#and i mentioned pay gaps with real examples from our work

[tchaikovskym]

My coworker: I've heard different opinions about the barbie movie

Me: oh yeah bad and good?

My coworker: yeah, some say it's a really good movie and the others say it's such a feminist movie

And that's how I came out as a feminist at my work

[coachsapience]

Life coach for young adults: Common problems young adults face

The usual question

As a life coach for young adults, I question I often hear from 20-something young adults is: “How do I proceed from here?” Some of these young adults have just finished some kind of college or university, others have been working in various posts or enjoying gap years and internships, and, of course, some don’t know where to begin.

This is all familiar territory. First of all, in case you’re a young adult, let me tell you this kind of behavior is expected. Research has shown that at this age, struggles are real. In fact, young adults are more likely to experience difficulties than adolescents.

What are those struggles? Well, of course, it depends on the individual. But allow me to outline some of the most common ones below.

Lack of confidence

Why? Consider this. You are maturing from a hesitant adolescent to an adult who must make important decisions, express your opinions, socialize, and be self-sufficient. The stakes are high. It is only natural that you are feeling overwhelmed, and, as a result, you lack confidence in moving forward.

But fear not! This is a process that everyone goes through. “Knowing this isn’t going to help me at all,” you’re probably thinking. Of course not; after all, each of us has our own set of challenges to overcome. But have you considered the possibility that you already have the tools you need to succeed? Have you looked around for people to support you among your friends and family? There is no rule that says you have to go through all this on your own.

Decision-making

As outlined above, you are now expected to make many decisions. For example, will you go to college? Have you just graduated and are you looking for a job? Do you want to try out different industries before making a decision? Do you want to travel? How will you make ends meet?

If you read the above questions non-stop, you are bound to feel overwhelmed. “Dude, I’m not reading your article to panic,” I hear you cry. And you’re right!

This is all to emphasize that these are decisions that young adults BELIEVE they should make. Yes, we will encounter dilemmas. But we often make these demands in our heads. And sometimes, all it takes is realizing this and beginning to disassociate ourselves from our thoughts and irrational demands. Also, keep in mind that complex decision-making is not just for the young. Adults in their forties, fifties, sixties, and so on, also have to make important decisions. What they do, though, is take one step at a time. And this is often a wise choice.

Career

No one expects you to know what you want to be at such a young age. Many people (including myself) re-evaluate their wants and needs, as well as their career choices, in their forties and fifties. You can volunteer, try out different career paths, be an intern, or travel. “And who’s going to pay the rent?” you’re probably wondering. Believe me, we’ve all struggled to pay our rent at some point in our lives. The thing is, almost everyone will tell you the same story: how they started from nothing or with a job to help them make ends meet and pay their rent while working on their side hustle.

Identity

Did you notice how I mentioned above that few people get their dream job in their twenties? How I also mentioned that even successful entrepreneurs lack social skills and have confidence issues? How people in their forties and fifties still struggle to make important decisions? Guess what: I’ll say the same thing here: some people claim to have discovered their identity in their senior years! “But I don’t want to wait!” I hear you cry. Well, I’m afraid you might have to in some cases.

You see, defining your identity isn’t something you can just do. It takes years of experience. Some people must go through various friendships, relationships, breakups, being fired from a job, finding a new job, traveling, and changing beliefs: In other words, just like your life purpose, your identity is a work in progress. Some people may read a book that will point them in the right direction, others may meet an influential person, and still others will simply go with the flow of life. You see, a wake-up call isn’t always necessary. You wouldn’t believe how many people want to change simply because they are unhappy with their current situation. This is where setting goals comes into play. This is where revisiting your past and establishing small actionable steps come in handy.

Independence

For many young adults, entering their twenties means leaving home. This, along with getting a job, represents their first big step toward independence. And what about those who would rather stay at home with their parents? That’s fine too. The fact that some people associate independence with moving away from home doesn’t mean that this is what is important for everyone. Not to mention the number of people who leave only to return home after a few years!

The point is that everyone values independence differently. And the desire to feel independent will most likely come sooner or later, and it may have nothing to do with where you decide to live.

There will be plenty of opportunities: As a young adult, you are often exposed to people and different personalities from diverse social groups. You have the opportunity to make new friends and acquaintances and form new social circles. Not to mention the chance to meet your new coworkers, adjust to new workplace expectations, and form all kinds of relationships!

In response to these new changes, you have something unique to offer: your authentic self. You may believe that there is a specific way to behave in order to succeed, but what you may not realize is that it is your unique personality that will help you navigate your way through these new realities. Sometimes, just being present as your authentic self, equipped with your skills, your charisma, and your ideas, is enough. And while we’re on the subject of skills, the following section should be of interest to you.

Revisit your skills

When was the last time you took a deep breath and examined your skill set? How many times did you have to overcome situations in your adolescence where you needed an extra boost of confidence? If you could do it when you were younger and less experienced, why should you give it up now that you are older and wiser?

It’s always a good idea to make a list of your talents and skills. Things you learned in childhood and adolescence. Lessons learned from life experiences, friendships, relationships, family, and school even!

The list serves two functions. First, simply reviewing your past accomplishments will reveal that you have some fantastic assets up your sleeve. Second, you’re going to put them into action.

If you aren’t going to use all of this power, what’s the point?

So there you have it! Yes, there are struggles a young adult needs to face. No, they’re not that different from the ones you’ll face later in life. And if you think that some changes are uncomfortable, take a step back and consider: “How many changes did you have to adjust to during your childhood and adolescence?” If you managed back then, there is no reason you won’t manage now.

Re-blogged from Coach Sapience.

[simtanico]

Hi! I don't know if this is an annoying/difficult question, sorry if it is, but do you have any advice at all for modelling sims based off real people? Your sims are SO crazy good. When I try to make them they end up looking... eh... Vaguely like the person? But there's a huge gap between that and some kind of 'spark' some simmers seem to manage to capture.

Hello! Definitely not annoying. Difficult, as in how difficult it is to answer? Maybe. I'm gonna go off on a couple of tangents. But I'm gonna try my best to explain the process. Which isn't really much of one sorry.

There's a handful of tutorials and tips out there regarding reference photos and like... proportions and all that so I won't cover that.

I use that as a general guide of course, but mostly I just save some photos of the person at various angles and focus on one feature or two at a time. Literally going back and forth between reference photo and my game. I think if you try to get everything at the same time, it really makes it easy to get frustrated with whatever your sim looks like at the moment. Making sims in general is a combination of a LOT of things depending on your style.

I can point out ALL the flaws with my sims based on real people. In my experience, it’s about getting the defining features of a person close enough to the real thing so that it resembles them. I don't think you need a complete copy to get the point across, however i do think some people and features are harder to emulate than others. I've been working on some sims for YEARS, and they still don't work out lol

and take a look at this progression on my sim based on Z4ne H0ltz starting back in 2015!

that first screenshot:

Personally, I get a little lost if I work on a sim too much all at once. I find some time away makes me less tired and frustrated. Just pace yourself :)

Also if you need any help, shoot me a message here or on discord. I promise I don't judge or anything.. it's sims who cares lol

TO START...

I suggest starting with the head and its shape. Starting off with a game-generated sim, the first slider I get to is head width. It's usually too dang wide for my tastes. And then adjusting the general position of the the features. You can always change things later, so you don't have to know exactly what you're going to do, but as I've mentioned before, sculpting sims up in CAS is just practice with sliders! Also in the long run, you may want to use Pu+Chi House's Smooth Face Normals slider! I attempt to explain and show what it does here. I've uploaded the slider here: https://simfileshare.net/download/984204/

This is gonna be a doozy sorry in advance if the read more doesn't work

SLIDERS SLIDERS SLIDERS

Big sliders like Pu+Chi House’s face shape sliders dramatically change the face shape, and it could save you a lot of time! I highly suggest using these to get rid of the weird large jaw sims can get.

Play with different sliders and how they interact with one another! Example: jaw width and Cheek Fullness affect the same area. if you need a wide jaw and don’t want cheek distortion, you can use cheek fullness, lower the jaw width slider and then edit the cheekbones from there

 Knowing what sliders move what and how it can work to your advantage is key! I cover this in my reply post about noses.

For visual reference:

I start out with my nose but I want the nostrils to sit further on the outside

so i go in and use the nose width slider and raise it to widen the lower nose:

Then lower the nostril scale slider

Comparison:

as you can see, i kind of achieved what I wanted, but also widened the nose tip too! Welp, that takes another slider I have, Tip Width. And I'll adjust that accordingly! It's really just a matter of what you're going for and what you're going to have to compensate for as a result!

That said, our community has made some awesome sliders that open up so many possibilities and even eliminate the need to do that multi-slider tango. I wouldn't even know where to begin (wish I wanted to make videos because I could talk for an hour about sliders)

For example @pitheinfinite made sliders that can make sims look better and more realistic, I'm jealous at what they've achieved!

They have their Inner Corner to Nose slider that moves an area of the sim's face hat make eyebags and the shadows and lines appear farther out from the inner eye. It saves you from having to use cheek sliders to mimic the effect and thus ruining the face shape you have going

It's truly an INDISPENSABLE slider. One of many!

Since I make sliders, I usually just make some to specifically fix whatever issue I'm having. Granted they're made with general function in mind, which makes my cheater-y way of making things happen more useful in the future. I have about 50 experimental unfinished sliders in my game and can tell you that all my current sims use them for some reason or other. So I'm not working with nothing, I guess?

EYE SPY 👁

The best way to really get nice accurate looking sims is the eyes.

Pay attention to the slant of the eye, the shape and position of the upper and lower eyelids. you can use the game’s Eyelid Height slider, and AWT’s Eyelid width and height sliders (and many more)

and especially where the iris (green) sits relative to the eyelid. getting that shape and eyeball positioned correctly really makes a HUGE difference

I do suggest Bloom’s Eye slider (left and right) that rotate the eyes left and right. That along with their Lazy eye sliders can give your sims a less symmetric face and position the eyes to be FAR more accurate and realistic than the default.

I also recommend their vertical sliders (Eye lift or drop) to help with eye positioning.

I can't stress the importance of the right contacts or eyes for your sims. Of course it all depends on how you make your sims's eyes and all that. Take the last sim i posted about. It took forever and a half to find the right contacts that didn't need severe or intense editing to capture the same vibe the person he's based on. The problem is pretty persistent for me, and I am just speaking for myself when I say this is necessary. Iris size, shading, recolorability, detail, catch lights, and pupil position are things to consider for your play style and preferences.

In addition to seeing what eyes will do the trick, I do edit the catch lights in the screenshots to give the eyes a different emotion or look. (I use defaults that get rid of the game-generated catch lights, and supernatural eye glow.) It's nice when that's all it is and I don't have to go in and photoshop things in and out to make them look human lmao

Perfect, schmerfect

And just know that as long as you have the same vibe or look going on it doesn't need to be perfect! Things will evolve over time, and you can change and perfect things as you go along, but close is better than trying to achieve an exact replica. We are working with the limitations of sliders and the optimized meshes they work on! So yeah there might be jagged bits or the profile might not exactly match and some things might not be accurate, but that's okay! Considering what sims look like at their default, you should be proud! I use the same mf eyebrows on all my sims basically and I tell myself they're just placeholders (yeah, right), but I manage to make them work with what I have!

Sliders, Makeup, and Skins, oh my!

a good base skin is critical, but not the end of the world if you pick the wrong one. They determine kind of definition and types of features highlighted on a sim 100000% and you might lose a feature you like or dislike when you change them! Feel free to switch up between skins you have to find the best fit.

Makeup can be a game-changer though!!! Any details you can add and help make your sim look the most like the person you're basing them off can go MILES.

In some cases, I've actually gotten really interesting results trying to get my sculpt as close as possible to real life references so the makeup makes a difference but don't define the features by themselves. Still, though, I utilize makeup up a LOT. [remember that if you use Nraas, you can layer makeup. Right-clicking makeup will also remove it if it's applied :)]

Here's the last sim i posted about when removing makeup:

no nosemasks really replicates the face-claim's nose (too shiny at the lower part) but it'll do 🤷‍♀️

Freckles, eyebags, highlighters, face shadows, pores, nosemasks, etc are all great!!

The way you move your sliders WILL effect how these look, so don't rely on makeup that adds super-specific detail or goes over an area you know is a jumbled mess because of sliders!

I do have a mess of recommendations and wcifs for skins and makeup. replies tag | wcif tag

[also I love compiling wcif cc lists for my sims it's great]

Finally, I appreciate your comment about my sims, mainly because I know they're not ever really exact copies or as close as I want to be to their real life counterparts, so thanks!! I've seen fellow simmers get really good results without messing as much as I do and I love when people can make really good maxis match likenesses because it's just so damn cool! It's truly a talent. I'm not one of those lucky few, but I like to try my way at it anyway. After what feels like some good progress I'll post a pic here. Even after doing this forever I don't feel like I'm an expert or can get good results in a shorter amount of time, but it's just fun to see the progression (or regression) of how my sims look.

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 149

So, I was super busy on my normal queueing day and wasn’t able to set this up. And by ‘super busy’ I mean ‘doing laundry, weeding flower beds, and taking several naps’, bc I have upwards of 24 niblings and a super-full time job that make me exhausted.

I’m not kidding, I recently told @baelpenrose “I had a birthday party to go to, yes it’s the third Saturday in a row, don’t worry about keeping track because there are SO MANY”. 

What doesn’t make me exhausted? Y’all. The likes, the comments, the reblogs, the ‘hey, this person reads my stuff AND Bael’s stuff’ ( @feral-possums-in-the-bog, @drbibliophile, looking at you in a very loving way). Also the speedrunners... all of you who have ever, at any point, found this fic and decided to read every single chapter as quickly as possible ( and have or haven’t shamed me for needing to update the masterpost or page links), you keep me going like nothing else. I, too, like a good binge read, so I know I’ve done something worth... something... when someone else binges like that.

“So the Ark is semi-organic?” I glanced over and resisted the urge to trail my fingers along the walls of the corridor.

“That would be the closest Terran approximation, yes,” they confirmed. “It is not sentient in any form, but all exposed surfaces, for example, are grown in-place of a material native to our home planet.”

“So cool,” I whispered. “Is there a benefit to that, aside from being more sustainable?”

Noah rubbed two liw alongside their sensory organs, and let out a soft buzz - essentially rubbing their face with a sigh. “It is very rare for any species that achieves sentience to reach a level of technology that allows for faster than light travel without what you refer to as sustainability being included in every aspect of their culture.”

“Oh.” I felt ashamed and focused on my feet for a few steps, paying close attention to the feeling of the deck plating through my soles, any uneven textures that I came across turning into canyons of perception.

“In the case of the material coating the surfaces of the Ark,” Noah continued, clearly picking up on my discomfort, “it serves a largely hygienic function, much as Else currently provides.”

“So, that’s what Xio was referring to when she said that Hujylsogox ships largely decontaminate themselves?”

“Indeed. Where my species absorbs impurities from the air and any surfaces we come in contact with, the lining of the corridors, rooms, and vents can purify the rest within a Galactic week.” That worked out to eleven and two-third days as we currently measured them on the Ark, or fourteen and a half days on Earth. “Biofiltration is a very common way to sanitize spaces that often house multiple species to avoid destructive interactions, although the coating we use is known to be the most efficient organic solution.”

Surrendering, I ran my fingers over the wall.  Even knowing that it was grown, it still felt like sandstone under my touch. “If it is so efficient, why don’t the Ekomari use it on their ships?”

Their fingers on both vomu clacked as they tapped them together. “In absence of another organism to ingest the larger particulates, sypo is what you would consider to be too efficient.”

“Feathers clog it up?”

“Like you would not believe,” they hummed deeply - a groan, clear as day. “It actually ends up starving the sypo.”

Unbidden, my mind’s eye flashed back to the nightmares that Else had shown me early on: large flakes of the walls falling away and littering the corridor floors. “So, that was a very real thing?” There didn’t seem to be any reason to clarify, given how clearly the images had blared in my head.

“Correct. We believe that Else understood the nature of the material and was trying to show you what was happening in a way they thought you would understand.” A heavy liw gently patted my shoulder. “They meant well, even if they did not realize that it would backfire.”

I was about to ask what the Ekomari use in place of sypo as a biofilter, but my databand signaled me. Judging by the fact that it chimed, flashed, and vibrated against the bones in my wrist, this was incredibly urgent. “I’m sorry, Noah, one mom - ah, fuck…” Pinching the bridge of my nose, I mentally braced myself for what I knew would be coming in the next several days.

“Wisdom, you are distressed.”

“Departmental notification from Pranav and Zach that they will be doing system security testing over the next week. Which means Derek will be doing his best to hack into our systems and take them out, while Pranav and Zach take notes of vulnerabilities and then fix them afterward.”

The face-rubbing sigh was back. “They are not including basic ship functions in this testing, correct?”

I shook my head, relieved that I could at least provide that assurance. “Negative. Only the systems that humans will be replicating on our own once we are on Von.”

“This is still terribly inconvenient. These tests increase tension across the Ark to quite difficult levels to be around.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. It’s mostly from what happened Before, at least for the older members of the crew.  I mean, we got a Global Parliament out of it, but… there were a scary few years before we got there. And then the End happened, and the hack felt like some kind of warning looking back.”

Noah buzzed thoughtfully. “You are speaking of the gap in data we found when we were trying to download your planetary database.”

A part of me wanted to laugh at the fact that Miys continued to refer to the internet as a ‘planetary database’, but the topic was so upsetting that any kind of joy felt obscene right then. “It was… another terrorist attack, honestly.  They weren’t unusual, as terrifying as that is - I mean, you admitted yourself that not all of us were worth saving.  There was a petrochemical hack maybe five years before this one, and the attacks had been ramping up slowly even before that.  But this one.”  I shook my head trying to clear the thoughts from my head. “What we were told is that this group knew we would never take action against climate change, something about how the rich corporate would never take it seriously until they had to actually live in the nature they were destroying.”

“You are doubtful of this.” Noah’s statement was far from being a question.

Couldn’t blame him, since I didn’t believe half of what we had been told, or maybe that it was only half the story. “I wasn’t old enough to remember, but it is a recorded fact that there were actual people on Earth who had more wealth than any single country on the planet, and one was particularly known for building his fortune on the backs of employees who were worked to death or nearly to death.  It’s hard to believe that had nothing to do with it, you know.”

“If being reminded of this event causes such distress among your people, why run so many tests?”

“The hack killed people, Noah. It destroyed entire small countries, caused a lot of violence and wars. The ultra-rich may have been the targets, but the casualties were mostly people who never knew what was happening.  We want to make sure it can’t happen again.  That’s why we warn everyone what’s going on, so they know it’s not the same thing, but still do the testing.”

More clattering of vomu signaled Noah thinking again. “Your global economy depended strongly on the concept of wealth and the concept of money.  But with the current economic model you exercise, such a data security breach would not impact it.”

I shrugged. “We still worry. Not to mention the fact that, at some point, someone may try. We can try all we want to avoid the catalyst of the original events, but some of our better qualities can be just as terrible with just a twist.  Curiosity, confidence, and justice and easily turn into pride, vindictiveness, and prying. Which can lead to blackmail. And that’s just one example. Still sure we’re worth it?”

Another thoughtful buzz with some mild clicking. “I have seen your people endeavor to save a species that could have destroyed you.  I have seen you, specifically, mourn someone who deliberately attempted to end not only your life but the lives of the entire Ark.  There is much evidence to give us faith in your compassion.”

All I could do was shake my head. “I’ll try to have faith in your faith,” I murmured with a weak smile.

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[cursedbcrn]

THE TVDU TIMELINE (AND HOPE’S AGE)

Okay, so I know this is like the most controversial topic of the TVD wiki, but during our rewatch of the show, I’m realizing that the timeline on the show (particularly Legacies) is just... super compacted, so here is my take on how the events of the show play out over time and how that might affect the ages of various roles. If anyone hasn’t watched Legacies or actually cares about spoilers... beware.

If you pay attention to the words and the dialogue in the show, they actually drop a fair number of hints as to the passage of time on the show. In the past, I always assumed that it followed the same timeline as most shows, where each season is equivalent to one year with episode air dates matching with what’s happening canonically on the show, but it’s actually not the case in Legacies, where, between the pandemic and general wonky primetime airing schedules, the timeline is a little more difficult to follow. 

Examples of the above include early S1 where the first few episodes are literally happening over the course of several days, maybe two weeks. There’s a few times the characters say things like “yesterday” or “a few days ago” or “last week” in their dialogue. Obviously, this might change as I keep rewatching (like a fool because this is a damn hyperfixation), but here’s what the timeline is like in my head.

Starting from the top, S5 tells us that Hope is 15 at the time that all of that plays out, and there’s an unknown time jump between the end of TO and the beginning of Legacies. We’ll come back to this later. 

Like I mentioned above, the first few episodes of S1 happen very quickly (going to find Raf and Landon, Landon stealing the knife, the dragon, the football game, the discovery of the monsters, the twins’ birthday). These all happen in a matter of days, maybe two weeks at the most. When the Honor Council stuff is happening, Lizzie asks Raf to the twins’ birthday “on Friday”, so we know it’s coming up quick. And the twins’ birthday is the first real date that we have confirmed on the show. So 1x06 is occurring on March 15. The next real “date” we have is in 1x12, where we know the school is on spring break. Now idk about y’all but in the states and when I was in school, the latest spring break ever seemed to be was like early/mid-April? So it sounds like the gap between 1x06 and 1x12 is a handful of weeks at most, which makes sense. During this time is the whole part where Hope goes and gets Landon back, the djinni episode, and the slug debacle. As far as the passage of time goes, there isn’t a lot of it during these plot points. 

Then we hit the end of the season and summer break. So S1 has happened over the course of like... three months, and S2 picks back up at the beginning of the next school year. Unfortunately, events like the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant and Founders Day don’t actually have set dates in canon so it’s difficult to tell what the passage of time is supposed to be like. However, we do know that 2x08 (the Santa episode) occurs in October. So the first half of S2 takes place over the course of a month or so? After that, the next hint of time that we get is the culmination of the season, where Dark Josie intends to push up the Merge timeline and do it on the twins’ birthday of that year. So we’re back to March 15 of the next year, and two seasons have passed in the span of one in-canon year. 

Now this is where the timeline gets even MORE messed up because of the pandemic and the weird airing schedules. But 3x01-3x04 were always supposed to be part of S2, so that’s where I’m putting it. Given the reactions by Alyssa and the rest of the witches in 3x01, not that much time has passed since Dark Josie was banished, there is again urgency with Raf’s problem, the musical, and then the confrontation with the Necromancer. 

It feels like there is another time jump after 3x04, because Kaleb references Sheriff Mac moving to Savannah with Maya, and Josie is working on her transfer over to MFHS. I’m guessing that most public schools aren’t going to handle transfer requests at the end of the school year, so it sounds like we’re back to the end of the summer again by the time 3x05 happens. This also makes sense in context of what’s happening in the A plot, where Hope is losing herself in her search for Landon, which probably would actually take months. However, once she finds the Monkey’s Paw and Cleo enters the picture, things begin to pick up again. 

Now I’ll be perfectly frank, I only sat through S3 once (and I’m not looking forward to doing it again) so I’m not as in tune with that season as much as I am with the others, but again, it does feel like time moves quickly. With the monsters constantly coming and the appearance of golem Landon to push along the narrative, I can believe that this happens over the course of a few months, taking us to maybe November or December of that year, approximately a year and a half since S1 began. And of course, once Mali-Landon leaves, everything kicks up a notch. Like with S2, 4x01-4x04 were meant to be part of S3, and that’s where it makes sense narratively. 

Hope makes the realization that she needs to become the tribrid in the Star Wars episode, and everything from that point on shoehorns her into that point. Again, we don’t have direct dates or events to mark the passage of time, but just going off what happens in canon, from the time they wake up from the vision quest to the end of 4x04, I don’t think there are any days where the Squad is just taking a break and lounging around (with the exception of 4x03, but I wouldn’t call that lounging around). 

Now we know that there is no timeskip between 4x04 and 4x05 because Lizzie directly alludes to the night before in her opener, so everything that’s happened since the beginning of the show has now occurred within something like two years (not the four I was assuming up until now). Again, with the urgency of the plot, Hope is not just sitting around and twiddling her fingers once the threat of Triad comes up, and the Squad is not waiting for Hope to come back. Hope’s actions include learning about Triad, having her misadventures with Clarke, Salvatore Idol at the school, her confrontation with actual Triad and Aurora, and her confrontations with Lizzie. Similarly, there is no time jump between 4x09 and 4x10, as the episode tells us. All of this is happening in a span of weeks, not months. 

All that said, it feels like about two years have passed since S1 began. Hope was 17 at the time (having just turned 15 when S5 of TO happens and taking a little over a year off to grieve, thus setting her back one school year and putting her in the same grade as the twins, and half a school year where she’s just in her room watching Cutthroat Kitchen by herself). She is just about to turn 18 by the time she jumps into Malivore (I’m keeping the May birthday even though I just wrote this entire meta on why air dates ain’t shit), and is a few months shy of her 19th when she has her first death in 4x03. 

[jurassicparkpodcast]

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous Season 3 SPOILER Review!

The Third Season of Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous has arrived – meaning we’re bringing you some more content around the show, including our spoiler thoughts on how the third season did when compared to the first two. If you haven’t seen Camp Cretaceous Season 3 yet then click off this article now, as we are going to be discussing some of the key set pieces in this series which make it by far the best one to be released to date. Let’s get into it!

We’ll start by summarising the third season – and, in particular, it’s story. The story of the Campers attempting to get off of the island whilst uncovering that a terrifying new hybrid has broken loose is interesting, with plenty done to explore more of Isla Nublar and, indeed, the terrifying work which Doctor Henry Wu was doing in the shadows of the former Jurassic World. Although the kids ultimately escape the island, this isn’t without a few interesting sequences sprinkled in throughout – including direct tie-ins to Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom, and also hints at the future of Mantah Corp and their research into InGen’s work. The third story feels incredibly well balanced – with lots of fantastic set pieces balanced with meaningful storytelling and interesting characters alongside brand-new dinosaurs. The third season brings us a much more grounded story which aims to fill some of the canonical gaps left by Season Two – creating a story which feels satisfying and fulfilling.

The third season maintains the same cast of characters – with each of them getting plenty of interesting development. Darius, for example, spends some time earlier in the season filling the holes in his notebook – giving us a fun look at a Dilophosaurus drawing indicating he encountered this animal on the island at some point. Kenji struggles with the kids liking him and feels the need to use his wealth to impress them, whilst Sammy worries about what Mantah Corp may have done to her family back home. Each character feels three dimensional in the third season – with some great development showing how they have adapted to their environment. Of note here in particular is the character of Yasmina, who selflessly heads across the island in search on an anti-serum when Sammy is poisoned by the quills on the Scorpios Rex. This animal itself is handled incredibly well – with the kids feeling genuinely in danger at some points throughout the story.

The other dinosaurs in the story are good too – including surprising appearances from both the Ouranosaurus and the Monolophosaurus. These animals do go against the pre-established canon of the island a little bit, with neither of them ever mentioned as being present on Nublar, but it is possible that the prior existing list was only ever intended to reflect the public-facing dinosaurs. These animals get some interesting sequences throughout the story – although there are a lot of the Monolophosaurus at one point in the story. Beyond the small canonical issues here, the only other real issue I had with Season 3 was the fact that the Scorpios was developed before the Indominus Rex. This does retroactively go against a lot of the pre-established timeline in things like the viral marketing – but it is possible that the Scorpios was hidden from existence altogether given it was seen as a failure by Simon Masrani. It is interesting to note that the Scorpios was able to reproduce asexually – suggesting a second E750 which is present in the show was able to grow to maturity incredibly quickly. Perhaps this can be explained by the enhanced growth Bumpy also inherits, however. These small issues aside, Season 3 took big strides to fix my issues with Season 2 of the show – creating a much more well-rounded experience which fits better within the universe of the films.

There were a few moments throughout Season 3 which stood out to me as building on the critiques on Season 2 – the first of which was the Ouranosaurus Attack at the dock as the kids attempt to patch up the damage which Tiff’s boat has sustained. I loved how the ambience in this sequence felt reflective of sequences in both The Lost World novel and in Trespasser – with some fantastic, tense sequences utilising natural fog and darkness to really elevate the stakes and create something which felt darker and scarier in tone than anything beforehand. We don’t often see herbivores as direct threats for the human characters in Jurassic, so the attention to ambience and atmosphere throughout this sequence really helped to make the Ouranosaurus feel more intimidating when they eventually attacked. I also loved how this sequence is later explained as the animals behaviours changing due to the ecosystem being tilted off-balance by the Scorpios Rex – a fun note which perhaps suggests that the Spinosaurus may have had a similar impact on Isla Sorna. This was a really fun sequence and one which I thought was worth highlighting here as I really enjoyed it.

Next up I wanted to talk about a sequence which hits the nostalgia factor and tones it up to eleven – with the pair of Scorpios Rexes hunting the campers through the original Visitor’s Centre. A lot of the sequences in the centre feel very similar to those in 1993’s Jurassic Park – with sequences in the kitchen, in particular, recreating shot-for-shot some of the moments from the kitchen sequence in the first film. I really liked these call-backs as whilst they were quite overt, they felt as though they fitted with the show, and worked incredibly well. I also love how the series initially shows Blue nesting in the Visitor Centre before she heads to the Ford Explorer, as this underpins how much of this animal’s present-day existence is nested in Henry Wu’s past work at Jurassic Park. The Visitor’s Centre is also ultimately destroyed by the Scorpios Rexes during this sequence – with both animals buried by the rubble. Whilst some fans may be upset to see this location destroyed, I loved how it underpins a very core concept moving forwards – highlighting how Henry Wu’s arrogance and continued ignorance in the implications of his science has ultimately destroyed the legacy of the work that both he and John Hammond attempted to do.

Lastly, it’s worth noting that the third season features two bonus episodes – with the final two episodes tying directly into the Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom opening sequence. After Season One of the show, I tweeted one of the writers asking him if there was a chance we’d see reference to this in the future, so seeing this recreated shot-for-shot in the show with the kids watching on as the Indominus sample was extracted was awesome. It was also really cool seeing how Wu’s additional mission was to retrieve his laptop – noting that without it, the work he needed to do on the Indoraptor would take years and not months. This perhaps explains why the animal we see during the Lockwood Manor auction sequence is only a prototype – as Wu ultimately leaves the island without this information. It is interesting seeing some of Wu’s dialogue with Brooklynn throughout these episodes – with the character perhaps showing some small semblance of remorse. Ultimately, however, he leaves the kids on Nublar – reinforcing his status as a character with a questionable moral compass moving into Jurassic World Dominion. I have to admit – the way this tie-in played out was handled masterfully, and I was really happy to see things unfold in the way they did. I genuinely screamed out loud at my screen with happiness at one moment – emphasising how much work went in to nailing this crossover. It’s clear that the team working on Camp Cretaceous went to great lengths to smash the third season – and the result is some fantastic crossover which pays off and builds the lore of Wu’s work in meaningful ways without any of the massive contradictions I was worried these sequences may introduce.

The Series ends with the Campers finally escaping the island – heading off in a repaired boat, although we do see at the very closing moments that something else is on-board and hidden in the lower decks. This poses an interesting question in its own right, as it has been pre-established that Scorpios can self-reproduce – so is it possible a third hybrid existed on the island? If so then this could pose a grave risk to people on the mainland when the campers return there. We also know that Mantah Corp may potentially still be at play – with a quad-copter drone observing the Scorpios Rex on the island. Is it possible this shady corporation may now recover the carcasses of the dead hybrids for their own experiments? And what happened to the pilot of the Helicopter which the kids crashed in? She didn’t appear to have been eaten – but we never see her again after the crash sequence. These are just a handful of the questions we were left with at the end of Season 3 – implying there is more story to be told, even if the third season felt like it reached a nice natural ending for the series as a whole.

Overall, the third season of Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous is fantastic. Do not sleep on this season. It adds a lot to the lore of Doctor Henry Wu and his research, and it builds out a lot of interesting lore for the experiments which were happening on Isla Nublar. It also sets up some interesting plot threads for the future without them feeling overly intrusive and detrimental to the wider story telling in the Jurassic universe. Season 2 of this show left me feeling a little deflated, but Season 3 left me feeling reinvigorated. This wraps up the story of E750 and the wider universe in meaningful ways, and is a fantastic and more mature Jurassic adventure which adult fans will enjoy. I can’t wait to see the reception to this season – and how it informs Jurassic content in the future.

Written by: Tom Jurassic

[ayuuria]

Yashahime Translation: Real Sound Film Department Interview with Tadokoro Azusa

Please do not repost this translation without my consent! This includes screenshots of any type and amount. If you wish to share this translation, simply link to this post.

For more information regarding the use of my translations, click here.

Tadokoro Azusa, Her Thoughts on the “Inuyasha” World That She Admired. Reading the Script for Episode 1 was “A Very Surreal Feeling.”

“Hanyō no Yashahime”, which depicts the next generation of the anime that is Takahashi Rumiko-sensei’s original work, “Inuyasha”, is currently being broadcasted on Yomiuri TV and Nippon TV every Saturday from 17:30 (5:30pm on the 12-hour clock).

The protagonists of this work are three half-demons who carry the blood of a demon and a human, Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha. Towa and Setsuna are Sesshōmaru’s twin daughters. Moroha is the daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome but she grew up without knowing the face of her parents. What exactly happened in the feudal world that was supposed to have become peaceful after the permanent destruction of the Shikon Jewel. The mysteries are slowly being revealed and the story is visibly becoming more exciting.

This time, the Real Sound Film Department interviewed the voice actress who plays Moroha, Tadokoro Azusa.

(There is a video comment at the end of the interview)

When I got the role, I felt like “I had ascended to heaven.”

— Tadokoro-san, you play the role of Inuyasha and Kagome’s daughter, Moroha, and “Inuyasha” is what got you interested in voice acting correct.

Tadokoro Azusa (shortened to Tadokoro from here on): That’s right. It was a work that I loved, so my hands were shaking when they told me about the audition. That there was a new development in “Inuyasha” and that Inuyasha and Kagome had a child really surprised me.

— How did you feel (your) audition went?

Tadokoro: I acted with the intention that I put my all into it, but because I absolutely wanted the part, I felt nervous afterwards. That’s why when I got the part, I couldn’t believe it. I felt like had ascended to heaven.

— We heard that you jumped into a well before, thinking you might be able to go to the feudal era.

Tadokoro: The well was already buried so fortunately I wasn’t injured, but I really went for it (laughs)

— Now, you have time traveled to the modern era via the Tree of Ages’ passageway as Moroha, but were there any scenes that moved you deeply as you were acting?

Tadokoro: I don’t have a specific scene, rather it’s the episode 1 script. After watching the completed anime on screen when I was young, I was deeply moved that I was reading a script that had the lines spoken by characters from “Inuyasha”. I watched (the episode) on air in real time at home and hearing the voices of Inuyasha and the others on TV brought me be back to my younger days. Then hearing my voice afterwards. It was a very surreal feeling.

— Among them, we heard that Sesshōmaru was your favorite character. What was his appeal?

Tadokoro: First, Sesshōmaru has an overwhelmingly pretty face (laughs). At first, he seemed level-headed and hated humans, but after meeting Rin, you could see kindness slowly come through. I get wild ideas that for the few words he speaks, maybe this is what he was thinking? However periodically, he’ll say things clearly like “There’s nothing worth obtaining in exchange for Rin’s life” and I think that’s wonderful.

— Also, you decided to become a voice actress after admiring Yajima Akiko-san who did the voice of Kohaku in “Inuyasha”. Please tell us why you were taken by Yajima-san’s acting of Kohaku.

Tadokoro: Because Kohaku had to go through a lot of painful things, he came across as being absurdly prone to sacrificing himself. With Yajima-san acting as that Kohaku, it was as though there was more sorrow mixed in. It was a voice that made me go “I want to help him!” as I watched.

— Do you have any aspects that were influenced by Yajima-san?

Tadokoro: The biggest reason why I was drawn to Yajima-san’s voice and acting was because even in a normal everyday conversation, you could tell what sort of life that child went through. I thought I wanted to become that kind of a voice actress and when I met her once, I asked “How do you take on a role that has a thought process that you don’t understand?”

— What was her answer?

Tadokoro: “You know, I don’t know myself” is what she said. Because you don’t know, you continue to think about the feelings of the character you play and try to act in the same way. Actually, when Yajima-san played the role of a child from a wealthy family, she apparently stayed in a very expensive hotel for a week (laughs). Not only was I moved from seeing her acknowledge what she didn’t know and attempt to get closer to the role, I thought I should also understand the feelings of the person I’m playing without giving up.

Geeking Out During Recording

— The character you play, Moroha, is very expressive which makes her cute. If there is anything you are careful about while playing Moroha, please tell us.

Tadokoro: Thank you! Because she didn’t have an easy upbringing at all, she’s a very uncouth child. I’m conscious of that liveliness that always seems like it’s about to go off. It’s just that we purposely haven’t been told what’s going to unfold in the future actually, so it’s difficult in that sense. Not to mention Moroha’s emotions are constantly changing, so it’s hard for me to keep up (laughs). She gets interested in all sorts of things which seems hectic.

— However, it seems as though Moroha is the bridge that connects Towa and Setsuna.

Tadokoro: Yes. But in the end, those two are love dovey with each other so it’s sometimes lonely being left out (laughs). Moroha may seem like the type that acts recklessly at first glance, but she’s actually smart and surprisingly the most proficient in battle amongst the three of them. That sort of gap is charming. Plus, she has that sort of adorable idiocy like Inuyasha and Kagome’s cleverness, so I think that’s very powerful!

— Please tell us what you think of Towa who is played by Matsumoto Sara-san.

Tadokoro: While being a half-demon, Towa was separated from Setsuna when they were young and grew up in the modern era that she time travelled to. Furthermore, this time, she returns to the feudal era with Setsuna and Moroha, so I think she’s a complex character whose emotions are heavily swayed. From that Towa, I can feel Sara-san’s true sincerity or rather everything Towa says is what she truly feels without any ill-will which I think is cute.

— How about Setsuna who is played by Komatsu Mikako-san?

Tadokoro: Setsuna’s charm that Komatsu-san plays is her sharp appearance. I can slightly feel that cool face of Sesshōmaru’s after all; on the other hand, she exudes the cuteness of a girl. Through Komatsu-san’s acting, I think it’s wonderful that her cuteness of worrying about Towa, despite everything, comes through.

— What is the atmosphere like during recording?

Tadokoro: The three of us love “Inuyasha”, so we geek out! Since we also don’t know what’s to come, we speculate things on our own like “This might actually end up like that” (laughs).

— Every time an episode is broadcasted, there’s a lot of speculation that rouses social media as well. Please tell us what curious viewers should take note of going forward.

Tadokoro: If there are unexpected developments like “It’s come to that!”, then there will be developments that will make "Inuyasha” fans glad and at ease. The mysteries will slowly be revealed, so please don’t miss each episode.

— Within that, what are points to pay attention to for Moroha?

Tadokoro: Moroha’s past and the environment she grew up in will be revealed in a certain episode, and I think it will be an episode that will make her more endearing.

— Including the numerous roles you had outside of “Hanyō no Yashahime” and your singing career, I’m sure 2020 was a very busy year for you but looking back, how was it?

Tadokoro: With circumstances changing daily from the COVID crisis, I’m truly happy and blessed that I was able to expand my world in a new way. That’s why each job felt even more precious to me. I once again feel that I need to be serious about continuing (work) into next year and the year after that, so I feel pressure. It’s a feeling of “I can’t die out from here!”

— The state of the world was heavily shaken.

Tadokoro: You’re right… it would be great if we could all record together like before.

— Tadokoro-san, you turned 27 back on November 10th. What’s your goal for the new year?

Tadokoro: There’s my self-produced album, ‘Waver’ coming out on January 27th and my current goal is to become able to put into words how I think and feel.

— For example?

Tadokoro: For example, in daily life, to casually doubt something on TV or something a person says like “Is that really right?” or (say) what I was thinking. In a way, I put my current thoughts into songs which I compile into an album.

— You have stated that since the time of your debut you’ve always wanted to try playing a “young male” role, and lately you’ve been able to play a lot of young male roles, including Ryouma from “Kamisama ni Hirowareta Otoko” (By the Grace of Gods). Now once again, are there any roles you would like to try?

Tadokoro: I like foreign dramas, so I’d like to take on the challenge of dubbing a person who appears in a Western film.

— I think fans will look forward to the future development of “Hanyō no Yashahime” and your work.

Tadokoro: I would like everyone to wait while being excited. There are lot more things I want to say about “Hanyō no Yashahime” but it will get more exciting from here on, so please look forward to every episode. And I, Tadokoro Azusa, will keep pushing forward without coming complacent. Fans, please watch over me!

[clansayeed]

Hey Jack! I wanted to know what your thoughts are on Rheya. Was she really a villain to you? Were her motives justifiable? Was she a good villain? Did you think she deserved to have a redemption arc in chapter 16? What could have been written to make her have a better character story? Any thoughts at all about Rheya!

FOREWARNING: Anon... I accidentally wrote you a 2500 word essay. I shit you not this thing is 2,528 words long. So... I don’t know whether to say you’re welcome or I’m sorry. Just letting you know in advance.

ADD-ON POST-POSTING: I’m fully aware this is an app game. A three book series written with sexying vampires in mind. Where the medium is limited both size and content-wise, where you can’t go into much detail because they can only have so many panels in a chapter, etc. Still thinking what I think though. And if you get paid to create content professionally the least you can do for your own paycheck is go back and double-check your work.

Actually this ask came at a good time since I have to work on some character motivations for her for my series... and I always break down the in-canon versions before working on my own. So anon, let’s talk... are you a mind reader?

Kidding! mostly

So. Rheya.

I actually just finished my first replay of book 2 and at the moment I’ve only ever played book 3 the once. I played it as it was releasing so there were some memory gaps in some places and needed-refreshers in others. But on a whole I have similar thoughts about Rheya as I do Xenocrates, and you can find those thoughts here.

Overall she was a solid setup, good design and potential, and PB pretty much wasted her execution.

I wanna start with a genuine question to the fandom since I’ve never actually been able to ask this... but y’all like... totally saw the Bloodkeeper being related to her coming, right? Like I was so convinced of it that when it was revealed in some big dramatic point at the end I was like “yeah... they told us this...?” and it turns out they fuckin didn’t??? Like I could not understand the people who were like super into her sprite like yes she looks good but here I was thinking she was our ancestor from the get-go so I was... confused to say the least.

Not gonna lie when they started pushing in snippets of Rheya’s past trauma in book 2 (things like her yelling “you know what they did to me/took from me” which is paraphrased but you know what I mean) I really hoped they weren’t gonna do what they did. So of course they did it.

But I wish they’d like... just given her the kid. Just give her Iola and leave the weird suddenly random husband out of it. At this point we know Gaius has an unhealthy idolatry for her, we know Xenocrates adored her in his own way in his youth... but we know fuckall about Demetrius up to and including his existence until literally book 3. Sloppy, IMO. They took something not being mentioned and used it to put in a plot device when the omission should have been strategical.

TBH I thought the whole “you know what they did to me” was gonna get hella dark RE: Rheya and King Kaelisus’ obsession with her. That’s as far as I’ll go there.

But you have a Priestess, a known Priestess, who was definitely faithful enough not to stray even when she thought she was walking to her own death. It’s pretty easy to assume (as I did ngl) that she would be completely devoted to Phampira, including romantically/sexually. It would have been a good setup to explain why she never gave Gaius the goods if anything.

And there’s nothing wrong with having said Priestess have her own family while still being devoted. I just wish PB would have used some fucking forethought and hinted at that earlier on than they did. Because they didn’t hint. They dropped this random fisherman-something husband on us and told us she cared enough about his opinion to make him part of her advisory board but not... to like... mention him in any of her conversations in any of the flashbacks... including those in which he would have been alive.

On that note the whole timeline there is really messy, they obviously threw him and Iola in later on after some things were established/couldn’t be taken back. I’ve studied this shit extensively and it’s really muddled exactly how long Rheya ruled, when shit went down with her family, how much time had passed when Xenocrates staked her, etc.

I would have loved for Iola’s father not to have been there. Give me a strong woman, a strong single mother, who would burn the world for the loss of her daughter. Doesn’t matter who did the deed, Iola was hers and the Sons/Order took that from her and the world would have to pay the price.

If I had been given that I would end all of my complaints right here. I would, genuinely. Because then her descent into madness, her paranoia, her megalomania would all have been explained. And they still technically are but -- maybe it’s just me -- there’s something about her having to factor in Demetrius that just... takes me out of it. IDK.

I didn’t mind the guy... though him being a talking tree of doom was a little much for me... though by that point I had accepted the plot was off the goddamn rails and just kept nodding and going with it. But his presence made the story okay when his absence could have made the story impactful and powerful and emotional. That’s just my thoughts. Which you asked for. You did this.

No takesies-backsies.

Was she a villain? Hells to the yes.

It’s a classic case of obtaining ultimate power and abusing it; of crossing the line between justice and vengeance. Not that she wasn’t justified in her freak-out over the death of her family. But everything after up to and including her fatal feeding schedule was totally unnecessary. For a villain, yes necessary. 

For a vampire goddess who could have easily used Gaius’ influence over the vampires of the modern world to form a cult following around herself with an open dialogue about her big ass appetite and probably would have ended up with swaths of willing adorers ready to lend their blood to her cause thus eliminating the need for secrecy and subsequent feeling of betrayal...

You tell me.

I feel like she was definitely more than a little hyped up though. Not even going into my whole-ass issue with the entire Unchained plot and thus the first like 4-5 chapters of book 3, she was hyped up in myth and kind of a let down in person. She could FLY. Walk in the SUN. Heal the DYING. She’s vampire JESUS.

*ADDED IN LATER: She took out THE ENTIRE ORDER OF THE DAWN, WHO HAVE RAVAGED THE VAMPIRE POPULATION FOR LITERALLY 3000 YEARS since they were around in her time after all IN LIKE A THREE-MOVE COMBO BREAK. ALL THIS SHIT THEY HYPED WITH THE ORDER and their entire ERADICATION isn’t even an ON-SCREEN THING. Unless you pay.

Dude if they had kept Xenocrates and the Order and used the two of them against each other; the Order’s long-standing influence on the modern world versus the new world Rheya wanted to create with the human populations not knowing the history behind their hatred, where like the first half of the book is Rheya and MC and gang taking out the Order and Xenocrates only to find out in the middle point that she’s been doing it for selfish reasons and they were on the wrong team the whole time and THEN Rheya becomes the big bad... I would have enjoyed the shit out of that.

Anyway. “She’s vampire JESUS...” and her big evil plan is to... suck face on national television? IDK. It didn’t play the mood right for me. I can see from a writer’s perspective how they kind of played out all of their options and went with a quick and easy solution... but it didn’t work for me. That’s a no from me dawg.

Do I think she deserved a redemption arc? I don’t think anybody deserved a god damn redemption arc, unless they are done with extreme care and attention to detail before/during/after said arc they go horribly, and overall tend to be the plot device pick of lazy writers.

And I take nothing back. No like I think I might have gone into how much I fucking hated Gaius’ “reDEmPtiON aRc” before or at least I have somewhere and to someone. Probably Sofia... no most definitely Sofia. But anyway. They spend TWO GOD DAMN BOOKS hyping Gaius as this ultimately irredeemable bad guy. 

OMG I was literally playing the book 2 finale and got a quote hold on... HERE. Adrian literally says about Gaius in 2.16 “It’s like there’s no humanity left.” And that’s just one actual example of the tons of times they make him out to be devoted to Rheya of his own volition, the ultimate example of the line between believing in something and being blinded to everything by it, etc. Like a huge chunk of Kamilah’s and Adrian’s arcs RE: Gaius are about how he was definitely a monster, he turns the people around him into monsters, and while they have worked their asses off to be good and right their wrongs he has not, will not, and would not ever do such a thing.

Then suddenly he’s brainwashed, tried to turn Rheya down and was made into a loony toon because of it, and everything he made MC’s loved ones do that they blamed themselves for but needed to blame him for is suddenly Rheya’s fault and now we should blame her for.

Mmmmmkay sweetie. I’m good, thanks.

But really -- that was the last straw for me when it came to both Gaius and Rheya. There’s a difference between giving the villain something they see as a just cause (ex. Rheya avenging her family) and giving the villain a cop-out that absolves them of guilt (ex. Gaius and... everything about him). Like yes I know MC didn’t have to forgive him, I know Kamilah didn’t really forgive him, but it’s pretty fuckin obvious from how it was put out into the world story that the writers were trying to lean you towards blaming Rheya and letting Gaius off the hook.

I mean... making him save Lula for real when Rheya saved her for fake earlier on in the book, using Lula as a stand-in metaphor for her own child daughter that she finds out she was the cause of her death for, etc? That symbolism is so transparent I could put it in the asset database.

And I’ll only briefly touch on this since I could write a whole other essay on the matter RE: PB and their fucking constant repetition of this, but “let’s give both bad guys similar moral quandaries but suddenly reveal it was a consent issue and the woman is wholly to blame and now gets the man’s crimes piled on with her own” is super common in fiction and hella. fucking. sexist.

But that isn’t to say all of this is necessarily bad.

When done right, everything I’ve complained about above can be a part of a really good story. What “done right” means is different for everyone, everyone has a different example and different thoughts on it. These are mine. I think the better term would be done well. It was not done WELL.

But given things like PB’s weird obsession with redeeming the attractive (apparently) bad guy, PB’s history with narrowing a woman down to one trait or part of her (ex. Rheya’s power corruption centered around her role as a wife and mother and not... a super all powerful vampire goddess...), their obvious lack of attention to detail and overall lack of vision when it comes to the big picture* and more, I personally don’t think they knew what the fuck they wanted by book 3 and were already well into transitioning into whatever adultery-obsessed lingerie shenanery they’re fixated on now; so much so that it’s almost a disservice to the writing done in earlier book 1 and a decent chunk of book 2 when calling it a whole series.

*I keep bringing this up only because it means I can back up stuff like this with real examples of theirs: these guys did not write the plot of this series as a cohesive story. I get that, as a writer writing a big series myself I get the fuck out of that. But you have to solidify some things early on in the development process in order to avoid writing yourself into a hole or, like with this, having to result in trope-y plot devices that work in theory but on paper don’t give the story the full-circle fulfillment it deserves. 

Their timelines are out of whack, they contradict themselves in quite a few places, constantly wishy-washy their own lore, and definitely didn’t go back and double check if they’d said something already... and that’s not including where they focused on the details of one unimportant thing and left another more important thing to just be “and this is the way it is moving on.”

I literally have no way/idea how to summarize any of this bullshittery going on in this ask. Did I like Rheya? The character personality, design, and overall idea as this big ass badass power/hungry goddess demanding fealty was pretty cool. Did I like Rheya when they narrowed her story down to her grief over her family (which, again, is valid, but just seemed really disjointed and rushed when compared to everything else they had given about her/shown of her by the beginning of book 3)? Not... as much.

I think they wanted her to seem like she could be redeemed. I mean FFS in the “big battle” she literally just stands there and lets you do the thing. 3000 years imprisoned and however many centuries before that spent taking the power that she was denied all because some bad dudes in masks killed the mortal husband and daughter you would have eventually lost to old age anyway...? And she just stands there??? 

Even knowing she was really behind Iola’s death they could have stuck with the “madness consumed” plotline and had her be like well... what’s done is done back to taking over now thank you.

But sometimes a bad guy just has to be a bad guy. Rourke from ES, mister capitalism -- can’t remember them trying to redeem him. If they had I don’t think I would have liked it so much. Who else... UGH. Thomas in NB. Crazy zombie man wants all monsters dead because one killed his family (can we stop using dead families for grief porn please and thanks...) another example of a useless villain. Hence why I removed him from my NB rewrite don’t even get me going...

What’s his face in TCATF! Luther! You join up with him and he still tries to kill you in the end! Now that was fucking classic. Hex, who suddenly is forgiven for the literal enslavement of a race of people and the thoughtless murder of a civilization that didn’t agree with her.. and all because she was ‘like a mother’ to the kid genius? Not so much.

I could go on and on and go search out tons of examples but in the end the one thing you can say PB does well is that they stay consistent in their ideas of redemption, of who deserves it and who isn’t, and just how far they’re willing to stretch the fucking story to forgive a character if 1. the sprite is hot or 2. the sprite had a little sprite family somewhere in there.

legit just talk to me about bb/nb

[fiore-rosewood9]

14 and 23?

Thank you for the ask kind tumbrl-er. Before I start I would like to mention that anything I say is related to personal experiences in a fandom and there is no right or wrong answer. People come in all shapes and sizes and that also means - Different sets of experience.

TRIGGER WARNING - Mentions of slurs, r*pe, p*dophilia, creepy behavior, mentions of psychological analysis on a character, personal experiences with fandoms and a long rant. If any of these disturb you, please refrain from reading this and skip this post. This is not meant to cause drama, but I had to involve them to explain my point. I also mention sensitive topics like the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 9/11 and the r*pe of Nanking, if you are related to any of these or have someone you know who died during this time, please refrain from reading, because I was extremely emotional and cried a bit while I wrote these, because what I wrote still has an effect on me.

Again, this is not meant to bash/hate on any ship mentioned here.

This is not meant as a personal attack for anyone who ships these. Also this may be a rant, I apologize for writing a whole novel and not a short answer, but I feel passionate about what I write here. This is going to be a really long post, so I do not blame you if you don't read all of it. I am going to mention a lot of things that are not related to the ships, but they do have significance in my mind and are related to my rant. With that out of the way, my answer is under the cut -

14 - Has a fanbase ever made you ship or not ship something? Why?

Yeah, I have been forced and threatened to ship certain things, via texts which made me leave certain fandoms. Hetalia is a cespool simply because I have been in it 8-9 years and can speak confidently about what happened to me. I thought the hate and immature fans in hetalia all left by the time it was 2016-17 but nope, there are still bad apples here and there. I just try to tell them I am not here for childish games and I am not here to debate which ship is the ''best'' since that is what certain people did all the way back in 2013. I am here just to enjoy my self and reblog fan art and headcanons and talk about hetalia and other fandoms and appreciate the manga/anime.

- Ciel x Sebastien (Sebastien is just there for Ciel's soul) I mean he does care for him in some aspect and I think he said something like - "I will always be with you til the day you die, my lord". There is a normal age gap between adults, and then there is lowkey p*dophilia. How old was Ciel anyway ? 12-13? Even though he is a teen, at this age people are not really mature in many aspects. I have collegues who have what you may call ''Sugar daddies'' in the west and let me tell you, they don't really act nice to their sugar babies. Unless it is some sort of consensual sex roleplay and you are living in a fantasy with your partner, most girls and boys I see feel ''trapped'' by their words.

The sugar daddy (In rare cases mummy) exploites them for attention and tends to lash out if the baby looks at their phone and doesn't pay 100 percent attention to them and tries to buy their attention which is simply wrong. Okay, I moved way offtopic, but certain ships kinda remind me of this unhealthy dynamic in a way. I know my opinion isn't worth shit since this is the internet and everyone thinks they're the next new hot thing around here but I just see them as servent and master and more like frenemies where Sebastien would do anything for Ciel, but you see, that is kinda his job. Just like how doctors act professional and it is their job to cure/heal you if you have some sort of pain.

- Izuku Midoriya x Bakugou Katuski - (I was in this fandom for a short time and only watched up to a certain season so please excuse me if I what I say is not accurate, this is also a long rant so you can skip if you want, in the last two paragraphs I explain about the pairing speciffically) So like from what I remember Katsuki is a bully. I really despise this ship, purely because bullying to me is not something cutesy and fun that people do. It makes you wish you kill your self faster because self harm no longer works. There was this weird person on tumbrl that sent me hate through tumbrl and I made a post about them, how I was a ''bad person'' for hating on this ship. I mean, I am allowed to dislike and even hate what I want. It is not you who has went through trauma and has CPTSD is it? In my high school, even though it was an economical one, except learning Economics, Accounting, Finances and other stuff I also got to learn things like Psychology, Ethics, History and Geography.

And each subject is tough, as in - You can't pass high school if you don't know the details. Except the book that we used in school that we learnt our lessons from, we were also made to carry two other books that we used for exercises, and other than that we had books that were by different authors, we had to read, but they didn't lift our grade in any way. So I have learnt psychology and world history for 4 years in high school and I learnt world history and world geography for 3 years in middle school. And now the first year in Uni, I got to learn psychology for year too. They also made us buy 9-10 books by different psychologists and write about them. From what I hear from my americans friends and collegues, they kinda don't teach you world history, it is like unless you know all of Thomas Jefferson's favourite foods you will be failed. I don't know if this is true, but judging by how they teach what Communism and Socialism is, in the american schools, I am kinda losing hope for what americans actually know about the outside world, aka, anything that is not the US and Canada.

I am not a psychologist and I have never studied to be one, but my own problems and the problems of my family and friends made me start reading even before high school in order to self improve as a human being because I have - Fatal flaws. I also have a few mental illnesses whcih have been diagnosed by psychiatrists, but where I live, mental health and the lgbtq+ is extremely shamed. This is why I never tell anyone I go to a psychologist, because people don't understand you and laugh at you and shame you. The lgbtq is harassed and can't marry or adopt children, however, this somehow is not a hatecrime. Which extremely frustrates me since this is against human rights in my book. You can't just harass a person for their sexuality. I may not have a phd in psychology but I naturally tend to help people and listen to their problems. It seems that I also give good advice and help people well, so sometimes in friend groups I am know as the ''heart'' and the ''psychologist''. I say that because I know a lot more than 4-5 articles that I read on psychology today, healthline or verywellmind, while people nowdays read a few articles and call them selves a psychologist. I am not one, but have the skills and knowledge to be one and can spot articles with old outdated information that hasn't been relevant in the past 30 years or so.

But that is the majority of people, who concider it a mental illness and base the lgbtq on what stereotypes they see on TV and what their parents told them. The internet is made for global use and that means that anyone can write all kinds of shit and use it. However there are a lot of problems with this when it comes to psychology and psychologists and psychriatrists. Many people still believe myths and things that were proven to be wrong. For example, in my country the word - Autist/Autistic, can be used as a slur, it is similar to what the Americans have in the - N and R words. And this is extremely upsetting, because while I am not on the spectrum, I don't think anyone should be degraded and be shamed of this label. Autism is a spectrum, but here it is used to signify that someone is slow. They're not slow, their brain just works differently. But that can be used for other illneses too. I think anyone suffering from mental illness deserves the support of family and friends and a normal life. I think anyone who is a decent and kind human being deserves a peaceful life.

So in real life Bakugou x Izuku would be a crap pairing. Because bullies x their victims do not mix well. Bullies in real life are cowards. They're like predators in the jungle. They are not real leaders. They always settle for someone who is clearly weak and vulnerable (This case - Izuku has no quirks and is useless in their world) so being beaten up, emotionally and verbally bullied isn't really fun. On top of that, when a bully develops an unhealthy dynamic, other people of the group, who never oroginally bullied the victim and were neutral or even friends, go and bully the victim, because they can and they will. Usually victims are powerless and telling the teacher and sometimes beating up the bully doesn't really make the bully leave you alone and respect you. And sometimes, you end up in the hospital with a broken leg and an arm and small injuries in your chest because bullies can't handle anyone standing up to them and ruining their status. Bullies have extreme, neurotic fear of being alone, so they find other assholes and bitches like them and attack always people - Who never did anything to them to insult them.

The bullies create it them selves. No one is an easy victim, not the person who wears glasses, not the anorexic girl that sits on the first desk, not the boy in a wheel chair, not the man with a stutter, not the woman covered in scars, no one. It is also a fact that schools profit from bullies since bullies usually have rich parents that think their child is somr sort of angel when in reality their child loves to make others cry and hits them when they don't get what they want. The problem with bullies is that they are hard to stop. Sometimes telling them off works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes punching them works, sometimes it doesn't. Etc. We can't predict which bully is bluffing and which bully is serious and will beat you up. They do not realize or care that they hurt their victims, even if the victim becomes a millionaire, to them, this person will always be inferior weakling that they need to torture psychologically and make them cry. They're sadistic. Bakugou from what I remember became jealous and only stopped bullying Izuku when he became ''strong'' that means strong physically. And for boys, it is generally easier, you hit the gym and no one bullies you. But what if you are a girl? I don't see girls being more respected or feared for being muscular. It is kinda like the jock x nerd. Cute in theory, but in reality it is beyond abusive. Even if the victims kill them selves bullies do not care. They just move on to another victim and are proud that they broke someone and are not as weak as them.

America x England - (OOOOH BOY, HOW MUCH DO I WANT TO BE CANCELED, HAHA) Well, as someone who has been 9 years in this fandom, I have a long history with this pairing. I do not know if I ever explained why do I hate it so much? I have a long and complicated history with it. This where my inner historian comes in. My uncle is a professor in history, but not in our city and we are not very close but I was always interested in history, but now I am a bit skeptical when it comes to history, because you never know how someone can twist it since history is written by the winners. Whatever I say in this post, is not meant to cause drama or offend anyone. From now on I am going to use, vulgar language and this may not be suitable for some readers

This is not meant to be hateful towards people who ship it, but I hate this ship, with passion. This has to be the worst ship, in the fandom history, ever. If you want, feel free to block me if that triggers you. I don't know from where to begin, since I am going to get canceled if I speak my own personal truth and my experiences. I have read the manga when I was 13-14 and have matured since then. The hetalia fandom in the past was more different than in 2021. So like there were ship wars, fan arts, roleplaying, everyone cosplayed hetalia and homestuck since they were the biggest fandoms, Carley Rae Japsean's song Call me maybe was blasting on the radio, Gagnam style was the shit and life was good. I was young, naive, full of hope and looking for fandoms to join in, since it is was a relativly new concept for me. I did not know what these cutesy boys I saw on deviant art were so I decided to scroll down through the comments to see what it was, and I read the name - Hetalia. If you then pay me one million dollars/euro and tell me that Hetalia is going to be my favourite anime and the fandom I stay the longest in - I would have rejected the money and not believe you. Pshht, Hetalia? What does this anime about personification of countries has that the other animes don't? Well, to that question, I can't answer and still ask my self.

When I first came into the fandom I only knew about it from deviant art and from a site called - Shamchat. This site no longer exists and has a site specifically made to fill the hole of it. I roleplayed and I think my happiest years in the fandom were 2013-2015. Those were the years where I met really, really kind fans. It is like everything else went downhill and the kind and sweet fans left one by one. And I was just left with hateful immature tweens and teens who only cared about their OTP and didn't care about other fans's emotions. I apologize if this sounds like a pitful story and I am pitying me, I did not mean it to sound it this way, or as a whining. I do not like whining.

They also seem strangely neurotic if you ask them why they ship UsUk. I can perfectly tell you why I ship anything without being mean. They just straight up insult you and send you passive agressive smileys - : ) - like this and never explain why they insult you, they just curse you. I do not understand why you make America to be the top? When he is clearly a power bottom?????? I mean, if you ever look through canon manga England and him as a country in a history book you wouldn't think he is a ''uke'' (I really hate the little girls who use japanese and think they kniw the language just cause they watched the anime and think they're quirky if they saw kawaii out loud). In fanfiction he is not fleshed out, he always seemed to blush and say baka and be a boring character over all. While Alfred is this dumb himbo/bimbo character that can't put 2+2 and laughs at everything like a small child. He is 19, for fuck's sake.

He is still a child and people can mature up until 25-26. But these ages are not real ages. For example Germany is 20, even though Bismarck unites Germany in....1871 if I remember correctly? Don't quote me on that and the americans have freed them selves in 1776. So technically Germany as we know it, should be younger but isn't. And they're both still awkward babies. America doesn't have a concrete religion but from what I know, Christianity seems to the most popular religion there as for now. I don't know if Alfred (Even though he is fictional) would identify as a catholic, protestant, puritan or some other stuff but he is awkward, he has a boyish charm that Ludwig does not have. So I can't imagine these good bois being tops with experience. Usually tops/doms come with lots of experience behind their back, or at least this is what people say whom I know who are also part of the lgbtq and bdsm community. Alfred just doesn't have the vibe of a top, he is more of a switch to me, or at best a power bottom. Ludwig has a dom/top vibes but he is extremely awkward in all senses of the word. America doesn't have a concrete religion but from what I know, Christianity seems to the most popular religion there as for now. I don't know if Alfred (Even though he is fictional) would identify as a catholic, protestant, puritan or some other stuff but he is awkward, he has a boyish charm that Ludwig does not have.

So UsUk was forced down my throat ever since I can remember, I have been insulted, threatened and took 2-3 hiatuses purely due to bullying. I Really HATE, HATE, HATE - feminine Arthur. I do not know why this is the fandom's fetish, or at least used to be even though some fans still draw him that way. I really love art, I used to draw and still do. I went to classes through out almost all of my life and I know my proportions. Whether you look through normal fan art or hentai manga (Arthur has the most porn idk how or why) he always has these weird proportions.....of a malnorished tween girl. There is some porn of him either as a child (A toddler by the judgement of his body) or of Alfred as a child, and they fuck. How is this supposed to be hot for anybody? I also remember (Which is why I left amino) on amino that users were extremely childish and lied about their age. Like no, you're not 17 and a half and are ''too mature for your age'' you are 17 and that still is a minor in my book. Also in one of the translated hentai comics there is this...idk how to describe it, there is this shaving scene where Alfred becomes a man and has his first boner from what I remember, the artstyle is great, but the scene can be described a child grooming. England lies to America how boners are a horrible disease and it can only be cured if he stays next to him. He then goes to France who tells him that boners are healthy and normal at this age and is upset at England for lying to him. Then when he frees him self America smiles, laughs and pisses on top of England I think he later fucks him. Like people can try to force their weak argument over england being a uke somehow now, but Pirate England is a top, how in the hell would anyone think he is a bottom?

UsUkers also love weird fetishes and force them down your throat, and not only shame you when you don't ship the ship, they shame you when you don't have their fetish. So like people go to my dms and ask me if I want to MPREG with Arthur beign the ''woman'' in the relationships, and golden showers. I also remember leaders acting unprofessionaly towards me. Some user was sending me child porn and when I told one of the leaders they just told me it was my problem and to fuck off. It deeply upset me so I took a hiatus and when I returned I was just met with another shit wave. I think I left last year because some girl was harassing me and constantly wanted attention. I told her to leave me alone since I have lectures and can't speak to her right now and she told her friend I was ''mean'' to her and her friend started insulting me in every comment on every posted I posted, be it fan art or fanfiction I wrote. Also they can't roleplay properly. I feel like I am in 4th grade where children used to insult each other. Like what stupid (probably american white girl) thing going to tell me this time ? Hmmmm option A - Alfred says that Arthur has horrible teeth, option B - Alfred says that Arthur has horrible cooking, option C - asks for sex and wants to impregnate him even though they are both males, it seems to be quite jokes among them. I get that americans want to see their country as this buff, strong, brave, macho type, but real people have strengths and flaws. In my opinion no country is dumb, they all look after their personal interest and empires love to exploit others, it is just how it is. They basically use english stereotypes and call it a day.

Before leaving I went to another ''better'' amino where I blocked one of the leaders. I don't remember if their name was Alfie or something else but it was something like that. And another leader asked me to unblock her, mind you. I was hesitant but I did. I usually do not block people unless they share content that causes negative reaction out of me - panic attack/rise in adrenaline/shaking/desire to puke/anxiety/etc or they have been a total asshole/bitch to me in the past. So I don't have the screenshots, since I changed my phone a few months ago. I used a Lenovo one and now I have an old huawei I used to have since we don't have money for a new one. So I saved the screenshots where they started saying how Francis is a rapist and I thought we passed this phase. I told the original leader and they all seem to not speak english well but she told me that this leader thought I was mean. I mean...she joked about rape, am I supposed to text - XD LMAO YEAH THE R WORD IS FUCKING FUN, YEAH DUDE YEAH! XD LOL LMAO. From what I see, if I have explain his behavior, he just has a high libido, which is nothing to be ashamed about.

There are also different types of attraction - Aesthetic, Romantic, Sexual. And he appreciates anything beautiful. He also says that ''You can't force love on anyone'' and is generally a really sweet guy. Also from what I see he copes with his loneliness by having casual sex while Arthur copes by abusing alcohol. People cope with loneliness in different ways, for him LOVE is important and he craves intimacy. He is suggestive and says sex jokes which is relateable. He also has moments of walking around naked, and while that may be perverted, far more people have done more perverted things than him. Also Greece and Turkey have a lot more sex than France has ever had. I don't know if it is canon or fanon but I read somewhere that Greece loves sex without a condom since it excites him. France is perverted but so are many other people, if a person is assertive towards such personality he will respect the other person's wishes and not force the issue, because he understands the concept of boundaries. It seems that some fans are either too young or too stupid to understand what is common sense and boundaries. Some couples in real life suffer from mismatch in their libido which is why they go to a couple therapist and ask how they can revive their sex life.

He is not a creep. I have met old men stalking me around after school and I have had a guy at a bar putting something in my drink not knowing that I saw everything so I just left. Real creeps do not understand the concept of boundaries and the fact that people are not their sexual slaves, they crave power and dominance and love ruining people's lives, it doesn't matter who their target it, as long as they are depressed and on their knees crying and shaking in pain and fear. So yeah, rape is not something to laugh at but it seems the shitty girls that got into hetalia think it is peak comedy. With Antonio it is different, I do not like throwing the term - P*dophile around because that is a harsh accusiation but from what I remember from manga...didn't he try to steal North Italy who was a child...to marry him? He never wanted South Italy but got used to him at some point, so I am sorry for ruining all of the Spamano shippers's fantasies. He also raised him. Which brings me to the second point.

England raised America. Period. It is canon, it is in the manga, he found him as a child. England loves America because he is the first thing that did not hate him, for him. Europe in the past hated England, this is why France jokes that he is the - black sheep of Europe. He was abused by his brothers, especially Scotland and threw things at him and chased him away. Scotland is not only an abusive alcoholic though. He is more complex and loves his brother in his own way but historically England was not kind at all to Scotland. So these people were telling me that I am a wh*re because I don't ship their precious UsUk? Well guess what honey, England isn't a useless girly bottom, America is neither a top, nor a dumb guy and England most likely changed his diapers. Also why would America blow his revolution if he wanted to be free? I mean England taxed the hell out of him and was a bit of a narcissitic asshole, so why shouldn't America want to be free from tyrany?

Also for people who bring the - BUT FIORE, ENGLAND KILLED JEANNE'DARC SO THAT MEANS FRANCE SHOULD HATE HIM, YOU'RE A HYPOCRITE! - well hun, France held a grudge for centuries until he got even by helping America with Spain and Prussia to free him self from England's grasp. America was the only thing that didn't hate him because he didn't know him. He was an alone child and he finally had someone to take care of him and listen to him talk, that wasn't a human, that didn't die (Davie) and England is an introvert but he has many issues which is why to him the loss of America hurt so much. Because everyone else hated him, or at least in his mind it looked that way. Portugal was always his friend and in a rare case lover and France had a love/friend/hate relationship with him. People can make the argument that France took care of him but France was probably around 12 in human years and England looks to be around 10 when he wore that blue dress of his and when England had a bow and green cloak and shaggy long blonde hair. France still cuts off his hair to this day. While England was in his late teens 17-8 when he found America who was clearly around 5-6. Their pairing doesn't make sense from a psychological point. So I would love to not have any usuk shit in my feed. I have enough abusive people in my life who treat me like a punching bag, I don't need to get upset online too.

Alfred looks 5-6 years of age and believe it or not some children piss them selves even to the age of 10. Some have medical problems but that is not an issue for now. I have been a nanny. I have taken care of children of all ages, and they're telling me? That I should ship a ship where some guy changed another's diapers but the other guy grew up too quickly and now they are dating? IN WHAT WORLD, I REPEAT IN WHAT WORLD?Does that mean I should feel some sort of sexual attraction and would like to bang children I took care of, because they went to the gym and have what society conciders the perfect body? I guess in their mind I should. In reality somewhat every country is related to hetalia so the boundary between what is incest or not is vague. But even when usukers bring the - BUT THEY ARE NOT BLOOD RELATED? - so what, incest is still taboo and some say that since they don't have blood relation it is not incest, but this is why stepbro/sis memes are so prevelent. Since it is a taboo and taboos get some people excited sexually. Whether they are blood related or not is out of the question, Arthur did take care of him as a child.

This is not meant to cause the old FRUK VS USUK wars, but in my experience USUK fans are extremely harsh and cold, at least to anyone who doesn't ship their precious ship. It is like they can't stand anyone who simply objectivly says - I do not like this ship. Bruv, do you know how many other ships I don't like in other fandoms, and no one has given me shit or threatened to hack my computer and send people to beat me up, simply because I DON'T SHIP USUK? maaaan-Let's not forget that these hypocrites also spread lies and said that ''Himaruya said that UsUk is canon'' and there was this black and white fan art that rolled around Twitter, Facebook and other social media for a while and people believe it. I think Hetafacts or some other youtuber debunked that it was nothing but a pure lie. It should not matter what ship is canon, what should matter more is fans being civil and kind to another but no, let's insult other pairings and make people hate ships they didn't originally hate just because.

Here is another ship I don't like - Russia x China. Also another ship - Russia x Prussia, also another ship Russia x Lithuania, or Russia (Romantically) x Latvia, or Prussia x Liechtenstein (Romantically). I even met one person who shipped Sealand x England lol or England x Seychelles x France or Belarus x Liechtenstein (Romantically) I dislike all of these ships. Do you see the word hate anywhere? No, because I don't hate them? Do you know why? Well no one told me - ''I hope you die raped in shit'' and told me that I am ''r*tarded'' in my comment section on youtube because I said that I do not care about certain ships. You see I used to feel this way about UsUk too. It was meh, I don't care, I see them as father and son, because England literally raised him. Also England is proven to be a horrible neglectful father and a workholic and alcholic. This is the reason why Sealand is taken care of by Sweden and Finland.

I always saw him this way so I don't know how the new fandom just started seeing him as the gremlin that he is when he was always a fucking old grandpa gremlin, not a soft uwu useless femboy that loves sex and screams BAKA every 3 seconds and blushes for no apperent reason whatsoever. I have many things that I don't ship. For example I feel conflicted towards pairings like - China x Japan or Japan x America because the r*pe of nanking is a thing and Japan denies and while Japan may have attacked America, americans kinda rationalize the two bombs and laugh at it while if anyone mentions 9/11 they freak out. So they can joke about other countries's misfortune but if it theirs - NO,NO,NO! I think global issues should be adressed in hetalia and people should make vent/rant art. If you are an indigenous person and a white guy comes to you and asks why you wear normal clothes and he says that indigenous people only wear feathers and all, this is why we need to speak to children about racism. Or being told that being latino/a makes you ''Inferior'' somehow (IT DOESN'T), or you're black and you get told by a white person how you should go back to your home land ''with the bananas''. I can joke about my own country's problems but it feels extremely offensive if the country that did the crime (R*pe, destruction of religious monuments, statues of popular poets from my country, more r*pe, stealing boys and babies and forcing other religion on them so they can kill and r*pe their own mothers and sisters. )I do not blame their descendents for what their grandpas did to us, what I can't stand is the superiority complex they have and how they insult this country and speak in their own language like we don't understand them and pretend like nothing happened, which is why I hate a certain hetalia country with passion.

It really sucks how due to Covid the hate against asians has risen, I heard from my favourite youtubers how certain people harassed them and hurt them for ''spreading covid'' or something. Well this just horrible and we really need to re-think how we treat people who were not at fault for a fucking global pandemic. I don't know where Yao Wang would stand, since he is a fictional country but unless somebody projects their homophobia and xenophobia through roleplay or art and send me hate art, I don't really care who they are as long as their are respectful. I can't stand usuk, and I can't stand the fans. I try to block every account that has this content which sucks ass since they look like cool people but no, it has to be fucking ew ugh usuk they draw. I sometimes feel like a bitch for blocking them since they're not the same fans that have insulted, threatened and harassed me but I would like to not blow my chances and risk ever talking to them. If you want to, you can call me a hater, a basher or anything, I don't care.

In a way everyone in hetalia is related but lets say that I do not have concrete hate over this ship but the serial bullying I received from fans over the years. Which is why I ship things like Seychelles x Iceland or Hong Kong x Iceland and I can't choose. Usually when UsUk fans ''defend'' their ship they have two arguments - It is cute and - the revolutinary war and how much england missed him. Two people may look cute together but would their emotional maturity and personalities match? These are important questions, which is why for me Gerita personalitywise, matches but the emotional maturity gap is way too much. For UsUk America lacks basic emotional maturity, raises his tone, cuts off people when they speak, weird obsession about being a hero and a tiny bit of narcissism here and there, he overly trusts him self which can cause as much problems as someone who doubts them selves. England is in another place mentally is honestly much better off with anyone else that is not America or Canada. Portugal, Spain, France, Russia, Japan,etc. America also has more developed friendships with countries like Russia, France, Siciliy and probably Japan and Vietnam. I think he can date Lithuania for me their dynamic is so wholesome and pure and everything click together. Russia also works but some people are put off by it due to the cold war. RusAme/UkFr is much more than just love/hate relationship, I don't know why people have the impression that they constantly fight and make up. Normal couples don't do that. Whether it is incest or not it is debatealbe. I have seen dynamics like theirs and let tell you that these people always ended up divorced.

I will share some quotes from people on different social medias I have found that describe it better than me -

Quote number 1 - from fanpop

"USUK is actually one of my most hated anime pairings followed by Spamano a few places behind for the same reason. The thought of raising a child as a son/brother only to bang him when he's older is nothing but disgusting and makes England seem like a pedophile for "falling in love" with the child he adopted and raised. I honestly can't understand why so many people insist that America and England aren't brothers and that the pairing isn't incest when Himaruya, the anime director and characters in Hetalia have confirmed that America and England are indeed brothers. Some USUK fans claim that America's independence makes them non-siblings. That's just ridiculous. Even if America would say "I don't want to be your brother anymore" directly to England, it still won't make any difference and it certainly doesn't change the fact that America was adopted and raised by England. If the USUK fans want to ship this pairing, it's fine, but denying that the pairing is incest is just annoying. It makes it seem like they think incest is gross, but desperately try to deny that USUK is incest only to continue shipping it or to keep telling themselves that USUK will be canon, which will never happen just like (unfortunately) every other Hetalia pairing except (possibly) AusHun.''

Quote number 2- from deviant art

''t's this reasoning that made me think back to all the Journal reads, essays and editorials many of the Anti UsUk fans write about why they hate the pairing. They usually mention about the pairing being incest, pedophilia and/or not cannon. While all of those might be true, I think there's more reasoning to why UsUk usually never works. It isn't to say those shouldn't be mentioned, because they should be, and I will mention them. First off, incest. Yes, UsUk is incest, but not because they share blood, but because they're BROTHERS. The fact that England adopted America should not be anyone's excuse for why it's not considered incest. Incest means sexual relations between people classed as being too closely related to marry each other. The definition of related is belonging to the same family, group, or type. Neither of these say anything about sharing blood, or having to be born from the mother's womb. If your parents divorced, and your father married another woman, who becomes your mother, she would be considered related to you, since you both belong in the same family. America and England are brothers, they're family, they belong in the same family, and even share the same family name (Don't believe me? Britain's full name is United Kingdom of Great Britain, just like America's full name is United States of America, which was declared by Acts of Union in 1707 before the Revolutionary War. Coincidence? I think not 📷). No, I do not count their human names, since they're mainly names used for the fanbase to use. Now, for pedophilia, that's the one that can be questioned. On one hand, if England and America are shipped when both are adults, then it shouldn't be considered pedophilia. On the other hand, they are about 800-700 years apart. Though, the same could be said with America and other countries like Japan, Ukraine and Belarus. While America may not be the youngest country, technically speaking, he's certainly the youngest most powerful country. So, if anyone in the fandom is going to pair up America with anyone, male or female, that country is most likely going to be thousands of years older than him. So, do I consider UsUk pedophilia? Well... not if America is already a grown adult. So, unless there are fanart or fan fictions with England being sexual or flirty with kid or youth America, pedophilia isn't really the big issue (especially since I haven't seen pictures or fanart of England being sexual or flirty with kid America, and are perhaps the only brotherly pictures and/or fan fictions I can find of England and America). Being that everyone knows that UsUk is CERTAINLY not cannon, I want to go more deep into why I feel UsUk doesn't work. Let's set aside the fact that it is incest, and look at this pairing from a realistic standpoint. I want to start from the bottom up, which would be the back story of how England's and America's relationship started. Why is this relationship so memorable, and considered adorable? Why does it work so well? To put it simply, the relationship between England and America is very relatable. They both reminded me of my two brothers, and my dad and my uncle. It's the story of the little brother, who looked up to the older brother as the greatest thing on earth; the most perfect person in the world. He could never think of anyone else that could be compared to his older brother. Then, suddenly, that little brother grows up and realizes that his older brother is a compete jerk, or isn't as perfect as he originally thought. Usually, this is hard for any little brother to grasp, and, once he does, the relationship between him and his older brother starts to friction. They no longer share the same relationship they once had. Little brothers can relate to America in trying to grasp and understand that his older brother wasn't the big, perfect person he once thought, when he says, “you used to be so big.” At the same time, older brothers can relate to England in losing the innocent little brother that thought he was the world, then having to watch him grow up, and turn into a complete

jerk himself, or lose his innocence. It isn't that England never saw any flaws in America, even as a little kid, but it's hard for him to watch those innocence and naiveness suddenly flushed down the toilet. Now, America is surpassing England, and England now needs America to help him at times. From what I've seen from my brothers and uncle, it's very hard for an older brother to admit he needs his little brother's help, that there might be things his little brother knows more than him, and to actually call or go to little brother for help. This is continually seen with England and America during World War 2 where America volunteers to help, and England continually refuses, but yet seems to need the help (this is especially seen in the Blitz series). When anyone takes these two characters, whose relationship represents and older and younger brother of our generation, then turns it into a gay relationship, it completely ruins the amazing buildup that Hidekazu Himaruya was intentionally going for. It's not that gay relationships are not relatable, but the one that's made in the UsUk fandom isn't something that gay couples can relate to. Turning something that was never intended to be a gay relationship into one is actually the reason why there are gay men and women that dislike yaoi. It's not only a misrepresentation of England and America, and their relationship, but it's a misrepresentation of gay relationships in general. That's mainly where it boils down to why I dislike UsUk. Yes, homosexuality is one of those reasons, being that homosexuality was VERY looked down upon back during World War 2, especially during the colonial days (if you were caught in the act of homosexuality, you'd most likely be kicked out of the city and, if not, be beaten by countless cowboys, then killed, and those cowboys would get away with it, not being punished for said act even if they were caught). More than likely, England and America were homophobic back during those days, since many Americans and Englishmen were completely against homosexuality. It wasn't until around the Cold War, or during the 1960's, when the world started changing their viewpoints. Though, with that aside, UsUk, to me, just can't work with the back story and buildup of the show. Though, the same should be said for many yaoi fandoms in general. Many of them just don't work with the cannon buildup set for the two male characters. If people try to pair America and England up, keeping the cannon story line of their relationship, it comes out as unrealistic, and a misrepresentation of gay relationships, the relationship between England and America, and history in general. It isn't to say that nobody should write UsUk. In my opinion, whatever shipping you want to use is completely up to you. Though, if you want to write a UsUk fan fiction, it needs to not ruin the cannon relationship buildup set for England and America. In other words, I don't want a UsUk of any type to use the same cannon back story from the Hetalia series, otherwise it just becomes very unrelatable, and ruins the intended relationship buildup between England and America as older and younger brother. Anyways, those are my thoughts on UsUk, and why I don't like the pairing in general. You can agree or disagree, but I wanted to get my thoughts out. You can let me know in the comments about your thoughts on UsUk. I'm interested in knowing what your thoughts on the fandom, whether you're a UsUk fan or completely against the pairing, like me.''

23 - Have you ever had a ship become canon, but you didn’t like how it was portrayed?

- Korra x Asami (It looks rushed and I think Asami deserves better, in my eyes Korra constantly changed relationships and has immaturity issues, I watched the show a long time ago tho)

- Light x Misa (Misa deserved someone who cared for her)

- Erza x Jellal/Gerard (Erza deserved better, the guy looks like he is an extra or made of plastic)

- Ban x Elaine (I really dislike this ship, I read some articles about Japan and I do not know if this real/legit and please excuse me if I spread misinformation, but from what I read, some people said that Japan has p*dophilia problems. Certain mangaka or their word for the comic/manga artist, put loli characters on purpose to please a certain fanbase that likes this type of content. I look like a loli somewhat because I have small frame while other girls matured on body way too fast, I remained skin and bones up until the age of 19, after that I somehow started to gain some weight on my legs but that doesn't mean I am still not short and skinny on my upper body. Old creepy men, asking where you live and asking you sexual intimate questions when you just want to buy you self some dinner after school, isn't my idea of fun. Which is why - 100000 years but has the body of a loli is bullshit. There are older women who have smaller bodies but no matter how young you look, every human being starts developing wrinkles and hair falling at some point in their life. They may be small, but they surely don't look like lolis.

[jjungkookislife]

part 4: you can call me Jay

pairing: hoseok x oc

wc: 2k

warnings: cursing, making out, dry humping on the beach

Hoseok wasn’t too ecstatic about being alone at the bar his first night on vacation, he had been hoping to spend time with Jungkook before they split up and did their own thing.  He couldn’t blame Jungkook for running off with the first girl that bat her lashes at the younger man, he’d have done the same if the tables were turned. 

Sighing heavily, Hoseok grabs a seat on a stool at the bar. Lifting his yellow framed sunglasses off his face to sit on his head as the bartender asks him for his order.  Hoseok gets his go-to drink, jack, and coke before taking a look around the bar.  A few patrons are scattered on the green tabletops and a few people linger on the stools by the bar. 

A beautiful woman sits a few seats away from him with a scowl on her face, glaring down at her cell phone. Hoseok wonders what could have upset her.  Maybe a breakup?  Maybe she was stood up?  Hoseok wanted to approach her but didn’t want to upset her more and have her lash out at him, he knew she would already be wary of him seeing as he was a stranger. 

“Do I have something on my face?” Hoseok was startled to hear her voice as she raised a brow in his direction, his throat running dry as the bartender sets his drink in front of him. 

“Well?” The woman prods, her no-bullshit tone making the hair on his arms rise. He’s captivated by her beauty, despite the scowl on her face, she’s gorgeous. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. I noticed you were upset,” Hoseok turns away, grabbing his drink to bring it to his lips. 

“Yeah, my friends ditched me to go fuck,” you grumble as you take a sip from your own mixed drink. 

“Sounds like our friends are cut from the same cloth.  Mine ditched me for a woman he met on the plane,” Hoseok chuckles as he toys with the napkin on the bar. 

“Yikes,” you frown as you run your hand through your hair before downing the rest of your drink.  “Some vacation, huh?”

“Tell me about it,” Hoseok grunts as he downs his drink as well before ordering a second one.  You rise from your seat to sit beside him, taking him by surprise. 

“How long are you here for?”

“Until Sunday,” Hoseok answers as he turns his body to face you, his left hand gripping his drink. 

“What a coincidence, me too,” you grab the bartender's attention and order a second drink, thanking him when it’s placed in front of you. 

“Have you been here before?” 

“I came last year with my best friend. It was before he started dating my roommate, so it was just us. I wasn’t the third wheel then,” you pout as you stir your drink, avoiding the man’s heated gaze. 

“I see.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad they’re together and everything but I feel left out sometimes.  Like tonight, for example, we all went out to dinner and had a good time then they ditched me to go have sex.  Like they couldn’t have waited until later?” You sip your drink, sighing as you adjust your dress, pulling the neckline higher.  Hoseok catches the action, quickly looking away to avoid making things awkward. 

“Have you mentioned it to them?”  Hoseok inquires, stirring the ice in his glass. 

“Kinda, not directly,” you shrug.  “Anyway, what's your name?”

Hoseok smiles, his lips parting to speak but you shush him, your finger pressed to his lips.

Tingles run down his spine at your electric touch, his eyes looking down at your finger before his gaze meets yours.

“Let’s not tell each other our real names.  Let’s just remain mysterious to each other and keep these memories to ourselves,” you move your finger off his heart-shaped lips, his chuckle relaxing you as you sit back. 

“You can call me Jay,” he smiles as he sticks his hand out for you to shake.  

“Call me Maya,” you respond as you take his hand to shake it but are pleasantly surprised when he takes your hand and raises it to his lips to kiss it.  You blush, giggling as he releases your hand.  You chug your drink before hopping off the stool, adjusting your summer dress.  Hoseok pays for your drinks, taking your hand in his after getting off his own bar stool.  

“How about a walk on the beach?” You suggest as the two of you walk hand-in-hand out of the bar.  A few lights illuminate the pathway to the beach, where a few families and couples linger by the shore.  You lean against Jay as you take off your sandals to hold in your free hand.  You notice the firm muscles under his button-down shirt, he smirks as he leads you down the pathway.  

“Where are you from, Maya?”

“Here and there,” you reply as you lift your dress slightly as to not trip over it. 

“You plan to remain mysterious?”

“I’m from Busan,” you answer as you walk, noting how the moon is full and illuminated the shore, reflecting beautifully off the ocean. “I moved to Seoul at the end of January.  I’m going to school in August.”

“Wow! That must have taken a lot of guts,” Hoseok states as he squeezes your hand.  

“It did, my parents threw a fit but once my friend talked to them, they felt more at ease.  My friend is like family, he’s been my best friend since we were toddlers,” you smile warmly, Hoseok notices the fondness in your eyes as you speak of him.  

“What about you?” You prod as you come to a stop, making Hoseok sit beside you on the cool sand, overlooking the ocean.  The sound of the waves crashing soothes you, a sense of peacefulness washing over you. 

“I live in Seoul with my roommates, who just happen to be my best friends.  I work at a dance studio and I go to school online.  Nothing too interesting,” Hoseok chuckles as you lean in closer to him, a shiver running down your back. 

“Are you cold?”

“Yes, I didn’t think I’d be out on the beach at night,” you admit with a bashful grin.  

“Do you want to head back to the bar?”

“No, I’d rather be out here,” you say as you scoot closer to Hoseok, his gaze on yours.  Hoseok debates putting his arm around you, not sure if that would be too forward.  

“Tell me more about your friends,” you grin as you wrap your arms around yourself, looking up at Jay. 

“One of my friends, the eldest, is a chef.  Everything he makes is delicious,” Hoseok smiles fondly as he thinks of Seokjin.  

“I bet he keeps you well-fed,” you smile.  “I can cook but I’m sure it’s nothing compared to him.”

“He’s been doing it for over a decade, so you can’t really compete,” Hoseok laughs and you join him. 

“Our youngest friend, the one I came here with, is trying to learn how to cook from the eldest.  It’s not the best but he’s getting there and he seems to be having fun learning.  Plus, seeing them bond with a five year age difference is pretty amazing.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m twenty-five. How about you?” 

“Just turned twenty-two,” you answer, hoping he won’t be put off by your small age gap.  

“My friend just turned twenty-two as well.  Let’s see, I talked about the oldest and the youngest, that leaves the two younger than me.  One is a rapper by night and author by day, he’s extremely talented but a bit of a dick.”

“Sounds like my roommate,” you tease with a smile.  

“You know the type,” Hoseok chuckles as he wraps his arm around your shoulder to pull you close and keep you warm, noting how you had begun to shiver.  

Your heart flutters ferociously in your chest at the contact, swallowing thickly as butterflies fill your stomach.  You blush, hoping the moonlight isn’t bright enough to give it away.  You enjoy being with him, you wonder if it’ll lead anywhere or if this is all you’ll have with a handsome stranger, a stranger whose name you will never know.  

“That leaves the second youngest,” Hoseok continues as you place your head on his shoulder. 

“He’s a dog dad.  You can’t tell him anything without ruffling his feathers.  I once accidentally said I had seen the cutest dog that day and he ripped me a new one saying it wasn’t possible because his dog had been in daycare all day.  He’s truly something else but he is a good dog owner.  I’ve never seen him so compassionate about another living thing. He can be too much to handle at times but his dog really is cute,” Hoseok offers up a smile that you mirror.

“So what about you?”

“What about me?”

“How would your friends describe you?”

“Ah, I’m not too sure,” Hoseok’s cheeks bloom scarlet, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand as he avoids your gaze but feels the heat of it regardless. 

“Do you have someone waiting for you back home?” You nibble your bottom lip after asking your crucial question, moving away from him to give him a chance to respond.  

“Like a girlfriend?”

“Or a partner.”

“No, I don’t have anyone back home,” Hoseok answers truthfully seconds before your lips meet his.  Hoseok is astounded, caught completely off guard as your lips press against his, his hands gripping your hips as he finally kissed you back.  Your arms wrap around his neck, lips moving in tandem as you part your lips for him.  He grunts, his tongue pushing past your lips, caressing your tongue with his.  

Your hands grip his shirt, tempted to slide your hand underneath the material.  Hoseok moans your faux name, making you regret ever suggesting the idea.  

Hoseok pulls you into his lap, holding you tightly as he continues to kiss you, his lips trailing kisses down the column of your throat.  You want him, you realize as his lips nip at your flesh, your fingers entwined in his dark locks. 

“Fuck,” you curse, your body grinding down on his at a particular hard nip of your skin.  Hoseok likes the way you react to him, his cock throbbing in the confines of his pants as you continue to kiss him before breaking the kiss.  Your forehead rests against his, your lungs burning as you heave in heavy bouts of air.

“I want to go further,” Hoseok groans as you rock your hips against him, his hands gripping your hips to steady you.  “Trust me, I want to but we just met.”

“You’re right,” you agree as you clamber off his lap to stand.  Hoseok rises from the sand, patting his behind clean of sand before he cups your face, your eyes locked on each other while the waves continue to crash on the shore.  

“This doesn’t mean I don’t want you, I just don’t want you to regret this.  Let me walk you to your room,” Hoseok offers and you agree as he kisses you quickly before taking your hand in his to head back to the hotel. 

You walk back in silence, leading him to your room until you’re standing outside your door.  Hoseok makes a mental note of the room number in case he may need it later. 

“I’m staying two floors above, room 455,”  Hoseok says as he put his hands in his pocket.  

“How about, we leave each other notes if we want to hang out?  That way we keep all this a secret and make it more exciting.  You don’t know me, I don’t know you.  Does that sound doable, Jay?”

“Of course,” Hoseok grins, wiggling his brows in a teasing manner. 

“I’ll see you around, 204.”

“Goodnight, 455,” You stick your tongue out at him and he chuckles, walking back over to you to cup your face and delicately suck on your exposed tongue before wishing you a goodnight once again.  

You’re left standing in the hallway with your heart threatening to fall out of your chest with how fast it’s beating.  You pinch yourself, crying out as you feel the throbbing pain on your skin.  

Hoseok hadn’t been a dream. 

←  previous / next →

masterlist

[neocatharsis]

The Brilliant Members of World Renowned NCT 127 Share Their Thoughts Fashion, Music, Lifestyle, Favorite Things… What Their Individual Styles Are #003 JOHNNY

Read full interview https://mensnonno.jp/post/38556/

Some excerpts

What Is It That Makes You A Positive Self?

JOHNNY: (in English)Hey, there!

MEN’S NON-NO: JOHNNY-san, can you hear us?

J: (in Japanese) Yes! Hello! It’s been a while.

NCT 127’s staff members in Japan: (One by one) JOHNNY! We miss you!!

J: (in English) Oh, I miss YOU too! Woohoo! (in Japanese) Do I want to visit Japan!

MN: Wow. From the moment we’ve connected, you certainly have brought some excitement to the atmosphere (LOL). Thank you for joining us today, JOHNNY-san.

J: (in Japanese) Thank you for having me!

MN: Thank you so much for answering our pre-interview questions and for sending us such wonderful photographs in advance. Even though we knew you often take photographs, we were certainly taken by surprise at the level of refined taste that shows through your photographs. We simply couldn’t wait to share them with our readers.

J: Oh, that’s very kind of you to say〜

MN: Let’s kick off with one episode we would really like to share with everyone who reads this article. It happened about a year and a half ago, when we conducted our first exclusive interview with YUTA-san. At the time, JOHNNY-san, you were working on another project in the same studio building, but actually took the time to come all the way over to say hello to us. We later learned from your staff members that you always talk to a lot of people and communicate with them in that way. It may seem trivial, but we recall thinking how open-minded you are. Even though this series does not give the readers the opportunity to connect directly with you, we hope you can help us show off how charming you are, JOHNNY-san, to the fullest.

J: OK!! Sure, I’ll definitely try my best! I love it when everybody around me is full of smiles and laughter. That’s the type of person JOHNNY is.

MN: To our pre-interview questions, you wrote, “Hello! This is JOHNNY, the coolest member of NCT 127〜.” It was an up-beat self-introduction and the letters almost seemed like they were going to jump out of the page. We could tell how friendly you are.

J: Yes, but to enjoy those types of things, I too need the energy to do so! Self-care is essential to make it happen! First of all, I have to be physically healthy, so I exercise a lot; and my mind also needs to be healthy, so I make it a point to rest as good as I can! These are very important aspects for me.

MN: So you are making a conscious effort to keep your mind and body healthy. With the recent impact of the COVID-19, we imagine there are many disappointing circumstances, such as postponement or cancellation of exciting plans. How do you, JOHNNY-san, maintain your positive attitude?

J: That’s true. It’s really difficult to do anything right now. But that’s when I try to look at things from a different perspective. For example, I make it a point to do things I haven’t had the time to do up to now. I guess you might call it “self-development”… I’m particularly working on learning to play the piano.

MN: Ah, yes, you have played the keyboard at your concerts.

J: Exactly. I’m really practicing hard right now!

What Is the Most Precious Element in Who You Are?

MN: Speaking of being a DJ, JOHNNY-san, you also have experience as a radio personality. You seem to be good at listening to others and creating a fun atmosphere. Is there something that you find essential when interacting with different kinds of people?

J: I like to empathize with others, and as you just said, I love having fun, so I’m one of those positive types. When I meet someone, I try to look at their strengths rather than their weaknesses.

MN: To the question, “What constitutes who JOHNNY is?”, you responded, “Confidence, delicacy, and gentleness.” Does this have an impact on how you interact with others?

J: It may not look that way, but there is a delicate side to me and I have a lot of interest in the people around me. Of course, I’m interested in their appearance, like, “Oh, this person had a haircut,” but I am able to see the changes within them as well, like, “This person doesn’t seem to be in good shape today, I wonder if he or she is not feeling well…” So, I always wind up concerned about things like that.

MN: That’s why you mentioned delicacy and gentleness together with confidence. It seems like you pay attention to the details concerning people, but on top of that, it’s amazing that you try to see their strengths.

J: I think it’s because I really enjoy empathizing with others. That’s why, when I’m talking to the various members of NCT 127, I try to relate to each person as much as possible, while also finding their strengths. By doing so, I am able to take in a positive influence and learn a lot of things at the same time. For example, when I think, “Oh, this person’s strength is this”, I try to learn about it. I’m going to want to take it into my own self and grow in that way. That’s something I’ve always done, so by now, I may have already absorbed all the strengths of the other members! (LoL)

MN: Haha, so you’re a lump sum of good things.

J: That’s right. Haha.(LoL)

MN: To the question, “What kind of gap is there between the real you and how you want to be seen by others?”, you answered, “I want everything to match up!” Listening to you, the keywords “confidence, delicacy, and gentleness” are simply perfect.

J: (in Japanese) Oh, good!

MN: We asked you earlier about your group’s style, but when it comes to you personally, Johnny-san, what kind of self-producing do you find necessary?

J: In the same way with our group activities, I think the main thing is to express yourself. Regardless of the method, the process in which I try to thoroughly figure out how to express myself and what I want to present is essential to me.

MN: In what way do you overcome when that confidence is shaken or when fear takes over?

J: That would be self-induced suggestion. Like acting out myself as a role… I am able to overcome the fear by purposefully expressing outwardly, “I’m okay, I’m not afraid at all.”

MN: Is that something that is also necessary to achieve your goals without giving up on your dreams?

J: It is. the rest is determination. To think, “This is it, I have nothing else.” becomes the driving force behind it.

Do You Ever Think, “I’m So Glad it Was NCT 127”?

MN: When do you feel like you can freely be yourself the most, JOHNNY-san?

J: When I’m with the other members, I’d have to say. It’s an environment in which I know I’m at ease and most comfortable, and I’m able to fully say what I want to say and just be myself.

MN: To the question, “What does NCT 127 mean to you?”, you answered, “They are my family that I can grow with, move forward with, and they give me my life force!”. What would be the one thing that has had the most impact on you?

J: When working globally, I have been able to learn about different cultures, so I think it has had an impact on everything that’s me. The music, performance, style, everything about NCT 127 is wonderful, and I have respect for every member.

MN: To the question, “What piece of advice you have received from others has left the biggest impression on you?”, you brought up Taeil-san’s words, “If there’s something you want to do … just do it!”

J: These words that Taeil-san said to me left such an impression on me, because when I thought about my life, they gave me an entirely different perspective. I feel the words gave me the opportunity to reflect on myself. Not too many words jump out to me right now, but we as members often talk to each other and bounce back words to one another in this way.

Tell Us About Your Memories of Chicago!

MN: JOHNNY-san, you mentioned a lot of movie titles as something that influenced you. “10 Things I Hate About You”, “Ferris Buller’s Day Off”, and “Dazed and Confused”.

J: They are all set in American high schools and the expression and production are a little comically exaggerated, but when I watch them, it reminds me of when I was in high school. They are simple and trivial ways of spending an ordinary day, and yet still there are always some fun moments in there. When I watch these movies, I feel like they are talking to me, and it makes me miss my high school days.

MN: YUTA-san told us about how he still remembers the Japanese dramas and music that he used to watch and listen to, and that he thinks that the other members have also been deeply influenced by things from their home countries that still linger on. Even for you, JOHNNY-san, when we talked about fashion earlier, you said that some things from living in America left you with a big impact. So, do you think that the inspirations from where you were raised relate to you now in some way?

J: Hmm, I do believe so. I used to also watch a lot of animation. When I was a kid, I used to like Disney and Pixar movies from America. There was always a theme of self-searching that went beyond adventure and journeys. I feel like I’m still trying to find myself to this day.

MN: So, your hometown is very important to you, isn’t it, JOHNNY-san? To our question, “What is the landscape that symbolizes who you are?”, you answered “Chicago”. You also wrote, “It was pretty awesome being a student,” to our question, “What are the best memories of your teens?” Do you have anything to say, now that you have made your dreams come true, about your thoughts now that you are away from your hometown and very active?

J: Like the main characters in animation movies I saw in the past, I think I’m still partway to my visions. So, I will likely lose my way at times and may run into difficult and challenging times, but it’s always going to be a happy ending. So, I want to say to myself to believe in it and live each day with confidence.

MN: You have a strong conviction.

J: (in Japanese) Giggle-giggle; how awesome!

MN: Haha. Your words have moved us a bit (laughs). There are probably many MEN’S NON-NO readers who have left their hometowns in pursuit of their dreams, just like you, JOHNNY-san. We think your words will be a shout-out to them.

J: Oh! really? I’m glad. Thanks for saying that.

MN: Thank you for talking to us thus far. We would like to wrap it up by asking you to tell us what your current style is, JOHNNY-san.

J: JOHNNY’s style right now is … “To be free !!!”

MN: Free!

J: Yes. And I hope to always be able to express that freeness. It’s like wearing a fluorescent T-shirt when I’m feeling comfortable, free, and bubbly inside. I want to be able to express that “I’m free right now!” That’s how I want to be. I’ll even walk around in my pajamas if I want to. My style is to be able to have that relaxed sensibility in mind anytime I want it.

MN: It’s a very free and stylish way of being. It must be awesome.

J: Indeed, it is!

[crystals-cave]

Pick a Card Reading (13-26 April 2020) Good Things Coming For You Now

Due to the growing numbers of COVID-19 cases, as well as the increasing number of deaths due to the coronavirus, I have decided to do a pick a card reading during this difficult time. I hope that my reading will bring some of you some comfort and relief, and hopefully help bring some positivity to your lives right now. Stay safe everyone!

P.S. If you are new to pick a card readings, all you need to do is to pick one of the 4 groups you’re most attracted to below, and you can scroll to the respective group for your reading. Do pick the group with your intuition if possible!

Group 1 

Group 1

TAROT: 6 OF PENTACLES, ACE OF SWORDS, THE HERMIT (REVERSED), 9 OF SWORDS (REVERSED)

Based on tarot, I feel that some sort of gift is coming your way (6 of Swords). I’m sensing that it is some sort of monetary gift or financial aid coming your way. I also got the message that some of you may receive an unexpected gift from someone if you do not resonate with the monetary gift.

With the Ace of Swords, I also feel that some sort of clarity is coming your way. ‘Justice’ and ‘New beginnings’ are a few words that I’m picking up from this card. Also, I get the message that you would feel more clear-headed about some things going on in your life (maybe certain issues that happened due to the recent pandemic outbreak?). You would also develop better judgement on the things/situations/people around you

However, with The Hermit (Reversed), I do advice you to do some self-reflection while you’re staying home during this outbreak. I feel that some of you require some sort of soul-searching and getting to know what you really want in life or what kind of path do you really see yourself down the road in the next 10-20 years. I’m getting that it applies to career or friendships for most of you.

The 9 of Swords (Reversed) points to me that some of you may be feeling distressed during the recent few months. But there are some good news for you! In reversed, 9 of Swords points to releasing negativity in your life, and a message that I’m getting from the card is that sometimes, our own suffering is in our head. Sometimes, we are our own biggest critics, and we need to realize that no one is perfect, and to accept all the lemons that life throws at us. After all, said lemons can also be made into lemonade!

ORACLE: Your Hard Work is Paying Off (New Moon in Capricorn), Show the World the Real You (Full Moon in Aquarius) Step out of your comfort zone (North Node)

In general, those of you who picked Group 1 would receive some sort of unexpected abundance coming your way (the unexpected gift that is coming). Some of your hard work will be paid off too. Although, I do feel that some of you would need to step out of comfort zone and show the world what you’re capable of. 

The Octopus: If you have chosen group 3, the animal that best describes your group is The Octopus. This tells me that you are an intelligent individual, with a wonderfully perceptive mind. However, sometimes, you may lack healthy boundaries which may result in messy relationships. You may also tend to entwine yourself in others’ issues (or vice versa), which may cause you more distress and drain your energy. Do give yourself more space when you feel drained and you may also consider in having a short talk therapy with someone you trust

I hope this resonates, thank you for reading!

Group 2

Group 2

TAROT: KING OF WANDS, 6 OF WANDS, STRENGTH (REVERSED), 3 OF CUPS, 8 OF SWORDS

Based on tarot, I feel that you are likely to be a fire sign (Leo, Sagittarius, Aries), or have strong fire sign placements in your birth chart (Wands cards and Strength).

You are likely a leader of some sort, or someone who is friendly and charming by nature, which makes many look up to you or admire you due to your natural charisma (King of Wands). 

With the 6 of Wands, I feel that you could be quite competitive and would always strive for victory, or be at the best at what you do. I do also get the message that you may achieve something great soon. Some of you who picked this pile may try to be an influencer on social media, or may try paths similar or that of a Youtuber.

However with Strength (Reversed), I would advice you to self-reflect on how you feel during this period as I feel that you are either overflowing with confidence, or is totally depleted of it. There is an imbalance on your emotions and also your mental well-being. Speak to someone you trust or do some exercise to vent out whatever that is causing the imbalance in you. After you have worked it all out, I see you being more motivated and energized with a renewed self-confidence.

The 3 of Cups speaks to me about having a kind of celebration coming your way. It could be a birthday party, or there may be some good news going about as well. I also feel that there may be a reunion with someone you have not seen in a while, and it would be quite celebratory for both of you.

The 8 of Swords speaks that despite going through tough times now, there is still a way out of every difficult situation. You may be trapped like the lady in the picture, but there are still gaps between the swords for you to get yourself out of this situation. I urge you to not lose hope, sometimes you just have to pay more attention to things around you and you may be able to find the answer to what has been troubling you.

ORACLE: Be Bold and Make the First Move (Cardinal Moon), Expect Powerful Change (New Moon Eclipse), The Energy is Gaining Momentum (Waxing Moon), What do you need to release? (Waning Moon), Believe in the impossible (Blue Moon)

To summarize, those of you who chose Group 2 would need to realize that it is important to balance out yourself and not drain yourself too much during this tough period. There would be a great change coming to you soon, so don’t lose hope! A Rainbow will appear after every storm. All the best!

The Bee: If you have chosen group 3, the animal that best describes your group is The Bee. This tells me that you are people-oriented, and is a good person to have in team projects. You tend to work hard and do your best in whatever you set your mind to, which makes you a great leader as it makes a good team player. You bring joy to people around you due to your bright personality. However, you would need a short getaway every time you start to feel drained in order to recharge your social batteries.

I hope this resonates, thank you for reading!

Group 3

Group 3 

TAROT: 3 OF CUPS,  4 OF PENTACLES,  6 OF PENTACLES, 9 OF WANDS KNIGHT OF SWORDS (REVERSED)

Based on tarot, I feel that there could be some sort of celebration/reunion coming for you, and you’re feeling kind of excited for it despite the virus outbreak. (3 of Cups)

With the 4 of Pentacles, however, I do see that you are unsure on what your next step should be. You have the resources and financial capability but you’re feeling stuck and unsure on what’s best for you at present time. An advice I hear for you once you have set your mind on the path you wish to take would be being less thrifty on the things that you wish to achieve. Great investment is needed for a business to run well. For example, investing in a good pair of shoes if you’re an aspiring athlete that will be running marathons. It’s best for you to spend on what’s necessary and beneficial on you as it will do you more good than being frugal on such things.

With the 6 of Pentacles, I sense that there will be some sort of financial help coming your way. Maybe the government is giving some money for you to aid you during this crisis, or you may face a benefactor that will aid you financially soon. 

With the 9 of Wands, I feel that you have been quite possessive of what you have recently such as money and material possessions. You may also be very guarded against anyone and everyone. Although it’s good to be wary of the suspicious people out there, it will do you more harm than good if you are to question and doubt everyone around you as it will wear you out. Try to seek moderation when guarding what’s close to you.

The Knight of Wands (Reversed) tells me that you are a hyperactive and sociable individual, but you can turn jealous and passive quite quickly as well. I do feel that some of you do realize that side of you but some of you may not realize that. Do observe how your feelings change from time to time to be more self-aware of this trait you possess. I would advise you to keep in check of your jealousy in case it gets out of hand. The Knight of Wands also tells me about cancelled trips. Some of you may have had plans to travel during this period but your travel plans have to be reduced due to the recent pandemic.

ORACLE: Your commitment is being tested (First Quarter Moon), You and your loved ones are safe (New Moon in Cancer), Confidence is key to success (New Moon in Leo), Your dreams need a practical plan (Full Moon in Taurus)

Overall, I feel that most of you in Group 3 need to be confident and sure of which direction you wish to take and the resources required will follow. You will need to be more confident of your own plans and not just notice others’ success and get jealous by it. As mentioned, Confidence is your key to success

The Eagle: If you have chosen group 3, the animal that best describes your group is The Eagle. This tells me that you have a keen eye and is watchful of every one around you. It would be no surprise that you may like to people watch at cafes or bars and observe the people near your surroundings as well. Some of you may also have a good judge of character and may be able to see through people’s lies. This also tells me that you may undergo or is already going through some sort of transformation in your life now. Be bold and step into the unknown, everything will turn out fine.

I hope this resonates, thank you for reading!

Group 4

Group 4

TAROT: 7 OF WANDS (REVERSED), QUEEN OF SWORDS (REVERSED), 8 OF WANDS, 2 OF PENTACLES, 4 OF CUPS

Note: I noticed that there is a lot of blue in this group. Those of you who chose this group may want to look out for the color blue

Based on the 7 of Wands (Reversed), I feel that you may be feeling tired of going against the odds, and you may be feeling burnt out with whatever has been or is going about right now.

With the Queen of Swords (Reversed), points to that there may be a feminine around you that has been spreading gossip about you and left you feeling helpless at what you should do as the rumors spread. However, this person has not done it out of spite as she may be just someone who is overly critical and harsh due to her own experiences which made her who she is today. It is a sticky situation to be in but we should not treat negativity with negativity. Deny false accusations about you but do not seek revenge. Revenge is not always the answer, you may be tempted to give an eye for an eye for whatever this person has done, but you can also choose to be the better person by remembering this incident and learning from it and just let her go. You do not need to be dragged down by someone who is already in a lower place than you are.

The 8 of Wands tells me that the hard work you have been putting your effort into will be paid off soon. There may also be good progress going on in your career. You may also feel the effects of being swept off your feet by someone. I’m getting that this could be both a romantic or non-romantic connection.

You may experiencing some sort of financial stress now due to the recent pandemic but rest assured that you will be able to balance it out soon. Do focus on what will do best for you in the long run so that you don’t go off-course in the future.

The 4 of Cups tells me that life may not have been giving you things that you want, but giving things that you need. You may not have been receiving it with wide arms but keep in mind that every challenge you face will allow you to be a better version of yourself.

ORACLE: Surrender to the Divine (Full Moon), A win-win outcome is forecast (Full Moon in Libra), A new romantic cycle begins (New Moon in Libra)

The general energy I am feeling is for those who chose group 4 to go with the flow and let life lead you to your destiny. Maybe what you have been trying to get will not benefit you in the future, which is why you were constantly handed things you do not want but need in order to become a better you. You may also want to keep an eye out for a potential Libra coming into your life as 2 Libra cards appeared in the reading

The Crocodile: If you have chosen Group 4, the best animal that describes you would be The Crocodile. Sometimes, you need to take a step back from everything around you and huddle back to your own nest. You are likely a patient individual who understands that good things come to those who wait. Sometimes, you take a step back to observe your surroundings, taking in all that is happening around you before you take the next step forward. This makes you a wise person who knows that you can’t charge everything head-on and that some things require time and consideration before taking action.

I hope this resonated with you, thank you for reading!

[sleepymarmot]

The Zoom Gaze by Autumm Caines

It is critical to understand the Zoom gaze now, before it becomes so familiar that it seems immutable — just the way things are. [...]

Zoom, like most video-conferencing systems, defaults to presenting you with an image of yourself staring back at yourself (assuming you grant it access to your device’s camera). This immediately confronts you with your own visibility: That is, you are forced to see yourself being seen. In a sense, the screen becomes a mirror, invoking earlier encounters with mirrors that (according to Lacanian theory) lay the foundation for you to subjectively recognize yourself as an object for others. In a Zoom call, however, this effect is magnified, because other people are not theoretical but right there, seeing the objectified you as well. This reflected self persists, accompanying us through our interactions unless we deliberately dismiss it. You watch yourself as you speak, as you move … oops, that piece of hair is out of place. You are self-aware and self-correcting in real time. “Does my face look funny when I say “core competency”?

This foregrounded sense of our visibility can make us acutely conscious of matters of self-presentation, opening a gap between how we wish to be perceived and how we know ourselves to actually be. It can posit the idea of an “authentic” or “real” self that is showing a strategic or artificial self to others. This is one aspect of the Zoom gaze: By defaulting to and normalizing a kind of self-surveillance, the platform routinizes this kind of alienation.

But the objectification of the self doesn’t stop with the live image of you the camera captures. Being on camera turns the space you inhabit into a personal stage and everything that appears in it (including who you share space with) into props. The background you choose or the environment you are in inevitably communicates something about your identity; on Zoom these will likely be interpreted as deliberate choices. Even if you turn your camera off, your little square might become a profile picture — another choice.

At every turn, Zoom presumes that we wish to be persistent objects of perception and invites the idea that everything about our appearance can be customized and personally controlled. Its defaults create the impression that we are free to choose how we appear. We can even choose virtual backgrounds that widely expand what we might want to signal about our identity. But this technology is far from perfect. At times, virtual backgrounds in Zoom were erasing Black skin altogether. It is hard to be in control of how you’re perceived when the software renders your head invisible. But even when the tech works as expected, it can’t correct for how others see you. It can only expose you to endless interpretation. [...]

Zoom already allows hosts to control whose faces get blown up to full-size or show up in the top left corner of everyone’s grid. In May 2020 the company removed the “unmute all” setting for hosts due to privacy concerns but now has brought it back as a nuanced “unmute with consent,” which allows a host to unmute an individual participant’s microphone at any time in any of the host’s meetings once given permission. But this framing of consent is problematic to say the least. Can you refuse if the host is your boss? What if they not only have authority over you but abusive intent? An upcoming feature promises to allow hosts to unilaterally establish an “immersive scene” for all participants — essentially, a shared cartoon environment. There seems to be no mention of consent or any ability to opt out, but its example use cases include classrooms and courtrooms, spaces where power dynamics are especially in play. All of this undercuts the control of the camera, microphone, and background you might otherwise believe you have.

The Zoom gaze institutionalizes such dynamics in ways that may be newly obscure or impactful. Think about the positioning around a conference table with the management always at the head: This power dynamic could be re-enacted and reinforced in an immersive scene, aided by a host selectively muting individual microphones and spotlighting cameras to enforce adherence to the agenda. Such features may obscure who is focused on the meeting and who can conceal their drifting attention. Reports accessible to hosts after meetings include “attention tracking,” which measures whether attendees clicked away from main Zoom window for more than 30 seconds. (Hope you didn’t need to reference that email with last quarters’ numbers!) Add layers of artificial intelligence that could track eye movements and speaking times to create engagement scores, and it becomes clear how disciplinary the Zoom gaze can become.

Also, there is no way to know who is having a side chat in another program (with someone in the meeting, or even someone inside or outside the organization) or who could be recording the meeting with additional software or an external camera. Unlike with face-to-face encounters, there can be meetings within meetings within meetings. So much is unknown and so much personal control taken away, it is easy for meetings to feel uneasy and anxious. The Zoom gaze instantiates an intensified paranoia about how conversations are administered, who is paying attention, and who will control the documentation of discussions that can no longer be off the record. [...]

This plays out not only in who has permission to do what but in how the software normalizes particular postures of looking. Because we are typically looking at eyes on the screen instead of the camera, eye contact can be askew, which may send an unintentional message that we are inattentive, bored, and not engaging. Apple now offers a feature that autocorrects this physical reality of your gaze with augmented reality, imposing a norm of (simulated) eye contact. In a twisted bit of doublespeak, the language describing this setting in the interface claims it will “establish natural eye contact while on FaceTime,” even though this eye contact is not natural at all. [...]

The various permutations of settings across different video platforms are virtually innumerable. When you enter a meeting will your camera and microphone automatically be on without notice? What if you mostly just want to listen and are in your PJs? Will you be able to text-chat during the meeting? Will it be recorded? It’s impossible to know in advance, and there are no established cultural norms that push meeting hosts to communicate such nuances beforehand. Instead, the Zoom gaze currently institutionalizes uncertainty as the norm.

[useless-catalanfacts]

Im not trying to be offensive but do you really think independence is what’s best? I understand the police brutality is unacceptable but can Catalonia really survive on its own? A complete separate country? If this happens that means that FC Barcelona can no longer play in La Liga and it would have to build a league of its own. I know some people don’t care about that part but I think it’s worth mentioning

No offense taken on your question or on your having a different opinion, of course, but I hope you realise that the last part is very offensive (the considering the fact that foreign people can watch a football match twice a year more important than a whole country not having rights). I don’t take offense because I know you didn’t mean it and it’s probably something that bothers you as a football fan, but please do not say this. It feels horrible to see people care more about watching a match that if your friends and family are in jail for nothing (I personally know people in, so yeah).

Also, Andorra FC, a team that is obviously from Andorra, and not from Spain, participates in La Liga. So it isn’t closed to Spain necessarily.

Catalonia can survive without Spain. Any economical study shows that Catalonia would be much richer without all the colonial taxes we have to pay to Spain. But we are not doing this to be richer. In fact, it was said as part of negociations that Catalonia offered to pay compensations to Spain for a long time.

And this is not to say Catalans are rich. Not at all. Catalonia as a land is richer than most Spain because there are businesses and some rich people with make the stats get higher, but the people as a whole are not richer than Spaniards at all. And because of the taxes we have to pay for being Catalan that never come back, we are even poorer. For example, we don’t have a good public transport system, new highways we need, etc because Spain doesn’t want to invert money here. Meanwhile in Madrid and Andalucía some highways and trains are expensive to maintain while nobody passes there ever because they already have so many highways that some are just not needed at all.

Or how we have to pay about 2000€ per year (sometimes even more) to be in a public university while in other places like Andalucía it’s free with our taxes. We don’t complain that it’s free (it should be free for everyone), but we say that the decision on wether you get something for free or not should not depend on “are you from Catalonia or from x place” but on your socioeconomic background. A rich person in Andalucía gets free university with our taxes. A poor person in Catalonia cannot go to university because we don’t have enough scholarships. We have no problem with sending money to someone who needs it in Andalucía, or Syria or Palestine or Mexico or wherever. What we say is that “because you’re from Catalonia” should not be the reason for people to not get things, and that when it comes to inside a State there should be a distribution of aid to people who need it based on how much they need it.

So yes, economically we would be very well without Spain. In fact, so well that Spanish media uses this to pretend we only want independence for the money we would get.

And no country is “completely separate on its own”, especially not in Europe. And obviously we want to be part of the European Union, though we know Spain would veto us, there’s legal ways that can be tried to go around that. And with the economic power that is Barcelona, it’s for the interest of all Western Europe that we would be part of the EU.

The police brutality is not the problem alone. The problems are so many that it feels asphixiating to be under Spanish rule. At this point, we have to do this for our mental health’s sake.

As I’ve mentioned before in this blog, my mother is a teacher. She teaches Catalan language in the adults’ school. Fascists call her on her job’s phone to insult her and threaten her for teaching Catalan. They don’t even know her political views (which she never mentions in class and at her job there are obviously no symbols or anything, she just teaches the language). The adults’ school of Catalan language in the city next to mine had to be evacuated because some fascists threw gas bombs in it (here is a link to the local newspaper reporting on it).

And it’s worse for others. I have some family friends who have a printing place and anothers who work in a bookshop in our town, and they’re known independentists. Besides the constant threats over phone, their workplaces keep getting vandalized with spray-paintings of swastikas and white supremacy crosses and fascist slogans.

When my aunt hang the independence flag from her balcony, some days later someone prayed swastikas around our quarter. They sprayed one on the door of my grandmother’s house (she lives in the ground floor and my aunt lives on the 1st floor). My grandmother’s father was killed in the gas chamber of the Mauthausen extermination camp. Believe me when I say this “paintings” have a direct effect on people, even if “just” emotional.

But Spanish law doesn’t do anything to protect people who are victims of this. It didn’t even jail neonazis who murdered people for being Valencian Catalan independentists like Guillem Agulló. The police force, the juridical system and the State as a whole constantly give their support to neonazis.

We want independence from Spain because we have a different project. Spain is anchored on its fascist past (remember that Spain was a fascist dictatorship from 1939 to 1978, until the present “democratic” Constitution was written by the fascists). In Catalonia we have so many ideas, but we cannot do them because Spains blocks us always.

We want to do things differently. The Catalan government wanted to let refugees come, and Spain didn’t let us. There was also a plan to combat climate change and by 2022 rely only on renewable energy, Spaind didn’t let us either. They also didn’t let us pass the law to end the gender pay gap. Nor the laws for “historical memory” (what we call rememberance of the crimes of fascism). Nor the law to stop evictions. Nor protection for Aranese (a minority language). Nor help to migrants. Nor the numerous attempts at a law so that companies can’t cut water and light to poor families who can’t pay. Nor many more. (A while ago I talked about some of those, check it out in this post).

When people put their bodies in front of police knowing what they’re capable of, we do it because living under Spanish rule is so unbearable that we are willing to risk it. Just the thought of continuing to live like this is depressing.

So not only can Catalonia live without Spanish rule (it’s not like they are helping us in any way, we don’t rely on them for anything), but we can do so much better than now because we are a more progressive country with initiative to do something about problems.

Now, to the part about football…

Iberian people are crazy for football. Including us Catalans, and including Spaniards. You can take away their rights and most won’t do anything about it, but touch their football and they will riot. That’s why I don’t have any doubt that they will find a solution.

Besides the fact that Barça and Madrid would play matches every year nonetheless in the European league, as I said before Andorran teams can take part in La Liga. This is not even an issue because football is such an important thing in the Iberian Peninsula, and especially in the economic sense, that it would be solved without any problem, because everyone wants Real Madrid and Barça to have more matches. My guess is that they would make La Liga an Iberian league, maybe Portuguese teams could come too.

If you care about football, respect what Barça has historically meant to us. During the dictatorship, when being Catalan was illegal, Barça was the only way Catalan people had to express themselves. That’s why dictator Franco forced it to lose on purpose matches against Real Madrid. That’s why Barça is “més que un club”. Please respect that.

[deniigi]

Hey idk how many asks ur getting but I hope ur not being bombarded or anything. If u could, would u write a scene where jack loses little!matt cuz oops Matt just ran off during errands. He runs into various NYC heroes/vigilantes and in the end Matt has them all trailing him as they try to find jack together. Meanwhile jack panics and anxiety.

This got long and definitely wasn’t quite what you were thinking of, but I think it’s still pretty okay.

I’m putting the 2nd half under the cut since it’s so long (sorry mobile folks)

—

There was a huge fanfare in the streets; some guy with money was apparently strolling through the Kitchen and folks had come out to stare back at him when he started eyeing up their buildings, as was their way. Santiago’s was helping this by leaving a couple of folding tables outside the restaurant doors with ‘Make Peace Not Weapons’ fliers on it next to a couple of flats of eggs.

What was to be done with said eggs was not stated. People around here just knew.

None of that had ever been Jack’s bag, honestly. He was busy. Politics had always been background noise to his daily scrounging and scraping and really, this crowd was going to be the death of him.

He caught Rudy and the others crowded around the doorway of the gym and scream-asked over the noise of the crowd gathering around the edges of the streets if they’d seen Matt.

No, they hadn’t. He wasn’t out playing with Rudy’s kids; they were at their grandmother’s.

Rudy told him to try the church’s playground. A lot of the local kids had climbed up on the fence over there to watch the protest.

Aigh.

Matty knew better than to go that far without asking, but Jack went anyways.

Normally, he’d be panicking, but these were the streets that Matt grew up in; that he himself had grown up in. Th folks lining the pavement here knew him and his kid. They’d keep an eye out and make sure Matt didn’t get kidnapped or anything like that.

He got to the church and saw that Grace was standing outside, shaking her head at all the kids lining the top of the fence. He made wide gestures to catch her attention. She met him at the front of the church with a frown.

“No, he’s not here,” she said. “I saw him go past, though, with the McKenzies’ girl. They’re alright. They went and found a football, the two of them.”

Ahhhhh.

That was 100% Mrs. Green’s doing. She’d had a yard sale for her kids’ shit the other day. Jack had seen a couple of basketballs and footballs in among the stuff. She must not have gotten rid of all of it.

Grace waved him in the direction of the green lot the next street up. It was where most of the neighborhood children spent their time—in the daytime, playing and in the nighttime, for the older ones, experimenting.

Jack struggled through the crowd that way but got caught up in a mass of jeering and jostling when Mr. Moneybags, Whoever finally got out of his car.

Are you serious, y’all?

He called over folks to move, that he was after his fuckin’ kid, and they tried as best as they could to let him back.

Finally, blessedly, he stumbled back out on to the pavement and blew out a breath. Then headed off towards the park.

Sure enough, Matt was there, holding a football that was way too big for him with Perry, the MacKenzies’ girl. They’d evidently been playing the first-grade equivalent of tackle football, if Jack was reading the color in their faces and the dried grass all over them right.

He started that way and was so preoccupied with planning out the conversation he and Matt were about to have that he didn’t hear the folks shouting behind him. Matt saw him and perked up. He handed off the football and met Jack at the water fountain in the middle of their paths. He knew he was in trouble.

Jack put his hands on his hips to emphasize it and was validated at the guilty dropped eyes he got in return.

“Uh-huh,” he said. “That’s what I thought. Come on, then. You know what comes next.”

Matt scowled and dropped his face, mumbling out excuses.

“Sorry, I can’t hear you,” Jack said.

Matt pouted.

“Hey, you’re in the way,” a new voice said. Jack stood up straight and glared over his shoulder.

“You got the whole pavement, asshole. Go around,” he snapped.

And the next thing he knew, there was a man in a suit manhandling him off the concrete onto the grass.

“You need to move,” the guy growled.

Oh hell no. Not in this neighborhood, pal.

Jack shoved him back; the guy wasn’t prepared for that, it would seem. He fell back right on his ass and stared up, stunned.

“Who do you think you are?” the man babbled, struggling up. He had some kind of thing in his ear, like a secret service man.

Jack huffed at him and went back to collect Matt. They evidently couldn’t have this discussion here.

“HEY. I’m talking to you.”

The second the hand hit his shoulder, time fast-forwarded and Jack came back to himself with the dude with a bloody hand slapped over his face and a fucking roaring crowd of neighbors all around him.

Oh, shit.

“Shit,” he said, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?” the asshole snarled, ripping his hand away from his mouth to reveal a split lip. “You come out here to assault one of Tony Stark’s bodyguards, huh? You one of these fuckin’ low lives who think they own this city? Hit me again, pal. We’ll see who’s the real winner in the court of law, huh?”

Woah.

Hey, now. Jack had just been trying to apologize.

“FUCK ‘IM UP, JACKIE,” Someone shrieked from the middle of the crowd in the street.

“Jackie? Your name’s Jackie? Jackie what? Full name and address, asshole, give it to me,” the suit demanded.

This.

Was not excellent.

“Listen man,” Jack said as calmly as the roiling, bubbling heat in his chest would allow. “I’m just trying to pick up my kid, alright? So why don’t you fuck off and we both pretend like none of this ever happened?”

The suit scoffed.

“Sure,” he jeered, “Yeah, you pick up your little bitch and clear out. Why don’t we do just that?”

Um.

Oof.

Mm.

“Daddy?”

MMF.

Jack could not break this man in half in front of his son.

He could not make this man beg for mercy in front of his son.

No. That wasn’t true. He could. But he wouldn’t. He had an example to set.

“Yo, what’s going on here? Will, is everything alright?”

The suit suddenly broke eye contact with Jack and turned to a short dude dressed in an obnoxious hoodie and flip flops.

“Everything is just fine, Mr. Stark,” he said, all prim and proper. “This guy’s just impeding the walkway.”

Mr. Stark—fuck, that explained a lot—had to be around Jack’s age. He had dark eyelashes and was probably pretty in other parts of the city. But here? Nah, a pretty man was a working man and this guy, for all his unshaven jaw and tousled hair, was not it.

“Alright, so move, man,” Stark said towards Jack. “It’s public property. You don’t own it.”

“You don’t either,” Jack pointed out to another uproar in the crowd.

Stark chewed on his tongue and chuckled.

He held his hands up.

“That’s fair,” he said. “Leave it, Will. He’s not bothering anyone.”

Will the Suit blustered all over.

“He’s assaulted me, sir,” he said, pointing at his lip. “Not to mention, he’s obviously out here to rile up the crowd.”

“I’m just out here to pick up my son,” Jack snapped.

“So pick him up and get out of the fuckin’ way already,” Will growled.

Ho, ho, motherfucker.

Jack did not move. He held the guy’s eye.

“Daddy.” Matt’s little hands found their way to his wrist.

He was scared. And the thought sent another ripple of heat through Jack’s body.

This was their neighborhood. This was Matt’s home. Jack’s home. And he wouldn’t be treated like shit in it. He wouldn’t teach Matt to bow his head to people with more money.

“You heard your kid,” Will the suit said, “Good to know the next generation here’s got some kinda brains in their heads. Lay off.”

“You ain’t better than us,” Jack spat. He stood up tall and breathed slow. “None of you. This is our city, not yours. So get the fuck out. We don’t need your fuckin’ money, Stark.” He twisted his head to make direct eye contact with this man and his tousled hair and eyelashes.

This wasn’t about some shithead in a suit anymore.

Stark tipped his own face slowly to the side.

“You got guts,” he said. “But honestly, man, you all actually could use my money. You got holes in your shirt, friend. You think—”

“We’d rather have a park than a store we can’t afford to buy from,” Jack said.

“So shop somewhere else,” Stark replied with wide hands. “But this isn’t about a store, you know. This is about an office; a whole five floors of new jobs—”

“Yeah, as janitors,” A gal with a sign on her shoulder said, squirming out of the crowd. “As service people to the rich lapdogs you drag in here to do your business for you.”

“You’d have new patrons for your fine establishments,” Stark said calmly to her.

“Oh sure, I bet they’d flock here, yeah,” the gal drawled. “Them and their pretty white families, with all their pretty, GAP clothes. And you know what they’d do, Stark? They’d start complaining about the quality of our ‘fine establishments.’ They’d start demanding shit we can’t afford, to the point where we’d have to find ways to afford ‘em, just so that we could make an honest living—and by then, our own moms and neighbors wouldn’t be able afford to pay for our so-called fine services.”

“So they would go somewhere else, and you would still be making a profit,” Stark reasoned.

“I should be able to do laundry at the laundromat closest to my house,” the gal pointed out to a chorus of support. “It’s not about money. It’s about community.”

Stark huffed.

“And what a community it is,” he said sarcastically. “You got this guy out here, punching people on the streets ‘cause he can’t keep his kid under control, you got used needles on every corner, trash piling up in the gutters—you call that ‘community?’”

“I call it poverty,” the woman said.

“Business and investment will help alleviate—”

“Mr. Stark,” the woman interrupted, “For all them brains in your head, you sure aren’t good at thinking. Or listening. So why don’t you just take a moment for the next minute and practice. Just listen. Look at me—really look, sir.”

Stark did, but he made it real clear that he was doing it out of the kindness of his heart.

“If you really cared about poverty,” the gal said slowly, “You and all your war money and all your millionaire and billionaire friends would fund community programs. Hell’s Kitchen doesn’t need new businesses, Mr. Stark. We have plenty of our own. What we need are services. Better services. More services. We need people who want to help us as people. Not clients. Not customers. As a community of human beings. And until you really, truly understand what that means, you and your friends aren’t welcome here in Hell’s Kitchen. So, sir, what do you say?”

The crowd fell silent. Jack lifted his chin and stared down at Stark around it just in case he or his security detail got any ideas.

Stark glanced up at him, then back at the woman and then, for the briefest second, at Matt barely peeking out from behind Jack’s hip.

He cleared his throat.

“Well, I see that we’re not welcome here,” he said. “Perhaps we can table this discussion for now due to community concerns, which I’m sure we can overcome in the future. What do you say, Miss?”

“Mrs,” the woman corrected. “I say you’re welcome to try as many times as you want.”

Stark looked her over and scoffed.

“Oh, I will,” he said, “I got this little thing called ‘spite’ in me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” the woman said peacefully.

Stark didn’t know what to say to that, so he didn’t say anything. He puffed himself up and told his guards that he was ready to go. This visit was not worth extending.

The crowd parted to let him and his suits through and was more or less quiet as they all watched him get in his fancy car and drive away.

Jack felt the tension in his shoulders settled down. He stroked a hand over Matt’s hair.

“Thanks for the rescue, Bess,” he said.

Bess beamed up at him.

“Anytime, Jackie,” she said. “Anytime.”

—

AHEM.

Bess Mahoney was Hell’s Kitchen’s main superhero before DD. Thank you and good night.