#but I'm not so entitled to think that EVERYONE in an industry

[theliterarywolf]

"I don't care about the Writers' Strike because a few of the shows I watched had shitty episodes"

Under that same logic, no Starbucks employee should get paid or treated like a human being because their quality has tanked in the past few years.

Under that same logic, no nurse should get paid or treated like a human being because of the few who were being obnoxious on TikTok during the Pandemic.

Under that same logic, no one working for an ISP (be it Customer Service or maintenance) should get paid or treated like a human being because of shitty response times.

If you can't understand why that logic is faulty as hell, then could you just admit that you don't see writers as human beings and move along?

[genderqueerdykes]

im not sorry the truth of the transmasculine experience is ugly. i'm not sorry that we have to frequently discuss sexual and physical violence and abuse. i'm not sorry that we have to discuss violent physical abuse and death. i'm not sorry that we have to discuss homelessness, mental illness, addiction, disabilities, and other challenges in life.

we struggle. we do not instantly gain male privilege the second we come out. even if we pass. when someone knows we're trans we're treated like a woman no matter what. we can sometimes get lucky and pass with strangers but eventually people around us find out because people tell each other without our consent.

we face all kinds of abuse due to the fact that people feel entitlement to our bodies, regardless of what our AGAB is. they feel entitled to our faces, our hair, our entire appearance. they focus on the face that we're ruining something "pretty". they threaten corrective sexual violence to remind us that we're "just women". it happens constantly. this is not an isolated incident and virtually nobody wants people to talk about it when it comes to transmasculine people.

trans men often get injured for one reason or another. usually because someone wants to make them "prove" they're a man, to "toughen them up" or to "prove to them that they're a woman". sometimes this results in sexual assault. other times it results in physical assault. and sometimes people just kill trans men. all because they hate that a "woman" can transition into a man.

it's an ugly part of our reality but it needs to be discussed because otherwise people use the lack of that conversation as ammunition to say transmascs don't struggle.

transmasculine people struggle to stay housed. transmasculine people get kicked out of their living situations very often for many reasons. it's hard for transmascs to get jobs because often times people want either a man or a woman for a specific position and fuss over what they think the transmasc's gender is. misgendering is a huge issue at work. going stealth at work can be painful. being in the closet at work can be painful

transmascs are often disabled and struggle to get care due to people not taking AFAB patients' pain and symptoms seriously. this is a huge issue with any kind of AFAB person or any woman. all woman and AFAB people struggle with having their symptoms taken seriously when seeking serious medical attention to the point of possibly being undiagnosed for life, thus being unable to get on disability. trans women face this just as much as AFAB cis women, it's a huge issue in the medical industry

transmasculine people struggle to say on their hormones (or access them at all). testosterone is a controlled substance in many countries which means that you need a prior authorization to get the medication and need to consistently see a provider to get blood tests and check ups. it can be difficult to do so if you are low income and sometimes certain pharmacists will intentionally find ways to withhold hormones due to their own prejudices

transmasculine people struggle to get pregnancy support and care. it is very difficult for transmasculine people to figure out how to navigate their pregnancy, either due to their HRT provider not knowing much about pregnancy, or having a gynecologist who's not familiar with transmasculine health.

transmascs get denied from spaces made for men constantly. even if they pass, if word gets around that they're trans they can easily be kicked out of a space. transmasculine lesbians are often removed from lesbian, transmasc and/or non binary spaces. transmasc butches are often ostracized from all communities their identities correlate to. trans men and transmasc enbies are seen as a threat to women.

there is ugliness in every pocket of the queer community when it comes to how cisheteronormative society treats us. we all face disgusting treatment that needs to be addressed. it's important to consider how this system affects everyone underneath it. we need to talk about the positive things, it's good to help those are questioning, but we also must discuss what struggles we face in order to humanize ourselves and show that we people, too. none of us have it easy.

[uniiiquehecrt]

I'm thinking in terms of actual real life experiences I've had when I say this, but I'd imagine part of what makes being a Thor enjoyer so frustrating in 2024/MCU's phase 4+ era is that... you're effectively not allowed to enjoy your favorite superhero.

I once had a conversation with a close friend of mine during a casual outing, and without going into very many details, this particular person is an enjoyer of Ragnarok, and enjoys Tailka's work overall. Now, I should say right off the bat: there is nothing wrong with these opinions. Everyone is entitled to like what they like and enjoy the work of creators just the same as other people are allowed to dislike them. For this particular post, I'm not here to get into fandom wars or "reasons why taika waititi is a terrible director" beef. I have other posts in line for that. But what I will say is that I already knew this about my friend, so it never surprised me when the topic of Thor came up that it would be a point of disagreement.

The issue I've found that continues to circle in the general space of "being a Thor fan" came when I expressed that I don't like Ragnarok, I do think Thor was funnier (and just better overall) before Ragnarok and therefore Taika's involvement, and quite frankly Taika had very little business taking on the mantle of director of a superhero franchise he has never liked or understood in his life just because he had mouths to feed. (There are other opportunities to fulfill that. And filmmakers know going into this industry that it's all gig-based and - if they're smart anyways - work around that.) I hadn't even gotten a chance to go through all of the reasons WHY I feel that way, of which I have had before compiled an organized list of about 16 talking points off the top of my head, so as far as that particular discussion goes... it didn't go anywhere. We were busy at the time.

But namely what I want to talk about is this:

The response I was given, in summary, was something along the lines of "well I think Thor was boring, and he wasn't my cup of tea, so I'm glad he changed."

But, you see, there's just ONE small issue with that: Thor isn't meant for everyone.

In fact, no character is meant for everyone. So why is it that Thor needs to change to be "for everyone" and be the MCU normies' "cup of tea" when no other character has to? Why does he need to lose his core identity (both as a character, as a franchise, you name it, it's been done) just because people like my friend don't understand him as well as Tony Stark or Spider-Man? And why should Thor fans have tow watch their favorite superhero get stripped down and turned into something completely divorced from the character, world and cast we were first involved with from the beginning?

Nobody at any point has been able to answer me that besides "well just because I didn't like Thor personally."

Iron Man won't appeal to everyone. Neither does Captain America, neither does Spider-Man, beloved as even Spidey is. They have their own quirks, their own villains, their own storylines... Every superhero has a core to them that their stories revolve around. He's from DC, but Superman, for instance, has the core of: love, justice and the American Way. Therefore, his stories revolve around challenging that core, and making Superman prove it. Steve Rogers/Captain America has a similar core. Justice, freedom and the American Way, is what I'd mostly boil his core down to. Thor's is "love" all around. I've written about that '(here)' in my post about his 2011 themes. Maybe it's different for other fans, but for me personally? I adore that about Thor. It's one of the many reasons I'm drawn to him over any other marvel Super besides Spider-Man. (not you tom holland ... yes you andrew garfield...)

So when I go to Thor for entertainment, I'm going to him above the other superheros because I want a story that revolves around HIS core and how Thor goes about reckoning with his challenges. I also go to MCU Thor specifically for his quiet, kind, regal nature. I come to him for his gravitas, his passion, his relationships with his cast of companions.

I go to him for high-sci-fi action/adventure, or for the "what if we took norse mythology and made it an alien superhero" route they took him in for the MCU. I go to Thor because he IS different from the rest of the Avengers... and that's the point.

So when someone says to me: "Well Thor wasn't for me so I'm glad he changed", or "Well I really liked Ragnarok because Thor kind of become more in line with the other Avengers"... they're fundamentally missing the point of why Thor has a fanbase at all.

[genericpuff]

ok as someone disabled with severe motor skill issues i really hate the argument that "anyone can learn art" and that it's completely accessible to everyone. it's not. there are lots of disabled folks who are getting left out of this discussion with the ableist argument that anyone can do art and if you can't you're just not trying hard enough (which is an argument a lot of abled people tend to use against disabled folks in general). i'm against ai art and will never use it but we have got to stop acting like art is an accessible hobby to everyone because there is unfortunately a lot of people who would love to become artists but will never be able to because of our disabilities.

nah you right! I try to be mindful of that sort of thing but it does admittedly fly under my radar at times because I'm not someone living with a physical disability (and thus it's not as front-of-mind as someone who is) so thanks for catching me on that, many apologies. My argument was regarding the people I've seen who have exclusively used "well I've tried to learn how to draw and it's hard / took too much time / etc." as their driving argument (of which there are just. so many) when like. these are realities for many artists who have been doing this for years, too, including those who are disabled. yeah, making art takes time and practice and a lot of hard work! welcome to the party LOL

but I also understand how keeping that argument so simplified can be exclusionary to those who do genuinely face barriers when pursuing art due to living with disabilities. I've met and observed the work of many disabled artists - webcomic artists, game designers, musicians, etc. - who are out there making their stuff and it comes with all its own unique struggles that shouldn't be forgotten about or overlooked in the discussion regarding AI art, struggles that bar many people from even getting into making art from the starting gun.

I do genuinely believe that art can come from anywhere, that anyone is capable of expressing themselves through whatever medium that compels them... but you're right that many artistic mediums in and of themselves are not wholly accessible to everyone. And I hope to god that more tools are developed to help those who are both working artists as well as aspiring ones.

But AI, in its current state, just isn't one of them. And I'm seeing this sentiment being yelled from the rooftops by many disabled artists who firmly believe that the ends do not justify the means - that they don't want the medium to become more accessible if it comes at the cost of other artists (many who are disabled themselves!) whose work and livelihoods are being replaced with cheap carbon copies. AI art doesn't allow anyone to actually participate in the joy of creating straight from the heart, it just takes from others' joy and spits it back out with an impression of what it thinks the joy of creation is supposed to look like through lifeless pixels. That's not even getting into just how much damage it's already actively causing to our environment, and how quickly AI has started to replace other surrounding industries as well.

Separately from that, you're right, paying for art is a luxury for many, but that's all the more reason why we shouldn't be supporting the current climate surrounding AI IMO which is the crux of what my argument was in that previous Simpsons meme post. Many people do face severe limitations in trying to create their art; the people I'm referring to who are heavily pro-AI are often not those same people and only face the limitations of their own entitlement, which is destroying the livelihoods of many human artists. Is it worth participating in AI art to save money if that same participation perpetuates a growing system that's costing people their livelihoods?

Maybe some day we'll get AI tools that are less predatory and destructive and help those who want to create art do so. Maybe we'll finally get some stricter regulations around what companies are allowed to get away with in their respective industries. I'd like to think also that the rise of AI art will, by extension, make human-made art all the more valuable. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish for tools that made making webcomics just a teeeeny bit more efficient without being completely unethical LOL But until any of those scenarios prove to be true, we're dealing with a monster of our own design that will never stop eating even after we've all been consumed. The toothpaste is out of the tube.

[theotterpenguin]

I really like the nuanced take about Zutara and why it makes some people uncomfortable and I can see both sides of it. I ship Zutara now but at first I didn’t and it made me really uncomfortable but I think it was just because of certain fan content I was coming across. Some people do portray Zutara in an extremely fetishized & creepy Stockholm syndrome way that makes Katara come off like some helpless damsel stereotype. It made me feel really gross thinking about as a young WOC but rewatching the show and seeing the true dynamic of these characters made me fall in love with them again. So I guess my feeling is that in canon i really love the dynamic but I hate the way *certain fans* twist it and refuse to acknowledge the racism & misogyny in what they’re doing

this is a complicated topic with many layers to it but first - i am sorry if you have ever felt unwelcome in the zutara fandom due to experiences with racism/misogyny.

it would be ignorant to claim that the zutara fandom is somehow uniquely unaffected by systemic racism or sexism, but it would also be disingenuous to claim that these issues only exist in certain parts of the atla fandom. racism, sexism, and general bigotry exist in every fandom due to institutionalized inequality in social structures. and to make it clear, i'm not directing this criticism towards you, anon, you are entitled to your own personal experiences, but i have seen a broader trend of people attempting to use fandom racism to moralize their position in ship wars, which is diminishing from the actual problem - the focus should be on acknowledging the existence of fandom racism/sexism, combatting implicit biases, and creating spaces that can uplift marginalized voices, rather than focusing only on optics in an attempt to gain moral high ground in a silly *fictional* ship war.

however, given all this, the reason that i am still in the zutara fandom is because i appreciate how many people in the fandom are dedicated to unpacking issues of racism and sexism and cultural insensitivity in atla's source material, which i personally haven't seen in many other sides of the fandom (that often sanitize what actually happened in the text to avoid acknowledging these issues in their favorite show). of course this is a broad generalization, but that's generally why i stick with the non-canon shipping side of the fandom because fans that are willing to stray away from canon are often less afraid to engage in critical analysis.

i also do think the zutara fandom has come a long way from the early 2000s when the show first aired. for example, when i first joined the fandom i had mixed feelings on fire lady katara, but i have since read some fanfics that have done an excellent job deconstructing some of the problematic ways that this trope could be interpreted and balancing respect for katara's cultural heritage and autonomy with the political and personal difficulties of being involved with an imperialist/colonialist nation. the fire lady katara trope, capture!fic, and other complicated topics/tropes are almost never inherently racist/sexist, but rather, their execution is what matters. and all this is not to say that issues of systemic racism/sexism do not still exist in this fandom, but it personally has not significantly negatively impacted my experience in the zutara fandom due to the wonderful content that so many other fantastic people produce, though everyone's mileage may differ with what they are comfortable with. anon, i hope that you are able to find a place in the zutara fandom for you! but i also know many people that have stepped back from other fandoms due to experiences with racism/misogyny, so i understand that decision as well.

on a final note, i think it's important to acknowledge that fandom doesn't exist in a vacuum and broader issues of racism and sexism are rooted in the media, the entertainment industry, and mainstream societal norms. while i do sometimes focus on fandom dynamics/discourse in my criticisms, i think it is equally as important to acknowledge how issues of prejudice and inequality are perpetuated through larger social structures, which is why it frustrates me when the atla fandom refuses to acknowledge the flaws of the original show, which has far more influence and social power over the general public than discourse over fandom tropes ever will. personally, i don't understand the phenomenon of holding fan-made material to a higher standard than mainstream media.

[bunnylouisegrimes]

need some jealous patrick

A Reassuring Gesture- Jealous! Patrick Bateman Fanfic

(Contains fluff, Patrick getting a handy in the bathroom, my OC getting a taste of Patrick, and Patrick being (somewhat) subby/bratty while also being dominant, dramatic, and possessive...only his best traits lmao!)

A/N: Hey, Nonnie! Thank you for this request! Here's a quick lil' jealous Patrick for ya! I had a general idea at first and just let it roam as I went along to create this insanity. I hope you enjoy it! ❤️❤️❤️ Reminder to everyone I'm still open to receiving requests for fics or art, so don't be shy to drop one if you wish! 😘😘😘 Thank you guys so much for reading and I hope you enjoy! 🫂🫂🫂

"What exactly do you think you're doing?"

Patrick asked me this question with a tone that was dripping with snake venom but smothered in cupcake innocence. I stared up at him in the country club bathroom, confusion clearly on my face. Everything seemed to have gone normally up until this point: We had arrived to meet with some of Patrick's old Harvard friends, Patrick being dressed in his Valentino suit, and myself being wrapped in a fabulous pink dress (though I could not remember the brand for the life of me, much to Patrick's annoyance). We had some wonderful food (I couldn't remember the French names, also to Patrick's annoyance). The men all offered Patrick to join them in a round or two of golf, and he agreed. He quickly slipped out of his Valentino and into a Ralph Lauren polo and a pair of khakis, making me blush and giggle as I was teasingly flirting with him.

"Oh, Mr. Bateman! You do look like you know your way on the greens..." I winked at him.

He smirked and pulled me closer to him. "You could say I know my way in a hole..." He nipped at my ear. "The only question is...which one?"

I slapped him playfully. "You know I only like it in two holes, Mister..." I giggled again. "And if you ever try the one where the sun doesn't shine... you're gonna regret it..."

He gave a nod. "I'm not too crazy for it anyways... besides, anything for you, princess..."

We joined up with the others, and I watched as Patrick played with his friends. My understanding of the sport, like most of them, wasn't very strong. But I still cheered and supported Patrick as best I could. I was sipping on a virgin strawberry daqouri and munching on some quesadillas when he showed up.

"Hi," the young man, standing at five-foot-nine, smiled. He held a confident demeanor that was not deserved for someone of his age and size, entitlement radiating from him. "Sorry to bother you, my lady. I just couldn't help but notice how simply beautiful you are in that dress."

I blushed. "Aw! Why, thank you! My boyfriend bought it for me! He took me shopping and found only the best of the best as he says!"

The young man gave a sleazy nod. "Who's your boyfriend?"

I pointed to Patrick, the sun cascading down on him, almost making him look like a chosen angel as his brown hair shimmered, his hazel-green eyes sparkled, and his tanned skin was contrasted by his white polo. His ass looked quite exquisite in his khakis., showing off every bit of its toned glory. The boy turned to me with another sleazy look in his eyes.

"What's your boyfriend do?"

"He works at Pierce and Pierce, Mergers and Acquisitions," I smiled proudly. "He went to Harvard. He's such a sweetheart."

The boy gave a flirty chuckle. "I'm enrolled at Harvard myself. That's nice to see he's a fellow Wall Street man." He sat down next to me. "I've heard good things about P&P. Although, I can't say I can confirm those things personally. I'm the heir to a Fortune 500 company. You ever hear of Osvald Industries?"

I nodded. "I believe I've seen some headlines from my boyfriend's papers about them..."

"I'm the youngest member on the executive board," he continued to brag. "I'm also the captain of our golf team here, rowing team and youth league."

"Ah," I nodded along, acting as if I was interested. Truthfully, this boy reminded me of a younger Patrick, so I wasn't completely uninterested. But he wasn't Patrick, nobody was or could be, so I didn't care too much. "I see! That all sounds like a lot on your plate, especially someone as young as you..."

He blushed playfully, the baby fat still present on his cocky face. "Forgive me for not having any manners. I have had a lot handed down to me, and apparently, manners are not one of them." He winked and adjusted his tie. "Asher Osvald the Fourth."

Before I could even introduce myself, I heard a voice clearing their throat. I turned around at the familiar scent of something by Yves Saint Laurent (hey, I actually remembered one of Patrick's brands!...which could only mean it was...).

"Darling..." Patrick looked down at me, an overly friendly and not-very-Patrick expression on his face. "I see you've made a new friend..."

I laughed. "I don't know about a friend, Patrick. We just introduced ourselves, or rather, he did and -"

"My apologies," the younger Harvard bastard laughed himself as he raised his hands. "I don't mean to intrude. I was merely welcoming a new face to our club. After all, it's not often I see such a pretty woman from more humble beginnings, especially one stepping foot inside our exclusive establishment."

Ouch. Don't know whether to be flattered or offended.

"Oh, is that so?" He grinned. "Did I catch your last name was Osvald? So you're Osvald's kid then?"

"That I am," the lad replied, giving a look I've seen Patrick give many times before when trying to be "humble," but it was really the look of, "yeah, I know how great I am."

"I see...well, I've met your father, the Third, at several meetings. I can tell he raised a very...nice young man as a son..."

Asher nodded and bashfully and boyishly waved his hand. "Why, thank you!" He stood up. "I do hate to cut things short, but I must attend to other matters." He gave a quick peck to my hand. "Very nice meeting you, my dear. I hope to see you around here more often." With that, he returned inside the club.

I turned around to face Patrick again, whose friendly smile was struggling to be kept on his face. "Darling, could we speak for a second?"

Before I had time to answer, he grabbed me by my wrist and led me back inside and down a hallway, where the bathrooms were located. He threw open the door to the men's room and carried me with him. After ensuring there was nobody else in the fancy bathroom that had a strong scent of something quite cleanly (an almost nonexistent situation in any other public bathroom), he turned to me and glared at me. Any trace of his fake friendliness he used only for people at work or restaurants or stores was gone.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?"

I was rendered speechless at his behavior. "Patrick, I-"

"What was he saying to you? He was clearly trying to flirt with you. What was he telling you?"

"I...I don't know, he was just saying I was pretty, and I mentioned my boyfriend, AKA you, bought me this beautiful dress...he asked who you were, I pointed you out...he was bragging about stuff, I bragged about you a little bit-"

"What did you mention about me?" The desperation in his voice said it all.

"That you went to Harvard and you worked on Wall Street, and to no one's surprise, he's the exact same."

"The exact same? So, you think he's able to replace me?"

"What?!" My voice was starting to get agitated. "Who said anything about that? Admittedly, he reminded me of a slightly younger you, but he's not you, Patrick. Despite your similarities, you are you, and I want you only."

"What else did he say?" The yuppie asked this question with even more desperation, almost on the edge of a panicked meltdown.

"I don't know, that's about it before you showed up..." I shrugged and sighed. "Why are you freaking out so much over this guy talking to me? What are you, jealous or something?"

His face went just a shade lighter, the edges of a blush forming on his cheeks, and a bead of sweat I expected was from more than just golfing in the sun dripped down his forehead. "N-No..."

Normally, Patrick was able to remain (fairly) confident enough to manipulate and trick people. At the very least, he could dangle shiny, designer brands and objects in front of one's face while using his good looks to distract them from what was really going on. But with me, he had a harder time finding himself able to hide the truth, as if he always wanted to tell me the truth since I would always be the one to actually listen to it rather than brush him off like so many others. I crossed my arms and tapped my black Mary Jane, looking up at him with an incredulous gaze.

"Don't lie to me, Patty... you were so jealous another spoiled rich boy was talking to me and took interest in me..."

"I am most certainly not!" He hissed.

"You are..." I broke into a smile and teased. "Awww, Patty's feeling a little jealous..." I decided to play hardball to further tease him (mostly to get him worked up and aroused). "You're afraid of all these spoiled rich boys and men in this club wanting to take me all for themselves...maybe they want to try a little working class Midwestern pussy, huh? You're afraid that whether it be some boy fresh out of private boarding school and ready to attend university, or some older gent who just can't find satisfaction with his wife he cheated on anyways for all these years...they're gonna take me away from you..."

He growled lowly as I flirtatiously danced my fingers up his arm, making me smile wider.

"Relax, sugar, I'm teasing you...you wanna know why?" My fingers danced their way further downward as I reached his muscular chest and abs. "...Because I would never chose one of the assholes here...they're insufferable to be around...you, my love...you are better than them in every single way...you're so much better looking than them, you're funnier, you're smarter, you're sweeter, you're more interesting...need I go on?"

My fingers hovered right above his groin, making him blush even deeper as I realized I was walking forwards the whole time, and now he was backed against the wall.

"Do you want me to prove to you that no one is ever taking me away from you?"

He hesitated at first, but slowly nodded his head. I gave another smirk as I undid the belt on his khakis and unzipped them, exposing his bulge hidden behind his Perry Ellis briefs. I tapped and traced his manhood, making an erection slowly but surely tent up. He gave a stifled moan as he bit his lip. His cheeks were burning red, and his face was melted into one of pleasure.

"You know why else I wouldn't choose one of the assholes here? Because there's no way in Hell any of them have a dick as big as yours..." I continued to play with his cock behind his underwear, noticing precum must've been leaking out to make a small wet spot. "You think Asher is as smart or handsome or funny as you? You think his dick is as big as yours? You think I'd ran off with that fucker? He brags more than you do on your worst day! I can't even imagine putting up with that prick for more than half a day! Thank God you got me out of that situation..."

He groaned and tilted his head back, now making an expression of both pleasure and cockiness from his ego being groomed. God, I loved making him this happy...spoiling the spoiled was my weakness in this world...

"Why so jealous, Patrick? Especially since you know I'm too much of your good girl to leave you...I admit, it's flattering to think a girl like me would have a bunch of rich men fighting over her...but I want you to imagine the looks on their faces when they realize I belong to one and one only, and that's you...imagine the look on Asher's face when he sees you and me together...imagine sending him a tape of us getting dirty...the only one who should be jealous here is him...because he'll never get to claim me like you have and always will..."

"Mmmf...fuck, keep talking like this..." He groaned out.

I giggled. "Only if you admit that you shouldn't be jealous of any of the pathetic assholes around here...you always tell me to call myself pretty and beautiful...why don't you do the same for yourself? I mean, you already do as it is, you beautiful cocky bastard..."

He moaned out and arched his back against the wall, sweat continuing to bead down his forehead, his chest rising and falling, his nipples poking out from underneath the polo. "God, fuck, yes...I am the most handsome, beautiful man...I am so god damn smart...I am so god damn funny...and I completely dominate you...I own you...you're my girl...and mine only..."

My panties were practically soaking wet at not only this situation, but the position we were placed in. For once, I was making him compliment himself, and it made me feel good. But unlike so many other encounters of ours, I questioned who was in control here: me for once, or him like always? I came to the conclusion that we both held a control over each other, and this was a prime example. I was pleasuring him, reassuring him, brushing his ego, and made him feel so concerned about himself just by merely talking to another man. He needed me to remind him he was more than enough. But all the same, he still held a controlling grasp over me. Afterall, I was the center of his affection, and he made it very clear that I was his girl only, just as he was my man only. Our relationship was based on true reciprocation and equilibrium: the sun and moon meeting for a kiss to create pure harmony.

"Yes, sir..." I let slip as I picked up the pace with playing with his rod from behind his underwear. "I am yours and yours only...forever and ever and ever..."

He surprised me by pulling me closer to him. "More!" He ordered, a new wave of confidence finally returning to him. "I'm so fucking close...I need more!"

I gripped his balls and massaged them while still jacking him off. He groaned out, struggling to be quiet. His blush only deepened, realizing how embarrassing it would be for others to hear him. He grabbed my hands and manipulated them for him.

"Open your mouth, pumpkin...I can't have my cum stain these underwear...be a good girl and take my cum...it's the only seed that will ever enter your mouth...I'm claiming what's mine..."

I pulled down his briefs and wrapped my lips around his shaft. The warmth and wetness from my mouth must have been the catalyst to finally set him off. He gave one final groan and held my head in place as he climaxed. His cum shot into my mouth, the usual sweetness and bitterness greeting my tastebuds. I swallowed every drop I could, licking him clean as he pulled out of my mouth. He smirked as he pulled up his underwear and his khakis, sweat still rolling down him as he panted.

"Damn, baby...I'm never going to believe that you're being taken away from me ever again..."

I licked my lips and smiled up at him. "You better not...I'm not Evelyn and never will be... There's no Tim I'm gonna have on the side. You should know by now that with us, it's ride or die. We are eternal soulmates, and nothing and nobody will ever change that."

He sighed and nodded, giving my head a gentle pat as I stood back up before leaving a kiss on it. "I love you so much...you're the only one I will ever love..."

"I love you too, Patrick...You're the only one I will ever love too..."

We sneaked out of the bathroom together, his hand gripping my ass the entire time as I held a grip over his waist. The rest of the club was nothing more than a blur as we stepped back outside to enjoy the view of nature together, just the two of us and no one else, forever and ever.

[austinslounge]

girl thank you for bringing up the hate Austin gets for no reason. It’s so confusing. Imo I think the hate comes from jealousy and the assumption that pretty people are automatically arrogant dicks and unfaithful partners but I’d like to hear your take

Yea girlie, I am totally ready to have that conversation if anyone else is wiling to because to me it's just gotten out of control. 🥴 I've usually kept quiet on this topic because I don't like to complain or vent too much on my blog about silly things like this, but it's to the point now where I just have to say something.

This man has been getting hate for years, and for absolutely no good reason at all.

Some people hated Austin even while he was dating Vanessa.

He's even been called a clout chaser, when hello, Ashley T. hooked them up together and Vanessa had her eye on Austin! She admitted it herself!

Then, after the Aunessa breakup, Austin was blamed for that too! Even though, we really don't actually know what the reason was for their breakup, or even who actually broke up with whom or how it happened!

Then, people called him a cheater and just assumed that Austin cheating was the reason for the Aunessa breakup, even though, there's been ZERO proof that has come out in nearly 5 years since their breakup that he cheated on her.

Then, he's been bashed for dating KG, even though, I'm almost 100% sure that she went after him! (We've seen how she operates)

Then -- there was the whole stupid "Elvis voice" thing. 🙄 That "joke" has been run into the ground for two whole years, and it's almost like beating a dead horse at this point. That man has been bullied for over two years for the voice thing, even when he doesn't even sound like Elvis! And so what if maybe he got stuck in a voice inflection for a little while? It happens to a lot of actors. Why is he the one getting so much hate? Instead of bullying him, people should have been showing him compassion and just given him more time to acclimate to his more typical way of speaking again.

Then there are also the people online who say that they just "don't like him" because they think he's "creepy" or they don't like him "just because". 😒 Like wtf? 🥴 They don't even have a real reason to hate the man, but they are so proud to say that they dislike him. This man is one of the kindest people in the industry. I'm thinking, what on earth are they smoking?

He's also been called "pretentious", "arrogant", and "phony", but yet, if you watch even just one interview of Austin (even pre-Elvis), you'll see that he's one of the sweetest, most down-to-earth and genuine celebrities out here. Other people who have worked with him or met him also echo that same sentiment.

Now, he's getting blamed for the breakup of his costar and her fiancé just because they're currently filming a movie together, and there's absolutely zero proof of them having anything romantic off-camera whatsoever. 🙄

I'm just thinking, what on earth is people's problem with this man? If anything, he's been very private, he minds his business, he works hard, he's never been involved in any scandal, he minds his manners and treats everyone with kindness and has never been one of those jerk celebrities who act entitled. I'm just trying to figure out where people are getting their reasons to hate this guy from?

I think you have probably hit the nail on the head girl. I think most people take one look at Austin and assume that someone that good-looking just has to be a jerk, a cheater, or extremely arrogant. But he's totally the opposite!

I also agree with you that part of it is jealousy too. But a lot of the people saying these things about him online are women! 🥴 It's almost like women these days automatically judge good-looking guys as bad guys or smthg. Heaven forbid a guy be hot and actually a nice guy. Those men do exist! If Austin were ugly or even just average-looking, I kind of feel like the opinion on him would be totally different.

It just makes me so sad when I see people on Twitter or online just going in on him for absolutely no good reason, and making up lies in order to justify their hatred of him, because he is so not how some people assume him to be. 😔

Thoughts anyone??

[astrobydalia]

Generational observations

Hey guys! Finally free from collage duties! Here's a little quick something different to warm up. Have a very nice day everyone!

work by astrobydalia

The Virgo Pluto generation believe that good work or a well-done job can only come from huge sacrifice. They struggle understanding that you can enjoy what you do and still do a good job, they believe you have to give your literal blood, sweat and tears to earn a good pay check. They are also very pessimistic and conformist.

Cancer Pluto generation grew up feeling unsafe and unprotected bc they grew up seeing the effects of World War II and in turn their concept of nuclear family was corrupted and destroyed. They saw the dark side of nationalism and there was a lot of taboo going on in most people's privet life during this time due to lots of moral restrictions

I once saw an astrologer point out that 9/11 happened right when Gemini (twin) Saturn (building) was opposite Pluto (destruction) in Sagittarius (religion, travel)

Scorpio Uranus is the definition of chaos (I believe Uranus is exalted here if I'm not mistaken). Natives with this placement have the most chaotic life, they're not the type to keep their life together for too long. A lot of them have a nomadic lifestyle or they have something in their life that keeps them constantly on their toes.

Libra Pluto generation have a very intense relationship with the concept of marriage in deed. Every single person I've seen with this either never married, refused to marry, had a very harsh separation/divorce. Of course anyone from any generation can relate to this but for these natives marriage/commitment have represented a complete before and after in their lives. I've also seen a lot of them having harsh troubles with the law

While Pluto was in Libra, we saw the pacifist movements arise, fashion industry making a huge boom and more acceptance towards different types of relationships

I am not surprised that Neptune is exalted in Leo. This placement literally spells ✨S U P E R S T A R✨ It's no surprise that most starts that belonged to the golden era of Hollywood had this placement

Scorpio Pluto generation 🤝 sweating the small stuff and being dramatic af

Also, I’ve noticed Scorpio Pluto generation always expect to be provided for and are kinda like financially entitled if that makes sense

Sagittarius Pluto generation 🤝 mid parts and all things bangs (fringe, money pieces, etc)

I’ve said this before but it’s no surprise that the Sag Pluto generation is the meme generation

I think Aquarius Neptune generation is to blame for the information overload (specially with Gemini Jupiter) and the rise of so much misinformation on the internet. This placement has resulted in performative activism because these natives are "advocating" for causes they deep down don't understand. This is the chronically online generation that desperately needs to touch grass basically. This placement has also manifested as a misuse of technology/internet/astrology/etc, while these can be powerful tools that can help improve humanity, people are only using them as a source of distraction and way to validate their fantasies and that's why you see sm people making shit up

Also, Aquarius Neptune 🤝 parasocial relationships

That's it! Bye for now. Check out my masterlist 🧡

work by astrobydalia

[max1461]

Like I guess, what's the point of this discourse?

The anarchist community gardening enthusiasts talk about various motivations. Yeah, some of them say they want to bring all of civilization down, man! But it seems like most of them talk about stuff like, as I mentioned, "food autonomy". They want to have greater control over their food, where it comes from, and what's in it. And they want to acquire it by their direct effort, rather than indirectly through a production chain and so on. Are these invalid things to want? Yeah, a lot of the rhetoric that goes along with it can be silly, and I'm not saying we shouldn't correct people's factual errors. But, at a basic level, are these unreasonable things to want? No, they're fine! Maybe you don't want them, but they're fine.

A while ago everyone in this sphere of tumblr was taking turns dunking on the anarchist community gardening enthusiasts and I thought that was unfair. They're out there living their life, you know, self-actualized and doing something that makes them feel fulfilled and empowered, and everyone is dunking on them because it's an inefficient production method.

Ok, I get it. They're proselytizing the community gardening thing, saying everyone needs to do it in order to stick it to the man, and that can be annoying. And they're wrong when they say the whole economy can work this way, so if they say that it should be corrected. But they're not wrong when they say that it gives them more control over and knowledge about their food, in the sense that they care about. That claim seems reasonable! And if they value having that, it's good they can have it!

Right, so, my post was like. Well you can go read it. Basically "I think we're being unfair to people who complain about living in industrial society".

And the response to that post was much to the effect of "well, they shouldn't complain, because they can still go live in the woods and do all this pre-industrial stuff within industrial society, so the complaint is invalid".

Right, right, I agree they can do this stuff. They are doing this stuff. But you all complain when they do it! You all dunk on them for doing it! Even when they respond to their sense of dissatisfaction/alienation in precisely the way you prescribe! You see why that feels sort of annoying.

So, it's fine. You are 100% entitled to be a hater on your blog. If you want to dunk on the anarchist community gardeners that's not wrong. But this is part of why I feel alienated on tumblr. It's this feeling of like "the only valid lifestyle to want is the Bay Area programmer/STEM academic lifestyle, everything else is dumb". Well I am literally an aspiring STEM academic, but there's also more to me than that, and I don't like the dunking on everything else. It makes me feel bad. And it's not justified—as I said, these anarchist community gardeners are in fact getting the thing they want to get out of their activity. At least it seems to me. So the dunk feels aimed at the desire itself, not the efficacy of the act. It seems like an expression of "have my preferences or you're dumb".

We don't all have the same preferences!

[tytarax]

Hi :”D

Now I'm thinking about a reader (sorry, as an introvert with social communication problems, I'm horrified, as I worked in a store for so long) who used to work in a service industry like a grocery store (taking «mental damage», fatigue, stress, sensory overload from working with people) and Zamasu (any, regular or yandere)

And all their communication literal:

Reader: your desire to destroy humans by genocide of the galaxy is disgusting

Zamasu: you…..

Reader: but where were you before when I was working and socializing with people? I was ready to beat them all up right in the workplace

Zamasu: …wait what….

Hey there!

Oh don't worry, I get you

This idea is gooood

Working in the service industry was more than just a job; it was a constant battle with fatigue, stress, and sensory overload. Sooo.... when Zamasu meets Y/N... let's just say that he didn't expect that.

The world had changed in a flash, the once bustling cities now lay in ruins, silent and empty. Zamasu's wrath had wiped out humanity, leaving only a handful of survivors scattered across the world. One such survivor, Y/N, navigated the desolate streets, scavenging for supplies and avoiding any signs of danger.

Y/N, who had once worked in the service industry, found an odd sense of peace in the silence. The constant noise, the endless interactions, the forced smiles, and the rude customers were all memories of a past life, now replaced by a haunting tranquility. Yet, there was a bitterness that lingered, a frustration that had never quite left.

As Y/N rummaged through an abandoned grocery store, the sound of footsteps echoed through the empty aisles. She tensed, gripping a makeshift weapon tightly in her hand. Turning a corner, she came face to face with none other than Zamasu, the architect of humanity's destruction.

His gaze was cold and unyielding, but Y/N met it with a mixture of defiance and curiosity.

"Your desire to destroy humans by genocide of the galaxy is disgusting," Y/N stated flatly, her voice echoing in the empty store.

Zamasu raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting such a direct confrontation.

"But where were you before," Y/N continued, cutting him off, "when I was working and socializing with people? I was ready to beat them all up right here."

Zamasu blinked, clearly taken aback. "…wait, what?"

Y/N let out a dry laugh, shaking her head. "You think you're so righteous, wiping out humanity for their sins. But you missed the everyday struggles, the little wars we fought just to get through a day. The constant noise, the entitled customers, the sensory overload—do you have any idea what that does to a person?"

Zamasu stared at her, his expression shifting from confusion to a strange form of curiosity. "You hated them as well?"

"It's not that simple," Y/N replied, her grip on the weapon relaxing slightly. "I hated the way people treated each other, the way they treated me. But I didn't want them dead. I just wanted it to stop. I wanted a break."

Zamasu stepped closer, his gaze intense. "And now, do you find peace in this silence?"

Y/N looked around the empty store, the broken shelves, and the dust-covered floors. "Peace? Maybe. But it's lonely. And it's not the solution you think it is. Killing everyone didn't solve anything; it just created a new problem."

Zamasu's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"You talk about justice and purity, but you don't understand the complexities of human nature," Y/N said, meeting his gaze. "People can be terrible, but they can also be kind. They can learn, change, and grow. You took that chance away from them. And for what? To prove a point?"

For a moment, Zamasu seemed to ponder her words. The silence between them stretched, heavy with unspoken thoughts.

"You are an interesting mortal," he finally said, his tone less harsh. "Perhaps there is more to your kind than I realized."

Y/N shrugged, turning back to the shelves. "Maybe. But it's too late for that now, isn't it?"

Zamasu didn't respond, watching as Y/N continued her search for supplies. In the quiet of the aftermath, two unlikely survivors stood together, each grappling with the weight of their own existence.

And for the first time, Zamasu began to question if all the mortals were the same

Masterpost

DBS Masterlist

[indiaalphawhiskey]

Hi, I want to work through something because I want to be able to enjoy my time in this fandom and support Harry and Louis as they are now. Unfortunately, I can't help but be incredibly disappointed in the decisions that HL have made. Let me preface this by saying that I am aware of how entitled and selfish I sound but emotions sometimes override logic.

I had really big and unfair expectations of Harry and Louis. I honestly thought after One Direction they would come out and start their solo careers on an authentic and free foundation. They had the potential to be such an inspiring and important power couple in the industry and society in general. I pictured them being an amazing source of representation, attending charity events and talking about important issues. All the while staying intensely private. It's this wasted potential that I really struggle to accept. I also have a sneaking suspicion that the Harry and Louis from 2014/15 would be a bit disappointed in where they are now, not on the career front but having a fake son and still kissing supermodels.

As someone who doesn't place a great deal of value on things like career and ambition it's disappointed me how they've chosen that above all else. I believe there are more important things in life. Again, I know how all this sounds but no matter how hard I try I can't help how I feel. But I want to change because I want to be able to enjoy the people that HL are now. It's hard because I'm not here for their careers I'm here for them purely as people and as a couple.

Hi! So first, I’d like to say that I really appreciate the openness of your tone, even though we have quite different opinions. I’m going to strive to match that openness in my response, and if I fall short, I apologize in advance. It’s not at all my intention to come off as rude or aggressive, I just want to challenge your way of thinking about activism, authenticity, and the roles their careers play in that.

You say you’re not here for their careers. You’re here for them as people and as a couple. You don’t seem to see those two are directly interlinked.

The only reason we have access to them as people/as a couple, is because they both chose to continue their careers in the public. They both could have easily chosen to take a step back and work in the background (music production, management, etc.), which would mean no drama. Maybe would’ve meant a bigger chance for them to come out publicly.

But that would have also meant no content. No music, no pap pics, no articles (barring maybe one or two about a charity event, if what you imagined came true). That means no safe spaces at their concerts. No flag waving. No speeches about acceptance, and I need you, you need me, about your body, your choice, about helping people come out… No lyrics about all this time, and we could be lucky again, and you can throw a party full of everyone you know, and we’ll be alright…

No input, no… personality. So who would you be loving? Who would you be here for, exactly? Who would you be supporting? A snapshot of who they were as people/as a couple? The idealized fantasy of a power couple? The people you remember they were seven years ago?

Related to that, I understand that explicit activism is important to you. I understand that you understand that you’ve placed a lot of expectations on them that aren’t fair. Why you’ve done that could be for many reasons — maybe that’s how you personally choose to connect with the queer community, maybe you feel like if you had their platform and their resources, that’s what you would do, I don’t know.

But everything you’ve mentioned (“…come out and start their solo careers on an authentic and free foundation. They had the potential to be such an inspiring and important power couple in the industry and society in general. I pictured them being an amazing source of representation, attending charity events and talking about important issues…”)

Well… who’s to say this isn’t “authentically” who they are (while still working to preserve other things that are important to them, like the privacy of their relationship and their opportunity to make art), even without being “out” and “out together”? Who’s to say they aren’t currently an amazing source of representation? Who’s to say they aren’t talking about important issues?

Because, to me, they are. They may not be doing it at the helm of a pride parade in a rainbow mankini making out in front of news cameras.

But isn’t it equally as important to hold spaces for queer people to just gather and experience joy? Isn’t it equally as important to be verbal about challenging adversity and coming out on top? Isn’t it equally as important to make coming out to one’s parents a communal, celebratory fantastic memory instead of something that’s solitary and filled with fear? Isn’t equally important to prop up young musicians and show them someone with power will be kind, will be supportive, will open doors for them?

There’s value in pragmatic, maybe even implicit, forms of “activism”, too. There’s value in championing life and love and kindness and joy and upholding it for the people who can’t uphold it for themselves. (And it’s especially meaningful coming from two people in such a historically abusive, conservative, homophobic industry.) There’s value in using your time in the spotlight for the benefit of your actual fans.

TL;DR I guess what I’m saying is, we all seem to uphold this gold standard of activism to the letter, and assume that anything less than that isn’t activism, isn’t authenticity, isn’t representation. But having such a rigid definition of “doing good” for a community negates the constant and consistent representation and good they’ve both fought to be able to do.

You said a lot more in your anon, but this is really all I have energy to answer. If it doesn’t change your mind, that’s okay. If it’s still not enough for you, that’s okay too. It doesn’t, and won’t ever, negate everything they’ve done for me and for others.

Maybe one day you’ll find your way back, or maybe you’ll find a couple that represents you the way you need to be represented. Until then, all the best. 🤍

[pseudowho]

genuinely asking to arm myself better in the future: how would you respond to coworkers/strangers who feel entitled to comment on your appearance?

i had a coworker tell me the other day i look very pale in front of everyone on my team and in response i just asked, “really? i look pale?”. she then said “you look like you just got out of bed” & so i said “oh wouldn’t you know it i woke up the same time today just like yesterday” and just felt absolutely silly. i wish i had a better comeback.

+ another coworker felt it was necessary to send me a slack message complete with a video attached of how he thinks that i “should do my hair like that”. i didn’t reply to the message but i’m honestly just tired.

extra credit for men in my workplace who apparently talk about how i dress & objectify my body so much so someone who worked in a different branch approached my manager abt it, who then proceeded to tell me that my pants were too tight and that i was violating the dress code. my manager proceeded to make the joke that “well maybe you just grab their attention. can’t blame them for looking.”

maybe i should just quit my job since this all happened within the span of one week. anyone hiring for a tech role? or any recommendations for a better industry to work in? will be taking notes because i hate how much emotional energy these interactions take out of me

Be bold. Be confrontational. Be brave.

People who pass unwanted comments on other peoples' appearance 100% rely on societal constraints and the fear of embarrassment preventing people from calling them out. These people say snide, backhanded little insults, poorly masquerading as concerns, which are easy for them to backpedal into if you show any offence, or make you look like you're overreacting if you show offense.

If you roll over once, or twice, or three times, people will cotton on; you can be walked over, too! Let's change that, shall we?

I say: fuck you societal constraints! Let us embarrass the rude, as follows (all said in a beautiful, light-hearted, "they'd look like a piece of shit if they argued with you" tone):

"Oh, that's not very nice. I was raised to believe that commenting on someone's appearance is rude. Were you not?

"Maybe YOU should do your hair like that!"

"I'm quite happy with how I look. Are you not happy with how you look, and just projecting on me?"

"Why are you looking at my pants and not my work? Have you got a copy of the uniform policy please? Can you explain to me how these pants are indecent? Oh, I see. So you just see the female form as indecent? Can we clarify with HR and perhaps some legal representation?"

"Unrelated, but do you have any policies on sexual harassment in the workplace?"

Also on what planet is 'pants too tight' violating a dress code? Sounds like the female form being hypersexualised again, doesn't it?

How dare you be woman have shape make man feel sexy thing be inppropriate make peepee feel strange make think violent thinks!

But fundamentally: If you're in a toxic work environment where they value nasty little appearance criteria over competence, however, and no amount of standing up for yourself changes it, I'd get the hell out of dodge, honestly.

Love,

-- I Swear To God, One Day I Will Start Stabbing And Just Won't Stop xxx

[brian-in-finance]

After the onslaught of criticism about her IFTA look, I thought of putting together some of Cait's quotes, a look into her character and what she's about.

“I respect and admire people who put work before fame, and life before work.”

"I think as women sometimes we can judge other women's journeys, actions a lot more harshly than we would if it was a man."

"I think there's something in the DNA of actors that we thrive on the lack of stability or regime. I relish the unpredictability of it in many ways."

The sexiest things about a man are, "Integrity, smarts and kindness".

"I just want to be happy in my life. I want to stay sane. I'm lucky that I have a job that I love. It's very important that your career can't be your only thing. So, I feel lucky that I've also found someone who makes me very happy. As long as I can keep those two things going well, then I'll be good."

"While 'Outlander' is a brilliant period show, Claire represents so many qualities of a 10th century modern-day woman: someone who is forging her own path, fighting for what she believes, and doing so with integrity."

"It's such a compliment when people say they can see 'thoughts' on your face. I started theater before modeling and the frustrated actress within me made work interesting by viewing a character or story in the head with interior monologues."

"Life is meant to be lived and not put on the back-burner for one day when you will have time. I love my job and I love work but it can’t be the be-all and end-all." 

“You have to fight to create the life that you want. I’ve been lucky and had a very varied and interesting career so far, but I’m always thinking about the next chapter.”

"I'm very young at heart but combined with a bit of an old soul. I have two sides of myself, one side is this cray-likes-to-party side, and then the other side likes-to-hibernate-and-keep-quiet-and-read. Those two sides constantly battle and that's why I'm crazy!"

"It was something I've been wanting for a while. There's sometimes fear about actors who become producers—that they're going to try to throw their weight around. For me, it's an expansion of growing within this industry. I like to problem solve. I like to look around at what every single person is doing, and [ask], how can we make things better?"

"Wrinkles equal time, equal life . . . trying to love them."

"SM brings out the very worst in people and makes us feel worse and worse about ourselves. So I'm trying to do, at least one day a week, hopefully 2 days a week, where I just step back and, I've been trying to do it recently and because I really felt like I needed to ... there's so much anger going on and there's so much "uhh" that it was making me feel just awful about everything."

"The modeling industry is completely what you make it. I've had a really great career but what some girls fail to understand is that it is a business like everything else. It's a job, not an opportunity for you and your friends to go away together a lot. You have to remember that the reason you're flying off to an exotic location is that you are there to deliver a job."

“The hardest part when I decided to move into acting was trusting I'd made the right decision.”

Thanks for the message, Anon. 😃 I’m happy to share the impressive list you’ve compiled of Caitríona’s quotes, and I hope people enjoy the walk down memory lane. As for the onslaught of criticism about her IFTA look…

One of the things you and I and everyone else are entitled to is an opinion. Some people liked her IFTA look, some did not. I sometimes post “fashion,” but have no expertise in that field, and I don’t necessarily like or dislike the garments or jewellery or footwear or accessories, or how they’re worn.

As for Standing Ground’s collections, unsupported breasts and nipples abound. I’d like to say it’s by design (wee pun), but I don’t know if it’s the designer’s intent in keeping with his natural scheme or if it’s the model’s choice to go braless. (If I were writing in DM, this is where I would say, “Blah blah blah.”)

What I do know, if I owned “the IFTA” dress and could wear it the way I chose, I would be wearing a bra. Everybody, every body, is different.

Most of the time, when I disagree with an opinion, I silently 🙄 or 🤦🏻‍♂️ or 🤯 or 🤬 or 😂, and scroll along my merry way. The odd time when I both 🤬 and chime in is when someone says it’s their opinion Caitríona is not married to Tony.

Literacy Ideas

Remember… opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues or earthquakes. — Voltaire

[ruthbaeddelginsburg]

Does climate change kill people?

If so, how bad is that in dollar terms?

The EPA is deciding this right now.

Fun fact: when they did the math they said the life of a US citizen is worth A LOT more than the life of someone in India.

Public comment ends Feb 13th... Monday!

Here's the link to comment:

https://www.epa.gov/controlling-air-pollution-oil-and-natural-gas-industry/forms/contact-us-about-controlling-air

The site asks if you're human so BOTS AND OTHER NON-HUMANS BE HONEST!!!

But they don't ask if you're a US citizen, and personally I feel like if you're sentient and live on earth you're entitled to an opinion since THIS AFFECTS YOU.

If you have 15 minutes to listen to a podcast this is my cited source:

Listen to: EPA's proposal to raise the cost of carbon is a powerful tool and ethics nightmare - https://one.npr.org/i/1155544378:1155582117

Anyway apparently the way they calculate a human life is by how much a person would pay to not die. If you're like me, the answer to that is "all my money now, and future money, and all my belongings too because I can't enjoy any of it if I'm dead".

I'm guessing it's a common answer. Maybe the EPA is too? But see as a white lady in the global north I just have more money than a brown lady in say The Philippines? Maybe several times more.

Anyway, please leave a comment for the EPA. Let's make this a weekend to remember tumblr exists. I know everyone thinks tumblr died... But like... I think maybe a panel for the EPA can hear our opinions.

[nancylou444]

This was in today's Post.

Entitlement to the nth level.

....getting back audiences who've given the cinema the old heave-ho is a win for the industry. Yes. Except when they sing. Or whip out their phones to film the screen. Or generally behave like spoiled, mannerless brats. Audience members at "Wicked" reports say, are culture-less barbarians who can barely comprehend that they are outside of their own home.

.

This annoying glee club has been so coddled and socially deprived, they think they're in the shower or doing karaoke in Koreatown. "They don't know how to be in public places", one peeved ticket buyer told The Post.

Also, the ones on the bus blaring their phones for all to hear.

Is America so enamored with constant self-expression and my least favorite modern phrase -being "seen"- that people can't politely sit still and watch a film for 2.5 hours? Must they make every second of this communal experience all about them?

.

One "Wicked" star outright encouraged the rotten trend on national TV. Pouring gas on the fire, Erivo, who plays future Wicked Witch of the West Elphaba, gave the hell chorus the green light. "I'm OK with it", the Tony Award winner said during the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. "We spent this long singing it ourselves, it's time for everyone to sing."

Then let them buy the soundtrack and sing it at home.

If you are paying that kind of money to see the movie, you want to enjoy the movie, not deal with entitled shits that can't control themselves.

[callmearcturus]

what do you mean by TC is a black box? what does that mean?

/pops gum loudly.

Sure, I've been avoiding this landmine a while lemme shove my foot onto it.

TC doesn't do serious interviews. He barely does press. everything out of him is a soundbite, and that's obviously a very deliberate choice on his part that probably has a few motives behind it. He consciously, actively avoids sharing anything beyond his enthusiasm for cinema and his work.

As someone who clearly has found a Problematic Fave in McQuarrie-era Cruise, I have thought about all that a lot.

One. I think that TC had to work consistently and deliberately to rehab his image after everything, and I think he's damn careful not to endanger the tentative equilibrium he's managed to build over literally about twenty fucking years.

Two. I'm old enough to remember Tom Cruise Crazy era, and one of the things that's... interesting to me with the maturity and hindsight of sitting here in 2023 is that, yes, a lot of TC's actions and associations were concerning back in that period, back when he was in the news. But the world didn't react with concern. The world, broadly speaking, called him a fag and a freak in a way that I hope we wouldn't today. I hope that "hey this huge star is part of a cult and is acting erratically" would cause even superficial concern today and not... what it did back then. Because I def remember songs and memes about that shit, and my family made jokes about him being a lunatic. Classmates talked about him being a closet case. It's what everyone did. I didn't realize that was fucked up for a long time.

I do genuinely wonder what TC's relationship with his audience and with the media would be if there was literally an ounce of compassion in the coverage about him. But we'll never know.

Three. TC has been literally world famous since 1983. Forty years. I....... literally cannot fathom that. What that does to someone. The very idea of it hits me with existential terror.

Four. I don't know anything about his life today. I don't really want to know because I've always been of the opinion that... I don't want to know shit about celebrities major or minor. I don't need to know, and I think it's weird that we accept that people must forfeit their privacy for even minuscule fame.

(The disgusting hounding and harassment of Jonny Sims, writer of The Magnus Archives, comes to mind. This is why I don't follow anyone like Neil Gaiman on Tumblr either, it feels invasive to me personally.)

Like, I know this cuts both ways. I am relieved when a famous person is a cool person. But also I would rather know nothing about them, because that inherent demand that they present their self for scrutiny and entertainment seems like bullshit to me. I don't think any of us are entitled to that. I think the fact so many entertainment industries demand that is repulsive and I wish that was a bell that could be unrung.

Point is: I don't know shit about TC's personal life. My genuine hope is that in this part of his life, as he's surrounded himself with people who seem passionate and supportive, i hope he's found his way out of the turmoil of the CoS (or is in the process of doing so). But while that is my hope, I don't think the details are any of my fucking business. And frankly, I think its obvious that he agrees.

Hence, he is a black box. Which I respect, as I'm a big fan of boundaries.