#and i don't want them to be assholes to me about it or about how i kind of miss shots quite a bit

[nights-at-crystarium]

*inhales* I HATE BSKY FOR THAT

There's indeed a culture of hate/alienation towards artists that don't add alt text. The blocklist the op talks about sounds new but not surprising to me, people have been silently ignoring/refusing to share posts without alt text, and sometimes trying to be "helpful" by getting in your face and telling you that your art doesn't get numbers because of that.

Now. I finish a drawing. I resize it and put my little watermark on it, the only layer of protection I can do. I don't have the spoons for glazing it, I've given up on that for the same reason as alt text: too much extra busy work. If posting art 10 years ago felt like walking, today there are heavy weights chained to my legs.

Posting art nowadays isn't just uploading an image, adding tags, hitting the post button. NO, you go to downdetector and check if the platform isn't on fire. And, oh, did I mention that you've gotta crosspost to a dozen platforms? There are often outages which you'll feel acutely if you post regularly. No outages, all seems fine? Post and hope that the hidden ai content filters don't see the pornography in your art, no matter how sfw it actually looks to a human. Sometimes sfw posts indeed get erroneously labeled on bsky, which you can appeal, on tumblr your post's completely hidden from tags and dashboard in that case, you can only delete it and try reposting with minor edits. Done, passed that? Now you sit and hope that people actually like your shit. And then, on bsky, some twat walks up and "um ackshually where's your alt text? I won't share that."

Do you see how the only thing this notion can inspire is outrage? You have no bloody clue how mentally taxing it is to be an artist nowadays. Go fuck yourself if you refuse to share posts with no alt text.

You're harrassing a person and trying to police them into something that's still new and underexplored in the collective consciousness of an internet user. Some of us have been there for decades, some of us have trouble adapting to change, some of us don't have the spoons for it, you know what's that called? A person's autistic and you're attacking them.

I'm autistic and I can't force myself to do things that I don't want. No punishment in the world will encourage me to start adding alt text. By accusing me of being an exclusionary asshole YOU are being that to me, an autistic trans person fighting for their life every day as the internet, the only place where I can survive in, gets worse and worse at a terrifying speed.

observations

[divineturtle]

Bothers me when I'm reading a fanfic and they make Doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy just like. A mean asshole? MY Doctor McCoy introduced Spock to baby talk. MY Doctor McCoy bounces on his toes and has a smile bright as the sun. MY Doctor McCoy knocked Kirk *and* Spock out with a hypo to sacrifice himself for them even though the aliens said he was almost for sure going to die, and the other two would probably live. MY Doctor McCoy was like, hey, sure Spock committed mutiny, but do we really gotta arrest him? Yeah he's grumpy sometimes, but have you considered the fact that he's stuck on a ship in Space with two assholes that literally never listen?

I just watched the Abraham Lincoln episode and I stg it's a miracle McCoy isn't actually a huge asshole, because wym "this planet WAS deadly but Abraham Lincoln says it's cool so we're going" "hey, don't do that, you could beam down into lava and literally DIE" "Ugh shut UP McCoy we're following Abraham Lincoln onto the Lava Planet That WAS ENTIRELY LAVA until two minutes ago" dude I'd be swinging at a mfer. Especially if I was their doctor knowing it was going to be my job to sew them back together. They're absolute menaces to him and he still loves them and is willing to die for them every other episode.

And I don't ever want to see another "ahh he hates Spock" when he so obviously does not. In the last episode, he wasn't even sure that Kirk and Janice had swapped bodies and yet again, he was ready to commit mutiny with Spock and Scotty (why does Spock love mutiny? 🤨) He does like to rib Spock and get reactions out of him, but Spock likes to do it to McCoy just as much. He's been around humans his ENTIRE life, his mom is a human, he's half human, "I have no idea what you mean, Doctor, I'm just a simple little logic machine," you cannot convince me it's not a game.

And every time I feel like McCoy is being hurtful for actually no reason, the next scene is Spock taking action because of whatever McCoy had said and allowing himself to tap into that human part of him. He has a way of speaking Spock. It's not always nice but it's a way that gets through. Do you think asking Spock to use his Vulcan powers to permanently alter his friend and captain's memory so he forgets his grief over this chick he fell desperately for and then also she died in the span of like four hours is a great idea? No, he'd probably have some moral or logical issues with that. but just speech at him about love and feelings and stuff, throw something in there about how great it'd be if he could just forget, and he'll do it himself.

ANOTHER THING. When he's an asshole, he apologizes. He's not an asshole often, but when he is, he apologizes. Leonard McCoy is a lot of things, but he's not really a dick.

I think he deserves to be represented for the guy he is. He has SO many nice and good moments, he's just subtle about them. Remember when Kirk was like, "Bones, why didn't you tell me she was blind?" And he was like, "Idk Jim maybe because that'd be rude? Have you considered it's not your business?" REAL. Honestly, real.

This is a much longer rant than I meant for it to be and somehow I still have more I could say so imma cut myself off right here ❤️ If you read all that, thanks, you're just as weird as I am, even if you don't agree with my lil character analysis. If you didn't read all that, then you're not reading this ✨️

[concretejunglefm]

I'm not ready to let you forget me (part 3).

*edit credit goes to the lovely @defuckingthrone-dot-com

You told your friends you want me dead And said that I did everythin' wrong And you're not wrong

An anon request for lovers to enemies -> playlist, part 1, part 2.

Summary: It’s been two years since Noah cheated on you, abruptly ending your relationship. However, the universe seems to have a peculiar sense of humor in its plan to reunite you.

Pairing: Noah Sebastian x reader.

CW: none really. Mentions of cheating, Noah can be an overall asshole and a tad bit of angst. Brief joke from Noah about suicide. Please take care of yourselves.

WC: 3.6k

Dividers: Silent-stories.

Upon returning to the hotel, you presume that your time together has come to an end, allowing you to finally bid farewell to Noah and the rest of the Omens. However, Sloan's unexpected bomb shatters your hope.

"You agreed to what?"

"Dinner and karaoke. I genuinely didn't think you'd mind. You've always been a karaoke fan, and what's wrong with a free dinner?"

"The issue is that he'll be there. What part of this being a girls' weekend are you missing?"

"What part of this being a chance to humiliate your ex are you missing? I'm simply setting up the opportunity for you."

Sloan understood how you felt after Noah had ghosted you. Between the heartbreak and depression, there was also the sting of humiliation. You always wished you had the chance to make him feel the same way he made you feel.

"Alright, but I won't pretend to enjoy it."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

When you bump into the guys again, you find Noah approaching with a grin stretching across his face, looking like a cat who got the cream. You can't help but feel a surge of anger and desire to slap his smug face.

"I won you a prize." he exclaims, holding out his hand to show off a packaged mood ring he won from one of the kids' arcade machines in the hotel. Despite your desire to ignore him, you can't prevent your attention drawing to him when he steps in front of you, blocking your way.

"Wow, thanks." you reply, your voice dripping with sarcasm. 

Before you can stop him, he reaches out and grabs your left hand with his larger, tattooed hand. Using his other, he brings the packet of the mood ring to his mouth and rips it open with his teeth. With the ring free, he slides it onto your wedding ring finger, and your mind goes blank for a moment.

The color of the ring quickly changes from a vibrant rainbow of colors blending into one another to a solid black. 

"It's black." he comments, and you finally snap back to reality. 

Your gaze rises to meet his, and you flash him a harsh glare. "Like your heart." you retort.

Slipping the ring off, you move it onto your middle finger before flipping him off and taking a step back as Sloan calls over to you.

At dinner, you were seated next to Noah, who spent a majority of the evening occasionally fidgeted with his own ring. You swear you noticed him switching it to his left hand whenever your waiter made a flirtatious remark aimed at you.

And now, you've reached the karaoke room, where you should've anticipated Sloan's performance of Lana Del Ray's 'Young and Beautiful'. It's her signature song, so much so that she has you recording most of it for her Instagram story.

As you go to post it, Noah shuffles closer to you, peering over your shoulder. Despite your best efforts throughout the night to make it clear that you're not interested in engaging with him, he still seems to act oblivious.

"A new post for your story?" he asks over your shoulder, and you don't look up from the phone screen, rolling your eyes.

"Depends. Are you still stalking them?" 

In the months following Noah ghosting you, you tried to resume your usual life, including posting on social media. You then began noticing random spam accounts appearing in your viewers' list, despite deleting and blocking the band account and his spam accounts that you were aware of.

One night, after sharing this revelation with Sloan, she made a conscious effort to post something obvious and pointed to him for you. Initially, you felt mortified, but then you recognized the familiar spam account name—the one that had been consistently watching your stories since you blocked Noah everywhere. From that moment on, you no longer felt guilty about making every pointed post possible, always including a song that reflected your current emotions.

However, that all changed when you decided to message the account that had been non-stop watching you for nearly five months after your 'breakup', sending them a simple message: "Please stop. I don't want you in my life anymore."

The next day, the account was deleted.

You would have considered it a success until one of his close friends' names started appearing in your story viewers. You could have easily posted things to a closed list or even privatized your account, but you decided that if he had been that desperate to stalk you, then he could and you would put on a great show of proving that you had moved on, regardless of how true that actually was.

"You knew about that, did you?" He doesn't even bother to deny it, which causes a surge of irritation because no one would be okay with their ex stalking their online life.

When it's time for the guys to choose their song again, Noah steps up to select one. He's opted to sit out due to their performance tomorrow, claiming he needs to 'protect his voice' beforehand.

You roll your eyes at his excuse, but you're quickly silenced by his song choices. Each one becomes more pointed than the last, revealing the underlying narrative of his pathetic attempt at an apology.

After the first song, "Gives You Hell" by the All American Rejects, you stare off at him, daggers in your eyes. He shrugs off his choice with a cocky grin.

The second song he chooses, "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More 'Touch Me'" by Fall Out Boy, feels even more appropriate and fuck boy like from him.

Noah's face lights up with pride in his song choice, which only irritates you more. Your jaw clenches as you bite back, wanting to confront him for his obviousness.

Naturally, his friends are oblivious or indifferent to the situation. They've always seemed friendly enough and liked you when you were together, but they never got involved in your relationship drama back then. Perhaps they feel the same way now. It's better to remain blissfully ignorant than to become caught in the middle.

"You're not having any fun." Sloan whines, plopping down next to you and offering you a sip from her half-empty glass. You had already finished yours, during your annoyance with Matt and Folio's rendition of "Gives You Hell." Surprisingly, Nicholas' rendition of a Fall Out Boy song fails to improve your overall mood.

"Watching you eye fuck Jolly while singing 'Young and Beautiful' is hardly my idea of fun." You sigh, your voice devoid of any hint of bite. You genuinely enjoy listening to Sloan sing the same song repeatedly. It's her go-to choice, especially when she's caught the eye of a guy. Strangely, when she performs Lana songs, they seem to captivate her men even more.

"Well, since you're up next, you need to cheer up, and I've already chosen a song for you." She beams, and you raise an eyebrow in skepticism.

"Sloan, what on earth did you do?"

"Oh, you'll see."

When it's your turn, you step onto the designated 'stage area' of the room, taking the microphone and scanning the screen. Within seconds, the chords to Carrie Underwood's 'Before He Cheats' begin to play, and you let out a scoff. You glance over at Sloan, who has now positioned herself between Nicholas and Jolly, and shoots you a wink.

It was one of your go-to songs when you were cruising through bars back in college. The lyrics always resonated with you then, and they continue to do so now. As the song begins, you launch into your own performance, tipsy enough to feel bold and lock eyes with Noah.

Every Instagram story you've posted over the past two years has featured a song dedicated to him, but now you finally get to sing one to his face—a perfect one that calls him out on the behavior you'd been suspicious of.

The cocky signature grin he's been sporting for his past few song choices fades, and you feel a slight surge of pride for being able to do that—for making him lose that ego he's been so proudly displaying.

As the song concludes, you take your bow, giggling as you hand the microphone off to Jolly, who swiftly transitions into his own rendition of Poison's 'Talk Dirty To Me'.

"I'm heading to the bar for another drink. Anyone want one?" You ask, taking orders for everyone except Noah, who simply holds up his bottle of water.

Approaching the bar, you're greeted by the same waiter who had been trying to flirt with you earlier that evening. "What a pleasant surprise." he remarks, and your cheeks flush slightly.

"Well, perhaps I was hoping to cross paths with you again." you reply, even though you weren't entirely interested in him. However, you couldn't resist entertaining a bit of harmless flirting, especially after dealing with Noah this weekend.

"I'll be off in a few minutes. Maybe I can buy your next drink?" he offers, sliding the suggestion your way as he wipes down the bar. 

A small smirk tugs at the corners of your lips. "Okay, then." you nod before relaying the drink orders for Sloan and the guys.

Leaning against the bar, you find yourselves engaged in a playful back-and-forth flirtation, even genuinely giggling at some of his remarks. However, the moment is interrupted by an abrupt silence when you hear Noah's voice behind you.

"I was wondering about where you got to." His hand slides across the bar, his fingers barely brushing against your arm on purpose as he reaches for the drinks laid out in front of you. "I thought I'd lend a hand."

"I was happy to assist." The waiter interjects, but you remain silent, your jaw clenched, and you swear your eye twitches at the brief contact Noah makes with you a second time, as if deliberately trying to ward off the guy who had been flirting with you throughout the night.

"No need, friend." Noah responds, and you wait for the poor guy to step away with a slight dejected expression before turning to Noah with a hiss.

"What on earth was that?"

"I should be asking you that. Are you actually entertaining this random guy?"

"Random guy? I don't know, he must be better than the guys I already know." You huff, moving yourself away from him as you take Sloan and your drink, leaving the remaining ones for Noah to carry.

"What does that mean?" He calls after you, and you briefly turn your head, shooting your retort over your shoulder.

"You're smart. Figure it out yourself."

When you return to the karaoke room, you find a corner to settle into, sipping your cocktail mix while watching the last few songs of the evening unfold. Time seems to fly by, yet you can't shake the feeling of Noah's eyes on you, a notion you stubbornly refuse to acknowledge. 

Back at the hotel, Sloan is already entwining your arm and guiding you towards the bar, insistently, pouting her lips and fluttering her lashes as if she can manipulate you into folding as easy as she does any man.

"No more. I'm ready for bed." You attempt to pull yourself away, but Jolly swiftly intervenes, taking a tipsy Sloan into his embrace, promising to take her for one final drink.

As you turn away, you overhear the final words of a conversation between Nicholas and Noah, your name being mentioned, drawing your attention. "You can't keep lying to her, you know?"

Lying? What could he possibly be lying about now?

Instantly, you find yourself yearning for some fresh air, feeling a surge of anger as you impulsively charge towards them, deliberately pushing between them.

"Woah, what the—" Noah's voice catches your attention, but he quickly loses his annoyance when he realizes it's you pushing past him. He calls out to you, but you ignore his attempts, determined to create as much distance between you and him as possible.

You had a reason for choosing to hide away on the rooftop balcony pool. Besides the quieter ambiance, you enjoyed toeing the line of where the diving section of the balcony opened up to the pool below.

It was Vegas, so it wasn't entirely quiet. Amidst the bustling crowds below and the soothing hum of music emanating from the hotel, there was no opportunity for deep contemplation. Yet, you almost didn't mind the constant stimulation. If you allowed yourself to dwell on Nicholas' words, you risked losing control and spiraling back to the emotional turmoil you had endured after Noah abruptly ghosted you.

From the corner of your eye, you catch a glimpse of something, and your gaze is instantly met with the unwelcome sight of Noah. A sigh escapes your lips. "Noah, what are you doing up here?"

"I was searching for you, believe it or not."

"Why?"

"Because you looked upset."

"And let me guess, you felt guilty or blamed yourself? Wow, an egotist and an asshole all rolled into one."

"Are you going to keep calling me an asshole throughout our time here?"

"Depends on whether you continue to behave like one."

"Fair point." He paused, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Will you at least come back from the ledge? You're making me anxious."

"Why? Do you think I'm going to jump?" You chuckled, deliberately walking along the darkened ledge of the balcony as if balancing on a tightrope.

"No." You heard the hint of doubt in his voice.

"You're lying."

"Okay, maybe."

"So, you think that I'm suicidal now?"

"I think you'd do anything to get my attention."

You nod to yourself, mulling over Noah's words. Your mouth opens as if to laugh, and you flick your tongue against your teeth. Before you can respond, you take a step away and glance down over the edge. With a couple more steps, you cast a look over your shoulder to him. "We'll see about that."

Without warning, you charge towards the edge of the open balcony, hearing Noah call after you as you jump over the ledge. 

It feels exhilarating, your heart pounding in your chest as you plunge into the water of the pool below and you surface, you hear a splash behind you. Wiping your hand over your face, you look in the direction of the ripples and see Noah resurface beside you.

He had jumped in after you.

"Did you—" He briefly chokes on a mouthful of water, spitting it out as he treads water in the same way you are, keeping himself close to you. "Did you know this was here?"

"Guilty." You shrug, a playful smile tugging at the corners of your mouth.

You had come up for some air and when you saw the pool below, you couldn't resist the temptation to dive in. It had been Noah who had interrupted your original plan, accusing you of trying to hurt yourself or get his attention.

"Wow. You're an asshole." He remarks, shaking his wet hair and pushing it back with his tattooed hand.

"Are you really that surprised?"

"No."

There's a brief pause before he speaks again, his voice softer with his confession; "I missed you."

"Ever heard of a phone?" You quip back without a moment's hesitation or time to ponder the meaning of his words.

"You blocked me."

You pause, wondering how he knew. Unless he had simply assumed. Or did that mean he had tried to reach out to you?

"Well, it's what you deserved."

"You're right."

That surprises you even more than the idea that he had tried to contact you. Noah had never said that you were right, about anything. In fact, most of your fights had stemmed from the fact that he was always so adamant against agreeing with you.

"Well, I can't say that I missed you." You're partially lying, but you hope he won't notice.

"I didn't expect you to."

"Well, good, because I didn't."

For a moment, everything between you falls silent. Your bodies inch closer as you continue to tread water in the deeper end of the pool. Your legs barely brush against each other, and you feel the gentle touch of his hand against your arm beneath the water. Then, you catch his gaze lingering a bit too long on you, flickering between your eyes and your lips. You don't need to ask what he's thinking; you already know.

"Don't even think about kissing me."

You burst the bubble which had been created around you both, delighting in popping it and watching as his expression shift from soft contemplation to sudden flustering.

"I-I wasn't."

"Good. Don't." You shorten your words and start swimming towards the pool's edge, pulling yourself out. 

Your dress is soaked through and clinging to your skin. It had been a good plan until now, but the effects of the alcohol are wearing off, and you wonder if Noah's decision to jump in after you, assuming you were attempting something more dangerous, held any genuine meaning. Perhaps he did still care?

For a fleeting moment, you glance back at him as he attempts to climb out and turning to face him, you take a step closer, your foot poised to press down on his hand, halting his movements.

When your eyes meet his, he looks up at you with a soft expression, his dark brown eyes wide as they focus on you. "What did Nick mean earlier when he said you had to stop lying? Lying about what?" You hold his gaze, your foot pressing down gently against his fingers.

"Oh, nothing, just—ow." His voice breaks as you apply more pressure, deliberately pressing down on his fingers.

"Try again."

"Okay. Damn. To myself. He wants me to stop lying to myself."

"About what?"

"About you. About wanting to apologize."

You step back, releasing his hand from beneath your foot as you absorb his words. "Then do it. Get on your knees and say that you're sorry." You say it with a sense of confidence, despite his scoff at your request, but you remain steadfast, your gaze narrowing at his still wide brown eyes.

Instead of refusing, he climbs out of the pool and kneels at the edge, taking a near-pathetic wet dog stance in front of you.

"I'm sorry." he begins, clearing his throat before continuing, hearing a clear plea in his tone. "I'm truly sorry. For what I did. I shouldn't have…" His voice trails off, and for a moment, his gaze flickers away, almost as if he's ashamed. 

Good. He should be.

It shouldn't be satisfying to see him in this vulnerable state, but you never imagined you'd have the infamous Noah Sebastian begging for your forgiveness. 

"I should've apologized then. And all the millions of times I was watching your instagram. I wanted to, I did. I've been wanting to. I wanted to reach out and apologize the moment I knew you were coming."

Suddenly your brain latches onto those few words; since I knew you were coming. How did he know? Not even you knew, not until the other week. It was a last minute trip, one planned by—Sloan.

"Get up." You interrupt his ramble and you watch as he struggles to process the instruction as if he doesn't know whether you've accepted his attempt at an apology or not.

When he stands, he nods, shaking his limbs and himself off like he's an overgrown wet greyhound. "Yeah, let's head back inside."

You start to walk ahead of him, pulling yourself out from his reach when you catch his hand coming behind you in your periphery. You haven't responded to his apology and won't be giving him the satisfaction of even the slightest touch.

"What on earth happened to you two?!" Sloan, who had been flirting with Jolly earlier, is now walking away from cozying up to Nicholas. You narrow your eyes at her.

"Someone fell into the pool." Noah answers, and your gaze shifts to him. You fix him with the same disgruntled expression.

"I'm going to bed." you dismiss yourself, walking away as Sloan reaches for you, grasping your arm as she hurries to catch up.

"Did you really fall in the pool?" she asks, her brow raised in curiosity.

"Yes." you reply through gritted teeth.

"All that to get a man to dive in after you. I know you said he's an asshole, but—"

You come to a stop, pulling your arm from her grasp and turning to face her. "But what, Sloan? Should I give him another chance?"

Her mouth opens to speak, but no words come out, and her eyes widen in realization.

"Because I'm starting to think these strange coincidences aren't just that. Not to mention the way you've been flirting with Jolly and now Nicholas."

A brief flash of guilt crosses her face, and everything begins to make sense. Noah and his band may have had a concert in Vegas this weekend, but your run-ins with him had been anything but coincidental, as you had suspected.

"So much for you mocking me for being hung up on a guy for the past two years, huh? You're such a great friend, Sloan. So great." You turn to walk away, but she stops you.

"I thought—"

"You thought what, huh?"

"That seeing him would finally give you the closure you've been seeking. That maybe one last time being together would remind you that he's not worth your time."

"Yeah, I've come to realize that". You nod, taking a deep breath as you ponder Sloan's words. "I've also come to understand that my friend is more manipulative than I could have ever imagined, considering I never would have expected you to throw my heart back into the ring with him." Your voice cracks, but you manage to utter your words before pushing past her and finally walking away.

tagged: @fadingangelwisp @deathblacksmoke @geminigirlfromfinland @fuck1ng-queen @xxkittenkissesxx @lacy1986 @ichoosetenderomens @chey-h @blade-dressed-in-red @collisionofyourkissmakesitsohard @halfalgorithmhafdeity @dominuslunae @tosoundlessdarkistare @annthepenguin @samanthasgone @littlebear423 @aprosiacperson @flowery-mess @nyriastark @blackgirlmagicforever

[rainbowsky]

Anonymous asked: Hi I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask. I guess that you are from Canada or usa based on ur posts. I am planning to go see LOCH in canada. I'm neither chinese nor east asían. I'm Lil nervous since this would my first time a chinese movie in theatre. Like is it OK? Will people look at like I'm out of place or something? Im not sure about the usual crowds . Please ignore if it's not a suitable place to ask this question.

I am in Canada. Definitely not the US. 😑

I understand that for some people it can be scary to go to neighbourhoods and businesses that are outside our normal daily routine and that are primarily populated by people from different cultures and backgrounds. If you feel any of that, that is a sure sign you need to get out there and explore those areas and broaden your cultural horizons.

I can't speak for other countries or what their norms might be, but here in Canada it's something everyone should try to explore. You will meet new people and have new experiences, and in the end you will find that we all have much more in common than any differences we might have.

In my experience, as long as you are being polite, respectful and non-obnoxious, people will welcome you and be grateful for your business and appreciate your interest in their culture. Depending on the demographic makeup of the area you are going to and how often they see people like you, you might get a few curious looks at most. In the vast majority of cases you're just going to be one of the crowd, and no one will make any special notice of you at all. Especially in any major city in Canada, where there is such a mixture of people from all backgrounds.

When you are in an unfamiliar area don't be afraid to strike up conversations or ask questions, but make sure you are doing so respectfully and that your questions aren't based from an assumption. For example, "Where are you from?" can be offensive because it implies the person is a foreigner when they might be a 3rd generation Canadian. It is also more personal than is appropriate for a stranger to ask.

Better questions are more open-ended, and are rooted in your own ignorance rather than in their perceived 'difference'. For example, "I haven't seen anything like this before - may I ask what it is used for?"

Always, always be respectful and remember that you are a guest in their [business, neighbourhood, etc.].

When it comes to seeing a movie from GG and DD, most of the people in the theatres are likely to be fans of theirs, and they will be very excited to see you there. They want GG and DD to be supported by as many people as possible. It can be especially exciting to see GG and DD's broad appeal across cultures and geography.

When I went to see Born to Fly, some Chinese XFX actually came up to me after the movie and asked me how I knew about Yibo and if I enjoyed the film. Of course I dare not tell them I was a turtle, but they were very sweet and friendly, and very happy to fill me in on everything about the movie and about DD (which I already knew but politely smiled and nodded at 😅).

In the extremely unlikely event that someone is awful to you, it is critical that you understand it is because they are an asshole, not because they are from a particular cultural background. There are assholes everywhere, in every shape, size and ethnicity. One Chinese person's behavior is in no way indicative of any other Chinese person's beliefs, attitudes or behavior.

I hope you enjoy the movie, and encourage you to find other excuses to explore your city and find new neighbourhoods and cultures to appreciate.

[likeiknoworsmthin]

HC, Bruce is in an On/off (if we're on the same geography location) relationship with Selina and Khoa (each independent from the other) and they're free to pursue other people in the meanwhile, so the bat kids are just wanting to hook up Bruce with Clark and Diana to get ride of Khoa towards the years

Dick "I'm fine with the multiple partners cycle and the on/off relationships, all cool, but I draw the line at fuckin Minhkhoa Khan." Grayson.

Dick (12yo): Supes would be a good boyfriend? don't you think? So nice and gentle, so much better than that bet-asshole.

Bruce: Lenguaje. And Clark is already in a relationship, ¿I thought you like Miss Lane?

Dick: Yeah, but she's a girl. He doesn't have any boyfriend, and you could get him, will be fun.

Bruce: *Horrified at what he has done to Dick's concept of relationships* Most people just have one partner at a time like your parent...

Dick "Circus kid": ¡Ja! You should come up with something better, nobody does that, my parents used to kiss other people all the time.

Bruce: *refrains the urge to facepalm. Of course. And of course, thinking about his family, he has no one to use as an example* I'm really not making this up, most people date a person at a time. Besides, I think he's straight.

Dick: *confused* That doesn't even make sense!

Bruce: It means that he does not feel attracted to men. At all. I'm serious, Dick, don't bother him.

Dick: *snorts* Yeah, sure, B. *Wanders off of the bat cave*

A few weeks later, being baby-sat by Clark.

Dick: So... I heard a rumour

Clark: ¿Yeah? ¿Something you want to share?

Dick: Is it true that you only date a person at a time or is just for one of each.

Clark: *FLUSTERED, too flustered to function* ¿Wha-...?

Dick: yeah so you can have a boyfriend ¿Right? Or aunty Lo is in a relationship with Clark, ¿No? So ¿Superman can have a boyfriend? B does that sometimes.

[Clark.exe stop working.]

Later Clark's going to yell at Bruce for what kind of dive he's raising a poor kid in. ¿What the hell is he taught him with all his "playboy" thing? Poor kid will be traumatized...

Jason "My father is a cheater and my mom has to sell herself for her dose. ¿What even is monogamy" Todd.

Jay(13): So you like cats? *Just after a very dramatic fight between Diana and Cheetah, while Jason is visiting for the new museum exhibit*

Diana: .... *Utterly confused* Yes, of course.

Jay: Not to rain in your parade, but that cat-lady is too... Unique for you. Don't cha'? Should try the Gotham, flavor, she's classy and include a bonus bat.

Diana: *Holding laughter* I didn't mean it like that.

Jay: Yeah, sure, keep telling ya that. *Stops here, but tries to bouch for Bruce and Selina every chance he has. Diana is too amused.*

Casandra "My parents didn't even teach me how to talk, not even mention what a "normal" relationship is like" Cain.

Cass (15): *Shoves the three of them under a mistletoe in a holiday Wayne gala (It's Bruce's gala, Clark is working and Diana is a guest)* Now, Kiss.

Tim "My parents each have multiple lovers outside marriage" Drake.

Tim (14): *pulls a power point* ¿Have you ever heard the benefits included in date The Bat? Could be a interesting offer for you both. First of all, money will not be a problem anymore....

Clark *fresh out divorced and forced to confront that he is, in fact, NOT straight and his "brotherly love" for his best friends has nothing of brotherly in it"

Diana: *Remember when Jason used to try to pull this out, so she's a little nostalgic and very amused*

Steph "Actually I have a good basis but my dad is an asshole and monogamy never did nothing for my mother" Brown

Steph (15): So, you're kissing with the boss

Clark: No...

Steph: then you should.

Clark: I...

Steph: ¿Why no? You're a cute couple.

Clark: ¡We're not...!!

Steph: c'mon, just a kiss...

Carrie "My parents are monogamous but I don't know them enough to make an affirmation about it" Kelley.

Carrie (16): So, Boss ¿When are you going to stop your stubbornness and admit that you want to eat their faces?

Bruce: That's very crude and I don't.

Carrie: then you want them to eat your face. Tomate tomato.

[httpsminsgirl]

opinions on perv leehan? perv bonedo?

perv leehan you say?... of course he is a perv, most of bonedo would be so let me scribble something quick

๋࣭ ⭑⚝๋࣭ ⭑⚝๋࣭ ⭑⚝๋࣭ ⭑⚝ perv bonedo! ๋࣭ ⭑⚝๋࣭ ⭑⚝๋࣭ ⭑⚝๋࣭ ⭑⚝

pairings: bffjaehyun x reader, classmate!sungho x reader, dormmate!Riwoo x reader, brother's friend!Taesan x reader, bff!leehan x reader. contains: perv bonedo, grinding, inappropiate touching, pictures, and I don't know what other warnings to put... a/n: more members under the cut, opinions, feedbacks and requests appreciated TT^TT english is not my first language, i'm slightly dyslexic apologies for any grammar mistakes/missing punctuation,

Jaehyun:

Jaehyun is the type of pervert that would be extremely touchy taking advantage of your close bond. He'd take any and every opportunity to grind on you, accidentally rub your bust against his arm as he walks by, he'd defo have his hands on your waist and would specifically take you to crowded spaces to grind against you without you thinking much of it

Jaehyun would always stare at your boobs if you're wearing a low cut shirt

''eyes up her Myung Jaehyun'' you said now serious as the project you were working on was important ''sorry, got distracted'' he said with an innocent fake smile

Sungho:

Sungho's the type of pervert to take pictures of you in class whe you don't notice, specially when you wear a skirt and are leaning on your table

type to pair up with you for group projects always as you didn't mind having him close since he was smart and hard working.

You didn't think much about him alwasy wanting to work on group projects at your house, but it was weird how long he was taking in the bathroom and how your panties always seemed to be missing or filled with some white liquid...

Riwoo:

Riwoo would offer to do laundry just so that he could masturbate peacefully to your panties sniffing them, licking them and wrapping them around his cock filling them with his cum without much care as he'd just put them to wash afterwards

you actually trusted Riwoo a lot so sometimes when you'd forget to bring towels you'd just ask him, he always respected you not opening the door a lot to not see you... silly you, who didn't know that opening the door a bit was enough for him to see your naked reflection on the mirror

taking advantage of you being deeply into your showers singing he'd take some sneak peaks, even taking pictures of you and your body shadow which showed perfectly your curves

Taesan:

he would always tease you when he came over to play with your brother, coming into your room without knocking and just being a total asshole, somehow he'd perfectly time it and open the door as you walked off your personal bathroom and were half naked around your room, he'd apologize and smile looking at you as you screamed at him

he'd sometimes stay over to sleep and would just walk in your room, luckily you were a deep sleeper so of course you didn't even hear him come inside your room to steal your panties

would definitely move the blanket a bit to appreciate your exposed chest as your shirt slid up while you were sleeping, even taking a picture or two just for him

Leehan:

Leehan was absolutely shameless, he was just like Jaehyun. Touchy and always taking any opportunity to grind against you, sometimes just grabbing your waist and sitting you on top of him if you were with your group of friends and very misteriously there weren't any chairs left for you, you felt him move his hips slightly feeling the bulge in his pants grow harder everytime you subtly moved enjoying teasing him

he would go shopping with you and be with you in the changing room helping you change on and off your clothes appreciating your body and getting a bit more touchy each time he helped you as you now started hitting his hand off and telling him to leave making him pout and listen but he'd very obviously take sneak peaks of you

would take pictures of you without you knowing, specially when you wore a skirt, getting perfectly angled pictures as he could easily get close to you without you thinking much about it

[stillpanicking]

Jack Fenton, Formerly Wayne Pt. 2

If you want to support my works, By me a coffee?

Warnings: Ghosts don't like being ignored...

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

They.

Will.

Not.

BE.

QUIET!!!

Since he was a young child, he could hear the echos of the past. A constant repeat of their woes, demands and denials. No matter how much he pleaded for peace of mind. His parents and Alfred don't understand whenever he mentioned he has and spoken to his late grandparents. Or that one relative his dad had regrets never speaking to again. Just... They don't seem to understand it at all!

The constant whispers is leaving him no room to give his mind some sort of sanity.

What is wrong with himself?

He really is an outcast isn't he?

This isn't normal?

There is no way that it's normal for him to be able to see, talk or let alone able to interact with ghosts!!!!

It's not possible... it is true! The longer he wants to deny it, the harder it becomes to hide what he is becoming. His attempts to restraint himself whenever their emotions get too much turns into anger. Losing count the many times he had destroyed his room to avoid hurting anyone else.

Yet that did that seem to sway the dead. They do not care if he is becoming a monster. All they cared for is lamenting their woes or making demands that seemed so pointless now.

More so his paternal grandfather.

Making deranged comments about if he was still alive, he would have sent Bruce to-

SLAM!!!!!

Johnathan threw his desk towards the direction of the damned ghost. He did not if they spoke ill of himself, but how dare it speak ill of his little brother.

Deep breathing... just keep doing that... Yes... that...

Block them out.... block them out...

-knock- -knock-

"Master Johnathan, is everything alright in there?"

"......nothing is alright......" Johnathan muttered to himself, staring at his reflection through the now broken window. He could see his broken reflection and glowing green eyes staring right back at himself.

"How disgraceful."

"And you wonder why father stopped speaking to you. Asshole"

"Master Johnathan, I am still here...." Alfred's obvious sigh from the other side of the door made the young Wayne freeze over. "Please refrain from using such vulgar words..."

"Sorry, Alfred..."

"All is well... Do you wish to move to a different room for tonight?"

"...please."

[batheir]

scooped up and pulled apart from this big mouth floozy, the one she's more than GLAD to give away to harry, but not without a few more scratches and hits to the face for being just yet another asshole to her. she is SICK of assholes for one night. there's no room to retract and think about this in her usually composed state–– after pushed so far, one day she'd finally break all good girl and well mannered classism, she should have known. now that she's started, helena doesn't know when to stop until alex's big arms pull her off. restraining her fists, hands still in fighting mode, her red sharp manicure about to dig into his palms until she realizes it's just him. "let me down! i want to show her who the rich bitch is! i want to make her eat her words with my FIST! i want to– i want!" her words cut off in exasperation, trailing off down the hallway as her legs still kick and thrash. needing to be set free to finish her off, just like he apparently just finished harry off as doe eyes fall down on his limp body. widened with shock and impressed alex just devoured the guy so ferociously. "yeah, fuck them, fuck them both!" middle fingers shoot up as they disappear out the door, "and he taught me that, harry. not YOU." how to say: fuck.

which, she'll certainly repent for later and hopefully never say again after tonight. "ugh," grimacing as she's forced and put in the seat, "just on my chin where she tried scratching me back and her ring got caught on on my jaw." scraped her significantly, left a line of crimson across her skin and a BURNING sensation. pretty certain she'll have a bruise tomorrow she'll need to cover up tomorrow, too. "i can't believe him, but i can." turning her face as he's dipped down tucking her seat belt in, eyes starting to water, wishing she wouldn't cry over that piece of crap. "you didn't kill him, did you? just in case we don't get convicted for murder." feeling re-surprised he did that all over again. "and your shirt..." and his lip. she both notices when he climbs in on the driver's side and the overhead light has momentarily came on to illuminate what the mild injury he's earned has caused.

everything happens so fast.   the door swings open and alex only catches a brief glimpse of helena’s face before she’s turning away from him again,  trotting off to the living room without a word.   he hesitates,  contemplating his options,  but ends up following right after her,  lured in by all the screaming and ear-piercing sounds of cheap porcelain and glass shattering.   at first,  he intends to play the role of a watchful passerby —   don’t get involved unless absolutely necessary,  just stand by and make sure helena doesn’t get hurt.   however,  as the other girl begins to throw insults at his friend,  something shifts deep inside of him.   “hey,  she’s not a fuckin’ brat so shut that cock-suckin’ trap of yours,  you jealous troll!”   he hears himself calling out after the other woman.   “come on,  helena,  let’s get…”   out of here.   but then helena’s throwing herself at the mistress and cutting him off.   she flies right past harry,  who’s still recovering from that painful collision with the wall and coffee table,  trying to scramble to his feet and failing,  and all hell breaks loose.    

alexander nilsen might be a very fit,  strong man,  but he’s never actually been in a fight.   well,  it’s true what people say —   there’s a first for everything.   harry’s finally regaining consciousness,  standing up on his wobbly legs,  getting ready to peel helena off his other woman,  and so alex has to act fast.   he doesn’t want that man to lay hands on his best friend,  doesn’t want him anywhere near her.   without thinking much,  he grabs him by the hem of his boxers,  pulls him back and delivers the punch of a lifetime.   a wave of pain shoots up his arm,  but the adrenaline that’s now coursing through his veins makes it easy for him to ignore any discomforts.   blood splattering,  his knuckles catching on harry’s teeth,  a beefy fist finding his own mouth in return.   now they’re rolling across the floor,  too.   alex’s puffer jacket restraining his movements,  but there’s so much anger in his body that nothing could truly stop him.   and god,  he’s never played dirty in his life,  but when he spots a hardback edition of war and peace on the carpet within his reach,  figuring it must have fallen off the coffee table when harry first landed on it,  he picks it up and smacks helena’s ex-boyfriend over the head with it as hard as he can.    

“helena?”   scrambling off harry’s temporarily unconscious body,  absently trying to brush his blood off his sweater,  he quickly locates the raven-haired girl and,  taking advantage of this newfound wave of strength,  grabs her from behind and peels her off that disgusting whore.   large hands getting a hold of her small fists,  restraining them.   “you got her good,  little cat.   come on,  let’s go.   we have to go now,”   he babbles,  shutting the door to the apartment behind them and racing down the stairs with helena’s back pressed to his chest,  his arms curled tightly around her small waist.   “someone’s probably called the cops already.   we can’t stay here,  okay?   fuck them both,  but we’re not going to jail for that,  yeah?”   once outside,  the cool air feels almost pleasant on his heated skin,  making his busted lip sting in a surprisingly good way.   he feels so alive all the sudden.   “did she hurt you?”   he asks,  sucking on his split lip,  and trying to assess the damage done to helena.   “are you okay?”   he opens the passenger’s side door and gets her in,  as if she was a toddler throwing a tantrum,  buckling her up before circling the car and getting behind the wheel.

[chvoswxtch]

Kind of a romcom/action request - do you think you could rewrite or give us your take on the scene where Frank ties Amy to the bed? It’s just always bothered me so much. She’s a teen girl living on the streets, and franks not a moron. He’d know exactly the implication and why she’s scared shitless and I refuse to think he’d be smug or laughing about it, or as callous as he was

i'm really glad you brought this up bc I always thought it was SO out of character for frank, but I never saw anyone else mention it?? like he literally grabs her and throws her on the bed, comes at her with zip ties and duct tape, and acts like a complete asshole?? this girl was literally just attacked, watched this big scary guy rip through a group of professional hitmen like they were nothing, and now she's alone in a motel with him, of course she's freaked the fuck out. and we all know what was going through her head when he forced her on the bed and brought out the zip ties

a lot of things about season 2 pissed me off but this right here is something I will always get heated about bc frank 'girl dad' castle would fucking never and I will die on that hill

so i'm gonna fix it bc apparently I have to do everything around here

headcannon below the cut

what a girl wants starring frank castle & amy bendix

I had to rewatch this scene to refresh my memory and it pissed me off all over again bc out of context it looks so bad but even in context it looks awful

frank "locked the front door of the pawn shop & grabbed a bat bc the guy said he had an inappropriate video of a girl that was barely 12" castle?? francis david "nearly killed the guy who took inappropriate photos of underage girls literally like a few episodes after this" castiglione??? that frank is tying a young girl up to a bed and duct taping her mouth shut???? y'all got me fucked up try again

first of all, she literally helped him pull a bullet out of his ass cheek like thirty seconds before all this. if that's not trauma bonding, I don't know what is

but even before they got to the motel, when they were in the van, they were already bantering like a grumpy dad on a roadtrip with his angsty teenage daughter, like c'mon. and amy had so many opportunities to run if she wanted to. she could've told the clerk at the motel what had happened, or she literally could've ran for it. frank was bleeding out, he was in no shape to chase her down. but he protected her when he didn't have to so I think she felt somewhat safe with him, enough to get the room with him and help him stitch up his ass

AND HE LITERALLY SAYS IN THE NEXT SCENE THEY CAME AFTER A LITTLE GIRL SO I HAD TO GET INVOLVED. HE CALLS HER A LITTLE GIRL !!! okay i'm done i'm not so let's get into what should've happened

so again, obviously she's freaked the fuck out, a bunch of people just tried to murder her, and this grumpy asshole showed up and saved her, but she doesn't know why, or what he wants. if it were me, i'd be suspicious. like okay, you saved me from them, but what do you want?

all frank had to do was talk to her. yes, amy is a handful, but she's literally a kid (I don't know if we ever get her actual age, I think she says several times she's 16, but when I look it up it says between 16-20, so either way she's a young girl) and she doesn't know frank. she's spent her whole life on her own looking out for herself, and she just witnessed a bunch of her friends getting murdered while she hid under a bed, so of course she's not gonna trust this strange scary dude right off the bat

I think if frank had made his intentions clear, it would've gone differently, bc that entire scene is so out of place compared to the rest of the episode and how they interact with each other. like frank involves himself bc she's a kid, and then beth gets hurt in the process, and frank being the vengeful man he is obviously wants to take every single person out involved from top to bottom (just like he did with the kitchen irish, dogs of hell, and mexican cartel. this man does not leave loose ends. everyone gets punished)

so if he had been like hey, fuck those guys for going after a young girl, but also my girl got hurt in the process, so help me out here. help me find the dickheads responsible so that one, I can keep them from coming after you again, but two and most importantly, I can get my revenge for what they did to my woman. I feel like amy would've been like okay he's doing all this for the woman we dropped off at the hospital that he clearly cares about, which means he isn't secretly plotting against me and isn't just another person trying to kill me or steal what I have

frank clearly sees some of his daughter in amy, or at least he sees a glimpse of what lisa could've been if she would've been able to grow up. like there's a lot of moments during season 2 it's implied he sees amy kind of like a daughter. like yeah she's an annoying kid that grates on his nerves and constantly tests his patience, and there's certain moments I think he loses sight of the fact that she is just a kid and he just acts like a complete asshole (like the trailer scene with curtis when she tries to practice her moves with the gun), but then there's so many times he does treat her like he knows she's just a kid (she's literally just a girl)

the entire time he's teaching her how to handle the gun and use it, how he praises her when she does well, how he comforts her when she does have to shoot the gun, how reluctant he is to go along with her plan with the creepy photographer guy, how gentle he is with her in the showdown scene with pilgrim, like he's such a girl dad PLS

so in my professional opinion, it would be more in character for him to sit her down and be like look, these people aren't gonna stop coming after you, I wanna take them down bc now it's personal for me, and in the morning you and I will come up with a plan to figure out who these people are and how to stop them

I think it would've been more in character for him to be like listen up buttercup, you can take off and take your chances by yourself, but I give it 24 hours before you're dead. or, you can help me out and I can keep your ungrateful ass safe until this gets handled, up to you

we could've even had a scene where she's like I can take care of myself bye, leaves, realizes she's in the literal middle of nowhere, weighs the pros and cons of being alone versus being with the guy who took down like thirteen people by himself (I forget how many there actually were but it was a lot), and then show back up at the motel door with a bratty eye roll like alright fine but i'm gonna complain the whole time

would frank have still been bitchy the entire time? absolutely. he's grumpy as it is, and he took a bullet to the ass for a girl that called him rough road to his face (that will never not be funny to me). but would the frank castle I know and love tie a young girl down to the bed and duct tape her mouth?? absolutely the fuck not

in conclusion whoever wrote that specific scene is a fucking weirdo and it's on sight if I ever catch them on the street

[itz-pandora]

:/

Well I was bedridden like all morning bc of cramps and because I couldn't get up to make sure my sister was awake, she's mad at me for her missing school (I called her like 4 different times trying to wake her up but I couldn't GET UP) and now she's blaming ME for her missing school and she might miss watching a band concert because of me and I'm like. GIRL. I am NOT responsible for YOU.

Sure, we make sure each other is up sometimes but today I COULDN'T GET UP TO WAKE HER UP. WHEN IT'S NOT MY JOB TO! The situations have been reversed before, where she stayed home and I overslept, but I wasn't a condescending petty bitch about it and I didn't blame her! I was like "oh, my bad, I need to get to ask someone to drive me to school" and I did! I didn't just skip school while being all petty about it.

This girl is a whole ass adult, a whole 18, she's a senior in highschool and she blames me for feeling like shit because I couldn't get up to wake her up?? Like, girl, OWN UP???

She won't even plan extra for her oversleeping???? Like, she misses her alarm so often, while I do it like, half or less of the time she does. She doesn't set extra alarms and she refuses to use anything else than her phone. I'm like GIRL YOU KNOW THIS IS AN ISSUE SO SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE AND SET MORE ALARMS for the love of God this girl can't solve her own problems. LIKE SHUT UP WITH YOUR "I might miss the wind ensemble" while looking at me with that condescending ass smile SHUT THE FUCK UP and you wonder why I'm always on edge around your bitch ass. "You need to get medicated for your anger" YOU need to quit being such an infuriating person! But if I said that then I'd be the bad guy so I just bite my tongue and leave you alone. It's not like I have outbursts or anything, I'm just. Mad. Like, visibly mad, but I'm literally not hurting anyone or anything. I make so many accomodations for this girl but I feel like the asshole if I'd even ask for one. What the fuck.

I'm sick of needing to be the bigger person for a girl that's a year and a half older than me. Sometimes it feels like she only loves me as far enough as I'm useful or entertaining to her. Ugh

I don't hate her, I don't think she's an awful person, but FUCK this girl is in an echo chamber of her own creation and puts herself on a pedestal for it and it drives me nuts

She doesn't realize how genuinely she fucked me up too. She doesn't know how much of my self esteem issues are caused from her. She fucked up my social skills so severely that I automatically assume everyone hates me or is better off without me. I assume everyone else had better friends than me (which is right because I'm so introverted and shy because of her). I only really have somewhere between 2-7 people I consider friends irl and I barely talk to them outside of school. The closest irl person I have is my other sister and she's really my best friend. I've gotten to the point where if I don't talk to someone for long enough, I assume they don't like me or think I'm annoying, and it's so scary because I feel like I can't talk to anyone. It's so isolating, and I'm like 90% sure is stemmed from my sister who's pissing me off stealing my friends form me in elementary school to the point they'd rather hang out with her over me. I used to run to some corner and cry my eyes out because I felt so unloved by any friends around me. When I told her about it, she sounded sympathetic, but never changed her behavior. My mom and dad had to tell her to bring me over to my friends houses if she wanted to go so I wouldn't feel left out, and in retrospect that's so humiliating.

Whatever I just needed to vent.

I'm so sorry for this, I just needed to type something out.

[sararahrah]

I have zero doubt that the USA has the capacity to turn to and build up from the lowest horrors of its distant and recent past. In fact, I think all the morally-bankrupt men in power are actively trying to do so - mostly because they have said it for all to hear, and I believe them.

Thus, I will stand my ground, and I will fight with my voice and fight with my body to protect my loved ones and to protect peace in my country. Not to be dramatic or an alarmist, but because I am ready to defend what I've fought so hard to obtain. Worst case scenario, I worked myself up over nothing. Best case scenario, I get an early start on this battle.

Thus, I am doing the following and encourage anyone and everyone who will see the United States of America as a free, progressive nation again in our lifetime to do the same.

1) I'm writing to my senators and representatives, demanding they stand with democracy and grind this fascist machine to a halt by calling quorum, voting against R bills, and fillibusting as much and as often as possible. I am demanding they protect the rights of all minorities - women, immigrants, POC, LGBTQIA+, the bottom 99%, etc. I'm letting them know in clear terms that failing to do so means that during the next local election, their opponents will receive my vote and the vote of my people. The same brown people who bring multiple language programs to their community schools; who clean their yards, their homes, their cars; take care of their children; pick and pack their food; build their products; sit next to them in offices and PTA meetings; and serve next to them in our government.

2) I am attending town hall meetings as often as possible and signing up to speak as much as possible. Not only are they going to read and hear my words in their inboxes and phones, but they will have to look at my face as I demand they protect my rights or lose my vote.

3) I am educating myself on my rights, crafting and printing one-pagers with the rights I'll exercise during ICE raids, during traffic stops. Hell, during unfair stops due to the color of my skin. And, by extension, I'm printing out these cards and educating my immediate family on how to exercise them. We're literally practicing these interactions - much like I've read the Panthers used to practice possible protest interactions. My next step is getting a very diverse group of my friends and colleagues to tape up these pages on businesses and community buildings (churches, schools, etc) around our communities.

4) On that same vein, I am making allies by finding common ground and aligning our big-picture goals. I am putting aside whether someone voted for this asshole if they're willing to canvass with me for change. I am putting aside whether someone believes life begins at conception if they're willing to spam reps to protect women's rights. I am putting aside whether my neighbor believes illegal immigrants are "stealing his job", if he's willing to vote against politicians who want to dismantle the 14th Amendment and build concentration camps that further enable slavery. Ideal? Not really. Necessary? Absolutely.

5) From, 6-8am and 5-7pm, I am keeping the pulse on things through govt websites (yes, those clunky, OLD, buggy attrocities), YT channels like Leeja Miller, Legal Eagle, and David Pakman, politicians who've shown a track record of leadership and transparency like AOC, and news sources like PBS and Reuters. At the end of each time block, I'm reflecting on whether I need to adjust my actions in 1, 2 or 3 and putting it on my Google calendar. I am being systemic and methodical about this to protect my mental and emotional well-being, and to avoid giving these fascists my panic and fear. My self-care is a way to say, "fuck them all".

6) I am staying aware of my and my family's exit strategy options. I don't want to, but if I have to, I'll go somewhere outside of my city/state/country to stay safe while, almost as importantly, continuing to advocate for and demand change and peace and safety in my community.

[izartn]

Honestly the realism of these guys and the need for marriage for the sisters plus the separation of hitting too near bc it's set on the past is what has me feral about this TVshow. I'm watching with my mother and she's all in too.

Like. I get bored to death by fluffy straightforward idealised romances. One once in a while in short stuff is OK but having that as an expectation for the genre is why I usually flee from purely genre romance.

I like the way Perfect Match explores how the Li sisters (and Mom) have to struggle as a family unit of women in the Song dinasty, I like the shaneaningans and the humor, and how they have to, constantly, be managing the men around them and the more powerful in general bc it never ends but maybe if you play your cards well you can enjoy your life even with the limitations.

And it's still idealized! There's romance there! It's just not dumbed down a much as usual speaking plainly lol. Also proactive female charas who love and support each other, hell yeah. But is still tropey and silly and fun.

But also as OP says. The men in Perfect Match are also men you find around you nowadays. The most likely breed depending on where you live too. Also aren't romance novels full of controlling patriarcal assholes? I don't know what people are complaining about here, I find it much more enjoyable when I can tell myself it's bc of the historical setting lol

I've been wanting to watch something like Perfect Match for a while I guess is what I'm trying to say.

It's making me laugh reading how much people hate the men in Perfect Match because I'm telling you, they feel a lot like real men. Not even historical men, like dudes I met yesterday. There have clearly been too many Marty-Stus in fiction recently because those guys are fine.

Like Chai An, he's arrogant, competitive, and does pranks as "lessons to ignorant women." Does he suck to some extent? Yes. Does he have any concerning vices to a woman in historical China? No. Women marry men just like him all the time today and do just fine because he's intelligent, driven, and motivated. He has a job and he's good at it. He takes care of his mother and now his wife. That may feel like a low bar, but it is one that many do not clear...

Pathetic Husband #2 (Fan Lianghan), he is a man child, but he's also the one most clearly there for comic relief. However, it seems like he's a bit of a coddled trust-fund baby and he has been growing up as the series goes on. He's fine. He's manageable.

Du Yangxi (Scholar Husband #1). Do I like him? No. Is almost everything bad he's done driven by insane circumstances and not his traits? Yes. Also, he's 20 freaking years old and all he's done his whole life is try not to starve and study for a test. He will improve with time!

Shen Huizhao (#4) may need to update his fundamental morality (it's a bit too concrete and inflexible), but there is nothing wrong with this man that having his child sister murdered in front of him doesn't explain. He would benefit from therapy but that's not going to happen so let his wife figure it out.

Now Insane Boy #5 will probably need some serious work, but his future wife is feral so I'm sure she can handle it.

Anyways, I know dramas are wish fulfillment to some extent but honestly the way people talk about these guys you'd think they are serial killers when they just are flawed.

[concretejunglefm]

I'm not ready to let you forget me (part 4).

*edit credit goes to the lovely @defuckingthrone-dot-com

You told your friends you want me deadAnd said that I did everythin' wrongAnd you're not wrong

An anon request for lovers to enemies -> playlist, part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5.

Summary: It’s been two years since Noah cheated on you, abruptly ending your relationship. However, the universe seems to have a peculiar sense of humor in its plan to reunite you.

Pairing: Noah Sebastian x reader.

CW: Mentions of cheating, Noah can be an overall asshole and a tad bit of angst. Unwanted touching/groping/kissing, implied further S/A (male victim) via intoxication and mentions use of GHB. Please remember to take care of yourselves and be safe.

WC: 3.9k.

Dividers: Silent-stories.

The next day is your final full day here. By Monday morning, your trip would end, and you’d return to your usual mundane life. Instead of embracing the time you had left, you spent it sulking, wallowing in self-pity over the sting of betrayal you felt from Noah and the rest, but especially Sloan.

You never imagined your best friend would pull you back towards the guy she knew had shattered your heart.

When she tried to talk to you through your hotel room door that morning, you ignored her and hid until later that afternoon, after finishing off the bottles in your hotel room minibar.

As you exit your room, you catch Folio standing at the door to his room beside yours. You consider not disturbing him and trying to slip past, but you have no reason to be upset with him. Besides, his boyish grin always made you have a softer spot for him.

You clear your throat before speaking. “How did the show go?” Their festival performance was today, and while you knew Sloan would be there, probably stageside with how close she and Jolly had gotten over the weekend, you decided to ignore her invitation: “When you’re ready to stop being mad at everyone, you can join me at the festival.”

You weren’t mad at everyone; just Sloan, Noah, Jolly, and maybe even Nicholas with his recent behavior and invitations to both of you. Folio, as well as Matt, was probably the only one you hadn’t yet found a reason to be mad at.

“Crushed it, obviously,” he says with such pride that it makes you laugh. “Can’t do a show without crushing.” His response shouldn’t surprise you; he always took pride in his performances and his ability to improve with each one. “We were planning to go to one of the escape rooms later. You should join us.”

“Oh, I don’t—“

“Come on. It’s your last night here, right? You really want to spend it wallowing in your room?”

“Well I planned to do it down at the bar, actually.” You laugh. “Besides, I really don't think it's a good idea seeing Noah right now. I imagine him and his ex performing today made them pretty cosy, especially after the other night.” You roll your eyes at the thought and do your best trying not to appear irritated by it. You fail.

“About that…” There’s a near guilty expression on Folio’s face which causes your eyebrows to narrow.

“Yes?”

“It's not what you think. She wasn't… that wasn’t... Noah was with me the whole night.”

You scoff and shake your head. “You don't have to defend him Folio, he’s a big boy.” It almost doesn't surprise you that Noah would rope one of his friends into lying for him, into defending him when he was in the wrong.

“I’m not! We were together the whole night. The banging and the moaning you heard, that was us. He said it would be funny and I stupidly agreed.”

“Oh…” The tension in your body fades as the irritation you felt before now slowly dissipates with nowhere for it to be aimed. You'd have gladly held it over Noah for the rest of time, but if it hadn't been true, how can you?

“Like I say, I really think you should consider joining us today. It’ll be fun.” 

It's the last thing he leaves you with before slipping into his own hotel room and you actually find yourself considering it. 

You caved, and as soon as you enter the escape room, Sloan greets you with a usual sarcastic remark, breaking the pout you had been wearing and forming a smile. 

You couldn’t stay mad at her, and you hoped none of this was intentional. However, you knew you needed to talk to her sooner rather than later to prevent yourself from overthinking it.

“Ladies first,” Jolly says, gesturing towards the open door of the escape room.

Stepping inside, you find it to be a replica of a music studio, fitting for a band that had just finished a show.

Turning back towards the door, instead of seeing Sloan or anyone else enter, Noah follows and you catch Sloan’s apologetic expression as she mouths an ‘I’m sorry’ to you.

At that moment, the door closes, and your eyes widen in realization.

Crossing over to the door, you try to open it despite hearing the distinct click of the latch locking into place. “Sloan, this isn’t funny,” you call through the door, but her muffled response only adds to your frustration.

“You both really need to talk.”

You shoot a glance at Noah, your eyes narrowing. “Was this your idea?”

He chuckles and holds up his hands. “Don’t blame me. I had no idea they were going to do this. I didn’t even think you’d want to come after last night.”

“I didn’t,” you grumble, almost angry with Folio for tricking you into coming.

While Noah sits in a nearby chair, you start searching the room for clues or any way to escape.

Your brief search yields to nothing, and you grow more frustrated with Noah for not helping you. “Are you really just going to sit there and not help?”

“Why should I? I thought you worked better alone anyway,” he retorts.

You scoff. He really chose his moments to be difficult. Trying to ignore him, you resume your search, but come to a halt as the familiar chords of ‘Just Pretend’ start playing. Out of all the props in the room, he had to pick up the guitar and see if it could work.

It makes you roll your eyes to hear that song. Even though you've been avoiding the band for the past two years, you've heard it thanks to TikTok and the millions of girls who’ve been obsessed with calling it ‘the perfect love song’. It’s far from a love song, and you don’t delude yourself into thinking it could be about you. But right now, as you hear the change in lyrics, you can’t help but wonder if it could be.

Stepping towards where he’s sitting, you lower yourself slowly onto the edge of the near by chair and listen. He’s completely engrossed in the song, but his voice sounds a lot more broken and raw than it ever does when he sings it live.

Sloan had said that you both needed to talk, and maybe she’s right.

When the song ends, you take a moment to gather your thoughts before breaking the silence. “Folio told me that what happened the other night is ‘not what I think.’” You pause, your gaze settling on Noah, who avoids meeting yours. “He said you were with him all night and that she wasn’t there.”

“Yeah, well, Folio needs to mind his own business.”

“He’s only looking out for you,” you say, feeling the need to defend him. You know it was coming from a place of care for both you and Noah. “Why did you act like you were with her?”

Noah shrugs. “Thought it would be funny.”

“No, I don’t buy it,” you say.

Sighing, he finally resigns himself, if only slightly. “I thought it would make you talk to me. Even if it meant you were angry, you’d at least stop ignoring me.”

“And you couldn’t think of a better way to do that?”

“What can I say, I’m an asshole,” he admits, his voice devoid of gloating. He sounds defeated, as if he’s accepted being tarnished with that label.

“You weren’t always like that,” you say, your voice softer. Your fingers twitch, itching to reach for him but hesitant to offer him any form of comfort beyond your words. “And you didn’t have to become an asshole to get me to talk to you.”

“Really?” His gaze finally meets yours. “Because you ignored me every chance you had.” He slides forward towards the end of his seat, pushing down and onto the floor, coming onto his knees in front of you, reaching for your hand. 

Every other time he tried to reach for you during this trip, you pulled away, refusing to give him even a chance to get close. But this time, you let him take your hand in his own. 

“Call me an asshole all you want. Tell me you hate me. Tell me you never want to see my face again. Just never stop telling me those things. I hated these last two years without you, and I can’t go back to not hearing your voice ever again.”

This time, he’s down on his knees in front of you, and it’s not because of any request or attempt to humiliate him. There’s a genuine apology written across his face, and you hear it in his voice—the way he grows soft, almost desperate to not let you go again.

As much as you want to forgive him, to let him back in, even at a distance, you can’t shake the memories of what happened. Between him ghosting you, the pictures and videos of him and his ex, and the sound of her voice in his room the other night, it pains you to even consider letting any of that go unaddressed. But the thought of asking about it makes your throat tighten.

“What happened?” You finally choke out and his head, which he had lowered to rest against your lap, finally raises and he looks up at you. “With… her. What happened? You went on tour with her and then you ghosted me.” 

You sound more emotional than you mean to and you force a laugh trying to push the urge to cry back down because you’ll be damned if you sit here crying to your ex, over him, in some stupid escape room.

Noah doesn’t answer, instead he pulls himself back away from you, his head lowered, chin tucked against his chest as he slides back onto the chair, avoiding looking at you.

“God, if you cheated on me could you atleast have the balls to admit it.”

“I don’t know.” He mumbles.

“That’s such a poor excuse.”

“I don’t know.” He says it more firmly and finally lifts his head to look across at you. “We were all out. I had something to drink and the next thing I remember I was waking up in her bed.”

You can’t help the scoff you let out, shaking your head because it feels like he's using every cliche and excuse right now. “So you got drunk and hooked up with your ex? Then felt too ashamed to even tell me so you ghosted me?” Your voice slowly rises a few octaves, despite you not meaning for it to. You’re angry and upset and you can’t hold it back.

“It wasn’t like that.” He starts and you continue shaking your head, pushing up out of the chair as you begin to pace the small room, looking back over at Noah.

“Then what’s it like, Noah, huh? Because right now it sounds like you’re just a coward who cheated and couldn’t own up to it.”

“I don’t know, okay? I don’t remember what happened. I don’t know how I ended up there with her, but I did.” His voice sounds strained, like he’s trying to hold himself back from becoming too upset and you see the shimmer of wetness in his eyes.

“Noah?” You move back over to the chair you were sitting in and lower yourself onto the edge reaching for him. 

The moment you do, he’s quick to use the front of his shirt to wipe away the tears which start rolling down his cheeks. 

“You really don’t remember?” You ask, your voice soft as you tentatively reach out to him, laying your hand over his and he silently shakes his head in response.

“She sent me a video.” His voice breaks a little and he clears his throat. “I can guess from there what happened. She threatened to send it to you if I didn't break up with you and get back together with her.”

“And that’s why you ghosted me?”

“That and I was ashamed.” He forces a laugh and it makes your heart break, witnessing this side of him, the side which was often reserved away from everyone, including you.

“Noah did she…” You trail off as he shakes his head in response to your words before shrugging.

“I don’t…” 

You nod and take his hand in your own, raising it towards your mouth as your turn and press a gentle kiss against his palm. You don’t need to press him anymore, you understand.

Whatever happened inside the room must've satisfied Sloan enough to have the door unlocked, because you hear the click a few moments later before seeing it open and your best friend walk in as if she was your savior.

In some ways, maybe she is.

Back at the hotel, Noah retreats to his room, and you can see the dark circles forming around his eyes. After today’s physically and emotionally taxing events, including the escape room, you didn’t object to him needing some alone time. 

While everyone else disperses, Nicholas surprises you with a knock on your door.

“There’s something you need to see,” he says.

You invite him in and watch as he pulls out his phone and steps towards you. He scrolls and taps on the screen until he’s satisfied with what he finds.

“What’s this?” you ask, taking the phone and looking down to see a video open and paused on the screen.

“What really happened,” Nicholas says. “Noah hasn’t seen the full video. Matt managed to get the full thing after talking to a few guys who were there that night.”

Moving across the room towards the bed, you settle on the edge as you take a breath and press play.

You hear the same giggle, the same high-pitched, dragging-out “Nowah” that makes your skin crawl. You really don’t want to watch this, especially when she comes into view. It makes your stomach turn and bile rise up your throat. Why do you want to watch your boyfriend making out with another girl, especially the ex he ghosted you for?

Except that isn’t what starts playing out on the screen in front of you. Noah, who looks barely conscious, is being grabbed and groped by the same girl. Her chest is pressed to his face as she giggles, acting like he’s the one behind the actions when he’s merely a puppet for her amusement.

You want to look away, to turn it off. In your mind, you’ve seen enough, but you can’t stop. The phone trembles in your hands as you watch the rest of the video.

Her fingers rake through his hair, tugging up his heavy head and cooing something almost unintelligible against his lips. Noah speaks enough for you to catch a faint word—your name. It leaves his lips and tightens your chest. Did he think it was you? Did he want it to be? Was he calling out for you? Regardless, your name is quickly dismissed by his ex, who says, “She’s not here right now, baby, but don’t worry, I’ll help you forget all about her.” The moment her lips meet his in a forced kiss, you push the phone back, shaking your head.

“I-I can’t, I’ve seen enough.” You can piece together the same puzzle that Noah did.

In his mind, he believed he had cheated, but the reality was he had been gaslit, shown only the edited version of the video where his ex was all over him and then kissing him. Waking up beside her the next morning made him reach an easy conclusion.

You want to vomit; the thought of everything that happened makes your stomach churn, and it hurts your chest not only for what you saw but also for Noah. The thought of him being burdened by this, holding onto something he thought he needed to be ashamed of and how you treated him, suddenly makes you feel guilty. You shouldn’t have been so hasty to block him, to try to cut him out of your life. What if every spam account he watched you from was his way of trying to reach out? What if he had been trying, but you just pushed him away, driving him further back every time?

“I can see why you haven’t shown him. How long have you had this?” When you look at Nicholas, you can see the struggle in his eyes at trying to keep this from his best friend.

“A few months,” he confesses, twisting his mouth. It’s as if you can see the guilt gnawing at him. “I don’t know if showing him would make things worse.”

“Definitely worse.” You whisper. You knew beneath the hardened cocky exterior was a softer heart, one Noah tried to protect and failing to do so always opened up a possibility for him diving off the deep end.

“Have you spoken to her?” When the question leaves your lips you shake your head, dismissing it yourself. “Sorry, that was dumb, of course you wouldn't.”

“We’ve tried. She refuses to get back to any of us, even her team have now told us to ‘stop harassing her’.” He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “She's here you know, at the hotel.”

At those words it's like you see red and suddenly every ounce of logic you have dissipates and you’re carrying yourself from your hotel room and downstairs, walking throughout the hotel as if you'll miraculously bump into his ex in the hallway or casino.

On your way, you pick up the addition of Folio and Matt, followed by Sloan and Jolly. Sloan tries to reason with you, but Folio urges you on, as if you’ll start a fight with her.

“What are you going to say to her?” Sloan asks, trying to pull you out of your rage filled trance.

“Nice to meet you. I’m the girl whose life you ruined, just like Noah’s.” You make a vague gesture, causing Jolly to chuckle. You hear a thump from his direction, indicating that Sloan hit him in response.

“You really can’t think confronting her here is a good idea.”

“Why not? She keeps hiding behind her team and everyone else. Better to catch her when she least expects it.”

“I thought you didn’t care about him.” Sloan’s voice is softer this time, and it stops you in your tracks.

You had said that, tried to act nonchalant about him, but now you’re ready to dive headfirst into his battle for what? Because you still cared?

You didn’t have time to debate Sloan’s question, and that all slips away when you catch a familiar face.

Noah’s ex.

She’s surrounded by a small crowd of people you can only assume are part of her crew. You quickly pull away from your group and head towards her, calling out to her.

You don’t know what you expected when you come face to face with her, that somehow you’ll spew everything you’ve been thinking about and holding in since he ghosted you for her, but now you’re left silent as you stand before her.

She’s beautiful, and you were never blind to that or envious of it, but now you see that there’s a distinct sneer at the corner of her lips, as if she’s looking down on you rather than at you.

Just as one of her crew approaches to gesture you to move away, you sidestep them and come towards her.

“I know what you did.”

She lets out a laugh, looking around as if appalled by such an odd accusation from a stranger. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Noah,” your eyes meet hers, and you notice the dimming of her gaze. The cocky facade she maintains slightly falters. “I know what you did.”

As she prepares to respond, her eyes divert behind you, and you hear your name being called.

Following her gaze, they fall on Noah, who is coaxing you away. His face remains as sunken as before. Since his confession, he has lost all of his composure, and you can’t help but wonder if it’s due to the exhaustion of holding onto it or if he has finally stopped pretending to be someone he’s not around you.

“No, she needs to acknowledge what she did.” You insist, turning back to face her.

“What I did was merely have some fun.” She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest.

“That’s what you call fun?!” You feel a hand on your shoulder as Nicholas steps up to you, attempting to calm you down as your voice rises.

“A few drops of GHB to relax him. He was so tense that night.” She glances past you in Noah’s direction, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. “He passed out before any real fun could occur, though.” Her mouth curls into a pout, and you feel an instant urge to lunge at her, but Nick’s hand restrains you.

“So, what you’re implying is that nothing happened?” You raise an eyebrow.

“Apart from the video your little friends apparently got ahold of, no.”

“So, you put him in your bed to make him believe he cheated? Why? Because did wanted him back?”

“I didn’t make him believe anything; he came to that conclusion on his own. It sounds like a guilty conscience to me.”

Your hand twitches, and you feel Nick move down and grasp at your wrist, as if silently preventing you from lashing out at her.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She attempts to move forward and pass you, and Nick pulls you back, out of the way, as you turn to look over at Noah.

This moment should be filled with joy as you both reunite, victorious over the evil that once plagued you. Yet, instead of embracing each other, you find yourself standing there, staring at Noah, an apologetic look etched on your face.

You had known she was manipulative, but you never imagined she would resort to such extreme measures, framing Noah for cheating while making him believe the worst had happened to him.

The way Noah looked at you was a mix of shame and disappointment. You had never lashed out at anyone the way you had her, never had to be restrained and pulled away from a potential fight. You didn’t even think you had the skills to fight beyond the occasional hair-pulling and slapping. But you had been ready then. It was all thanks to Nicholas’s presence, which prevented you from confronting her in the hotel’s public space.

Imagine how that would've looked. Another story for her to spin in her favor.

“I’m sorry,” you murmur, unable to lift your gaze from the floor. Shame washes over you, not just for your actions but also for not being able to bear the disappointment in Noah's eyes for much longer.

You had always prided yourself on being level-headed, but around Noah, everything changed. Whether it was his behavior or your own emotions getting the better of you, the intensity of your feelings for him surpassed anything you had ever experienced with anyone else.

“Noah, please,” you take a step towards him, reaching out to him. But instead of embracing you, he turns away, it's his turn to walk away now, and shaking his head, he retreats from you, leaving.

When you look over to your best friend, Sloan, she offers you a comforting expression before moving in. Your lips tremble as you whisper, “I didn’t mean for this to happen.” She gently shushes you, pulling you into her arms. It feels so familiar now, after her months of comforting you. She doesn’t even hold the cruelty of your words from the previous night against you.

You don’t deserve her, and maybe on some level, you don’t deserve Noah either.

tagged: @fadingangelwisp @deathblacksmoke @geminigirlfromfinland @fuck1ng-queen @xxkittenkissesxx @lacy1986 @ichoosetenderomens @chey-h @blade-dressed-in-red @collisionofyourkissmakesitsohard @halfalgorithmhafdeity @dominuslunae @tosoundlessdarkistare @annthepenguin @samanthasgone @littlebear423 @aprosiacperson @flowery-mess @nyriastark @blackgirlmagicforever

[naamahdarling]

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[spinnysocks]

kiburi x ushari but specifically doomed kiburi x ushari. more than anyone else in the army they believe with full sincerity that scar's plan HAS to work because they can't succeed without him

[the-stove-is-divorced]

Glad we both enjoy hating omg.

AND YES! Istg the second that video dropped I watched it eagerly, I am such a Batman fan, ugh, if you're ever interested in him specifically, I'd heavily recommend Batman Animated Series, yearnful sigh. I miss when he's written well. And thank you! I appreciate this, I'm bound for a rewatch of this video, hehehe.

NO FR? Istg one of my BIGGEST pet peeves for lazy ass shipping is when OTHER characters have to comment on the relationship, as if it is in any way, shape, or form been properly conveyed as obvious to the audience. IT'S SO LAZY RAHHHHHH. Like you might as while have everyone calling them a couple and them blushing and saying NUH UH, and then never proceed to actually write them interested in each other, outside of predictable, boring commentary, WHICH IS OUT OF LEFT FIELD.

Rex and Eve are legit sm more interesting since they're supposed to be friends for years, then got together, and went through the same shit together. I'd legit rather than them than this. Why did Rex cheat? Why not explore any of these dynamics? Did Kate feel sidelined so she believed Eve and Rex were on a break? How shaky was their relationship?

Get this man in ethics, philosophy, therapy, and pysche classes istg. He truly needs college istg, bro needs education and awarenes. I do not believe he thought he actually thought of Eve, out of anything but guilt, if at ALL. This show feels like it's ACTIVELY trying to lie to me and it's not even doing it WELL? HELLO?

The villain opening was so dumb to me istg. Cecil's stuff I get why, but when it went back to why and justified why Cecil did what he did I wanted to roll my eyes. Like. I can assume why. I don't really need to see why. they're useful, and there's an unspoken GoG absence, yes? I get why Mark is opposed, sure, whatever. Can we use this time for anything else? If this show had more episodes and took things s l o w e r for once, it'd be more fitting to me. Otherwise? I don't care. Speaking of Oliver, they way he's better at fighting than Mark, like this is embarrassing. Mark lock in. Mark do better. Mark why is a child showing you up. WHY ARE EXPLICITLY SHOWN MARK IMPROVING AND THEN HE ACTS JUST AS SUCCESSFUL AS S1? HELLO?

I thought the fight against the underground monsters would be a great opportunity for him to be particularly lethal, like Omni-Man and actually show off some proper skills, and introduce Darkwing + Robots helping heros escape while he's distracted. Still can have Mark freak out, but people get reminded whose son he is. Casually shake off blood. Which we get later on (I wish it was cooler so bad, it's still my fav but with a hint of begrudging admittance), but I say why can't we have more feral Mark scenes? Why stop at one battle parallel with Nolan? Have him particularly lethal with monsters since he'll freak out over people, thinking of Angstrom! Let him mimic Nolan's efficiency and like casually dive through a monster's brain. Him freaking out when someone he cares about gets hurt is so dull to me, also? Did the venom work from the centipede????

GoG's breakup was truly so funny because none of these mfs have been meaningfully explored enough to make me shaken up that they're breaking up, or what that even means because their hero ecosystem isn't explored either! What's the stakes here? I don't get to see more dynamics I never got to see? I'm truly heart broken. Oh no. Also Immortal stay annoying me because bro truly invited himself, told everybody to stfu and get out to a team he decided he'd join back up again, and you're so correct he'd make a mf grovel to get back? Immortal don't be insufferable challenge.

Nolan being endeared to her because she's not afraid makes too much sense, omg. He's so baffled he's enraptured, and Debbie truly thinks he is not special for being capable of killing him, people could die randomly, asshole, get in line. I'd love to see how they got together if the show had time, and the potential dynamics from a "take no shit" Debbie and still learning about humanity, and flirting, Nolan.

REAL ASF THO. Like Invincible could be SO far if it was good. Shows where I'm already invested after it outright refuses to live up to it's potential are like catnip to me, I cannot shut up about it. I'm infuriated and enraptured and endeared. Begging everyone to watch this show, no I don't think it's incredible, watch it all anyway.

Please write the mentor Cecil fic of my dreams, if I can get some oneshots done I'd love to write it myself if I can think of some scenes. There's something so interesting about Cecil becoming an incidental (perhaps Mark opens up and Cecil Realizes: Oh, I can Use This) and then intentional mentor figure, (or again Mark insisting he needs to earn Immortal's approval to prove he's not his Dad fr). Like? Thefun extra wound of betrayal if Cecil still uses the whole scream thing! Maybe Robot/Rudy does a scan of him and finds it, and Mark has to conceptualize what it's for, or it's outright used to against him. I believe in Mark being put through the emotional ringer. Dad issues AND Dad-like mentor issues. Stack 'em.

GDA not have any contingencies or hidden plans is so baffling, like aren't you a paranoid department dealing with something as unstable and dangerous as supes? LIKE NO MEDICAL CHECK UP IS INSANE. Purposeful ignorance is so funny omg, they're actively make it difficult for them to pursue education lmao. But the way I would think they'd make Mark + Oliver binge every morality debate, philosophy, even skeezy therapy where the therapist is just snitching to what their mental states actually are. Enforcing Mark to understand how to fight mentally, and not following the same colonizer BS mindset. GIVE ME PARANOID GDA THINGS. Like if Mark went to college, does GDA have agent pretend to be a student to follow him?

While I'm not too familiar with the DCU- your batfam meta posts are intiguing- so in transfering some of the broader strokes from them- I think you tackling a 'Mark isn't Nolan's biological son' fic would be fascinating. Sort of a step to the side of the 'what if Mark never got his powers' fic that sometimes pop up in the fandom

OOOOOO chewing on this currently, hm, the much a distinct flavor of exactly what you’re talking about, but the potential for more family drama depending on WHO knows. Does Mark know?? Is he waiting every day only to be crushed? Does he confused non-Debbie features with Nolan’s? I suppose I’m not the most enthusiastic about non-power AUs, but I think there’s something very fun to explore about Mark having to settle with, if he knows all his life, he will never have powers? I think the trajectory of his dreams will obviously shift, I can see him still having that distinct fatherly idolization, but perhaps embraces being useful to the GDA? Cecil’s number one intern—only intern—curtesy of nepotism, ha! There is something tickling me about Mark taking the Robin Route/Role for the Teen Team in terms of having no powers, just insane skills, BUT there’s something way more delicious about intern Mark when s1e01 happens and Mark tries snooping around to find out the truth about what happened to his Dad.

I wonder if, with Mark having a whole another father, if they’re more or less distant relationship, depending on WHEN Nolan entered Mark’s life? Like if Debbie met Nolan later for this, or just for fun, they dated once, separated (Mark being born during then), then they happened to stumble into each others lives again and Mark’s already been born, anywhere from tween to teenager so there’s a gap in how close they are. I feel like one important aspect of the whole Family Drama is how close they’re supposed to be, a functional, loving family turned upside down? So I wonder what more distance does. I wonder how Nolan copes when his family is entirely human and he can’t project onto Mark.

I love thinking about these, omg.