#being accused of never having that creativity in the first place isn't

[n7punk]

i was watching a video on plagarism in cosplay and the girl making the video managed to put into words something that i've kind of struggled with and tbh am still struggling to adapt to my "field" but. it bugs me so i want to try. also i should say this wicked isn't a problem it has happened to me all of Twice (one from each end) but someone finally summarized why it felt the way it did.

basically, a couple times people have commented on a fic of mine likening it to another that exists. sometimes these are innocuous and even lead me to people with similar headcanons and interpretations of the character as me. sometimes i don't like the other fic so it feels less flattering, but it's by no fault of how the comment itself is written. i've actually written a comment similar to this once and hope it didn't come across as naggy, but i found out someone else used the same prompt as me for catradora, so i basically left a comment about how funny it was that two people saw that inspiration source and went "ah yes, this could be catradora." it was supposed to be a "like sees like" kind of salute (as well as an acknowledgement that i hadn't seen their fic before as i don't go in the tags often), but i've since gotten comments that i think are trying to at least toe the line of doing the same thing and felt off (bitter, self-promotey, whatever) to me, so i retroactively worry about how they felt about it.

but really this post is about the time i had someone say "is this fic actually inspired by [other fic]" and it was 1) something i'd never heard of and 2) insulting.

so why is it insulting, what did the video finally put into words for me?

when someone accuses you of copying, using/having the same idea as someone else, etc, it is insulting the creative process and labor it took to make it. It's saying that you didn't/couldn't come up with that yourself, that you didn't develop and nurture it and plan out all the impacts this event/plot/au etc would have on the characters; that any time and effort and love you put into it never actually existed because you just stole it from someone else. it's essentially accusing you of being chatgpt, putting someone else's hard work in as input and cranking something cheap and less valuable out instead. they don't care about the work you put in anymore.

like, when i did the bachelorette au, it was straight up inspired by one that existed and i openly sourced that because it deserved it, but even then i still spent hours reading recaps of the show, previously had an interest in the franchise from podcasts, went and read interviews to get an idea of the general timelines, etc. I put a lot of work - my work, unique work, creative work - into crafting an au that, in reality, only shares the phrase "bachelorette au" with the initial source of inspiration (again, a source i love and am happy to credit anyway). if someone else wants to write a cosplay au for catradora, even if they think to do it because they read mine, as long as they're not copying the plot, backstory, etc, i think that would be super cool! honestly, i'd be flattered to be an inspiration source for that, just like i'm flattered when someone takes on one of my headcanons. it's just the basics of how creativity works. no idea, no matter how much it may feel like it, comes from nowhere. you start watching a vintage car tiktok and it puts you on a train of thoughts that eventually leads you to "lol but adora bent over the hood of her broken down car" and then you build that out until it is its own world with plot, backstory, and characters who have been tweaked by living in this different environment.

anyway, i know i've been incredibly unconcise but it boils down to creativity being a lot of effort and it doesn't feel good when people claim you didn't put in all that effort ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ man this post could have been so much shorter. should i edit it. aw fuck i have to be at work at nine tomorrow. yeah no lmao

[celorangeine]

hello everywan... here is more info about bennie and yuudai that I need to talk about before I DIE

I've never explained why Bennie got expelled from bullworth.... so to put it simply, Bennie has a massive case of fear of missing out and is a huge people pleaser 😎. half of the things he does is based on that; getting along with the jocks, getting into fights when he really doesn't like fighting, getting into trouble simply cause he was invited to (he does nawt think of the consequences) and that's why he was expelled in the first place. I'm not creative enough to think of what trouble Bennie and his friends at the time were up to (���) but it was big enough for him alone to get expelled (since he was already known to be a troublemaker) but not the other guys 😎. now Bennie kind of dislikes the jocks and secretly accuses them of doing this in purpose because of how salty he is over the fact that only he gets expelled and not his friends. but then again, the jocks barely talked about Bennie when he got expelled so. was it really that personal???

him being a people pleaser is also the cause of his. loud personality . because if the only thing you show is happiness then what is there to hate him for? erm. there's a lot and Bennie knows but he does not want to think about it because he can't think of any other solution. for the most part it comes from how he grew up in his home in the first place; show any displeasure you get BEAT UP!

this is the lore that you'd probably get from his dialogues or something. also Bennie likes glocks because he likes classics. thank you very much

now for Yuudai.... as I have mentioned before, he hasn't seen any of his other relatives except for his dad, and he isn't even that close to him and they barely talk despite being in the same house because of his dad being a severe workaholic. Yuudai never learned how to make friends and the only ways he knew how to is by either forcing them by death threats (that's how he acquired his old gang) or letting himself be dragged into a friendship... which is what happened with him and the greasers when he got into bullworth. Yuudai didn't mind much because they actually seem like they have things in common with him

Yuudai pretty much hates the fact that his dad had to move to the US, mostly because he hates change and also because now he's unfamiliar with everything....he can't act like he owns the place like how he usually does because no one takes him seriously here . intimidating people - and by relation, having people do stuff for him - is a big part of his ego and now that it's ruined, Yuudai wants nothing more than to go back to his country where everyone's scared of him and no one wants to get close to him 😢 Yuudai doesn't really care if he was perceived badly, never will because he's actually comfortable with that fact. it's just that the problem is, Yuudai doesn't do anything to try and bring his old reputation back now that he's in bullworth. it's out of laziness

he also is shocked by how open the students in Bullworth are... especially the preps. he's really passionate in insulting them it's awesome

[lime-bloods]

some less cohesive thoughts wrt something touched on in that last post.

i have assumed in some previous posts that by killing Calliope, Caliborn carves out some essential part of himself, and is thus cursed to an eternal Lack no matter the effort he might put into self-improvement. and while this is at least one interpretation proferred by the text, there is a fair argument i think to be made that it's a cruel or even ableist one. the idea that Caliborn is "stunted" is ultimately a bit of poking fun (possibly even at the author's own neuroses). while Caliborn makes it easy for us to come away with the impression that he's stupid, he's clearly not: his original plan to pass on the assassination of Calliope's dream self to Jack Noir is, yes, an evil plan, but it's a clever one! Calliope's underestimation of Caliborn's twisted genius is clearly a part of what allows the plan to work in the first place, and in retrospect this subterfuge clearly prefigures the kind of underhanded dealings that allowed Caliborn to take such complete control of Alternia.

I think it's very tempting to see Scratch's knack for manipulation as something Caliborn "stole" wholesale from Dirk-as-AR: the "Land of Someone's Handicrafts I Took" certainly comes across as a suggestion that Caliborn is incapable of truly creating anything for himself. but this too is just making fun of Homestuck's long-standing love affair with the Google image result photobash, and in the end the copy+paste only serves as one small step in Caliborn's creative journey. Lord English is a dark mirror of Hussie, after all, and to accuse Caliborn of being creatively bankrupt is to suggest Homestuck itself of lacking originality... but of course that's all part of the point. we can't necessarily assume Homestuck's default position is one of self-confidence; while it's never been particularly shy about the bits and pieces it aped from the works of fiction that came before it,* the comic crucially does set out to question the ethics of reusing ideas, or even of telling a story in the first place. that Hussie didn't even "create" his own characters - that they originate as some kind of timeless Platonic ideas that one merely plucks from the void when they're needed to tell a story - is essential to the comic's mythology; hell, how much of Homestuck even is there that isn't just a remix of Hussie's own previous work?

I asserted a couple years ago now that Homestuck is "only superficially" about creation and reproduction... but one particular rebuttal, that Homestuck actually very much is about reproduction in the sense that it is about the reproduction of images and ideas, has stuck with me since i first heard it. and though conversations about the difference between stealing / copying / learning / coming up with an original thought are obviously a LOT older than modern machine learning, given that Caliborn very literally goes on to become a Terminator-esque AI singularity (in a setting where all AI is just direct copies of living people's essences, no less!) and even played with early examples of tech bro grift a couple years before the debate really took off, I find it a fun thought exercise to ponder the ways in which Caliborn's contribution to Homestuck preempted the current discourse on algorithmically-generated art... which I suppose grows not just out of the more pedigreed argument about digital art as a medium, but probably stems all the way back to the dawn of comics as a medium, in all their entanglement with the burgeoning pop art movement. but that's about where my area of expertise ends.

*it's probably meaningful that the name of the planet Lord English "stole" his ideas for Alternia from, "befor-us", is so widely reinterpretable as referring to pretty much anything that came "before us".

[nninoxasaur]

main dynamics in In its wake

Hiccup edition

Hiccup and Merida:

Dear lord its complicated at the beginning. Culturally they come from similar places and share a lot of folklore, beliefs and traditions besides Dun'Broch's sexism which isn't present in Berk. They also both understand what it's like having a very traditional father but where Merida adores her father and sees him as a pillar of greatness but Hiccup lowkey hates his for the shit that went down before he left Berk. A lot of the conflict in their relationship centers around how they view their culture and parents. Hiccup sees where he comes from as a point of shame, both a reminded of the man he wishes to never be and the relationship with his father he will never have. Merida on the other hand wants to be her father but her role as a woman stops this. She loves her culture but despises her role in it, and her mother for locking her in that role.

Hiccup sees Merida's parents and finds himself incredibly jealous, to him, bending the knee would be worth it a hundred times over to not only have one, but two parents who respect and care for you and the fact that Merida is complaining makes him livid.

To Merida, Hiccup is the lucky one. As a woman on Berk she would have thrived, Stoic would adore her and she would embrace chiefdom gleefully.

The fact that both have what the other craves makes them angry that the other cant appreciate it. They manage to cool down the fighting the more they can empathize with the others struggles but they only really get super close after Merida has to leave her clan. Vulnerable and depressed, Merida is looking for someone to support her and Hiccup sees this uncanny mirror to his 15 yr old self and decides to guide her as an older brother figure.

Hiccup and Rapunzel:

Hiccup was literally the first person Rapunzel ever met outside Gothel so she has a massive soft spot for him. Hiccup, who spent most of his life around people with little empathy is deeply moved by Rapunzel's kind and empathetic spirit - something he had previously thought of as a defect within himself.

Hiccup is very generous with Rapunzel, sharing his things with her like clothes, money and even his sketchbook (she gets the second half and he gets the first) when she mentions that she misses being able to draw.

Their relationship is all about sharing skills and information to feed the others creativity in this very sweet exchange of ideas. The two eventually become the defacto leaders of the group, balancing responsibilities and wrangling Jack and Merida who frankly need child leashes.

Hiccup and Jack:

The beginning of their relationship was a bit of a respect push and pull, working out if the other actually warrants respect lol. Jack, ever the boundary pusher is constantly making prods and Hiccup to see how much he can take and Hiccup meets it with a dry humor that Jack finds delightful (and reminds him of Bunnymund honestly)

When they aren't friendly bullying each other there is a quiet understanding. Both know what it means to be an outcast, and both at some point in their lives have been accused of being a changeling (absolutely not a light accusation in iiw and if taken seriously can lead to execution.)

Acknowledgement and understand is something the two of them crave deeply but when met with it in such a genuine way they are almost offput so they avoid verbalizing. They see each other as kindred spirits and it really helps them get through moments where Jack is being an idiot or when Hiccup gets a little too harsh.

[corvuserpens]

Saw the trailer for the new The Crow movie with Bill Skarsgård and...

Well, it looks cool and fun at least, so I'll definitely sit my ass at the movie theater for the first time since Black Panther: Wakanda Forever came out, but I can't help to feel like making it a "remake" of the original 1994 film (bless Brandon Lee and may he rest forever in peace) with some MASSIVE changes (RIP to my girl Sarah and Cool Dad Sgt. Albrecht, they deserved better) was a bit of a missed opportunity? Because look, it's like this

say whatever you will about the quality of the sequels, and whether you liked them or hated them is entirely your business and valid either way. I mean, I only watched City of Angels once and barely remember it, it was that good. Never managed to catch Salvation (read the plot) and watched Wicked Prayer a couple of times (David Boreanaz and Danny Trejo were in that movie, HAH!) and I'm basically neutral about it because THAT was practically a remake of the original but in a different setting with different characters, the plot beats were the a carbon copy.

In summary, the tradition with this unloved obscure franchise is that with every movie, the story changes. You have a new cast, a new city, new villains, and the only constant is that someone is brutally murdered along with a loved one, and their soul can't rest, so the crow that carries them to the next life allows them to come back to right the wrongs before moving on. And independently of how successful the storytelling was, they at least tried to do something different each time (except for Wicked Prayer): City of Angels was about a father being brought back to avenge the murder of his son and Salvation was about a guy being wrongly accused of the murder of his girlfriend and coming back from being executed to solve the mystery of her death and avenge himself and her. And this new film is just--

Oh we have two cishet people who are in love and get murdered and they're both just called Eric and Shelly and this isn't supposed to be a reboot, it's just the same plot as the '94 movie and the main characters are different people but have the same names as the two lovers from the original and we're gonna ramp up the supernatural element even though knowing so little about it is what made the original so mysterious and tight in its themes and instead of our titular Crow looking like "a Nine Inch Nails member" he'll look "like a rapper on SoundCloud" (quoted from a great YT comment btw). Oh and Eric and Shelly are delinquents so we can toss some poorly construed redemption arc, just to spice things up a little.

Just ?????? WHAT?? That's IT????

Ever since the rumors of a new Crow movie started traveling around the internet, I was hoping they would really try and make something interesting with it because this is a kind of universe (I hate that term, fucking Marvel) where there's strict rules, true, but within its boundaries you can get really creative! Like why not have a female Crow, for a change? It's always been a male playing the part! Why not an LGBTQ+ Crow, like hear me out:

how about a lesbian couple who were super in love and happy but got murdered by homophobes one night so one of them is brought back to exact vengeance so brutal, vicious and graphic even the devil would get chills (and the anti-LGBTQ+ fake fans in the audience would shit their pants)?

And I didn't have to think too hard about that one! It's basically the original plot but with lesbians! You get a female Crow AND a LGBTQ+ Crow in the same film!!

And it doesn't have to be about lovers being murdered either, like I said City of Angels was about a father and his son, in Salvation the guy got wrongly executed for the murder of his gf, why not have a daughter coming back to avenge her mother? Why not a friend coming back bc they can't rest after they and their BFF were gunned down? Why can't it be total strangers who hit it off after meeting for five minutes and have a "wrong place, wrong time" scenario going on??? How much better would that be?

So many possibilities, but nooooooo, we gotta go with the tired Sad White Boy (no shade on Bill Skarsgård) loses his One True (Straight) Love plot and he has to be conventionally attractive (and get jacked up when he's brought back bc yeah, I mean in the original Lee's character looked exactly the same pre and pos resurrection, his only superpower was that he couldn't be killed but whatever) and look badass while killing all the bad guys. BORING. Oh and 2024's Shelly is a black woman who gets murdered, don't think I didn't notice that casual racism.

Since we're on that note, why not have a black Crow???? Or a Mexican Crow??????? I realize that in Wicked Prayer Jimmy Cuervo maybe was supposed to be Mexican, but he was still a white man (with Mexican heritage, I'll give it that) so we're back to the same white-people only club! I realize there are white Mexicans, but that's not the point, the point is to give brown skinned people the chance to play a main role where they get to be badass too! Just..... AHHHH.

Listen. Anyone who truly knows me is aware I'm a big romantic bimbo. I LOVE a good love story that ends in tragedy or in bittersweet terms bc the couple are so in love and true love never dies (see what I did there, fellow Crow fans?). But nothing is gonna beat Brandon Lee's movie in that sense, that's why I love it. What buggers me the most is that, from what I've been told, the director and writers wanted to make an adaptation more faithful to the graphic novel (which I have not read YET! I recommend Into The Depths video if you wanna know more about the author James O'Barr and his story, which is a very sad one indeed) that started it all, and yet it doesn't look like it will be any more faithful to said graphic novel than the '94 movie! Like, if you're gonna bullshit about it, at least make up a better excuse.

Hhhhhhhhhh. Hollywood's gonna Hollywood, right? Joke's on me expecting better.

TL:DR The Crow (2024) is trying to be a remake of The Crow (1994) when we already have a remake (The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2000)) instead of trying to make something new and it's silly, but I will still go watch it bc at least it looks fun to look at. And there's a bit of poetry in knowing this new flick will release 30 years after the original, ig.

Rant over.

Bloopers: try to guess how many times I ended up writing Wicked Grace instead of Wicked Prayer bc I'm back on my Dragon Age era lmaooooo.

[teejaystumbles]

Hello,

Please don't take this any wrong way, I really don't ask this in an accusatory tone, only out of genuine curiosity. May I ask, why participate in a bang pre-matched with a writer? Isn't the point of it to bring together people who might not have encountered each other otherwise? And, from my point of view but I never participated in a bang before so I know nothing, to give a chance to small writers who don't get lot of attention, to work with an artist that might never have noticed and read their fic otherwise? I'm not sure what is the point in participating with someone you already know, and are free to make art for as often and whenever you wish, which you already do, and don't have a deadline hanging over your head for...

(I'm really happy with the artist that claimed my summary, but I can't help being a bit disappointed that there never was a chance you did if I'm completely honest, since you're never going to even notice my fics otherwise lol)

Wow. Okay. First off, this is also my first time participating in a Big Bang. Joining pre-matched is possible for a reason, to let people be creative together and be completely safe in the knowledge that you know you can work with the other. Also, no, while I can of course draw whatever I want for the people I know, it's not the same as having a project with a clear timeline and goal. It's as much an exercise for me and "my" author as it is for anyone else joining the bang. That's kind of the point, to have an outer force checking our progress. It's good! It helps stick to it and do something new, together.

Also:

Anon, I guess you didn't read what I wrote last in the fest-chatter...which was:

I am more than willing to take on other fics of authors! I was in fact sitting on my hands watching the claiming taking place because I'm not allowed to pick in the first round. I have submitted my choices in the second and have now a match. I hope you too have got one. If not, and now listen up because then you'll see there's no reason to accuse me of "withholding" (which is a bit rude, if also flattering) - if not, I think there are now only three or four fics unmatched) I am a RESERVE. Which means I have given permission to match me up to one other author who doesn't get a match.

Not only did I indeed want to pick up another fic from the list, and did, but I also let them put me on reserve exactly because I am pre-matched and I don't want anyone to not get an artist.

I'm not angry, you couldn't have known, but still. Please think about venting to artists like this. It puts us off illustrating things. We do this for fun, just like the writers. I know it's hard not to get your favourite artist? But that's just the nature of the big bang. If you're not happy with what you get, consider reaching out to artists you like for the next one.

[endiness]

the impossible standards that adaptions are held to nowadays is so frustrating to me. like, lotr and hp are two of the most beloved and well-known film franchises for adaptions. (well, ymmv on hp now, obvs.) but did they completely and perfectly follow the source material? lmao no. no adaption ever does anyway. but people could look past that to appreciate them not only as adaptions but as films in their own right.

nowadays if something is not a shot-for-shot 1:1 remake, people will act like it's an abomination. and not only that but they will completely trash the creators and accuse them of not knowing the source material at all and just wanting to do their own thing. and nevermind that the adaption has the same storylines, plot points, beats, themes, and details. if all of that is not arranged in the exact same order as the source material was, well, then the adaption must not be following the source material at all and if it's not following the source material then that must mean the creators didn't understand it and not only that but they hated it121!!! 🙄

plus so many criticisms are unwilling to look at things in context of how media is made in general and the state of the entertainment industry nowadays. like, is the reason why an adaption is focusing more on tell than show and simplifying storylines and streamlining them because they hate the source material and never understood it and think the audience are idiots and they're bad writers? or could it possibly be that tv shows are getting fewer and fewer episodes per season so they have less time to go as in depth and explore things as they would probably like to — all of which is largely happening because executives are trying to prevent their writing staff from being able to progress in the field and thus be paid the higher wages they deserve? 🤔

like, it's wild that fandom is able to understand the broad concept of this — that the executives are the ones at fault for a lot of the bad creative decisions because they are the ones that ultimately have the final say and those people are largely uncreative in the first place, actively disdain and have contempt for creative people at worst, and all of their decisions are being made based solely off of profitability which includes trying to pay their creative teams less and less money — and is against it. but then when it comes to the reality of that situation and that shows are having to do more tell than show and streamline things because they simply do not have the time to go as in depth as the source material does (and nevermind that the source material for these things was made 10+ years ago WHEN THEY HAD THE TIME) suddenly it's only ever the creative team behind the adaption at fault and they're solely to blame because thEy DiDn'T UnDerStAnD tHe SoUrcE MaTeRiAL AnD HaTe iT.

the last point in particular drives me nuts because it's like, hey. you wanna know what it looks like when the creative teams behind an adaption genuinely don't care for the source material and didn't understand it at all? look at what d&d had to say about asoiaf. look at what anyone involved with a live action disney princess movie has to say about the original movies and their opinions on the princesses. when the creative forces behind a project DO NOT LIKE the source material they will OUTRIGHT say as much. meanwhile the adaptions i've seen being slammed the most have creative teams that are clearly, vocally passionate fans of the source material. but because omg it's not literally the source material — which no adaption ever is anyway, and all adaptions to at least some degree have their own original content — that therefore means they must hate it. like, give me a break.

(and this isn't even getting into how the adaptions i've seen get the most criticisms are ones that heavily feature women, poc, and lgbtqia people in the cast and crew. as if somehow that's a huge coincidence or something? or how even if the criticisms aren't being made by bigots, they are absolutely being manipulated and used by people who are but are unable to recognize that. case in point: the last time i checked, the first post to show up in the top posts on #the witcher tag is a misleading clickbait article to make the showrunner, a woman, look bad. that post absolutely exists for the sole purpose of inflaming and inciting the fandom against her, the show itself, and everyone else involved with the show — again, largely a cast and crew of women, poc, and lgbtqia people. and you can tell that's why the post exists not only because it was made by an alt-right account in the first place but because it's fucking tagged with #politics. literally why would the post be tagged with that unless it has an agenda. and yet, last i checked, ~20k people are completely mindless sheep liking and reblogging that post and regurgitating the lie in the post because they never bothered to check the source of the article and what it actually says let alone the blog for why exactly they might've made a post like that and they don't see how what was posted was a blatant, manipulative lie to serve a very obvious, nefarious purpose.)

[baekhvuns]

Stop that Manchester tweet lmao. Yeah unfortunately football isn't always fair, so the better team doesn't always win. However Arsenal got 60 points right now 🥰 Liverpool is redeeming itself, but Chelsea??? London is blue whereeee

What the fuck the Prison League is extending. Omfg no I didn't hear about the Gr**nw**d thing. So now people are calling the girl a liar and while it's possible, abused people often go back to their partners and tbh I doubt he'd be with her if she falsely accused him... idk this is fucked

I met that one girl back in 2019, I thought she was alright, but turns out she's a weirdo and is travelling everywhere Atz goes

Okay, but this NCT stalker??? I've heard of her too many times. She's fucking insane? Just full of delulu. WOW. And a total mean girl too, so embarrassing. And so is her overuse of AAVE, apparently she uses n-word too 🤡 Judy needs to be dragged like that Changmin ssng

Hybe stans can't stay focused, now Hybe is the saviour, but 5 months ago there was no "Hybe privilege" lol. Yeah the staff is worried, SM has already made some people redundant :/. TELL ME THIS SIGN WON'T BE TAKEN OFF SOON, I NEED TO SEE IT

LSM is a fucking snake (no disrespect to snakes) he just knows how to protect his stupid ass. Meanwhile Chris Lee commenting on Lookass' post... I never thought they time would come when I will be "defending" SM, or rather hoping for Hybe's downfall.

Snow 🔪🔪🔪🔪 stay warm Baek! Then your avo uni needs to step up their game, invite Exo too! Hoping for some proper tour dates then 🙏 Kai got threatened?! I mean it's London so absolutely no shocked :/ he doesn't need to go to London, there are other places in Europe (contrary to popular belief)

I'm gonna make a compilation of some good food I've eaten. <3

It's ridiculous, because posh people get mocked for their accents and stupidity, but they also mock others for being poor and having ugly accents soooo. Yeah, what a place indeed. My friend from a town next to Liverpool got asked to change his accent once he got a job at one of London's banks

5 dollars wow Baek young and rich era!

The dream was me photographing some guy - he wasn't Hwa at first but turned into him eventually, atp Seonghwa is the default man in my subconsciousness - we were at a sandpit and it wa so fucking dark lol. Anyway he was a bit gloomy, so I tried to cheer him up somehow. Then we were on a creepy train, I remember being upset that I wasn't in the same carriage as Hwa and went to visit him. But he was with some girl and other ppl and I was jealous???? I asked him if he'd get off on my station and help me. There was some shit going on tho, like I mentioned the train was creepy and we just wanted to leave. Everyone was so sus. Eventually Seonghwa got off with me and walked me home, but we were stalked by some guy - apparently my ex or just a creep who thought we were together 🤔💀

The absolute disrespect towards Seonghwa's dirty blonde hair!!! He has some defenders thankfully, but 🤡🤡🤡🤡 grey too, what a colour. You know the haters just want him to have black hair all the time, probably with an undercut too. No creativity whatsoever!

Hmm posh Hwa... maybe, but he comes from a smaller town and uses satoori. He grew up near water, so in my head Seonghwa is from Cornwall ❤ Cornish people have a slight piratey accent

I read the new model Hwa fic, Y/N is me whenever I look at him tbh. I wish I was OP 😭 I'm just a medium, I'm manifesting shit

That Woo AU does sound nice, are there any Wommys on this blog? They'd be excited 👀

Come to think they aren't that many F1 movies apart from documentaries and some lesser known productions, except for Rush

Everyone's slandering Hwa for being such a guy definitely a humbling experience, but hey at least he looked adorable (the need to bite his nose!)

I thought it said HALA MADRID 😭 BUT HELLO. I was hoping they'd go see the match, but I think they've already left :/

GIVE HIM SOME GRAPHIC EYELINER, he's so cuteeeee. I've decided to pass away

HOLD ON WAIT I'VE BEEN RESURRECTED 😭😭😭😭😭🤧🤧🤧🤧 THAT'S MY CAT BOY - DV 💖

hello!!

Stop that Manchester tweet lmao. Yeah unfortunately football isn't always fair, so the better team doesn't always win. However Arsenal got 60 points right now 🥰 Liverpool is redeeming itself, but Chelsea??? London is blue whereeee

LMFAOOOO AFTER LIKE HOW MANY YEARS?? mayb ten hag was onto something,,, now if we talk about the el classico, i WAS READY TO BE HUMILIATED BC WE DIDNT HAVE OUR MAIN PLAYERS but ☺️☺️☺️  anyway why’s benzema acting like this 🤨 he’s acting like the demographic he dates bc damn ??? u weren't gonna win anyways?? 😭😭 and what’s up with rm fans being racist again come on 😭😭😭  man city’s rIGHT behind, they started alvarez and now everything is going well 💓💖

What the fuck the Prison League is extending. Omfg no I didn't hear about the Grnwd thing. So now people are calling the girl a liar and while it's possible, abused people often go back to their partners and tbh I doubt he'd be with her if she falsely accused him… idk this is fucked  /// I met that one girl back in 2019, I thought she was alright, but turns out she's a weirdo and is travelling everywhere Atz goes

YEAAAAHHH apparently hakimi’s wife was already divorcing him and this prob did some more damage 😭😭 yeah like it takes like 7 trues or something to get rid of them and tbh the way some man utd fans are acting 🔫🔫 ngl she def took the complaint back bc of the money he has, terrible,,, NAURRRRRR does she still do it?? 😭😭 psg is actually finished

Okay, but this NCT stalker??? I've heard of her too many times. She's fucking insane? Just full of delulu. WOW. And a total mean girl too, so embarrassing. And so is her overuse of AAVE, apparently she uses n-word too 🤡 Judy needs to be dragged like that Changmin ssng

omg i just saw all about that and the way theres absolutely NO SHAME and it’s instead all “ok 🥰🥰🥰” ???? nctzens need to throw hands bc what the hell??? if i was an idol id actually throw hands, what ate the bodyguard doing how are they just able to know their info ??? NOOOO THE WORST COMBO 😭😭😭 changmin needs to pull up to be nct’s bodyguard atp,, slap slap slap and drag out of the taxi with all the ppl she was with

Hybe stans can't stay focused, now Hybe is the saviour, but 5 months ago there was no "Hybe privilege" lol. Yeah the staff is worried, SM has already made some people redundant :/. TELL ME THIS SIGN WON'T BE TAKEN OFF SOON, I NEED TO SEE IT

actually going to go mental i wonder how all the artists are feeling despite updating us with nice messages 😭😭😭 imagine having your entire life spent at that company and being a family w everyone and going thru all the scandals and now it’s this mf company 😭😭😭

LSM is a fucking snake (no disrespect to snakes) he just knows how to protect his stupid ass. Meanwhile Chris Lee commenting on Lookass' post… I never thought they time would come when I will be "defending" SM, or rather hoping for Hybe's downfall.

HE REALLY DOES ITS SO IRRITATING BUT SO FUNNY HOW HE’S SCAMMING THEM IN THEIR OWN CONTRACTS PLS 😭😭😭 chris lee is actually finished,, unhinged man atp trying to back down and be all nice like bro we see right through you????  all this happened after he posted that lookas photo to NO CAUSE SAME FBWJDH NEVER THOUGHT ID BE STANDING FIRST IN LINE TO DEFEND THAT PINK COMPANY

bruh

Snow 🔪🔪🔪🔪 stay warm Baek! Then your avo uni needs to step up their game, invite Exo too! Hoping for some proper tour dates then 🙏 Kai got threatened?! I mean it's London so absolutely no shocked :/ he doesn't need to go to London, there are other places in Europe (contrary to popular belief)

went outside for a walk <3 teeth chattering, legs shaking <33 love canada 🥰🥰💖💓✨☺️ MY UNI SHUT DOWN BC OF THE 5CM SNOW DHSJHFKS THERES NO HOPE FROM THAT JAIL DUPE,, yeah 😭😭 during like mama-wolf era! exo went london and they pulled the 🔪 and now he kind never wants to go there fbfb “(contrary to popular belief)” 😭😭😭 he’s def going paris for sure!! berlin too!

I'm gonna make a compilation of some good food I've eaten. &lt;3

PLEASE DO!!!!

It's ridiculous, because posh people get mocked for their accents and stupidity, but they also mock others for being poor and having ugly accents soooo. Yeah, what a place indeed. My friend from a town next to Liverpool got asked to change his accent once he got a job at one of London's banks /// 5 dollars wow Baek young and rich era!

WHAT IS THIS 😭😭😭 damn your guys’s hierarchy system worse than ours 😭😭😭 if i ever visit that place catch me with the brummie accent, will channel my peaky blinder era <3 OH NO WAY???? ITS THAT BAD??? 😭😭😭 young and rich yoURE RIGHTT MY BANK IS FULL!!! TO THE BRIM!!! was actually scared when the reception last said i won 😭😭 i was going to start crying but it was just 5$ smh also do u eat that beans on the toast thing 🤨

The dream was me photographing some guy - he wasn't Hwa at first but turned into him eventually, atp Seonghwa is the default man in my subconsciousness - we were at a sandpit and it wa so fucking dark lol. Anyway he was a bit gloomy, so I tried to cheer him up somehow. Then we were on a creepy train, I remember being upset that I wasn't in the same carriage as Hwa and went to visit him. But he was with some girl and other ppl and I was jealous???? I asked him if he'd get off on my station and help me. There was some shit going on tho, like I mentioned the train was creepy and we just wanted to leave. Everyone was so sus. Eventually Seonghwa got off with me and walked me home, but we were stalked by some guy - apparently my ex or just a creep who thought we were together 🤔💀//// The absolute disrespect towards Seonghwa's dirty blonde hair!!! He has some defenders thankfully, but 🤡🤡🤡🤡 grey too, what a colour. You know the haters just want him to have black hair all the time, probably with an undercut too. No creativity whatsoever!

you are miss tenelka but on crack, heavy crack BRKQHDWKHDWKJCC U HAD UR YN MOMENT IN THE DREAM FBWNDJCCJ “But he was with some girl and other ppl and I was jealous????” AS U SHOULD THATS YOUR MAN THROW HANDS AT THEM,,, NO SERIOUSLY ATINYS HAVE NO TASTE I SWEAR ALL THE TWT ONES DISRESPECT THE BEST HAIRS,,, it’s always the ones who want him to have black hair smh 🔫🔫🔫 silver hair is honestly so underrated / under appreciated on him, it’s should be crime, he served us angst and the with blond he served cunt!

Hmm posh Hwa… maybe, but he comes from a smaller town and uses satoori. He grew up near water, so in my head Seonghwa is from Cornwall ❤ Cornish people have a slight piratey accent /// I read the new model Hwa fic, Y/N is me whenever I look at him tbh. I wish I was OP 😭 I'm just a medium, I'm manifesting shit

oh he’s from the duchess of cornwall camilla area 🤨🤨 PIRATE ACCENT??? are they the deep south of uk fbwnddb ANON U WERE THE YN IN THAT DREAM, PHOTOGRAPHING HWA !!!! ur our psychic medium pls gimme a lil of cards and predict my future <3

That Woo AU does sound nice, are there any Wommys on this blog? They'd be excited 👀/// Come to think they aren't that many F1 movies apart from documentaries and some lesser known productions, except for Rush

very many wommy’s here 👀 but catch me making this a seonghwa fic 💃💃 ur right! after drive to survive there’s really nothing 😭😭 the schumacher documentary was really good! i wish they’d do some more but the drivers have their own youtube channel so it’s nice to see them vlogging! hopefully it's a ferrari year 😭😭😭😭

not ferrari but may b a mercedes hwa au!

Everyone's slandering Hwa for being such a guy definitely a humbling experience, but hey at least he looked adorable (the need to bite his nose!) /// I thought it said HALA MADRID 😭 BUT HELLO. I was hoping they'd go see the match, but I think they've already left :/

LMFAOOOO in the end of the day he’s just a dude 😭😭😭 disappointed but not surprised, why bite the nose when u can have a seat on it- FBWNDHSK NO BC I THOUGHT IT WAS HALA MADRID TOO BUT I KNOW HES A BARCA FAN I FEEL IT IN MY BONES but he’s def a spurs fan 😔

GIVE HIM SOME GRAPHIC EYELINER, he's so cuteeeee. I've decided to pass away /// HOLD ON WAIT I'VE BEEN RESURRECTED 😭😭😭😭😭🤧🤧🤧🤧 THAT'S MY CAT BOY  - DV 💖

HE???? HE???? HOW FUCKING DARE HE

AND THIS???? IM GOING TO COMBUST ANON

anon i think we won,,, the entire track list looks so promising 😭😭😭

not a show but a private event,,, anon we’re getting there 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

anon is this u

[warriorsbutnotreally]

Mapleshade Drowns But Her Kits Live AU

firstly, thank you for the kind words <3

I'm far from the best out there but I like sharing ideas and hearing things from other people around me as well

It's one of the big reasons why this fandom has kept me for so long. There's never a dull moment and there's always creative ideas - whether good or bad is [mostly] subjective.

edit; this post was mostly done and was supposed earlier but then the other posts became more important and I implore you go to my blog and check out what's been going on

of course, we're here for the au and I'll gladly hand off my idea for this AU;

.

When Mapleshade and the kits go under, a yowl sounds and hits the ears of Appledusk and the nearby patrol.

Quickly, the patrol runs and sees three little heads bobbing above the river, all three struggling to stay alive.

Without a second thought, Appledusk leads the patrol into the river and they grab the kits.

As he's swimming, however, he feels one of his paws kick down on something and he feels whatever it was sink. It isn't until after they stumble back onto land that he realizes he felt fur under his paws.

The rest of the patrol had felt it, too

A couple warriors dive into the water, but return with nothing

Appledusk stares at the kits, wondering to himself if that was Mapleshade and, if so, what she was doing dragging their kits through stormy waters like that

Angry, he realizes she put the kits in danger and that they could've died - hell, they were still at risk of dying if they didn't get them somewhere safe and dry.

He orders the patrol to carry the kits to camp, as they can't wait out here and risk the kits getting sick

The rest of the patrol agrees and they take the kits to camp

Appledusk can only hope that Mapleshade had tried to save the kits after her reckless move and wasn't trying to take them down with her

It's a couple days later and Patchkit, Petalkit, and Larchkit are deemed healthy.

However, with no place to go, they end up adopted by Appledusk and his mate, Reedshine.

The three are unsure about this - though, Patch is the least bothered, as he remembered how Appledusk had saved him from drowning the first time when Mapleshade had taken them out to try swimming Plus, he's a little more happy to have a father around

He thinks highly of the RiverClan warrior and does his best to convince his siblings that it's cool, since he seemed to be friends with their mom anyway

Larchkit hesitates at that

He just wants their mom

Patch understands

Petal, meanwhile, is just upset they had to leave ThunderClan at all and she isn't pleased with anything or anyone, including her brothers

Despite Patch's best efforts, she just wants to be left alone

As they're being taken to the nursery where Reedshine is, Appledusk pauses, pretending to show them around camp for a bit before pulling them to the side

He asks if they knew why their mom was trying to get them to cross the river

Larch states, distressed, that they weren't allowed in ThunderClan anymore

Petalkit adds, coldly, that they didn't like them because Birchface isn't their father

Patch almost loudly states that Appledusk is their father, but is silenced quickly by the warrior

The older tom looks the three over and he mutters something to himself about how this is going to be complicated

Out loud, he tells the three that him being their father has to be a secret

The kits are confused why

He tells them, cautiously, that he has a mate in RiverClan - Reedshine - and that she's currently expecting his kits

They're confused

Petal, glaring, asks why he has more kits and if they weren't enough

Appledusk assures he loves them more than he's ever loved anything, that they are shining stars within RiverClan But he was never supposed to be with Mapleshade and how he had ended up falling in love with another when he and Mapleshade were apart

Petalkit accuses him of not loving Mapleshade and he shushes her and she almost raises her volume

He assures he did care for Mapleshade, but he knew their relationship wasn't meant to last and he hadn't expected to see it all fall apart so quickly

Patch wants to try to give this life a chance, but Larch and Petal are apprehensive Patch understands why He misses their mom, too And this is a lot for the three to try to take in in just a couple short days

He promises not to tell, even if Larch and Petal never make that promise

Appledusk is a little relieved and he gives Patch and small nuzzle on the forehead before bringing them all the way to the nursery finally

Reedshine greets Appledusk with affectionate licks and nuzzles before turning her attention to the three kits

She seems nervous at first, having not been expecting to need to take care of kits while expecting kits, but she still shows them warmth and kindness nonetheless

The kits aren't sure how to feel. They already had a mom, but Reedshine never pushes the kits if they're not comfortable with the attention and even gives them the option to have their own nest or to sleep in the larger nest with her

The first night they choose to have their own nest and she understands, though it's clear she's worried that she's not making a good first impression on these suddenly adopted kits

As expected, there is some struggle with adjusting

Though Patchkit takes to it well, Larchkit and Petalkit struggle and there comes a point that Patchkit becomes worried that his siblings would let the secret slip

A moon later and Reedshine's kits are born - Willowkit, Shykit, and Seedkit

This is when a change happens in Petalkit and she takes to being an older sister like a champion

She helps watches after the kits and she feels a spark of excitement as she tells Reedshine how she looks forward to teaching them how to swim and how, when she's an apprentice, she'll show them all the coolest battle moves

Larch, meanwhile, grows more distant

He watches as Appledusk dotes over these kits and he feels a bitter resentment towards his father, realizing how old he and his siblings are and how shortly after they came here that Reedshine had her own kits

He doesn't know much, but the dots don't line up in his head in a way he likes

Especially since Reedshine was already expecting these kits when they arrived

Though, they keep their secret and do their best

Patchkit even follows Reedshine and Appledusk around much like he had done with Mapleshade, which creates some tension with Larchkit and some mild annoyance with Petalkit Though Petal's reasoning is that he's too old to be following cats around like a lost kit

After becoming apprentices, becoming Patchpaw [Spiketail], Larchpaw[Darkstar], and Petalpaw [Milkfur], the three have a shared dream

In that dream they're approached by Mapleshade, who lovingly dotes on them

She apologizes for not being there

And when the kits understand that she drowns, she turns an accident into a horror story She lies, saying that Appledusk had intentionally drowned her and that he was trying to get her out of the way

There's some hesitation from these young cats as their mother asks them to spy on Appledusk and Reedshine, who had been nothing but kind to them

Waking up the next morning, they are greeted by Appledusk, who wanted to see them off on their first official day of training, he grooms each of them and even Reedshine stops by before they head out, nuzzling them each before returning to the younger kits

Seedkit even runs up to Petalpaw as she heads out to camp, having her swear on all the fish in the river that she'll learn some cool battle moves to teach them when she returns

Petalpaw promises

Patchpaw, with his mentor Spiketail, head out on a hunting patrol while Petalpaw and Larchpaw are sent on a border patrol

Spiketail teaches him the basics, but before they head out to practice, he admits that he was confused at first

He knows Mapleshade is Patchpaw's mother and he wasn't sure why Appledusk was willing to adopt with kits on the way

Patchpaw nervously wonders if Spiketail caught on, but the deputy goes on to admit that he assumes Appledusk felt responsible for the three, since he had rescued them twice He also mentions Mapleshade's death

Patchpaw asks about it

Spiketail hesitates, but Patchpaw insists, saying he's old enough and he knows Appledusk might not tell them

He informs Patchpaw that they hadn't seen Mapleshade in the water until they had felt fur brush against them after they had rescued the trio of kits

Spiketail personally blames himself for the queen drowning, saying he should've knowing something was up the moment he felt something heavy under the kits, but he had assumed it was a rock that was somehow holding them against the current

Patchpaw feels sympathy towards the tom

He doesn't think it's anyone's fault

Spiketail does add that, personally, he doesn't think she should've had the three near the river, but he wasn't going to speak ill of the dead

Patchpaw nervously thinks of how the dead is thinking poorly of the living

A couple more moons pass with the trio learning more and more about living and hunting in RiverClan Though they haven't been taken to a gathering yet, the three are made aware that ThunderClan knows they're with RiverClan and the cats are acting hostile about it without saying what the problems is

they know

RiverClan just doesn't

On top of that, Mapleshade has been coming by, asking for news Patchpaw and Petalpaw are becoming more and more uncomfortable as she comes up with ideas that she doesn't talk in detail about

She assures they'll know when the time is right

She also starts asking about news about Seedkit, Shykit, and Willowkit Every time she hears that they're healthy and well, she snorts at the thought

The most recent morning, Patchpaw is woken up from the dream early as he hears noises outside. He learns quickly that they're coming from right behind the apprentice's den, being nothing but hurried, worried whispers

It's Perchpaw - now Perchleap, as his ceremony had been the day before -, talking to Appledusk He listens in as Perchpaw frets that they can't keep the three away from ThunderClan forever

Appledusk asks why his apprentice is even worried

Perchleap knows

He can see it in the kits

Specifically Patchpaw, who looks more of a blend of Appledusk and Mapleshade

He knows ThunderClan knows, too He's heard hateful whispers about Appledusk being their father and he can't keep denying that he sees it, too

Appledusk hisses He doesn't care what ThunderClan has to say And he knows his kits belong here ThunderClan didn't want them, so they should at least stop whining as the three are where they belong

Perchleap mentions that ThunderClan wants Appledusk punished even more now and Appledusk is outraged Birchface's death had been an accident, as had Flowerpaw's

Perchleap knows, but they see Appledusk as complacent in the lies Mapleshade told

Appledusk is cautiously confused

Perchleap explains that ThunderClan believes Appledusk told Mapleshade to lie about Birchface being the father

Appledusk is outraged and has to force himself to stop from yowling, making his voice sound strained as he assures he had never heard of anything like that Nor would he have approved of such a lie if she had told him, as it would've ruined their lives even more

He mentions how their Clanmates are waking up now and it's not the time to keep talking

Patchpaw lays his head down and closes his eyes, pretending to sleep as the two return back inside of the camp, though he wasn't even in his nest anymore, having had to move closer to overhear everything

Once they're back, he quietly moves back to his nest and closes his eyes again, only to feel Petalpaw nudge him

She asks if he heard, too

He confirms, though she had already been closer to where the two warriors had been talking

Petalpaw feels shame that Mapleshade lied like that She worries that, if Mapleshade was bad, they'll be bad, too

Patchpaw promises they're not That they're good cause they'd never lie

Petalpaw mentions how she once lied to Willowkit by telling her that there was a badger just outside camp ready to gobble up sneaky kits to keep her from following outside of camp

Patchpaw laughs lightly and says that wasn't a bad lie That she was keeping her safe

Petalpaw frowns

She says there shouldn't be a thing as 'good lying'

Patchpaw's expression falls and he states that she's probably right, but her lie wasn't hurting Willowkit

Petalpaw halfheartedly agrees "I guess so.."

Patchpaw's mind is buzzing all day and eventually he drags Appledusk to the side, Petalpaw and Larchpaw with him, and asks for the truth

The whole truth about everything

Appledusk tells them everything he knows, unaware that two of the three of them had overheard him and Perchleap

His story lines up with what Petal and Patch had heard

Larchpaw doesn't react much to what he hears

That night, they wake in the dark forest and Larchpaw spills everything he heard

Patchpaw and Petalpaw are surprised and don't like that Mapleshade is pleased with him telling

She assures that Appledusk only tells the kits lies, but Patchpaw and Petalpaw don't believe he'd lie so easily to Perchleap

She decides that the time is coming soon

She needs the three to spill the secret

There's hestiation until Larchpaw agrees

The next night is a full moon and Larchpaw gets Darkstar to allow the apprentices to go

Gathering reveal similar to how Hollyleaf revealed her parents' secret

Shock ripples through RiverClan and Petalpaw and Patchpaw are upset they couldn't stop their brother in time, as they had been trying to

The gathering ends short and Darkstar brings her cats back to camp and the first thing she does is wake Appledusk up

She drags him into the middle of camp and many cats are confused on why she's calling a meeting so late

She lays down Appledusk's crimes and he's unable to counter them, especially since Oakstar confirmed most of them

He holds fast that he never told her to lie, however At least not lie about Birchface

Darkstar's still angry

Reedshine stands up for Appledusk and Darkstar is about to banish them both when Perchleap steps up to stand with Appledusk

And then Patchpaw, which angers Larchpaw

Petalpaw joins them soon after

Darkstar still has mixed feelings about the apprentices, but even their mentors stand up Though not for Appledusk Only for Patchpaw and Petalpaw

Larchpaw will remember all of this

Especially because his relationship with Darkstar is now damaged now that he knows she'd so readily kick him out

That night there are no dreams At least not for Petalpaw and Perchpaw

Larchpaw and Mapleshade however? They're making plans

One of them involved the fact that Larchpaw 'accidentally' lead Darkstar into danger and she ends up losing a life

Though upset about the situation, she doesn't suspect he's to blame

Moons of plotting and now Seedpaw, Willowpaw, and Shypaw are apprentices

Patchpaw notices that Larchpaw is leading the apprentices out of camp the night after their apprentice ceremony and he wakes Petalpaw up

They sneak after, where they find Larchpaw take them to the river

The young apprentices think he's going to show them a secret fishing technique

Then, in a flash, he throws himself against the three while they're standing together and send the younger cats into the river

Patchpaw and Petalpaw run to the river only for Larchpaw to stand in their way

He claims they need to die

That Mapleshade will be avenged

They try to reason with Larchpaw, but he doesn't listen

He won't let anyone save them

Petalpaw attacks and gives Patchpaw a chance to get to the river, where he dives in

Larchpaw is outraged, but Petalpaw is keeping him well distracted

Patchpaw begins helping them Pushing the three to shore while showing them how to swim Seedpaw is struggling however

He manages to grab Seedpaw and he almost has them to shore when he sees Larchpaw hurt Petalpaw badly and she falls to the ground

Larchpaw then sprints to the river and is going after Patchpaw, Seedpaw, Willowpaw, and Shypaw

Patchpaw hauls the three onto land before shoving himself between them and Larchpaw He tells them to run

A fight breaks out between the brothers as Patchpaw stops Larchpaw from chasing after the apprentices

Larchpaw calls Patchpaw a traitor

Patch insists he's not

Larch says he's betraying the memory of their mother

The ginger and white tom insists Mapleshade was lying

His brown tabby brother doesn't agree

He sees Appledusk as the liar and he's angry that Patch and Petal were so easily tricked

"I'm not the one being tricked, Larchpaw!"

It hurts Patch to admit it, as he had loved his mother, but Mapleshade was using them

She didn't care what happened

She just wanted them to hurt others

Larch doesn't want to hear it and the fight continues until Larchpaw is shoving Patchpaw's head underwater, trying to drown him

He almost blacks out until Petalpaw saves him, still hurting but able to stand

Larchpaw hisses and the fight gets shoved closer and closer into the water

They come near an area where the currents are rough, but no one notices until Larch and Patch are both swept into the waters

They manage to reach some stones, but they struggle to hold on while Petalpaw is trying to help them

Patch tries to reason with Larch, but his brother is certain of what he believes

As a RiverClan patrol arrives, Patchpaw begs for Larch to understand that Mapleshade was in the wrong

He doesn't want him to be punished

Larchpaw glares at Patchpaw

He states, frighteningly calmly, that he's sure of what he has to do And going back to RiverClan isn't one of them

With that, Larchpaw releases the stone and Patchpaw watches in horror as the water sweeps his brother away

Crying out, he tries to go after, but is grabbed up by Spiketail

The moment they're on land, Patchpaw races down the river, calling for Larchpaw

There's no answer

He's about to give up when he noticed a heartwrenching sight of Larchpaw's body, spine cracked from impacting with a snaggled stone that was sticking out of the water

From what the warriors can tell, his death was swift

This is no comfort

Larchpaw gets a burial, but the Clan knows what Larchpaw had tried to do to his younger half siblings and there's not much mourning outside of from Patchpaw

Not even Petalpaw, who needs to stay in the medicine cat den

After the burial, Reedshine approaches Patchpaw

She's so sorry this happened

He doesn't blame her

He just wishes things had been different

She does, too

That night Patchpaw and Petalpaw have a shared dream, seeing Larchpaw glaring at them from warping shadows before vanishing among the trees

notes;

not long after, Patchpaw and Petalpaw become Patchshine and Petalstorm for their brave deeds

Patchshine still has nightmares about that night and he keeps trying to think of ways he could've helped Larchpaw

Neither ever take a mate or have kits, though Petalstorm spends a lot of her time helping queens and is even there to be a wonderful aunt to Shellkit/paw/heart

Petalstorm ends up passing away from illness and Patchshine lives long enough to see the birth of Oakkit and Stormkit before being swept away in the storm they were born in

During his last moments, he swore he could feel Larchpaw's claws clinging to him, making sure he didn't make it to see another day

[leakyrocktarot]

✶･ﾟ 🎀 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘚𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘠𝘰𝘶? 🎀 ﾟ･✶

𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚒𝚕𝚎. 𝙵𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝙿𝙰𝙲 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚢, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑. 𝙸𝚏 𝚊 𝚙𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚎, 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚐𝚘 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚌𝚞𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚜, 𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚐𝚞𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢��𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵. 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 ��𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦. 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝙋𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮.

🐣 🎀 𝒫𝒾𝓁𝑒 🌸𝓃𝑒 🎀 🐣

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘌𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘶𝘱𝘴, 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘹, 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘶𝘱𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘬.

I'm getting the sense that there are some people in here that really like to bake, I'm seeing someone kneading bread. There may be some people here with a shoe collection, I'm seeing sneakers and heels. I get the sense that there are a lot of people here who like to shop almost excessively, I see a lot of victoria secret bags, louis vuitton bags, and gucci bags etc. Walmart might mean something to someone, or it's logo. I get the feeling that this pile will strive when they have a routine or a list of things to do throughout the day. I'm getting the sense that many of you are very practical and loyal, some people here may be working with or in nature. A lot of you may be a bit stubborn, especially when it comes to your spiritual journey. Some of you may be ignoring some of the signs that spirit has been giving you 🌚🌝 It looks as if your lifestyle involves a lot of love, friendships, kinships, and meaningful connections. A lot of the people in this connection are going to have one super meaningful partnership in their life. This partner is someone who will be taking you to a lot of new places, I'm seeing things overseas, I get the feeling for some of you this will be romantic, for others this is strictly business. Some people here might like having options throughout their life, sticking to one thing may seem unappealing, so having a lot of different options for things to do seems like the preferred way of living for most. A lot of people may be looking for a lifestyle that allows you to travel. It seems as though the majority of you are needing to really do some introspection, there are a lot of stagnant emotions and thoughts within this pile. I'm seeing that many of you may be still dealing with disappointments, perhaps some feelings of abandonment. It seems as though this pile can achieve the life of their dreams, you just have to let those feelings go, they do not serve you and it is holding you back. I'm seeing that a lot of you are seeking independence, and inner strength, you will achieve this, you have to put yourself first. I get the sense that this pile will be seen as intelligent, witty, and charming, some of you will be seen as strong, funny, and honest. Some of you will find happiness and prosperity by giving to others. A lot of you might be rather mindful of your spending, some of you may make a lot of big purchases, regardless of what, financial freedom is something that is prevalent here. I'm seeing that a lot of you are seeking romantic unions. I'm seeing someone moving to a rural part of italy with their partner, I'm seeing a farm as well. I see other people moving to more city like areas, places that are densely populated. I get the sense that this pile would really work well with other people, I'm smelling pumpernickel bread, some of you may be looking to bake as a living or you may have friends who are bakers. I see that some of you may want a family, weddings, and prosperity. I'm seeing that a lifestyle that incorporates love, travel, financial freedom, routines, and independence would work the best for the energies in this pile. There is a heavy emphasis on introspection and spiritual enlightenment here, some of you are needing to meditate and really dive into spirituality, while some of you will work well with a life that incorporates them both.

🐣 🎀 𝒫𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝒯𝓌🌸 🎀 🐣

T𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘶𝘱𝘴 𝘳𝘹, 𝘛𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘶𝘱𝘴 𝘳𝘹, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘵, 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘌𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘈𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘶𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘬.

This Pile should refrain from living anywhere near a large body of water, or living in a place surrounded by a large body of water. This could be living by a cliff face, or living by a lake or the beach. I'm being drawn to the books in the Hermit card, I get the feeling that some of you may read as a hobby, or some of you may work at a bookstore/library. I get the sense that being surrounded by books or an abundance of knowledge and creativity may best suit the energies of this pile. I get the sense that some of you may not have the best family or relationship situations, I get the sense that there is a need to remove toxicity, a need for authenticity, and a drive for enlightenment. Some of you may be looking to be around grounding masculine energies, this isn't about physical gender, it could be man, woman, and gender non conforming, it's just someone who has predominantly masculine energy. I'm getting the sense of an earth sign, someone who can keep you grounded and in reality. Someone that pushes you to reach your goals, someone that is dependable, someone that gives you the confidence and the help that allows you to better yourself. This person is going to be faithful and completely reliable. I get the sense that this is more like a partner in crime type of relationship. I see that this pile would be content with having an empire of sorts, this could be having a large following, or a successful business/career. I get the sense that the people in this people love having new things introduced to them, I feel like constantly having new things being introduced to you in the form of hobbies, people, activities, or even objects is important here. Having a space where you can be the dominant factor, where you are most likely in a position of power seems to be something that would best match the energy here. I feel like the best lifestyle for this pile is one where you don't have to worry about how your emotions affect your life, where you can be as emotionally sound as possible. One where you can expand your knowledge by reading and experiencing things. Where you can freely go within yourself to gain more insights about yourself and the situations you find yourself in. A lifestyle where you can be financially free, one that can support you wanting to up and move shop to a completely different location. One that brings you many different opportunities with ease, where you don't have to bend to another person's will. I get the sense that there may be some heavy BDSM influence here. A lifestyle that brings you harmony with yourself, that aligns you with your purpose and gives you freedom to change as you please, and one that surrounds you with the true love of friends, family, and lovers.

🐣 🎀 𝒫𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝒯𝒽𝓇𝑒𝑒 🎀 🐣

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘚𝘪𝘹 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘛𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘶𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘬.

I'm seeing a rather fast paced lifestyle here. A lot of you may not like having a sedentary lifestyle, I get the sense that a lot of you are looking to feel the wind on your face, to here the busy streets of the city, and others are looking to having quiet lives with so many activities and things to do. I get the sense that some people here would really like archery, while others would really like to get into motorcycles. I get the sense that there are some people that would love to work in the judicial system, some people that may want to be a judge or lawyer. I get the sense that some people here may be still dealing with feeling misunderstood or wrongly accused during your childhood and may be looking to rectify that. I think a lifestyle that allows you to integrate yourself with people that are honest and tells you the truth but also helps you learn life lessons would be a rather good thing. I think that a lot of people in this pile is actually working towards this. I get the sense that having a routine can actually help here, having some structure can improve the quality of life. Some people here would do well working in the military or for the government. It seems like the judicial system is being reaffirmed here, perhaps working with legal matters. I get the sense that traveling due to career is a big theme here. Having a calmer side to life is needed for balance, traveling in between a busy work schedule for a moment of relaxation. I get the sense of "mommy's/daddy's money" Kind of like, having money you didn't need to work hard for, or being supported by someone else. I see that some of you here may want a large family, I get the sense that this would bring in a lot of joy and childlike wonder! With the king of cups at the bottom of the deck this gives me the feeling that this pile would prefer having a fairytale like lifestyle, where you are with your ultimate soulmate, financially stable and supported, have as many children as you'd like, and never having a dull moment.

🐣 🎀 𝒫𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝐹🌸𝓊𝓇 🎀 🐣

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘹, 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘬.

I was seriously dreading writing this pile, and after shuffling I see why. I get the sense that this pile is prone to, or quick to anger. I get the sense that there is a lot of perhaps narcissism here. I don't think I should continue doing this pile. If you have chosen this pile, you should definitely address somethings. I see that you may tend to be the type of person who wants to win in arguments or in general, even if it means being seen as a jerk in the situation. There is a lot of swords, 555 may be something you see quite often. I'm not going to read into this energy anymore, please stay safe and heal.

[opinated-user]

Sorry when did Lily say considering drag to be part of the LGBT community problematic?

every time someone brings out drag being part of the LGBT+ community. here denying that drag culture and trans culture can intersect at all, calling everyone who does an idiot: https://lily-orchard.tumblr.com/post/190183975910/how-do-you-feel-about-people-who-do-drag-sorry

Because I’m not an idiot who believes “trans culture” intersects with drag at all, I thankfully never have to think about drag except when someone uses it as a defense for something stupid.

more ahistorical denial: Sometimes you’ll see trans people who do drag, but that doesn’t mean they’re inherently linked. A trans person who does drag is like a trans person who works with computers. They aren’t linked to one another, they are just doing those things simultaneously. general ignorance about drag: https://lily-orchard.tumblr.com/post/613343054912487424/whats-wrong-with-drag-queens-like-arnt-they

No. Drag queens aren’t on any spectrum.

Drag Queens are not inherently LGBT. People can just sometimes be LGBT and Drag Queens simultaneously.

more misunderstanding of queer history or what queer culture is at all: https://lily-orchard.tumblr.com/post/611517430305538048/isnt-drag-a-core-part-of-trans-culture-though

Some people believe this only because it’s been hammered into their head, as well as an unwillingness to accept that something they like is problematic (see Abandon Ship) like we’ve been seeing with Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Drag is on it’s own wavelength separate from trans issues. Individual people who participate in it might attempt to use it to talk about trans issues, but to say that makes it core to the culture is to say that Tumblr is core to LGBT culture as a whole just because a lot of LGBT people use it.

In fact it’s the same argument people make for the Q-Slur.

“In the 60′s it was a rallying cry for the gay rights movement!”

Good for the 60′s. Times change.

There will never be anything more self-destructive than tricking yourself into thinking a pastime that is sometimes indulged in by a marginalized person is immediately SUPER IMPORTANT.

Cultures grow. Cultures change.

she does have a point. drag and trans are not the same thing, and anyone who tries to conflate the same things by force is being ignorant when not actively hateful. but say that a performance entirely based on self expression, breaking of gender norms and creativity doesn't have any connection to the trans community is just entirely wrong. for one, drag communities were the first place for a long time where trans people (especially TPOC) could have a home where they could find each other and just exist at peace, where they were free to break away from the gender norms imposed on them by society and even be celebrated for it for the first time on their lives. Marsha P. Johnson was a drag queer, many activist that gave us our right of today were drag queen and drag kings, and so you can't talk about drag culture history without talking about the queer people who formed it and likewise you can't talk about queer history without talking about drag. drag culture was trans and queer culture before either existed, and even today people who do drag are subjected to the same transphobic rethoric and violence that is targetted at trans people. think of all those videos accusing this or that drag queen of being a child predator without any evidence or trying to paint drag as something inherently perverted that no child can ever be close to, the exact same thing that they say about trans women (or even people they assume to be trans women, even if they aren't) going to bathrooms or the beach. she's entirely right that a man who does drag and a trans woman are fundamentally different, but she's entirely wrong with the assumption that the two communities don't have any point of connection or isn't part of trans culture. see documentaries like Paris is Burning or even modern shows like Pose to understand how incredibly ignorant that statement is. once again, LO is whitewashing something she doesn't understand.

[angelofthequeers]

How is Zoe's comic racist? (sorry don't mean to question you, genuinely curious) Also, I admit I was also sucked into the salt fic whirlpool, but quickly left after I realized how toxic it was being. Could you also elaborate on GalahadWilder, if it isn't too uncomfortable for you? I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, or ask uncomfortable questions.

I can’t point out everything off the top of my head but the racism (along with everything else but that’s not the focus) is a large part of what made me throw my hands up and write this. And I won’t be answering any more asks about any of this because I just want to get it out there so people know (because of how many people genuinely don’t see it) and then go back to trying to forget that this shit ever existed, rather than dragging out some new fandom drama. Also keep in mind that while I’m West Asian/Arab, I’m also white-passing so if I get anything wrong, I appreciate call-outs. (Also I finally got my laptop charger today so I can snip my posts again 😭)

Her treatment of Max in ‘Gamer’.

It’s not unique to her; it’s a very common salter thing to utterly tear into Max for being a “sexist jerk” and daring to underestimate princess Marinette because she’s a girl. Never mind that they canonically aren’t close friends because of Chloé’s bullying, so Max probably had no idea that Marinette’s liked video games all this time, where Adrien is the new boy so it’s just one more thing to learn about him.

It’s especially heinous compared to how the other classmates are treated far more leniently for their own mistakes - they still get salted on but Max, aka the Black boy, always seems to get singled out and held to higher standards. Just look at ‘Chameleon’ and how the other classmates are mildly to moderately attacked by salters but Max gets utterly ripped to shreds because he “should know better”. (Never mind that just because he’s smart doesn’t mean he’s good at human interaction. They just want to attack him).

It also angers me because people like Nathaniel and Ivan are absolved of what they do as akumas (like kidnapping others and literally forcing someone to go on a date with them) because they couldn’t help it, yet Max is literally held responsible for what he did when akumatised (because he dared to go after Princess Marinette) and even for daring to get akumatised in the first place. Both these things just make him a sore loser, apparently.

So SL ‘Gamer’ was the final straw for me, especially with how she characterised Max as a smug arsehole, and it made me so angry that I just exploded to my friends, but I didn’t know how to directly call it out without looking like a petty bitch.

Here’s a post I made about salters and ‘Gamer’ if you’re interested in a more coherent and in-depth thing about it.

Alya’s treatment throughout the whole thing.

In canon, she’s an enthusiastic and passionate girl who sometimes gets carried away and goes too far and who idolises Ladybug because Ladybug stands against evil. Here? She’s treated as the butt of the joke for being so starry-eyed over superheroes that she idolises Scarlet Lady while Marinette mocks her behind her back. Never mind her iconic line of “all that is needed for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing” and this is why she loves Majestia in the first place. Never mind that she loves Ladybug because Ladybug is kind and passionate and strong and creative. Canon Alya wouldn’t want a bar of Scarlet Lady, who just sits around complaining, and yet SL!Alya worships her because...why? Running joke? The only Black girl in the series is treated as a gag to be made fun of by someone who’s supposed to be her best friend, just for the audience’s amusement. Marinette’s probably meant to look funny and relatable here, but she just looks like a major bitch to her new friend. Alya’s flaws are basically blown up and exaggerated for comedic effect, while Marinette in contrast is airbrushed to perfection, with no flaws and no anxiety that was only alleviated in canon by - guess what - being Ladybug.

It’s like Zoe wants to stick to canon while adding her own little “fun” twists for humour, like making Marinette snarky and perfect (which just makes her look like an utter bitch) and in the case of Alya, it does her so dirty that even Lila is more sympathetic. LILA. After SL humiliates Lila, Alya looks doubtful but buys some bullshit excuse so that she can continue to be the Scar-worshipping idiot. And then in the aftermath, her concern isn’t for Lila, the girl who was humiliated and bullied by a literal superhero and then ended up sick. No, she’s angry because...Lila lied on her blog. The blog that doesn’t have nearly as much recognition as in canon because SL would never validate her, unlike Ladybug. So her passion for her blog is exaggerated to imply that she’d say that a girl deserves to be bullied and sick because she told a few lies (since at this point, Alya doesn’t know about any possible malice on Lila’s part, just as in canon. All that’s known is the lying for attention).

It’s horrible hypocrisy, where Alya is held to higher standards than the other (white) characters and when she fails to meet those standards, she’s torn into. She’s not afforded any sympathy for being hurt that Lila lied to her; in fact, she’s demonised for feeling hurt, especially because of the running joke that her blog is focused on someone so horrible and she doesn’t see that. Lila is presented as the sympathetic one here. LILA. Just because Alya dared to believe her in canon.

Also, how she’s constantly trying to either tease Marinette for having a crush or insist that Marinette’s only doing what she does because of a crush...even though according to this ‘verse’s canon, Marinette is too good to make mistakes and do obsessive stuff over a crush, which is why canon Alya thinks this about her in the first place. That didn’t just come out of nowhere in the show purely for “woe is Marinette, her best friend doubts her”.

Like in the first part of ‘Gamer’, where she’s accusing Marinette of only entering the tournament to flirt with Adrien while Marinette so “coolly and calmly” rebuts her...why? By the ‘verse’s own logic, Marinette isn’t a flustered mess around Adrien. The only purpose of this scene is to glorify Marinette and her amazing calmness while making Alya look like a nosy idiot who dares to doubt her best friend. The logic of the ‘verse and of canon clash really jarringly in moments like this, and it becomes clear that the only purpose of these moments is to make Marinette look better at the expense of others. Most often her best friend, who’s an utter idiot for not seeing Scarlet Lady’s true nature and just can’t keep her nose out of Marinette’s business and so comes to wrong conclusions. Why are Marinette and Alya even friends in this ‘verse? SL!Marinette’s been nothing but condescending towards Alya most of the time.

Uh, and also the way she occasionally whitewashes Alya. Just look at the SL headers. She literally made Alya, aka a Black girl who’s one of the good guys, lighter than Lila, aka a white girl who’s one of the bad guys and not even that tanned in canon. Why do people make one of the villains darker and often whitewash one of the heroes? It’s not that hard to figure out.

(Also the way she really played into the aggressive Black girl stereotype in ‘Horrificator’ over a minor argument, even physically threatening Nino. Why? Literally why did she have to go full-on aggressive instead of just looking angry and scolding him or something?)

This all might not be conscious on Zoe’s part but the way Alya is treated is still disgusting, especially if you’re operating on internalised salt from other aspects of the salty fandom. I’ve seen her claims that she’s trying to help Alya improve and she’s not being salty but...even if she’s not being consciously salty, her salt is definitely still leaking over it and part of that salt includes racism. I also don’t see how making Alya a joke and exaggerating her flaws is helping her to improve when there was plenty to go off in canon but, well, that might just be me.

Even Marinette, who’s pretty much treated as white for 99% of it.

Marinette, aka the girl who’s only made visibly “Asian/Other” in SL ‘Reflekta’ with her Chinese-inspired Black Cat suit and name which is a one-off, while her permanent Bee outfit is just the bland tight suit that salters criticise Ladybug for having and her name is just Marigold. It comes across as using “Asianness” as a costume and it really didn’t sit right with me at first, but it took me a while to tease out why exactly this made me feel ick.

There’s nothing wrong with touching more on Marinette’s heritage and expanding on it in ways that the show doesn’t, especially because this is a big sticking point for salters, but again...it’s only a one-off. A costume. There aren’t casual hints sprinkled throughout the comic that just normally establish Marinette as half-Chinese, aside from like a page or two in ‘Timebreaker’ showing Sabine’s outfit. It’s another ‘Kung Food’ where it’s slammed into one episode and shoved into our faces that Marinette Is Chinese and it’s really jarring and unpleasant.

It just comes across as fetishising, is all. I don’t think it’s something most people would pick up on unless they’re used to being able to see this kind of thing.

Master Fu. Oh, Master Fu.

From an old man who made mistakes but tried as best as he could with the limited knowledge he had, he’s now a bumbling idiot who...put the earrings in Marinette’s bag instead of her room for some reason? To kickstart the plot? Especially because the ring was still in Adrien’s room. It’s very, very contrived.

And then in one of the most recent updates, Zoe has Adrien - a white boy - physically threaten Fu, aka an elderly Asian man. It’s disgusting. I was gobsmacked when I first saw it. And that’s the thing with salters: they tear into Adrien for being a white boy so they can look Enlightened when he hasn’t actually done anything racist, yet they then turn around and perpetuate actual racism in trying to “fix” him

There’s probably more but those are the examples that jump out at me of the racism in SL. There are plenty more problems but...whatever. I’ll be here all day if I try and cover those.

As for the Galahad thing...it’s personal. That original post was as much as I was comfortable revealing.

[capri-ramblings]

Idk if anyone still remembers this but I actually forgot I finished chapter 3 about a week ago and didn't even posted it 🙂 still kinda confusing I think? But I promise, It'll come together soon 😤💖

[ R a p t u r e d ]

Chapter Three

The walls encasing your freedom began to simmer your frustration, and when a spiral staircase immerged from the wooden floorboards right across the room, your hands reflexively balled into fists.

Though when an unfamiliar face greeted you, they uncurled and from where you sat on the chaise beside your only window, your figure hunched over to pull your knees closer to your body. You'd been reacting so defensively lately, it almost felt natural now.

"Did they send you up to finally get rid of me?" Your words were harsh, a deep grating rage lacing each enunciation you spat out and yet the girl seemed unfazed as her lips curled into a small smile.

"I don't think they're that merciful, but Prince Leona has stated multiple times he'd rather you be dead."

"Who are you then?"

"An ally" She answered then rather hastily added, "If you'd allow it."

You scoffed,bitter and dry you almost sounded gruff and nasally.

"Like I allowed to be imprisoned and kept like an animal?"

The girl's expression softened and she gave what seemed to be an understanding nod before she placed both hands behind her back and stood poised before you.

"Boe" She said, "My name is Boe. As in the kind you'd use to hunt with but with an 'E' at the end because my nan felt it was creative." She sounded pleasant, to be honest,she looked decent as well, like a very familiar face you'd seen somewhere and yet nowhere at the same time. She wore her hair in two loose twin braids,her simple beige coloured tunic and short khakis gave her overall soft, feminine looks a rather boyish touch. And when she smiled it was genuinely given.

Despite yourself, Boe's appearance had you feeling a little less hostile and perhaps even a bit more hopeful.

"I made them an offer" You told her and again she nodded her head.

"To kill your brother in exchange for your freedom. Why?"

"Isn't that what they wanted? That bastard killed their beast and the only reason I'm here is because he's traded me off for his glory."

Boe seemed surprised at how you caught onto the situation at hand but you could see how calculative her eyes were. She may have looked pleasant but you weren't foolish enough to trust her, and if she knew your captives then chances are she wasn't just some typical servant running errands. They sent her up to you to talk, which meant they trusted her. And they didn't look like the trusting type.

"He and I aren't related by blood" You told her, scornfully. "It doesn't take much to piece up my being here, and I'll tell you now that he's not coming to save me. Not when he has every village folk singing his glory and the King welcoming him in his halls."

You sounded so dejected, Boe practically felt the heat of rage circulating through the room, but she also sensed sorrow. A sort of grief from the way you hunched yourself over. You've been through a lot, she could see that much.

"Tell me, did you ever believe the story your land has? It's history with the Faefolk and magic?"

You knew little. Simply enough to have your mind wander, but every child was like that, and when it was time to face the world and grow up, the stories you used to cling to before sleeping became just that; Stories.

So, you told Boe you didn't. You told her you knew the land has always been lavish, that it had always been easy to farm and make produce because it's forests were endless and green. It was because it was placed right in the centre of a growing land, wasn't it? Magic felt too foreign to have been a part of it all.

But then she told you of the story of a man planting a seed given to him by a generous Fae, and that the seed grew into a tree and another and another, until it formed a forest so lush and rich with life, people came to the land as a place of salvation. She told you that the Fae was the Mother Goddess Gaia and that she had made a pact with the humans who stayed in her grounds. They were allowed to grow and live as they wanted as long as her generosity was remembered. Thus the human built shrine after shrine in her name, and the land never once withered. Until weeks after your brother slayed the beast.

You sat there facing her,baffled and refused to believe in such a tale so easily, told yourself that no such thing could be possible...

Yet, the tower that kept you had nothing but a single window and a door that only seemed to appear when called. You remember how you tried climbing down through the window and how your makeshift rope snapped and you thought you'd fall to your death but instead you stayed in the air. Frozen.

As your hardened gaze looked to Boe and the faint light of the sun peeked through the window and into the room, you noticed the slight point of her ears and how in that specific lighting her features looked ethereal,as if she was carved out from a completely different mold.

You've seen those features before. A long,long time ago. The brief memory tucked behind the grains of your mind.

You must've laughed because Boe's expression shifted into confusion, and you ran your hands through your hair as a slight colour flickered to life in your eyes.

"You must think I've gone crazy. Wanting to kill my own brother but I've never seen him as family, and I'm sure he feels the same. It's the only thing we have in common."

"You'd really kill him for your freedom?" Boe asked, almost quietly.

You lifted your gaze,heavy and dark but driven with determination.

"Wouldn't you? It sounds selfish and maybe it is but hasn't he done the same to me? Ever since mother died, I was left under his care which meant he'd been shackled to me against his will and now I'm here and he's drinking in the castle." Your voice shifted, breathless and worn. You wanted to stand, to show to her that you weren't as weak as your captives had force you to be. That you meant what you said.

"I don't care about being kind and understanding anymore. I want to be released. I want to take back what I've lost and if that means killing Cyril and appeasing your Princes, so be it."

***

"You could be their Champion" Boe said as she stared you up and down,her gaze flickering with something you couldn't quite put a finger on. But she smiled when her eyes landed on your face, and a slight shade of pink dusted your cheeks. Though you felt it was because she had been nothing but open in her discussion and all you ever did was scowl and kept your distance.

And perhaps,you couldn't really be blamed for any of it given your own situation, but maybe it wasn't too harmful to act a bit more cooperative...

"A champion?" You repeated the words with your brows furrowed and lips down-curled.

Boe nodded her head.

"Faes often keep champions in order to settle certain affairs,like a representative or a tribute on their part without having to physically attend said affairs themselves, and unlike most dealings, this one has the exceptional perk of not being entirely enslaved by the Fae you serve under"

"...You mean if I agreed to being their... Champion? I wouldn't owe them anything?"

You know the tales of giving your thanks to the Gentry, and how such unfortunate humans fell to the mercy of the cunning creatures. A slight shiver ran up the length of your arm, but you fought the urge to look disgruntled, and simply crossed your arms.

Boe's smile widened a fraction.

"Yes, and I can't tell you why such a thing is possible in the first place, not because I don't want to but because I also do not know the reason behind it. It's said that this pact Faes have created with humans is a rare thing and a ritual they hold with great respect. If you so desire to kill your brother and gain your freedom, being the Princes' Champion is perhaps the best and only way."

"But how can I trust them to hold onto their end of the bargain? I might not have full belief in all your fae nonsense, but I know that whatever you are, your kind are known to be cunning and slippery!"

You felt like jabbing an accusing finger to her chest then,but you bit back the venom on your tongue and swallowed your carousing temper from erupting. Anger did no good in discussions after all. You learned that from years living with your step brother.

Despite it all however,Boe didn't seem to mind your frustration or hostility. In fact, she remained informative and calm, you began understanding why she had been sent up in the first place.

Unlike the Princes themselves, Boe didn't have any intimidation oozing from her demeanor. She came as a neutral party, neither to nurse nor make you submit.

Perhaps her words were the most trustworthy you'd have here.

Perhaps being a Champion was your only way out.

[thejustmaiden]

Fiction and Real Life Go Hand In Hand

This blog goes out to all those pro-Sessrin fans out there who refuse to acknowledge the very real effects fiction can have on our world and vice versa. I highly encourage other Inuyasha fans who defend/enable these shippers to read this, as well. I assure you, by no means are my intentions here to stir up trouble. Honestly, I just want some good healthy discourse for once if that’s not too much to ask. If you do decide to engage, please be mindful of that and treat others with respect and I will do the same in return. All in all, the goal of this blog is to exercise my right to speak out and be critical about content I believe to have very potentially detrimental repercussions. I ask that you not attack me or insult me simply for stating an opinion. Thank you! 

It’s like the title says, meaning fiction does matter. Where do you think we get ideas for all the stories we tell? Where do we draw inspiration from in the first place?

Real life, that's where! And yes, always with a touch of imagination! Long story short: fiction matters because real life does.

Allow me to elaborate.

Shippers of the Sesshomaru x Rin (Sessrin) pairing say it's not fair of us to throw around serious accusations or use certain deragatory terms that suggest such awful acts like child grooming or pedophilia because of the harmful implications. One of their reasonings being that some people IRL have actually lived through these traumas, so we shouldn't dare to assume they're comparable since one is just fiction and the other is not. But this isn’t about which is worse than the other, because they’re both super problematic. All we’re literally doing is making a link between grooming in real life and grooming in fiction. They mirror each other. Same issue; different mediums. We’re not undermining any one’s past experiences with grooming or the like, nor are we prioritizing fiction to diminish real life abuse. They’re both awful in numerous ways and that’s all we’re trying to say. In fact, if anything we’re attempting to demonstrate just how crucial this correlation is between them. In order to protect past victims and prevent future ones, we must remain vigiliant of the content we consume, and yes, sometimes that means we have to challenge it too. Just because it’s widely-viewed does not make it widely-accepted or well-received. It is paramount that we educate ourselves on how to be more critical of some of the harmful tropes and images that are still way too prevalent in mainstream media. Sexualizing young and pre-pubescent girls is way more normalized than some of us even realize. It’s sad but true that Sessrin is just one of many examples. I know it feels like society has failed us in a lot of ways, but it’s never too late to re-evaluate and re-learn better and more improved ways of viewing and processing information presented to us.

Our mission: Let’s not show our kids that grooming or any other form of abuse are acceptable if they may ever come to experience or encounter it themselves. Be it the real world or on screen. Deal? 

There have been a number of occasions where real life victims do speak up against the Sessrin ship and express how extremely uncomfortable it makes them feel by what it represents. The problem is that it’s becoming more evident now that many of their fans will dismiss anything purely on the basis that we pose a threat to their ship and nothing more. What it comes down to is they have no real leg to stand on and cannot possibly top any of what we have to say so instead they simply disregard it. Our inconvenient truths don't fit into their ideal *cough* OOC *cough* narrative so they just choose to be willfully ignorant. It conflicts with their fantasy, so rather than present a sound argument of their own, they flat-out reject it and offer no plausible back-up behind their reasoning besides "I don't interpret it that way." GUYS, CHILD GROOMING IS NOT UP FOR INTERPRETATION.

Just because you so desperately want your ship to come true does not mean you can up and decide to redefine a word so that it caters to your stance. Remind yourself that these are complex AND objective terms that we have no right to fiddle with to serve our own selfish purposes. This is why we can conclude that there's no debate about Sesshomaru's actions towards Rin embodying child grooming.

I apologize if any of my words are triggering by the way, so please feel free to take a break and return later if that’s more suitable for you. it's just really important that everyone in this fandom comprehends the extent in which Sessrin going canon is catastrophic. And no, I'm not exaggerating; I'm simply speaking the truth. Shippers justifying these horrible acts- yes, even in fiction- is usually due to the stubborn refusal to hear us out. No offense to anyone (just stating facts), but more times than not antis like myself feel as if we’re talking to a brick wall when we interact with Sessrin peeps. They go in circles and never expand on their perspectives. 

Just a head’s up: THIS GETS LONG. Stick with me. :p

Just look at their take on the Inukag vs. Sessrin relationships for example. This isn't a question of age gaps, this is a question of physical/emotional compatibility. Inukag are the same age mentally wise regardless of one being demon and the other not, whereas Sessrin is not and never will be, and yes, even once she's an adult. The thing is we have debunked this time and time again, because they’re not the same and therefore not comparable, but for some reason these fans won’t drop it. Nothing has changed in their argument, yet they’re persistent in bringing it up. I choose to not go into more detail, since like I said, you can find it around everywhere. I just wanted to touch upon it briefly to prove a point. Maybe it will come up again later in my blog though! 

Where was I earlier? Right, child grooming! Haven't you guys realized that what you’re doing is precisely what child groomers do to make excuses or deny any grooming took place at all? (FYI: I’m not accusing you of being child groomers yourselves.) “They reciprocated so the feelings are mutual" is a typical groomer response, but of course it varies. More often than not, victims of grooming aren't even aware they've been groomed until much later. That's how manipulative groomers are that they can legitmately convince you that maybe you're wrong in questioning their motives. Perhaps in the victim’s mind that because one huge indicator of grooming never actually took place it technically cannot constitute as grooming. They start to doubt themselves even though their intuition is telling them something’s off. They should just ignore it then since it can’t possibly be grooming if that one particular thing never happened, right? Wrong, grooming isn’t strictly this or strictly that. It's much more complicated and multi-faceted. This is why the “but Sesshomaru left Rin in the village” point upsets me greatly. HE WAS STILL INVOLVED IN HER LIFE, Y’ALL.  

On top of that, are you aware that this is the exact same kind of predatory mindset pedophiles use to describe their infatuation with children? They'll say things like, "I don't see them as an adult and a child. I see them as two people with a soul connection." Okay no joke, I wish I was lying, but that is literally a point one pro-sessrin fan on here recently used to defend this ship. It both astounds me and terrifies me that they don't see the glaring similarities they share in common with actual pedos.

Alright, I want to quickly return to what I was saying earlier about fiction's impact on real life. (Sorry, I’m a bit of a scatterbrain!)

The characters and their worlds in our stories that we dream up and bring to life are nothing short of awe-inspiring and magnificent if we so choose them to be. If it wasn't for our imaginations, stories like Inuyasha would have never come to exist. Fiction provides us an amazing outlet where we are given the opportunity to express ourselves and explore its infinite creative possibilities.

But strip away all the demons and magical components of this show we all love so dearly and what are we left with?

At the very core, Inuyasha is a story that's very reminiscent of the human experience: love, camaraderie, a sense of purpose, and much more!

So perhaps we got a full-fledged dog demon like Sesshomaru, but does that necessarily mean we can't relate to him or understand him simply because dog demons don't exist in the real world? Well, I hope that's not how you view it or else you're missing the whole point of why humans create stories to begin with. We create them to make better sense of and thus connect with the world we live in. And when you really think about it, our stories are just a celebration of life- both our struggles and our triumphs. Now I'm no philosophy professor, but I'm pretty sure they'd say I hit that nail right smack on the head. ;)

All shitty jokes aside, the whole reason I’m mentioning this specific example in the first place is because this recently came up with another Sessrin supporter. That supporter tried to defend the ship by stating that we aren't allowed to use Sesshomaru as an example to judge by since his kind don't exist in the real world.

Now if it isn't evident already, this "it's just fiction" argument is a popular go-to stance many Sessrin fans will resort to once they've run out of ideas and are metaphorically backed into a corner. The funny/sad thing is that they seem to sincerely believe this is strong enough evidence to defend their ship with, but per usual, they fail to see how hypocritical that would be. I’ll clarify soon down below. 

Seriously, since when did we decide that fantasy- or any story genre for that matter- stopped reflecting the real world we live in? I mean, we humans are the ones writing these stories. Our human influence is bound to make an impact in some capacity. In fact, we want it to!

Obviously none of us have ever met a dog demon like Sesshomaru, because how could we? Let me tell ya, this is gaslighting at its finest! This is a fictional story with fantasy elements, so of course there will be beings and creatures in their world that don't exist in our own. Does that somehow translate to the fact that nothing from the story of Inuyasha can be applied to our own personal stories or that there aren't meaningful messages to be taught and learned?

So on the flipside, if they're not screaming at us "it's just fiction" for the hundred billionth time, then they are, believe it or not, doing the reverse and comparing it to real world history. One instance of this is how they tell us we're making a big deal about something that isn't real, but go right ahead and use the history of feudal Japan to support Sesshomaru's decision to court (aka GROOM) a young girl because that's how it was done back then. And so, your point being?? It wasn't right then just because it was legal, and it's most certainly not right now. This is how all of their arguments go by the way, where you'll constantly witness a cherry-picking approach. It's agonizing to endure contradiction after contradiction in their arguments filled with nothing but holes in their logic.

I'd just like to add that if we're overreacting to this fictional ship like they love to say we are then technically so are they. They tell us things like "grow up" or "nobody is telling you to keep watching," yet fail to realize they're reacting just as fervently as we are but just on the opposing side of the same damn argument. I find it interesting how they're as invested in this show but pretend they aren't then STILL have the audacity to say it's only us who care this much!? So thank you Sessrin shippers for further proving our point that fiction is more than capable of affecting reality and the people- YES, US- who reside in it.

It's insane that people act like pedophiles and other creeps don't enjoy entertainment too like the rest of us. Believe it or not, they look just like you and me most of the time. Yes, that means they can easily pass as a “regular guy” if they so wished to. My question to you is how do you think pedophiles will take it when they discover others- underage fans more specifically- who dig the same kinda media they get off to? Maybe not in the exact same way, mind you, but there's a thin line between them when you really think about it. I mean, what other explanation is there for why literal pedos on the internet have been known to sneak into pro-sessrin group chats here on Tumblr before? (Thankfully, they were later kicked.) I know that for a fact! It's almost as if the universe is trying to tell them something they refuse to listen to elsewhere. Hhmmm I wonder what that may be. 

I imagine it’s possibly one of the hardest things to admit out loud and to themselves, but I can almost guarantee you that most of these Sessrin shippers who are victims of CSA and who still see no issue with Sessrin must be living with some sort of unresolved trauma caused by the very abuse they claimed to have undergone. It's been proven that victims who do not seek or properly receive the help and treatment they need in order to address and live with a traumatic experience such as this are more likely to perpetuate that very same abuse themselves in some way, shape or form. What if in this case fiction is enough for them, but who's to say it won’t eventually manifest itself in other more dire and far-reaching ways? It's not like we haven't seen this vicious cycle before, and I can promise you that Sessrin won't be the last. LET'S STOP NORMALIZING & GLORIFYING THE ROMANTIZATION & SEXUALIZATION OF CHILDREN. Fictional example: Usagi Drop. Need I say more? Real world example: Woody Allen. Again, need I say more?

Bottom line is that Sessrin shippers don't want us to think too critically about this ship of theirs, because if we dig too deep then they're forced to face the very troubling implications this pairing really stands for. Of course they'll never admit to them, because instead they rather double down and grasp at the same old straws as long as it means their precious ship is protected at all costs. Screw everyone else if that's what it takes, because they'll threaten to burn down legit buildings in real life if that ensures Sessrin goes canon! (True story, this happened on Twitter.) They’ll taunt and bully anyone who disagrees. Even if all you literally say is that you don’t like the ship, they’ll gang up on you. Tell them about your past experience with being groomed? They’ll laugh in your face. I wish I was kidding, but I assure you I am not.  And they say we're ridiculous and taking this way too seriously? Yeah...

The typical behavior of a Sessrin shipper demonstrates an overly aggressive front since they're usually on defense mode anyway. They only want to ship their sick ship in peace in other words. But just because neo-nazis have a right to spew their bigoted ideology, doesn't mean we don't got the right to punch them! Freedom of speech doesn't equate to freedom from consequences. And Sessrin shippers wonder why they got so many haters. Just sayin'.

Their presence on other platforms like Twitter and Reddit are some examples of how delusional and unstable some Sessrin fans are capable of becoming. Even recently, an anon here on Tumblr sent Richard Ian Cox (English VA for Inuyasha) a totally uncalled for ask telling him that "sessrin is love and there's nothing he can do about it." (That's not verbatim, but if you're interested I'll link you to it.) It appears they discovered that he didn't like Sessrin based on how he had been replying to asks, and just for that reason alone they thought they had the right to harass him. For simply stating his opinion, y'all. They didn't even have the decency to show their face either. Talk about immature and cowardly! 

Just yesterday (or was it the day before?) a fanatic Sessrin user on Tumblr- who’s also been known for hateful remarks on Twitter but those tweets have of course been deleted since then- went out of their way to not only lurk in a group chat they don’t belong to on here but to then proceed to harass a few of us in there. They had the guts to take screenshots from that group chat, tag us in posts on their page regarding what they read in there, and without our knowledge or permission went ahead and actually blogged them?? I mean, who calls out people behind their backs while they're just minding their own business?? It worries me how unhinged and out of touch with reality some Sessriners are. Not all of them, but a whole lot of them. 

It seems all they are doing is looking for trouble, as they just can't stand how much we hate this ship. So it's more than okay if they love on their ship but it's not okay if we don't and we should just keep our mouths shut. But since when do Sessrin fans have authority over our opinions? Even if they were officially canon, nothing is ever gonna change our opinion. Now when they actually do decide to participate in discourse with antis, you'll see them fishing for excuses to bow out. How they normally go about this is by fabricating a way to blame us antis for their exiting a conversation as if we're being the irrational ones here.

There’s no denying that some antis can also be overly blunt or aggressive (nobody is saying we’re perfect here), but speaking for myself, I know I would never make such nasty comments about other fans and their personal lives. And honestly? It would make me feel like shit talking bad about someone I don't actually know. Nah, I won't stoop to that level or give haters that satisfaction. I may not attack them as people, but that doesn't mean I can't attack some of their messed up ideas that threaten to distort how we should or shouldn’t perceive certain dangerous situations and events. Seeing as how for me this is more than just a matter of opinion- it's a moral responsibility and even an obligation.

I know it's difficult to remain civil when things get heated and people start taking things personally- yet more proof that fiction impacts our lives- but that's the only way any of us will ever have constructive discussions about serious topics like this. Unfortunately, Sessrin shippers, from what I can tell, are incapable of engaging in real discourse for the most part. They may be vocal but that doesn't mean they can pack a punch. I’d really love to be proven wrong someday.

Okay, moving on! If they're not involved in some big-time gaslighting then they're using their infamous strawman argument approach.

Sessrin fans’ sole purpose isn't really to defend their ship, per se, but rather to deflect and antagonize. They like to mislead in order to shift the focus/blame onto their opponent or something else that's not related so that they can stray from the main point. 

Take the drama CD for example. It's officially NOT considered canon, right? But that hasn't stopped many fans from referencing it anyway so let’s too consider it for a moment. The point is that they use its "existence" whenever convenient then deny it or downplay it whenever it’s not. So on one hand, it's plain as day that they celebrate it as proof of a romantic future for Sessrin. But then later once we point out to them that Sesshomaru is essentially confessing to Rin that he will wait for her until she's of age, they'll brush it off and quickly add that they didn't interpret the scene that way and leave it at that. I mean how else would you interpret it? And if it's not a proposal of sorts then why exactly are you bouncing off the walls about it to begin with?? If that's all it means is nothing then why are we even talking about this?! You see what I mean here??! And somehow we're the crazy ones? 

Let me to be frank with you. If you haven’t listened to it already, this proposal he offered her sounded like a declaration of love in a multitude of ways, which is wildly inappropriate since Rin was only 12 at the time. Signifying that Sesshomaru was/is indeed grooming her. Well, that is if you choose to recognize the drama CD. Nevertheless, whether you do or not, I personally hate that this non-canon satire is even associated with the Inuyasha name to begin with. Ugh. 

Intentional or not, Sesshomaru made a deliberate decision in that moment to tell a little girl- and not just any little girl mind you but a girl he's taken in under his care for a good year- that he would wait for her if she so chooses once she's old enough. 

The issue is that it isn’t only age of consent we’re concerned about regarding this pairing. What Sessriners fail to see is that this grown male authority- her vassal, her guardian, her adoptive father, or whatever you wanna refer to him as- is basically making a move on this girl he had in his company for quite some time. There's no sugarcoating that. Us antis call it how it is, and I'm sure as fucking day other people who don't watch the show would most certainly agree that the Sesshomaru/Rin bond is filial. Set aside those rose-tinted glasses of yours, and going by everything we’ve been delivered in the manga and parts of the anime (and NOT the drama cd), there are literally no hints that indicate a blossoming romance between this adult male demon and this small human girl he’s taken under his wing. You can imagine them all you want if it pleases you, but that doesn’t mean they’re there. Adult!Rin is a figment of your imagination, nothing more. The idolization of this pairing is pretty disturbing seeing as all we have to go off of in canon is Child!Rin. There have only ever been sweet and innocent moments passed between the two, which is why I’m positive that an unbiased viewer or an outsider would state their dynamic resembled something akin to a father-daugther relationship. I would bet a shit ton of money on that, believe you me!

Rin's inhibitions are low because children are naturally naive and don't know any better. Remember, she adores and trust this man with all her heart, so why would she think any of this so-called grooming is not normal behavior. (I only say “so-called grooming” because I don’t think Sesshomaru bringing her gifts in the village has to be a romantic thing.) Or how would she ever be able to understand that she’s being taken advantage of if she has no previous experience with it? Maybe if she was present for that time Inuyasha and the gang scolded Miroku when they had learned that years previous he had supposedly proposed to this young girl in the village they were visiting, then Rin would. And he didn’t even assist in helping raise her but look at how they reacted! How is this any different than Sesshomaru hooking up with Rin later? It’s actually worse in Sessrin's case. Do you honestly believe that Inuyasha and the others would take kindly to this?

It's not uncommon and considered harmless for young children to have crushes on adults, after all, but the adults in these scenarios should never resort to using and abusing the position of power they held or continue to hold over this child for any reason whatsoever.

What I'm trying to get across here is that no matter how you spin it, Sessrin can NEVER be deemed a morally acceptable pairing. Like ship what you want, we're not saying you can't ship Sessrin. What we're saying is this:

STOP referring to their bond as "pure" and not expect backlash for your grossly inaccurate statements. Just admit it's toxic, because it's extremely harmful to many viewers- and not just victims- to pretend and suggest otherwise.

Please remind yourself of the very real canon fact that Rin traveled with Sesshomaru and they established a bond all while she was just a girl. Oh, and he saved her life too many times to count, not to mention brought her back from the dead TWICE. This is why I don't care much for your counter argument "that dynamics can change over time," because although that's true, like with everything in life there must be standards we adhere to. Exceptions to rules, if you will. Our own basic morals demand it.

For instance, it’s normal that some childhood friends begin to like each other as more than friends years down the road. Nothing wrong with that, because that's a natural and healthy occurrence. Now you cannot apply this to an adult and a child for obvious reasons, but what you also cannot do is apply this to an adult who met and knew another adult while they were still just a child. Why? Well, because it'd be like betraying and perverting that former child's view of you. They were never your equal because your established dynamic resembles that of one an adult posesses with a child even once they've grown up. Think about it this way: it's in the same bracket of family members or family friends who've watched you grow up and mature into an adult. Then later just because they're all grown up, does that mean that those children "are not off bounds" - that's quoting a Sessrin shipper by the way- to these certain family members and family friends? 

If you're still struggling to grasp this, I urge you to take a moment (or all the time you need!) to really put yourself in that child's shoes and self-reflect. Would you truly be alright with a family friend you haven't seen in years (but sorely missed because they used to occasionally babysit you) just someday coming back into your life and then very inappropriately flirting with you or even making sexual advances on you? (Sorry for the run-on!) Or even worse, can you picture this happening to one of your own children??! Seriously, ask yourself that and sit with that for a while and really take it all in. It’s not fun, I know, but if that’s what it takes to help you finally understand then please try and practice more ways to utilize your self-awareness in the future. It’s for everyone’s benefit, not only yours, I promise! You'll also find it makes it tremendously easier to empathize with others.

I got news for those fans who don’t view Sesshomaru as a father figure to Rin. The title we give him doesn’t hold as much weight as a lot of us are making it out to be. Let’s try to be neutral here and stick to the hard facts, shall we?

*Sesshomaru is an adult male authority whose protection Rin is under*

*It’s safe to assume that Rin has grown attached to him and maybe even looks up to him*

*They care about each other and the other's well-being*

*He has has played a crucial part in her supervision and care for a significant period of time (yes, even if it’s just passing a message along to Jaken)*

Not so random anecdote: In an Inuyasha episode I recently revisited, Sesshomaru had just rescued Rin from Kohaku who had been possessed by Naraku and was ordered to kill Rin. Anyway, at the end of their scene you can hear Jaken ask out loud, “what should we do for dinner, Lord Sesshomaru?” And that’s about the most domestic thing I’ve ever heard come out of his mouth. They’re such a family dammit and nothing will ever change that!! <3

This is precisely why I could never in a million years view those past students of mine in a romantic light. I don't care how many years have passed, it's just not possible for me. Just the idea of pursuing a romantic and/or sexual relationship absolutely repels me.

Speaking as a former teacher, you don't need to be a parental figure who's around all the time in order to have great love and affection for a child. I would've done absolutely anything in my power to protect them even though they weren't my own. Then again, I did consider them my children in a way even if wasn't in a familial sense. Does that make my love for them any less unique? No, it's just different but not inferior. When you stop to think about, it really doesn't take as long as you may think to establish rapport with a person, particularly children. Connecting with a child is almost instant (but of course some are more receptive than others), and once you do make that special connection one can only make with a child, a strong and overwhelming need to guide and protect them kicks in almost automatically. The unconditional love an adult feels for a child is powerful and constant, and nothing should ever change that. As much as some of you really want to believe otherwise, that feeling doesn’t just go away because they turned 18. In your eyes, they’ll always be that kid.

I get it, sometimes when we escape into these fictional worlds of ours, it's difficult not to project our own wishes and desires onto certain characters. I don't blame fans for picturing themselves with Sesshomaru- I know I did haha- but never once did I self-insert myself as Rin. I know she's one of the biggest catalysts for his character growth- if not THE biggest- but how and why does that need to turn romantic? There are other antis who I have spoken with on this. They informed me that they used to live vicariously through Rin and ship them together, as well. As they got older, they later learned how weird and twisted this ship actually was. That's what's supposed to happen, y'all, you're supposed to grow out of that fixation. 

Now take your mind out of the Inuyasha universe for a second and hypothetically (or not hypothetically if you have kids) answer me this: if and/or when you ever have a child, would you genuinely be comfortable with the idea of them dating and eventually marrying their father’s best friend who was also there to witness them grow up? Be honest please. 

I highly doubt you would want that- or at least I hope not. You see, that's another MAJOR point I've made a few times already and yet you Sessrin shippers continue to avoid the question. It's pretty obvious it hasn't been rhetorical either. Ignorance is bliss?

Finally, I’d like to address one more point. It seems there is a HUGE misconception and I'd like to clear it up real quick. That is Sessrin shippers misinterpret one of the issues we have with this ship. They chalk up our complaints of Sessrin being canon (which is a LIE, nothing has been confirmed yet) to us just being salty because that somehow means our ships aren't or won’t be. I assure you, readers, other antis and I will attest that this ain't about dumb shipping wars, this is so much bigger than that!!!

I noticed recently that some Sessrin fans have even begun calling us Karens lolol like if anybody is a Karen it's them! This ain't about some mere difference in taste, this is very likely to have LONG-LASTING NEGATIVE EFFECTS. Sessrin going canon is a very harmful message to send viewers and children/teens especially. So if anything, it’s these shippers who are being the entitled ones here thinking that the fact we don’t support their ship is the worst thing in the world. NO, THE REAL PROBLEM IS CHILD GROOMING. GET OVER YOURSELF.

Out of nowhere, some of them even started assuming all us antis were white, which in their books is also equivalent to Karens or even white supremacists somehow?? Those aren't one in the same, but it's easy to make it appear that way when the US is currently tackling major systems of oppression and racial injustice. Because to them, all antis must be from over here. (Yes, I'm American. But no, I'm not white.) How else can anyone explain not shipping Sessrin, right?! Somehow they have it in their heads that ALL of Japan and surrounding places are super approving of this ship, and that everyone else isn’t because of their upbringing and “Western way of thinking.”  

To give you an idea of what I mean, look back at what I talked about earlier with their incessant mention of Sessrin vs. Inukag. Because THIS is another popular example of how these shippers present their side and then ignore all the facts. Many fans have already proven how fucked up and inaccurate it is to label whole countries and cultures. It’s like they simply think mentioning it makes it count even though we’ve discredited their points over and over. Nah, you got to back it up with good reasons that support your side of the argument. That’s How To Have An Argument: 101. So at the end of the day, all they're actually achieving in doing is making dumb and entirely unrelated accusations based on nothing just to lead to deductions that are equally unfounded. Nothing at all is accomplished but more gaslighting and hurling of insults on their part = a complete waste of time for antis = an excuse for them to peace out early from the conversation & that’s what they wanted all along

We’ve reached the end (finally! sorry for all the rambling!), and I hope those of you who stayed till the end or read enough can take something positive out of this. As many Inuyasha fans are aware, there will be a livestream with the VAs for Sesshomaru and Rin coming out within the next few hours. We don’t have all the details yet, and afterwards we probably still won’t. I’m not just talking about Sessrin here but about the sequel in general. Whatever happens, please just remember to be kind to one another. If you don’t think you’re capable of doing that, then it’s best you vent and fume elsewhere. Easier said than done, I know, but just try. Throughout this blog, I admit there were moments where I got frustrated and took some jabs at Sessrin shippers. Please believe me when I say that I do not and would not ever wish any of you ill will. 

Inuyasha was such a huge part of my childhood, and I’m not gonna lie, I’m anxious as hell that Sunrise will ruin one of the best things I loved about this show. So pardon me if my reactions are too visceral for your liking. haha Also, like the movies and the drama cd, this sequel is not in fact canon. Therefore, for those of you who disagree or who still plan to enjoy this new series, respect the fact that some of us fans will definitely “cancel” it if we feel that’s what we have to do to come to terms with it and move on. Fans have that right, after all. Why should we get on board with something if it’s so uncharacteristic of and unrecognizable from the original source material? If all this is some sort of cash grab of Sunrise’s doing, then count me out. I truly hope that this sequel turn outs being a lot more promising than a lot of us are expecting. I’m begging you, Sunrise, I wanna believe you’re better than this. Please and thank you!   

By the way, if you’re interested, feel free to check out my two other blogs on this same subject. Click here and here. The last two screenshots do not come from something I’ve written myself. If you’d like to read more from where those came from, let me know and I’d be more than happy to send you the links. Okay, bye for now. Peace out and stay safe, everyone! 

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, April 19

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover

Page 2: Michael Douglas' short-term memory loss and frail frame have wife Catherine Zeta-Jones fearing for her older husband's well-being -- Michael once declared he'd beaten oral cancer, but harsh chemotherapy and radiation treatments have left him a shell of his former self and he has even admitted to suffering memory problems -- he was also affected by the 2020 death of his father Kirk Douglas and he hasn't been the same since his dad died -- this is a guy who cheated death with a horrific cancer ordeal, and he's had other medical issues over the years and some serious domestic dramas that have taken their toll -- Catherine always knew that their age difference would mean her taking care of him one day but she didn't expect it to be so soon

Page 3: Reese Witherspoon has ditched her wedding ring during recent outings, sparking rumors her marriage to Jim Toth is on the ropes but she feels their relationship isn't down for the count and refuses to give up the fight to keep their family together but they may not make it -- the desire to make things work is still there on both sides and they've been able to pull it all together all these years, even with personalities as different as theirs mainly for the sake of their family and they got on each other's nerves while cooped up together during the pandemic, but they don't bicker in public and that's one thing they have going for them

Page 4: Ryan Seacrest creeped out his pals when he gushed over Maria Menounos when she sat in for Kelly Ripa on Live recently -- Ryan thinks Maria is the smartest, most talented and beautiful woman to walk the planet and he can't help but swoon over her but Ryan understands Maria is happily married to TV writer and producer Keven Underago and he'd never cross the line and he doesn't want to date Maria, but he makes no secret he'd be dancing on air to have someone like her, which is kind of creepy, but he can't help it -- Ryan would never make moves on someone else's girl, but he does try to imitate her husband Keven's qualities like how funny and creative and sensible he is and Ryan adores Kelly and thinks she's great but he wouldn't mind if she takes more time off just so he can gaze at Maria

* Miley Cyrus' recent boozy night out with party pals, including British punk rocker Yungblud, has loved ones fearing she's slipping back into dangerous territory -- she was spotted at Hollywood's famous Rainbow Bar & Grill, drinking shots and beer chasers, just months after she admitted to her struggles with addiction and after fellow addiction-challenged singer Demi Lovato announced she was California sober, claiming she was safely able to drink in moderation, Miley didn't see any reason why she couldn't do the same -- her family and sober friends are deeply concerned for Miley's well-being and are begging her to stop drinking now

Page 5: Newly robust Celine Dion has her health back on track following a dangerous few years where she looked like a walking skeleton -- she has beefed up her wraith-like frame by making healthier choices during lockdown -- she went through a rough time of transition after husband Rene Angelil's death and lost a lot of weight, but lockdown has given her a chance to rest and focus on taking care of herself and now she looks 15 to 20 pounds heavier and seems in good spirits and is looking forward to rebooting her Courage World Tour when the pandemic ends

Page 6: Fitness fanatic Tim McGraw is a changed man since he kicked the bottle in 2008, but he's now hooked on working out and sculpting the perfect bod and he's publicly admitted exercise is what gets him flying high but his quest to get ripped to the max is now a 24/7 obsession and he spends hours in the gym and he's already flexing a muscular body most men would die for, but he doesn't want to stop until he's an Adonis and he works out twice or three times a day and packs his diet with energy-boosting smoothies and veggie juices and some might say he's going overboard with the workouts, but Tim craves those feel-good endorphins and he considers his workouts to be fun -- he loves the way he looks and thinks he can do better and he does spend a lot of time in front of the mirror admiring himself and tends to wear tight T-shirts that show off his pecs and six-pack abs, and wife Faith Hill loves the results -- a lot of people say he's traded one addiction for another

Page 7: Nearly six years after their bitter divorce, Miranda Lambert has finally extended an olive branch to ex-husband Blake Shelton, but she's still pretty envious over his professional success with fiancee Gwen Stefani -- last year, Blake and Gwen took home the collaborative video prize at the Country Music Television Awards for their duet Nobody but You, and also scored a Top Ten hit with their single Happy Anywhere and it makes Miranda jealous to see Blake making hay on the charts with Gwen but their success also made Miranda recall Over You, her hit collaboration with Blake, which won Song of the Year at the 2012 Country Music Association Awards and during a recent interview, Miranda affectionately blew kisses toward the camera as she recounted how her ballad with Blake was inspired by his grief over the loss of his older brother; still, Miranda also harbors a competitive streak and said she's angling to transform herself and husband Brendan McLoughlin into entertainment movers and shakers just like Blake and Gwen -- Miranda plans to enroll Brendan in acting school and Miranda wants them to act together and they are looking for scripts to make a television movie and even planning to launch a production company in Nashville and Miranda recognizes the musical chemistry Blake and Gwen share, and she believes she and Brendan can match that success on-screen -- meanwhile, as Blake and Gwen prepare to wed, Miranda is finally in a place where she can wish them well and Miranda carried a lot of animosity toward Blake and Gwen, especially since she suspected they started something before she and Blake split up, but she's very happy with Brendan so maybe all that pain she and Blake went through in ending their marriage was for the best

* Reba McEntire is reaching out to save her friend and former daughter-in-law Kelly Clarkson from suffering through a divorce that eerily mirrors Reba's own breakup -- Kelly split from husband and manager Brandon Blackstock in June 2020, and the divorce battle has them fighting over custody of their two kids as well as Brandon suing her for $1.4 million in unpaid commissions, but Reba has seen this before: Brandon's dad, Narvel Blackstock, dumped her in 2015 after 26 years of marriage, and despite initially agreeing to continue as her manager, dumped her as a client weeks later and Reba knows all too well how petty and conniving Narvel and Brandon can be, and her heart goes out to Kelly -- Kelly admits to Reba there are times when she just wants to run away and hide and Reba tells her to run away to me and it means the world to Kelly to have Reba in her corner -- Narvel and son Brandon head Starstruck Entertainment and are adamant that Kelly owes them big bucks for helping her land both her talk show and a coaching spot on The Voice, but with Reba's help, Kelly is fighting back and Reba learned the hard way the pitfalls of mixing business with family life and she's trying to help Kelly because she hates to see another woman suffer at the hands of a Blackstock

Page 8: Sicko Jeffrey Epstein has been accused of a horrific new litany of abuse by a woman who claims he forced her into unwanted genital surgery, raped her in front of her child and threatened to feed her to alligators -- the woman, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, is suing the late pervert's estate, claiming he and his alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell, groomed her for their sordid pleasure -- in the suit, she claims Epstein drove her to pick up her 8-year-old son and took them to a lake, where he threatened to feed her to alligators, as had happened to other girls in the past, if she dared to squeal on him -- at the time, the woman said she was 26, but she looked much younger and Epstein told her to say she was 17 and he also arranged for a man with a Russian accent to perform an unnecessary vaginal surgery to pass her off as a virgin to a client and this violent and illegal procedure was botched, leaving her mutilated, in pain, disabled, and permanently sexually dysfunctional

Page 9: Ghislaine Maxwell has been slapped with yet another sex trafficking charge and it's got her former pal Prince Andrew sweating bullets -- the new indictment details how Jeffrey Epstein's alleged madam reportedly groomed a 14-year-old for him, but crucially for Andrew, it expands the time frame of Ghislaine's alleged crimes from 1994 to 2004, a span that includes her meeting the British royal in 1999 and then introducing him to Epstein and that time frame also includes the period in which "sex slave" Virginia Roberts Giuffre claims she slept with Andrew three times, charges he's denied -- the new charge also opens the floodgates on other celebrities, politicians and high-profile figures who were in Epstein's orbit at the time and the new indictment widens the pool for Ghislaine and her defense attorneys because who wouldn't want to bring down all of these fat cats and who wouldn't be that desperate?

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Rumer Willis got to the root of her gardening needs in L.A., Michael B. Jordan and Chante Adams got cozy as they shared a snack while shooting Journal for Jordan in NYC's Central Park, Heidi Klum in L.A., Mario Lopez tossed the ceremonial first dice roll at the opening of the Mohegan Sun Casino in Las Vegas, Christopher Meloni shot his onscreen spouse's funeral scene for Law & Order: Organized Crime

Page 11: Tony Bennett has a secret weapon in his fight against Alzheimer's disease: his close pal and collaborator Lady Gaga -- Susan Crow Benedetto, 54, the wife of the 94-year-old singing legend, has enlisted Gaga to help keep Tony's faculties sharp as he struggles with advancing dementia because Gaga's telephone calls have always helped cheer Tony up and keep him focused and they laugh together, reminisce and sometimes sing and it always puts a smile on Tony's face and it's great therapy -- when asked whether Tony still recognizes the pop star, Susan joked that Gaga is hard to forget -- Gaga has also played a critical role in keeping the aging crooner active and creative by working with him and they plan to release their second album of duets this spring as a follow-up to their 2014 smash hit Cheek to Cheek

* Worried friends feared ailing rock god Ozzy Osbourne is coming unstrung while wife Sharon Osbourne's career goes into a death spiral -- Ozzy has been plagued by crippling illnesses over the years, including Parkinson's disease, and has to walk with the aid of a cane and now he's at wit's end and pushing himself into a danger zone as his wife fights tooth and nail after leaving The Talk amid a racism scandal and Ozzy's been under a great deal of distress over Sharon's problems over at The Talk and he worries and fusses over her and can't focus on anything else and it's left many in his circle very concerned for his health which is fragile enough already -- the bashing Sharon received during the scandal has the aging rocker concerned she may never work again and he'll have to be the breadwinner

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- five years after Angelina Jolie filed for divorce, she's still battling Brad Pitt over custody of their five youngest kids, now she's filed new court documents claiming she has proof of domestic violence against Brad and accusations like these would kill anyone else's career, but not in this case: Hollywood is 100 percent behind Brad and the sense in the industry is Angelina has weaponized the kids against Brad but Brad is very well respected in Hollywood, and most people find these new allegations hard to believe and if anything, Angie is only hurting the children and herself

* Real Housewives stars featured in the upcoming spinoff are cashing in and Bravo will pay Luann de Lesseps, Teresa Giudice and the others a sweet $200,000 for one week's work in Turks and Caicos and that's more than double what the ladies usually get for filming, plus they get a free trip to a tropical island

* American Idol could be on the chopping block because in just seven weeks the show has lost 2 million viewers and it's simple math: Idol cannot survive with its current budget and ABC has two options which are cancel the show or cut costs, which would mean hiring cheaper judges and a cheaper host to replace Ryan Seacrest and both options are being explored

* Britney Spears' beau, personal trainer Sam Asghari, shows off his toned abs in L.A. (picture)

Page 13: Palace insiders fear Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's vendetta against the British monarchy will take a shocking new turn: they'll bankroll a lurid movie about Princess Diana's death and the conspiracy theories that suggest the royal family was involved -- the rights to the movie script are owned by Hollywood producer Ben Browning, who was just hired by Harry and Meghan to run their film company Archewell Productions -- the controversial movie centers on Princess Diana's lover Dodi Fayed's father, former Harrods' boss Mohamed Al-Fayed, investigating his son's death and his belief that Dodi and Diana were murdered because she was pregnant and planning to marry, and The Firm did not want a Muslim in the royal family

Page 14: Crime

Page 15: Alabama Shakes drummer Steve Johnson has been busted on charges of willful torture and abuse of a child and was also charged with cruelly beating or otherwise maltreating a child under the age of 18 -- his arrest came just a year after he was slapped with a one-year suspended sentence and two years' probation after pleading guilty to menacing his ex-wife Whitney Lee, who called him mentally unstable -- Johnson helped the Shakes score three Grammys in 2016 for their album Sound & Color but the band has been on hiatus since singer Brittany Howard started a solo career in 2018 and Steve was lost after that; he went from playing in front of 50,000 people to playing in bars again -- even if the Shakes reunite, it's highly unlikely Steve would be invited back -- Steve remains in county jail awaiting his court date and his attorneys said Mr. Johnson maintains his innocence

* Danny Masterson and his lawyers believe they are victims of anti-Scientology bias and cannot get a fair trial in his Los Angeles rape case -- celebrity attorney Tom Mesereau, who successfully defended Michael Jackson against child molestation charges two decades ago, claimed his client has been treated unfairly because of his ties to the church, and that the police or district attorney's office leaked damaging details of the case -- Danny and his lawyers feel persecuted and that everybody in Hollywood who isn't a Scientologist is after them -- LAPD Robbery and Homicide Division Capt. Jonathan Tippet said his organization is keeping a tight lid on all information surrounding the case to ensure Masterson gets a fair trial

Page 16: Mormon church officials are being accused of corporate greed for using members' charitable donations to secretly create a $100 billion tax-free fund -- James Huntsman, the son of a prominent Mormon family, is suing the church for fraud, claiming donations solicited to finance charity work were actually used to fill church coffers -- the church boasts at least 15 million members worldwide, including celebrities like Gladys Knight, Donny and Marie Osmond, Katherine Heigl, Julianne Hough, Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling, Amy Adams and Aaron Eckhart and many could have tithed money that ended up in the tax-free fund

Page 17: Jen Shah of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City was recently fingered by the feds as the bogus businesswoman behind a multi-state fraud scheme dating back to 2012 -- the Bravo blowhard, known for her extravagant parties, designer outfits and extensive entourage, and her first assistant Stuart Smith were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering -- the U.S. Justice Department alleged the Park City resident and Smith of Lehi generated and sold lead lists of innocent individuals for other members of their scheme to repeatedly scam, and claimed the greedy creeps defrauded hundreds of victims -- the terrible twosome targeted older adults and computer illiterate folks by using both telemarketing and in-person sales teams to peddle nonexistent online services and then fight the refund efforts of wronged consumers -- if convicted, Shah and Smith each face up to 50 years behind bars

Page 18: American Life

Page 20: L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva triggered a cover-up scandal when he revealed his investigators determined why Tiger Woods drove off a California cliff, then refused to explain what happened, citing the golf legend's privacy -- Villanueva said the black box in the Genesis SUV that Tiger was driving when he flew off a suburban L.A. highway in the early morning helped determine the cause

* Hollywood Hookups -- Bethenny Frankel and Paul Bernon engaged, Melissa and Joe Gorga appear to have reached the finale of their marriage, Fernanda Flores and professional boxes Noel Mikaelian dating

Page 21: Britney Spears said she broke into tears after seeing bits of the new documentary about how she has been in the grips of a conservatorship for years, saying she was embarrassed by the light they put her in and she cried for two weeks and still cries sometimes

* Generous Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke put a happy face on job seekers in Malibu when he handed out fistfuls of cash -- Dick was spotted withdrawing bills from a bank before driving to the Malibu Community Labor Exchange, a nonprofit that helps unemployed locals find day jobs and he stayed in his car as he handed out money to masked folks who were lined up to look for work

Page 22: The late Aretha Franklin left behind a royal mess of paperwork, including a newly discovered fourth will that has thrown her $80 million estate into fresh turmoil -- the eight-page document, titled The Will of Aretha Franklin, was apparently drawn up not long before her death in 2018, and was recently found among the files of the singer's onetime attorney Henry Grix along with the paperwork describing the terms of a trust but both items are stamped draft and neither has Aretha's signature but Michigan law changed seven years ago, and it made the admissibility of a document like this more flexible -- currently there's a bitter beef among Aretha's four adult sons over how their mother's assets should be divided

Page 23: The battle over Prince's $300 million fortune rages on, and the late pop star's siblings, and legal heirs, fear there won't be anything left after lawyers, accountants, administrators and the IRS take their cut -- five years after he died from a fatal fentanyl overdose without leaving a will, an avalanche of deals and court hearings have left his massive cash stash in limbo -- sadly Prince's distrust of lawyers and other professionals now means that millions will be spent paying those same people to try to sort out the mess he left behind and this could go on for a decade

Page 26: Weird Body Language -- stars cope with bizarre deformities -- Denzel Washington, Steven Tyler, Ashton Kutcher, Matthew Perry

Page 27: Lily Allen, Mark Wahlberg, Karolina Kurkova, Scar Service -- Tina Fey, Padma Lakshmi, Joaquin Phoenix

Page 32: Health Watch

* Ask the Vet -- Watch out for xylitol

Page 34: Just months after John Travolta's beloved wife, Kelly Preston, passed, the actor has been shattered by another death in the family -- his nephew Sam Travolta's badly decomposed body was found in his Wisconsin apartment last September, weeks after he died from a suspected heart attack -- John has suffered through so much loss and Sam's death was another huge blow but he's strong and has a deep faith in Scientology and the church brings him solace and comfort

Page 36: Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran has stepped up to get a tenant in one of her buildings back on his feet -- Barbara and building co-owner Alex Rodriguez came under fire after Ryo Nagaoka's possessions were reportedly tossed while he was hospitalized with COVID-19 and when Ryo got home he found only his piano and pet tortoise in his cleaned-out crib -- emptying Ryo's apartment was necessary because it had become a health hazard and had a biocleaning crew scrub it -- Barbara donated $12,000 to a GoFundMe page for him, while A-Rod has seemingly not yet contributed anything and Barbara also said the building's management company has renovated Ryo's apartment

Page 38: Beloved game show host Peter Marshall made a miraculous recovery from COVID-19 to celebrate with friends at his 95th birthday party -- Peter was in and out of the hospital for ten weeks and he was at death's door and doctors didn't give him much of a chance but Peter beat the odds to enjoy a Zoom party attended online by Leslie Uggams, Loni Anderson, Sandy Duncan, Ruta Lee, Karen Valentine, Rich Little, JoAnne Worley, Jack Jones and more

* Accused sex freak Armie Hammer's career is in the crapper and he's beginning to believe that's where it will stay -- the kink king was fired from the thriller Billion Dollar Spy amid sexual assault allegations and the release of social media messages claiming he has dark fetishes including cannibalism -- Armie has already gotten to boot from the movie Shotgun Wedding and the series The Offer, and more trouble may be on the horizon: Armie was accused of sexual assault by a woman called Effie, who alleged the actor violently raped her and Armie's attorneys issued a statement denying the claims, saying Effie's own correspondence with Mr. Hammer undermines and refutes her outrageous allegations -- Armie has been keeping a low profile at a Caribbean resort, but fears his entire career is in trouble

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Carrie Underwood

[multifics-canary]

Marinette's New Shield ch. 2

Ch.1

A/n: guys, thank you so much for your interest in my first posted miraculous story!!! I do have others that I play around with(literally wrote one while at work) and might decide to post those in some near future. This is a little longer than the first one. And I might make a little chapter series. I don't own miraculous ladybug!! And please dont steal this :D

°·°·°·°·°·°·°

Plans are simple, especially if you do it accordingly. Lila's plan was easy to see through. Make a few little lies about your life to get people's attention, shed a few tears to get what you want, make sure no one stands in your way.

Things seemed to have backfired with Marinette, so Lila made sure to spin those lies towards Marinette. Little bullying antics and maybe one or two threats. Ruby doesn't like amateurs, especially ones like her who take advantage of others. It's also the class's fault for believing things that could be checked online.

In the few weeks she's been here, she knew everyone's name and other information. One surrounding factor was that Marinette has helped all of them and has gotten nothing in return. Genuinely, that's what a good person does. But in Marinette's case, they take advantage of her kindness. And since Lila arrived, they've ignored all the good things she did for them and thought the young designer was a jealous bitch.

Be confident in yourself. She told the designer before leaving that day. There's a complexity to making plans. The crucial thing is that it doesn't backfire. Somehow, Marinette trusted Ruby to make things right. And Ruby would make sure to rightfully deserve that trust.

Alya's friendship with Marinette was more or less normal at first, a friend trying to encourage the other to be more confident and stand for herself. It worked wonders. Then Alya starts accusing Marinette of not having facts when she should have them first. She's the journalist, not Marinette. And yet, believed those lies a pretty Italian was spilling. Hypocrite.

They would regret doing losing Marinette. Ruby would make sure of it.

"Rubes!" The girl in question looked up at her name being called, seeing Alya walking towards her, Lila next to her. She had a scowl on her face but quickly changed to a smile when Alya turned to her. Your reaction times are pathetic.

"What can I do for you ladies?"

"We're having a picnic later at the park and we were wondering if you wanted to join us. The whole class will be there!" Alya says excitedly. Ruby had a feeling it two certain people weren't invited, however, she didn't say anything.

"I'll have to check if I'm able to. A family member of mine asked for a small photoshoot session and I promised I'd be there on time."

"Oh Wow!" Alya's excitement seemed innocent enough, her interest viewable from miles around. "You're a model like Adrien?" Lila seemed interested in the conversation, seeing as she looked up in surprise.

"Not really. I pose for a few photos, but I'm more the one behind the camera. Well that's what I'm still learning anyways." She replied watching both girls reactions. One of pure excitement and the other of skepticism. If Lila didn't believe her, that's her problem. Even her uncle Gabriel was impressed with her skills, so she had no interest in impressing a common liar.

Her beginning plan is simple, befriend the class to get to know them. But not get close to any if them but Marinette, who needed the most support. That was step one. Lila already has the mindset that Ruby could be planning, but that was the point. So the liar could be aware of what was to come, just not know how much. And how Ruby loves it when they don't know.

"What else do you do?" Alya states excitedly, bringing the girl out of her thoughts. The 'reporter' had her phone out, filming her.

"Nothing special really. I write for a small media company. They're helping me with getting both my informative and creative pages out there. I have friend editing a small book I'm writing in English as we speak."

"In English?! What a scoop! You have to give me details, girl!" Alya practically screamed, her eyes shinning brightly. Surprisingly Lila hasn't said anything, but Ruby had no doubt the girl would make up a lie that related to what she heard.

"Maybe later. There's some things I have to do. As well as homework." Ruby stated, leaning back on the bench she was at in the first place. Alya deflated a bit but understood, both girls waving goodbye before leaving. Lila looked back at Ruby, glaring a little at her, but the girl wasn't worried. She raised an eyebrow before rolling her eyes, taking out her phone to study.

°·°·°·°·°·°·°·

True to Ruby's word, she was the one behind the camera. But she wasn't alone. One of the model's that works for Gabriel Agreste himself was there, along with Adrien, his photographer, Gorilla, Chloe, and Marinette. Ruby invited the girls and ran into Adrien who wanted to talk with Ruby when they both got breaks.

The photo shoot was going well, both Marinette and Chloe impressed by the professionalism Ruby had.

"You lied to Alya and Lila?"

"Technically I didn't. This model is actually a close friend, almost family. And Adrien is a family member, so only you guys know this. But what they don't know, won't hurt em." Ruby replies, when they get a small break to stretch before another shoot.

"And yet it could if they see us here." Adrien says, walking up to the three girl's. Guess it's time. Adrien glanced at Marinette before turning back to his cousin, his eyes telling her everything.

"Guys I'll be back. Me and Adrien are going to talk for a bit." Marinette and Chloe shared a look before nodding, watching as the cousins moved away.

"I know what I said to her was wrong," Adrien started, not waiting Ruby to speak. "Taking the high road isn't really ideal, but I want to help her. The smile I used to see is so fake now, and I can see she's hurting." Adrien had small tears in his eyes, and Ruby saw something shift in his shirt.

"Rubes, I don't know what to do." The blonde boy said and he looked like the same 6 year old who wondered why his father barely had time for him. Silently, she stepped forward and gave her cousin a hug, feeling him wrap his arms around her. They stayed like that for a little bit, before she pulled away and ruffled his hair.

"Admitting that is already progress. All you have to do now is talk with her. Apologize and listen to her side of the story. These so called akumas may target Lila if she gets found out, yes, but that would also make her a willing target. I heard from Marinette that she has been akumatized 3 times. You have every right to not join in me taking down Lila, but as long as you're there for Marinette, that's enough." Ruby spoke gently, patting her cousin's blonde little head. He smiled brightly, his watery green eyes shinning.

"Thank you Rubes. I don't know what I would do with you."

"You'd mope around the mistake you made until it was too late." She deadpanned, and the blonde laughed.

°·°·°·°·°·°

Not far from where the cousins were, two girls watched in shock of what was happening. Alya quickly took out her phone and recorded, all while Lila fummed next to her. Adrien is mine!

"Lets ask them! Maybe Ruby's a rival." Alya said, wiggling her eyebrows at Lila, who quickly changed her facial expression to shock. The blogger grabbed Lila's arm and dragged her over to the two.

"...of course I love her, she's family you idiot. And one of the best female models around. Unless we got Marinette to join. She gives off two tones, I'm surprised you havent noticed."

"Well you do have a special sense for these things." Adrien shrugged lazily, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Well she gives off a type of flower princess for one. Think about it. She already has flower designs, I've seen them by the way, and with her modeling one of those outfits and you with your title as sunshine child? The fans will go wild! But underneath that flower princess is a storm. Like a female warrior naturally leading everyone to peace." Ruby ranted off, fully aware of company they were gonna have.

"I never thought about it that way. I mean yeah, I call her our everyday ladybug, but flower princess makes more sense. Actually--"

"Hey guys!" Ruby and Adrien turned to see Alya with her phone out, loosely followed by a dragged Lila, who glared dangerously at Ruby.

"This is Alya coming to you with a new scoop! This is Ruby, she's a new student at out school and have we got news! She's a photographer, a model, and a writer! Granted, she hasn't traveled or given us a bunch of stories like my best friend Lila, but she's already up in the charts. And look at this!" Alya turned the camera to show Ruby and Adrien hold each other rather intimately. "Could they be a couple? Or is Ruby a rival to famous Lila?"

"Wait what?" Ruby raised an eyebrow, glancing at her cousin, who practically wanted to facepalm.

"Come on, girl! We know Adrien is the ultimate heartthrob with his sweet personality. Now, spill. Do you guys like each other? This is another rivalry between two well known people?" Alya said, practically shoving the camera at their faces. Ruby frowned deeply, moving the camera out of the way, much to Alya's confusion.

"I don't like cameras so close to me, thank you very much. And second me and Adrien are friends, we've known each other for years." Ruby stated, growing annoyed with Alya.

"But even friends become couples! If I didn't think Lila had a chance with Adrien, you guys would make a cute couple!" Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Ruby watched as Lila fummed even more, her eyes now on all three of them. Alya blissfuly unaware while Adrien slowly backed away, Ruby standing in front of him.

Lila radiated so much negative energy, Ruby knew it was only a matter of time before an akuma came. True to her thought, she spotted a black butterfly fluttering over to the Italian girl. Somehow, as if sensing it, she turned, spoting the akuma before smirking. Thinking quickly, she pushed Adrien back and dashed past Alya, just as Lila was about to grab the akuma.

Ruby grabbed her wrist and with her other hand, let the akuma flutter to her family bracelet. Everyone stared in shock as Ruby let go of Lila and fell on the floor, holding her head. She vaguely heard Alya and Adrien yell out her name in concern.

Not far from where they are, Marinette felt her purse shift in the direction where the cousins had left and turned, gasping when she saw Ruby holding her head as Adrien, Alya, and Lila --in her case pretend-- to calm Ruby down. She saw the purple outline and dashed towards them, Chloe right behind her.

"Hmm, you are not ms. Rossi. No matter, your protective anger of wanting to help a friend is powerful. White knight, I give you the power to protect your friend from a manipulative liar. In return, I want Ladybug's and Chat Noir's miraculous."

"No." Ruby said loudly, her eyes snapped open as she slowly stood up, wobbling in her place. No one touched her, but stayed close in any case. "You made a mistake, Hawkmoth. Because I know now who you are." She said quietly, a hunt of saddness in her voice. Everyone around her was freaking out, but Marinette just kept staring at Ruby, slowly inching toward.

She wrapped her fingers lightly on Ruby's akumatized bracelet, and the girl snapped her head to the young designer. "Have fun trying to get your akuma back, Hawkmoth. I'm keeping it until Ladybug comes to purify it."

"You insolent girl! Give in to your anger!" Hawkmoth practically yelled, sending a wave of pain to her. She winced, closing her eyes tightly as she felt Marinette grab both of her wrists, grounding her.

"I have no anger. You're trying to give me yours. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to do." Ruby calmly stated, severing the connection between her and the villain. Once it was gone, she groaned, falling forward. If it wasn't for Marinette holding her, she would've collapsed.

"Rubes can you hear me?" Marinette says quietly, Chloe trying to shush the growing group around them. Ruby blinked a few times as her eyes began to focus on blue eyes.

"H-hey maribug." The girl finally said, watching as Marinette let out a sigh of relief. She let Ruby lean on her, keeping a careful eye of the akumatized item.

"Ruby thank you so much! I would've been akumatized if you hadn't saved me." Lila spoke first, smiling brightly at her, though her eyes held a dangerous glint. Somehow the whole class was there, thanking her and asking if both she and Lila were okay.

The girl just smiled weakly, still feeling the negative effects of the akuma. It took a while bit eventually the class left, having a picnic to go in another area of the park.

Only Alya and Lila stayed behind, one filled with worry while the other was filled with silent anger. "Ruby, you sure you're okay?" Alya asked, warily glancing at Marinette, who was still holding on to the girl.

"I'm fine. Marinette can take care me. It's not like I have anything against her." Ruby deadpanned, before quickly relaxing so the akuma can't turn her. Alya seemed shocked by the statement, and had no time to respond, feeling Lila pull her away.

"Chloe, help me get her out to a more secluded area." Marinette spoke, the blonde nodding. Adrien had disappeared, probably getting something or going back to the photo shoot.

Both girls helped Ruby to the back of the bakery, which was the closest. Marinette left, saying she'll bring some water and cookies. So Ruby stayed with Chloe, who for some reason was having a mental breakdown, though she hid it well.

Ruby closed her eyes and leaned her head on Chloe's shoulder, waiting for Marinette or Ladybug.

Only after a few minutes, both Ladybug and Chat Noir arrive quietly, not wanting to startle the girl. Chloe-- who had a red face, Marinette would talk to her later-- gently woke Ruby up, and saw saw the heroes in front of her.

"Are you okay?" Ladybug asked softly, chat helping her sit up.

"I'm fine, Ladybug. Just a little tired. The akuma is in my bracelet." She holds up her arm, and a darkened bracelet practically glares at the heroes.

"Chat Noir said that he saw you were keeping the akuma, and not being akumatized is very brave of you." Ladybug smiled, removing the bracelet and handing it to Chat Noir.

She summoned a lucky charm, catching it and staring in confusion at the item. It was a phine that had a picture of Chloe, Ruby, Adrien, and Marinette. Chloe face was red while Ruby held her possessively, and Marinette and Adrien were smiling in satisfaction.

Later. The heroine thought to herself as Chat Noir destroyed the bracelet and she caught the akuma, purifying it and throwing the lucky charm in the air. The little ladybugs fixed the broken bracelet and Ruby practically relaxed against Chloe.

"Do you know how the akuma came to you anyways?" Chloe said after a while, her face beet red.

"Alya thought me and Adrien were flirting with each other. Which one, gross, and two we're cousins. And even if we weren't related, he'd be like a little brother to me. So the reporter, who really doesn't know what she's doing, kept saying all this stuff that made me seem like a big deal and could rival Lila. Obviously she didn't like that. Then Alya said that if she didn't think Lila and Adrien would look good, I'd look great with him." Ruby said, rolling her eyes while Ladybug pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. Ladybug, you need to do something about lie-la. And the supposed 'ladyblog' that is filled with lies." Chloe huffed, watching Chat Noir nodding a little in agreement.

"Actually. I have a plan, and I could use your help." Ruby stated, smirking at the heroes.

The Paris saviors looked at each other, the black clad hero nodding at his partner. Turning back to Ruby, Ladybug smirked, a hand on her hip.

"We're listening."

°·°·°·°·

Requested tags: @ezio-demon @ignorantly-apathatic @marilee98 @tinybrie @kuroko26 @claaydoh @mewwitch @taleeuuhhh @starrosecolors @zebrabaker @miraculously-quality-content @slytherinqueen2432 @rayray384 @starberry-mina @royalchaoticfangirl @book-r-the-best (I was generous and did 16)

General tags: @the-wlw-cafe @mcgrathandwives @imagine-lcorp @baked-bean-bekah @natu123 @wlwhc @nobodyfamousposts @gale-of-the-nomads @miraculous-of-salt