#and only one person who would take us in

[carnage-cathedral]

guilt OCD: asking our mom for money is wrong!! bad!!!

me, the logical alter: yeah but isn't she largely responsible for us ending up in abusive and unsafe places and never having a chance to finish school or have a job?

[soapbbox]

You know how in TFP Optimus can’t really remember what happened during his time without the matrix. Yeah. The sad version of this what if Optimus met cogless Megatron.

Cont from this, and this

[screambirdscreaming]

Something that peeves me whenever I see another post going around with some variation on "autistic people take things literally which means we are the only people who communicate Clearly and Directly" is that - for any given statement, there is not one singular, agreed on, universal Literal Interpretation. If there was, none of this would be a problem!

The nature of language is that there's always some degree of interpretability. Words have several different meanings, often overlapping, and there's nuance of context, cultural references, and so on.

Faced with a statement, most people will quickly come up with an interpretation that to them makes the most sense. But if you asked a roomful of people to explain in detail their interpretations, everyone's would probably be a little different, even for a pretty simple statement. Regardless of whether those people are autistic! Everyone conceptualizes the world a little differently, and everyone has a unique personal history of all the language they've encountered, and these things effect our interpretations.

In order for communication to be workable, given this slosh in interpretability, there's another couple of processes that go on. As conversation goes on, people reassess if their initial interpretation matches up with additional context. If it doesn't, they revise it, or ask clarifying questions. And on the flipside of this process, the other person in conversation is tracking if your reactions make sense with *their* understanding of what they're trying to convey to you, and offering context or rephrasing things if it seems you're out of alignment.

These processes are social skillsets that are, like most social skillsets, not ever directly articulated or explained. Many people are bad at one or both. Sometimes you encounter someone who is really, notably good at it - the vaunted "good listener", who puts in the effort to really understand what you're trying to say, or that really excellent teacher who engages with you back and forth until you really get it. But a lot of the time, it's a sort of passive social friction - people just not getting each other.

Sometimes, you encounter someone whose brain works so much like yours that talking to them feels almost effortless - you just get each other. But that's a pretty rare occurrence for anyone. More often, as you get to know someone, you start to understand the shape of the way they interpret things and learn to account for it, so over time it's easier to make sense to each other.

It's honestly not uncommon in society for people to aggregate in groups of people who interpret things similarly, and who are thus easier to talk to, rather than actually building the skills of communicating across interpretation gaps. Particularly egregious are those groups of men who talk about Women as an incomprehensible monolith, but it turns up to a greater or lesser degree on a lot of levels.

I suspect this is the root of a lot of parenting problems - people who have never built this communication skillset, and relied on choosing friends who make sense to them without a lot of effort, and who are then totally unprepared to interact with a child who interprets things in ways they don't expect.

Obviously I can't speak to The Universal Typical Experience, not least because it doesn't exist. But in general I would posit that:

Most people, give or take a few assholes, are not trying to say things that are confusing. Most people think they are communicating clearly, because the first interpretation *they* would come up with on hearing one of their own sentences is the correct interpretation.

Many people are not very good at accounting for different ways people could interpret things they're saying. However, it is normal and polite social behavior to be somewhat flexible about this and forgiving of misunderstandings. If people are being shitty to you about not understanding them, they are assholes. And I wouldn't assume that the rest of the communication they have with everyone else they know goes totally smoothly for them.

I suspect there is a bit of an unfortunate feedback loop, where people have bad experiences when someone gets mad at them for not getting something, and learn to hide when they're confused. Which then leads to larger, more complicated misunderstandings, which other different people get upset at them about, because those people think they should have asked for clarification in the first place.

Truly you can't win with everyone. No one can win with everyone. There is no monolith of "neurotypical communication" which resolves all these contradictions - all those people you're lumping in together under "neurotypical" have just as much trouble with each other.

[magicpiano]

Dark AU, Arkham patient! Jazz Fenton.

Sadly, Jazz Fenton is convinced that her brother Danny is still alive, that Phantom didn't kill him, that ghosts are actually sentient and not necessarily evil. Clearly she was brainwashed by Phantom who was pretending to be her brother.

The GIW graciously don't charge her with the crime of violating the anti-ecto act by protecting ghosts as a kindness to her parents who have done so much good work. She is sent to a mental hospital outside of Amity Park because they think she will recover better away from ghosts.

Well Arkham doesn't know what is about to hit it and Jazz is going to do whatever it takes to escape and save her brother.

[shanklin]

I just have to ask whether my guess is right: is it the OTP with tax agent?

Thank you for taking my bait asking!

You are absolutely correct! 

Stan/his IRS Agent

The most tragic or funny or tragically funny ship. My star crossed lovers!

The agent is the one person in Stan's life who never gave up on him. Who stood over Stan's grave and told him that it’s not over yet! They won't accept it.

Maybe it's because they have a job to finish OR MAYBE because they care. They care far more than they thought they would.

Just imagine Caryn crying over the son she's lost, while his twin is standing in the back seemingly emotionless. He told her that Stanley deserved to die for all the wrong he's done and it’s breaking her heart.

Her little free spirit all alone for ten long years and even in death no one but her cared enough to say goodbye.

And then the agent arrives and through her tears she thanks them for coming and asks if they were close to Stan.

After a long pause they reply.

“Yes, he was…very important to me.”

Caryn hugs them tightly.

“Thank you.” She says and sees something in the agent's expression. She takes their hands in hers and smiles through her tears.

“Thank you for loving him.”

Stan is watching the whole scene, arms crossed and frowning.

“Could you tell me about my boy? I haven’t seen him in so long.” She sobs. “And now I never will.”

The agent squeezes her hands and forces a smile.

“Of course.”

Caryn leaves to get her things and Stan confronts the agent.

“Why are you lying to my mother?”

“Who says I’m lying?” The agent replies, refusing to turn around and look at Stan.

“Because you’re just here to close your case. He was nothing but a worthless criminal undeserving of love.” Stan says coldly and gets swiftly knocked down by a punch to the face, his glasses falling off.

“You have no right! Not after you abandoned him. Yes, he was a criminal. He lied and stole and he cheated on his taxes. He was irritating, reckless and annoying, but more than any of that Stanley Pines was a good person. He deserved so much better.”

The agent moves to take another swing and Stan looks up at them.

The agent lowers their hard.

“Shit. Why do you have to look so much like him.” They walk away to find Caryn and leave Stan alone to lick his wounds, never looking back.

***

10 years later a certain IRS agent, who never got over…the one that got away, takes a look at Stanford Pines and starts crying.

The taxes are filed beautifully. Not an error in sight but something about them is highly suspicious, almost mockingly so.

The agent would recognise these tax filings anywhere.

He’s alive. Stanley Pines is alive.

Time to make an arrest.

[turtleblogatlast]

Something I like about Leo is that he’s honestly really chill? It’s easy to remember the moments where he’s being obnoxious or excitable but I feel like most of the time he’s incredibly “go with the flow” and has an overall affable demeanor.

[bumblingbabooshka]

I can't read Janeway/Chakotay if Tuvok isn't there with the same energy of a passenger in the backseat putting his foot on Chakotay's chair and slowly increasing the pressure so Janeway doesn't notice but Chakotay does. Bc. He should have been in the front seat. And Janeway's the one who asked "Do you mind getting in the back, Mr. Tuvok?" and he said it was fine, absolutely fine, and she thought nothing more of it but everytime Chakotay glances in the rearview mirror he can see that man's eyes staring back at him. I know people cast Tuvok as the wingman in Janeway & Chakotay's tragic love story but I think it'd be way funnier and perhaps even MORE tragic if anytime Janeway tried to softlaunch the idea of Chakotay as a romantic interest Tuvok conveniently had a memory about her and Mark Johnson to share. Do You Remember when we all went to the Recreation of The Ancient Olive Garden, Captain? And you said you two were Mates of Each Other's Soul? That just occurred to me for some reason. Anyway, what were you saying about Chakotay? After Mark Johnson is out of the picture for good, Tom teases that Janeway & Chakotay would make a good couple and Tuvok, serious as a heart attack and with a dire warning in his eyes/tone (insulting the captain is a grave offense) says that the captain would Never do something like that. She is a woman of morals. She is a woman who holds herself to a high standard. She would Never. And Tom never brings it up again and Janeway is both touched by Tuvok's belief in her and...something else. Something that feels like being doomed. Tuvok doesn't even dislike Chakotay at this point, it's not about him at all - it's All about Janeway. Like, personally I don't think Tuvok would be that personally invested in Janeway's romantic life one way or another (they seem to me like they'd be uncomfortable talking in depth about that kind of thing) but if he's going to be invested wouldn't it be so funny, so intriguing, for him, as the only member of Voyager who has pre-existing history with Janeway, to represent the Past. The things Janeway wants to return to, what she fights to keep alive - and this is shown to us the audience through Tuvok reinforcing and nurturing her belief that she should NOT become romantically involved with her first officer? Janeway has standards for herself...and Tuvok will Ensure she lives up to them. Because he believes in her ability to do so. They are 'in this together', are they not? They will assist one other, will they not? Like always.

[evelynpr]

Might be a hot take as a bkdk and tgck truther here, but I find izuocha endlessly fascinating, beautiful, but also tearfully tragic.

I see their love for each other as something representative of their innocence and naivety when they only knew so little about who they were, and what was to come.

I think the main barrier of their relationship is that its rooted in how they see each other very idealistically, specifically that they're attached to the image of their Best Heroic Selves, and not the deeply selfish, destructive, freaky, and egotistical parts of them. To each other, they need to keep fulfilling that image or else that same person they looked up to would almost die in front of them, and that would be too cruel. Although that hero is still there, that same person they looked up to is not the same now because of...well...everything.

Izuku had barely even talked to girls when he first met her. She was Izuku's first ever real friend (Sorry Kats, everyone and him knows he was terrible), so he saved her in that entrance exam even if it was so dangerous. She gave a new meaning to his derogatory nickname just by being a friend that believed in him. After that, she saved him several more times (Blackwhip and Megaphone are the biggest samples iirc). It makes perfect sense that she is Deku's hero.

Ochako hardly knew what it meant to be a hero when she first got into UA. Just by reaching out to some kid tripping, she made a new friend who would then save her in that exam, then save him again in return. This boy then became someone who was always working so hard to save everyone in trouble, and she realized she wanted to be just like him too. "I want to save people"

But...Deku changes. The weight of One for All is on his shoulders and he needs someone to carry this burden with him. He continues to want to save other people at the expense of himself, still not letting his true selfishness and ego ever show- and it only grows more and more unbearable.

Then...Ochako fell in love with Himiko. Truly, relentlessly, selfishly and devotedly in love with a girl who then dies giving her blood to her- the greatest expression of love Himiko could ever give.

Not that they can't love each other because of this happening (and...so many other things oh god), I'm honestly not sure how to explain it- But them ending up together after losing that innocence and naivety? After Ochako will forever grieve the girl who showed her love in its most beautiful and ugly form? After Izuku changed so fundamentally as a person that the butterflies of a nice girl talking to you doesn't exist anymore? After that simple image of being a hero and being in love has completely changed for them both?

Even so, I believe they still love each other. There is no label I know of that can properly describe them though. They are each other's image of being a hero when it comes to saving people. Aside from Shoto, no one else can grasp the grief of the person you tried to save dying in your hands. They would no doubt try to cope with these losses together, and just try to get better together...but so much has changed. They've changed. The world changed. What are they now? Who are they now?

"What happened...to us?"

[incisorconfiture]

laios and kabru being very explicit narrative and character foils of each other means you're primed to expect some extent of honesty and candor from laios at every turn throughout, even if it's to negative effect, while your impression of kabru means you expect his every action and word to bely ulterior motive or manipulation, even if it's out of good intentions. and how thoroughly this is subverted in the end, when kabru is forced by pressure and circumstance into painfully, awkwardly honest confession and conduct, forced to stand back and spectate instead of trying to pull strings and control. and laios rises up out of nowhere with an underhanded scheme so shocking and thorough it tricks everyone, and suspends them into inaction and speechless disbelief, clearing his path to the throne. i just think it's neat how they're foils and opposites until they embody each other's core traits at some of their most pivotal developmental moments

[i-dreamed-i-had-a-son]

Broke (2016): BBC Sherlock is a phenomenal piece of media and anything that seems like a flaw just hasn't been fully explored yet

Woke (2020): BBC Sherlock is an incredibly flawed series run by an egotistical writer, it never deserved the hype and is actively bad on so many fronts (especially representation)

Bespoke (2024): BBC Sherlock is flawed and bogged down by increasingly poor writing, which many fans refused to see while it was airing, leading to hugely misplaced expectations (particularly for the final series), AND it has the seeds of some compelling characterizations and portrayals, some genuinely solid performances, and touches--albeit imperfectly--on complexities that are still being discussed today (particularly as it relates to the relationship between Sherlock and John). The huge cultural impact of the show has created a massive pendulum effect in its public perception, leading to most people today remembering a caricature of the show (whether positive or negative) rather than appreciating its nuanced merits and failings...that being said Season 4 sucked

[pigeonentity]

probably been said before but i think we need another regeneration into david tennant for the bit -- but this time its the master

[angelsdean]

don't know how people multi-fandom. dipped my toe into another one and immediately backed out bc everyone there was insufferable.

[s0fter-sin]

in recon by fire when laswell gets abducted, did shepherd tip off al-qatala that she'd be there? bc wasn't it a cartel outpost? why was al-qatala there? i know they were working together but why is it al-qatala specifically that takes her instead of it being a group effort?

it would be a huge benefit to have laswell, and by extension price and gaz, out of the picture while he scrambles to fix his mess since she is pretty much his biggest obstacle (and knows it which is why he’s so quick to not let her near the missiles)

the way he tries to drag out her rescue - "we can't just send in the cavalry, these things take planning and preparation" - only to agree to send price and gaz by themselves, presumably thinking it would just be them (since he doesn’t seem to believe in allies or trust) and they'd either take a long time and be preoccupied or fail to get her back altogether and die in the process

it takes these huge pieces off the board; other than the missiles themselves his only obstacle is ghost and soap and his next step is to take them out. the way he doesn't hesitate to put them under a kill order makes you think he expected the other half of the 141 to also be dead

[ponyrepress]

I think we need to blow up the mouthwashing tag on every social media site

Solid fucking agree 🚬🐴

[flawlessflesh]

you are the first person that comes to mind when i think of delgal and thistle so… the song passerine with them?? (thinking of delgal pov specifically)

Honored. Thank you. I LOOOOOVE THIS FOR THEM!

The chorus especially - it's about someone who defines and illuminates the narrator's life, but that importance doesn't stop the narrator from hurting them. If that isn't Thistle and Delgal, I don't know what is...

Cause you were the song that I'd always sing You were the light that the fire would bring But I can't shake this feeling that I was only Pushing the spear into your side again

I see Delgal during the dungeon years as someone who was crushed under a huge burden of self-imposed and unrealized guilt. According to Yaad, Delgal blamed himself for making Thistle use dark magic, and yes! He is guilty for that in a general sense, but Thistle had already been researching the dungeon before the pivotal moment when Delgal's begging made him decide to take the plunge. Guilt about that one moment doesn't address the root of the issue which is that Thistle's treatment by the Melini family, starting with Delgal's father acquiring him on a whim like a christmas puppy, turned Thistle into someone so wholly devoted & bereft of identity outside of them that he would do literally anything for his chosen family.

Did Delgal ever realize the scope of what they'd done to Thistle? Did he just take it for granted until suddenly Thistle wasn't doing exactly what Delgal wanted anymore and he had to start re-evaluating his relationship to Thistle? "I can't shake this feeling that I was only pushing the spear into your side again."

When he comes a knocking at my door What am I to do, What am I to do, oh lord When the cold wind rolls in form the north What am I to do, What am I to do, oh lord

[coriander-candlesticks]

Hail Apollo and Hermes for helping me get my ass in gear to take care of a couple financial things that have been stressing me out for a while! ...and for the reminder to not impulse spend.