#and to heal what has been broken

[loveerran]

Folks may have already seen this, but I didn’t see it mentioned, so:

Superman is outraged at what has been done to a child. Superman was a child. He knows what it is like to have that experience, that secret, to be robbed of his childhood because of things he didn’t ask for, things he has had to learn to live with, deal with, and overcome. To still choose light and goodness when there are so many other options.

These panels are an allegory. The hero is angry and rages at God, at the unfairness of it all. He receives no satisfactory answer, but is invited to turn his experience to the good of one in need, to help one who has likewise not chosen their circumstances. To bring light and goodness into another life where light and goodness may be hard to find. He goes to the boy in his impoverished circumstances and reveals his secret.

If I may, our hero in this allegory could be a survivor of abuse, a trans woman, a homeless addict who found a way out, or any other person who has suffered. And who is now invited to undertake a mission we can all aspire to.

Oh Billy, you look so small right there…

[coulson-is-an-avenger]

arthur lester has to be made of fucking steel or have some venom-esque regeneration shit going on because if you're telling me that some one handed hook stitches performed on the FLOOR OF A COAL MINE with utensils that had been previously stored in the PRISON PITS are enough to entirely heal arthur's wound of entire stomach gutted and vital organs ruptured with NO OTHER medical care or outside influences at all, im going to go fucking apeshit. how does this man not have staph at the very least

[angelnumber27]

It’s so embarrassing and heartbreaking being in so much pain over losing someone while knowing they don’t give a fuck if you live or die. Your favorite person becoming a stranger is a special kind of hell.

[starbuck]

riding a wave of depression to the end of the worst year of my life and realizing that there’s not really anyone i feel safe confiding in… cool, cool, very cool…

[my-names-kris]

i (immortal m, god of destruction) have been alive for millions of years destroying universes for a living. the thing is, i dont want to be doing this. ive been forced to destroy by the god of creation, who unknowingly has been making way too many universes fill up our multiverse of limited space.

i have been trying to convince the god of creation to lessen the creation of worlds for all of my lifespan, but he doesnt listen in an act of ignorance. he sends his council built of people from universes he has created to attack me whenever i try to do my job. this has led to me having more bones broken than whole on the constant. i have no friends or anyone to lean on, so ive been forever alone in my efforts.

eventually, everything boiled over when he gathered a good chunk of people, setting a trap in a remote universe and having them fire every single attack they have at me. despite the damage, i ended up surviving the attack.

this took a toll on my mental health, and i finally broke, and flung myself into a void, essentially killing myself.

or, that would be the case if i hadnt of been sent to another multiverse by gods more powerful than i.

now, i wonder if i made the right decision by going into the void and ending up here, since my former multiverse is most likely collapsing onto itself due too all the overflowing universes crashing into each other and destroying each other.

[itspileofgoodthings]

that Bobby Bones interview with Taylor where he claims that the cookies she gave him made him sick and she tells him to stop lying is my Roman Empire because I can’t stop thinking about how, while keeping it still lighthearted enough for interview etiquette, she unequivocally shuts down his gaslighting and despicable toad behavior.

[vapor-vine]

Stop making a fuss. It'll affect my injuries.

(alt. below, warning for eyestrain)

...You'll continue the advance with the way things are?

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

You know, back a long time ago when I was actively participating in Sk8 fandom while the anime was airing, there was a lot of mentality abound of people expressing how badly they wanted to "save Tadashi from ADAM". And of course, at that time it always felt like it came from a good place. The excuse was that because Tadashi was "obviously being abused" (also, to note, the entire mentality was also based on the assumption that Tadashi was perfectly normal before Ainosuke broke him and turned him into a loyal puppet, which turned out to be an incorrect assumption), so of course people wanted to save him, right? As "any good person would" they just saw an abused and broken man and wanted to save him and rehabilitate him and help him realize that the life he's living is wrong–

Wait a minute. This is where we pause. By the time the show itself had ended (or season 1 rather) and all the context had been given, this mentality began to rub me the wrong way.

Why?

Because in this situation, people started from a very reasonable place of "I feel bad for what this character has been through" and transitioned to a place where the character is treated both like a real person who can receive harm, but also a baby with no agency. From a more irl angle, this fictional character is an adult man, which canon went to a number of lengths to show that he has learned a number of skills of his own accord so he could be the perfect secretary, and he has enough going for him that he doesn't need this secretary job to stay afloat. In other words, by the final episode, canon could not make it more perfectly clear that he knows his reality and continues to choose it. Even in his fictional reality, he doesn't need someone to kidnap him and "show him what true happiness is". But also, he's a fictional character and not a real person. It doesn't matter whether he chooses to be in a situation you think is terrible or not. Canon is the way it is because the author made it so. It does not conform to your comfortability or your wishes for the characters.

This is to say that what rubs me the wrong way of the mentality that Tadashi is a poor poor man who needs to be saved and fixed and shown true happiness is that people erase the agency he has in his own story as an adult who chooses what he wants and knows what will make him happy, and also treat him like a real person whom people have a moral imperative to save from his abuser. And they all do so ignoring canon about the situation that doesn't back up the idea that he either is hopelessly stuck as a victim (and needs saving) or is stuck as a victim and can't see it because he's broken (and needs saving).

"Now, hadesknockedupintheunderworld," you may be wondering. "You're predominantly a Sonic blog right now. What does this fictional secretary man from an anime that stopped airing in 2021 have to do with that."

To which I would say, "You know me, random person on the internet. This does have to do with Sonic the Hedgehog somehow!"

The reason I brought this up is to say that...the way the louder Sonic fandom treats Surge and Kitsunami rubs me the wrong way. Because you see this very similar mentality here.

"Oh poor Surge she was traumatized and abused. She's a bad person right now because she's reacting to trauma and doesn't know any better. She doesn't know that she's being bad, but as long as she becomes friends with Amy/Sonic they'll help her heal and teach her that what she wants is wrong"

"Oh, Surge knows what she's doing is bad and doing it on purpose? Well of course that's Starline's fault isn't it. She won't want to kill Sonic forever. She just needs to find her old family and take back her old identity and make friends with Amy/Sonic. This way she'll be able to become a hero and learn how to be a good person. She can't be happy unless she's a good person with family and friends! And there are so many characters who can save her."

"What? She's becoming a hero but still wants to kill Sonic? Oh, well. The first steps are taken, but she just needs the right people to lead by example. It's her destiny and future to be a good person, she just needs to be shown how"

"Poor poor Kitsunami, Surge was awful to him. He's so codependent with her due to Starline's programming, and she's so terrible to him. Practically abusing him. He's still following her because the poor baby has no choice! His programming keeps him from ever defying Surge, poor thing. But don't worry, Kit. One day you'll realize that the heroes are just trying to help you! And Tails will help you break through your programming and show you how to be a good person! And then you can heal without your pesky abuser forcing you to do things."

"Oh, he wants to be around Surge? No that's his programming he needs to break through. The poor kid simply doesn't know anything else and is a slave to his programming. That's why I need– I mean, he needs someone to save him and turn him into a good person."

"Surge is taking so many steps to being a good person and hero, but Kitsunami is concerning me. It's his fault that she's not a good girl and a full hero yet because he's going to basically become a secret villain so she can be a hero. God she's gonna be so pissed when she finds out he isn't being a good person and is causing problems for her to fix. I so sooooo hope this doesn't happen, but if he doesn't stop then he's gonna solidify himself as a villain and deserve whatever punishment he gets as a bad person. If IDW has any good writers at all, then Kit will finally become friends with Tails and the others and they'll teach him that he's wrong! Then he won't be so codependent on Surge and dragging her down and he can be of worth to society as a good person."

The similarities here are thus:

This character has gone through bad things/trauma and I feel bad for them.

I personally want to save them and wrap them up so they can heal and never deal with those things again

The only people who deserve happy futures are people who are good people (who I see as good people).

Because I like this character and want to save them, this means I want good things for them. They don't deserve good things unless they're good people, so I need someone to save them and make them better people.

If the character isn't a 100% good person (to me), then it's because they don't know any better and need to be shown by someone else what a good person is like. If the character does know better, well then all the more reason for someone to fix them and change them for their own sake.

I've decided that the situation the character is currently in is bad for them because it doesn't fit what I think would be a good and happy future if I was in their shoes. This means that they must be hopelessly stuck and forced in this situation somehow and need someone's help to escape it and be turned into a good person so they can have the good future I've picked for them. Anyone in their life I don't think is conducive to that future is a literal bad person.

Therefore the character doesn't know what's good for them like I do, but I can save them and make them happy. And if you don't agree that they need to be saved and fixed into model citizens (even against their current will) so they can be happy then you may as well be ignoring a real person who's being abused and crying for help. But also if they choose against my wishes for them time and time again maybe the narrative will kill them because they'll simply deserve to die at that point. Of course I hope that doesn't happen! This is why they must be saved!

What I'm saying is, like with Tadashi sk8, people have taken the mentality that Kit and/or Surge are poor poor guys who need to be saved and fixed and shown true happiness. They erase the agency the characters have in their own stories as free people who can choose what they want now and know what will make them happy, and also treat them like real people whom people have a moral imperative to save from their abusers or themselves or whatever they've decided the problem is. And they all do so ignoring canon about the situation that doesn't back up the idea that they either are hopelessly misguided (and need saving/fixing) or are stuck as a slaves to their own programming and can't see it because they're broken/don't know any better (and need saving/fixing).

[persephoneflouwers]

I sometimes wonder how much Louis is able to withstand. It’s a lot of heartbreak in a short amount of time. I got to thinking about this when I’ve been catching up on old 1D footage and even after 1D ended how they really supported each other.

A couple of things that are like daggers to the heart… that hug they shared at the last show. I know we all focused on the Larry hug but with some of these videos & tik toks people are sharing on Twitter, I really saw the Lilo hug. I teared up. They were so close even with the band ending. And then I think of Liam wearing Louis’ merch. Ugh I teared up again. Louis defending Liam on that radio show, teared up again. These darn lilo compilations lol. It’s just minutes of pure emotion. I feel like Louis once again lost such a big part of his support system that he and we thought he’d have for many years to come. Oh and the “I thought we’d share the same stage again but it wasn’t meant to be” part. And how Liam said that Louis would purposely start these water fights to make Liam smile and be like a kid again.

To see how he was publicly grieving by posting not only his statement but the pictures he posted of the 2 of them and then also posting his latest song to encourage people to stream it. It just kills me to see Louis be the next big target online. The amount of hate & wishes of harm on him so soon after Liam’s passing is gross. I hope Louis stays far away from social media and just concentrates on himself during this difficult time.

Oh, that was a bit soul cleansing lol. Sorry to bring up all of this, things just really got to me yesterday. I hope everyone can take steps to heal, I guess I realized my process might be a little longer ❤️‍🩹 Take care!

🫂

[twinknote]

totally normal of me to start crying upon seeing that my uncle bought more apple juice for me. totally not indicative of my familial trauma btw. i’m sure that people cry over juice all the time

[poppies]

2023 was the worst year of my life. not sure what's to come or where to start but i know things have to change, i have to fix things somehow

[dirtytransmasc]

If Paz was magically revived, how would she feel about recom Quaritch, or Spider getting a new family

I think theres actually a chance of her coming back as a recom, so thinking about this really interesting.

she knows human miles, she knows the cold, violent, man who had lost his humanity. she didn't know her son, he wasn't more than a babe when she died, but she couldn't help but feel robbed, that was her baby, she was his mother.

she also knows she hold no claim to him, its been 16 years she's been dead, probably charred up and sunbleached by now. he doesn't even know who she is, outside of maybe a name, basic paperwork information, a photo if she's really lucky.

I think if she met quaritch, she'd spot the differences easily. He's soft, his eyes don't blaze with anger, his body is looser, a smile graces his face more often. he's not the man she remembers. he barely recognizes her, which she takes no offense to, considering she only recognizes his blue ass cause of the photo she saw amongst the recom files. when she asks about her son, he corrects her that its no longer miles, its spider now. he doesn't give her room for argument, says he doesn't and hasn't known the name miles for years, and that he won't force it on him. so he's a good dad now, she'd be forced to think. when she asks about his family, who raised him, he'd be forced to tell her that it was the very people that killed them both. she wouldn't take that well.

I don't think she'd ever be brought to honest anger, I think it would just be grief, confusion, hopelessness even. to be resurrected into a world where your son doesn't know you, doesn't even go by the name you gave him, was raised by your killer's, who couldn't pick you out of a crowed. that's a whole new level of cruel.

I think she could be swayed like Quaritch, given some sort of redemption arc, but I think she'd always be a bit bitter that her son was robbed from her. I think even if spider clung to her like he did quaritch there would be a disconnect; his maternal neglect and her maternal grief would clash; spider doesn't know what its like to be loved by a mother, he shy's away from her because he's scared of getting hurt, he needs her to make the first move but he also needs her to be slow, gentle, with him in a way she doesn't know how to be. she doesn't recognize her own son, knows nothing about him, has no idea how to connect with him, even if she tries he flees from her, she doesn't know what to do.

in time things could get better, easier, but maternal issues lurk so much deeper then most other wounds, and if both parties are hurting from trauma's that cannot truly be healed, I think it would really difficult. one person is trying to rebuild a relationship that never existed with a boy that is long gone, the other is trying to find a mother in someone who's very existence pains them, in someone who is missing the person he used to be so long ago.

[archersartcorner]

Someone holds me, safe and warm

Horses prance through a silver storm

Figures dancing gracefully

Across my memory…

Hi I finished a resisting Durge user with Bela and I have. Thoughts.

[early-sxnsets]

im gonna be so real i have a lot of thoughts on the whole "DID fakers" conversation from the perspective of someone whose diagnosis has been well discussed and validated, and so much of it is the reality that far too many people are fakeclaimed for things that are studied and understood as possible symptoms of the disorder. on one hand i really want to compile and create some longform video essay detailing and sourcing where so much fakeclaiming is misinformed, but i also very desperately do not want my face or voice attached to media discussing a connection to my DID for incredibly personal reasons. but genuinely, there's so much conversation between both people with the disorder and people who study the disorder that validates a lot of experiences that are fakeclaimed and far too much of the fakeclaiming is people monopolizing off traumatized people desperately trying to understand their own experiences.

[pepprs]

hi im going to leave chicago in a few hours. i don’t want to come home

[alice-makes-things]

In honour of the two-year anniversary of my biggest dyspraxia fail, here’s the x-rays from that time I broke my toe because I was excited about pizza