#anyone who sees this post will know that it was based off an article about his assassination lmfao

[whocaresstillthelouvre]

Five More Games

Batter Up Chapter 3

Pairing: Baseball player Joel Miller x Female Reader Rating: Explicit. 18+ (Minors DNI) Summary: You haven't seen your boyfriend in over two weeks, your longing for Joel interrupts a FaceTime session. Warnings: smut, baseball talk, FaceTime mutual masturbation, pining, softness, Joel cum's all over his stomach Words: 3,000 A/N: These two have previously appeared together in 18 Seasons and Golden Corral. I wanted to write something super self indulgent to celebrate the month anniversary of posting my first fic Golden Walkway on here. I also want to shout out two people who helped me in this whole writing process. @ohheypedrito for being my steadfast fellow obsessor and idea bouncer offer and @justagalwhowrites for her very sweet response when I asked for words of advice that ultimately made me take the big step to hitting post.

Masterlist Playlist

⚾️⚾️⚾️

Joel has internally struggled this season:  unhappy with his new team, unhappy with his new city, unhappy with the game he loved. Unfamiliar fans, unfamiliar apartment, unfamiliar restaurants, unfamiliar grocery store. The only familiar thing for Joel is you, taking the train down to the city whenever you can, staying in his aforementioned unfamiliar apartment making it seem more like home. You of course knew you couldn’t go to any of his games and openly root for him, but you were happy to watch the game on his couch in his new home, welcoming him back with a hug, smelling the sweat of the game still on him… Joel always far too impatient to shower at the stadium, too excited to get back to you. 

The two of you stuck together living a secret nobody knew about, the two of you never admitting the love you had for each other was growing into something loud enough that soon everybody would hear. What would your dad think? What would Joel’s old teammates think? What would his agent think? What would your coworkers think? What would Sarah think? 

For eight months you and Joel have done this alone, the only people privy to your relationship is whomever might look over at him placing his hand on your thigh at a restaurant, a couple of close friends of yours, and maybe the doorman of Joel’s apartment building delivering packages addressed to you. No, you didn’t want to live in this lie, but to stay with Joel and know him like you do, all of the struggles were worth it.

When he got off the call letting him know that the Philadelphia Liberties signed him to a one year deal, Joel didn’t call his daughter, he didn’t call his brother… he called you. Playing in Philly meant he would only be an hour and a half train ride away. How many more times could you make empty excuses as to why you needed to fly back home to Texas? He knew the toll it was taking on you personally and professionally, he couldn’t give you up, but he also couldn’t live with himself always seeing how tired you were as you stepped out of the airport and into his car. 

The worst part of all of this… Joel was having one of the best seasons of his career. Articles and reporters all repeating over and over how at his age he was having a banner year. Joel loved a challenge and he loved to take his frustrations to the field, playing harder and more focused than ever. 

He wanted to share his accomplishments with you, publicly. He wanted to see you as a part of the wives and girlfriends group, knowing how much you’d stick out against all of the preened and fancy clothed wives, never understanding why they dressed up the way they did to watch a ball game in the Summer heat. He wanted to see you cheering louder than anyone else as he rounded the bases after hitting a home run. He wanted his teammates to tease him for having a picture of you taped up in his locker. He wanted to see you waiting for him in the tunnel after the game wearing his jersey. He wanted to be able to call you his to anyone who’d listen. 

He hadn’t had a serious girlfriend in almost twenty years. Once Sarah’s mom left, he gave up dating and significant others to focus on the game and being a dad. Maybe there was just never anybody worth it, but you? You were worth it, and he hated that he couldn’t show everyone how much he loved you. 

——

“Next week’s the All Star Game, you still able to head home?” Joel asks as he watches you change into one of his old Capitals shirts you took as a sleep shirt. 

He loves FaceTime. For years he rolled his eyes at the idea of having to look at who’s he’s talking to… until he learned he can watch you go through your nightly routine in your bedroom. Now he gets to watch you apply your face lotion, feeling a bit like a voyeur looking in on your world from your MacBook screen. He especially likes FaceTime when you angle the laptop on the bed to show him your body as you make yourself cum while chanting his name and how much you miss him. 

“Yeah, so far so good. Can’t believe we’re doing this, especially seeing as you’re in the actual game and we’re letting everybody know the night before. What happens if it’s not good and it affects your g—” 

“I’ll be fine no matter what. It has to be done, I don’t know how many times I can tell Sarah my agent is texting. I think she knows something’s up, she’s too smart, she knows I don’t have friends,” he sighs. “How do you think your parents are gonna take it?”

“I think my mom will be cool with it, she always liked you, especially because of Sarah. My dad? I don’t know, I think he’ll be fine but I also think he’ll have a lot of reservations about us and how it’ll look once everyone finds out. He’s going to drop some business words and worry how it might end up as tabloid fodder amongst baseball people, and I fully understand his issues.” You get into your bed, moving the computer to lay next to you, Joel’s face and broad shoulders taking up most of the screen, it’s such a pitiful replacement to having his warm body next to you. “I don’t know, I wish we could just not do this but be able to do everything like normal people.” 

“There’s nothing normal about this, I’m in a hotel room in Seattle and I just got done eating $45 grilled chicken and brown rice from room service. You just closed your blinds with a remote in your apartment with a view of Central Park. We’re not a normal couple sweetheart,” Joel gives you his reassuring smile, his dimple pressing into his skin, you wish you could touch it. God, you miss him.

“I know, I just wish things could be more simple.” 

“I know baby, me too,” his smile faltering as he hears the longing in your voice. 

“I think I just really miss you… it’s been almost two weeks.”

“It has, we’ll be together soon. Just have to wait six more days.”

“Five more games,” you whisper. 

The two of you always finding it easier to break it down in games. Only 45 innings.  Only five trips for Joel to step on the team bus and head to the ballpark. Only five games worth of you checking your phone for updates.

“Five more games,” Joel’s voice dropping. “You able to watch tomorrow?”

“Don’t think so,” you try not to let the disappointment in your voice show as much as it does. “I have that dinner with the group in from Toronto. I’m hoping I’ll be home around 9, and the game starts at 4 there… I guess I might be able to see maybe the last couple of innings.”

“Mm, pretty sure I’m just DHing tomorrow, so should be in for the whole game.”

“Save your home run for the last inning please.” 

“‘Course,” he smirks. “I’ll swing for the fences.” 

“Joel—“ you whisper out.

“Yeah sweetheart?”

“I wish you were here right now.”

“Me too, your bed’s always so comfortable. Sick of these hotel beds.”

You bring the neck of Joel’s shirt up to your nose and inhale. “Your shirt no longer smells like you, I need a new one.” 

“I’ll have one for you next time baby. I won’t take this one off.” 

“You can take it off now.”

“Yeah? Why do you want me to take it off?” Joel’s eyes get darker. 

“I want to look at you while I touch myself, so take it off.”

“Love how bossy you get.”

“Preaching to the choir.”

“Very funny,” he leans forward, pushing his laptop farther down the desk to give you a better view and removes his shirt. 

The two of you are well versed in the proper set up to have this type of experience over FaceTime. No bright lamp behind you because your body will be blown out by the light. Make sure you angle the screen the right way at the right distance so you can still see each other’s faces and bodies. Joel usually chooses to stay on the couch or in an office chair when he’s in a hotel room, allowing him to sit up and jerk himself off while he can still watch you. You always place your laptop on his side of your bed, laying diagonally across it so he can watch you touch your pussy while staring at the screen. 

You love seeing him shirtless, the way his body fills out in all of the most broad and right places. His shoulders are so wide and muscular, connecting to his toned and strong arms, his muscles never being overbearing and huge, just the perfect size and super capable of hitting a ball over 250 feet. The smattering of hair across his chest trailing down his stomach to the waistband of his shorts. His stomach, you’re obsessed with his stomach, it’s so soft, your favorite feeling on earth is laying your head against it. The perfect amount of softness filling out his athletic midsection. Joel’s body perfectly encompasses him, soft and rugged, broad and safe. 

“You’re staring again sweetheart,” Joel’s voice blinks you out of your daze as you ogle the square of him on your screen. 

“Sorry, I just really like looking at you.”

“I know, and I like looking at you.” Joel leans back, placing one of his arms behind the couch, his other hand resting against his thigh. “Now, let me really see you. Take m’shirt off.” 

You nod and move your laptop to its customary location so Joel can see all of you. You take his shirt off leaving you bare for his eyes to roam across your body from over two thousand miles away.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous, wish I could rub my hands all over your soft skin. Wish I could smell your hair, wish I could taste your skin. Miss you so fucking much.”

“What would you do to me if you were here?” Your voice barely above a whisper, your body aching for his touch.

“I’d rub my tongue up and down your neck,” you move your fingers to your neck and begin to trail them across it copying Joel’s words. You close your eyes and pretend instead of hearing Joel’s voice coming from a tinny set of computer speakers you’re hearing him from across the bed before he touches you. 

“I’d move my mouth down to take one of your nipples into my mouth.” Your hand grazes down your body to one of your breasts, grabbing your nipple and pulling at it. 

“Fuck baby, yes, grab your other tit, play with ‘em,” you open your eyes at the gruffness of Joel’s voice. His hand is still behind the couch, the other has moved from his thigh to cup his half hard cock through his shorts. 

You begin to push and pull your tits apart and together, rubbing your nipples as you stare back at Joel holding eye contact through the computer.

“Looks like your pussy is drooling all over your sheets, lemme see how wet you are.”  

Your hand goes down in between your legs, you pet yourself making sure to bite your lip, something you know Joel likes as you touch yourself. A groan spills out of Joel’s mouth as he watches you bring your soaked hand up, spreading your fingers to show him how your wetness stretches across your digits. He angles himself up to pull his shorts down, his cock standing hard and solid, you can’t take your eyes off of it as his hand wraps around his length. He begins to stroke himself, as you put your hand back to play with yourself. 

“Wish you could smear yourself all over me and watch me jerk off, wish you would spit in my hand—,” Joel spits in his hand, “so I could fuck my hand until I cum all over your pretty face.” 

Your back arches as you watch Joel lick a bit of spit up from his bottom lip, his eyebrows wrinkled in concentration as he smears the spit all over his shaft and begins pumping. 

“You’re so pretty, god I miss you. I miss feeling your body pressed against me, I miss sucking your tits, I miss fucking you.” You can’t stop staring at the screen, your fingers paused and resting on your clit. He’s beautiful, the way his muscles in his arms tense as he strokes himself, the way he snarls as he twists his fist around the head, the way he can’t stop staring at you through his laptop screen. “You miss me babygirl?”

He knows what his words do to you, he knows that if he can’t touch you he can at least talk you through it. He’s so thoughtful, not stopping at anything to make you happy, to think about you, to care for you. You hate that you aren’t even close enough to be in the same time zone.

“Yes,” you whisper, if you were any louder you might just start to cry. “So much.”

“I know, I know, fuck,” Joel stops jerking himself off, “I know,” blinking the lust out of his eyes, his big brown concerned eyes planted on his screen. “You okay?”

You didn’t want to do this, you wanted to get off with your boyfriend, shut your laptop lid, and go to sleep. Now? Now you miss him so much you’re naked with your hand still in between your legs and sniffling away tears alone in your bed.

“I am, yeah, I will be. I’m sorry, it just really hit me how long it’s been and I guess I’m just nervous about everything we have to do. I don’t want to lose you…” and at those words and the fear that gets planted inside your heart, you pull your fingers away from your cunt.

“We’re going to figure it out sweetheart. M’not losing you.” Joel follows you and unwraps his hand from around himself. “It has been long, but we’ll have almost a week together next week.”

“Five games?”

“Five games.” The softness of his voice and the reassuring smile he gives makes your stomach twist.

“I’m sorry.” An apology, you’re almost embarrassed by your juvenility, missing your boyfriend so much you almost started to cry.

“Baby, you don’t have to apologize, believe me, I understand.”

“Did you still want to…”

“I’m only happy doing what you want to, sweetheart.”

“I want to show you how much I miss you.” Your hand snakes up your body to start petting the area between your breasts, the place where Joel always like to nuzzle his face in and smell your skin.

“Fuck, okay sweetheart.”

“Five more games until I can feel you inside me.”

“Jesus, getting right back to the point, aren’t we?” He smirks, his eyes follow as you snake your hand down to back in between your legs.

“I’m efficient,” you bend your knee to give Joel a better look as you begin to rub circles along your clit.

“Fuck sweetheart, you look so fucking good,” he groans, wrapping his hand back around his cock. “Fuck yourself with your fingers baby, pretend it’s me.” 

You moan as you stick two fingers in, slowly pushing them in and out, ignoring how poor of a substitute they are for Joel’s cock. 

“Good girl, look at you. My pretty baby, I love you so much.”

His eyes soften as he watches you get lost in fucking yourself. You love how you can tell just how much he loves you by his big, brown eyes, even on your small laptop screen they shine bright. 

“I love you,” you whimper as you reach your other hand down to begin rubbing your clit. Your fingers working overtime inside you and on your clit causing your orgasm to build. 

“Love you baby, so much. Love watching you do this for me,” he grunts as he fucks his fist faster.

“Baaaby,” you breathe out, your heart beginning to rapidly beat, the swirls around your clit quickening. You’re a quivering mess on your bed, staring into your computer screen as you feel your orgasm show. 

“Oh, you’re close, can see it pretty girl, you gonna cum for me? M’gonna cum for you,” he grits out as you watch the hand against his thigh tighten its grip against his skin. He’s close, his jaw going slack, his tongue resting in between his lips, his brows furrowing deeper. It’s a sight you’ve seen so many times now, most of your FaceTime sessions ending like this.

“Cum for me,” you whisper as you orgasm, your pussy squeezes your fingers, your clit pulses against your finger, you fight the urge to shut your eyes because you need to watch Joel as he begins to spurt thick ropes of cum all over his stomach. You love how he looks, biting out swears totally blissed out, his cum pooling against the plush skin of his stomach. 

He swears as he grabs his shirt and cleans himself up, you smile as you watch him, feeling like you’re spying on your own boyfriend. You love FaceTime.

“You’re smilin’ quite big,” he chuckles as he tosses his shirt next to him, and pulls his shorts back up. 

“I like to watch you, that’s all, you’re so handsome.”

“Handsome, hm?”

“Yep, always thought it, and now I get to look at you whenever I want to.”

“Lucky you, huh?”

“Lucky me. Only five more games until I see my handsome boyfriend.”

“Five more games.”

[decolonize-the-everything]

I'm not gonna deny the Russian bots were here cuz I've seen the news articles. This one even has a few you can still see linked through the wayback machine

They were liberal accounts who critiqued cops and said BLM and posed as poc. They were not posing as leftists who wanted the system dismantled. They were posing as liberals who were critical of Democrats, wanted reform, and were sympathetic to marginalized people.

....Which is very different from being a leftist, especially a leftist of color

That said, frankly it's suspicious how many liberals fandom accounts are the Only ones making entirely baseless accusations, whether it be accusations of scamming or being a psyop or a bot

Normal "progressive" blogs who use no screenshots or valid methods to base their accusations on despite demanding proof from Palestinians and Leftists. Blogs who make callout posts like "see? Aren't the vibes off about this person? Remember the bots? What if they're back? You should report this post" then send all their followers to report accounts.

It's literally fear-mongering. These people have no proof. It's based on bias, racism, red scare rhetoric, and assumptions.

You don't want to fall for bots or be manipulated by them like you were in 2016? Then stop listening to people making baseless fucking accusations against people trying to survive genocide.

You don't believe Palestinian gfms? Then vet them yourself! Talk to them, ask for proof, run their pics through a reverse image search, idc. There are ways You can make sure they're real before you make a callout post accusing them all of being fake.

And do NOT just reblog baseless accusations about them in the SAME way you don't want to reblog gfms without knowing they're actually verified.

You don't wanna reblog propaganda? MAKE SURE ITS NOT PROPAGANDA. What's their proof? Their source? Their evidence? Do they have any at all??

And some of the stuff the callouts are saying- like Palestinians wouldn't have time to go on Tumblr- is just straight up assumption based on literally nothing. That's not "evidence" of anything, let alone proof of a scam or foreign election interference.

Also, yeah it IS suspicious that the only people that seem to be liars and psyops are leftists and Palestinians, you notice that?

Isn't that funny?

Isn't it funny that if I'm right the bots would basically be discouraging people from listening to leftists and Palestinians? Isn't it funny that they encourage paranoia towards leftists & Palestinians during an election where Democrats are losing support to leftists and Palestine?

One or two accounts? Fine whatever. But all these accusations came out of fucking nowhere and hadn't been happening much... until after Kamala was elected . Anyone else notice that? That everyone who's been critiquing the Dems for months is suddenly being swamped with accusations of being a Russian bot and while Palestinians are accused now of being scammers?

I don't think it's a coincidence, no.

[galadrieljones]

Zabel Interview, Team Delusional Round-up, re: the past few weeks (months?) 💫

(Based on an ask from @natural-blue-26! This post contains spoilers, pertaining to the script leak. If you don't want them, turn back!!)

First, let me say that @twdmusicboxmystery has posted an excellent video covering this topic over at her youtube channel. This post is jumping off of that, with some additional takes and analysis by me!

Also, note that I wanted to wait to post or to talk about this too much publicly until today, as I think there are a lot of genuine shippers who might be let down right now. Not all c*rylers are unhappy, unruly people. Many are shippers just like us, and even though I don't ship it, I support them. I am only putting this in the Team Delusional tag, so anyone who sees this is seeing it either because they follow me, follow the tag, follow someone who follows me, or they went looking for it themselves. I am not making drama or inciting a "ship war." If you're here out of anger, I suggest you turn back. I am just going to go over what I see.

The Facts

There has been a recent spate of events that have lead Team Delusional to a rare and more than modest resurgence. Until now, we were mostly just working with templates and symbolism, with a healthy dose of informed meta and speculation: We were seeing how the season 4/5 template was beginning to unfold toward the Grady arc, which includes Carol in a major role.

BUT. Let's check in with what's been going on over the past six months. A lot of this new resurgence starts with Emily's multiple trips to Europe for TWD cons in the past six months, integrated with her (yet unrealized) insinuation that she has been in studio recording one or more songs that Beth sang on TWD. Massive financial burdens aside, these are unusual undertakings for Emily. While she has done many fan cons over the years, visiting Europe twice in a four month period is bizarre (as well as expensive). She also talked openly and excitedly in the panel at French comic-con about how cool it would be if Beth returned. Further, Emily's "re-recording" of "Parting Glass" and possibly other TWD songs was a fairly big announcement for us at the time, but we haven't seen any more on it since. Speculation went everywhere from "She'll be singing in a flashback in Daryl Dixon season 2" to "Her songs will be part of the soundtrack" to "She'll actually BE in season 2, singing, in the present moment."

A lot of these things, if they were spread out over a 5 year period, wouldn't matter at all. But the fact that they're all taking place in the six-month run-up to Daryl Dixon s. 2, when we've already been able to speculate her tenuous return based on templates and other tells, is exciting. It's been almost ten years to the day of Beth's *death.* Why now? The timing on all of this is very suspicious.

Now, a few weeks ago, there was a LEAKED SCRIPT excerpt, which was claimed to be the final scene of DD 2.6. In the script, we learn that Isabelle has died and is appearing to Daryl in the form of a hallucination while he fights walkers in the Chunnel. This was confusing for many reasons. First, we already know, given their ruthless advertisement of the fact, that season 3 is already being filmed in Spain. So why are they headed to England? Also, where the hell is Laurent? Further, Isabelle's death, while unsurprising to many of us, creates some new questions. Many members of a certain *other* ship were ecstatic to learn about Isabelle's death, as Daryl/Isabelle ship rumors have been rampant in the fandom basically since season 1. Forget the fact that the same ship FREAKED out over Daryl/Leah three years ago (a clear nothingburger). Any time another female character even comes into contact with Daryl, a notable portion of fans must make their "displeasure" widely known.

Moving on. Yesterday, an article came out summarizing a yet-unreleased interview with David Zabel in SFX magazine. You can read it here. In the interview, Zabel makes the following comment about "C*ryl":

"The obvious thing to do, and the easier thing to do would be, 'Okay, now they're falling in love and they're a couple.' But I always felt like that would be a mistake, because it would feel like you were going into the TV book of tricks," he explains. "To me, there was never a question that [their connection] was something other than what it is, and what it seems to want to be, and why it works so well."

Zabel then goes on to hint at a highly-contentious romance with Daryl and Isabelle:

"What happened in season one was that you could see a connection forming, for sure," he says. "We didn't manufacture that but we left room for it. A lot of season two is about the development of that and where that relationship goes, and that little surrogate family of Isabelle, Daryl and Laurent."

Now, the full interview doesn't come out until September 4, at which point, we may get a clearer picture of what's going on. However, it seems that Zabel is politely declining the "C*ryl as romance" narrative. In the quote, he uses the excuse of wanting to avoid TV tropes; however, he then goes on to say (in a portion of the quote that is being wildly misinterpreted among the c*ryl ship) that "To [him]," there was "never a question that [their connection was something other than what it is." He then equates "what it is" with "what it seems to want to be" and "why it works so well." The misinterpretation is coming with that second part. "What it is" = friendship. Zabel is clearly saying that c*ryl "seems to want to be" exactly "what it is," aka: a sacred friendship and nothing more. He's basically saying that this already "works so well," and so why fix what ain't broke? Why create a romance between two characters who are clearly just very, very good friends when he could go another, more interesting direction?

Certain c*ryl accounts have misinterpreted that section of the quote. They seem to think he's saying that the c*ryl ship "seems to want to be" something else, something other than what it is. But if you follow the grammatical logic of the sentence, you can see that they're wrong here. It wants to be what it already is, which is friendship. Of course, to c*rylers, what it already is = romance, but that isn't canon. There's no proof of this. In fact, there's more proof to the contrary, that they're best friends. They're family. Carol was married to somebody else, raised a child with him, still holds a contentious relationship with the other man, allowed Daryl to toil away in the woods alone for five years because she needed to stay with her husband...

In addition to factual evidence from the show, the C*ryl Friendship Campaign has been going strong on social media for MONTHS. In her video this morning, twdmusicboxmystery also goes over quasi-recent comments from Angela Kang which are UNSUPPORTIVE of a c*ryl romance. The notion that this perspective is coming out of nowhere, which some fans are claiming as a way of blaming Zabel for either lying or betraying his fanbase (and the actors), is, frankly, absurd.

Please note that I'm not saying that nobody should ship c*ryl just because it isn't canon. That would be silly. I ship non-canon ships all the time. BETHYL is a non-canon ship! I've written whole fanfics for Beth and Daryl (well, I've tried lol, but most remain unfinished). It's one of the funnest parts of being in a fandom.

What I'm saying is that c*ryl is NOT CANON. It never has been. And the people who get angry about this, who want to get professionals fired over this, who think that they're entitled to getting exactly what they want, lest the show perish, are wrong. They're doing it wrong. It's totalitarian and, frankly, obsessive. This is not how you be in a fandom, and my interpretation here of the Zabel interview in conjunction with the C*ryl Friendship Campaign is that they are TRYING to let this highly volatile and frankly unpleasant faction of the fandom down lightly in an effort to get them off tptb's AND the actors' backs. They don't want to deal with this shit anymore. And by the way, they're actually not leading anyone on. They've been insanely clear here, in their rebranding of c*ryl to a platonic ship, as to what's happening and what's going on, and while I really do feel for the good people who may feel let down by this, I am GLAD to see that the showrunners aren't going to heed the demands of one tiny, loud faction of a giant fandom, and that despite the haters, they're going to tell the story they want to tell.

ANYWAY.

Over the past 48 hours, things have gotten...weird. Zabel's interview dropped less than a day after the TWD Skybound social media accounts appear to have...posted a Bethyl edit out of nowhere. @sweetz1919 also posted early this morning, bringing together a few more Beth-related posts on either official accounts or *near* official accounts, which post promotional material, and which are followed by AMC TWD. One of these posts is a repost on twitter by Scott Gimple, who so rarely posts on social media, that any time he does, it's like a unicorn, symbolically notable and certainly important.

Now, pertaining to the Zabel interview, another wide complaint taking place in the c*ryl camp is that Zabel is likely LYING or he is being taken grossly out of context, because if c*ryl isn't happening, AND Isabelle is going to die, then how could Daryl POSSIBLY get his happy ending?

THIS is where Team Delusional comes in. Of course, we have our theories. Most people think WE'RE the delusional ones. And maybe we are! Lol. I don't really care. Most of our theories are crafted through a TON of hard, circumstantial, pattern-driven, and symbolic evidence, evidence taken from IRL sources, and hypotheses made after paying very close attention to what's been going on and making LOTS and LOTS of connections over a period of many years. Me, myself, I've only been here for four, but some of you guys have been doing this for almost ten, and for that, I salute you! As I said earlier, TD has been theorizing Beth's "return" in DD2 based greatly on symbolic and template-driven evidence alone for a while. A lot of what we're seeing now on social media is playing directly into our hand.

Emily in Europe multiple times in a 4mo period, including a trip to Paris, with her latest stint being just a week before "official" filming for season 3 was set to begin? Emily re-recording tracks from TWD? Leaked script pages in which Daryl mentions Beth specifically AND suggest that Isabelle is going to die? Romantic!C*ryl = not happening? HOW could Daryl possibly get his happy ending now? The rest is TD theory, ie: WHY we think Beth will come back to manifest Daryl's "happy ending." Speculation and theories on how she could come back, the connection to Spain/England/France, that's basically all we talk about lol, each of us with our own interests and niche perspectives, all arriving at the same point.

SO while there is still no proof that she is coming back, all of this is a Good thing, actually. For us. Because while everyone is looking around, freaking out, wondering what's going to happen next, we are seeing and able to read a LOT of signs that others ignore. And rightly so! There's no reason the rest of the GA needs to think that Beth is legitimately coming back. That would overshadow Carol's role in season 2, which is significant. It's just important that the GA REMEMBERS who Beth IS, that she was important to Daryl, and that hey, people used to really like Beth, and they liked Beth and Daryl together, and that was hopeful, and nice for him, and he hasn't had much "hope" or "niceness" since, and wouldn't it be nice if he could have that again...? All of these things are really there to do just this: let the c*ryl ship down easy, and remind people that Daryl once held a very strong connection to a woman whose life "ended" too soon, and who has really never been mentioned again.

While I really have no idea what's coming next, I wonder if we'll begin to see more astroturfed discussion on Beth's *death.* How weird it was, what the hell was going on at Grady, etc. If we don't see it in promotional material, we may hear about it in-show. Because if Daryl is casually mentioning Beth (along with Merle and Glenn) to Isabelle's ghost/vision in episode 2.6, then this likely implies that he's told her about Beth before, and that he's talked to her about what happened. It implies that Isabelle knows who Beth is, which would be a truly insane development, since he's literally never talked about her to anyone, including Carol, as far as we know.

So anyway, as usual, we should all just keep our heads down, chins to our chest, keep hope alive, but with a balanced sense of anticipation. We still really don't know what's going to happen, so it's important to be rational, but it also won't hurt to have a little faith 💫

[catastrophicdisasters]

alright i need to ramble abt TUA s4 somewhere that isn't at someone who doesn't care lmao

putting it under a see more bc a lot of it is based on stuff that's been said in the recent cast interviews and could definitely be considered spoilers

tl;dr: a theory post about who, if anyone, i think is going to die this season (and why, ranked by how narratively coherent i think their death would be, and how it would - or wouldn't - round off their character arc)

emphasis on the "i think", as obviously this is my opinion on what i think would make a satisfying narrative

so, in one of the interviews from today, Robert is asked how he feels about the "kind of sacrifice" at the end of the story, and his response is "yeah there's a kind of death that happens" and to then wax philosophical about physical death vs the kind of death that happens when the memory or the person is gone, and how there's a "kind of passing that happens"

and like, most people are convinced that someone's going to die by the end of the season, myself included, but i've just had another idea Robert really talked AROUND the word death, saying "a kind of death" and "a passing", and with him talking about that 'do you die when you physically die or when nobody alive can remember you' style thing, I'm thinking that maybe someone gets themselves erased from the timelines

so they still EXIST, as theyre not physically dead, but because nobody can remember them, it's still a kind of death (exactly like Robert said)

whether or not that person retains their memories is kind of irrelevant, though them keeping them does make for a more tragically satisfying arc - they gave up their existence to keep their family safe/save the world, and yet none of them will ever look at them with recognition or love again, and will never truly know just what they did for them. i think that could be done really well, as there's a special kind of beauty in a character who is happy to accept their own end in order to protect those they love (also, if i wanted to get super analytical of that, i could draw parallels between that idea and the trailer's choice of song - The End; the opening song of The Black Parade album, the funeral song that kicks off the narrative album with themes such as the life that comes after death-)

~

now, with that said, i want to go off about who my top choices for death/erasure actually are:

well, first i want to say who i don't think it's going to be, and that's Diego and Lila. and that is because they've set up this little family arc for them via Lila's pregnancy, and right from ep1 it was established that Diego was the most attached to Grace - his mother figure - highlighting the importance of the parental figure in his life. both of them have a strong sense of detachment and independence / not needing anyone else, while actually longing to be part of something, to have a family unit. so with the two of them now being married and having a child together, especially given what Ritu said in an article - that "they are not really communicating and are snapping at each other" - it sets up the perfect arc for them to find their place, together, and forging the family dynamic they both so clearly want.

I could talk more about them (i.e, Diego having multiple instances that make reference to his desire to prove himself to his father, vs Lila collapsing post s2 because she just wanted to know if The Handler - if her mother - ever really loved her), but that's not the point of this post

so working backwards from who i think is least likely (and why, obviously):

Viktor:

- originally i had a big question mark over Viktor, bc ive always kind of struggled to pick up the threads of his arc, but even then i still don't think that death/sacrifice would be narratively satisfying for him? is it possible that he sacrifices himself to save his family? i mean… i guess? he's always been more passive and less confrontational than the others, so even if the opportunity presented itself i feel like someone else would probably beat him to the punch

- BUT, that's still not actually the reason i think it won't be him - it's because i think a more satisfying ending for him would be for him to have everything he was denied in childhood. with him coming out, they've set themselves up really nicely to push an ending for Viktor that has him finding himself, understanding himself, and finally being happy with himself. whether he ends up keeping and accepting his powers or not makes no odds as long as HE makes that choice for himself! let him be surrounded by family/people who love him for who he is, let him choose to live for himself and be happy!

Allison:

- i have a similar problem with Allison that i have with Viktor, in that i don't really know where her arc is going, at least as far as the Hargreeves are concerned. Allison's been pretty clear that her priority is her daughter, getting back to her daughter, protecting her daughter. and now she has her back. and she even has Ray back!

- i've never reeeeally been a fan of redemption through death (though there are exceptions), so the thought of her being the one to die/sacrifice herself to save the rest of the Hargreeves just… doesn't sit right with me. particularly because i'm also fairly sure i read somewhere that Emmy said that Allison is kind of "done" with the Umbrella Academy family stuff, and that she's all about being a mother again, which brings me to my next point;

- Allison dying would actually have more of an emotional impact on Claire and Ray than it would to any of the Umbrellas. and, as nice as Ray is and I'm sure Claire will be, they are not the major characters in this show. they are not the ones we have spent three seasons connecting and sympathizing with. would her death still have impact? of course! but i think that there's too much to resolve (such as the events of s3, the fact that she already feels done with them all) to make her death be tragic and satisfying, and to still wrap up everyone else's arcs and the story as a whole

- her finding a way to accept and love her Umbrella family instead of constantly trying to distance herself from them, and learning to balance the family of herself, Ray, and Claire, with her family within the Umbrellas feels like it would be more satisfying for her than sacrificing herself to save the Umbrellas / the world

- could she still end up sacrificing herself to save Ray/Claire, and that in turn leads to someone else dying? yes, absolutely! or something happens to Claire and she no longers cares about living because she can't lose her daughter again? also yes, but that feels a bit... too dark, even for tua

Klaus:

- i feel a little controversial, putting him so far down the list (he's still placed fourth out of eight, though), but the thing is - with his powers back, he is functionally immortal. at that point, the only way he's dying is if he chooses to die. which could still lead to a satisfying end!! the boy who was scared of the ghosts he saw, who became scared of dying, becoming the man who chooses to die? very tasty potential, there. contrasts very nicely with the fact that he kept bringing himself back to life without even realising

- buuuut, that would conflict with what we've heard so far about Klaus's storyline this season; Klaus becoming a scared-of-everything germaphobe, having to learn "how not to be scared of life", falling back into addiction, and learning new aspects of his powers. i don't really see how all of that would lean into a storyline of him accepting death, ya know? it's a lot to do, with not a lot of time to do it well

- i will say, though, that i do love the idea of him somehow finding Dave in the afterlife, and that being part of helping him to accept death - that he can be reunited with the love of his life (this falls apart, however, when you realise that Dave's actor isn't currently credited for any episodes on imdb. still doesn't mean that he won't be, but... makes it less likely)

Luther:

- i genuinely debated with myself about who gets third slot between Luther and Five, but ultimately decided on Luther (which i'll further explain during Five's section)

- Luther literally has no purpose outside of the Umbrella Academy. in s1, he was defined by his being the only 'true' remaining member of the Academy, and having been sent to the moon for a seemingly pointless mission (and even though we now know that he was sent there to protect Abigail - she's alive now, so that doesn't really need revisting). s2 also had him at a loose end - he was fighting simply because that's all he thought he was good at, he tried to give his relationship with Allison another go once he realised she was alive, only for it to turn out that she's married, and then he was a (frankly, terrible) spotter for Five during the paradox psychosis fiasco. s3 literally had him get kidnapped by the Sparrows without anyone really noticing, and although he did eventual fall in love and gett married to Sloane, she vanished with the resetting of the universe. Sloane, incidentally, also doesn't have her actor listed on imdb as returning for s4

- he doesn't really have a multi-season arc to finish off; in fact, the only consistent facet of his personality is his desire to protect his family and 'do the right thing', whatever that might be

- i feel like for him, a good arc to send him on would be him becoming comfortable in his gorilla-body and maturing into the confident leader that would be expected of a "Number One". but, given the way his character has evolved (or devolved) through the series so far, i don't really see them doing that

- in fact, i think it's much more likely that they kill him simply because they don't know what else to do with him. which, ya know, kind of sucks

- HOWEVER, i do think there is good potential in having the first major leader-like decision that Luther makes - free from the influence of others - being to sacrifice himself to save his family. the one time he stands up and says "no, i've made my decision, and it's time for you all to respect that" while also tying it back to his overwhelming desire to love and protect his family? oh yeah, that'd be some good shit right there

Five:

- my god please just let the old man rest

- so, i think Five is less likely to flat out die than Luther is, but i do think some kind of timeline fuckery is much more likely where Five is concerned

- considering what Adian has already said about Five's arc this season

- "He doesn’t know what his place is in the universe. When he goes on this emotional arc with Lila, for the first time, he feels there is a reason for living." - i honestly think killing him would be an incredibly shitty thing to do. having him finally, finally, find his place in the universe, after getting stuck in the apocalypse at THIRTEEN, where he finds his entire family dead, proceeds to then spend 40 years alone, trying to get back to his family, before being picked up by the Temps, turned into a killer, finally getting back to his family, only to end up stuck back in his teenage body AND having to deal with three weeks of constant apocalypses, to then kill him???? jesus christ that would SUCK. like, i'm aware i have bias because Five is one of my favourites and i think his arc has some insane narrative potential, but i cannot be the only one thinking that if they kill him after all of that it's just going to leave a bitter taste?

- THAT SAID!! that said, i do think that it's likely that he would be the one that ends up getting erased from various timelines in order to save his family

- his whole thing has been about getting back to his family to save them from the apocalypse - to have him find his ultimate purpose being to do exactly that? it makes sense!

- in erasing himself from this timeline in order to save it, his purpose also then becomes founding the Temps Commission, with the intention of preserving the new main timeline that he literally 'died' to create and protect (and considering that they technically exist outside of the timeline, who is to say this isn't all part of Commission Founder Five's master plan anyway? hell, given that the Commission resides in the year 1955, he can go play guitar with Marty McFly and bitch about the perils of time travel while he's there)

- it would also solve the awkward elephant in the room; the fact that as of s4 he looks 18 but is actually in his 60s. he can erase himself from the main timeline, putting himself back into his old man body, and retire in peace knowing he's successfully saved his family and given them a future by also saving the world

- it's so deliciously tragic

Ben:

- oh god okay here we go

- i adore Ben and don't really want him to die, but i'd be lying if i said that his death wouldn't be incredibly satisfying, in the way only a true tragedy can be

- we all know this season is going to be focused on him and how he is going to be the one to cause the apocalypse this time, so it ending with him would make sense

- Blackman (the showrunner) has also said that he "wanted to come full circle with the family relationship". what is the FIRST thing we know about Ben? he's dead

- for the first two seasons, he haunts the narrative in a literal sense by being a ghost that only Klaus can see and so still sort of interacting with things, but considering we don't yet know what the Jennifer Incident is and how it actually affected the Umbrellas moving forwards, it could turn out that he has also been actually haunting the narrative - he's dead but so much has been driven by the nature of his death

- i also just really love the idea that the first thing we learn about Ben is that he's dead, and that also ends up being the last thing we learn about him

- taking it a step further, given that the Ben in the recap was definitely Sparrow Ben, it would be disgustingly, delightfully tragic for the final fate of Sparrow Ben to be the same as that of Umbrella Ben - that nothing any of them did actually mattered, because in the end, Ben was always going to die (can you tell i like a good tragedy)

- also, going far too deep into it (to the point that this isn't so much evidence that Ben is the most likely to die, but just a nice little tie in), parts of Ben's arc very much tie into the narrative of The Black Parade. you know, the MCR album that the song they used in the official trailer came from. The Black Parade, as an album, opens with a funeral song (just like the show opened with a funeral) and then continues to go over The Patient's life after death, the experiences from the afterlife, and even reflecting back on his life. quite fitting for Ben, in a way

- ANYWAY! Sparrow Ben also spent a good chunk of his time in s3 desperately wanting to be part of the Umbrellas, but having no idea how to go about it. the thought of him sharing the fate of Umbrella Ben and therefore becoming just like him, becoming Umbrella Ben? poetic

- there is also my sort-of half-theory, that the reason Ben is being overloaded with the Marigold is that he's actually somehow channeling both versions of Ben, so has twice the amount he should have, thereby destabilising him in some way, and one of the Bens needs to die. but, that doesn't really tie into Jennifer in any way, because that wouldn't have happened in the original/main timeline

- Ben is also the only character to have actually existed as multiple versions of himself in the two timelines - again, it is a perfect tragedy for him to die in both of them. maybe this time they save him from the Jennifer Incident, only for him to choose to sacrifice himself to save them all. ergo, it didn't matter, it didn't matter, he was always going to die

- i really like a well executed tragedy, okay? i also feel like it's one of the few satisfying ways to successfully kill off a character. still hurts like a bitch, but at least it was worth something

~

okay well, this got sufficiently away from me! kudos to you if you read the whole way through, and i do not blame you in the slightest if you skipped through lmao i also probably missed a few things, and maybe got a few things wrong so uh, whoops on that

tl;dr: probably won't die: Diego, Lila unlikely to die, but possible: Allison, Viktor wouldn't surprise me if they died: Klaus, Luther probably won't die, but might end up erased from the main timeline: Five most likely to die (and would be beautifully tragic): Ben

again again - purely my opinion!! and also what i'd like to see, based on what i personally feel can make a good narrative!

good luck for the 8th brellies <3

[live-laugh-legolas]

Allô!

For your Fellowship requests thingy, may I, pretty please, ask you to consider, the Fellowship's favourite individual clothing items? Sort of like what colour it is, and like whether it's their favourite because it's dramatic af or 'cuz it's really comfy or very sentimental or something? I hope this makes sense! 🙃

Btw, your headcanons are the best things ever, I love when I find a new post of yours on my dash! Makes me smile every time! 😊💙

Thank you so much! You’re too sweet :)

Their favorite article of clothing

Aragorn:

-I mean my first thought was obviously Arwen’s necklace but that feels like a cheat answer

-He definitely isn’t someone to easily get attached to material objects

-Life as a ranger doesn’t really allow for that

-However I could see him maybe being a bit attached to an old cloak

-He has newer ones but he keeps returning to the “old reliable” that isn’t very reliable because it is only patches at this point

-Maybe it was a gift from his Mother

-It is a bit short on him as well (let’s not forget he is canonically 6’6”)

-So now it’s more of a “blankie” than something he actually wears

Legolas:

-He is very particular about his shoes

-They have to be light and so he can feel the ground through them

-More like socks with a thin sole and maybe some ankle support if he’s feeling fruity

-He won’t wear anything that is constricting

-In general he is picky about how his clothes feel

-Some materials just give him the ick

-Once as a kid his father made him wear a formal outfit that was too itchy and he straight up stripped in front of guests; and he doesn’t regret it, he would do it again

-He doesn’t care much how his clothes look though; he bases his choice on feel and mobility

-He’s so pretty he could literally wear garbage and still look stunning

-In general he prefers his clothes to be simple and practical

Gimli:

-Armor

-Specifically his shoulder pads

-You might think they have some sort of sentimental value to them

-But really he just likes how they look

-They broaden his already broad shoulders which makes him feel very attractive

-Probably has some jewelry that was gifted to him that he is very proud of

Boromir:

-He absolutely has a silk robe at home

-I imagine it being a pale blue

-I would say silk pjs but he gets too hot while sleeping to wear them

-So a robe is perfect

-Especially after a bath; silk robe and comfy slippers

-Has worn it out and given a few innocent bystanders a bit of an eyeful

-Faramir often has to tell him to get dressed; he’s creating a poor image for himself and he scared a maid

Frodo:

-This hobbit has like 3 outfits he wears

-Not that he doesn’t have other clothes

-He has a whole dresser full; but he just wears the same thing basically everyday

-And the variations he does are just in color; he bought the same thing in every color

-He doesn’t have to think about what he is going to wear; he already knows; he wore it yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that

-Has a handmade scarf from Bilbo trying to teach him to knit

-Does Bilbo knit? Not really, but he gets the gist of it

Sam:

-He has one really nice vest he got as a hand me down from his old gaffar

-And he only wears it for really special occasions

-Very careful with it; nothing will spill on it

-Takes it off immediately when he gets home so he is wearing it for as little time as possible so it doesn’t get worn out (and so he doesn’t feel like he needs to wash it)

-Washing it could ruin it and it wouldn’t smell right

-And that’s a risk he won’t take

Merry:

-I could totally see Merry being a hat guy

-Not like normal caps or anything

-But if anyone has seen Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium there is a boy in the film who collects unique hats

-He doesn’t wear them all but he is very proud of his collection

-He has a themed hat for every occasion

-Very fond of his flowery sunhat; it’s practical and cute

Pippin:

-Ok, hear me out

-He is very serious about his underwear

-Definitely has a “lucky pair”

-Don’t knock it; everyone has a favorite pair

-He claims it “holds everything like a nice hug”

-Not shy about it either; will go into specifics about why a pair is super horrible

-“There is a seam that goes right on up there. And it’s awful! I can’t be going all day fishing around my-“ “alright we get it Pip”

Gandalf:

-I’m pretty sure this man has one set of clothes and they are very shabby

-Like I’m sorry but his robes definitely have a strong scent; not necessarily bad, but certainly earthy and like an attic

-How they have lasted so long no one knows; probably some magic or something

-He does have a pair of gloves Bilbo made as a gift that he treasures

-Are they lopsided? Yes

-Do they have some holes from missing a stitch? Also yes

-Does he care? Absolutely not

———————————————————————

I lost my favorite sweatshirt while on vacation recently and I definitely had a mental breakdown… I still grieve for it months later

[kingkatsuki]

I DONT/HAVENT WATCHED LOVE ISLAND SO THIS IS JUST BASED ON SIMILAR SHOWS but this is love island/no quirk AU

But maybe the producer keep pushing bakugou and you apart with challenges and rigged votes for drama and to make you two both fool around with other people, but both you and bakugou start shutting down interest in any other people.

Then the public get bored and vote bakugou off, leaving you in the house. Bakugou does one or two interviews about the experience but is vague in his interest in you, just saying he wishes you the best and yeah he thought the two of you had chemistry in the villa.

Cut to a week or two later when you get voted out and the paparazzi are ready to watch you get off the plane home, only to be surprised when you stop in shock at something a couple meters in front of you before leaving your bag behind as you run into a man’s arms. Photographers are already clicking away as you jump up, swinging your arms around the mystery man’s neck, and they catch the moment that your movement makes his hat fall off, pictures capturing the moment bakugou’s hat flies off onto the ground and his blonde hair is revealed. They especially get the moment you rip off his face mask, it falling to the ground, and reveal his bright smile, mirroring yours before you both lean in for a desperate kiss. They continue taking pictures until after bakugou has put you back down and gone back to get your bag before taking your hand and walking you out of the airport.

10+ years later there’s an article like You Won’t Believe What These Love Island Contestants Are Doing Now! and no one is still together. Some are married to other people, some are doing normal jobs, some are still trying to stay in the limelight. And then there’s Bakugou and you, saved till last on the list. The article has put a beautiful picture from your wedding, followed by a smiling picture of the 4 of you, you 2 and your 2 kids, maybe even a picture of you two smiling sweetly down at one of your pregnancy bumps. You two are the only ones still together, only posting occasionally to a shared public account to fans who still think of you two after all these years, but every picture shares the same loving energy, your smiles, even bakugou’s crooked ones, beaming through the pictures

When a new girl comes in to the villa you already know what’s going to happen, your eyes meet Bakugou’s across the garden and you can just tell he’s thinking the exact same thing.

A recoupling.

You’re not worried about Bakugou, why would you be? Prettier girls than you have come into the villa and had their sights set on him, but he’s proved time and time again that he’s loyal to you and you alone. Coming back from Casa Amor without anyone else hanging off his arm solidified the fact that there’s no one else for you in this show. If he goes home, you’d walk out too— because he’s it for you.

Of course Bakugou feels the exact same way. When he sees this new pretty blonde practically skipping into the villa with her heels clicking against the hardwood floor he knows it’s supposed to be another test, a challenge sent in to split up the “power couple”. And he almost feels sorry for her, really. Knowing that most women would kill to make it to the final and have a chance at winning the prize money, and maybe find love at the same time. But this new girl? She probably won’t even last the week.

“You okay?” Bakugou bumps his knee against yours as you sit on one of the sofas away from everyone else.

“M’fine.” You smile back, taking a sip from your glass.

You can already see her making eyes at Bakugou from where she is talking to Denki, his arms waving animatedly as he almost sloshes his drink all over the short sparkly dress she’s wearing. He’s grafting, but she’s clearly not paying attention as you watch her begin to make her way across the grass towards you.

“She’s gonna pull you,” You smile into your glass as he lays a large palm on your thigh to squeeze it reassuringly.

“I hate that fuckin’ rule,” He mutters beneath his breath, hoping the mics won’t pick up on it.

It’s a rule that you have to go for a chat no matter who asks, even if you don’t want to. Yet another way for them to stir up drama and make good television you supposed, although it seemed more like a waste of time for everyone. Especially when Bakugou wasn’t interested.

“Hey, Bakugou,” She smiles directly at him, as if you’re not even sitting beside him, “Can I pull you for a quick chat?”

“Sure,” He nods, but you feel his fingers tighten against your thigh as he exhales softly.

“I’ll go, you can sit here.” You smile back, offering to get up to give them both the space as you make your leave.

Turning towards you as he reaches up to place a palm behind your neck, his thumb brushing your jawline as he pulls you into a sultry kiss. The poor girl still standing there silently as his tongue swipes against your flavoured lip gloss, collecting it against his own lips as he pulls away with a grin.

“I’ll be there in a sec.” He breathes before letting you go, his eyes focused on the sway of your ass as you walk towards the rest of the group.

You both called it, that same night there’s a recoupling. And of course the new girl gets to pick first.

There are gasps all around as she practically sings Bakugou’s name, explaining her choice came down to the time she’d spent with people inside the villa (even though Denki had been practically attached to her hip), and the connection she “felt” she had with him.

Bakugou almost doesn’t walk towards her as he stands in shock, Kirishima’s hand pressing him forward by the small of his back is what it takes for him to go and sit beside her.

You end up paired with Denki, a friendship couple used to ensure you don’t end up going home tonight. A close call when so far everyone else is in a couple already. Bakugou could practically kiss Denki himself for saving you as he bounds over to you when the recoupling is over. Cupping your face and asking if you’re okay.

It’s a shock when it comes down to a public vote for the most popular couples a few days later and you’re voted in the top with Denki, even though you’re in a friendship couple. And it’s even more of a shock when Bakugou and the new girl are voted in the bottom. Your heart thudding against your ribcage as you wait to find out who’s going home, and it ends up being Bakugou—

You can’t believe it, the tears stream down your face as you deadpan that you’re going home too. What’s the point in staying when he’s not here? But Bakugou doesn’t let you quit, not when it could be the summer of your lifetime, and you could win the prize money. You’re bawling that there’s no one else in here for you, and you don’t even want to try if he’s not here. But he convinces you to stay.

But it’s not the same without him, barely a week passes before there’s another recoupling and you end up alone. The guys that had been sent in nothing compared to Bakugou, so why would you even try? You should’ve just left with him that day, because your heart wasn’t in it.

And now you’d probably messed up your one chance at love, because there was no way Bakugou would be watching you trying to crack on with other guys while he’s back at home alone.

So imagine your surprise when you step off the plane into an almost deserted airport after flying in during the early hours of the morning, to see Bakugou standing there waiting for you. The few paparazzi that are there snapping away as they capture the kiss— he doesn’t even want to let go of you, burying his face in your neck as he breathes you in.

“I fuckin’ missed you, woman.”

“It’s your fault,” You tease, “You made me stay in there.”

“Ain’t never lettin’ you go again.”

It’s the way he takes your bag in one hand as he wraps his arm around you, shielding you from the flashing cameras as he takes you out of the airport. And every news station is trying to be the first to get an interview with you both when you’re out of the villa, excited to see that you’re still together and it wasn’t just for show. The internet is going insane because Bakugou should’ve never been voted out in the first place, and there are so many cute screenshots and memes of you both from the villa.

And then you’re still together 10+ down the line, and Bakugou still can’t believe he found the love of his life in a trashy dating show that he didn’t even want to go on.

[girl4music]

I’ve had enough of people referring to ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ as queerbaiting and claiming that the creators of the show were committing it so I’ve gone on an extensive Google search and pulled up this AftenEllen article written all the way back in 2008 and I’m transcribing the full thing right here because if people don’t want to voluntarily do their research when they make their insulting claims then I’ll provide the source for them and force them to read it because I refuse to allow them to disrespect the creators/cast/crew like this in making their completely off-base assumptions about a TV show that I’ve been watching since I was 5 years old.

This is an interview with the creators/cast/crew of ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ where they express their opinion on what they think would happen with the lesbian subtext between Xena and Gabrielle if the show was made for today. It’s why many of us don’t want a remake or reboot or revival of it of any kind.

Do not ever come for ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ and the incredible people that either made the show or were involved in the making of it around me. You have absolutely no chance in winning the argument!

[Viewers never had to look too hard to find the lesbian subtext in Xena: Warrior Princess, but that’s still what it was: subtext. And while lesbian fans in the 1990s might not have had any choice but to settle for that, would things be different if the show were being made – or remade – today? When I attended the Xena convention in Burbank, Calif., at the end of January, I asked the show’s creators, producers, writers and stars if the world is ready for an openly lesbian relationship between Xena and Gabrielle.

“To me it was main text,” said Renee O’Connor, who played Gabrielle, in an exclusive interview with AfterEllen.com. “And even if it was subtext, it was very clear that we were together. They are so in love with each other, they love each other so dearly; there’s no way you can say that’s not true. Anyone can see that from watching the show.”

I asked her if she thought that relationship could be openly acknowledged if the series were being made today. “I don’t know,” O’Connor answered. “Maybe there’s a little bit more hint of acceptance today. Maybe, maybe not. You can only put it up and see what would happen. I guess we could do anything, just get it out there and see how it affects people.”

In a lot of ways, Xena flew under the radar during the ’90s. Viewers who didn’t perceive (or didn’t like) the lesbian subtext could see it simply as a story about heroic friends righting wrongs and battling villians. If the show were being produced in today’s post—L Word television landscape, it’s hard to believe that audiences would be quite as oblivious.

But O’Connor doesn’t think that a more overt presentation of Xena and Gabrielle’s relationship would have changed the moral heart of the series. That’s because she sees those two things – the love between Xena and Gabrielle and the series’ focus on the fight against evil – as inextricably combined.

“If we were just starting Xena right now, I know what the relationship of the two characters is,” O’Connor said. “So even though we wouldn’t blatantly talk about all the issues involved, because I don’t think that’s what the show is about, it’s still about defeating oppressors and wanting to do the right thing for the world. And that comes down to these people and how they love each other.”

Lucy Lawless, who played Xena, isn’t sure how acknowledging a romantic relationship between the two women would affect the show’s reception if it were being made today, but it could have changed the way audiences perceived it in the past.

“There might have been more general discussion about whether the characters were lesbian or not out in the mainstream,” Lawless said. “In the 1990s, when this was all new, people like Ellen [DeGeneres] and k.d. lang and all these people who are out were blazing a trail. And you might hope that it’d be done long ago. But in a lot of the world, it’s still incredibly painful to come out, even today.”

Then she laughed. “But let’s have a go. Let’s do it. Why don’t we make a Xena movie? Just tell a bloody good story and let the fires and torpedoes be damned.”

A Xena movie doesn’t seem any more likely today than it did a year ago, but I asked Lawless if she thought the sexual relationship between Xena and Gabrielle might be brought more into the forefront if a movie were made.

“I think that’s a good question for Rob,” she said, referring to Rob Tapert, the series’ co-creator and her husband. “I know he’s been thinking about this for a long time, mulling it over in the back of his mind. He’s got a great feeling of where the world’s at and what he can make that’s progressive and gutsy and still have it be financially successful.”

Backstage at the convention, Tapert considered the possibility of a more openly queer Xena and Gabrielle. “It’s a tricky question,” he said, “because if Xena were being made today, well, there’s two different Xenas. There is the one [in which] people could read between the lines, and that played to one audience.

“Then there’s one that played to kids, or that played to 9—17-year-olds. And they didn’t understand the subtext, nor did they get it. So like the finest of Disney films, that plays to all audiences; that was a balance we tried to find. Making it today, I don’t know what would happen.”

He called series co-creator, producer and writer R.J. Stewart over to ask his opinion. “Could there be more commitment to the subtext?” Stewart said. “Well, I think if it was a cable show, absolutely. But if it was the same kind of broader market, I think you have to be more inclusive. But yes, absolutely, I think that a cable version of it could work that way.”

What if a film were made today, based on the series? That would be a different proposition, Stewart said. “When you make a movie you always try to stay pretty close to the original in feeling.” Then he laughed. “Now, if you could just get Oxygen to order some episodes …”

However much fans might wish for another season of their favorite show, not even out lesbian Xena producer and writer Liz Friedman (pictured left, and currently a producer on Fox’s House) thinks it would come back as an ancient Greek action-adventure version of The L Word.

“As much as I would love to see it – and I’m speaking as somebody who watches The L Word obsessively – there was something really wonderful and romantic about the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle,” she told AfterEllen.com. “And I think it’s actually easier to have romance without sex. You don’t then get into issues about ‘Will this relationship last?’ There was never – well, until they started killing each other’s children – the question of a breakup.”

I asked if she thought that times had changed enough that a series could now be made with two legendary female heroes shown unambiguously as romantic partners.

“If you look at the lesbian relationships that are on TV now, it’s either niche-market stuff like The L Word, or it’s Cashmere Mafia that gets you all excited because there’s a kiss in the pilot, and then by Episode 3 she’s hitting on boys again,” Friedman said. “Certainly in a single-lead action show we’re not ready for an openly gay heroine yet. Well, I think we’re ready for it. I don’t think the networks are going to let us do it.”

Then she laughed. “Look, obviously I’m biased. I loved the show the way it was, so it’s like, don’t talk about messing with my Xena. It worked pretty well, thanks very much. … If I were doing the Xena movie I would try to get there to be a kiss, but there are plenty of ways that you can do that without changing what the relationship is.”

That raises the question of just how much would have to change in order to bring the subtext into the forefront.

It’s undeniable that there are some scenes – and even whole episodes – where it’s hard to make sense of what happens without believing that Xena and Gabrielle are at least a little bit more than friends. Most of the time, these moments occur in the more humorous episodes, but as series writer Steven Sears told AfterEllen.com, “We didn’t cross the line completely but … these are two women who live together, travel together, had domestic duties together, die for each other, fought for each other, continually say how much they loved each other, but no. They’re not in a loving relationship.”

Steven Sears talking with Christie Keith

He shook his head. “Excuse me?”

Writer Katherine Fugate (currently executive producer of Army Wives) sees it much the same way. She is the author of “When Fates Collide,” widely considered one of the most subtext-friendly – and romantic – episodes in the entire series.

Katherine Fugate

Set in an alternate universe where Xena’s old enemy, Julius Caesar, has imprisoned the Fates and used their loom to undo the events that led up to his assassination, “When Fates Collide” is about the inevitability of both destiny and love.

In Caesar’s new reality, Xena is his empress. A famous Greek playwright named Gabrielle comes to present her latest work to the Romans, and in the greatest romantic tradition, she and Xena are struck with what can only be called love at first sight.

They gaze at each other across crowded rooms. Xena casts tortured glances at Gabrielle when she is called away by her husband. They stare longingly at each other from their balconies in the moonlight. Xena gives her life to save Gabrielle, and Gabrielle risks destroying the entire world to save Xena’s.

Caesar calls Gabrielle Xena’s “girlfriend,” and his violent jealousy would make absolutely no sense if Xena and Gabrielle weren’t being depicted as lovers.

And, in fact, that’s just how they were being depicted. Fugate appeared at this year’s convention and spoke with AfterEllen.com backstage. “The paradigm in my episode was that they find each other in any lifetime and they were meant to be, no matter what body they were in or what gender they were,” she said. “These souls were entwined somehow. And that, to me, almost has more a spiritual connotation than a sexual one, although I personally believe that they were lovers and had a committed relationship.”

She added: “I think we touched people, and it was multifaceted with all the spiritual components as well as the love. But the love was so intense, and ‘We’ll find each other in any lifetime,’ I think, is profound. I don’t know many shows that say that, period, heterosexual or homosexual.”

Given that, it’s surprising there wasn’t a kiss in the episode, something that had been played with both teasingly and tenderly (if briefly) in earlier episodes.

“There was a kiss written in which was more definitive, and it’s in the script that they sell here [at the convention],” said Fugate. “So my intention was actually to push that envelope, and I was really supported by Rob and R.J. and everyone. But ultimately they pulled it, because they wanted to maintain it for the finale.”

The finale is, of course, a sore spot for Xena fans; mention of it during R.J. Stewart’s appearance triggered the only boos of the convention weekend. He took them in stride, defending his decision to kill Xena at the series’ end, but there’s no question it took the shine off the climactic kiss the two women shared in “A Friend in Need.”

Fugate, who announced at the convention that Renee O’Connor will play a lesbian on Army Wives later this year, is optimistic about the possibility that a show about two female heroes who are openly lovers could be made today.

“This may sound like a writer’s answer, but I think anything works if it’s well-written,” she said. “If you have respect for the subject and if you can find a universal theme, anything will work.”

She said she feels that doing that would be easier today than it was in the ’90s. “We probably couldn’t push the envelope as much then as we could now,” she said.

“The subtext issue gets asked a lot; I think everyone here has been asked about it. And I think that’s because it obviously touches people, and we had an opportunity to dignify these relationships. And everyone felt it did that. I think both the lead actors have come forward and said this is how they view their characters and how they played them. We did what we could.”

If they did what they could in the ’90s, what could they do now? Sears said he’s thought a lot about that question, and he’s not optimistic. “As far as the marketing mind is concerned and the studios,” he explained, “if a movie came out they would play with it, they would toy with it, they would try to appeal to the male heterosexual audience, because in their minds that’s who’s attracted to these kinds of films, these action films. They don’t want to turn those people off.”

Then Sears pointed out the dark side of main text. “The horrible thing that might be done is that they would then say, let’s go completely commercial with this thing,” he said. “They would have the characters kiss, have the characters imply that they had a sexual encounter, and then have them realize, well, that was just an experiment. Now let’s go back to men. That’s the worst possible thing that could happen. But it’s also one of the most possible things that marketing could do.”

In light of those fears, a dozen intimate moments in the hot tub, soulful glances and fireside nights spent in each other’s arms don’t seem so bad. And neither do Renee O’Connor’s final thoughts on how Xena might best be made today.

“I always wanted people to look at it as unconditional love,” she said, “especially people from the conservative side who didn’t want to see anything like that. Just watch the show, and see what you want to see. I still think that today that would be the best way to put the series on.”]

SOURCE: https://afterellen.com/bringing-out-the-warrior-princess/

[self-dx-culture-is]

Welcome Post

This blog is inclusive of everyone who has a self-dx! All submissions should start with "Self dx/diagnosed culture is" (or a more specific version, such as "self dx autistic culture is").

I will ignore any posts asking me to diagnose them (as I'm not qualified), and I request that no one ask for help in self-diagnosis either. If I can find reliable resources, I will link them below, under the cut.

Feel free to vent, but let me now so I can tag it appropriately. If you would like, you may also request that reblogs and/or comments be turned off for that post.

Anons are welcome!

EDIT:

Since we've been getting some lately, I wanted to state that while I have nothing against sending people financial aid, that is not the purpose of this blog and we personally are uncomfortable sending money over the internet due to paranoia. If we start getting too many, we probably will start deleting them as it's somewhat stressful to even post them for others to see the request. This is not directed at anyone and is just a general statement so everyone is aware.

---

Claimed Anons may be found here(link)!

My Extensive DNI (/sarc)

NSFW content and blog followers (this makes us very uncomfortable)

If you come here just to spread hate or fakeclaiming, including anyone who uses "narc/histrionic/antisocial/borderline abuse" or uses "[all Cluster B terms]", "delusional", "insane", etc. as insults or otherwise misuses them.

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About the Blog Owner:

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(If you want your link removed let me know!)

Resources:

DSM-5.pdf - Google Drive(link)

(Plurality:)

https://morethanone.info/(link)

What Is Plurality? – Plurality Resource(link)

powertotheplurals.com | Resource & articles for everymany - Dissociative identity disorder and other forms of plurality.(link)

More will be added as found! Feel free to suggest resources you've found helpful yourself!

[anendoandfriendo]

We could've sworn we made an actual post about it but if you say "everything can be an addiction," but then go "lol no, sex addiction doesn't exist" we hate to tell you that...you're not saying "everything can be an addiction" and like, you can give us all of the papers you want about it being otherwise but, like, those are also contradictory because hypersexuality exists. By all accounts, what it looks like to us is it's the same idea under a different paint.

So, like, maybe we stop moralizing sex as an inherently a good thing instead? We aren't saying to swing the other way and act like it's inherently bad (that would be a terrible idea) but we see so many people who say they're "sex positive" and then become sex negative when the sex is nonexistent.

And we think the dismissal of hypersexuality/sex addiction/whatever you would like to call it as a serious thing is possibly also a symptom of that, as contradictory as that sounds.

If we simply stop universalizing it as a necessity for every single human out there and that "if you have too much of it you're bad" and "if you have too little of it you're bad" can stop being undercurrents within the environment, please, maybe we can have more nuanced discussions over it instead of pretending everything anyone ever said about universalizing sex as a moral whatever is reactionary.

WDK what else to say here. We could be entirely off base about the hypersexuality thing but like. We'll look it up and literally every single article we pull up, just doing a precursory search, says about the same thing. Hell, THE PUBMED ONE LITERALLY SUGGESTS RESEARCHING IT TO FIGURE OUT IF IT IS SIMILAR TO GACHA ADDICTIONS.

Maybe, just MAYBE, if we're seeing people ID themselves as hypersexual the idea we are presenting has a bit more credence than most leftists are willing to admit? Maybe y'all are just as reactionary as the people you want to fight against, for that matter.

[p-redux]

Weekly Summary October 20, 2023

Hi peeps, lots of stuff happened this week, so I'm going to do my weekly summary instead of individual posts or answering individual Asks. This is a LONG one, so grab a drink, and dive right in for: Ringgate, Sam and the City, and Sam and open letter and follow up statement. Also, starting tomorrow, I'll be off for the weekend, my man surprised me with a trip away to the beach before the weather starts to cool down.

Anyhooo, let's start off with something light. #ringgate. For different reasons some fans get verklempt when Sam wears jewelry, and panties definitely get twisted or wet, depending on who you are, when Sam dons RINGS. Sam wore the 2 rings he's been wearing lately during his appearance on Jimmy Fallon a few days ago. Sidenote: Samshine is EXTRA Samshiny is in this pic. Say what you want about him, but the man is BEAUTIFUL 👇

So, of course, Extreme Shippers are convinced Sam is "finally" wearing his wedding rings because he's married to Cait. Um, one small problem, Caitriona Mary Balfe is already married to Tony McGill. Some Non-Shippers get excited to see him wear rings because maybe it makes them think of when Sam WILL get married. There is something about a man wearing rings. I find it sexy as well. But, alas, these rings are on the right hand and Scottish people wear wedding rings on the left hand. Also, Sam's definitely NOT married to anyone since we've seen him linked to several women lately.

For the people who had doubts the copper looking ring is an Oura ring, it definitely is. Here is what the two rings most likely are. The silver one I'm told by some of the Team is 👇

And here is the Oura ring he's wearing, most likely in Rose Gold. It's basically a ring with a computer in it to keep track of physical stuff, the way a fitbit or Apple watch does. Seems EXACTLY like something Sam would wear 👇 So, let's put #ringgate to rest now, please.

On to WHERE in New York had Sam been hiding. Everyone thought he had left and that his recent appearance on Jimmy Fallon had been taped earlier, until we saw THIS fan pic with him. 👇

My New York sources said he had not been seen at his usual hotel The Crosby. I'm putting out the name now just because EVERYONE knows that's where he stays in New York. He used to stay at The Bowery Hotel, but the last few years it's been The Crosby. None of the usual pic and autograph hounds got pics with him, so we assumed he wasn't staying there. All those hounds have contacts at the different hotels and restaurants frequented by celebs, so they would have been alerted to Sam staying there. Soooooo, if he wasn't at The Crosby, BUT he was in New York, THEN the possibilities are. He's aware too many fans know he stays at The Crosby, so he's switched hotels. Or he decided to rent an Airbnb instead. Or he stayed with friends. Or he does have a lady friend in New York, like some think, and he stayed with her. Who knows...but I'm sure we will find out...

Onto more serious matters. I'll preface this by saying I have made it a policy on my blog to NOT talk about anything political and to also not talk about any world events happening, which are upsetting. This blog is my escape from real life. So, I want to continue on that path. But I'm making an exception this time because based on the DMs an Anon Asks I'm getting there is some confusion as to why Sam posted this message on his social media. I just want to give people some clarity on it. And them move on. So, Sam posted this. 👇

It was in response to Sam and other mostly UK celebrities signing an open letter asking Israel to cease fire on Gaza, and explicitly claiming Pro-Palestine sentiments. If you click below, you will find an article on it and then keep scrolling down and you can read the actual letter. That's the letter Sam signed. A few days later, he clarified his feelings and regretted signing it because it doesn't represent fully what he meant. 👇

Here's the thing the history of Israel/Palestine is LONG and COMPLICATED. And most people haven't done enough research to know it fully. Most people go by sound bytes they see as they scroll social media. Or they give in to confirmation bias based on their political party, nationality, ethnicity, religion, affiliations etc.

I'm not going to get into the specifics because all of the information is easily accessible if anyone TAKES THE TIME TO RESEARCH AND READ THE HISTORY, both of Israel and Palestine...with an OPEN MIND.

The reason Sam got himself in trouble with signing the open letter and then the subsequent damage control message is that he didn't take the time to do his research. In extremely simplistic terms: Most of the UK, and in fact, most of Europe has traditionally been Pro-Palestine (except for European Jews, of course). The U.S. has traditionally been Pro-Israel and are allies. Up until recently that is. Due to the divisiveness in the US since the Trump era, Conservatives (Republicans) in the country became even more Pro-Israel, which then meant Liberals (Democrats) had to be the opposite. The rhetoric that Israel was the oppressor and Palestine was the oppressed grew louder. You had to pick one or the other. You couldn't take a step back and look at the history of the Jews being oppressed pretty much since Moses kept trying to get back to The Promised Land aka modern day Israel and Palestine. Or the Palestinians also being oppressed and their lands shrinking year by year.

The Jews have always been fucked over throughout history. And the Palestinians have always been fucked over, but especially since 1948 when modern day Israel was created. So, then, TERROR GROUP, Hamas decides, we're gonna fuck you over, Israel, REALLY BADLY, and engaged in some of the worst atrocities in recent times. No matter what anyone's beliefs are, when you saw what Hamas did (I'm not going to write the details because it's a horror show we all already know about) EVERYONE in the world should have said "Not today, Satan, not today," and DENOUNCED their savagery.

Hamas is NOT the Palestinian people, Hamas' ONLY goal is to terrorize and destroy. First the Jews, then their allies. Look up in the sky if you're in the US, one day a missile will be coming your way if they aren't stopped. After Hamas committed their savagery, Israel, understandably attacked back. They defended themselves from TERRORISTS trying to literally annihilate them. That was NOT the time to chant Free Palestine or write Free Palestine open letters. Just like after the murder of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement came to the forefront in the US, but you had people countering "All Lives Matter!" Yes, all lives matter, but RIGHT NOW we're focusing on Black Lives, ya dopes. Breast Cancer awareness month. But what about Lung Cancer, Colon Cancer, they're important too?! Yes, but JFC, FOCUS people. Should Palestine be free from Israeli occupation, should they have more land? OF COURSE. But when the world SAW what Hamas did to HUMAN BEINGS, regardless of nationality or religion, the ONLY thing that should have been chanted is "DESTROY HAMAS." Hamas fucked things up for Palestinians, not just Israelis. And because of Hamas' actions, now Palestine is getting destroyed by Israel. And then Hamas will counter attack. And it will go on and on. There should be NO sides. There should only be ONE side, the HUMAN side.

So, when celebs seemingly "pick" a side, especially without considering the repercussions, they will get pushback. I love Sam and he's a good man, but he missed the mark on this one. Not through malice, but rather, naivete and ignorance. By cosigning that letter he didn't realize he wasn't simply signing a Pro-Palestine letter, he was simultaneously signing an Anti-Israel letter, Anti-Jews letter. And the reality is he alienated his Jewish fans, his more US conservative fans, his more centrist fans, assorted other fans...and I'm just going to state facts...he forgot WHO runs Hollywood, has always run Hollywood, and will always run Hollywood, including people who run Starz, as well as WHO are some of his agents, and publicists, hence the "better late than never" damage control quasi apology.

If you're wondering about MY stance: I feel badly for the Palestinian people and I feel badly for the Israeli people. There, that wasn't so hard to say, right? You CAN be Pro-Palestine AND Pro-Israel aka Pro-Humans. In the end, ALL HUMANS want the SAME basic things: food, clean water, shelter, safety and peace for their loved ones. To pick sides is to say that one set of people is more important than the other. And that can't be true. It isn't true. I pick the Human Side. Simple as that.

*big long sigh* Okay, peeps, you can leave comments, but I'm not going to answer them because I'm TIRED now. Also any hate comments, antiSemitic or antiPalestineMuslim comments and they will be deleted, and you will be blocked.

I'll check in later today. And then I'll be off until Sunday evening. Of course, still feel free to DM me and send Asks. I'll answer when I can.

Peace, people, PEACE.

[anonil88]

Imma only say this here but its kinda interesting seeing the uswnt and fans go insane over this divorce. But maybe its cause US womens soccer's fanbase is very white but I have always felt really uncomfortable with how those two adopted two black babies without being involved in the black community at all or showing support in more than a "black square on ig" way beforehand. Its just something thats never not gonna be a concern for me as a black person knowing that soccer is a very white space in the US both on and off the field but definitely as you rise in the ranks of acclaim. Also ashlyn has been in her extravagant hey mommas era for a minute with those grillz. They also got two kids so quickly and it kinda seemed very these children are "solidifying our marriage" based on their posts, which isn't a great way to do things. Esp since Ashlyn was in her where is my purpose in this sport and now I'm injured so who am ias a person without this to then jump to oh we have kids. Which for anyone can be a lot but if you have a history with some struggles its rougher. (I do wish she'd gone the esport and in-game fifa commentator route.)

Anyways relationships are just as messy as people and sometimes they end in flames. Other times they end amicably and still the divorce is not pretty at all because the grief is painful. Sometimes people do fall in love with other people or dynamics change that mean a relationship no longer works and it cannot always be fixed. As a fan of them both I'm wishing everyone the best and hoping those kids grow up with several loving parents. Because that's the important thing is that they know their parents love them and always will even when they one day find an article online about their momma being a ho and their other momma in her revenge era.

But hey just my thoughts.

[qqueenofhades]

I keep thinking about the ask you answered a little while ago about people wanting a leftist version of Trump is so scarily true it's unsettling. People keep demanding he "do something" about abortion and gun violence but when anyone is like.... he can't, he doesn't have the votes to, they're like "he's the President he said he would do something why hasn't he done something" and it's like ???? what part of this are you not understanding if he doesn't have the votes he doesn't have the votes. Do they want like an EO or something? I'm just not sure what they expect him to do.

And it's also so fucking annoying to see them go after the Dems at every turn while letting the Republicans off the hook completely and not expecting shit from them. You may just want Biden to write them all off and govern like the GOP doesn't exist but he can't.....exactly do that. That's not how our system works. I wonder if they're just sorely misinformed from how rife Twitter is with complete bullshit or if they understand reality but are just saying this stuff for the outrage clicks.

Honestly, as I've said before, I'm not sure? I think it's a combination of willful ignorance and a desire not to learn anything, ever, that might challenge their deeply felt moral superiority. Just the other day, I had someone in my notes who, while otherwise agreeing with most of what I was saying, also insisted that Biden was "anti-trans." And like. The president who, while VP, famously came out for LGBTQ marriage before his boss, who specifically highlighted the violence suffered by trans women of color in his campaign platform, got the Violence Against Women Act reauthorized and passed with strong new protections especially for trans and gnc/queer victims, has issued statements on Transgender Day of Remembrance, made sure to repeatedly insist to trans Americans that they belong and their lives are valid, etc. etc., is definitely anti-trans, dontcha know?

However, I happen to know that recently, the Washington Post wrote a bad and misleading article about the Biden administration supposedly joining Republican state AGs to prevent trans girls from playing in women's sports. It was picked up by a big liberal account on Twitter and amplified as "a betrayal of everything the Biden administration has stood for since day 1" (which, you'll notice, implicitly agrees that the Biden administration HAS strongly supported trans rights). Then a few days later, the account holder actually read the policy, agreed that it wasn't what was being proposed and the WaPo had done a hatchet job on reporting it, and admitted that no, the Biden administration actually hadn't done a 180 on supporting trans rights. But if all you have is one Twitter account incorrectly reporting on a bad and misleading WaPo article, which is like... layers on layers of deliberately distorted and extremely out-of-context information, and you use that to decide that BIDEN IS ANTI-TRANS, it just. Doesn't make sense. And even if in the extremely likely event that Biden and/or his administration have missed some of the ideological benchmarks arbitrarily assigned to Demonstrate Absolute Purity On This Issue, like. HAVE YOU GUYS SEEN WHAT THE REPUBLICANS ARE DOING??! HAVE YOU?!?!??!?!?!

I don't know if that is where that particular person got the idea or not, but it demonstrates how the left-wing online misinformation ecosystem works, and which is in some ways is extremely similar to the right-wing online misinformation ecosystem. It doesn't matter if the only piece of "evidence" supporting your belief is a single Tweet written by someone who hasn't read the actual policy based on a bad piece of reporting, that evidence is now to be preferred against every single empirical example to the contrary because it's "the real truth" (translation: it confirms what you already want to believe). That is the example that you will whip out every time someone tries to argue with you to the contrary, and you will never accept anything that contradicts and/or disproves it, because that's what you want to believe and now you will. You technically know that there is information out there which doesn't agree with your position, but it is the "wrong information" and therefore cannot be incorporated into your belief system. You likewise refuse to acknowledge any complexities, any other branches of government (once again, I am begging people to acknowledge both SCOTUS and how catastrophically it was fucked by allowing Trump to fill three seats), or anything other than insisting on the impossible and getting mad when it doesn't get done. Which doesn't sound very productive and/or useful to me, but hey. OUTRAGE. OUTRAAAAAAGE.

[majaloveschris]

I have a question. Does anyone know if the Portuguese media is obsessed with this relationship?

Because I know in my country, if a home grown relatively unknown television actress (I’m not saying that as a jab it just is what it is) married a huge international attractive star our media/tabloids would be absolutely obsessed with it. I don’t think they would write about anything else. Especially in the early stages and if they were here on and off.

It just seems that outside of People mag in the US, truely no one seems to care which surprises me. I know that hypothetically if he had married another star on his level, like a Scarlett, Emily Blunt, Margot Robbie… (obviously all massively hypothetically) the media circus would be absolutely ridiculous and non stop. But I still expected there to be more interest than what there is.

I don't know. I'd assume there were Portuguese articles about them being together and married, but obsessed? I don't know; maybe someone from Portugal can help us out here.

I guess we can say something similar happened to Barbara Palvin; however, not to be biased, I think she is more well-known in the US than her, based on her popularity, and she's had a lot of work there too. I remember seeing Hungarian articles about their relationship, and to be honest, when they were married, they were all over the internet and on every social media site in Hungary. So yeah, I think we can say it was a big deal here, but again, I think she is more well-known in the US, and I think she is more well-known in Hungary than Alba in Portugal.

I think him getting married would've been a bigger thing if there weren't so many weird things about this whole relationship, and for a long time, a lot of people thought it was PR. This whole wedding thing obviously changed a lot of things, but I guess if fans were more happy for him and more supportive, it would've made a bigger buzz. I think her and her friends' past and behavior ruined a lot of things. In the world of celebrity news and gossip, there is always something new; only someone's fans care enough about it to talk and post about it for days and weeks. Just as Taylor said, "The world moves on; another day, another drama." Most of those people who would've spread the word and made this whole wedding thing a big deal are gone. That one year of guessing what's going on, then the other year of guessing whether it's real or not, and those things came out about her too... All of these things ruined the fandom, or at least a big part of it, and I think these are the reasons why it wasn't that big of a deal. Or why it's not that big of a deal anymore.

For most people, it doesn't matter whether it's PR or real at this point. He is being associated with them, and that's it. It's too messy, and most people don't want to deal with it anymore.

[cluelessbees]

through the whole time I’ve been following you I’ve never once seen you say anything about Palestine before. Since the news broke about Hamas killing Israelis, rightfully so you’ve shared posts etc about it all and it seems like posting about st/byler is the last thing you wanna think about rn. Which is fine! But lately its just seeming like you’re doing it to prove to everyone how smart and informed/outraged you are about the conflict and how dare anyone talk about anything else… in one of your recent reposts you tagged that all the Palestinians that have died in the 75 years shouldn’t be forgotten (they shouldn’t! What’s been done is awful) and fuck anyone who doesn’t wanna read about it bc it makes them feel bad. I would be more willing to agree with you on the things you say/repost if I’d seen you post about it before… but you haven’t. I’ve never seen you talk about Palestine before on your byler based acc (bc you’re here to talk abt byler!) but suddenly it’s like you’re some social justice warrior who can’t bare to talk about byler bc the Israel/Palestine conflict has been brought to attention again on social media. Others who have reposted things have still posted abt things they like in between bc they know the small things they share won’t make a big difference but they want to show they still care whereas yours seems performative at this point.

I'm going to stay as calm as possible here.

Go unfollow me if you don't want to see anything about Palestine. That's it. Point blank. I don't need your validation or your follow or whatever.

Just because I've never talked about the issue before online doesn't mean it isn't an important issue to me. I'm an Arab. I hear news about this every week. I grew up hearing about Palestinians being kicked out of their homes, being bombed, being killed. Every Ramadan I read articles of Palestinians being beaten and killed for praying in Masjid Al-Aqsa.

I have friends who are Palestinians refugees, who can't even return to Palestine. I have a teacher that left my highschool to go back to Gaza to be with her mom. And I have no fucking idea if she's alive right now.

This is everyday for me. And I was so used to the world not caring. Up until a few years ago saying you were pro-Palestine would lead to so much hate.

But the world is talking about it now. And I will not stay silent. I will not let misinformation spread. I will not let Israel destroy Palestine's image. I will not let anyone forget about their lives. They were people. They are my people. They are my friends, my teachers, my family.

Go fuck yourself if you think this is me being performative or me showing off my knowledge. Do you fucking know why I have this knowledge???? Why I know so much?? I grew up with this.

I'm literally an Arab. I can't believe I have to fucking say this so many times. I'm not white or whatever. This is literally all I can think about right now. The Arab community (which I'm a part of) in my university are setting up donations, wearing the Palestinian Kuffeyah in solidarity, talking about this whenever and however we can. This is what it means to be Arab. We are not going to shut up about it.

I am watching my region enter a war. I literally live in the Middle East. I am watching people online call my people terrorists, barbaric, subhuman, animals. What do you expect me to do? Watch and pretend that I'm white or some shit?

OH and because you're thinking I'm just now caring

Here's fucking screenshots of my chats with friends.

Just because I've never talked about it here before doesn't mean I've never cared about the issue. You don't know me stop acting like you do.

Fuck everyone who thinks this way. I don't care if you support or follow my account. I will talk about Palestine until my dying breathe. My love for Palestine is ingrained in my DNA. It is the fabric of my soul.

It's free Palestine, until Palestine is fucking free.

[lifewithchronicpain]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a controversial genetic test that uses a patient’s DNA to assess whether they are at risk of developing opioid use disorder (OUD). Although the test is only intended for patients with short-term acute pain who have not used opioids before, there is concern about the test’s accuracy and whether it will be used “off-label” to assess addiction risk in chronic pain patients – who could potentially lose access to opioids as a result. In approving the AvertD test, the FDA stipulated that it only be available by prescription to patients who consent to its use and have no prior history of using an oral opioid for pain relief.

The test is administered by a provider swabbing the cheek of a patient to collect a DNA sample, which will then be tested in a laboratory to see if the patient has 15 genetic markers that puts them at elevated risk of OUD. According to the FDA, the test will help patients “make better informed decisions” about using opioids, such as a patient facing surgery who wants to know what analgesic to use for post-operative pain...

“I’m sure it would be used for anyone who may be considered for opioid therapy,” says Lynn Webster, MD, a pain management expert and Senior Fellow at the Center for U.S. Policy. “I am all for gathering more data to help clinicians make better decisions, but we must exercise caution with such tests. Otherwise, the test may be over-read or misinterpreted. Some patients may be deprived of access to an opioid if they test positive or there can be a false sense of harmlessness from opioids if the test is negative. “I am most concerned that providers will see the results as binary. Either a patient will or won’t develop OUD, depending on the result. That would be a big mistake. Any such device or test must be used along with other clinical and personal information to help mitigate harm from using, or being denied, opioids.”

In 2022, an FDA advisory committee voted 11-2 against recommending an earlier version of AvertD, primarily because of concerns about false-negative and false-positive results. An observational study found the test was about 80% accurate in detecting genes associated with OUD. "I believe 100% of the risk associated with this test is with false positives and false negatives -- both people being untreated or poorly treated because somehow it came back as a positive result, or being given inappropriate treatment because it said negative," said Timothy Ness, MD, an anesthesiologist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who voted no. (Read full article at link)

Yeah I don't like it. I can see how it would be useful for patients to decide, but with the way opioids are controlled I can totally see people being denied necessary pain relief based on this test.

[aemiron-main]

reading more of the creel newspaper articles: the creels’ gardener and groundsperson, the exorcism (and The Exorcist) and martin brenner’s possible priest cosplay

SO! I’ve been digging into the articles about the Creel murders more lately, and am slowly doing my best to write down the contents of all of them/figure out what they say, and although I’m not completely finished yet, I found something very interesting: the Creel family had a gardener and a groundsperson.  The two seem to be two separate people based on how the gardener is introduced in the article (as wanting to remain anonymous) and how the gardener is introduced after the groundsperson has already been referred to.  Both of them have one thing in common, though: they were both interviewed by the Weekly Watcher, and both had things to say about the Creels and the murders. There’s also some interesting points about the priest that showed up to do an exorcism at the Creel house. Let’s get into it. 

First of all, I know that these screenshots are going to seem extra illegible/low quality which may bring into question what they say/if I read them wrong, but just know that I’m actually basing my reading off of staring at the scene on netflix on my phone which has higher quality than google chrome, but I can’t screenshot it. So, as a result, the screenshots in this post are lower quality than what I was actually reading.  Here’s the full page:

And here’s the first section that I want to focus on. the first legible section that mentions the groundsperson (theres a previous paragraph that seems to mention him, but so far, I can’t make any words out except for “groundsperson” from that section): 

“But the exorcism failed, says Creel’s former groundsperson. He claims this so-called "vengeful demon" was too powerful, resisting the priest's demands to depart the home. He insists that it was this very attempt to (interfere?) which angered the spirit."

Later on in this same article, we're introduced to the Creels’ gardener:

“The family’s former gardener (who wished to remain anonymous) who was a witness at the Creel trial, testified that Victor was certain the house was haunted by a (????)”

And again, the gardener and the groundsperson seem to be separate people based on how the gardener is introduced as wanting to remain anonymous, whereas the groundsperson is already refererd to prior to this introduction (such as introduction for the groundsperson likely exists in the first two paragraphs of the article, which are illegible for me so far). 

Both of them were aware of the idea that Victor believed that the house was haunted, and the groundsperson was even aware of the exorcism happening, and was likely present for it based on how he describes specifics such as the priest demanding that the demon leave the Creel house and that the failed exorcism seems to have angered the demon. The gardener wasn’t just somebody randomly interviewed by the Weekly Watcher- they clearly knew enough to be called as a witness for Victor’s trial, and although they don’t seem to mention the exorcism, they do mention that Victor was certain that the house was haunted. 

Does anyone else find it extremely weird that the groundsperson was aware of the exorcism, and possibly even PRESENT for it, and yet Victor himself makes no mention of this exorcism, and Henry makes no mention of it, and it appears in neither of their flashback sequences?  And it’s not that the exorcism was irrelevant and therefore Victor didn’t mention it, because the groundsperson claims that it was the exorcism that angered the spirit, and when we consider the section that Robin’s readig aloud (which we can’t see on the screen), Robin says that VICTOR HIMSELF also believed that the failed exorcism was what angered the demon AND led to the murders. So, it wasn’t just the groundsperson’s speculation/personal belief- Victor believed it too. However, the groundsperson just mentions that the exorcism angered the spirit and doesn’t directly tie it to the murders, whereas Victor outright says that the demon being angered by the exorcism is what caused the murders. 

And yes, I’m basically certain that both the groundsperson AND Victor believed that the exorcism angered the demon and that it’s not just the groundsperson saying what he thinks Victor believed, because Robin is reading a different part of the article (the part that talks about what Victor believed rather than the part talking about what the groundsperson said), and the groundsperson also made no mention of the missing eyes/of the murders, whereas again, Victor makes that direct connection between the demon being angered by the exorcism vs the murders occurring. 

So, the groundsperson seems to believe that the spirit was angered by the failed exorcism- what made the groundsperson believe this? Did he see the murders and think “oh yeah, that was done by the spirit, the spirit must have gotten pissed off by that failed exorcism,” or, did he see something happen the day/night of the exorcism that led him to believe that the spirit was angered? I’m leaning towards the latter, as the groundsperson doesn’t mention the murders specifically, but DOES talk about the exorcism angering the spirit- and how would the groundsperson know that the spirit was angry *as a result of the exorcism* unless something happened the night of the exorcism/during the exorcism that made it seem like a spirit was angry. 

That’s the sort of detail that Victor SHOULD have brought up when speaking to Nancy and Robin, because it’s a key detail in terms of “why the murders happened,” (at least from Victor’s POV), and would also therefore be a key detail in preventing more murders, which is EXACTLY what Robin and Nancy were asking about. And yet, Victor does not mention it verbally, nor do we see it in the 1959 flashback scenes that play during his retelling. Henry also nevers mentions it verbally during his 1979 retelling to El, and no such scene plays during the 1959 flashback scenes with Nancy in Henry’s mindscape.

And I have to wonder- Henry talks about Martin Brenner as if he’s seen him before, he hasn’t just HEARD of him, it’s set up so that we see Henry waking up and recognizing Brenner before Brenner says anything.  What if the “priest,” was Brenner, trying to take Henry away? Or, at the very least, coming to try and see Henry and try to study him/see if he actually had powers, especially since Henry would likely resist if Virginia tried to take him to any sort of doctor, hence the need for a.) for Brenner to come to them and b.) for Brenner to be disguised as something other than a doctor. Especially since Victor WAS a caring father, and Henry trying to resist when Virginia was taking him to the doctor would have gotten his attention.  It wouldn’t be the first time that a Hawkins Lab employee pretended to be someone they’re not- Connie Frazier pretended to be both a social services worker AND a science teacher, complete with fake pamphlets, I don’t think it would be a stretch to slap Brenner into a robe and have him yell at the air/stare creepily at Henry. 

Like, cmon, they made fake pamphlets SOLELY for the purpose of locating Mike, Lucas, and Dustin (and El, as a result of finding those three), so when it comes to actually getting their hands on someone like Henry? The first kid with powers? Putting Brenner into a priest costume is NOT a stretch at all, imo.

So, Brenner shows up, says something weird to Henry/Henry realizes that Brenner isn’t who he says he is (isn’t a priest)/that Brenner knows about his powers, Henry panics, messes with the lights, which, to Victor and the groundsperson, would seem like the work of a demon. Was Brenner trying to “fix,” Henry under the guise of an exorcism? Trying to provoke Henry so that he could witness Henry’s powers/”exorcise” him? 

And in terms of why Victor would believe that Henry was possessed, that’s something I’m working on another post about that should be up today, but long story short, I think that  he would have valid reason to believe this based on Henry’s drawing of the “shadow monster,” which could easily be mistaken for a demon. And even if Victor didn’t think Henry was fully possessed, which he very well may not have, he definitely knew that Henry knew something was wrong/up with the house (”Henry, my boy, he was a sensitive child, and I could see he felt something was wrong.”), and so, I would bet that Henry’s demon drawing was still what triggered the call to the exorcist, even if Victor didn’t think Henry was fully possessed, he likely thought that the demon was bothering Henry in some way, as he knew that Henry felt something was wrong.  It’s also worth keeping in mind that Robin namedrops “The Exorcist” during the scene where Robin and Nancy are at the library reading this exact Weekly Watcher article. 

There’s a lot more that I want to dig into regarding the ST-Exorcist parallels, specifically with the Creels, but for now, take a look at the similarities between Brenner and Father Lankester Merrin- hell, “FATHER,” vs “PAPA”??

I know Brenner would have looked younger in 1959, but just in terms of inspiration for his older look, the parallels are definitely there imo. And interestingly enough, the actor who plays Father Lankester Merrin, Max von Sydow, was ALSO younger than he appears (43 at the time of filming), and makeup/prosthetics were used to age him. I don’t think the lab necessarily put prosthetics on Brenner, but it tracks with how Brenner’s older version is paralleled to Father Merrin despite Brenner being younger in 1959. 

 I really don’t think it’s a stretch for the “weird older guy who later makes children call him “papa,” and preaches at them” to agree/plan to show up to a house and be called “father,” and preach at people. 

There’s also a second priest in The Exorcist- Father Damien Karras, and the duo of Father Lankester Merrin and Father Damien Karras is rather similar to the duo of “Papa” Martin Brenner and Doctor Sam Owens. 

Brenner being the priest and trying to possibly take Henry away would also explain a.) how Henry knew that Virginia was trying to have him taken away by Brenner, and b.) why Victor believes that the murders were connected to the failed exorcism- because Henry talks about how he had to “break free,” after he realized that Virginia was going to have him sent away, and if he realized that she was trying to have him sent away on the day of the exorcism (because Brenner showed up and either tried to subtly take him or was examining him and knew he had powers etc), then that ties the exorcism to being the reason for the murders, which is what Victor asserts. 

And at the end of the day, whether Brenner was playing priest or not, one thing is for certain: we are missing SO MUCH with the Creels. We are absolutely not getting the full story here. It’s extremely strange that neither Victor nor Henry makes any mention of the failed exorcism, and that Henry never mentions how he knew that Virginia was planning to have him sent away.  It’s also worth keeping in mind that it’s very VERY likely that both Victor and Henry’s memories have been altered. Victor’s memories being messed with is confirmed in another newspaper article, and Henry’s memories are full of an absolute ton of holes and inconsistencies.  Here’s the parts from the Indianapolis Gazette article that confirms that Victor’s memories have been messed with (something I also partially talked about in this post). 

“The bodies were discovered early Sunday morning after Creel was found wandering aimlessly along the side of Highway 49, south of Hawkins.”

  Not only is the lab in the south part of Hawkins, but drugging/electrocuting people and messing with their memory and then dropping them off is exactly what the lab does- they did it with Hopper in season 1, although they dropped him off at his trailer, not on the side of the road. I talked about this in the post that I linked too, but it seems like they likely took Victor to the lab (when he was arrested by the state troopers, the same state troopers who were working with the lab in S1 regaring Will’s fake body), messed with his mind, and let him loose OR he escaped, one of the two. Again, as mentioned by that linked post, the bodies were found by local cops (not state troopers) Sunday morning when they picked Victor up and returned him to his home.  As well:

“Creel at first told authorities he knew nothing about the things found at his home. He is described as 5 feet (?) inches tall, weight about (?) pounds, with light skin, light brown hair, and “appearing slight and unable to perform basic motor functions”- a condition likely brought upon as a result of psychological consequences of committing the murders, says head psychiatrist at Pennhurst Asylum, Alexis McMurray.”

That sounds extremely similar to Terry, although more like a temporary version of what happened to her (which would make sense, because Brenner seemed to be dialling the electric shocks up extra high for Terry, so perhaps, doing the same thing at a lower voltage for Victor would cause the same effects but only termporarily.), the lack of basic motor functions, the missing memories, and like I’m going to talk about in this next part, Victor is also described as “breaking his silence,” which sounds quite a lot like how Terry is generally silent except for a few phrases. 

We also have this part: 

“Roane County Disct. Atty Parker Jones said today that Creel had broken his silence that he “might of,” killed the victims, and admitted to being present when the victims died.”

So, Victor initially had no memory of what happened. He later seems to have regained parts of his memory, as he later says that he WAS present when his family died (when we see him holding Henry’s body), but is still confused, as he also says that he “might” have killed them, despite the general certainness that a demon killed them that he shows in all other scenes/interviews. This indicates to me, that Victor was genuinely confused, saying that he “might,” have killed them, and seems to have even forgotten about the demon briefly- which would track with him forgetting about the exorcism, and getting some of his memories/demon-related memories back (the ones he mentions when talking to Robin and Nancy), but not all of them (the exorcism). It really does sound like his memories were messed with by the lab.  Why not fry Victor’s brain entirely, though? Why would the lab let him loose without doing what they did to Terry?  Because they needed him to take the blame, they needed him to seem insane, they needed his story to be confusing and patchy, if he had NO memories at all, that would be more difficult/more difficult to convict him as being insane. But patchy, confused memories, where his story changes repeatedly and he starts slowly talking about demons? That’s exactly the sort of thing needed to deem him insane and hand down his sentence, which would have been EXACTLY what the lab wanted in order to keep suspicion away from them, and manipulate the public’s perception of the murders, just like what Murray talks about the government and lab doing in S2. 

Long story short: we are definitely missing parts of the Creel story, and this all, once again, has Hawkins Lab written all over it- I won’t be surprised if we get a flashback to Brenner in a priest outfit in S5.