavia so that he could be the one with the real influence over Regongar. But ultimately, he throws this all away and breaks Regongar’s heart abandoning him because after suffering his own personal low he finds Regongar far too high maintenance to put up with and he’s at his end with all the gross feelings. Regongar doesn’t take it well. Octavia also doesn’t take it well, because unlike Balthazar, she cares about Regongar. And ultimately it is something that he eventually tries to bridge with them and to ask forgiveness for- first from Octavia, who he hasn’t been able to escape in the interim, and then from Regongar. Character growth: local asshole has discovered the value of friendship and feels something resembling remorse. It’s not really forgiveness that’s easily or immediately given, but it’s a start.

Carmen… this is a thing where I think that she would need to ask forgiveness from certain people if her character arc was going a certain way. Like, Legend and Gold Dragon had both been endgame considerations for her at one point and would have realized a redemption arc that I once intended for her in the tabletop campaign she came from. A big part of taking that path would be recognizing that she has caused other people enormous and often undeserved suffering and that she needs to reevaluate some of her values. She’s an LE character (Wrath may disagree but I’m firm on this), but she’s not evil out of a sense of personal sadism or cruelty. She’s evil because she has let her desire to protect others be filtered through a worldview of such violence and black and white extremes that there’s no room in her eyes for anything except for villains and victims. There’s no nuance and no confusion allowed. Allowing herself to sit with the very, very clear evidence that the need for moral purity is a barrier to actually helping others the way she really, truly wants would push her down a different path, as resistant as she would be to it at first. And I think that a part of committing to that would be that she would want to seek forgiveness from Ember and would need to seek it from Arueshalae. With Ember it’s the matter of always having doubted her, rejecting the message of Exactly This that the girl has tried to impart to her and trying to force her own harsh ideals in turn. And Arueshalae is perhaps one of the greatest victims in Wrath of Carmen’s behavior- and certainly the one who has survived the longest. She would have to find some way to accept that she had been wrong and do something about it- I don’t think her conscience could rest otherwise. And aside from these big names there are all of the many, many other people who she imprisoned, conscripted, or otherwise brutalized in her time commanding the crusade on her quest to fix it. I think she’d spend the rest of her life trying to atone. Kind of an Infinity Train vibe now that I think about it.

Unfortunately for everyone, Carmen is nothing if not a master of digging her heels in and not letting herself linger on anything that could make her a Bad Person, and the Aeon Experience has been allowing her to sink deeper and deeper into a spiral of self validating extremism. So I guess she’ll never need to because she’ll never care enough to think she’s done anything wrong. Sad!

Is there a canon character your OC needs to forgive?

At various points for various spoiler reasons I will thus not answer for, Balthazar needs to forgive Tristian, and does forgive unconditionally. I’m struggling to come up with a Balthazar answer for this that isn’t spoilery past where I am given to understand you’ve gotten to, sorry. ^^;; I guess what I would say is that to me a big part of his growth across time isn’t tied to “needing” to forgive anyone, but reaching a place where he forgives certain people genuinely despite that. I think the “need” to forgive is something that’s been tied up in falling in line with what others want to survive in the past: you let things go (at least for a time) and make up because that gets you through when you’re too vulnerable to stand up for what actually want or feel. And for him the result is being extremely spiteful- given the ability to not forgive or to take revenge, he will always choose that because it affirms to him that he has the freedom to do so (also he really wants t0). Reaching a place where what he really wants is to let go of a wrong done to him accept someone back is not a small thing. While certainly not the only catalyst, a lot of this is reflected in extremely visible ways in his relationship with Tristian and the ways that he works to understand and support Tristian.

Carmen also has a lot of overlap with the above, I guess? If she was going to grow as a person she’d need to come to terms with other people making decisions she doesn’t like but they had valid reasons for and forgive them. Struggling to find a very good specific example here though. At the moment aeon puts her in a weird position where she always seems to sidestep any situation that might ask that kind of Big Difficult Feeling from her- she gets to force her will on others a lot and get them to decide it’s better, and the ability to bend reality so far in some instances it completely wipes away a person’s complex and difficult history for something she finds more palatable is. Well, it’s not conducive to changing one’s ways. At any rate, I think it’s kind of… difficult to imagine a lot of points where she was genuinely wronged in a way that would “need” to be forgiven. Maybe that’s just coming out of my personal feelings on what qualifies a thing as requiring forgiveness though. I guess one interesting place where she does extend a kind of forgiveness is with Nurah- last moment of empathy before aeon brain truly sets in. She doesn’t really blame Nurah for what she does and she sees her actions as reflecting an evil within the crusade rather than a demonic evil. And critically, she lets Nurah go. Flash forward one act and the next time she’s in a position to judge a person she considers innocent and reacting to evil within the crusade, she doesn’t stay her blade.

(In case the cut doesn't work: the aeon spoilers start below.)

What is the worst thing your OC does in their story?

Originally I was going to stick to Balthazar because I’ve actually never completed Carmen’s Wrath run (partly a tech issue in act 4 that persisted a long while, partly just losing a lot of interest in the game in 21-22), but I wound up answering for Balthazar here. So! Carmen it is.

And in terms of what got the most visceral reaction from me, that’s easy!!! That would be the Wintersun mass mindbreak incident!!!! I think it was not particularly Good, the Wintersun mass mindbreak incident. But it’s really representative of who she is and why she’s such a chilling aeon. She’s very, very willing to cut the Gordian knot, consequences be damned, and the powers of the aeon give her the ability to cleave through all those messy issues in reality to impose what she thinks is the correct state of the world. So given this problem (nonlethal but isolating demonic enchantment on people of Wintersun) and offered a non-ideal solution that would mitigate suffering to release them (compromise with a demon) she doesn’t even give Jerribeth the chance to finish making her offer before mass dispelling the enchantment herself. She hears “imagine if this enchantment ended now, wouldn’t it fuck everyone up” and the immediate reaction is "I don't have to imagine." It’s not a threat to her. She has absolutely no remorse about what she does either. Did the air fill with a symphony of screams when she did it? Yeah, but they’ll get over it- so what if they were plunged from peaceful lives into a waking nightmare? This is the truth. They’ll thank her later. Everyone will always thank her later- she knows what they need better than they ever could.

Although the vibes are also pretty rancid on her repeated attempts to murder poor Arueshalae (thwarted only by Ember) and habit of keeping companions she dislikes close so that she’ll be present to kill them at their first slip-up. I suspect that next time I open the game I’m going to have to kill Woljif. Ladies, gentlemen, esteemed colleagues: she's the worst!

[gomurderboard]

The Good Omens Seasons 2 & 3 Murder Board

Hey all -- @inconveniently-discorporated here. Still setting this up as a blog with links and suchlike. I'll pretty up this post at some point and it'll be pinned at the top for easy access to tags and whatnot.

Suffice to say, this blog will contain spoilers (tagged "#gos2 spoilers") as it's mostly clues and hints as to what may be going on this season, and theories for the next and final season. I'll be gathering different theories, evidence/arguments for AND against each theory, little bits of loose threads, themes, mentioned books, resources, etc.

Also, I won't be reblogging disrespect. Disagreeing with any given theory and discussing is fine, I won't be reblogging things that call people stupid. I'm here to have fun.

Feel free to tag me if you see anything I should reblog. I have A LOT to share already, so if you don't see something right away, it might be queued up so I don't flood the fandom.

Theory Tags

#book of life theory (#pro BOL propaganda / #anti BOL propaganda) - Anything revolving around the theory that the Metatron possesses the Book of Life and is using it to mess with events that have happened.

#coffee theory (#pro coffee propaganda / #anti coffee propaganda) - Anything revolving around the theory that the Metatron spiked Aziraphale's coffee with something that caused him to become brainwashed, or more susceptible to manipulation.

#Crowley's identity (will be tagged with the relevant identity whether for/against, e.g., #Lucifer, #Raphael, may also include the tag #memory loss) - Anything revolving around Crowley's former identity, including memory loss.

#body swap theory (#pro body swap propaganda / #anti body swap propaganda) - Anything revolving around the idea that, at some point, Crowley and Aziraphale are actually working together and switched places.

Other Tags

#malignant and creeping sense of unease - A general tag for things that are just NOT QUITE RIGHT but there's no specified theory as to what. (Also see: #loose clues -- interesting potential hints & #details -- fun factoids and show design.)

#magic and misdirection - A general tag for things that revolve around the show's use of magic, misdirection, and sleight of hand.

#books - Tag for any books mentioned in the show or promo materials. I'll probably create and link a master post of all books.

#music - Tag for music mentioned or heard in the show.

#references - Tag for easter eggs or references spotted in the show.

#parallels and themes / #character analysis - Tags for analysis around the characters or show itself.

Resources

Neil Gaiman Tumblr FAQ: Good Omens

[nerdylilpeebee]

Not gonna lie, a little disappointed in @tracingpapier. Turning off reblogs so I couldn't even respond to her is a bit of a petty move. This is a long ass response, so I'm gonna use bullets to respond to each point.

If you have me blocked, tracinpapier must be a side-blog or something cuz I can see your blog just fine, reblog your posts, and mention you.

I actually am worried about someone being scammed. GoFundMe's on Tumblr have nearly all been scams since they first started appearing. GoFundMe's based around Gaza are all phrased the same way, often have the same images and are usually vetted by one single person. But all of them completely lack evidence they're legit in any capacity. I don't want scammers taking advantage of people's compassion to get a little richer. If this wasn't my motivation, I'd just leave y'all to keep donating. XD

(The next screenshot requires reading the one above and the below as it involves that screenshotted post)

How is that deligitimizing what they experienced? If it's not a genocide, it's not a fucking genocide. Correctly labeling something is only "deligimizing" if you think it needs to be wrongly labeled as a worse thing to be legitimate. A very Oppression Olympics way of thinking.

The UN has Iran on it's human rights council, has uncritically backed Hamas' lies to the point they've had to roll back their estimations on how many have died in the conflict due to Hamas doing so themselves, the ICJ, a UN court, fell asleep listening to Israel's defense in the South Africa case, and an UN judge stated he was going to go to Israel to gather evidence and instead didn't go to Israel and called for arrest warrants against israeli leaders. This is all to say, I really don't give a fuck if a random UN Reporter (or "Rapporteur") said something. This is an appeal to authority fallacy using a very biased authority. And for that matter, it was was so cut an dry, and the UN had evidence of genocide, why didn't the ICJ convict Israel of genocide? Sounds to me like this is more an opinion piece than an actual piece of evidence.

The next screenshot and half of the following is the rest of the excerpt she provided. Feel free to read if you want.

If you can't verify the GoFundMe's are legitimate, and I know for a fact you've 100% been on Tumblr long enough to know that most GoFundMe's on here are scams, sharing them uncritically is irresponsible.

Your best option is 100% to ignore it. GoFundMe themselves say that they cannot send money to Gaza, as it is not listed among their supported countries. And quite frankly, it is far FAR more likely to be a scam than a legit cry for help from a group you think is facing genocide and, given you hold pro-pal beliefs, famine. This means you also likely buy into the idea they have no electricity, water or shelter. Tell me, how does that equal "is capable of live-blogging to social media"? Hell, if this is legit, why would they ask for tens of thousands of dollars instead of the actual amount they'd need to evacuate (which is a LOT smaller than that)?

Hey, you can post what you want. I wasn't telling you to delete it. If you want to spread a likely scam because there's tiniest fraction of a chance a Gazan is actually asking for help, and being greedy as fuck while they do so, them by all means, spread it. As you say, it's your blog. I was just giving the info that GoFundMe does not operate in the middle east, so that way anyone who uses their brain and looks through the notes of your post can realize they're most likely looking at a scam. Just as you have the right to post whatever you want, I have the right to give information proving something you posted is unlikely to be legit.

My tag isn't a general discourse tag, it's a general filter tag. One I've used for years and see no reason to stop using for potentially triggering content simply because it's a bit more serious than the usual stuff I use it for. And I disagree about this being a genocide. That should already be obvious since you called me a "Zionist" and you people think basically means "Nazi who gets off to the idea of dead kids."

Yes you are, and I never said you were the person to argue with about this. I wasn't trying to argue, I was giving information to anyone who sees the post. Unlike you, apparently, I care about avoiding giving money to monsters who take advantage of people's compassion.

As I said before, I can see your blog, mention you and reblog from you. I had no way of knowing I had been blocked by you, especially since I've followed you for years and you've not once even TRIED telling me you weren't comfortable with that despite all the times I've faced and reblogged your art. So don't pretend I'm doing something wrong here. I had no way of knowing you did not want me interacting with your blog.

Let me make this last part clear so you can't complain about it later:

I will only respond to you. I will not seek your blog to send you asks or to stalk any posts you might be making behind my back. This conversation ends when you stop responding.

If you don't want to have this conversation, then go ahead and ignore this post. :P

I love your art, and your choice of ship. I have nothing against you personally, even if you might have something against me for not agreeing with your point of view. Have a good day/night, or whatever time it is for you if you choose to ignore this.

[shoutsofmybones]

hi!! hope ur having a good day/night/idk where you live. in ur intro post u said u were "mostly in line with Church teaching" ...what do you mean by that? sorry if i sound rude or anything i just don't know how to phrase this 😭😭

You don't sound rude, it's a valid question!

So, every Catholic takes some elements of Church teaching and abandons others. This is derogatorily referred to as a "cafeteria Catholic." However, there is quite compelling evidence to show that the vast majority of Catholics can't agree with the Church in all things. We are all cafeteria Catholics.

I say I am "mostly in line" to say that, while I disagree with the Church on a few points, I am generally in agreement. I'd actually say I agree with the Church on the vast majority of its theological stances. Most of my points of departure are simply political issues. So, while I have been called names for the supposed crime of disagreeing with the Church on the matter of queer rights, I am actually quite orthodox to Catholicism.

Thank you for your question! Feel free to ask more questions if you need any clarification.