#as a midwesterner this is such an important question

[lilacandlavendr]

I am about to ask the most midwestern question possible but when Bobby Nash was in Minnesota what do we think his go-to gas station

[overlyobsessed223]

decaf

Hal might have physically made it to the emergency Justice League meeting Batman had the audacity to call so suddenly at 4 o'clock in the morning, but mentally he’s still half asleep. The room is dead silent, even though mostly everyone has arrived by now, save for Barry—who they’re expecting to be fifteen minutes late as usual—and Clark. The only solace Hal is able to draw upon is that he’s clearly not the only one royally peeved by the ungodly wakeup call, as Dinah and Oliver are both glaring daggers at Bats and Arthur has already made three snappish comments since he got here five minutes ago. 

All Hal knows is there better be a damn good reason for this.

Clark showing up a minute later with his arms full of donut boxes and coffees doesn’t exactly ease the high tensions in the room, but Hal does perk up a bit when the smell of strong coffee hits his nose. He mumbles a quick, “thanks, man,” when Clark places a coffee with Green Lantern written on it in front of him. Grabbing it, he’s about to take a long, desperate gulp when he sees, out of the corner of his eye, Clark place a cup labeled Flash in front of Barry’s empty chair. Even through the brain fog that’s severely impairing his ability to think, he remembers something important. 

“Hey, that’s decaf, right?” Hal asks, breaking the silence in the room. Clark turns and gives him a questioning look, so Hal points at Barry’s coffee and elaborates. “Barry’s coffee. It’s decaf, right? He doesn’t drink anything with caffeine in it.”

“Oh! Yeah, it’s decaf,” Clark clarifies, offering a cheery, chipper smile that burns Hal’s retinas. He looks well rested and ready to start the day, the midwestern farm boy in him making him stick out like a sore thumb amongst the rest of them. “Don’t worry, I didn’t forget.”

“Cool, cool,” Hal nods, settling back in his chair. He finally goes in for a sip of his coffee and barely manages to refrain from moaning out loud when the bitter taste hits his tongue. “Thanks,” he adds as an afterthought. 

The silence resumes. Only, Hal realizes that instead of everyone in the room staring at Batman, they’re now all staring at him, with varying looks ranging from confused to bewildered. Or, in Bruce’s case, unamused and unimpressed.

“What?” Hal frowns.

“That was just very, um,” Arthur trails off, as if he can’t find the words to complete his thought. 

“Cute,” Dinah interjects to finish the thought hanging in the air. She suddenly seems wide awake now, leaning forward eagerly whilst gripping the edge of the table with both hands, eyes glimmering with way too much knowing for Hal’s comfort. “Adorable, even.”

“Shut up,” Hal rolls his eyes, but to his horror he can feel his face begin to heat up. He fixes Dinah with a glare and hopes to god Clark will have the decency to not call attention to the way his heart has begun to pound against his ribcage. “For the last time, Barry and I are just friends. And for the record, making sure your buddy has the right drink does not mean you’re in love with him.”

“Uh, huh,” Dinah says, but the smirk on her face tells Hal his point didn’t quite land the way he’d intended it to. Meanwhile, at the opposite side of the table, Hal sees J’onn pull out a miniature notebook out of his pocket and begin carefully writing notes, as he tends to do when conversations about human culture come up.

“Why didn’t you ask if my coffee is decaf?” Oliver cuts in, sounding oddly hurt.

“Do you… drink decaf coffee?” Hal asks, confused. 

“No,” Oliver glowers, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at his untouched cup of coffee.

“Then why would I—”

A hand slams down onto the table, and with that the room goes silent as everyone turns to where Batman is looming over them, appearing in no mood for small talk or discussion of Hal’s love life. Hal thinks this might be one of the rare times when he and the Bat find themselves in strong agreement.  

“Might I remind everyone at this table that we have an emergency, globe threatening situation on our hands?” Bruce glares around the table. “We should begin briefing now; Flash can be filled in on what he missed at the end.”

Ten minutes into a very tense briefing, Barry finally decides to show his face. His face is even more shadowed with sleep deprivation than anyone else, and Hal instantly suspects he didn’t sleep at all, but he figures he’ll grill him on that later. Barry’s eyes brighten when they land on the cup of coffee and full box of donuts in front of him. 

Barry picks up the coffee, inspects it for a second, and that’s when Hal leans in and whispers, “I checked—it’s decaf.”

And the way Barry beams at him, it does what even Hal’s coffee couldn’t achieve—it has him teeming with energy, ready to start the day.

[reality-detective]

The Shocking Truth About Skin Cancer: What You’re Not Being Told About the Sun

Is everything we’ve been told one big fat lie? The answer seems to be a resounding yes.

While the public is constantly told to avoid the sun to prevent skin cancer, what they’re not telling you is that sunlight is arguably the most important nutrient for the human body.

And get this: avoiding sunlight can double one’s risk of dying prematurely, and it also increases the risk of all other cancers.

Sunlight also:

• is critical for mental health

• reduces the risk of breast cancer

• is vital for cardiovascular health

• increases one’s longevity

So, why all the fearmongering? The answer seems to be “follow the money.”

A Midwestern Doctor writes:

“A remarkably sophisticated public relations campaign was launched to transform society for the benefit of [the dermatology] industry.”

The demonization of the sun has “allowed the dermatologists to cast themselves as heroes and to stir up as much anxiety as possible about the sun—especially as a psychological investment they had to make constantly putting sunscreen on would make them more likely to go to their dermatologist.”

Moreover, the skin cancer fear campaign has created “a massive sales funnel by being allowed to do a massive number of routine full body skin exams (on otherwise healthy individuals) and hence have a huge pool of potential cancers to biopsy or excise (remove).”

Lastly, the war against sunlight has allowed them “to piggyback onto the fear the medical industry has marketed around cancer to justify charging a lot of money to do something questionable to prevent cancer and having every patient go along with it the second they hear the dreaded ‘c’ word.”

Read the entirety of this masterful article by A Midwestern Doctor here: 👇

So, there you have it. Now, you understand why they want you to fear the sun. 🤔

ZeeeMedia

[minty-mumbles]

Linked Universe Survey 2023

The long awaited results of the survey. Sorry it took me forever, making graphs is hard.

There were 452 responses to the survey as a whole, which is almost double what we got last year, so thank you to everyone who participated!

If you want to see the raw data, you can find that here. I had thoughts about the data, but compiling that into another post would be too much of a hassle. Feel free to send me asks about it though!

The rest of the post will be under a read more as it it large

Demographics

Other: Demigirl (4), Transmasc (3), Grey genderfluid, Unlabeled, Demiboy, Demiagender

Other: Omnisexual (4), Poly (2), Trixic, Abroromantic or Bellusromantic, Demisexual

General Questions

Other: Quotev, Discord, their own google docs

Other: Discord, Variations of "I haven't posted yet, but I pan to" and "I haven't posted my fics in ages",

Other: Wattpad, Deviantart, Discord

Other: Crochet dolls, Custom dolls, Roleplay blogs (2), Fan translations, Headcanons (2), Piano music

The purple section in the “Warriors vs Warrior” chart is supposed to read “Warrior.” I made a typo.

Favorites and Least Favorites

Selected Free Response Answers

im sorry warriors i just can't play your game (it is very very hard. i am stuck very early on in the game)

I love cats meow meow meow

was extremely tempted to put twilight for least favorite. unfortunately he is my favorite to write from the perspective of (he has taken over most of my wips. help) and that probably counts for something. WILD on the other hand. hooo boy how the hell do i characterize this gargoyle. why is he Like That. least favorite it is

Twiddy

very good fandom to be in :) everybody is very nice

It's a straight up crime that Wars lost the aesthetics poll so quickly. He has such a peak Link design with the best colors. Ugh I'm getting wistful.

FROGS. FROGS. FROGS. ALSO HAPPY PRIDE MONTH. FROGS. FROGS. FROGS. FROGS. FROGS.

I will fight Hylia herself and the next person who implies Twi can't handle spice. If we're going to lean into him being southern/Midwestern, which is an alright stero type for our rancher, please keep in mind the culture you're basing him off. The south and midwest can handle their spice, I assure you. Have you ever had authentic Louisiana gumbo? It will melt you tongue off. Or some good old fashion spicy fried chicken? I promise the real stuff has quite a kick. (In all seriousness, though. It's more important that you're having fun. And even I can admit the idea of Twi being an Ordonian who can't handle his spice is more than a little funny.)

I am an OoT Link edgelord and have been since early 2017. So, in September of that year, when an artist by the name of jojo56830 puts out a lineup of nine different Links and the Hero of Time is there – the oldest, no eye, Hero’s Shade armor? I saw that one sketch and just thought “oh this is gonna be bad.” Yeah of course he has the coolest design. By the way, it’s only a matter of time until Fierce Deity shows up in the comic and I have reason to believe it could be this current Dawn arc. Dawn … Dawn of a New Day … and who brought about the Dawn of a New Day? Fierce Deity. Twilight is recovering but still injured and what will happen if he falls again? Fierce Deity is coming and we need to be prepared. In this essay I will—

Remember that time when someone put the whole script of the bee movie in here? I’m not that dedicated, and I don’t have that time, but let us remember and hope someone else does it again this time. Cause someone is bound too. We’re all crazy enough to do it. Alright, love you and stay hydrated pls!

Hi! I joined this fandom really recent but i’ve always seen LU stuff on pinterest and elsewhere. Only recently have i actually took the time to understand the fandom and get back into LOZ stuff and i adore the characters and story! The more and more fanart, fanfics, and comics i see about the different Links the more i love them all. It’s such a pain to pick just one i like or one i don’t like because they’re all so unique. I love this fandom and hope to get more involved!! Have a wonderful rest of your day :]

Epona is an underrated queen

your mom

I really don't get why Zelda is called Artemis. Athena makes more sense???? It perplexes me

Anyone seeing this should check out Breanna’s E!Wild AU

Something something queer every Link into oblivion!

[copperbadge]

Hi Mr Starbuck! Some friends and I are moving in a few months and we're eyeing various places all over the US. Chicago came up as a relatively affordable big city (compared to LA and NYC) and I have to ask the resident Tumblr Chicagoan his opinion. As a resident who lives and works in the windy city, what's your big pros and cons of residing there (especially things you might not encounter as a tourist)? (also, how accurate is your "guide to chicago" still, since its been a few years!)

Well, I definitely have opinions!

The guide to Chicago is no longer accurate -- too many places have closed or moved, and the pandemic altered a lot (for example the Money Museum still exists but I'm not sure if it has regular hours even now). I should do a new one but like, I really don't get out much anymore so I can't talk about restaurants outside of a VERY local area, and I never could talk much about hotels, which just leaves points of interest mostly already covered by Atlas Obscura. :D At this point it'd just be kind of moot, others are doing it better than I am.

Chicago is inexpensive compared to New York or Los Angeles, but like, that's everywhere in America. Chicago is still a quite pricey city to live in, mainly because the taxes are so high -- 10.25% sales tax, for example, and my property taxes are also pretty steep. People joke about Taxachusetts, but I'm pretty sure Chicago at least has it beat (and 2/3 of the state's population lives in Chicago or the outlying suburbs). Housing is not at a premium in the way it is in NY and LA but depending on where you want to live and how far you want to commute it can still be very expensive. My housing was never less than half of my monthly income until I bought this place, and then ONLY because the job I'm in now came with a $10K/yr raise from my last one.

Chicago does have great culture, great museums, great food, and it's a liberal island in a pretty conservative region. It is however quite segregated, so if you are any race other than white, living here can get a little more complicated than I've portrayed it as a white dude. There is significant crime and particularly gun crime, but it's generally confined to specific regions of the city. That said, even if you discount crime, the Chicago PD are corrupt as fuck and uninterested in being helpful, so if you are from a demographic the cops enjoy harassing, it will not be different here.

I do love the city, warts and all. I like the water, I like the people, I like the midwestern vibe. I'd find it very hard to leave, especially because I have a network of friends here, but also because I just plain like it and I know it really well. There is a very short list of cities I'd consider leaving Chicago for, and most of those would have to have a well-paying job waiting for me. But it did take me time to fall in love with it -- it took a few years before it felt like home.

It's a little difficult to get more specific without knowing more about your situation -- what you do for work, what your budget is like, what your goals are in leaving where you are. Do you prefer to drive most places? (Parking and traffic can both get dicey.) Can you tolerate taking public transit if driving is inconvenient? Is the industry in which you work something that has a lot of openings here? Do you want to live in an urban environment, and if so are you prepared to live in a likely somewhat shitty apartment to do so? If you prefer to live in a house, are you prepared for a long commute? What do you like to do for fun and is there a thriving culture for that here? What is it important to have access to -- museums, concerts, theater, sport? Where do you need to travel to regularly (ie, I go to Austin several times a year) and how do you prefer to travel there?

Anyway, yeah -- like, I love it but I have few illusions about it. If you want to chat further feel free to hit me up by email, happy to answer more specific questions!

[httppeaches]

007fest intro post

one moment i’m soaking in the midwestern sunlight of June, the next i’ve somehow landed myself in some weird hideout called station Atlantic. why are 90% of you english? why are you guys like, suddenly spawning me to some underground warehouse because you need my help? my life has been very boring up to this moment, so honestly why would i say no?

but don’t ask me any important questions, will probably hit you with this:

hopefully i’m somewhat of a help. who even is behind this?? whatever. my names Blue, and this is what i look like!

you agents can pay me in hamburgers and hotdogs after i complete my missions!!! cuz that’s honestly all we’re known for. also i miss culvers the Atlantic side of the planet unfortunately does not have a culvers. how do you people live??

-

EXCITED TO BE HERE!! here’s to my first 007fest!!

[creature-wizard]

Do you think astrology can be accurate? I know it’s a touchy question for many but when I look at the history of astrology, and how it was drastically changed in the 1900s, I feel like that’s what made it so unreliable to many. Like the sun sign was never as important as to how the spiritual people in the 1900s made it out to be. The whole entire sky was important, not just one aspect. I saw that Helena Blavatsky also took astrology and butchered it like how she did with what people now call “karma”.

It’s just confusing to me because I have experienced astrology being accurate in others & myself. I try my best to be specific because SO MANY people in the astrological community say a lot without really saying anything.

But also most of the astrology taught online isn’t “complete”. It lack technical details used by older astrologers from before the 1900s. It also lacks the sociocultural anthropology of the time when the older astrologers lived. they didn’t just rely on astrology, they were also into prayer, worship, divination, etc.

Astrology also wasn’t even used for psychology before the 1900s.

I told my friend I think a huge problem in the astrology community is not being rooted in reality. For example when I learned and studied about looking at careers within a birth chart, I never saw things like “if someone has __ in __, aspecting ___ (in the chart) then it can signify they work in retail.” They always assume someone works in a nonprofit, is a business owner, is a teacher, a doctor, lawyer, etc. but that’s not the reality for so many people.

The late 1800s all the way until now is such a weird time for spirituality. It feels like there’s nothing there anymore? It’s all just watered down & distorted information and conspiracies now, and the occasional bundled up mix of everything. I hate it here. I lowkey wish I could be some happy Christian midwestern white mom in suburban Indiana who gets Starbucks daily and uses tik tok 24/7, and lives a simple life obsessed with God or whatever 😭 it takes so little to make them happy and then most of us are just left here confused 💔

So, ancient people were able to observe that the sun and moon had very real effects on the world: the moon pulled on the tides, and the sun gave them light and heat. In this way, it was evident from this that celestial bodies had an impact on the world.

But here's the thing: we've figured out how the sun and moon affect us - the sun primarily through photons and how much we receive from it based on axial tilt, the moon through gravity. However, we haven't been able to find any mechanism by which the planets could be affecting us. Nor can we even propose any compelling reason to think they should, given what we know about them and about the universe in general.

It's also evident that the qualities associated with the planets are actually pretty subjective, like associating Mars with violence because of its redness, Venus with beauty because of its brightness, and Saturn with old age because of its slowness. These aren't illogical associations to make, but they are still rooted in subjective human experiences and interpretations.

There is also no evidence that pre-20th century astrologers were accurate enough in their predictions to consider it a real science. (There were also some whoppingly wrong predictions, too! Like predictions of catastrophic floods 1524 did that never came to pass.)

I personally think astrology works the same way I believe most other forms of divination work - they effectively prompt the subconscious mind of the diviner. The more attentive to detail and in tune with the world the astrologer is, the better the chart reading will be. If somebody's wrapped up in a bunch of conspiracy theories or learning everything from books written for the white middle class mom demographic, the results aren't going to be great.

You sound like a pretty detail-oriented person who pays a lot of attention to things, so I'm guessing that's why you're good at astrology. And I think you could get very similar results from nearly any divination system if you tried them out.

[thereal-moonknight]

aslo, Marc, while I'm bothering you, I have an important question:

Do you get the urge to stand outside on the porch when it storms when it's warm out? I need to know if this is all Midwestern men over the age of twenty or if thats just my family.

🔭

that's certainly a midwest thing, even when I'm not there I have the urge and I have to see the storm come

[stupittmoran]

The Shocking Truth About Skin Cancer: What You’re Not Being Told About the Sun

Is everything we’ve been told one big fat lie? The answer seems to be a resounding yes.

While the public is constantly told to avoid the sun to prevent skin cancer, what they’re not telling you is that sunlight is arguably the most important nutrient for the human body.

And get this: avoiding sunlight can double one’s risk of dying prematurely, and it also increases the risk of all other cancers.

Sunlight also:

is critical for mental health

reduces the risk of breast cancer

is vital for cardiovascular health

increases one’s longevity

triggers the production of Vitamin D

is vital for proper immune system function

So, why all the fearmongering? The answer seems to be “follow the money.”

A Midwestern Doctor writes:

“A remarkably sophisticated public relations campaign was launched to transform society for the benefit of [the dermatology] industry.”

The demonization of the sun has “allowed the dermatologists to cast themselves as heroes and to stir up as much anxiety as possible about the sun—especially as a psychological investment they had to make constantly putting sunscreen on would make them more likely to go to their dermatologist.”

Moreover, the skin cancer fear campaign has created “a massive sales funnel by being allowed to do a massive number of routine full body skin exams (on otherwise healthy individuals) and hence have a huge pool of potential cancers to biopsy or excise (remove).”

Lastly, the war against sunlight has allowed them “to piggyback onto the fear the medical industry has marketed around cancer to justify charging a lot of money to do something questionable to prevent cancer and having every patient go along with it the second they hear the dreaded ‘c’ word.”

So, there you have it. Now, you understand why they want you to fear the sun.

Read the entirety of this masterful article by

@MidwesternDoc

Shared from @VigilantFox on Twitter/X

[sp1cy-t0ss]

Astrobleme

Antares is officially a series! This one is pure fluff.

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49804744

‘Cuddling,’ Damian muses, is a more nuanced activity than he had thought as a child. There are a staggering variety of ways to do it, but he has found his favorite. 

People are often clingy when they hug, squeezing even if they try to rein in the impulse. It could be tolerated, even enjoyed, from anyone allowed to survive the attempt, but sudden restriction of his movements and tight pressure could still bring a vague sense of unease if he wasn’t prepared.

Danny, as in most things, is different. He is more than content to nestle into Damian’s arms like he has always belonged there, simply soaking in the affection as though there’s no safer place in the world.

At the moment Danny is curled up against him, head on his shoulder as they lay on the ground somewhere in Midwestern America to stargaze. It’s not something Damian ever thought of doing in the past, but his companion makes all the difference.

Danny speaks of space with wide-eyed passion, rambling excitedly about the properties of each planet, achievements in exploration, and how this sky’s constellations vary from those in his own dimension. It’s hard to keep up at times, but his enthusiasm is infectious and endearing. It’s impossible to watch Danny’s eyes light up and not share in his wonder.

Damian’s favorite part of stargazing, however, is the stories. The night sky is a tapestry of myths and legends, and Danny seems to know them all by heart. He weaves their tales with a softer, almost reverent tone, eyes on the sky throughout. On those nights, he can hypnotize for hours.

“Antares, can I ask you something?” Danny’s gaze is fixed on the sky, as it has been for two hours now, but a subtle tension in his face betrays his nerves.

“Of course.”

Danny steels himself with a deep breath. “Iwantyoutobiteme.” 

The words come out more like a bullet than a sentence, and are just as unexpected. Surely Damian heard wrong. Surely. 

“What?”

Danny looks away, clearly mortified. “That’s my question. If you would...bite me.  I swear I can explain.” 

The mental image is admittedly captivating. Very captivating. He would make the most beautiful sounds...damn it, focus! Careful to let none of these idiotic thoughts show, Damian allows himself a raised eyebrow. “I did hear you correctly then. Why?”

Danny rolls over on his side to look at him.

“You know how I spent a few months in the Realms before I came here?” At Damian’s nod, he continues. “Well, um. I learned ghosts have a thing about scars. They’re memories, you know? We only get scars when there’s a lot of emotion involved.” He drags a hand down his face and groans. “You already know that, why am I telling you?” 

He did. It was why his Beloved still bore faint burns from his so-called parents’ weapons.

“You may tell me again, if it will help,” Damian says patiently as he places a careful hand on Danny’s cheek. Danny does much of his on-the-fly thinking out loud, and this is clearly important to him.

Danny gives him a grateful look and relaxes into the touch. He takes a fortifying breath. “Right, right. Memories. And, well, most of those suck. Obviously. So ghosts will mark their best friends, their families, and…partners. Like tattoos, I guess. And...I want one from you. A memory that doesn’t hurt.”

Damian’s eyes widen in shock. They both enjoy the occasional teasing nip, but deliberate scarification is miles beyond that. The idea of irreversibly marking his Beloved, of injuring him to do so, is antithetical. He can’t.

And yet…an indisputable claim. A symbol of their bond that nothing could take away. His more possessive instincts virtually sing at the idea.

He needs more information. “...And a human can do this?”

Danny nods. “You’re liminal enough that it should work. But you wouldn’t be able to channel ectoplasm through a weapon like most ghosts do. You’d have to…bite. Maybe scratch, that might work.”

“I didn’t get to do it with my fraid before I left,” he admits. “We didn’t know about the…ritual, Dad calls it. Even if we had, everything happened so suddenly and...” Danny wilts at the unspoken memories.

“Are you certain you want my mark? It would be permanent,” Damian cautions. His Beloved can be so impulsive, after all.

“I know. I’ve thought about it for months, ever since our anniversary, and…even if Clockwork is wrong about us, even if we break up tomorrow…” Danny briefly looks pained, but he shakes it off with burning eyes. “I want to remember this.”

Damian suppresses a shiver at his conviction. The question is, does he want this? It seems a drastic act less than two years into a relationship. His rational mind wants to hesitate. 

But…

A vigilante’s life is one of constant danger. Any ordinary day might tear him away from his family, his friends, this ridiculous boy who has stolen his heart. Even if he never falls in battle, Damian is only human, only mortal. His love, with any luck, will live for centuries or more. 

The odds of becoming a ghost upon death are high in his circumstances, but there is no guarantee.

The pure hope shining in Danny’s eyes makes the decision for him. He cannot leave him behind. “So do I,” he finally says. “How will we do this?” 

Damian is rewarded with a smile that could end wars. He can’t help but return it.

Danny sits up on his knees and braces himself with his arms, practically vibrating with anticipation. “It’s pretty simple. Dad says you just make the mark, and I…concentrate on you. How I feel.” He mumbles the last bit, embarrassed. “It’ll take a bit for the mark to settle though, so I’ll be out of it for a few minutes. Just let me come back on my own.”

Damian nods his understanding. “And where do you want it?” 

“My wrist,” Danny says with no hesitation. “I want to see it all the time. ” Oh, it isn’t fair what those words do to him. Danny knows it too, if the glint in his eyes means anything. He transforms with a grin, but it fades in favor of a blush as he presents his upturned wrist.

Struck by inspiration, Damian drops to one knee as if proposing and lifts the offered wrist to his lips. Danny lets out an embarrassed meep at the gesture, as planned, but Damian isn’t done. A moment like this requires an appropriate vow.

“My eternity is yours, my love.” With that, he presses a gentle kiss against Danny’s pulse point, and bites down.

Cool flesh easily parts under his teeth, and he drags thick lines lengthwise another inch or so up Danny’s arm. The electric, almost citric flavor of ectoplasm fills his mouth. It tastes…good, contrary to his expectations, and he swallows the liquid on impulse before withdrawing.

For the finishing touch, Damian uses a fingernail to carve a thinner line back across the same skin in a simple, elegant flourish. It won’t do to have an identifiably human bite mark carry over to Danny’s human form, so an obscuring element will help disguise its origin. Perhaps more importantly, he has a point to make. After all, his Dove deserves only the best.

When the mark is complete, Danny gasps. He stares forward with eyes wholly consumed by green light, unresponsive. as though in a trance. A rumble of love-mine-excited-happy-LOVE radiates from him with startling strength, far beyond the rare faint impressions Damian is accustomed to from his Beloved. The ritual itself is all but forgotten as he basks in the emotions.

A ghost’s ability to project and sense emotions seemed like a glaring weakness at first. An aura cannot lie, and thus is a double-edged sword. Damian held that opinion, at least until an otherwise typical date nearly brought him to his knees when he sensed Danny’s emotions. 

Feeling his new partner’s contentment, security, and honest affection toward him was… humbling. Addictive. 

(He’s certain it always will be.)

After nearly ten minutes, Danny’s eyes dim and he blinks dazedly at his bleeding wrist. Tears prick at the corners of his eyes, expression euphoric as he admires the wound. Though the scene is odd, knowing that he brought his partner this happiness brings Damian a rush of pride and warmth.

“Did it work?” he asks.

Danny faces him, his smile definitely beyond human limits now. “Yeah! See?” He shoves his wrist into Damian’s face once more.

Indeed, the wound looks as though it’s been healed for weeks. Raised lines stand out proudly from Danny’s skin with a faint silvery sheen. The only oddity is how wide the scar still is, as if something prevented normal human flesh from properly knitting together. 

“Beautiful,” Damian hears himself whisper as he trails a finger down the marks. And they really are; his signature, right there for all to see on this most precious of things. The knowledge sits like embers in his chest, crackling with satisfaction.

Danny preens at the comment, and Damian realizes he can still feel the echoes of love-proud-mine from his Beloved. Perhaps it’s an effect of the scarification process.

Eventually Danny clears his throat. “Normally we’d both get one. But I know you can’t have identifying things like big scars, so I got you something instead.” 

He reaches into his chest cavity and pulls out a black ribbon, carefully placing it in Damian’s hand. Closer inspection reveals the ribbon to be a silk choker, deep black and inlaid with gems that sparkle like nothing Damian has ever seen, in the exact green of Danny’s eyes. Deeper green thread connects the gems in a familiar shape: the Scorpius constellation.

“Crystallized ectoplasm,” Danny explains. “I made them from my own ‘plasm, so they have my ectosignature. Humans won’t know what it means, but ghosts and liminals will.” He gives a proud grin.

While Damian processes that, however, nerves rapidly encroach on Danny’s enthusiasm. His smile falls. “You don’t have to! I brought normal emeralds if that’s creepy! Unless–”

Damian hooks the choker into place, cutting off Danny’s fretting. The ribbon is exquisitely soft, flush against his neck without pressing into it. No one would be able to grab it in a fight, and the silk glides comfortingly across his skin as he turns his head. With a little focus, he can feel a faint chill from the gems.

It feels like home.

Damian finds himself fighting back watery eyes before speaking. A roughness in his voice still betrays him. 

“I will treasure it. Thank you, Dove.”

Danny still makes no attempt to hide his own tears, pressing his forehead to Damian’s and wrapping him in a hug. It’s tight this time, but eagerly reciprocated. 

“Thanks, Daylight. I love you so much.” The words are mumbled into his neck, and he meets them with a silent kiss to the half-ghost’s forehead. As their embrace loosens, Damian feels his Beloved slump against him. It seems the ritual is taxing on ghosts, and he feels himself flagging slightly as well. Carefully, he sets Danny on the ground and settles into a spooning position. It’s a warm spring night and there’s not a soul around for miles; they can rest here for a while.

It’s not surprising when Danny starts purring. He tends to lose control of the function while dozing – one of his many endearing quirks. 

What startles them both into waking is the other purr that sounds out to answer it. 

The boys bolt upright, cutting off the quiet rumble in Damian’s throat. Neither says anything for a long moment. Then Damian sighs. “We have to tell your father, don’t we.” It’s not a question. Gods only know what this means in terms of his growing liminality, no matter the cause.

Danny falls backward again with a groan. At the same time, his aura flares with abject mortification. “Oh Ancients, we have to tell him you bit me.”

“How dreadful,” Damian snarks. “I’m the one with five siblings that already call me a vampire.”

Danny laughs. “Good point– You’re totally screwed. Remind me to stock up on garlic, bee-tee-dubs.”

Damian glares without heat. “You’re the worst, Winters.”

“Oh yeah? Do you vant to suck my bluud about it?” Danny taunts, wiggling his fingers and hissing for effect.

A deep, theatrical sigh. “Pennyworth must cease feeding you after midnight.”

From there they settle into familiar bickering, but most of Damian’s mind is on other things. Tonight was a milestone, marking a stronger bond between them, yet it also feels like nothing has changed. He can’t bring himself to fear the future like Danny does, fully convinced they will be together forever. One day Danny will truly believe their happiness will last. Perhaps not someday soon, but Damian can wait.

He touches the ribbon around his neck, feeling pure devotion radiate from the glittering gems, and smiles.

After all, we have eternity.

[itsclydebitches]

Once again putting on my weekly Teddependent tinfoil hat...

Alright, with the ever important disclaimer that no, it's not likely to happen and it's never been likely to happen and it won't in any way be queer baiting when it kinda-inevitably doesn't happen out of the way, LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW "STRAIGHT" IS A MEANINGLESS DESCRIPTOR IN THIS CONVERSATION.

It's all about the ✨context✨

First off, as numerous posts have already pointed out, Ted is technically speaking in the past tense here: "back in the early days of my coaching career" was when he was a "straight fella." This obviously doesn't eliminate the possibility that Ted is still straight, but if he has come out as queer since then, acknowledging that would defeat the whole purpose of his story. He's not looking to come out during the halftime of an important match, but rather to emphasize how "normal" he was back then and, as a result, the ways in which he got creative trying to express his individuality. If Ted had instead gone, "Back when I thought I was straight but wasn't able express that part of my identity because I hadn't realized it yet and/or had been too afraid to come out in midwestern America" that's not only an iffy way to out your protagonist in a show that has treated queer rep very delicately this season... but also totally derails his story. Both in-universe (you want to give the characters time to react to this, especially a potential love interest like Trent who is in the room) and from a writing perspective (the whole point here is for Ted's story to impart the moral of the "right idea sitting behind a couple of wrong ones") then a coming out moment is going to fit awkwardly here and detract from the anecdote's purpose.

Thinking more broadly, do we honestly believe that Ted hasn't changed since those early days? This show is all about growth, so - for me anyway - describing a young, new-to-coaching Ted doesn't imply, "That's still a descriptor that fits him" but rather begs the question "How much has he grown since then?" Notably, two-thirds of what else Ted lists about himself is no longer accurate. He's not working in middle America anymore. In a linguistic twist, he doesn't have a career in "sports," but "sport." And though we have no idea (as far as I can recall) if Ted is still afraid of tattoo needles, he certainly strikes me as the kind of person who would work to overcome that fear, whether he actually wanted a tattoo or not. The Lasso Way, by default, impacts Lasso himself. And here I'm admittedly reaching, though I find it intriguing that Ted's potential growth is couched in a 'Close, but not quite' metaphor with that comparison. Meaning, Ted's point about his goatee is that he went too far and had to pull it back into a "Foxworthy." Kinda like how, living in midwestern American with all its expectations and homophobia, he might have gone too far into a 'I'm definitely, 100%, absolutely-no-doubt-about-it straight' identity only to later pull back into 'Actually? I'm bisexual.'

Notably, this is metaphorical change comes about when his best friend - Ted's closest confidant and the man he trusts most in the world, someone who is INCREDIBLY queer-coded - tells him a hard truth about what's "not a good look" for him.

On his wedding day.

Which he then proceeds to compare to eating Bigfoot's ass.

Like I said, reaching, but given the loaded metaphors in this show (Oh hey, what does it mean to label "sport" the metaphor and then gift Trent that nickname?) I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this was later reframed as more than just a passing joke.

However, the real point is that Ted has changed, a theme that's at the very heart of the whole show, but has been particularly prevalent the last two episodes. Trent freaking throws himself after Ted (WHAT A DORK) in an effort to explain how all these small, incremental changes have led to a monumental outcome - notably one that explicitly allows footballers and their associated club members to feel comfortable expressing all aspects of their identity, sexuality included. The idea that Ted has remained near-static since those "early days," growing only when it comes to what we've seen on screen (therapy, coaching, divorce, etc.) feels antithetic to the show as a whole.

Which brings me to the meta-y question of, "Why now?" Why, after nearly three whole seasons have we suddenly had Ted drop the "straight" bomb? Why is this coming after an explicitly queer episode with not one, not four, but FIVE queer characters re-affirming their queerness, coming out to each other, or coming out to the audience? One of whom is an older, thought-he-was-straight man who has only recently come out after being married to a woman? That's not at ALL the backstory fans were expecting for Trent and it just feels like a mighty big coincidence to me, giving us that surprising trajectory alongside a casual claim the next week that, 'The straightest straight character to ever straight has randomly reaffirmed that he's DEFINITELY straight (but with plausible deniability).' After all, the show never needed to address Ted's sexuality - the marriage and midwestern everything implied enough - and certainly his speech about individuality didn't have to use that as an example. Given how completely unnecessary it was, I'm inclined to figure that a) the writers - who I assume are fairly knowledgeable about fandom trends and fan expectations/desires - tossed it in as a way to let us all down easy (which is totally understandable and I'm sorry it didn't work on my part lmfao) or b) ... they want to lay the groundwork for a plot about Ted's sexuality. They want that nugget of implication to either undermine the, 'He's still straight!' assumption later, or take Ted through the process of questioning his sexuality now.

"But, Clyde, we only have 5 episodes left!" Yeah, fair, but the show also has a tendency to race through some development (in still satisfying ways) while allowing other aspects to simmer. Basically a Roy and Trent vs. Jamie situation. Jamie has had a series long journey, slow and steady to the point where it sometimes shocks you just how much he's changed. In contrast, outside of a little groundwork in season one, we introduced Roy's personal hatred of Trent, the motivation for that, their conflict, reconciliation, and budding friendship all in one episode. It is possible to do a lot of important work very quickly, especially when the show is potentially laying down hints along the way. That's why to all us queer folks, Trent coming out last episode wasn't in any way a surprise: we recognized the coding that was happening in the background. If Ted/Trent did somehow happen - either as an end-game romance or Trent acknowledging an unrequited crush - we'd likewise have a wealth of analysis going, "See! This has been in the works since 'I like your glasses'!"

(Btw, none of which is even getting into Trent's absolutely FERAL adoration of Ted this episode that reads like a crush the size of Kansas)

If I'm being honest, at this point in the series I don't think Ted is going to wind up with anyone. I never came into this show expecting my (back then) teeny tiny ship to have any chance of sailing... and really, I still don't. But I am surprised by - and excited by! - the potential the show keeps giving us, in a way that doesn't feel at all malicious to me. If (when) Ted and Trent part ways as just friendly dorks, I'll have come away from the series not feeling like I was delusional, but rather that the writers were saying, "Here, this is a cool concept. We like it. We support it! It's not what we personally wanted to write, but we're going to give you the tools to keep playing with that possibility." Which, you know, is pretty much what I'm doing right now.

So if hearing Ted say he's straight produced a little nugget of disappointment, take heart! Even if I'm just talking out my ass here, it makes for good canon-compliant explanations in fic :D

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Ed Pilkington at The Guardian:

The football coach and the “Yale law guy” go head-to-head in New York City on Tuesday night, as two midwesterners with very different styles and vastly diverging messages slug it out over the future of the US.

Tim Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota, faces the Republican senator from Ohio, JD Vance, in a vice-presidential debate that promises to be unusually significant in this white-hot election year. They will joust for 90 minutes under the moderation of CBS News as they seek to give their respective running mates – Kamala Harris and Donald Trump – a leg up to the White House. Walz has been prepping for the debate in Minneapolis with the US transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, masquerading as Vance. (Buttigieg may have been suffering deja vu – he posed as Mike Pence during Kamala Harris’s prep sessions ahead of the 2020 VP debate.) Vance has been holding mock debates with the Republican whip in the US House, Tom Emmer, standing in as Walz. Emmer is a fellow Minnesotan, so has the benefit of having studied Walz up close. The two running mates bring contrasting strengths to the gladiatorial ring. Vance is an experienced debater who will relish confrontation under the glare of the TV lights. “Look, he’s a Yale law guy,” Walz has said about his opponent. “He’ll come well prepared.”

Walz by contrast will be able to lean on skills learned in the school classroom. Walz spent 17 years as a public school teacher, so he knows how to think on his feet – and deal with a disruptive kid. “I expect to see a very heated debate,” Robby Mook, Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign manager, told CBS News. One of the big questions of the night is likely to be whether Vance can redeem himself after a troubled start to his candidacy. Will he be able to get past all the “weirdness”, as Walz has framed it, and bring consistency to the messaging of an often chaotic Trump campaign? From awkward encounters with doughnut shop workers, to the ongoing furor around his “childless cat ladies” remark, Vance has been the subject of online mockery that has at times appeared to engulf him. He also seems to be stuck on the same culture war issues that consume Trump. “Vance does not seem to have drawn additional voters to the Trump ticket, as the controversies he gets into are exactly the same as those the former president gets into,” said Barry Burden, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Most egregiously, Vance has doubled down on the false and racist narrative that Haitian immigrants are eating family pets in Springfield, Ohio, despite categorical denials from local authorities. He recently confessed to CNN that he was willing to “create stories” if it meant that he attracted media attention. Such comments have sunk Vance underwater in the opinion of the voting public – his unfavorability rating is 11 points higher than his favorable, according to FiveThirtyEight. Walz by contrast is basking in the glow of a positive four-point gap between his favorability ratings, which poses him with a completely different set of challenges on debate night. He will need to parry Vance’s attempts to frame him as the misinformation candidate based on misrepresentations Walz made about his military record, defuse his rivals claims that he is dangerously liberal, and refuse to be knocked off track. “Walz just needs to get in and out of the debate without causing trouble for his ticket,” Burden said.

Tomorrow is the big VP debate between Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Ohio Senator JD Vance (R) that is being originated by CBS that will air on numerous outlets, beginning at 9PM ET/8PM CT. The debate will be moderated by CBS Evening News host Norah O’Donnell and Face The Nation host Margaret Brennan.

[frommybookbook]

The Grass is Greener (1960)

I watched The Grass is Greener (1960) over the weekend and I can't stop thinking about it.

For starters, I watched it purely for the cast. I didn't even bother to read the description, I saw Robert Mitchum and Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr and Jean Simmons and I was in. In hindsight, I'm actually really glad I didn't read the plot ahead of time, going it without an agenda was perfect for this one. And for that reason, I'm going to put the rest of this under the cut because I'm going to completely spoil the plot.

The general plot of the movie is: Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr are a married, titled British couple who have begun allowing tours of their family estate to keep the lights on; Robert Mitchum is an American oil millionaire who gets nosy on the regular tour and decides to barge into the family's private quarters, where he meets Kerr. Over the course of about 10 minutes, they get to chatting, he's very flirty, and they share a pretty passionate kiss. Grant then arrives and the afternoon is over...until Kerr decides to go to London to "get her hair done" and ends up staying for a week having an affair with Mitchum. Simmons plays Kerr's best friend, whom she stays with in London and who decamps to the family home to see how Grant is holding up.

That last part is important: everyone in this movie knows exactly what's happening with Mitchum and Kerr from the very beginning. Grant can see the moment he walks into the room that this stranger is into his wife and that his wife is intrigued. Simmons knows that Kerr isn't spending any time at her apartment, she's spending it with Mitchum.

Everything comes to a head when Grant, in a display of passive aggression that would make generations of Midwestern church ladies proud, calls Mitchum and invites him to come back out to the house for the weekend. Oh, and while he's at it, would he mind giving his wife a ride home, she's been in London all week too, you see.

From there we have the world's most awkward dinner party, a legitimate duel at midnight in the estate's long hallway, and a genuinely keeps-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat questioning of who Deborah Kerr is going to choose.

And it's this denouement that makes this such a wonderful movie and has it rattling around in my brain days later. Weirdly, and wonderfully, no one in this movie is treated as a villain! This is a story about love and adultery and passion and complacency and everyone just gets to be human.

It would be so easy for Deborah Kerr's character to be treated as a harlot and a whore and a loose woman for seeking out an affair with another man. It would be so easy for Robert Mitchum's character to be simply made a homewrecker and an aggressive American jackass and a playboy for showing clear interest and affection for a married woman. Cary Grant's character could have so easily been made out to be the cold, distant, unloving husband who drove his wife away. And yet none of that happens.

All of these characters are treated sympathetically and respectfully. I spent the whole time rooting for all of them and feeling conflicted every way about who I wanted Kerr to choose. It felt real and honest and like something that wouldn't be told in 2024.

Plus it was absolutely hilarious. Because as poignant as this was, it was also so damn funny. Cary Grant still had so many opportunities to break out the slapstick and prat falls and quippy one liners. Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum got to trade dry repartee, and don't get me started on Jean Simmons. Jean Simmons absolutely stole the show as the somewhat flighty, airheaded, divorced best friend and I couldn't stop laughing every time she was on the screen. I'd never seen her do comedy before and it was just incredible.

So, yeah, go watch The Grass is Greener.

[librarianamanda]

I think the only thing that is bringing me any comfort in all of this [gestures wildly] is that I have been doing a lot of meditating on what I can do, and what that looks like is this:

There's this old mantra of "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." And I have decided that I refuse to voluntarily participate in a madman's economy.

I will do my necessary shopping, but I will not be buying anything that I don't have to. I will continue to support local businesses (my local bookstore, my local resale/charity shops, etc) but I cannot in good conscience put money into this machine, all for him to point to things and say, "Look! People are spending money!"

What I will be doing instead: patronizing my library, reading widely on the topic, work in my local community for demonstrable change, use my privilege to ask those in power uncomfortable questions and push for betterment in the spheres I can influence, etc.

Things I've read so far, if you want some recommendations, though this is by far not an exhaustive list:

Anti-intellectualism in American Life by Richard Hofstadter, which won the 1964 Pulitzer Prize for Non-Fiction. We are in this pickle because many Americans have demonized knowledge and the pursuit of it. Fight back against the man. Educate yourself.

 How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them by Jason Stanley - this one huuuuuuurt. Came out in 2018, has only gotten more accurate.

Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger by Rebecca Traister - this one honestly gave me a lot of comfort and has pushed me to more action.

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein - A critically important book to read, full of context and history that you might not be aware of.

Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez - I don’t say this lightly: I would give this book 20 stars if I could. It was incredibly well researched, approachable, and filled me with righteous indignation at every page turn. I was new mad every damn chapter. Everyone should read this book.

Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall - a collection of essays reflecting on intersectional feminism highlighting how mainstream feminism has failed women of color. White women, we need to do better.

Midwest Futures by Phil Christman - Every Midwesterner should read this book. Made me want to actually *do* something, for a change.

What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia by Elizabeth Catte - Forget Hillbilly Elegy. Read this. Concise. Powerful. A welcome primer - taught me a lot I didn’t know about Appalachian history.

Please Unsubscribe, Thanks!: How to Take Back Our Time, Attention, and Purpose in a World Designed to Bury Us in Bullshit by Julio Vincent Gambuto - We all need to unplug more. He writes, "If you had to live with the consequences of every click forever, how might that change where you click?" This is the kick in the pants that we need.

But also - don't forget to still read what you want to read. Part of this push for anti-intellectualism is making the argument that it's a waste of time to learn things, to enjoy reading for reading's sake, learning for learning's sake. This is a marathon, not a sprint; you've got to keep your mind in it for the long haul. Keep it fun, if you can. That's the only way we're getting through this.

[cantsayidont]

January-February 1950. Since the 1978 SUPERMAN movie with Christopher Reeve, Jonathan and Martha Kent have generally been depicted as farmers, but in the pre-Crisis comics, they actually sold the farm before Clark Kent entered high school and bought a general store in Smallville, where Clark often helped out as a clerk or stock boy. In this story from SUPERBOY #6, Clark leaves school for a few days to run the store after Jonathan Kent twists his ankle.

The Superboy strip was careful to note that the Kents HAD been farmers at the time they found Kal-El's rocket ship, to avoid contradicting past accounts of Superman's origin. However, moving the Kents into town made more sense for the Superboy strip, since it made it easier to introduce supporting characters from Smallville (for instance, Lana Lang first appeared in SUPERBOY #10). Also, running the store was somewhat less strenuous than farming for the Kents, who were generally depicted as relatively spry but obviously elderly, looking more like teenage Clark's grandparents than his parents.

So, why have modern stories again focused on the Kents as farmers? The salt-of-the-earth family farmer remains an important piece of American cultural mythology with powerful political connotations despite its very limited relevance to the realities of modern agribusiness. Modern Superman media, particularly the live-action movies, tends to play this to the hilt, elevating Jonathan Kent the hardworking farmer to a kind of saintly figure of plainspoken middle-American values. This is also a useful prop for the nativist leanings of the post-Crisis comics, which seek to affirm Superman's bona fides as a true-blue, native-born American champion.

Indeed, John Byrne's 1986 MAN OF STEEL miniseries is explicit in its representation of farming as an exemplar of moral virtue. In explaining to Lara why he intends to send Kal-El to Earth, Jor-El says he has selected Earth because it resembles Krypton in its prelapsarian Golden Age past, possessing "a fullness of life we have denied ourselves...but which I shall give back to our son!" He then displays this image:

This is a pretty blatantly fascist argument: As Jor-El explains, escaping from the poison of modern Krypton to embrace the earthy traditional values from which Lara recoils will make their son a "supreme being," "almost a god." Note also that Lara, who unlike Jor-El has never questioned Kryptonian cultural mores, reacts in a way the reader is expected to see as sinister: suggesting that their son will use his power to become a tyrant and impose "proper Kryptonian ways" (which Byrne presents, both here and in the subsequent WORLD OF KRYPTON, as corrupt, inhuman, and sterile) on the people of Earth. Jor-El doesn't seek to argue the point, since his plan will in effect inoculate Kal-El against the corrupting moral influence of his mother and his native culture by delivering him from the doomed decadence of Krypton into the care of simple, decent Midwestern farmers like the one in the image he showed Lara previously, to become a champion of American populism.

It's not subtle, and it's quite unsavory, for all the admittedly slick prettiness of Byrne's storytelling.

[martianmeerkat]

"Would you mind if I asked you the questions I ask all my favorite tumblr folks? (1) Where ya from? (2) what’s your occupation? (3) when did you first read the books? (4) what’s your favorite thing about asoiaf? Thanks!"

@stargareed

Sure! Yeah.

1) I'm from the US, specifically Midwestern

2) I'm a seamstress! I've worked all sorts of jobs, but that's my current occupation and I'm quite fond of it!

3) Imma be completely honest here, I truly don't know. I've been a part of the fandom for years, but my cousin got me into it. He lent me the books for me to read until I ended up buying a set of my own. I think it was around the time the show ended? Yeah, that sounds about right, lol

4) My favorite thing is gonna be hard to narrow down. So I guess I'll just say that I love learning new things. To me there's always something more to learn about the asoiaf universe, and by extension there's something more to learn about life as a whole. Taking a second look at the characters, who they are, what makes them who they are. Where they're from and how that effects their interactions with the world. Why they do what they do, their morals and goals. Their ambitions, their wants and needs. Who they care about and why. Who they loathe and why. What's most important to them? What things do they take note of and what deeper meaning could be drawn from this? What is this character meant to represent? What tropes would this character typically fill and how does this character break down the trope? Things like that and more.

It's these questions I find most fascinating. I'm a huge psychology and sociology nerd, and it's always been incredible to me just how much you can learn about a person in just a few moments. The asoiaf world is filled to the absolute brim with characters that while very well fleshed out, are also purposefully vague. There's a lot of show more than tell and it leaves people like me a breadcrumbs trail to follow! GRRM has specifically mentioned how he leaves some parts vague in case he needs to use something for the story later on, so there are aspects that have been developed enough to glean a story from, but not detailed enough to determine it's impact in overarching main plot of the story.

Learning about each of these aspects and using that context to further deepen an already deeply complex story with some of the most complex characters I've come across in fiction is extremely compelling. Add to that how the fandom interacts with the story and the push and pull based on people's own perspectives, it adds yet another layer. At the end of the day, I'm only one person with one perspective, so getting to interact with other members of the fandom (those who I both agree with and disagree with) enhances my own experience and adds to my collection. Even in situations where I find people calling out particular characters actions, I find myself appreciating the depth of world building to the point that people in real life respond to the actions of fictional characters as if the character themselves was real. Because the characters feel human, and that in it of itself is a feat to be appreciated.

I could go on and on about asoiaf, I'll probably get around to making posts about it eventually. But I'll probably stop for now, lol.

Thank you for asking!