#do i even have to use critical tags? i haven't seen anyone use it

[hug-your-face]

Haven't seen anyone raise the issue of G-AI and democracy (could easily have missed it; I'm rationing my media intake) so I will.

G-AI is a threat to freedom because it can so easily be used to drown out signal with noise.

You've heard of fake news, get ready for fake reality. World events; a clash between protestors and police; wildfires; what a politician or celebrity really said; what YOU really said... all this info can be made near impossible to find online.

Hell, even proven scientific facts or research can be buried under a mountain of legitimate-looking countering "research" with a few prompts. If someone with enough money and access to compute can get richer or more powerful by making people believe the sun revolves around the earth, then it won't be that hard for them to do it.

What you can do:

Donate to and support organizations that refuse to accept or are trying to rid themselves of AI content. You can start with Wikipedia and 404 Media which wrote the story above.

If you ever find any search engines that intentionally identify and ignore AI generated content, use them and share them.

Support groups that lobby for the mandatory tagging/identification of AI generated or altered content

Critical thinkin'. It's the new readin' and writin' and 'rithmatic. Use it. Help others use it. Check your sources. Use SIFT. Question reality. *cries*

When possible, check facts against media published before 2022. (Yeah nobody's gonna want to do that. *cries harder*)

A group of Wikipedia editors have formed WikiProject AI Cleanup, “a collaboration to combat the increasing problem of unsourced, poorly-written AI-generated content on Wikipedia.” The group’s goal is to protect one of the world’s largest repositories of information from the same kind of misleading AI-generated information that has plagued Google search results, books sold on Amazon, and academic journals. “A few of us had noticed the prevalence of unnatural writing that showed clear signs of being AI-generated, and we managed to replicate similar ‘styles’ using ChatGPT,” Ilyas Lebleu, a founding member of WikiProject AI Cleanup, told me in an email. “Discovering some common AI catchphrases allowed us to quickly spot some of the most egregious examples of generated articles, which we quickly wanted to formalize into an organized project to compile our findings and techniques.”

9 October 2024

[countlessofvoids]

Rewatching RTTE currently (for like the fourth time now lmao) and I have some critical thoughts about it;

There was no need to bring Viggo back after season 4. Don't twist my words, I enjoyed his character and writing, mostly. But I don't see any point in bringing him back outside villain rivalry and more scenes with Hiccup. You already introduced Krogan as the new antagonist, why bring back previous one when you have a brand new one that needs developing? Viggo gets a whole angst arc with Hiccup meanwhile the most Krogan gets is working for Drago, and we don't learn that until the last season! Otherwise he's just your typical "I love torturing people" villain, whom I personaly don't find any interest in (sorry Krogan fans).

Then Johann is revealed as another antagonist, and he's got it even worse. Honestly season 6 in itself has issues. Immediately after Johann's revealed to succesfully trick Hiccup along with entirety of Berk without anyone even once suspecting him - he suddenly becomes an idiot who throws temper tantrums when something is not going his way and can't keep his treachery secret in front of Hiccup. I wonder what his motivation is? Oh he wants to be the richest man in the world. The most depth he gets is hating to pretend being some incompetent, annoying merchant. What was even the point then? You can't even give him a good motivation. Fans say it was a genius twist they didn't see coming but makes perfect sense. To me it feels like a last minute decision and the reason I couldn't see it coming was because none of his scenes indicate any betrayal, except of course the reveal episode. His scenes would work pretty much same as if there was no twist. It's more of a coincidence that writers took a notice of and went with it. In regards to his interactions with Viggo - it's a bummer that Johann should be at similiar level of intelligence, yet loses most of it the moment they meet. A rivalry between two extremely smart villains with the same enemy but different end goal would be fun to see playout.

In the end; Krogan and Johann are left with crumbs of development and nuance, meanwhile Viggo goes through character arc and leaves with a redemption. This isn't a bad thing on it's own; Triple Cross is a great episode and one of my favorites, although I think it should have been a two-parter like Alvin's redemption episode. A villain getting a development like this is amazing. My problem is with the fact it comes at the expense of other characters' writing.

[void-ink-studios]

Prohibitedwish rambling I haven't seen in many (or any) fics but would like to pretty please

Y'all seemed to like my rambling in the last post, so have some more! I have a lot of thoughts about these two, okay? These might be more like prompts of fanfic I would write if I had the spoons for it.

Scarab having chronic pain/balance issues. The ripped wings head cannon (which I can imagine gets phantom pains or never healing right), along with people noticing his missing antenna (which is critical to a lot of insects for balance and orienting themselves), and I've had many thoughts about it. Scarab using his cane as a weapon to hide the fact he's not stable on his legs. Keeping himself prim and proper to disguise the fact he's on the verge of shaking because what's left of his wings hurts so much. And of course, Prismo notices. He notices his new roommate/frenemy teetering without his cane or hiding in the Time Core shaking in pain.

Prismo does not strike me as the type to say no to people. He's everybody's friend, he knows that's his reputation, and he does what can to maintain it. Meaning, he says yes to a lot of things he doesn't want to do. Scarab notices. And maybe, after they've developed a more mutually friendly relationship, and Prismo has helped Scarab be less defensive with people who might actually be chill with him, Scarab returns the favor. He defends Prismo and helps him get the ability to say no. Maybe to unruly gods, or even exceptionally rude wish makers.

Scarab gets really into some kind of craft or hobby (like Prismo's pickle making or banjo lessons) and at first tries to hide it because liking things are for losers and opens you up to hurt, but then Prismo actually likes/encourages it. It culminates in Prismo giving Scarab his own little room for it, like the pickle chamber.

Prismo reconnecting with his friends, with Scarab as a new addition to the group. Cosmic Owl and Death seem like good bros (at least before New Death takes over, but I don't know where in the timeline between Fionna and Cake and Together Again that falls). Scarab is hella awkward, and everyone's kind of cagy about him, but the walls eventually come down. They're all losers and dorks, but they can be that together.

This isn't really a prompt but an observation: Their whole dynamic is Scarab's "Must follow routine and rules to the letter" autism clashing with Prismo's "deadlines and regularity are poison and I will wither" ADHD. They overlap in a fanfic hyper fixation.

If anyone ends up using these ideas, please tag me so I can read it!

[khaopybara]

#like people wanting kant to be devil incarnate and style the saint of the saints

From the tags to this ask: https://www.tumblr.com/khaopybara/772039491673260032/re-your-reaction-video-gifset-maybe-its-just?source=share

Are...are people saying that about the episode 6 bowling scene?

I've seen a lot of baffling "criticism" of Kant and I am pretty sure it's just down to people not caring enough about him to pay attention. Because a lot of the things people say are missing are right there staring us in the face.

It's not the not liking a character. People are wrong imo but they're free to be. It's the insistence that Kant is evil or has no reasons for doing this or doesn't care about anyone involved that drive me nuts.

I had assumed Kant wouldn't be a very good or interesting character from the get go because Cameron was a total nothing in 10 Things despite being the catalyst for Patrick to pursue Kat. But I was wrong. There's so much to him and yeah, we do have to pay attention because so much of his characterization lies in what he isn't saying. That's at least part of why it has to be First playing him imo. Very few others could convey as much as he does in the twitch of an eyebrow or lip. But it's like people are just closing their eyes to it. Like if it isn't explicitly stated it doesn't matter. And even if it is explicitly stated he's probably lying anyway. And it's nuts to me that people can't see how trapped he must be feeling. Either Bison finds out and kills him, he fails or quits and goes to jail, or he lets the man he's fallen for in spite of himself be caught and loses him either through death or prison. No option is good for him, no option doesnt result in him losing something. I just don't get how people could actually be watching this show and take away that he's some awful, cackling villain instead of a dude who is cornered and miserable about it.

And it makes me so sad for First, who seemed pretty proud of his work at the start and now just spends all of his time apologizing for or trying to explain Kant's behavior. And he shouldn't have to do that even if Kant *were* the most awful person in the show, but it makes it worse that that's not the case and he still feels it's necessary.

Sorry for the long ask. I guess I'm madder about this than I thought.

i'm not sure if you saw this anon, and if you haven't, i'm sorry to bring you this image:

from an official account mind you, which makes it even worse, because they are just taking the part of fandom who are half witted and making a whole post about it (they've deleted it since i guess it wasn't as funny as they thought it was and would have more people backing them up, but what they got was people calling them out).

also not gonna submit people to my overly long rants that barely make any sense, so the rest is under read more.

i've said this a few weeks ago on twitter i think. no one's is forcing people to like kant (it's their loss honestly, because kant is a genuinely fascinating character), no one is forcing people to like kantbison. and you don't need deep reasoning to not like a character. sometimes you just don't click with them. people who dislike kant could just go, "yeah, i don't care about kant much" and move on (or even better, what i usually do, not talk about them at all! i know, what a novelty) and not have to come up with "kant is doing this for money", or "he doesn't care about bison/babe(!!!)/style" instead to back up their dislike. there's a saying in portuguese that goes a little like this, "when you shut up, you're a poet" and i think that's beautiful.

first talked about wanting to work hard so people can look at a character and say, "no one else could have played this character but first," and kant is exactly that character. no one else could have done what he is doing with kant regardless of the backlash because the backlash is coming from people who can't bother to care about him as a character. other people have talked about this more eloquently, but the lack of empathy is simply worrying tbh. what do you mean you see a man who had to raise his brother by himself bc their parents died in a plane crash, who had to find means to care for the both of them and you can't even bother to acknowledge that "yeah, maybe this dude had it a little rough huh". again, you don't need to like him, but at least try to understand him the same way you try to understand the two assassins and the guy who started hitting on a dude to win a bet.

and to be fair, first has been apologizing for kant since ep. 1. he knew people would be nasty. they were already nasty when ep. 11, 12 of only friends came out and boeing was a thing, and he kept apologizing for him (though i think it was mostly bc he said he wouldn't do what sand did). the thing is, first being first, probably didn't expect people to be so stupid and blind not to see kant's motivations and understand him and even worse when they can't separate the actor from the character and come for him instead (and mind you, and this made me pissed, kant haters who watched the reaction said "kant defenders are talking to walls because even first was angry with him" WHEN HE WAS ALMOST BEGGING YOU ALL TO SEE HIS SIDE!! ARE YOU SKIPPING PARTS OF THE REACTION AS WELL OR WHAT?!)

anyway…

kant protagonist. without him, there would be no story, no other couples, integral part of the plot, you all who hate him can eat shit.

[jedi-enthusiast]

Something that I've noticed for a while now, and something that's honestly become really irritating for me, is that people have suddenly apparently lost the ability---or maybe just the courtesy/empathy---to filter their fandom experiences and leave people alone.

I've just seen @antianakin's recent post of them responding to someone who didn't like that they posted about hating Anakin, and it just reminded me of all the fucking comments and reblogs I get about people seeing posts where I'm critical of a character, or a show, or something the fandom does---and, instead of just blocking me and moving on like a normal person, they feel the need to express how much they disagree or think it's stupid that I've decided to make a whole fic/post/whatever about how much I hate or am critical of that one particular thing.

And it's not just me!

Plenty of my mutuals and the people I follow, and tbh plenty of the Pro-Jedi/(x character/show) critical people who I don't follow but whose posts I see, have responded to countless comments and reblogs and asks from people who won't just fucking filter their content. It's always-

"I don't see why you felt the need to make a whole post about this." - a response I've gotten many times on some of my anti-Anakin posts.

-or-

"I think it's ridiculous that you're just writing a whole fic to bash a character." - a response I got to me being critical of Ahsoka in the Ahsoka show and my anti-Anakin fic ideas.

-or-

"Why do you want to make a whole event just to express your hate of one character?" - a response I got to me pitching the idea of an Anti-Anakin Week, so us that hate Anakin could blow off steam.

Like...are people being fucking serious?

I haven't been on Tumblr for a very long time, not even a year yet, but I knew as soon as I got on this hellsite that---if I didn't want to see certain content---I needed to filter the tags and block the people I didn't like.

I don't understand why so many people can't just fucking do that.

It's not like we're not tagging our fucking posts properly or purposefully trying to make people who disagree with us see our stuff, we're just posting our own shit in our own spaces!

And, ironically enough, those people who often come on these posts and complain about us making them---namely anti-Jedi people and Anakin Stans---are apart of the same group of people that literally will not tag or purposefully mis-tag posts so that the rest of us with the tags blocked have to see it!

This has probably been an issue for a while on Tumblr and I just haven't been around long enough to remember, but holy shit can everyone just start blocking people and filtering tags instead of making your discomfort everyone else's problem?

Guess what? I also like stuff in Star Wars, and it makes me upset when I see critique or hate of that stuff too! But I also understand that not everyone likes that stuff and that it's not their responsibility to cater to me---it's my responsibility to make sure I don't see that shit. The only responsibility anyone else has is to tag their posts properly, the rest is 100% on me.

So can y'all please get with the fucking program?

Filter your tags.

Block people.

Leave the rest of us the fuck alone.

[okayto]

Biannual Research Instruction Reflections

My research post is going around again (RIP my activity page), which always brings a bunch of fresh comments on a variety of related topics, and I always wish I could add some little addendums that people should keep in mind:

The original point of the post is that you shouldn't automatically assume a mid-high research familiarity with anyone, even people who have previously completed university degrees (outside of specifically-demonstrated proficiency as an admissions requirement or something). The post was particularly sparked because the master's program that student was in, at the time, did not include a library orientation that even showed students what databases were or the program-specific guide, and I hated that the program thus relied on students to realize they should use the library and just intuit how to find everything.This has since changed.

It was also sparked because, as seen in the dialog, the student did not demonstrate even basic computer-search semi-critical thinking skills like "maybe I should try rephrasing my search."

Yes, it is fairly common AFAIK in the US for first-year college/university students (or students in beginning-level college courses) to get some sort of library or research instruction. To my knowledge it's also pretty common in certain disciplines to have a dedicated research methods-type course at a higher undergrad level before graduation.

It's a reasonable assumption that students in a master's program have had information literacy instruction (or a full research class) before since everyone had at least one prior college degree, but I strongly believe all programs need, at a minimum, a basic library introduction (even a virtual tutorial, which is what this program now does) so they know/are reminded of what resources exist.

Pretty sure it's not uncommon to get some sort of instruction in high school, and even basic skills earlier than that. IDK what's widespread at pre-college levels, guys, I was homeschooled. But educational standards vary from state to state, and education is, if you haven't noticed a notoriously politically-influenced profession (in that often people spouting opinions and making rules are not educators).

That said, I have personally seen many instances where students did get a very good introduction, tutorial, or in-depth lessons on how to research, and they didn't pay attention or take it seriously. This is not a problem that lies solely with people designing educational courses or standards. The problem of equating "I can google for basic questions on a phone" with "therefore it's easy to look for academic and/or specialized publications and research in subscription databases or other less-public locations" is something students also do all the time.

Research is also a skill, meaning that if you don't use or practice it, you'll likely lose some of that knowledge. This isn't a judging statement; it just means if it's been a while since you had to use those skills, even if you knew stuff before, you might need some help to refresh that knowledge.

This was true when I wrote the post and it's true now: reaching out for help is a good option.

My research and library tips tags would probably also appeal if you like that post.

[bibibbon]

Hi! So I've been reading posts regarding my hero academia criticals since they've caught my interest, and I'm at it, I've stumbled upon your posts and account and...

Oh my gosh!!

I did not expect this series to go this bad😬😬😬 and I didn't want to watch the full episodes of the series since the debut of some of the characters like Bakugou and Endeavour, as I'm not a fan of them since their character traits really grinds my gears a lot (Bullying and the 'S' Baiting for Bakugo and Familial Abuse from Endeavour) and I only convinced my self that I'll watch it if they have some sort of consequences... But the series seems to their treat is as a joke or praised them for doing the bare minimum. And I Hate It😬😒😭😫

And because of this, I kinda wanted to write my own fanfiction about this series - as it was inspired by some of the authors I've read and seen on other social media platforms like Instagram for even design their OC's and how they would fit into the canon universe - to somehow address some of the issues here and there, while also giving Izuku the love, care, and support he deserves.

So yeah, enough of the rambling. I just wanted to ask you if it's alright for me to use the canon universe with its flaws to be pointed out by some of the characters - they are mostly OC's and one of them is my fanfic protagonist or something else, (I want to write Bakugou being the bully he is or endeavour rotting in jail for life😈😈😈)

And I don't where to start, to make this ask short (it's so long now, wow sorry about that) I want you to list what you think are the most glaring issues of the series in a summary form or anything that makes you comfortable and what sort of things and factors I need to consider. It's mostly just for reference for my fanfictions and I would give you full credit for all of this. It is also my very first writing project and I want it to be perfect when I'll officially publish it online.

So yeah, that's all. Thanks so much for reading this long-ass ask and I wish you the very best. Thank you again🥰🥰🥰

No problem I don't mind long asks but it just takes me longer to answer them sometimes!

Fanfiction and the realm of fics tends to be a very legal grey space and it's partially the reason why making fanfics into books can sometimes be very controversial. In my opinion there's no problem in using the MHA world to inspire your own story and even take elements of it however, I am not the creator of MHA so I can't give a definitive answer but I can say that when you decide to post your story do credit the author of mha!

Now onto the list!

Give victim characters agency and autonomy through the story

Give proper concequences to the oc's you create that maybe similar to enji and bakugo

Address societal issues of your stories using various elements

Make sure to use show and tell

Focus on the pacing of the story

If you're planning on redeeming certain characters please humanise them

Add to the worldbuiling. If your story is going to have superpowers and such please add to the law side of the universe

I think these are probably my most glaring issues but the one that makes me bothered the most is characters not getting proper concequences and the lack of properly addressing societal issues that MHA has.

Now I think it's better for you to hear others opinions as well since my list is far from perfect. So if @mikeellee @doodlegirl1998 @sapphic-agent @palesweetscherryblossom @nutzgunray-lvt @moonsb1996 @theloganator101 @tardigradetheking @amethystoceandespiser or anyone else who I haven't tagged wants to add more to the list please reblog this and add your own opinions.

[my-mt-heart]

I want to address a few things that Norman said in Le Parisien. The article isn't free, and I'm not going to encourage anyone to pay for something they might not like, but if you do want the link, DM me and I'll send it. Thank you to the person who read and translated this:

Defending himself against others trying to throw him under the bus is one thing, but denying all responsibility for the title accomplishes absolutely nothing except further insulting a significant portion of Daryl's fanbase. These fans, specifically Carylers, were all paying close attention when he said the exact opposite on Jimmy Kimmel. Watch at 8:45:

The video is from late last year. Melissa's negotiations for S2/S3 started last summer and her deal closed at the end of the year per my sources, which means there was (at least) a loose plan to bring her back before S1 started shooting. Norman confirms Pilgrim was a working title at some point, but he doesn’t mention Raise the Dead, which was more than likely planned as the official title of the show while they were shooting between October '22 and February '23.

I bring up the timeline because even if you believe Melissa was always part of the French spinoff, Norman’s other favorite narrative right now, the implication is still this: Norman, AMC, and the other EPs were fully aware that Melissa was coming back when they officially landed on a title excluding her. You could argue Daryl has the most name recognition from being the most marketed character or that his tags on SM have 6 billion views or, hey, let’s make it 6 trillion (how much of that overlaps with Daryl and Carol content btw?), but as we saw, that doesn’t guarantee all those viewers will watch the show, which is how AMC makes money. If there are two leads on the show, naming it after one lead doesn't make any sense from a marketing perspective because AMC is missing out on attracting more audience, promoting two characters and their chemistry instead of just one character.

So. They either manipulated the situation to give Norman and the other EPs what they wanted or, once again, they dismissed Melissa’s/Carol’s vitality to the show. Or both. Regardless, it poses a big problem for me, because Carol's ability to stand her ground against anyone who thinks less of her is what draws me to her character. I can't reconcile that with the obvious tactics Norman and the other EPs use to claim the show for themselves, completely ignoring fans who may be critical, yes, but ultimately just want the story both Daryl and Carol have earned.

Speaking of being ignored, I heard from multiple fans that AMC did in fact send out a survey regarding the title. I can't confirm because I haven't seen the survey myself, but if you're doing market research, you need a target audience, and if you're doing market research on what you know will (eventually) be a Daryl and Carol show, you should probably target Daryl and Carol fans, shippers or otherwise. Not that it's the most appropriate way to choose a title (not even close), but where's my survey? Did any Carylers get to participate? Did anyone bother to check? Because to me, it sounds like the focus group they used for their market research wasn't aimed at their target audience at all. It's possible they did the market research with a sample audience of the flagship show or just Daryl fans who are a percentage of their audience but not all their audience. If they used an audience that incorporated Carylers, Daryl fans and GA — the feedback for that title would've been mixed. If they focused their market research on mostly Carylers, the feedback would've heavily leaned towards having an inclusive title.

So many fans, not just Carylers, hate the title. It's boring, it's offensive, it's pretentious, it's misogynistic, etc. etc. These are fans who want to watch and enjoy the show, who are expected to pay for it, so why don't their opinions carry more weight? Why is there still such a strong disconnect between AMC and Carol/Caryl fans when that's exactly what caused the backlash last year? Why are they not doing everything they can to avoid the same mistakes?

As for this:

Most of it is true except for one important detail. Angela Kang's spinoff was going to be a road show shot and set in the U.S. That's the phone call Norman is alluding to. That's the spinoff Melissa signed on for. To say otherwise makes her look unprofessional and flaky for "dropping out" knowing all along she'd have to relocate, and that's not what happened at all. It's like there's no consideration for his co-workers' images while he's trying to rebuild his own, and that is unprofessional.

To be very clear, this is not meant to be a smear campaign. My intention here is to point out how deceptive the PR/marketing strategies have been and how they're hurting everyone, including Norman. I can't for the life of me see any business sense in repeatedly gaslighting and alienating a profitable fanbase, treating Daryl and Carol fans like they're stupid, or insinuating a Daryl and Carol show can't belong to Daryl and Carol fans. The more Norman talks about the spinoff's inception, the more it ensures people will never trust a single thing that comes out of his mouth ever again, and that sucks because if he just focused on what the audience wants, insisting that Melissa is his equal on the show, talking about the characters in meaningful ways, supporting Daryl's and Carol's relationship, he could sell it easily. Fans should be getting excited for their story, not reliving last year's trauma over and over and over again. Melissa is back and that's exciting, but story still matters. Both on and off screen (precisely why we need someone else on board who can manage all of that really well). I've asked this several times before. I'll keep asking until someone listens. Can we please move the fuck on from the spinoff fiasco?

And change the title.

[thevaudevilledemon]

A Trick and a Treat - An unfinished mediocre Stardew Ship Fic!

I have been becoming a fan of @fkapple 's Stardew Valley comics, and they recently posted one about other pairings they ship for Shane... Ship for Shane, sounds like an indie band. Anyway, that post reminded me that I did write a fanfic regarding one of the pairings, Shane and Jodi.

It's not in a state I can really call "Finished", nor can I really call it "good", my fanfiction writing abilities are... underdeveloped considering I haven't really written much since I all but dropped off of FanFiction.NET. All of this to say, criticize it all you want, I'm gonna try my best not to care.

Anyway, when did I start shipping this? Well, I am total shipping trash, so whenever I see a moment of two characters interacting in some way, I immediately start asking how I think they would work as a couple, as some people may have already guessed. So, I was playing Stardew Valley and I went to Ginger Island and noticed that Shane and Jodi were the only two people at the resort, and I basically thought, well this would be a great opportunity for them to get to know each other, considering their kids are best friends and all.

Of course, I kind of view this ship as "Forbidden Love", considering Kent is probably my favourite of the husbands in the game (Sorry George but you are a bit too much of a slow burn) but I do feel like this is one of the better Shane Ships, as Jodi is one of the people who is concerned about Shane after this Cliffs Scene.

I think with this fic, I wanted to explore Shane more than anything else, what was his background like, what was going on when Jas' parents died, why exactly did he move to Pelican Town?

Well, I think I've yapped enough, you're here for the unfinished mediocre fanfiction, sorry, I like to talk.

I Hope You're Okay

A Stardew Valley ship fic

It was a pretty rainy day back in Pelican Town, so it did surprise Shane and Jodi that they were the only two who decided to visit the Ginger Island Resort today.

“Kent took Sam and Vincent to a movie” Jodi said when Shane asked about her family.

“I think Vincent wanted Jas to tag-along, I bumped into them on my way here.”

Jodi wanted to keep talking, she knew Jas was Vincent’s best friend, but she knew next to nothing about Shane, save for the incident at the cliffs. Shane mostly kept to himself, and made it clear he was not in the mood to talk, Jodi kept staring at the sea instead. She kept on thinking to herself, “I’ve seen him come out of his shell with the Farmer, why won’t he with anyone else?”

Even Willy could sense this tension, so he kept his offerings of fish jerky to himself, and desperately wished that the Farmer didn’t build that big obelisk on their farm, he missed having his Skipper on the boat with the other passengers.

The island was warm and sunny, the breeze was calm and inviting, the sound of the ocean and the parrots was as welcoming as it was the first time they visited the island. They were surprised when Willy stepped off the boat as well.

“The Farmer wanted to show me something, so I may be gone for the whole day.”

“You’re still gonna take us back home, right?”

Willy laughed, “Aye, I have to. Farmer doesn’t have enough beds to keep people here overnight.” He chuckled more as he walked towards the Ginger Island Farm, Jodi and Shane were left wondering about what Willy was going to see, and why he made that comment about the beds.

They walked into the changerooms, stepping out ready to enjoy a quiet relaxing day, but something was nagging at the back of Jodi’s mind. She tried to push it out, tried to enjoy the sun and sea, but every time she glanced over at Shane, the feeling came back.

“Well,’ she thought, ‘it’s just the two of us now, I better try.”

She walked over the Shane, he either didn’t notice her coming, or didn’t care. He barely looked over at her, didn’t acknowledge her when she stood beside him. Didn’t even respond when she started to converse.

“Hey… the weather’s nice here, isn’t it?”

“Mm”

“You don’t really like to talk to people do you?”

“No.”

“I thought we could get to know each other.”

“Why?”

“Well, you know, you’re Jas’ godfather, she’s friends with my youngest son, I thought-“

“That we should be friends for the sake of the kids?”

“Well I mean… you could also do with more friends.”

Shane grimaced and looked away.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-“

“No, you did. You meant to say that I don’t have friends.”

“No, I meant to say you have very few friends.” Jodi cursed to herself, she was not making this situation any better. “I mean…”

“Please, stop trying to make this better.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Jodi and Shane went back to silence, ultimately, Jodi was more upset with herself than with Shane. So it shocked her a little when Shane began the conversation next.

“I’m sorry”, he sighed.

“What?”

“I shouldn’t have taken it personally, it’s just…”

“It’s just what?”

“I shouldn’t say.”

“Shane please.”

Shane made a noise of disgust, something about that combination of words was upsetting to him. “I don’t want to, why do you even care what I feel?”

“I care about Jas!”

“Then you were probably thrilled to hear I almost died.”

“That’s not true, I was concerned for you then.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Jas needs you.”

Shane made another face, one of pain, Jodi almost saw tears well up in his eyes. After a couple sniffles and some blinking, Shane managed to return to his more stoic expression, and responded.

“Jas needs a better guardian.”

“Then why wouldn’t you try to be one for her?”

Shane was silent. The one thing he hated the most about himself was returning to him, how when his friends died, when they trusted him with their daughter, when there was someone who needed him the most…

“I gave up. They trusted me, and I gave up. I’m horrible.”

“No, you’re not.”

“I am, they were two of my closest friends, and they trusted me with their daughter, and what did I do? I jut gave up.”

“But you’re still here! You didn’t give up, you did everything you could to provide for Jas.”

“Everything I could, except give her back the family that was stolen from her.”

Jodi’s heart shattered here, if there was anyone who knew what kind of sacrifices anyone would make for children, what kind of mountains one would carve through, the oceans they would swim across, Jodi knew of those all too well, and she knew the pain and worry of what it would mean to leave Sam and Vincent behind when she died.

“How,’ Jodi cleared her throat, ‘How did Jas handle it? Her parents dying?”

“She was really young, I don’t think she fully remembers, but she is definitely traumatized by it, you ever see her Jack-in-the-Box?”

“No, no I haven’t.”

“Well, untraumatized children don’t break their toys that way. At least, I don’t think so.”

“And, how did their death effect you?”

“What?”

“How did you feel when they died? What was your grieving process?”

Shane looked at Jodi for the first time in the entire conversation, his face loosened from his stoic expression and forming a more pained expression.

“I… I don’t think I really had the time to grieve.”

“Oh…”

“Everyone was doting on Jas, because her parents died, but everyone kept telling me I had to be strong, I had to step up, I had to care for her. These were my friends, but all they saw was the godparent.”

“That must have hurt.”

“You know why I moved in with my Aunt Marnie?”

“I thought it was because she’d let you stay for free.”

“Yeah, partially that, but also because I just couldn’t take everyone else. People kept telling me I wasn’t holding Jas right, or I wasn’t playing with her enough, or I couldn’t just leave her at daycare while I ran errands. People saying I wasn’t good enough… you know how much that kind of thing digs at your self-conscious?”

“Did it… remind you of…”

“Someone in my family? My father? My Mother? They were more absent from my life than anything. I never had much of a family growing up.”

“I see…”

Jodi looked over at Shane, he returned to staring at the sea. She looked down at the sand, the tide flowing back and forth across the sand, coming to her and retreating, it felt poetic to her.

“Jodi… Were you… actually concerned about me? That night?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. It was awful to hear that you… almost went there. You don’t know how much I thanked Yoba, and Harvey, for saving you.”

“For Jas’ sake, right?”

Shane felt Jodi grip onto his chin and pull his face towards hers, she had a look of frustration on her face.

“Shane, don’t you get it? You’re a part of this community too. We do care about you. Yes, I was concerned for Jas, but she wasn’t the one who almost drank herself to death. She wasn’t the one who laid out in the rain contemplating tossing themselves over a cliff. She wasn’t the one who had to be taken to Harvey’s in the middle of the night. Shane!...”

She paused, she could see behind his sunglasses that Shane was crying, he wasn’t bothering to hide it.

“Shane… why won’t you let us close to you?”

“Because the last time I let someone get close, they left me, and they can’t ever come back.”

Shane wrapped his arms around Jodi and began crying into her shoulder, he couldn’t help himself.

“Jodi… You’re the first person to ask me about my friends.”

“I shouldn’t have been Shane, and I shouldn’t be the only person you talk to either.”

“I should talk to my therapist about it.”

“Yes, but also,’ Jodi pulled Shane off her shoulder, looked directly into his face, ‘You should tell Marnie, and Jas, and the Farmer, anyone you feel comfortable talking about this too.”

“Yeah.”

“Shane…” she felt the words she wanted to say completely drift away from her mind, she felt horrible for what she wanted to do, she was married, and Shane was emotionally vulnerable, but she couldn’t help it. Shane has been through so much, he needed someone, he needed someone to care. He was used to caring for others, now she thought it was time someone cared for him. She leaned in, her eyes closing, and before she knew it, her lips met with Shane’s.

[drop-dead-dropout]

NEW USERNAME local-queer-disappointment -> drop-dead-dropout

unpinning my other post because i want to talk a little about me and this space that i've created! hi i'm alex and i dropped out of high school twice lol

i think a dni is stupid because people never listen anyways, which is why i haven't had one, but i still see the value in at least telling people who this little corner is for.

also YELL AT ME ON DISCORD I'M woahits_alex.mp3 IF U ASK ME ABOUT FIC RECS FOR MY FANDOMS I'LL CRY WITH HAPPINESS

anyways opinion stuff under the cut. you don't have to read it, and you don't even have to listen if you do, but i might argue with you (<- serial arguer) so if you want to avoid the Discourse here ya go.

you are welcome here:

- ALL queers. trans men, trans women, nonbinary, intersex, poc queers, xenogender, "contradictory" labels like mspec gays/lesbians lesboys/turigirls/sapphileans (omg it's me!!), slur reclaims, detransitioners (who are not transphobic), mspec lesbians, aro/ace and all variations thereupon, unlabeled, questioning, etc. i love all of you. i love the community that we share. we are family, whether or not some of us want to be, and exclusionism is Not Funky Fresh!!

- pro Palestine!! i don't always rb posts as much as i used to (i am scared of spreading misinformation) but i think i'll start doing that again! (don't forget your daily click guys)

- jewish people. i am specifically adding this one to say that because of the shitty Everything, i've seen a lot of concerning antisemitic stuff recently so i'm just, yk, putting this out there.

- disabilities/systems/cluster b disorders/AAC users. i am not any of these things (except maybe plural??) so if i say/do something out of line please tell me! but i love you guys and you're absolutely welcome here.

- proshippers (if this bothers you block and move on)

- furries. not personally one of y'all but i think you're neat and you make cool art :]

- literally, like, anyone, as long as you're not a dick

you are not welcome here:

- terfs, transphobes, exclusionists, anti-mspec, anti-lesboy, and people who think transandrophobia is "fake" or whatever. go away i don't like you (or at least be prepared to be blocked or yelled at)

- similarly to last, anyone who starts queer infighting or hates on less visible queers/strangers who don't "look" queer, the whole "bi girl's straight bf" nonsense (i don't care if you think someone is cishet. you have no way of knowing that. let's stop hating people for immutable characteristics and start having thoughtful criticisms of people's actions thanks)

- ZIONISTS. BYE BYE

- (but also antisemites because come on now let's notttt. judiasm ≠ zionism)

- ableists, fatphobia, racists/bigots, general dickheads

- antishippers (again, you can either leave now or expect to be argued with)

other general stuff:

- i accept anonymous asks! and also non anonymous ones. ask me shit idk

- i am autistic and VERY gullible. if i reblog a "bait" post, or something that's clearly fake or a joke with a genuine reaction, i'm probably not playing some 5d irony chess i'm probably just stupid. sorry y'all i'm trying :\

- i don't rb nsfw. not as, like, a rule, i just don't see the value in doing so lol. if i ever did i'd tag it and probably update this

UPDATE: thought i should clarify, i don't rb nsfw but i do rb nsfw humor, like dick jokes and stuff. hope there's no confusion

- i argue with people!! i enjoy arguing with people!! usually it's in replies and not reblogs but still. if you are allergic to stuff like that maybe don't follow me? i also rb "discourse" posts, mostly transmasc support stuff and callouts of transandrophobia, general solidarity stuff with the trans community or lgbt community as a whole, proship stuff, politics, current events, that kinda thing.

- this is, shockingly, supposed to be a fandom blog! (i got carried away; i always do.) current fandoms include: ace attorney (the one this blog was supposed to be about), doctor who (childhood hyperfixation come back to bite my ass), and splatoon (no excuse). also mha is basically my abusive boyfriend stockholm syndroming me to stay at this point but i'm trying to get better (not). you can find the records of my failing recovery at @alex-is-losing-sleep-over-krbk /hj (i also sometimes shamelessly rb this blog's posts over there lol)

and i guess since i'm mentioning fandoms, here are my fav ships: wrightworth, klapollo, franmaya, thoschei, pearlina, agent 24, & cuttletavio.

anyways, that's about it. love you all :]

[rise-my-angel]

Hi, I hope this isn’t a weird thing to say but as a Jonsa shipper, I really appreciate your criticism of Jonsa. I obviously don’t agree with those particular takes but it’s really refreshing to see someone with genuine good faith takes on why you don’t like the ship. Some of your anti-Jonsa takes actually gave me a lot of food for thought. So I just wanted to say thank you.

My goal was never to change anyone's minds who ships it, or really even tell them to consider another point of view. It mostly started with me making comments how I dislike it, when I started to get a lot of push back for it, when back then my opinion was simply "I don't ship that, the incest makes me uncomfortable."

So I ended up having to dig deeper to explain more of why, and that gave me more perspective on why i dislike it even more and I simply found the desire to express that. I think everyone has valid reasons for disliking ships and the right to explain why, but I also think everyone has the right to ship whatever they want for whatever reasons.

Personally disagreeing with why or why not we agree or don't agree on a ship is totally fine, because for everything I've said, I've never seen you act aggressive or unreasonable about those different opinions. We never went to the other trying to argue why you're or I am wrong, because at the end of the day, we just see it differently and we don't feel the need to argue about it, and thats what I enjoy.

I'm fine with people shipping it and I've heard people out for why they ship things I dislike as they've heard me out. I only point out where and why I disagree but I always say I get where they're coming from.

My issue was always specific parts of those shippers who insist it is canon and I am in the wrong for thinking otherwise, or I am blind and stupid or willingly ignoring things, when I simply don't see what they see. Which like, you heard my points out, and you don't see what I see, but that's okay. I've always made those posts targeted towards those people who come into my inbox on anon and get very rude and aggressive towards me about my posts, when I do tag them as anti posts, because I think if seeing those posts is that upseeting, I wouldn't want someone to read them. But they do, and they still come to me very angry about my own views and I just don't get it.

There's tons of ships in this series I dislike, but I get where people who do ship it are coming from. But, I think it's healthy to express why we dislike something as much as it is to express why we do like it. It's just a balance, and I've never had any issues with you being a jonsa shipper.

It's the mentality of, they disagree with me, and so they feel the need to come to me personally and argue with me that I'm wrong, when really, I make posts about why I dislike ships like jonsa, because I know other people who feel that way but don't want to make those posts, because it can attract negative attention. So I'm fine with making the posts, because I see the people who agree but maybe don't want to say it. It's why I don't go onto jonsa posts and disagree, because clearly those posts aren't made for me, so I have no reason to go to them with my complaints.

I like the idea of we all just make out own posts disagreeing, without personally attacking the other or going to their inbox on anon to argue when normally, none of us want to come here and argue.

Though, I'm glad you don't totally hate me for my posts because I do thoroughly enjoy your blog, and sometimes jonsas's can conflict my dislike for the ship, as me hating Sansa, and I'm always sitting here like "wait no", considering how often I can rewatch the early seasons and how much I love almost all of Sansa's Kings Landing scenes. Sometimes I also get called a jonerys shipper which is even worse, considering I talk down about that 90% more then jonsa.

Basically, its totally not weird you saying this, I'm just glad my posts haven't put you off completely, because I enjoy you and your posts quite a lot. I never aim to try and drive people away from my stuff, I just know sometimes I am more vocal about my dislikes then others, because I know the topics some people are a bit too nervous to post about, usually surrounding popular ships.

I don't want to attack the shippers personally, im mostly trying to just echo opinions I see other people too nervous to post, knowing the backlash can sometimes be a lot to handle. So, hopefully you havent felt that way, because personal attacks isnt my actual goal.

Sometimes I just sound that way, because despite being formal in my posts, I can also sound eccentric and inflammatory in the tags when that is usually just for exaggerated joking sake to offset the essay I usually just wrote.

[witheredoffherwitch]

Find it very funny how someone with a handle that shows they very clearly can’t stand Aemond as a character replied to tumblr comments made from a YEAR ago claiming that the showrunners can’t do anything in adapting alysmond’s relationship or add any sort of complexity that takes away from the fact that their relationship is not consensual and he is a r*pist. “No amount of pet names or cute moments will change that.” They are so unbelievably incapable of critical thought towards fiction. It’s unbelievable how they attack anyone who sees a FICTIONAL DYNAMIC as compelling and interesting. They had the audacity to accuse someone of “victim-blaming” for thinking Alys genuinely wanted to be with him of her own free will. You can absolutely recognize their circumstances were problematic but that does NOT mean people who enjoy dark pairings in media condone r*pe and to insinuate that is honestly disgusting. They even have “alysmond shipper? go kys” in their bio 💀 Imagine going that far because someone enjoys the possibility of a haunted romance. Just insane.

OMG 💀💀

I haven't seen this blog yet but there's a good possibility that I am already blocked by this individual... since my own blog doesn't shy away from showcasing my explicit biases for certain characters and their ships lol.

That being said, how FUCKING sad?? I totally get not liking a popular character or one of their ships, but to go out and make an entirely new blog dedicated to posting/reblogging 'anti- X' tags is so beyond ridiculous! It's a work of FICTION we're talking about here; how can another person's opinions really affect your own well-being? Asking people to KYS over a ship/character is the epitome of LOSER behaviour. I do consider myself a TG sympathizer, but I CANNOT imagine myself enjoying a fandom without my lovely moots who certainly don't align with my tastes or biases. That's why I try not to use anti- tags in my posts, opting instead for pro- ones which better represent my stance on a topic/discussion.

Anyway, I would just ask y'all to let them be! It's everyone's right to curate a fandom experience to their own liking. While I don't like my own experience to be this isolated, I can't fault anyone else looking to have their own 'exclusive' fandom experience.

That's all! 🤗

[logicalarachnid]

I have an idea for a potential new Parksborn/Dark Irondad fic, and it has A/B/O in it, but non traditional, sort of. I need help deciding Harry's status.

Anyway, I have this idea, and I don't wanna say too much about it plotwise yet, however the dynamic of Peter and Harry is relatively important for their relationship. So I'll talk a bit about that, there is a poll at the end. I'd appreciate at least having ppl let me know which of the a/b/o options/concepts for Harry Osborn they'd prefer reading about.

Peter's dynamic is set in stone. He is an omega, but he is an oddity, there hasn't been an omega like him before. He doesn't experience the 'head empty only smutty time' mindset that omegas typically have. Instead, it's like he gets a period, but it's just slick and he experiences little to no excitement. He does however display great strength like a typical alpha and his emotions can spiral if he isn't careful. He does display some typical omega traits like wanting frequent affection from his parents (his alpha dads Steve & Bucky), and being comfortable and even pleased at times with their protective and doting attitudes towards him.

I won't talk about that further, I'll leave it for when I get around to uploading the fic on ao3. I'll post a link to it on my blog when I do. For anyone interested it will be dark irondad vaguely inspired by Prodigal Son. I haven't seen it, as it isn't available on any streaming platforms I have, but I've looked into the dynamic Martin and Malcolm have, that is what got me interested in the first place. I found it through a post on here actually, I'll be tagging/linking them for the inspo when I get round to posting about the fic.

So, this is where I was hoping for some input. It is a parksborn fic and I like having Harry being a simp for Peter. What I'm struggling with is deciding what his dynamic is going to be because I am leaning towards them having an 'untraditional' relationship as far as a/b/o worlds go.

To help give a better picture of their relationship, at least regarding Peter, while he is an omega he is by no means 'biologically normal' by the standard of society. It isn't a bad thing, just 'weird' and 'baffling' to them, meanwhile Peter is not bothered by it, instead, he welcomes it. He would be kind and tender hearted as he usually is, which fits the sterotypical omega list of traits, but he will be prone to experiencing some mood swings (these won't always be obvious). He experiences his emotions strongly and a bit erratically. He views them critically and analytically this is primarily because of his job and a habit of repressing himself. Some alphas might feel intimidated by his differences (bcs insecure men always are), and some alphas might think by some of his behaviours and mannerisms that he is an alpha.

The thing about Peter though is that he is will be deceptive in apperence. He would seem warm and welcoming, he dresses up a bit (not much though), he probably does skin care and looks after himself, and he keeps his hair long (I can imagine Tom's wavyish curls, are they called curls, if not what should I call the texture?). However, despite his inviting appearence it can actually be a weapon of sorts to manipulate those around him. Peter isn't bad in this fic, to him he is just trying to survive in a world where omegas are few, fetishied, occationally mistreated, and underestimated. So, what is an omega like him to do when he seemingly has an advantage? He uses it. So, he subtly manipulates everyone he comes in contact with if he deems it necessary, behaving in a way that is authentic to himself but appeals to the outsiders view of a 'good' omega. He doesn't want to be restricted or limited by others, so for him what he does is helping him survive in a world that isn't made for him to succeed. But I can see how it might come across that he could be morally grey and maybe he is...a little..deep deep down.

He can use his pheremones/scent more effectively too, it is kind of like a dr*g he can cast in the air to calm people to the point it manipulates their perception of what is going on. So, angry alphas in the room? Peter puts out a calming scent or one of hurt and sadness that is strong enough to have those alphas become distracted and decide to comfort him instead of arguing. They might even forget why they were fighting or suddenly dismiss the importance the conversation might have held. I imagine that he would have practised this a lot with Stucky, haha. Basically Peter is kinda 'biologically' enhanced in some aspects. With Harry in the picture, Peter would be analysing him, thinking over the best way to navigate him, and uh, yeah, act accordingly. Harry would prefer Peter at his most authentic, that is the whole reason he gets so attracted to him in the first place. He likes how Peter is, no masking, no manipulations, no pretending, just Peter as his lovable, chaotic, maybe mentally ill self. Now that is love.

No matter what Harry will be, he will be facinated by how different Peter is and is attracted to his more authorative-ish (?) nature. I'm not saying they'd be in a dom/sub kind of thing. They're both kind of different, or at least Peter wakes up something kinda feral in him that is like "yeah, this one, this is my man, and I'm gonna stand beside him". Harry will have an obssesion with Peter. Maybe he got addicted to Peter's scent, or maybe he was exposed to too high of a dose in a short time, or maybe they're fated mates like Harry will believe they are. He'll just need to convince and 'prove' to Peter that they are, which will be something, ha. When they do get together though they'll be cute and kinda weird, but its fine bcs they're them yk.

That was long winded, but I wanted some context for how Harry was gonna be paried up with Peter and what Peter will be like. I'm struggling to decide which of the options in the poll I prefer more.

So which would be more appealing?

[starrtoon]

Question pal, have you had any interest watchin' H*zbin H*tel now that its out (just censored in case you wanna avoid having the fans on your tail) & if so, what did you think and if not, I'm curious as to why! Just because I know you've done art for it & stuff before. (Obviously you don't need to explain yourself, I'm just curious. I know that I watched the whole thing because I couldn't suck myself out of it and there are bits and pieces I enjoy in a more solo-context but others I (Christian) take pretty heavily as like....I don't like it. Big parts feel very off, even with the themes on redeming sinful souls and such. So I just wanna see your thoughts on it if possible as another Christian for some perspective.)

ok, so... yes I watched the first 4 episodes. (through Kimcartoon 😏)

possible spoilers below(?)

besides the OBVIOUS blasphemy and biblical inaccuracies, the show does have a lot of issues with writing and pacing. I didn't laugh at ANY joke in those 4 episodes (though Angel calling Vaggie the actual V word almost got me for some stupid reason 🤷‍♀️)

I don't like some of the VA changes they did, Vaggie sounds bland, Husk's voice doesn't really fit the design of the character IMO, and even tho she isn't a big/important character I DO NOT LIKE THE NEW VOICE THEY GAVE KATIE KILLJOY. I got used to all the other VAs, and kinda prefer the new voice for Alastor over the old. also I would like to congratulate the show for being the first to make canon ships feel like unbelievable cringe fanon ships (the cat and spider, and snake and cherry)

I'll also sometimes scroll through the tag on twitter to see what's going on and what criticisms other people have, like with the whole Angel Poison episode (and which imo when she hires a storyboarder that has a r4p3/n0nc0n f3t1sh to do it, I think that's pretty messed up)

and of course I find out in the episodes I haven't seen they added St Peter and made him a white guy with blond hair, same with making Adam white (I dunno if Adam coulda been darker irl but 🤷‍♀️) as I said in a post on twitter, it's clear Vivz has some animosity towards Christians/Christianity so she's gonna twist and be inaccurate. (true accuracy wouldn't even allow her show to exist, as Adam's song has some truth in it "Hell IS forever" so there'd be no chance of redemption)

[SPOILER] I've noticed from some posts that they got Pentious to heaven, so I see that it actually IS possible for the sinners to be redeemed.

will I watch the new episodes? when I get around to it. I'd say the show is 90% trash. and even tho I don't necessarily like it, nor Vivz as a person, I still like some of the characters (and their designs) even if I don't agree with their actions. if anyone has a problem with me still drawing characters while '''hatin''' on the show, they can just deal with it tbh 😏

[transmutationisms]

I’ve spent the evening going through your tags and vigorously nodding along with all of your analyses of Succession, specifically WRT addiction, drug use and the way drugs are framed throughout the show as performance-enhancing agents for life under capitalism (to sum it up basically, though certainly more nuance could amend that characterization which I think you have covered). Specifically with season 4 and eps 405-408, I’m thinking about the narrative reemergence of cocaine as the waystar universe’s primary “business drug” of choice- though where we would typically see this play out with Kendall’s arc, there’s been fascinating parallels with the Tom/Greg and Shiv/Mattson of it all in terms of their characters conceding to the drug/feigning the appearance of drug use to stay close to the seat of power. IMO next to Kendall, Tom may be the character shown to be most entangled in this inescapable dynamic between drug use and self-image/actualization/esteem; he seems preoccupied and obsessive about the effect of drugs on his personal and financial prospects (“I took the wrong drugs in the wrong order and can’t get happy”) and even moreso in the most recent episode with the whiteboard coke scene (played as a hard comedy scene which I find so interesting!!!)

Meanwhile, we have not seen Kendall explicitly use drugs anytime throughout the season, yet he admits (with a rather surprising candor and self awareness) in 401 that he knows what it’s like to “smoke horse” and therefore needs a business venture as readily able to consume his priorities, and through the season we see him shirking obligations to his family and other loyalties in a seemingly self-destructive spiral that might mirror a normative discourse of “the addict.” So that is just some braindump lol, this is hardly a pointed question but you’re such a thoughtful critic on these themes and I find myself similarly engaged by them as well. am wondering if you have made any similar/different connections or new themes WRT drugs and addiction you’ve seen this season!

yeah, so, tom's drug use is something i haven't really written about and should, because it's a really fascinating angle to his character as well as the portrayal of drugs on the show in general. for purposes of this post i'm just going to assume anyone reading is familiar with the reading of drug use on succession as an expression of neoliberal capitalist subjectivity, and with coke in particular as being a way for the characters to access and perform bourgeois masculinity. also, when i talk about masculinity and femininity in this post, i'm going by logan's definitions of those terms, where the masculine is rational, violent, dominant, and so forth, and the feminine is embodied, passive, submissive, &c. these are the rules by which these characters still live.

what's interesting with tom is that he speaks the language of masculinity and drugs, and therefore also masculinity-qua-drugs, differently than the roys. in 'prague', for example, he sees greg doing coke and tells him to "suck on those big white dicks"—the opposite of what coke means in the text when kendall uses it. for kendall it's a way of enhancing his masculinity, kill drive, &c, which is why his use tends to be SO tracked to his relationship with logan and the demands logan is making of him (for example, seeking it in 'no one is ever missing, using it in 'vaulter' after logan orders him to gut vaulter, or in season 3 when he's at peak patricidality). the fact that tom sees greg using coke as discursively equivalent to sucking cock tells us that tom simply doesn't understand how the roys perform masculinity, or what that means to them. in 'too much birthday' he makes a different mistake, trying to use coke to make himself happy. again, what we can see as viewers is that this is simply not how coke functions for the roys. it's not a party drug or a chemical joyride; it's almost utilitarian in how it's meant to make up for a lack of masculinity or business instinct. it makes kendall capable of functioning in logan's world, where the language spoken is one of violence. tom taking it for fun is kind of doomed from the get-go.

so, there are a few elements of the coke scene in 'america decides' that i find interesting. one is that, although tom actually is now trying to use coke as a performance-enhancing drug à la kendall, the person he's trying to live up to is cyd, who's been ousted. this implicitly feminises tom by suggesting his spectral role model in business is not even his father-in-law, but a woman. second, as plenty of people have noted, greg doing the coke off tom's hand is quite intimate, even tender, and suggests that for tom, coke is homosocial in a distinct way (gayer, to be blunt) than kendall allows it to be. third, tom pressures greg into doing it—again, suggesting he doesn't see it as some kind of competitive advantage but as a male bonding activity, where he wants greg's company (or at least wants someone's company, and uses greg instrumentally). fourth, as you pointed out, it's played for laughs. generally kendall's coke use is portrayed with more nuance: it's not flattering, and there are certainly moments of levity, but it's contextualised as both the ultimate embrace of the logics of capital, and as part of kendall's futile efforts to please his father. both of these elements mean kendall's coke scenes are usually played more seriously. for tom and greg to be hunched behind a whiteboard comedically doing bumps together again stands out, making both of them look a bit foolish and emphasising how tom's relationship to masculinity, coke, and coke masculinity is different to kendall's. both kendall and tom fail at masculinity, but in distinct ways; kendall tries repeatedly to use coke in order to make up the difference, whereas tom doesn't even understand consciously that that's an option.

shiv's refusal of matsson's coke to me parallels roman turning down coke with asgarov. roman and shiv do business and gender differently than kendall. although shiv instinctually identifies with a more masculine role (ie, she sees herself as dominant, in control, the smartest one in the room, &c), she doesn't have the wild insecurity that drives kendall to compensate using coke. shiv prefers to try a more deliberate strategy than the way kendall just goes in swinging his cock around, hoping he'll intimidate someone. meanwhile, roman identifies with a more feminine, coquettish role, which is precisely what logan always perceived as being so disgusting in him. roman's business strategy often reads as flirting, but without following through (inviting matsson to come piss with him, but then refusing to actually take his own cock out; following asgarov to the bathroom but turning down the coke; the lotion situation with mencken). so, shiv and roman have now both had scenes where they're directly offered the chance to try on kendall's overcompensatory masculinity for themselves, and they've both turned it down, telegraphing the way their strategies for surviving in the world of waystar diverge from kendall's.

kendall, of course, has been interesting this season drug-wise by negation. the heroin line is interesting, although unclear to me to what extent he was serious (and, even if he was serious, we have no idea whether he's talking about anything recent), so it mostly just suggests that this is something he and his siblings are comfortable acknowledging / joking about. whether it's a joke or not, the invocation of heroin specifically to convey basically immediate, overwhelming enjoyment / pleasure fits in with how the show distinguishes between uppers and downers, with downers being the drugs more likely to be taken in pursuit of pleasure rather than as tools for neoliberal self-improvement like coke / uppers. besides that, the past 10 in-universe days have essentially been a process of kendall deciding more and more baldly to pursue his father's ceo position once and for all. kendall's drug use is in response to both logan and the broader demands of capitalist masculinity, so i don't want to read too much into his non-use this season (& it honestly wouldn't shock me if we saw him do a bump or two in the last episode or something), but i do think that at the beginning of the season, we catch him at a relatively relaxed point, as he's been removed from his father and had his siblings nearby. so, the show is capable of portraying him spiralling out (as you point out) without using a drug narrative or conventional addiction arc to telegraph that, because his coke use means very specific things in relation to masculinity and capitalism.

[ephemeraljellyfish]

why is it so inconceivable to you that the transmisogynistic guys who talk about transandrophobia would be behind the ask-harassment? why are y'all allergic to taking any sort of responsibility for the sexist stuff that your peers say? you can't in confidence deny that transandrophobia truthers had anything to do with that shit. you cannot use your status as a "marginalized group" as a defense when transfems are literally more marginalized than transmascs. newsflash, male privilege and female oppression still exist in trans people

like, okay, i don't appreciate the condescension here but i'm going to respond to point by point because this doesn't cross into "anon hate" territory yet. and i'm a believer in hanlon's razor.

honestly i don't think this ask deserves a well-thought-out response, but i'll give one anyways:

why is it so inconceivable to you that the transmisogynistic guys who talk about transandrophobia would be behind the ask-harassment?

i'm going to assume you refer to all the big transandrophobia blogs who post in the tag. and it's not inconceivable to me, actually. it's not inconceivable to other pro-transandrophobia blogs either, if you look at the response from yharnamsnewslug. (i've got other examples too.) i've seen only one transmisogynistic response to the ask in the transandrophobia tags and that person was criticized. heavily. but they deleted the comments from transandrophobia blogs telling them they were being transmisogynistic.

additionally, i just tend to abide by the rule "innocent until proven guilty"? i also don't believe in collective punishment. even if a few transmisogynistic guys did this, i really don't think the concept of transandrophobia has any less merit—and let's be real here, calling people "transandrophobia truthers" IS a way to discredit the idea. but i also find it conspiratorial to assume a bunch of transandrophobia blogs organized to do this. why is this the instinctive belief? it feels like a leap in logic to me. are there provable steps you took that led to this belief?

why are y'all allergic to taking any sort of responsibility for the sexist stuff that your peers say?

i don't know if y'all implies i'm also one of the trans guys implicated here. i'm nonbinary. and i've seen trans men/mascs call out transmisogyny. i block transmisogynistic people, so i don't have the post to show you anymore, but it's likely still in the transandrophobia tag if you wanna look for it, but OP deleted all the posters calling them out. (also see the post i referenced previous question for an example of calling out transmisogyny.)

you can't in confidence deny that transandrophobia truthers had anything to do with that shit.

i don't deny that it could be literally anyone. but why are we leaping to accuse anyone at all? shouldn't there be proof? i wonder, if the people blocked the anon, will they still see the "transandrophobia truther" blogs they haven't blocked yet? would that prove who didn't do it, at the very least? i'm spitballing ideas here. do we care to get to the bottom of who's guilty or are we looking for a group to blame?

you can't deny that it might be a shit-stirrer, so why are we holding a group of people accountable without proof? there's no "proof" in the idea that everyone has capacity to be transmisogynistic lending itself to blaming transandrophobia truthers specifically. if you go with that line of logic, then implicate everyone for the anon.

you cannot use your status as a "marginalized group" as a defense when transfems are literally more marginalized than transmascs. newsflash, male privilege and female oppression still exist in trans people

i'm going to blow past your use of "male" and "female" because honestly, as a nonbinary person i'm unnerved when people use "biological sex" categories in discussions about trans people. this made me consider not answering. this screams "TERF" to me. but let's offer you the benefit of my doubt. (i don't think the transfems you're trying to defend would be comfortable with these terms either btw. screams exorsexism too.)

i mean we all knew it would come to this final point. this idea that you hold so dear—that there's a "more marginalized" group—it's an unsubstantiated one. there's no easy way to tell who is objectively "more oppressed." do you really think some transfems don't also wield their marginalization like that? that there aren't bad actors in literally every identity under the LGBTQ umbrella? i personally don't believe marginalized people are absolved of sin, i think their marginalization makes it easier for them to lash out because they've been hurt. i also know their pain is very real and needs discussion. that goes for all marginalized people.

since you believe in tiered oppression and listening only to the most oppressed person in the room (i don't believe i can change that), tell me, who's more oppressed? a white lesbian transfem? an east asian nonbinary person? a black transmasc? a two-spirited Navajo? any queer identity that exists outside of "Western" countries? queer identities within religious minority groups? no, really, are transfems more marginalized across the board? or is this just a dispute between white people that i shouldn't be a part of?

i'm fully aware of the marginalization dynamics at play here. i think you're the one who needs to introduce more complicated ideas than "men bad and women good." also guess what? saying that transfems are the most marginalized person in the room leads to tokenization, which is BAD.

i can honestly go on, but i think i've used up enough time and effort for an anon who didn't put any effort to make any good arguments for me.