#because they aren't!! they're there to help!!!

[antianakin]

No. That's NOT what I'm saying here, AT ALL. Move away from biology and nature being the end all and be all.

First, Leia is Leia. She is not just "Character A with some of Character B sprinkled in." She is her own person with her own motivations and flaws. I am comparing her to Padme because I think the narrative intentionally builds that parallel for us and I find it interesting to look at the ways in which Luke and Leia are deliberately set up to be the successes to their parents' failures. That does not mean that Leia IS "Padme" in any way.

Secondly, Leia would never in any way be fortified by any of Anakin's anything. Anakin is a piece of shit and part of the reason he's a piece of shit IS his self-righteousness. And it's not like Padme didn't have plenty of her own self-righteousness, too. Leia is fortified by BAIL AND BREHA ORGANA, but it's not "self-righteousness" she's fortified by. She's fortified by their passion, their discipline, their wisdom, their kindness, their bravery, their willingness to stand up for what's right without burning down everything around them in the process. She's fortified by their absolute will to remain who they are in a world that wants them to capitulate everything out of fear. Leia learns how to be a good leader because she's raised by two of them.

Thirdly, Leia learns how to be a good leader because she actively CHOOSES to be a good leader when given the options. Leia does not succumb to despair and selfishness the way both of her biological parents do. Leia does not let love cause her to give up something that would allow the rebellion to win the war. She loves Luke, but she lets him go to the Death Star as a self-sacrifice because she knows it's necessary if they're going to win this war and respects the choice he is making in this moment. Padme starts off as someone who chooses to be a good leader, and remains someone who makes that choice SOMETIMES but not all of the time. Padme CANNOT give up Anakin for the sake of the war or anything else. She chooses to exonerate him when he murders children, she chooses to cover his murders up, she chooses to trade Grievous for him despite what that will mean for the war effort and the people who died to capture Grievous in the first place, and she chooses to lie to Obi-Wan to protect Anakin even after she discovers that Anakin committed a genocide and helped destroy the Republic. Padme would never have made the choice Leia makes in ROTJ.

If you think "self-righteousness" is what allowed Leia to let Luke go in that moment, then you might need to go watch it again. It's not self-righteousness that saves Leia from Padme's mistakes. It's compassion, something Anakin barely had any of in his adult life and something Padme struggled with by the end. And by compassion, I mean the way the term is actually utilized in Star Wars, a selfless love towards everyone. It's the opposite of attachment, it's an ability to let go of biases in order to show kindness to everybody, no matter who or what they are.

And then of course there's Luke. Again, it is not anything from Padme that saves him. He's never met Padme and, unlike Leia, he doesn't seem to have any kind of latent memory of her nor do the Larses seem to have ever told him any stories about her (not that they'd have had that many to tell, but we know they told Luke that his dad was a smuggler of some kind, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that they could've come up with a lie about who his mother was, we just never hear about it). If Luke is a better Jedi than Anakin, it's not somehow Padme's influence that saves him.

It's the Larses. This is Owen and Beru's down to earth hardworking values coming in. Unlike the Organas, Owen and Beru aren't really represented as these brilliant paragons of virtue. Owen and Beru make mistakes, even in terms of how they choose to parent Luke. But what this does for Luke is it shows him how to LEARN and GROW from his mistakes, something he uses quite a lot during the original trilogy. Luke learns how to be dependable and resilient. When it matters, Luke can rise up and do what needs to be done. He DOES have some of Anakin's darkness in him, that's a major element of his character and his narrative, but it's not his biological mother's compassion that saves him. It's Owen and Beru Lars's values, and it's the Jedi philosophies he was taught by Obi-Wan and Yoda. THAT'S what keeps him from making the same mistakes Anakin did.

Leia is Bail Organa's righteous passion and willingness to enter a fight tempered by Breha Organa's discipline and wisdom.

Luke is Owen Lars's protective instincts towards those he loves and firmness of opinion tempered by Beru Lars's empathy towards everyone she meets and open-minded acceptance of change.

As interesting as it can be to look at how Luke and Leia parallel their biological parents from a narrative standpoint, the two of them as people will always be so much more a product of the Organas and the Larses than Anakin and Padme.

People are SLEEPING on the most interesting Leia & Padme comparisons because there's so much focus on Leia being "like Anakin" because she gets annoyed sometimes and Padme being this perfect moral beacon of truth and justice despite all of her very canonical lies and cover-ups and obstructing of justice.

If Luke is the Jedi that Anakin should've been, then Leia is the LEADER that Padme should've been.

Padme is a hypocrite, proclaiming that all people deserve basic decency and the right to safety, but at the same time allowing Anakin to get away with a mass murder with no consequences by covering it up.

Leia doesn't even let Han get away with being a little bit of an asshole, there's no way she'd let him get away with mass murder. She holds everyone around her to a higher standard, believing in the best of them but also but refusing to accept excuses for cowardice and selfishness.

Padme talks so much about wanting the war to end, but then allows one of the opposition's biggest generals go free just to get Anakin back because she cares about him, causing the war to continue to go on for even longer.

Leia lets Luke sacrifice himself because she knows it's possibly the only way they might have a victory and beat the Empire, even though she knows what he is to her and loves him. She knows what has to be done and respects the choice Luke is making and would never condemn their efforts just to keep him with her.

Padme's story parallels Anakin's, she devolves as the narrative goes on, until she's barely a shell of the person she used to be. That strength and moral clarity she showed as a Queen is entirely gone, leaving only a scared woman pleading with a murderer to come back to her.

Leia's story parallels Luke's, she gains more and more strength and clarity as the narrative moves forward. The bossy young woman we first met has become a confident rebel leader who knows she doesn't have to harden her heart to be strong.

[franklyopinionated]

Annabeth has one of the most traumatic journeys to CHB and I don't know why we don't talk about it more.

She left home because she was being attacked by monster spiders and her stepmother refused to believe her and refused to let her call her dad who was away on business at the time. Even before this happened she was already feeling alienated and feeling like she wasn't welcomed in her home anymore. She was seven being attacked nightly by monsters and no one believed her. After days of being attacked she ran away because her choices were to stay and possibly die or to leave. That's an insane position for a seven year old to be in.

After that she spent weeks as a homeless kid fending for herself before Luke and Thalia found her. Annabeth assumes and seems very confident that Athena was guiding her during this time but Luke describes her as skin and bones when he found her so Athena clearly wasn't guiding her to food and resources regularly. She's on such high alert when Luke and Thalia find her that she attacks them with a hammer and almost bashes Luke's face in. And she's not inclined to trust them either. It takes convincing to get her to go with them and she's nervous at first that they're just going to take her back home, the place where she believes no one wants her and the place where no one believed her when she was being attacked. Can you imagine the type of nerves and trauma on a seven year old? And even once she was with Luke and Thalia the monster attacks don't stop, but at least she had two other people looking out for her.

After this she spends weeks on the run with Luke and Thalia, all three homeless, and being hunter by monsters, but at least they have each other. And then Grover tracks them down. But things still aren't perfect. After all of that they still get attacked and terrorized by a Cyclops where Annabeth, still only seven years old had to be the one to save everyone else because Thalia, Grover and Luke were already caught. Not only did she have to be the one to save everyone by outmaneuvering the Cyclops to get to Thalia and free her, but she had to do all of this while the Cyclops terrorized her as she was doing it. And again, she's still only seven years old.

They escape the Cyclops but they're not homefree as yet. After all of this she, along with her new family, are chased as they get close to CHB and she has to watch as Thalia gives her life to save them while Luke holds Annabeth back so she can't help. Thalia is probably the first time Annabeth ever witness someone "die". And unlike Percy/Sally she wasn't immediately told she could go on a quest to save Thalia. As far as she knew Thalia was gone for good. It would be another 6 years before saving Thalia is even a possibility.

There's a lot of traumatic getting to CHB and the start of demigod lives stories, but Annabeth's is up there as one of the absolute worse and most traumatic. And she was seven which is younger than most kids who typically come to camp at 12. I think the only people with backstories just as bad or even worse are Leo and Hazel.

I'll always admire her for surviving all of that at such a young age. And even after everything she still is one of the most forgiving characters. We see that in how she keeps forgiving her father and stepmother and trying to work on their relationship multiple times over before the series started and over the course of the books, in how she continues to try to save Luke as he once save her, and even how she eventually overcomes her trauma with Cyclops to the point that she now considers Tyson part of her family.

[existence-is-a-pain87]

can I have a request of the self aware! Toons x reader interactions if you were in the game please

Ima use the AU for the Self-Aware AU where MC died and got isekaid into being a Toon in Dandy's World. However, MC wasn't a Toon who was put on the show and was instead scrapped. But the Toon's obsession with them carried over. (It's an AU of an AU. So it's an AU AU.)

Lemme just show ya real quick, hehe.

Talking to You

Yandere!Dandy's World x Toon!Reader

Warnings: Obsession and other general yandere behaviors

--☆☆☆☆☆--

When you were reincarnated as a Toon in Dandy's World and saved from the horror show that was the self-aware game, you thought it was an ironic blessing.

You thought that blessing was even more ironic when you literally had to struggle to keep remembering your life as a human. And when you were never put on the show and instead kept in the depths, before being used for things like manual labor.

You weren't upset. Sure, you wish you could at least see the sun, but being a Scrapped Toon wasn't as much of a hell as obsession was.

Then you met the other Toons. And they began to get clingy.

And it got so much worse when the Ichor Operation occured and you went missing.

But when you came back? They found you again and pulled you out of your isolation?

Their obsession was so much worse.

Then you realized this was no godsend.

Whatever being did this to you, it was for their sick entertainment.

Because they were as obsessed with you as they were when they were self-aware.

--☆☆☆--

Astro

Astro: Hello starshine...

[Name]: ...

Astro: I... saw your dreams. Are you doing okay?

[Name]: Astro, do I look like I'm okay?

Astro: ...

[Name]: Please just... leave me alone.

Astro: You can talk to me whenever you need.

[Name]: ...okay.

---

Astro: Do you want to take a nap together after this, starshine?

[Name]: Astro, I'm not tired.

Astro: Won't you be by the time we're done?

[Name]: I mean, probably? But I'd rather not take a nap.

[Name]: At least with you.

Astro: Why not?

[Name]: Because last time we did that it took me an hour to scrub all the lipstick stains off my face.

[Name]: Since when did you even start wearing lipstick?

Astro: ...nevermind.

--☆☆☆--

Bassie: Blossom, do you need anything? I have some useful items!

Bassie

[Name]: No thanks, I'm good. Save your items.

Bassie: B- but...

[Name]: Trust me, I can survive without some items. I promise I'll be fine.

Bassie: Of course, hahAHA!

[Name]: ...

---

Bassie: Blossom, what do you think of Cocoa..?

[Name]: Oh, she's nice enough-

Bassie: ...

[Name]: -But I like you more.

Bassie: ...Really?

[Name]: Yeah. Why?

Bassie: -!

Bassie: No reason- hahaHAHAHAH!

[Name]: ...

--☆☆☆--

Bobette: You're always welcome to hide with me in my gift box in any emergencies, angel!

Bobette

[Name]: Bobette, there's no need.

Bobette: You sure?

[Name]: Yeah, I'm pretty fast.

Bobette: I mean-

[Name]: And I can probably beat a Twisted into a pulp with Blåhaj.

Bobette: Your giant shark plushie?

[Name]: Yeah. Hehe.

---

Bobette: How are you doing after last night?

[Name]: I don't know how my legs are functioning...

Bobette: Yeah...

[Name]: ...Why are the others looking at us weirdly?

Bobette: I dunno. Coal just sat on your lap last night.

[Name]: Yeah.

[Name]: ...Wait.

[Name]: Oh god, they're dirty-minded!

Bobette: Wha-?

--☆☆☆--

Boxten

Boxten: You're really good at machines, you know that?

[Name]: Eh, I'm okay at them. Not that great at skill checks, though.

Boxten: What do you mean?

[Name]: I basically never get them.

Boxten: Oh yeah...

Boxten: I'm constantly terrified a machine will explode whenever I do that...

[Name]: ...I'll help you out on the next floor with any machines, m'kay?

Boxten: Oh-! Thanks!

--☆☆☆--

Brightney

Brightney: What's on your mind?

[Name]: A lot of things. Most of them aren't good.

Brightney: Would book club help get them off your mind?

[Name]: Probably. Depends on the book.

Brightney: Cheesy romance novels, perhaps?

[Name]: We're gonna be allowed to read those at book club?

Brightney: Of course! If it'll make you happy, I can lift the band for the day.

[Name]: Aw, thanks Brightney!

--☆☆☆--

Coal

[Name]: Hi Coal.

Coal: Bworf.

[Name]: Please don't sit on my lap again, Coal.

Coal: ...Bwoof.

[Name]: Please Coal. I like having functioning legs, Coal.

Coal: Bork...

[Name]: ...Okay, yeah, maybe it'll be unfair if Pebs gets to keep sitting on my lap...

Coal: ...

[Name]: ...But Coal, please-

Coal: Grrrr...

--☆☆☆--

Cocoa

Cocoa: Hi, choco kiss! Do you need anything?

[Name]: There's no need.

Cocoa: Are you sure? I can always help you-!

[Name]: No, Cocoa. Trust me, I'll be okay.

Cocoa: Are you sure?

[Name]: Yeah. How about I help you instead?

Cocoa: Oh really? Of course! Thank you!

--☆☆☆--

Connie

Connie: Yo.

[Name]: ...

Connie: ...

[Name]: Stop stalking me.

Connie: Haha, no.

--☆☆☆--

Cosmo

Cosmo: I made you some baked good, sweetheart!

[Name]: There's no need...

Cosmo: No, no. Please, just take them.

[Name]: I'm not hungry...

Cosmo: If you don't take the treats from me, Sprout's gonna make you take them.

[Name]: I don't want to eat...

Cosmo: ...

Cosmo: You WILL take and eat the food.

[Name]: ...yessir.

--☆☆☆--

Eggson: Hello there, dearie.

Eggson

[Name]: Hiya, peepaw Eggson...

Eggson: How about you and I go look for some eggs after this?

[Name]: Oh... I dunno... Where are we going to find eggs?

Eggson: Hoho, just trust me, dear!

[Name]: There's really no need, though.

Eggson: Even if you want to isolate yourself from anyone, at least let someone like me stay in your life, okay?

[Name]: ...okay...

--☆☆☆--

Finn

Finn: Always a joy to sea you, angelfish!

[Name]: Hi Finn. Fish puns again?

Finn: Always! Hehe!

[Name]: ...Thanks, they manage to put a smile on my face.

Finn: That's the goal! Everyone can have a gill-ty pleasure, hehe!

[Name]: Yeah... haha...

--☆☆☆--

Flutter

Flutter: ..!

[Name]: Hi, Flutter.

Flutter: ..?

[Name]: Oh, really?

Flutter: ...

[Name]: Cool.

Flutter: ..?

[Name]: Sorry-! I'm just... tired...

Flutter: !!!

[Name]: ...Don't worry, I'll be okay.

Flutter: ...

--☆☆☆--

Flyte

[Name]: Hi, Flyte.

Flyte: Oh- uh- hi, [Name]!

[Name]: ...Is something wrong?

Flyte: It's just... Flutter's worrying about you, y'know?

[Name]: ...I'm fine.

Flyte: Are you sure? We all just care and wanna support you-

[Name]: I'm. Fine.

Flyte: ...

[Name]: ...sorry...

Flyte: Don't worry about it, it's okay.

--☆☆☆--

Gigi

Gigi: Mwehe, heyyy girlie.

[Name]: ...Back away, Gigi.

Gigi: Aw, c'mon! It's not like the others will lemme keep you...

[Name]: I'm not letting you try stuffing me in your head again, Gigi.

Gigi: I wasn't gonna do that! I was gonna give ya something.

[Name]: I don't trust you, Gigi. Back off.

Gigi: You're boring sometimes, girlie.

--☆☆☆--

Ginger

Ginger: Snickerdoodle, Cosmo and Sprout are worrying about you...

[Name]: They are?

Ginger: Yeah... apparently, it's been three days since you last ate?

[Name]: Almost four by now.

Ginger: ...Please eat something...

[Name]: ...Fine, but only if it's not made by them.

[Name]: You and I could make something together after this, if you'd like.

Ginger: I'd like that. Thank you, snickerdoodle.

[Name]: ...of course, gingersnap.

--☆☆☆--

Glisten

Glisten: Darling, your makeup's smudged.

[Name]: I told you not to put it on me because I'd mess it up...

Glisten: Darling, darling. You're already almost as perfect as me. Makeup merely helps you look the part a tiny bit more.

[Name]: ...

--☆☆☆--

Glisten: You're perfectly beautiful as is, yes, but still.

[Name]: ...

Glisten: I love you, darling. Do remember that.

[Name]: Yeah, I know... love you too...

Glisten: ...

Goob

Looey

Goob: Hiya sib!

[Name]: Goob... you know I'm not your sibling, right?

Goob: Why do you keep acting like you aren't? Oh! Do you need a hug?

[Name]: I dunno if now is a great time for a hug, Goob...

Goob: Every time is a great time for a hug!

[Name]: ...I don't know if I'm in the mood for a hug, Goob...

Goob: C'mon, please?

[Name]: ...fine. But only one.

--☆☆☆--

Pebble

Looey: You've been pretty sad lately. Need something to cheer you up?

[Name]: There's no need, Looey...

Looey: Jester, you know I'm always happy to cheer you up...

[Name]: I know...

[Name]: ...maybe after this.

Looey: Of course! How do you feel about juggling?

[Name]: That works great, thank you.

--☆☆☆--

Poppy

Pebble: Arf!

[Name]: Hi Pebs.

Pebble: Arf bark!

[Name]: Yeah, you can sleep in my bed tonight. I'm fine with that.

Pebble: Woof?

[Name]: No, Dandy may not join us.

[Name]: I know Dandy sent you to ask me, but c'mon little buddy...

Pebble: Bark...

[Name]: It's okay, don't worry.

---

Pebble: Woof! Arf!

[Name]: Pebs, I'm honestly feeling a bit lonely with how everyone obsesses over me...

Pebble: Woof...

[Name]: Maybe I should get myself a pet rock... or what would be the equivalent of a pet cat...

Pebble: Grrr... BARK BARK!

[Name]: ...

Pebble: Woof! Grrr...

[Name]: Pebs, you're as obsessed with me as everyone else. At least give me the chance to have a pet that won't be obsessed.

Pebble: (Whine).

[Name]: ...

--☆☆☆--

Razzle & Dazzle

Poppy: You'd look great with a bow!

[Name]: Like a bowtie?

Poppy: Or one on your head! Then we'd be matching!

[Name]: Wouldn't the others get jealous if you and I were matching?

Poppy: Probably!

[Name]: ...fine, but I get to pick the color.

Poppy: Yippee!

--☆☆☆--

R&D: Little actor! (Razzle, they're taller than us...)

[Name]: Yeah?

R&D: We're working on a new play! (We've been spending a lot of time on it...)

[Name]: Oh, neat! What kinda play?

R&D: A romance! (It's going to be emotional too...)

[Name]: ...Do you want me to be one of the leads?

R&D: Naturally! (If you want...)

[Name]: ...It depends, I'll consider it.

R&D: Hehe, thanks! (Thank you...)

--☆☆☆--

Rodger

Rodger: Toodles wants to play house after this.

[Name]: Does she want me to play too?

Rodger: Of course. She wants both of her parents to be there.

[Name]: Rodger... I'm more like an aunt or uncle figure to Toodles.

Rodger: Nonsense! She views you as a parent.

[Name]: ...

--☆☆☆--

Scraps

Rudie

Rudie: Merry Christmas!

[Name]: Rudie... none of us know what time of the year it is.

Rudie: Well I do! And it's Christmas!

[Name]: What if it isn't?

Rudie: Silly gift, it's definitely Christmas! I feel it in my antlers!

[Name]: ...

Rudie: Don't you like Christmas?

[Name]: I like Halloween more.

Rudie: ...oh.

--☆☆☆--

Shelly

[Name]: Scraps.

Scraps: Yeah, sib?

[Name]: I'm not your and Goob's sibling. Why do you two keep thinking that?

Scraps: Because you are our sibling, silly! Why do you keep denying it?

[Name]: ...

Scraps: Look, I know you're a bit upset. But we can fix that!

[Name]: ...

Scraps: Let's go do an art project after this! How does that sound?

[Name]: ...fine.

Scraps: Great!

--☆☆☆--

Shrimpo

[Name]: Hey, Shelly?

Shelly: Yeah? What's wrong?

[Name]: Can I hide in your room after we're done with this run..?

Shelly: Of course you can! Why my room though?

[Name]: ...

Shelly: Compy..?

[Name]: ...Dandy found my loft...

Shelly: ...Oh. Oh god. Stay in my room as long as you want!

[Name]: Thank you...

---

Shelly: Compy! I found some dinosaur documentaries!

[Name]: Really?

Shelly: Yeah! We haven't watched these ones either!

[Name]: Are they going to be inaccurate to the information we have nowadays?

Shelly: Oh, absolutely!

[Name]: Woo! We can sit down and correct dinosaur documentaries together again!

Shelly: Yay!

--☆☆☆--

Shrimpo: I HATE THE OTHERS HORDING YOUR ATTENTION!

[Name]: C'mon, Shrimpy Boy, they aren't hording my attention.

Shrimpo: I HATE IT WHEN YOU DENY WHAT I SAY!

[Name]: You hate everything, Shrimpy Boy.

Shrimpo: I HATE WHEN YOU SAY I HATE YOU!! I HATE HATING YOU!!

[Name]: Y'know, the word is love, right?

Shrimpo: I HATE BEING HONEST AND VULNERABLE WITH MY EMOTIONS!!!

Teagan

--☆☆☆--

Sprout

Sprout: Honey, I'm worried.

[Name]: ...

Sprout: You haven't been eating enough. In fact, I haven't seen you eating at all recently.

[Name]: ...

Sprout: You need to eat more-

[Name]: I'm not eating anything you make me. Not anymore.

Sprout: Honey-

[Name]: Not after what you did...

Sprout: ...

---

Sprout: I made you cupcakes.

[Name]: I don't want them...

Sprout: ...

[Name]: I'll make myself something to eat, okay? Just... leave me alone.

Sprout: Take the cupcakes first, and I'll consider it.

[Name]: No-

Sprout: Honey. Take. The. Cupcakes.

[Name]: ...got it...

--☆☆☆--

Tisha

Teagan: Dear, you seem quite stressed recently. What's wrong?

[Name]: A lot of things, honestly...

Teagan: ...Would you like me to throw a private tea party for you and me?

[Name]: I think I'd love that. Thank you, Teagan.

Teagan: Of course, dear. I'll make sure to get some snacks too.

[Name]: I-

Teagan: Not from Cosmo or Sprout. I know you've been uncomfortable around them lately. I'll ask Ginger.

[Name]: Thank you so much...

--☆☆☆--

[Name]: Hey Tisha, do you mind if I borrow a broom?

Tisha: Of course! Is your room in need of cleaning?

[Name]: Yep.

Tisha: If you told me where your room was, you know I'd be happy to clean it, right?

[Name]: Well, you clean everything. You need a break. Plus, my room's my only real spot of privacy. ...usually, at least.

Tisha: Huh?

[Name]: Nothing, nothing! It's just I like some privacy, and that's my room.

Tisha: Well, okay then. If you need anything else, let me know!

[Name]: Thanks, Tisha.

--☆☆☆--

Vee

Toodles

[Name]: Hey Toodles, is Rodger still telling you I'm basically a parent to you?

Toodles: Yeah! And you are!

[Name]: Toodles, I'm really not...

Toodles: You help fix my toys whenever they break and take me on adventures! That's a parent thing to do!

[Name]: ...How about our next adventure is something like "[Name] is more like a sibling"?

Toodles: Aw...

[Name]: ...or something else.

Toodles: Yay!

--☆☆☆--

[Name]: Vee, stop stalking me.

Vee: ...

[Name]: I know you're using the cameras to watch me. Stop it.

Vee: You know I won't no matter how much you ask, right?

[Name]: ...I'd rather try asking you.

Vee: My dear contestant, sometimes your naivety astounds me. And I already know practically everything about you.

[Name]: ...at least you're better than Dandy...

Vee: Say that again, will you?

[Name]: Yeah, no.

---

Vee: Have you been taking care of yourself?

Vee: I know you haven't been eating.

[Name]: I've been taking care of myself enough.

[Name]: ...If you leave me alone, I promise to eat something.

Vee: I'd rather be around to verify if you eat or not.

[Name]: ...I think you know that even if you aren't around you'll be able to know if I eat or not.

Vee: Hm... you're not as stupid as you often appear to be, my dear contestant.

[Name]: ...That's one of your most sweet compliments, Vee.

Vee: I am well aware.

--☆☆☆--

And, even if there's no canon interactions between Dandy and any Toon in game, I wanna try doing a couple Dandy interactions, hehe.

Yatta

Yatta: I HAVE BROUGHT YOU CANDY!!

[Name]: Jeez! Yatta, you gave me a mild heart attack-

Yatta: Well, must have been a HEART ATTACK OF JOY!!

[Name]: No, I think it was one of being startled.

Yatta: Well, candy WILL DEFINITELY cure a heart attack.

[Name]: I don't think so, but thanks anyways. I'd love some candy.

Yatta: HAHAHAHHA! YAY!!

[Name]: You're so lucky I have a sweet tooth, heh.

--☆☆☆--

--☆☆☆--

Dandy

Dandy: Need anything, dewdrop?

[Name]: ...

Dandy: Well?

[Name]: I'm good, Dandy.

Dandy: ...

[Name]: Go away, please.

Dandy: ...Sometimes you infuriate me, dewdrop.

[Name]: ...

Dandy: Well, I probably should go now. See you soon!

---

Dandy: Do you need a bandage, dewdrop? You seem bruised...

[Name]: I'm fine. I can't afford one anyways.

Dandy: You could always pay in other ways.

[Name]: ...

Dandy: Well? You could even pay me back later~

[Name]: I'll pass...

Dandy: ...oh. How... unfortunate.

---

[Name]: Dandy... stay away from my room.

Dandy: ...

[Name]: Please...

Dandy: I'd rather not, dewdrop. It was awfully hard to find it after all.

[Name]: Dandy. I don't want to wake up to you standing there. Or worse...

Dandy: ...

Dandy: I'll consider it if you give me some tapes or... something else.

[Name]: ...okay...

--☆☆☆--

THE LAG I GOT WHEN WORKING ON THIS IS KILLING ME.

Oh well, though. This is fine.

[j-richmond]

I used to be a teacher. What I learned is that most people do not understood much the US standard of education has deteriorated over the last 2 decades. Adults already outside the education system assume it still is providing the education they received. Younger people still in the system, or recently out of it, don't know what they're not getting. A LOT of them suspect, and try to self educate.

To be clear, education has always been mediocre in the US. It varies from place to place, classroom to classroom, and we've had decades of better or worse approaches that produced mediocre results. But at least those results WERE mediocre. A LOT of people got left behind, but at least the majority got enough of an education to serve them well enough. That's not great, but it is so much better than the state of things now.

People are coming out of our education systems unable to read at alarming rate. Or barely able to read. Barely able to spell. Barely able to do math. Ignorant of science. History. Politics. Basic social functions. Basic health education. This isn't because these people are stupid. The education system has complely failed them.

Young people very often recognize that something is wrong and try to self educate, but the resources for this have been poisoned. YouTube and tiktok are cesspools of misinformation, propaganda and just absolute bullshit.

And then chatgpt.

For those who want to self educate, chatgpt promises to be a perfect tool. It's fast, easy to use and is widely hailed as perfect technology. The propaganda surrounding it is impenetrable. The pressure to use it massive. It's everywhere. Everyone talks about it. Everything is powered by it, or some similar AI. You might as well use it. Everyone uses it.

Not every young person who has been completely failed by our educational system is interested in self education. So for them chatgpt is just an "easy button." A "find things out and get things done" button. These people aren't dumb. They've been given a button thst they've been told is both a short cut and cheat code, and as far as they know it works. They dont understand what it is. Not because they're dumb, but because the entire world spends every day lying to them sbout it .

What does our society look like when the educational system fails multiple generations? Well, we can see that right now. People try to educate themselves. Unfortunately, predators know this. So our easy sources of self education (YouTube, tiktok, social media, TV) are flooded with purposeful misinformation, propaganda and grooming.

This is intentional. Powerful people and corporations have spent our entire lives trying to dismantle the education system so that we'll be vulnerable to their misinformation, propaganda and grooming.

And now chatgpt.

A misinformation machine. A cheat code that anyone can access for free. A trap that you can't help falling into because all safety rails have been stripped away, and everything in our lives has funneled us to this exact spot.

What does our world look like when the main source of knowledge and expertise is chatgpt? We're already on this track, and already seeing the results. The purposeful and willful destruction of our education system brought us here. It matters lot more than most prolke think, and it's already effecting every part of our lives.

What does tge world look like with an entire generation who have grown up with chatgpt and use it in every aspect of their lives?

"i don't care if they make their whole way though uni with chatgpt" i think you guys are so internetpilled that you have forgotten there are actual jobs out there that require people to know what they are doing in any way possible or else people die

[aimasup]

Does kitty Steve do that thing limbless cats do and try to bat the air with an invisible paw? Just a little shimmy of his shoulder nubbins

Steve's quite smart! If something Steve wants is out of reach and he knows that, he bats his nubs at it

He also gets really close to your feet then raises himself up and down

If you aren't paying attention then he starts kicking you. With his feet

Or his face

This is not an attempt to reach the item, this is his 'Help Me With The Thing I Want' signal

It's because sometimes you're playing with him and the toy is too far up, sometimes it's your hand that's stopped petting him, sometimes he wants uppies

Unfortunately this includes:

food on a table when he's already eaten (get him out of the room before he tries to take it himself ) or a butterfly outside the window ("Steve I'm not going to catch it for you, I've known that guy since it was a caterpillar" )

And he'll be looking at you expectantly like

₍^ ◉ ^₎ ⟆

If there's no one around and he knows he can't reach it, he'll do the same thing

If he can reach it and he knows he can reach it, he uses his blue paws. They're what he mainly uses anyhow, since he has no mouth to bite with

He's very good at it :D looks like he's at a rave sometimes too, what with him being parrot-coloured n all

[ednygmasbowlerhat]

the leverage ot3 is so amazing because each pair within it has its own unique and fascinating dynamic and then all 3 together have a third fascinating dynamic so the character depth is so good.

like parker and hardison have their adorable dynamic that gets tons of attention in the show so i don't think i have to explain but if i do, they are super playful with each other and so loving and romantic and hardison is always calling parker pet names and it's fucking adorable.

then you have parker and elliot, who are the two most emotionally stunted on the team, but something about being the two people who aren't "good" like the rest of the team (like basically the whole conversation they have while stuck in that like ice cave in the mountain climbing episode) is super deep. also, especially in redemption, i love how even though they pardison are not canonically dating eliot, parker is always including him in their future plans, like elliot will also get robot bodies with parker and hardison, etc. etc. like this is particularly sticking out to me in the most recent leverage redemption episode (the swipe right job) when parker is going on a rant about dating apps and elliot goes "we're in trouble" (about their covers getting blown on a job) and parker's like "no me you and hardison are fine" like hello did she just acknowledge that they're dating? more to the point though, i love how we see parker and elliot just hanging out and having like real, honest conversations, especially in redemption. i also love how they clearly spend time together outside of work - like the sheer number of parker and elliot noodle incidents is insane.

next up: elliot and hardison. holy shit they are so iconic. they are the big guy smart guy duo and it plays out in such a sweet way in their relationship. like even though he acts all exasperated, hardison really softens elliot up, for example, elliot complaining about the lucille song but then joining in in the first contact job. and then, at the same time, elliot helps hardison be tougher, think his really great speech in the rundown job where he convinces hardison that he is capable of stopping the terrorist attack and he like grabs the back of his neck and stares him right in the eye like he's donating his aura or something. but at the same time as encouraging him to be tough, elliot is still super overprotective of hardison, like when he instinctively grabs hardison and steadies him when he steps on the mine in that same episode, and i think that's so cute. speaking of the rundown job, the way that elliot and hardison are supportive of each other both in like a serious way and like a funny flirty way. as far as serious, in that episode, we have elliot literally jumping for joy when hardison figures out the sos car thing in time, and then of course as far as flirty and funny, you have the handshake when they're both staring at how hot parker is dodging lasers. btw the fact that they have a handshake too is just like the definition of their dynamic. i love it.

finally, all three together is super interesting because of how all of these dynamics come together. elliot is the scary looking dog who could fuck you up but is actually quite sweet and would rather nap with you on the couch. parker is the cat who takes a while to warm up to you but once she does she is super loving and sweet. and hardison is their genius golden retriever who is like the heart of the group and is always bothering the other two to play with him but secretly they love it. and they work together so well because they play off of each other's strengths and compensate for each other's weaknesses. it's just so fucking amazing ot3 5ever.

[therainscene]

Gonna be a bit of a buzzkill here, but: I think what annoys me about Ted's been casually assuming that Mike was dating Will this whole time theories is that they always tend to treat it as a fun outcome.

Like, I get it: Ted's the useless one-dimensional suburban dad who makes bland observations he thinks are insightful quips, and he hasn't had much of a character arc beyond getting dragged along for the ride his more three-dimensional wife is on -- so what is there for him to do, really, other than to delight us with one final, genuinely insightful joke that subverts our expectations but makes perfect sense in hindsight?

But I feel like this would essentially make him one of those "allies" whose egos are more important to them than actually being supportive, and so they make smug jokes about how accepting they are at the expense of their kids' fear of rejection:

"I hate my gay son! Oh, not because he's gay, he's just an asshole." 🤭 "Why are you telling me you're gay? I figured that out years ago. Stop crying and go help your mother with the dishes." 🙄 etc.

It wouldn't be out of character for Ted to do this. I can totally see him doing it! But it's out of character for the show to make light of queer struggles, so I'd expect it to be critical of Ted for doing this.

Often, parents like the ones described above really do mean well, but they just don't know what they're supposed to do other than try to keep treating their kid the same as if they were straight. Lots of parents struggle with that; I'd argue even Joyce does in S3:

Will's clearly experiencing a specifically queer difficulty here -- boys like him aren't allowed to fall in love and he's upset about having to watch straight people openly enjoy things he thinks he'll never have -- and that apparently sails over Joyce's head. She just smiles at her Silly Immature Boy Who Doesn't Get The Appeal Of Sex Yet and drops the topic.

[Edit: To be clear, Joyce knows he's gay and is explicitly showing support for gay love here. She just has a blind spot when it comes to the gay teen experience.]

It's a disappointing change in her approach from the first two seasons, in which she fought her ass off to understand and advocate for his needs, even when communication seemed nigh impossible.

But then, maybe S3 is about granting Will his S2 wish to not be coddled by his mom anymore.

The Jonwill heart-to-heart at the end of S4 is my favourite scene in the whole show, because it's a pitch-perfect demonstration of how to balance closeted queer kids' need for support against their need to handle things on their own terms, all without embarrassing them by showing your hand of Already Knowing.

Maybe you're thinking: didn't Karen do exactly this with Mike all the way back in S1?

[Literally hiding his future beard in his closet during this convo lol 10/10 queer-coding]

Well, no. The point I made in my previous Wheeler analysis still applies: Karen, as of S1, is too prone to trusting dangerous authorities over her own kids -- and so her words ring hollow. She means well, but deep down she's prioritizing her need to feel like a good mother over putting any real effort into figuring out what Mike needs: reassurance that he and his flock of outcast friends will be safe if he's open with her.

The key thing Jonathan gets right is to understand his brother well enough to directly address the underlying fear that's been preventing Will from opening up:

So if Ted's sole contribution to Mike's queer arc ends up being a reveal that he's always known and been too cool to blab to anyone, but also that he did nothing about it other than to smugly wait for Mike to come out...?

...I just think that would feel more tragic than funny.

[gotaksboyfie]

Hiii hru??

May I request hyuntak x male reader smut

Where they're both still at school and there in a secret relationship so they have to like sneak around

Hope I explained this good enough 🙏

supply closet

gif creds: @billornot

pairing go hyuntak x male reader

summary skipping class, you and hyuntak decide to make school more entertaining

word count 1.6k

warnings/tags shameless smut this is just pwp, quickie

you trailed behind hyuntak with enough distance for it to not be suspicious as he led you through the school. turning a corner, you bumped into his back as he stopped in front of a door.

hyuntak look backed at you, then at the empty hallway, and opened the door to a supply closet. you raise and eyebrow at him, knowing the implications of this.

"in here?" you ask with a lazy smirk

"it's the best place," hyuntak huffs, a small blush forming on his cheeks.

"poor little hyuntakie can't hold his dick in for a few more hours?" you taunted, stepping into the closet.

hyuntak's eyes darken as he pulls you in closer to close the door, and he immediately pins you against it.

"don't act like you're not just as desperate as i am", hyuntak growls, pulling you in for a messy kiss.

the air around you guys starts to get heated as your hands wrap around hyuntak's neck. you move your hand up to grab softly at his hair, sighing softly into the kiss.

as hyuntak parts for air, a small strand of saliva connects your lips. his eyes are filled with an intense desire, and you shiver under his gaze.

diving for your neck, he starts to suck and bite at it, making you whimper faintly. his hands start to travel all down your body. one of them roughly pinches your nipple through your shirt, and starts thumbing at them as the other grabs your hip.

your hand grips lightly at hyuntak's hair as he pulls your hips against his. you can already feel hyuntak half hard in his pants against you.

muttering into your collarbone, you can feel hyuntak smile as he talks, "look at how hard you are for me baby," he rolls his hips against you as he continues, "you're throbbing for me and i've barely done anything."

you bite back a moan, "shut up." you can't refute his statements, because your cock twitches as hyuntak sucks at a particularly sensitive part of your neck.

moving his hand from your nipple, he firmly grasps both your hips and thrusts hard against you. the friction is delicious and you can't help but let out a moan.

"quiet," hyuntak says under his breath, going in for another kiss. you guys sloppily make out as hyuntak continues to frot on you, his pace growing more and more desperate.

you break the kiss to whine out, "tak, need you,"

"you have me," hyuntak breathes back.

"need you inside, please." you look at hyuntak and flutter your eyelashes, knowing he wont be able to resist.

hyuntak licks his lips and flips you around, pulling your ass out as you hold onto the wall.

"you're so lucky i brought lube with me," he laughs airily, pulling your pants down. you hear the click of a bottle, and you cant help but arch your back towards hyuntak when you feel the slick press of his fingers on your hole.

pressing on your hole but never fulling entering, he starts to tease you. "you're practically begging for it, reader"

you whine and press your hips back further, "hyuntak please."

hyuntak finally relents and slides his middle finger in. it's just one finger though, and you need more. "another, i can take it," you pant.

wordlessly, hyuntak glides his ring finger in. your knees buckle slightly as he starts with a quick pace. as he curls his fingers for your prostate, you accidentally let out a loud moan.

hyuntak slows down, a reminder for you to keep quiet. you mourn the loss of his fingers snapping into you, now replaced with languid pumps.

you inhale sharply as hyuntak inserts a third finger without warning, stretching you open. a few minutes pass of hyuntak prepping you until you can't take it anymore.

"hyuntak if you aren't inside of me within the next minute i'm going to break up with you," you groan.

"so demanding," hyuntak huffs, pulling his fingers out with a wet sound. "fuck, i don't have a condom."

your cock twitches at the thought of hyuntak going in raw, and hyuntak doesn't miss it.

"you want it?" you can hear hyuntak's smirk, even if you're facing away from him. "who's the slut now, huh?"

"remember what i said earlier? the clock's still ticking," you roll your eyes, growing impatient.

"bossy," hyuntak tsk's, and you hear him lubing up. with a steady hand on your waist, he slides in with little warning.

you groan as hyuntak bottoms out quickly. the stretch burns, but hyuntak starts to thrust almost instantly. biting your lip, a steady stream of choked-back moans from both you and hyuntak start to fill the room.

too busy focusing on hyuntak practically pounding into you, you don't notice voices growing louder, but hyuntak does. stilling his hips, you whine softly.

"shh, reader. just wait," hyuntak kisses your shoulder, finger reaching to lock the door. you can hear footsteps and loud voices, eventually recognizing them as baku and juntae.

"aish, that fucker hyuntak is always playing hooky," baku complains loudly, "can't even find him anymore without him running off."

"he's probably just busy!" juntae pipes up. their voices are growing louder and louder, but you're feeling mischievous. you start rolling your hips back on hyuntak, who lets out a surprised moan.

"what was that?" juntae asks, his voice just a few feet from the door.

hyuntak lets out a heavy breath as he moves one hand up to cover your mouth, and the other starts to stroke your cock fast. the glide is smooth with the sheer amount of precum you're leaking.

you nearly moan into hyuntak's palm before remembering who's outside. you turn your head back and glare at hyuntak, knees growing weak from the pleasure.

"what happened juntae-ya? i didn't hear anything," baku replies. "there's nothing over here, i don't think hyuntak is here."

one of them reaches against the door handle and jiggles it, but it stays closed. your eyes widen and your heartbeat picks up as the door wiggles against you.

"it's locked baku, let's go somewhere else." juntae sighs, and he and baku start walking back.

after a solid minute passes, hyuntak finally removes his hand from your palm. his other hand never stopped working at your dick. now, it's thumbing at your head in a way that makes you almost cross eyed.

"i felt you tighten up when juntae tried opening the door," hyuntak grins at you, "you wanna get caught, don't you? you fucking slut,"

hyuntak emphasizes the last sentence with a thrust on each word, making you whimper. hyuntak removes his hand from your cock to roughly hold your hips, moving you back as he slams into you.

the sound of skin on skin is loud, and your moans start growing in noise. the pace hyuntak sets is unrelenting, hitting your prostate with every thrust. your dick pathetically bounces, leaking a steady stream of precum.

"gonna make you all mine," hyuntak breaths, his eyes zeroing in on the hickeys left on your neck.

you nod shakily, "i'm all yours, tak."

the heat in your stomach builds until you can't hold it in anymore. "so close- ah! don't stop, please," you cry out. hyuntak speeds up, determined to make you cum.

his hands trail back down to your cock, pumping you only twice before you moan loudly as you spill into his hand. hyuntak's pace falters, and his hips stutter as he cums with a guttural groan.

the sensation of hyuntak spilling into in thick ropes is enough to make your thighs shake, and you let out a soft whimper. "so full, hyuntak.."

hyuntak leans against the door, hugging you tight as you guys bask in the afterglow. the bell rings after only a minute, signaling lunch time.

as hyuntak slides out, his fingers go to push his cum back in you. sensitive, you whine and lightly bat his hand away. you stay leaned against the door as hyuntak shuffles around for napkins, dozing off.

you wake up to hyuntak peeling you off the door, and you note how your thighs no longer feel sticky.

"i cleaned you up while you got to take a catnap, how unfair is that?" hyuntak complained, reaching down and pulling your pants up. you buckle your pants while rolling your eyes.

"you weren't the one getting fucked in the ass, were you?". you crack the door open to make sure no one was down the hallway, before pulling hyuntak in for one last kiss as you left.

when lunch ends and you arrive back in class, your friends pester you about where you went.

"reader! where did you go?" one of them complains, "soccer was so boring without you."

"he's always playing hooky," they snicker as you rolled your eyes.

you were about to argue back when hyoman gasps, and pats you on the back.

"is that a hickey i see?" he wolf-whistles at you as he repeatedly slaps your back. "who's the lucky girl?" he cackles as he walks away to his desk, and your friends crowd you instantly.

you failed to notice how hyuntak's eyes darkened when hyoman started touching you. his lip twitched with annoyance at someone else touching his reader.

but ever so attentive, juntae watches the scene unfold and notes how your eyes quickly glanced at hyuntak when hyoman asks who the lucky "girl" was. he also notices how hyuntak's slight smile morphed into an annoyed frown the second hyoman got near you.

gasping to himself, the dots connect rather quickly. he turns around, away from you, and scrunches his face in disgust realizing what he heard earlier.

in school? seriously? you horny people, juntae thinks to himself.

fin

a/n first time writing a genuine smut fanfic and not just headcanons.. i hope it's not too awkward 😭

[marzipanandminutiae]

Don't use disabled people to support AI, but please also don't argue against AI by saying, "What, you can't do [task that many disabled people struggle with]? What an idiot! What kind of baby can't do that!?" It's really really shitty. There are plenty of valid arguments against AI that don't mock people for struggling.

I didn't see it as calling people idiots for struggling; I saw it as calling them idiots for using that particular "solution."

there's no shame in struggling. there IS shame, and immaturity, and willful ignorance, in relying on a perceived solution that massively harms other people and the planet as a whole (and doesn't even successfully accomplish the task, to a reasonable standard, anyway)

I did consider whether I should reblog that post, since I thought it might potentially come off that way. I'm still on the fence about it, because I do think making something Uncool and Embarrassing can be a powerful tool to get rid of it. even more than any laws. I remember when I was a teenager, almost no teens smoked- not because of all the messaging around the dangers, but because it was perceived as hopelessly dated and cringeworthy (even try-hard)

stigmatizing something can be dangerous, it's true. but...I don't know. I think, if there's a way to do it judiciously, maybe we SHOULD stigmatize AI. not learning struggles, of course, but the use of bots to try and solve them (spoiler: doesn't work; the output is usually bullshit, and learning disabilities don't mean you're incapable of critical thinking anyway, so I'm not sure they're even helping with the problem here) (also most people I know who use AI aren't even disabled; they're able-bodied people who don't want to develop skills or use their own brains)

it might be the only way to get people to stop outsourcing their minds to a planet-destroying plagiarism engine

[heyftinally]

Genuinely, there's a fine line between "let's not call people rude shit just because you have issues about their existence" and "there are a variety of words that *could* describe this person, but which one(s) you use are pretty irrelevant because at the end of the day that person is still in need of help".

We all know by now that you don't call disabled people the r slur, because it's a slur. It doesn't describe them, and the only purpose it serves is to cause harm and belittle disabled people.

On the other hand, whether you call someone homeless or unhoused, the end result is the same: you're describing a person who does not have a house/home.

An addict is still an addict, regardless of what they're addicted to. If they're addicted to a substance then yeah, it's substance abuse...via addiction.

There comes a point where we really have to question "is fighting for a change in language going to make any meaningful change in the experience of the person/people the language is describing?" If the answer is no, then changing the language is not the primary thing we should be advocating for.

I support homeless addicts. Those aren't bad words.

you can't be a disabled ally without also supporting homeless people and addicts like it's just not possible

[buckleyanddiaz]

I think about grief assessments and numbers and data. about how it's not a person. and that makes it impersonal but it also makes it less doubtful if you don't know to trust casual words anymore. if your last memory of someone is them telling you something you can't believe even while you try to follow it. if someone could seem fine, and look fine, and say they're fine, but then remove their mask to bleed in front of you. what do you believe in anymore? your instincts? you thought you knew something before too, didn't you? you believed someone when they said they're fine before too, didn't you? and then they died because they had not been fine all along. all Buck had was Bobby's words and his trust and both failed him. so, how do you trust conversations from familiar people? what if you're missing something again because your instincts aren't working? maybe you can trust numbers more. they're clearer. maybe they'll tell you if someone is gonna die again. and it doesn't help him or others because it wasn't Buck's fault, he couldn't have controlled how Bobby decided anything. he'll still need to be himself, he's still better than numbers, he is still the confidant and friend they'll need. but for a minute he needs something he can trust. and there's questions on a sheet that maybe have better capability than him. maybe they're more credible than his understanding of everything that remains.

[doomedtoxicyaoi]

doflamingo looking like zoro without his glasses is so true actually, i always have do a double take when i see fanart

Literally! Doffy's two defining traits are his glasses and his smile so without them he just has his balding hairline 😭 and sorta buzz cut is very similar to Zoro's. I think it tends to go under the radar a lot because Zoro usually frowns when he's in a scene because he likes trying to act cool while Doffy is grinning ear to ear like a madman 90% of the time.

In terms of hair, the main difference is that Zoro has more of a square shape to his hairline that extends to somewhat longer sideburns. Even looking at their eyes doesn't help either because most of the fandom also subscribe to 'Doffy is missing/has an injured eye'. I think the eyebrows are the only real difference - or lack thereof in Doffy's case

And it works the other way as well, when you give Zoro the Doffy glasses, he looks like Doflamingo. (also I can't get over how cunty everyone looks in the second image like they really are top tier glasses designs)

Also it's funny to me that when I was looking for references I found the moments that Doffy looks the best are usually when he's frowning lol. Not to say they're aren't some good moments of him with his signature smile, but he tends to look a bit too silly for me, especially when he has his tongue out. And the anime doesn't help since Dressrosa has tons of wonky off-model moments for all the characters and Doffy's no exception.

i guess

most of the time we see him smiling it feels very forced which I think is kinda the point. The shape of his glasses kinda resembles smiling eyes and most of the time he will have that same 'evil' grin. Drawing him with any kinda of emotions is genuinely so hard because you can't just slap on some eyebrows and call it a day, which I imagine is why we have that goofy vein sound effect to show his rise in blood pressure every time something goes wrong.

like he's so pissed in all of these images but its hard to differentiate that from his goofy grin because he's basically angry all the time. The grin is just kinda something he does to unsettle people. And in this translation from The Library of Ohara they even mention that he just kinda does that automatically?

Whereas you look at the few times Rocinante smiles and it's clearly very genuine.

and the funniest part to me is that between the two of them, Law clearly did not take after Corazon when it came to smiling because like...

and Zoro has also been known to have that sorta bloodthirsty looking grin

[oblique-lane]

Uh uhhhh well like i said gonna have to go back and take notes, but

1) my, then, sleep deprived brain got blasted with the thought "Demoman and his 3 2 weed smoking girlfriends hippies" ffhgjgjv

2) jokes aside, I'm SUCH a sucker for hare themed characters who try to act like they're a fight predator, and not what they truly are, a flight prey

Scout being jackrabbit coded. Speedy, full of anger, underestimated, has weapons (bat/teeth, gun/claws etc) and isn't afraid to use it. But deep down, being led by fear

The fact that blu is that predator-esque mask dropping, and the crushing realisation of being a prey animal, of being in so much danger everywhere from everything, that he can't trust anyone, of letting the need to run away take over

And the fact that Sniper is often associated with Dingos and Owls, both natural predators to rabbits. Hell, even the fact that he mentioned hunting rabbits a child

And yet, Scout came to him, the rabbit going to the predator. To the opposite side

And the fact that said predator is also dealing with the realisation that, really, he's just a livestock prey too when looking at the bigger picture. And deep down, he's not much braver about it than a rabbit

They're all lambs to the never ending slaughter. Who cares about prey or predator, about jobs and teams, about natural roles, when there's a nature defying society and science controlling everything above it all?

It's all so dehumanising in so many different ways. In the livestock vs butchery, in the wild animals vs human hunters, in the meaning of jobs vs companies and money. In that humans in powers, control and think they own everything, including your own personhood. In the loss of agency, of loosing who you are to a job

But truly, were you ever anyone at all?

If the fighting stopped, what would they do? Deal with the reality that there's nothing left from before ? Have to face the fact they're no one outside of what the admin wants from them? Or run back to the familiar cage they've been in for so long, and know by heart?

What is true freedom?

Are they really ready to have to build that possible new home all by themselves out there ? Including building a new self while accepting parts they hate? Dealing with the fact they're just copies, and some parts of them might thus not be the "true" them? Yet those things still being a part of themselves ? Learning to accept what they see in the mirror?

And if they are, are they ready with the possibility that they might never get the chance to do any of that at all?

MMMMMMKFHDHWBKFKVXJ!!!!!

Shit's fucked

And what is going on in BLU Snipes' mind....he's really an enigma to me

Heh, in a way, he's closer to the "blueprint" Sniper with how closed off he is about how he feels. Just like how RED Scout is closer to the "original"

And yet he still figured it out...like you don't actually need to deviate much from the blueprint to become a "deviant", which is getting me more curious about BLU Soldier too

And how the RED Spy is gonna handle that too...

there was already a significant amount of mutual assistance between the two teams, whether on purpose or not. Like BLU Spy letting RED get away with his fire distraction (though I'm guessing it was more to hide what ye and engie figured out. But i can't help but think that a small part of him still did it for RED, maybe because of the suspicions that truly, both colours aren't necessarily enemies, and they're closer to having a common one)

Same with RED Spy pulling BLU Pyro away from Scout and Snipes because he knew it would put them (and everyone else) in danger if that info got out

And RED Demo trying to mend his relationship with BLU Soldier

The line between enemy and ally is already slightly blurring, which is gonna affect everyone

Progress is being made, yet that progress worsens the risk of everyone getting removed for it. Sisyphus curse

And yet, it's the predator who freezes up in fear like a prey, wanting to curl on himself with his tail between his legs, hide his face under his paws and pretend the chain around his neck isn't here. while the rabbit is angry and wants to take actions, gnawing at the cage and fighting for freedom....

I love you.

[ysrjune]

now what would scott do if mr.justin ran into him at the store or something while he was holding leo and with his girl? like would he run and avoid quietly or start saying stuff to his gf about it or idk anything lol idk i felt like scott’s interactions were mad funny

Mr. Justin is such a talker. He doesn't know how or when to shut up. Actually, he does, but he likes to bother his students because THEY bother HIM.

Reader, Leo, and Scott are at Macy's or something, looking for clothes and jewelry (for reader cause she's a #baddie and always needs more cute clothes and accessories). Scott is holding Leo outside of the dressing rooms. He's sitting on one of the chairs.

Leo's smiling and making all sorts of noises, grabbing onto his dad's hands. Scott's not really paying attention. He's looking around and back at Leo a few times.. but then he hears a familiar voice. His eyes widen as Mr. Justin comes from the corner with his wife.

"Mr. Barringer!" The man calls with a smile. "And.. Mr. Barringer." He looks down at the baby. "Honey, this is the student I've been telling you about!" Justin's wife smiles and extends her hand to shake Scott's. "It's nice to meet you, sweetheart. If you don't mind, I'll be going into the changing room." She nods and smiles at Leo then leaves.

Scott kept his gaze away from his teacher, keeping it on the floor. "What brings you here, Mr. Barringer? Shopping with your mother, I'd assume?"

"No. I'm here with my girlfriend. I'm waiting for her."

"Ahh, yes, yes. It's very nice that you two aren't split." Justim shoves his hands in his pockets. "Your son looks just like you.", "Yeah, but he's got his mom's eyes." Scott looks into the baby's eyes and smirks. "They've got the best eyes."

Then, Scott's girlfriend comes out in a pair of jeans that she wanted. "Babe, what do you think of these?" She gives him a spin. Scott would have said something perverted, but his teacher was right in front of him, so he didn't. "They're cute, I like them." Is all he says. "Ms. L/N. It's nice to see you again." Mr. Justin speaks up.

"Oh, hi.." She suddenly feels embarrassed. Tight jeans and a crop top in front of an older man.. yikes. Not that Mr. Justin was weird to stare. He'd never. Justin is actually a very respectful man, but she couldn't help but feel embarrassed. "Um, it's nice to see you.." She smiles awkwardly.

Scott wanted to kill himself. "No, it isn't. Don't lie to your elders." He mutters and rolls his eyes. Justin laughs and shakes his head. "Oh, Mr. Barringer. I'll be right out of your hair as soon as‐" "Why don't you get out of it right now? Get out of my business, geezer."

She and Justin kept talking.. and talking.. and talking. Scott was fed up. He bounced Leo on his knee and kept rolling his eyes here and there. "Don't become a teen dad." He moves a hair from Leo's face. "And do everything in your power to not have Mr. Justin."

She finally went back inside, and Scott sighed. "Can you leave me alone now? And don't tell anyone you saw me here." He glares. "Macy's is such a mom store." Scott scoffs. "I guess that's why Ms. L/N is shopping here." Justin laughs and shakes his head. "Well, alright, Mr. and Mr. Barringer. I'll be on my way, waiting in a different place. By the way.. I need your project turned in tomorrow."

"I'm not going to be in your class tomorrow. Leo has a checkup at 8:30." Scott replies. "The day after tomorrow, then." Justin offers. "Just get it done before the end of the week." He smiles and walks away. Scott looks at his baby. "Finally. And where's your mom? Takin' forever." It had only been 3 minutes since she went back into the dressing room.

@bxbyysstuff @anakinstwinklebunny @lovethestarrs @valloos @anisangeldust @xo-yaaaaaasxo @anakinca @dollfilmz @alexlovesysrjune @sockiess @sythethecarrot @speaknow-sw @loveamira @alealuvshayden @mvst4far

[saltyfoxes-artist]

Intersex people are not naturally nonbinary because nonbinary is a gender identity whilst intersex describes a range of sexual development variations that deviate from societal norms of male and female. People who are saying intersex people are naturally nonbinary are usually saying it because they believe intersex means "male and female." It's also mentioned in this graphic because intersex animals are often called nonbinary even though they have no concept of gender. Animals cannot be nonbinary.

Some people also use "naturally nonbinary" to downplay struggles that intersex trans people face when they are seeking HRT, surgery or similar medical treatment. A lot of intersex trans people I know have been told they don't need to transition, or that transition will be easier for them because they're "naturally nonbinary." It also implies that intersex people aren't allowed to have a gender which is something a fair amount of the community goes through: having their gender stripped away from them in social settings, being denied a gender as children etc etc.

Hope that helps!

Intersex infographic, just to clear up some common misconceptions.

Only intersex people may add info in reblogs, perisex people learn to listen.

[superkooku]

@aliciavance4228's post about Crown of serpents only focusing on physical strength to be worthy inspired me for more ramblings. (Thanks for the idea btw)

Because it's yet another proof that some of these "dazzling" retellings (or whatever other buzzword) are even more reductive and stigmatizing than Greek mythology !

No, just because Andromeda didn't fight Cetus herself or smth doesn't mean she's weak. Heck, she doesn't even need to sacrifice herself for the kingdom (SHE DIDN'T WANT TO DO THAT) to show her own kind of strength. Let me elaborate on my stance, first.

Greek mythology isn't simply about fighting monsters and being strong

Firstly, no religion or mythology is. It's tied to the culture, to all its elements, to legends that teach values or explain stuff about the world and human nature. So of course physical strength and "epicness" aren't the only parts to remember !!!

Then, let's talk about the multiple heroes, not even women or anything, but actual male heroes, whose abilities don't lie on strength, some of them not even being fighters, and even then they're highly acclaimed.

Andromeda's healing abilities (that aren't in the source but whatever) would've never been seen as useless in a mythology where there are multiple deities solely dedicated to this domain. The mythology where we have Asclepius being literally deified for his extraordinary medicinal abilities (and him being Apollo's kid probably helped but my point still stands).

Orpheus, a figure that literally everyone knows, saved the Argonauts not by fighting the Sirens but by out-singing them, using his actual talent instead of grabbing a sword.

Heck, even among the fighting heroes, physical strength isn't everything.

Even fricking Heracles, aka mr. strong guy, doesn't accomplish all his tasks by brute strength. He has to think, at least a little bit, in order to find a solution.

Simple strength would NOT have cleaned the Augean stables and that one hydra head would've still wrecked havoc if not handled with extra-care.

The Greeks won the whole-ass Trojan war by ruse, not by strength. The mighty Achilles, as powerful as he was, wasn't enough and ended up being taken down by one well-placed arrow.

I'm using some of the most popular myths out there, not even tragedies that solely focus on the human condition and emotions, or more obscure ones.

Then, let's talk about the women in Greek mythology.

Why do we define women like Penelope, Andromache or Antigone are strong ? None of them picked up a sword and fought. They aren't goddesses, they aren't witches, just average princesses and queens.

It's because they had resilience, they had a strength of character, they had inner qualities that made them stand out, even in difficult conditions, as everyone else was against them, they stood their ground.

Even those that are more "in the background" like Ariadne, or in Perseus' myth Andromeda and Danae somewhat show these qualities and end up being rewarded for it (when it's not a tragedy anyway).

Edit : I'll elaborate on Danae. I mean, she literally had to raise a demi-god all by herself, in poverty and had to watch him go to a potential suicide mission so Polydectes could have her for himself. But she didn't give up, she trusted her son, she kept her dignity and now she's set for a peaceful quiet life.

Anyway, I could mention a LOT of other examples. My point is that even in Greek mythology, there's a lot of variety. There are powerful "badass" ones like Athena, Circe or the wholely underused Atalanta, but also some that show this less bombastic power in them. And I would love if retellings focused more on that to make female characters strong.

Same goes for the men, as I previously said. Power can be in strength of character, cunning, talents, eloquence, contacts, politics, or multiple other fields that aren't related to physical strength.