#do you agree or disagree with my selections??

[redflagshipwriter]

Check Yes (to go on a date with a dead guy)

Chapter 1

The expectant smiles froze on his siblings’ faces.

Jason blinked, still shaking off the disorientation of the green twisting blur that always came when he took his turn with tHe RitUaL. “What?” he said. It came out defensive. Usually they were all laughing by this point.

Dick reached out and took the post-it off his forehead. “We may have misunderstood this sacrificial thing.” He frowned at the note.

Jason tore it away and flipped it around to read it.

“...Please stop the bridal sacrifices,” he read, voice instantly trembling with the need to laugh. Holy shit. “Proposal is kinda forward. But if you really want, I’d totally go on a date with you. Check yes or no. Danny.” There were two smiley faces after the name and a scribbled drawing of a human looking guy with tall hair.

The batcave was in total, mortified silence. The ritual that had become their pre-patrol goof-off activity of choice had maybe… maybe been a mistake?

“I’m kinda hurt,” Dick broke the silence. “I’m marriageable. I’m a catch, even.” He was joking, but Jason was pretty sure that it wasn’t totally baseless. Who would look at Dick and then choose Jason, of all the people?

Stephanie snorted. “It’s probably your reputation as Ritchie Rich,” she soothed. “I’m sure if this… is it the same guy every time?” She blinked, clearly distracted from her original thought. “Have we all been proposing to Danny day after day?” She wondered. She started counting on her fingers.

“Twice last week,” Tim said thoughtfully. “I proposed to him twice last week.” A line formed between his brows. “I should probably tell Bernard, huh?”

“We must communicate with whoever this Danny is,” Damian said immediately. “If this realm possesses both animal life that resembles our fauna and sentient beings capable of the bad judgment necessary to select Todd as a suitor over Richard, we must know more.”

Jason made a face at Damian and flipped him off, but didn’t disagree. “How is this supposed to work?” He waved the post-it. That did imply some modernity, at least. They were communicating with someone who had stationary. “If I was going to check it, would he know what I picked? Or would I have to– should be bride sacrifice a notebook back and forth?”

“A notebook,” Tim said scathingly. “We can do better than that. A communicator, a phone.”

“Who says Danny has signal, dingbat,” Jason shot back. “He’s probably out of the service area.”

Cass took the paper out of his hand and peered at it. “Yes or no,” she asked, cutting off the disagreement before it could get heated.

He didn’t have to think about it. “Yes,” Jason said, mischief in every line of his body. “I gotta see where this is going. We should at least meet the guy.”

“He said you were tempting!” Dick gasped. He grabbed Jason by the arm and clung on. “Remember? The first time? You’re his type!”

Damian made a ‘gross’ face, features scrunched up like an unhappy cat. Stephanie ‘ooooed’ like she was watching a wrestling match. Cass merely looked thoughtful.

Jason shook his annoying brother off and kept him at a distance with a palm on Dick’s forehead.

“Oooh, the void boy has a crush on you,” Stephanie teased. “You’d be such a beautiful bride, Jason.” She didn’t react to Cass reaching into her hip pouch and withdrawing a sparkly purple pen. Jason loftily ignored Stephanie and watched Cass carefully check YES.

The note disappeared. Cass looked at her empty hand. She flicked the pen between her fingers. Her brow scrunched up.

“Shit!” Jason cursed. “Did-”

The group broke out into an explosion of excited sound.

A throat cleared from the stairs. “Kids?”

Batman stood there, wearing wary suspicion and most of his patrol outfit. He was under the impression that they had agreed to stop sacrificing each other to the green void.

“She took my pen,” Stephanie wailed, instantly switching tracks. Cass backflipped away three times and then leapt directly upwards into the rafters, waiving the purple pen tauntingly. Stephanie chased after her.

“What-”

“Jason won’t let me hug him,” Dick tattletailed. He lunged to grab at Jason. Jason dodged on reflex and threw himself into the scuffle.

“I need to call Bernard.” Tim turned and outright left the Batcave. “I’ll be about five minutes late for patrol, B.”

Bruce watched this chaos with bewildered eyes. “...We leave in ten,” he said, and visibly gave up.

…

The date, when it came, was a fuckin surprise to Jason. He was minding his own business compiling a report on everything the Two-Facers had done last week. (There was a surprising amount of bureaucratic process involved in making yourself the judge, jury, and executioner of people who sucked.)

And then there was a violently green hole in his wall. “Huh,” Jason said, leaning back in his chair. He pulled the handgun out of his desk drawer and cocked it at the portal. “Not sure I care for that.”

“Thanks, wolf,” came a warbled and nonsensical reply. Jason turned off the safety.

His brow furrowed. “What?”

The portal flashed white and it closed. He was lifting his gun to point at the man now standing in his apartment before he’d actually processed that someone had come through. This guy moved fast.

“This is where you live?” The other man was peering around Jason’s apartment. He seemed politely interested at best, and, Jason felt, much less concerned by the gun than he should have been. “I heard bats before. I thought there would be more bats.” His tone was disappointed. He looked at Jason and then flinched his palms out and up, as if he thought he might have come off rude. “Not that you need bats! Or that I’m disappointed by the lack of bats in your decor. In fact you have wonderful, uh, curtains.” He very obviously named the first thing that he saw. He pretended to be fascinated by them. “The red sure is a choice.”

Jason snorted.

“A great choice! I’m not criticizing your home. It’s great.”

Jason realized that if he didn’t say anything to save him, Danny was going to ramble himself into a verbal corner and slink out of the dimension to escape his obvious embarrassment.

“...You hair looks just like in the picture you drew,” Jason said. He put the safety back on. “Hello, Danny.” The name tasted odd in his mouth. It twas just a little pedestrian for the other man– no, teenager, the other teenager.

Danny looked young. No wonder he’d thrown Dic back like the wrong fish.

Jason felt a little less smug about having been the one chosen. Maybe he was just the most age appropriate candidate, not Danny’s type. Timmers was only two years younger, sure, but he was petite enough that it was a little ambiguous.

Danny turned away from Jason’s window and beamed up at him like that was the greated compliment he could have ever received. “I don’t actually have your name! Which is funny, since you kept manifesting in my house.”

God help him, Danny was cute. Jason reached out a hand. “Jason.”

Danny looked at his outstretched hand and then back to his eyes. He blinked. “Are- oh!” He flushed green and his hand shot out to meet Jason’s in what was very clearly the first handshake of his life.

It was a struggle not to laugh. He didn’t wanna make Danny feel bad so he held it in. There was a helpful distraction in that Danny was fascinating to the touch. It didn’t feel like he was touching a human hand. First off, the hand was about the temperature of butter straight from the fridge. Secondly, somehow the physical contact made Jason taste mint in his mouth.

But really, it just… it didn’t feel like human skin. It was too smooth. There was a raised line from a scar, but the texture was as if all the wrinkles and pores of human skin had been polished off. Like if you held the hand of a marble statue and it was somehow also soft.

Jason pulled his hand away before he could wonder too much if that supernatural smoothness extended elsewhere. Ah. Too late. He flushed a little red, even though the only exposed skin was Danny’s hands and face. “So you’re here to uh, set up a date?” he offered.

Danny blinked at him. “Are you busy now? I was thinking now.”

…He was sort of busy. Jason closed his notebooks, only now concerned that Danny might have seen extremely sensitive information. “Nope,” he lied, attention catching on Danny’s freckles. Something about them was pinging as relevant. Was there a pattern? They weren’t symmetrical or anything. Were they fake?

Danny beamed and - he floated up a few inches in his excitement. Holy hell that was cute. “Great!” he enthused. “Should we go to your place or to mine?”

Uh.

Jason turned violently red. “We are already in my place.” His voice came out tight. He- he hadn’t meant that. That was not a first date activity for him.

It took a few seconds for the penny to drop. “Go out in your city or go to the Ghost Zone!” Danny waved his hands frantically. “I’m not being a creep I swear! I mean, we are kind of spiritually engaged but I’m also engaged to– are those people your friends and family?” He was outright horrified. “Oh my GOD, I’m-”

“I would love to take you out around town, but you’ll stand out,” Jason interrupted. He couldn’t hold back the smile. “We can make it work, though. Thoughts on hats and glowing less?”

“Oh, that’s easy.” Danny twitched his hands outward in a motion he probably didn’t even know he was doing. There was another flash of white light that crawled up and down his body.

And Danny one was gone. Danny two stood in Jason’s apartment with dark hair, patched jeans, and a loose t-shirt that hid the musculature his jumpsuit had displayed. He had a full palette switch of his eyes and skin tone as well.

He was obviously the same guy. He just felt more down to earth now.

“Useful,” Jason said, and tugged at his snow-white forelock. “Think you could teach me to change my hair like that?” He was only half joking. It was the bane of his existence when he needed to go undercover. It was too distinctive.

“No, but Doctor Frostbite might be able to sort that out for you,” Danny replied absently.

Jason grimaced instinctively. He knew way too many gimmicky villains to want to do to someone called Doctor Frostbite. “That sounds like the name of a B-tier villain with blue hair.”

Danny paused and clearly contemplated it. “That’s Ember, actually,” which made no branding sense because the word ember evoked warm colors. “Lead the way!” He bounced on his heels, which Jason guessed was his human form equivalent to floating up.

Jason cleared his throat. “I, uh, am gonna want to change.”

For the first time, Danny really looked him up and down and realized that he was wearing a white sleeveless undershirt and black boxers. Jason waited patiently as Danny went through all the stages of grief and social mortification. That didn’t stop Danny’s eyes from followed Jason’s bare arms when he casually lifted one and flexed a little, rubbing at the back of his head. Ha. Eat that, Dick.

“I’m going to go drown myself,” Danny said, now violently pink. Huh, even blushing for a color change. “Can I use your restroom?”

“Stay alive enough to pick between Korean or Mexican,” Jason advised. “I’ll be right back. Should I find you a coat?” He didn’t wait for an answer, frowning at Danny’s bare arms. “I’m gonna find you a coat.” He was already on the way to his bedroom. “It’s freezing out.”

…

[navybrat817]

The man spread. 🤤

(Also the face he's making....)

(Also, hi! ❤️)

Hi, lovely! You know I couldn't resist doing something for Titan and Starshine for you!

Photogenic

Pairing: College!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: You love one of the photos Roxy took of Bucky, but he isn't having it.

Word Count: Over 1.5k

Warnings: Fluff, insecurities, kissing, established relationship, college love, slight feels (it's me), Bucky Barnes (he’s a warning, okay?)

A/N: Another small ficlet for Titan and Starshine.❤️ Not beta read and written on my phone, so any and all mistakes are my own. Divider by the lovely @saradika . Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog for new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

If there was one thing your roommate took seriously, it was her photography. It wasn’t just Roxy’s major, but her way of expressing herself. So when she asked for your opinion on the photos she took of Bucky and Steve, you answered as honestly and diplomatically as possible. You selected the ones you thought captured the project’s essence in the best possible way. You also reminded her that you weren’t a photographer, so your word shouldn’t hold a lot of weight.

She disagreed.

“I still don’t get why you asked for help. I don’t have a keen eye the way you do and I can barely take a photo on my phone,” you said, having to look away from one of the images of Bucky that seemed to stare right at you.

Though it was just a picture, it was like he knew you downplayed yourself and was trying to figure out why. He loved reminding you on your off days that you were one of the brightest students on campus. The compliments usually sent a wave of heat through your body, especially because he stated them unprompted and meant every word.

Roxy playfully rolled her eyes. “You know you don’t have to be a photographer to have a good eye. I not only value your opinion as my roommate, but also as Bucky’s girlfriend. You even managed to stay impartial, so give yourself a pat on the back.”

A laugh bubbled up as you nodded in agreement. While you did stare more at Bucky’s photos than Steve’s, your heart racing with each one that Roxy laid out, you choose an even amount between the two. It was only fair.

“Thank you for asking. I’m glad I could help,” you said. It meant a lot that she wanted your opinion on the finalized product,

“Me, too. And I can’t believe you didn’t tell me to throw Steve’s photos in the garbage,” she joked, carefully looking over one of the images of him hitting a punching bag. “I’m impressed.”

“I wouldn’t do that to you. Besides, Steve’s just as photogenic as Bucky,” you pointed out as her eyebrows shot up. “Okay, almost as photogenic.”

Steve was admittedly one of the most gorgeous men on campus. The blonde haired, blue eyed Adonis with the kind yet almost reserved smile turned many heads. So did Bucky. Two men who looked like a couple of heartbreakers from a glance, but were far from it.

“The camera really does love them,” Roxy stated, chewing her bottom lip as she scanned the images again with a careful eye. After a moment, she smiled from ear-to-ear. “I am so getting an A.”

“Yeah, you are,” you agreed. And the fact that she had such a tough time choosing which images to share when she normally had no problem doing so showed just how many good ones she had at her disposal.

There was one shot of Bucky, however, that she had no problem removing from the film hanger and handing to you to keep for yourself.

He had his powerful thighs spread and wasn’t quite biting his lip, but there was something irresistibly sexy about the pose.

What were you thinking about, Titan?

“Not that I don’t love me some manspreading, because I do, that wasn’t exactly the look that I was going for,” she joked, snapping you out of your thoughts and making you smile so wide your cheeks ached. “What exactly did you say to get him to pose like that?”

“Me? I didn’t say anything,” you smiled, ignoring Roxy’s knowing look as you glanced through the rest of the photos once more. At least, you didn’t think you said anything.

She didn’t believe that for a second. “You act so innocent, yet weren’t you warming his cock when he-”

“Hey, weren’t there supposed to be some photos of Bucky and I together?” You casually cut her off as you pressed your thighs together, wishing your boyfriend was there at that moment.

When Bucky pulled you into his lap during the shoot, you tried to keep your hands to yourself. It didn’t stop the two of you from kissing when Roxy instructed you to. Not that you needed any additional prompting. Bucky had the most kissable lips you ever had the pleasure of feeling against your own.

Your roommate smirked a little. “Oh, I have those tucked away so I can give them to you together,” she said, nudging you toward the door when your phone went off. She must’ve spotted that “Titan” popped up on the screen. “Go. Thanks again. Make good choices. Don’t let him impregnate you, but let him give you all the orgasms you deserve. We’ll allow those.”

“You’re ridiculous in the best way,” you giggled, making sure you had your keys and the photo. While neither you nor Bucky were ready for a family, it didn’t embarrass you in the least that Roxy encouraged the physical side of your relationship with him.

“Don’t forget to show him that photo!”

“I won’t forget!” you promised, smiling as you left and read Bucky’s message.

“Waiting downstairs, Starshine.”

“Be right there,” you messaged back, a skip in your step as you went to greet him outside of your building.

You found yourself staring into the depth of Bucky’s steel eyes as he stood a few feet in front of the door. Tall, athletic, and somehow yours, he managed to stand out in his jeans and t-shirt. Or maybe he stood out to you because he was your guy.

“There she is,” he warmly smiled as you walked toward him.

Suddenly, you felt self-conscious about your casual outfit before you remembered there was no need. Bucky had seen you in the mornings without makeup and still called you beautiful. “Here I am,” you smiled.

He nodded toward your right hand. “What’s that?”

“One of the photos Roxy took. She has others to share with us later,” you answered, holding it up to show him. His eyes narrowed as he stared at it, but gave nothing else away to show if he liked it or not. “But she said I can keep this.”

He pushed a hand back through his hair before he tried to take it from your hand. “Burn it,” he ordered.

That wasn’t the reaction you expected and it made you giggle. “Burn it? I will do no such thing,” you said, moving backward as he advanced on you. “Why should I get rid of this?”

“Because it’s a terrible picture of me,” he huffed.

He’s adorable.

“Not to stroke your ego since you’re acting a little vain, but you’re extremely photogenic. I don’t think you can take a bad photo,” you told him, taking another step back. “I’m keeping this forever because it’s very alluring.”

“There are plenty of other photos you can keep,” he argued as you held the picture out of reach again. His nostrils flared and it took everything in you not to giggle again before he frowned. “Did you say I look alluring?”

Wait, does he really think he looks bad? He’s James Buchanan Barnes. A god among men.

“Bucky Barnes, my Titan, yes. You’re sexy and enticing and I never thought I’d see you worked up over a picture that isn't bad to begin with,” you teased, almost jumping when your back hit the building door. It gave him the perfect opportunity to box you in with his hands, a rush of heat going through your body as he brought his face close to yours. “Do you honestly think you look bad? Because you don’t. Not to me.”

He brought his hand over to cradle your cheek and leaned in until his forehead touched yours. “I just wanna look good for you,” he admitted in a small voice.

It was almost embarrassing how wide your eyes got, so used to his confidence that you forgot that he sometimes had off days, too. Your heart ached to see his self-assurance shake for even a moment and you wondered if it was how he felt when you spoke negatively about yourself. It put things in perspective when you thought of it like that.

“You do. You always look good. I’m more attracted to you every day. To your looks, your brain, and your heart. You’re incredible,” you assured him, in no hurry to move away from the door. “And just like you remind me of how incredible you think I am, I’ll do the same for you.”

“You think my brain is attractive?” He asked, his usual smile back on his face as you nodded. You knew that was how happy you looked when he chased any of your insecurities away. “I sounded crazy, didn’t I?”

“No, you didn't," you said, putting a hand over his. "You sounded human."

“Thank you for making me feel better,” he whispered, brushing his lips against yours as your heart pounded. “But I still think you should burn it.”

“Not a chance,” you smiled before his mouth covered yours.

Swept up in Bucky’s kiss, you both missed the fact that your TA was mere feet away, watching and wishing that it was him that you were kissing instead.

And if he has his way, you will.

Hmm. I wonder who the TA is. Love and thanks for reading! ❤️

Masterlist ⚓ Bucky Barnes Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

[godisshook]

New Year, New Me

Adam needed a change. Life for him had been dull, with each day feeling monotonous. He couldn’t stand it, entirely dissatisfied with school, he had all but given up on his studies by now. If his apathy towards school wasn’t already making things bad, his dating prospects made things miserable. Despite doing everything in his power to put himself out there, he simply never had any romantic success. As he celebrated the new year with his friends, the one thing making his life worthwhile, he silently wished for some way to change things, to make his life better. With the ball dropping and the new year starting, he returned home, not knowing that his wishes would be answered in the most unexpected way.

It was a quiet day on campus, with most people returning home for the new year. Adam didn’t particularly care about going back, and so stayed in his dorm with his roommate, Blake. Returning home from the store, Adam opened the door, and was met with a guy he had never seen before. Noticing Adam’s worry, the unknown guy spoke, “Hey Adam, it’s Blake!” Adam’s eyes widened. He had changed his entire look, going from a quiet, unassuming guy, to one of the strongest guys Adam knew of. Inquiring on this sudden change, Blake bluntly replied, “It’s this app called ResetR, It’s fucking crazy man!”

Curiosity would get the best of Adam, as he ventured to the App Store to find this seemingly magical program. Upon finding the page for ResetR, he quickly downloaded it, hoping this would be the change he so desperately needed. He zoomed through terms and conditions, not caring about the various warnings, ana made it to the main page, where he was met with a set of questions.

>Would you like to start? Yes. >Please answer each question on a scale of "Strongly Disagree" to "Strongly Agree." Ensure all answers are as honest as possible.

While going through the questions, Adam became more and more bored, as he failed to see the relevance of the app asking about his eating habits, and thus, before making it to the most vital questions, he closed the app, opened twitter, and simply scrolled the night away.

That would not be his last experience with ResetR, however, as soon more and more people in his life would change; some simply becoming taller, while others seemed to have a full makeover. Knowing the source of these changes, and with his dating life still abysmal, Adam decided to give it one more go. Luckily for him, the process was about to become much easier. He noticed the app had undergone a major update; allowing you to scroll through preset profiles, rather than simply filling out a form. Not only that, but he could change aspects of his current self, instead of simply becoming a new person.

Now, the starting screen presented two choices:

>I would like to change my current self >I would like to view profiles, and perform a reset

Adam wanted to venture into what this new update had to offer, and selected the second option. A few sliders were presented, such as muscle, and level of success, and after setting each bar to his liking, Adam hit confirm, and was presented with a slew of new bodies he could inhabit. He swiped through profile after profile, with none of them particularly catching his interest. Getting sick of the process once more, he would almost give up, until one profile would stop him dead in his tracks.

Danny, 22 Profile Features: Career: Model, Height: 6’3, Weight: 205 lbs, Personality: Cocky, Domineering, Self-Centered

Adam was completely enamored with this profile. Danny had everything Adam wanted, and then some. While his personality left some to be desired, it was a sacrifice he would be willing to make. Looking over everything one final time, Adam knew that this was what he wanted. He clicked the big green “Confirm” button, and was presented with even more waivers and forms, which he breezed through again, tweaking small aspects until he had the perfect profile.

Now came the decision of how long to maintain this. He could select it for a small period of time to see how things went, like many of his friends did, or, making his reset permanent. Mulling over his choices, dam reflected on his experiences. His life was entirely uninteresting, always being a wingman, and never having any luck in dating himself. There wasn’t many things in his life he would miss if he decided to reset. He then thought about his friends. They had all changed back by now, with the novelty of the app over for them. Those who had changed aspects of themselves chose to keep it, but most didn’t want to change everything. Noticing the option to stay within the area, Adam mulled over it, thinking that he would remember Blake no matter what.

Soon, his choice was made.

Adam chose to stay in the area, and just in case, he drafted and sent one final text to Blake, his closest friend, simply saying, “Thank you for everything, hope to see you again.” With the text sent, and without a second thought, he selected a permanent reset, and clicked “Confirm” one final time.

Any regret Danny might have had about his decision would be gone in just a few weeks, as he made new friends, and had guys lining up to be with him. His promiscuous attitude was perfect, as he was dicking guys down left and right, without a care in the world. With the change setting in, his old friends became replaced with new ones, and the old Adam was no more. Danny had come across a shaggy haired guy on campus in one of his communications classes, who introduced himself as Blake. While the name sounded familiar, he simply could not remember from where. Nevertheless, he set his sights on him, and got Blake in bed, making him straddle his massive cock, and take load after load.

The two soon were fucking every day, as Blake poured his heart out to Danny, talking about an old friend of his, who he had assumed left town. Danny shrugged at this, and continued pounding Blake out, and as time passed, even he would forget about his old friend. With the month over, and changes setting in completely, any trace of Adam was now gone, and his new life had truly begun. As Danny admired himself in the mirror, he knew he was going to enjoy this new life, with his new fuck buddy, and live it to the fullest.

[transmutationisms]

Feel free not to answer this ask so you dont have to step into this particular hornet's nest but do you have any thoughts about people sharing inaccurate science about COVID in order to push for more COVID regulations? I agree that COVID is being neglected and we need better policies but I'm also a biochemist so it pisses me off to see people cite research in a way that makes exaggerated and terrifying claims. Two years ago, I was warning my colleagues against this condescending "just trust the science" approach but now the same crowd pushing that has shifted to pushing "don't trust any of the positive science, only my catastrophic interpretations of it". Can't we mask without also trying to convince each other that COVID is a guaranteed one way ticket to death and permanent disability?

you must be new here haha i swing bats at this hornet's nest like once a month. yeah i think the current state of covid communication sucks a lot. i mean the truth is that "follow the science" is always a disingenuous sentiment; Science doesn't speak, and scientists disagree with one another. and it's naïve to pretend majority consensus is a reliable mechanism to identify truth—anyone who has followed the covid aerosolisation about-face will recall that although linsey marr was not the first researcher to challenge medical orthodoxy on airborne disease transmission, even well into the covid pandemic the idea of aerosol transmission was marginalised by global health authorities because it was politically inconvenient, out of favour with powerful established academics, and reminiscent to some of pre-pasteurian miasma theories of disease. those who would "follow the science" were not presented with a convenient dichotomy between reasonable evidence-backed expert consensus and fringe peddlers of heterodoxy; to evaluate these positions required actually, yknow, reading and evaluating the arguments and evidence from multiple competing positions, and deciding which had the greater explanatory power. which is good epistemological advice only insofar as it's so obvious as to be trite.

fundamentally a huge driving force of this situation is the social, political, and institutional forces that make expert knowledge (a generally good thing) all too often synonymous with inaccessible knowledge. i don't mean inaccessibility caused by knowledge being specialised; obviously this is inevitable to some extent simply as a result of the fact that no one person will grasp the entirety of human knowledge. but the fact that knowledge is specialised, specific, highly technical, and so forth doesn't automatically mean, for example, that it has to be monetarily gatekept from all but a select few with the resources to persevere through a highly punishing, nepotistic, hegemonic university system; this is a political problem, and one that additionally has the effect of enabling and sheltering low-quality work (see: replication crisis) behind the opaque walls of university bureaucracy and the imprimateur of the credentials it grants. in lieu of an ability to actually engage with, read, or challenge much of the academic research being generated on any given topic, the lay public is supposed to rely on signs of reliability like possession of a degree, or institutional reputation. what we in fact see again and again, and with particularly high stakes in the case of something like a pandemic, is that these measures are instruments of class stratification and professional jockeying that don't inherently ensure quality information: MDs can and do peddle anti-vaxx lies and covid / long-covid denialism; the CDC and WHO can and do perpetrate bad and outdated scientific advice, like that masks are unnecessary and isolation periods can be shortened for convenience. many of these are just blatant cases of kowtowing to political pressure, which arises from the capitalist logic that counterposes disease prevention to economic growth.

this all leaves us in a position where it is, in fact, smart and correct to evaluate the information coming from 'official' and credentialled sources with scepticism. the problem is that in its place, we get information coming out of the same capitalist state-sponsored scientific institutions, and the same colonialist universities; the idea that some chucklefuck on twitter is telling you the secret truth just because they correctly identified that the government sucks is plainly absurd. where covid specifically is concerned, the liberalism of academic and scientific institutions is on display in numerous ways, including the idealist assumption, which many 'covid communicators' make, that public health policy is primarily a matter of swaying public opinion, and therefore that it is always morally imperative to form and propagate the most alarmist possible interpretation of any study or empirical observation. this is not an attitude that encourages thoughtful or measured evaluation of The Science (eg, study methodology), nor is it one that actually produces the kind of political change that would be required to protect the populace writ large from what is, indeed, a dangerous and still rampant virus. instead, this form of communication mostly winds up generating social media Engagement and screenshots of headlines of summaries of studies.

meanwhile, actual public health policy (which is by and large determined at the mercy of capitalist state interests, and which by and large shapes public opinion of what mitigation measures are 'reasonable', despite the CDC repeatedly pretending this works the other way round), remains on its trajectory toward lax, open exposure of anyone and everyone to each new strain of covid, perpetuating a society that is profoundly hostile to disabled people and careless with everyone's life and health. this fucking sucks. it sucked that we have treated the flu like this for years, and it sucks that we are now doing it with a virus that we are still relatively immunologically naïve to, and that produces, statistically, even more death and disability than the flu. and it sucks that the predominating explanations of this state of affairs from the 'cautious' emphasise not the structural forces that shape knowledge production under capitalism, but instead invoke a psychological narrative whereby individuals simply need to be sufficiently terrified into producing mass action.

[pepi1989]

Opposites - Matt Sturniolo

I bounce into the living room, practically humming with energy as I scan the space for Matt. It’s not hard to find him. He’s curled up in the corner of the couch, hoodie pulled up over his head, headphones in. The glow from his phone lights up his face, but I can tell he’s zoning out, lost in his own little world. Quiet, calm, just… him.

But me? I’m the opposite. Always moving, always talking. Sometimes I wonder how we work, him with his laid-back vibe, me bouncing off the walls like I’ve had five coffees. But somehow, we just do.

I dart across the room and flop down next to him, purposefully crashing into his side. His eyes flick over to me, one brow raising just slightly as he pulls out one of his headphones. “You good?” he asks, his voice that usual calm, even tone. There’s a hint of amusement in his eyes, though, like he’s expecting whatever whirlwind I’m about to bring.

“I’m great!” I chirp, not even bothering to sit still as I kick my legs over his lap. “You’ve been sitting here forever, though. What are you watching?”

“Just some random stuff,” he mumbles, glancing back at his screen. “Nothing exciting.”

I tilt my head, resting it on his shoulder as I peek at his phone. He’s watching videos, but I know he’s probably just letting them play in the background while his mind drifts. Matt does that sometimes—gets lost in his thoughts, even when everything around him is buzzing with energy. And I love that about him. It’s like he’s this steady force in the middle of my chaotic world.

“You should come with me,” I say suddenly, sitting up straight and turning to face him. “Let’s go do something!”

He chuckles softly, shaking his head. “Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere! Let’s go get ice cream, or walk around the park, or, oh! We could go to that cool little bookstore downtown that I’ve been wanting to check out. You know, the one with the cute coffee shop inside?”

Matt gives me that small, familiar smile, the one that always makes my heart flutter a little. “You have way too much energy.”

I poke his side, trying to stifle a grin. “And you have none. That’s why we balance each other out.”

He rolls his eyes but doesn’t disagree. Instead, he shifts slightly, pulling me in closer so that I’m tucked against his side. His hand rests on my thigh, warm and steady, and I immediately feel myself relax a little, the way I always do when I’m around him.

“Fine,” he says after a beat, “we can go. But only because I know you won’t stop bugging me if we stay here.”

I laugh, my heart doing a little happy dance at the idea of pulling him out of his comfort zone for just a little while. It’s not that Matt doesn’t like going out, he’s just more selective about it. He’d much rather stay home, cozy and comfortable, but when he does agree to come along with me? It makes the whole adventure that much better.

“Yesss!” I cheer, hopping up off the couch and pulling him with me. “You’re the best, you know that?”

Matt rolls his eyes again, but there’s a softness in his expression, that quiet fondness he always shows in his own way. “Yeah, yeah. Go grab your shoes before you change your mind about where you want to go.”

I’m already halfway down the hall, shouting something about how we should definitely get ice cream first, because dessert before dinner is totally a thing, when I hear him chuckle behind me. It’s quiet, almost like he’s trying to hide it, but I know it’s there. And it makes me grin even wider.

By the time we’re outside, walking down the street, the sun’s already starting to set, casting everything in this warm, golden light. I’m bouncing beside him, talking a mile a minute about all the things I’ve been thinking about today, new books I want to read, random ideas for a road trip, and a whole list of movies we should watch together.

Matt listens, like he always does, his hand wrapped around mine as we walk. He doesn’t say much, just a nod here, a soft hum there, but I know he’s taking it all in. That’s the thing about Matt. He doesn’t need to say a lot to show me he cares. He’s just… present. He’s steady. And I love that.

Eventually, we end up at the ice cream shop, and I’m already bouncing on my toes, trying to decide what flavor I want. “Should I get cookie dough? Or maybe strawberry? Oh! What if I mix them?”

Matt smirks, shaking his head as he watches me deliberate like it’s the most important decision in the world. “You’re overthinking ice cream.”

“I am not!” I protest, though I’m fully aware that I kind of am. But that’s just who I am, always overthinking, always full of ideas and questions and what-ifs. And Matt? He’s the one who reminds me that it’s okay to just… be.

He orders his usual, plain vanilla, of course, while I finally settle on some wild combination that probably doesn’t make sense to anyone but me. And as we sit outside, enjoying our ice cream, I can’t help but look over at him, feeling that familiar warmth spread through my chest.

We’re so different. He’s quiet, thoughtful, content with the simple things. I’m loud, always moving, always full of ideas. But somehow, we fit. He grounds me when I’m all over the place, and I bring him out of his shell, even if just a little.

Matt catches me staring and raises an eyebrow. “What?”

I grin, licking my spoon before shrugging. “Just thinking about how much I love you.”

His cheeks flush a little, and he looks away, but I can see the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You’re such a dork,” he mutters, but the affection in his voice makes my heart skip.

I lean in, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek, feeling him relax under my touch. “You love me.”

“Yeah,” he murmurs, his voice soft and sure, “I do.”

And just like that, everything feels right. Different as we are, this? This is everything.

[restinslices]

Hello, I'm indecisive so you can pick any character you want for this but how about you're selected MK1 characters with a combat medic reader?

Okay so based on google, a combat medic provides emergency medical treatment. I kinda made reader a healer just to add some magical fun but it’s basically the same thing, right? Just with magic. Idk if by “with a combat medic reader” you mean dating or how they’d interact, so I made the headcanons to basically follow their relationship! Also I picked Johnny because if I ever say “I hate white men” never am I ever talking about him.

So we all agree that Johnny is definitely the type to flirt with nurses, right?

Dude flirts with anyone that breathes. I doubt a medic is where he draws the line

I imagine that you meet while he’s training at the academy

You’ve been under Liu Kang’s wing for awhile now. You’re a great fighter but more importantly you’re his most trusted healer

Johnny more than likely gets injured tryna show off. He sees you glancing at him, then he tries to do some extra shit and oh! Look at that! He’s injured!

He’s like “damn. That’s embarrassing”

Now some may think that Johnny would be even more embarrassed when he realizes you’re his medic

I disagree

This mf is unbelievably delusional

“Me getting injured means that we were meant to be”

Johnny have you considered… thinking clearly?

He’s flirting the entire time you’re healing him, which is something that takes awhile since you have to be precise

“I’d feel a lot better if I had your phone number” “You do realize we stay at the same academy, right?”

From then on, Johnny is a pain in your neck

Are we as a class agreeing that he complains about the most minor of injuries just to see you?

There’s someone with a caved in lung in the hospital wing and he walks in like “I have a cut on my hand :(“

“Just use a bandaid” “What if it’s infected?” “It’s not. It’s a fucking paper cut”

I do think however, that it’s mainly just jokingly flirting. He’s just a tease. That’s how it would start out at least. Like when he was flirting with Kitana

He wants to see you because he gets away from training, because you have a nice aura, you’re hot and he likes messing with you

Overtime though, his flirting would become more serious. He’s actually starting to develop feelings for you, but you wouldn’t know the difference

He’d probably see you a lot more often since he’s under Liu Kang and doing shit for him

I can see him asking you to teach him how to handle certain injuries without magic, but he has no intentions of actually treating himself

When you eventually start dating, he only gets worse

Because now in his mind you REALLY have no choice but to deal with his bullshit. There’s no scaring you away now

”I have an injury” “I’m not helping you with a stubbed toe. Just go sit down”

And the flirting? It reaches an all time high

The corniest shit comes out of his mouth. I can’t even think of any off the top of my head

I just honestly think that this would be a fun relationship

Johnny isn’t completely stupid. He knows that you have to know a lot about the human body to know that you have to heal this bone, do this with this vein, whatever whatever

Behind his jokes and flirting, there’s true admiration there

You’re a smart person and he likes that

You get a lifelong partner and he gets his booboos looked at

Seems like a fair trade to me

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

I'm new to a fandom's tumblr. I draw sometimes. After joining and posting my art I realised there wasn't much of a community here despite the fandom being fairly big. I'm basically unknown, still I got anons asking if I shipped others things and one persistent anon trying to know why I'm into a certain unpopular dynamic. Not my first rodeo, I blocked the anon and turned off asks for the time being.

Then I made a couple friends and joined a few discords from tumblr and twitter where I learned about some inner politics. Turns out there's a very popular artist (late twenties) who is one of those situationally leftist, functionally conservative types. They selectively highlight marginalized voices they themselves agree with, speak over the rest, harass people over fandom wankery, is an Asian but is known to hate Asians in mainland because we're all fetishizers or wrong kind of queers (for example they don't follow a single native Asian artist in a manga fandom because we're all gross "proshitters"), very big into cyberbullying people over fiction and idpol etc. They're trans too.

I've been to 10+ fandoms before and this is most puritanical one. This place is fractured and miserable. The community is built around hating people and characters.

This artist who is a fandom leader of sorts, with over 40k followers on twitter and of course a large following on tumblr, has a lot of fans who got popular by mimicing their style and that's a way to get endorsed by them. You're either a fan of them and in their community or you're a rogue fan who will not see one millionth of the notes they get, they'll actively avoid you if you indicate you're into things they explicitly hate, worse of all they'll flood you with anon hate on all platforms. Many of their fans are young adults or teens who keep secret accounts to view said gross things and secretly support said gross artists while harassing those artists and some writers in the name of this leadar. They say they're scared to disagree.

The more I learn (with proof) about what sort of community they have the more I want to leave this fandom wholly, which they'd like so I'm not gonna do that technically.

Instead I'm thinking about doing something I saw another anon here do, which is to make an image of myself as all the things this person hates, maybe make arts of ships and dynamics they hate and that way get all their friends and their two faced coattail rider fans to leave me alone, potentially gain likeminded friends in the process.

WIBTA if I did that because that'd be lying to the masses?

What are these acronyms?

[dostoyevsky-official]

Different anon just watching the drama go down. I'd hand you a lemonade or something because I don't want this to be vitriolic and combative, but unfortunately this is online. No-one's going to change their mind being screamed at and at the end of the day, we're not enemies, we're people who want the same thing and have a different idea about how best to reach that (and hell, maybe I'm wrong anyway, time will tell), so I'm gonna explain my point politely, and I mean no offense, which I hope gets through in my wording but hell, I'm terrible with tone so... let my intentions be known, at least.

I'll be real, I entirely get the revulsion to the presidential election and I agree on most points: something materially needs to be done to wrench the overton window left. The issue is, that not voting *isn't worth it*. It is an unmistakable truth that there will be more death and suffering under Trump. Abortion will almost certainly be nationally banned, transgender people will very likely be criminalized for their very existance, foreign policy will be significantly worse, the right will be emboldened to further violence, ecological damage will be significantly expediated with further fossil fuels, public education will be absolutely gutted, and there is a serious chance that all future efforts for progressive reforms will be sabotaged and made significantly more difficult. And whether or not *not voting* sends a message, it may very well not matter because any actual reform is going to be 10x harder. Plus, even excepting all that, voter turnout will likely not be attributed to Gaza but with mobilization efforts or just plain luck. The amount of people tumblr may be convincing not to vote this year is far closer to the number that could further jeopardize the election than to any amount that will convince Democrats that they should go back on years of self-selection for Israel support and the interests of Oil Executives who want the US to have a hold in the Middle East, if there even is a non-double-digits percentage of potential voters dissuaded by this for them to be convinced. These opinions are so widely-held that voting numbers would have to sway to an insane degree for them to get the message on this. And EVEN STILL, after all of that, if your opinion is to personally not vote, then while I disagree as a principle, I sympathize with the reality of it and I wouldn't chastise you. I get that it's far too utilitarian to suggest that *everyone* puts aside their issues with the Democrats, especially when those issues pertain to them in specific, like those with family in Gaza.

The issue comes in when someone campaigns for others not to vote. You don't have to campaign for anyone to vote but you can't claim that you're not doing harm when you actively tell people they're morally repulsive for voting. It is emperically non-neutral. Convincing other people not to vote is actively attempting to remove other votes, which is materially different from just not voting. Saying that you're not voting because of the Democrats' policy is entirely fair if you're being neutral and don't want to symbolically support Dems. Saying that anyone who doesn't refrain from voting is a morally reprehensible liberal is a step past that, and I do think it's fair to say that *at the minimum* this message and defense isn't honest, regardless of whether or not you believe it's worth not voting.

I admit that the amount of people who are defending Kamala and saying that she and the current administration haven't been reprehensible (for more than just Gaza) aren't honest either, and I disagree with and refuse to support that message, either.

That's not to say I think that laying down and giving up are justifiable either. There are plenty of other constructive ways to make change, especially by voting in local elections and campaigning for these issues in your communities, and I want to give you credit for doing that, for voting on local issues. But the vast majority of these posts campaigning against voting and even your original post do not mention these, and frankly the carte-blanche "do not vote", even if it included an exception to vote for local issues, still would significantly decrease the number of people who vote for these, because it is ultimately still telling people not to vote.

Ultimately, I just don't find it worth it.

(P.S.: Not a liberal, absolutely a progressive who's just as frustrated, angry, and betrayed as you, I've just seen so much shit get worse over the years because of similar campaigns and I'm concerned this is happening again.)

this is the only honest and thoughtful response i've received, to which i would only add that i'm in large agreement with you—up to the point of voting in states like new york, california, etc, which is what i have been saying all day. they're clearly not up for grabs. both the RNC and the DNC know this, while people every four years forget: there's a reason there's no campaigning in massachusetts. the community of people nationwide who care about gaza and are voting is, ultimately, small. it's upsetting to see people read and watch about gaza and go vote in these states, knowing perfectly how the electoral college functions. the vantage point in those states is more or less the same as that of anyone else on earth: a participant to outcomes that are preordained and to which your voice does nothing. it is a symbolic, and therefore in its assent a reprehensible, hypocritical action, in my opinion. i've expressed my disdain for empty voting before in criticizing those russians who went to vote for nadezhdin, then davankov. it's theater signifying nothing

[itsaspectrumcomic]

why is the raads r so confusing???

a lot of questions are worded insanely odd

[especially the memory one, “do you select memories like a card stack, going through them until you find the one you want” like, what does that mean?????]

[[also that was paraphrased i don’t remember the exact wording other than the card stack confusing me very badly]]

Agreed, it's pretty badly worded honestly. There are so many questions that are too vague or have a bunch of caveats.

Like, 'I speak with a normal rhythm.' - I don't know? I speak how I speak? It depends on my mood and who I'm talking to? What's a normal rhythm anyway?

Or 'I cannot tell when someone is flirting with me.' - If I never know if someone is flirting or not, how could I know to answer this?

And don't get me started on the multiple choice answers - what if it's true now but only sometimes? What if I don't remember if it was true when I was young or not? What if other people said it was true but I disagree, or the other way around?

Buuut it's also supposed to be the most reliable test avaliable online so it's the best we have I suppose.

[misc-obeyme]

In-Game?

Okay next in the daily chat series is this one featuring Leviathan!

"But CC," you may be saying, "didn't you already post a daily chat story with Levi?"

Yes, I did a while ago. But then I deleted it. So if you saw that and were confused, I'm sorry! The problem is Levi lol. No, but seriously, I didn't like how that story turned out, so I decided to delete it and try again with a different chat. I find I sometimes have trouble writing Levi's character and honestly I think it's because his anxiety really hits close to home?? I mean, in the game, it's really not that bad. He just gets nervous sometimes when MC gets romantic and out in crowds of normies lol. But I've been dealing with anxiety (social anxiety specifically) for my entire life, so I tend to overthink it when I write a character with a similar affliction. I think I write the character's anxiety more like my own, which makes it feel too OOC to me. BUT I think I did okay this time, so here it is, attempt number two!

GN!MC x Leviathan

Warnings: none!

LEVIATHAN: Where did I go wrong? For Memory Kiss 2. Ugh, I got the bad ending.

MC: Want to replay it together?

LEVIATHAN: Sure! I just need Suzu-chan's happy ending… … and Shiro-chan's true ending. When you come, bring some drinks. Thanks!

It had all been going just fine. You had brought a few cans of devil crush super spicy mango juice to Levi's room. He had already started up the game Memory Kiss 2, prepared to play through it with you.

You just hadn't anticipated how awkward playing a dating sim together had the potential to be. Now you were sitting next to Levi on the floor of his room, blushing to your roots as the character on the screen swooned at one of your suggested dialogue options. You were both surprised that this option had worked.

Moments ago, Levi had expressed his doubt about it. "That line's just too flirty!" he said. "Suzu-chan will probably be offended that you're being so bold!"

"No way," you disagreed. "It's a great line."

"Why do you think that?" Levi asked.

"It would work on me," you said.

Levi had spluttered at you, unable to respond properly to this revelation. Despite his anxiety at what you just said, he managed to choose the dialogue option in question.

You both watch in stunned silence as Suzu-chan reacted with a multitude of little hearts.

You were embarrassed now because you actually thought Levi was right. It was an overly flirty option. But sometimes it was nice to hear something bold, something that left no room for uncertainty, something that indicated the person you were talking to wasn't just slightly interested, but actually wanted you.

The fact that this video game character seemed to agree with that assessment was pretty embarrassing.

"Y-you were right," Levi managed to say.

You cleared your throat and tried to brush it off. "Of course I was right," you said.

Levi put down his controller. He wouldn't look at you. "B-but you're nothing like Suzu-chan," he said. "And you said…"

"I know what I said," you interrupted, mostly because you didn't think you could stand it if he repeated what you had said. "Suzu-chan is a video game character, Levi. She has a programmed personality. Real people are more complicated. And I… well, I…"

Levi turned to you suddenly, grabbing both of your hands and squeezing them. He still couldn't quite look you in the eye. "Do you want me to start staying stuff like that? This sort of… Asmo-like stuff?!"

You laughed. "I don't know if I could take you seriously if you tried doing that."

Levi drooped a little. "Yeah, it would be more funny than anything, huh?"

"I just want you to be yourself, Levi," you said, watching him smile and blush at this comment.

You let go of his hands and picked up the controller. You had a feeling about what was coming next in the game, so you pressed through some of the remaining dialogue until a new set of options came up.

You selected one of the options, letting the game highlight it without actually choosing it yet. You put the controller back in Levi's hands.

"I want this from you far more than any flirty line," you said softly into his ear, leaning in close to him.

Levi froze at first, his eyes on the screen. You had highlighted the option that said only kiss me.

But then he seemed to gather up his confidence. He hit the button on the controller, choosing to kiss the character, who reacted with a sweet little kiss sound. But Levi wasn't looking at the screen anymore. The controller was abandoned on the floor as his arms circled around your waist, pulling you close.

You could tell that he was still nervous - a slight shake in his touch, the light blush on his cheeks, the way he kept his eyes closed - but he still leaned in to press his lips to yours.

Levi always started off timid, but with a little encouragement, he lost himself enough to let go of that anxiety. So you kissed him back, putting your arms around him and clutching onto his shirt as you pulled him closer to you.

Sure enough, this was all Levi needed. His response was to become needy, arms tightening around you, his movements more desperate, even a gentle nip at your bottom lip.

You pulled away just enough to whisper in his ear. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to distract you like this. What about the game?"

Levi made a low noise in his throat, half groan, half growl. "MC, for once I don't care about the game. Right now, real life is way better."

You laughed because this actually meant a lot coming from Levi. You kissed him again and he was ready for you, both of you losing yourselves in each other while Suzu-chan displayed on the screen, forgotten.

others in this series:

Mammon | Barbatos | Solomon | Lucifer | Simeon

Asmodeus | Diavolo | Beelzebub | Belphegor | Satan

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[floffytofu]

The Padawan

next

The young woman humming while holding her baby, trying to stop their cries in her arms, even her head feels dizzy from blood loss. She is still trying to sing lullaby, ignoring the stare from a Jedi behind her.

"I can still heal you and bring you to coruscant" The Jedi knell beside her looked at her eyes with faint sorrow. "You know it will be too late for that Jedi master, I just need you to promise me one thing" The woman looked at the Jedi with pleading eyes and a single tear rolling down. "Please give my baby home to go back, don't let them be alone"

The jedi master swallowed hard, looking at the baby who is asleep peacefully now. He knew that Jedi couldn't form any attachment. He knew that he couldn't promise her anything. He knew that he had to ask all of the Jedi Council members permission first. But at the moment, he can't bring himself to say no to her. He can't bring himself to deny a desperate mother who just wants to save her child. And he can't deny the Force calling him to accept and promise to her.

"I promise"

-Time skip 10 years later-

"And what do you think you doing with that bird young one?"

You stop at your track, looking at Master Windu with a sheepish smile, holding a bird in your chest, afraid to drop it. "Oh, I uh- I found it at the outside Master, someone accidentally stepped on its leg. So I brought it to Healher Che"

Windu looked at you with skeptical eyes and sigh. He took the bird gently and looked at the leg who seemed already healed. He looked back at you "It looks fine now"

You nodded at him and released a breath who you didn't even realise you were holding "Can I keep it Master? Just to make sure it didn't get hurt"

Windu closed his eyes for a brief moment and kneeled in front of you. He held your shoulder gently "What do we learn about attachment young one?" you frown and sigh "I know attachment can lead to the dark side Master, but I promise I won't. I just want to take care of it"

Windu shook his head gently and stood up. He looked at you with a more serious gaze now or you called it with 'the council members gaze' "Young one, you need to control your emotions in check. You have already grown up now and soon you will be selected as a Padawan. If you can't control your emotions, it will be hard for you to be chosen as Padawan and we don't want that to happen"

You looked down at your feet and nodded "Yes Master, I understand" Looking at that, Windu's gaze softened, he took one of your hands and put the bird in your palm.

"Now let's set this little bird free together, shall we?"

You look up at the old Master and smile.

"With young Skywalker, how young Ahsoka did, hmm? Much potential the duo possessed" Master Yoda looked at Obi-Wan with a faint smile. Obi-Wan sat down on his chair and nodded at the old Grand Master "They indeed made a great duo Master, Ahsoka's presence really making a good influence on Anakin to teach him responsibility"

The Grandmaster nodded satisfied, "After young Skywalker, another Padawan, do you desire young Kenobi? perhaps hmm?" Obi-Wan rubs a hand over his beard, seems in deep thought "I don't think taking a Padawan is a really good choice in the middle of this war, but after looking at Ahsoka and Anakin. Perhaps I'll consider it Master"

"Good, it seems. Padawan for himself, Master Windu is already choosing hmm?" The old Master looking at Windu while holding his tomb. There’s a beat of silence before his reply comes "I do Master Yoda, but I still feel unsure considering their age is too young to become a Padawan"

The Grand Master shook his head gently and smiled. "Matter, age does not, to become a Padawan. Strong with the Force, they are, and guide them, it will. hmm" Windu nodded at this and seemed to agree with Master Yoda.

The Council continue the long discussion about taking young Padawan to the war zone. Some disagree. Some agree and the others simply remain silent. The idea of Jedi as a peacekeeper leading war is never to sit right in the first place, and now they had to bring the young Jedi to lead the Republic war? But they didn't have any other choice. It's what they believe so. Before the war there were more than thousands of them, and now because of this war there's a lot of them who had died to sacrifice themselves for the Republic victory. And now for the sake of peace, for the sake of their Jedi code lead them to this discussion.

"Heard enough, I have. Taking a vote, we will be. Consider the matter, we must. Collective decision, it shall be. Wisdom and insight, each member shall bring." Says Master Yoda, Before the council votes, the door swung open. Revealed the young Tholothian girl looks troubled "Ah- Apologize for the sudden interruption Masters" the young girl bow for a moment "Easy young one, what can we do for you?" says Master Plo koon gently, trying to ease the panic in her voice. The girl calmed her breath and answered

"There's a fight in the training ground"

Upon hearing the news, Master Yoda shook his head gently before swiftly making his way to the training ground, the rest of the council trailing closely behind. As they arrived at the training ground, they met with a disheartening sight. A pair of young Jedis, visibly battered and bruised, stood before them. Looking at their arrival, the boy quickly ran to them, leaving you behind with broken saber training in your hand.

"Masters please help me, they keep attacking me. It hurts Masters please"

Fury surged within you as the false accusations reached your ears, igniting a burning anger that consumed your thoughts and clouded your vision. You quickly tried to calm your anger, as you composed your thoughts and began to explain in desperate "No I didn't do it! He attacked me first, Masters please"

Your gaze darted anxiously from one council member to another, your eyes filled with a plea for belief. As your gaze meets with Windu's, you only look at the disappointment in his eyes, breaking your heart more. You drop the broken saber training in your hand and run away.

-a few hours ago, before the incident-

The training room crackled with energy as your lightsaber met with your sparing partner. Your blades whirled through the air. Trying to find the opening in your opponent's attack, sweat trickled down your forehead remaining focus. The air crackled with the hum of blades, each strike resonating with an intensity that sent vibrations through your very core. In a moment, you seized an opening in your opponent's defense. Purple and blue blade clash together as you swing, breaking his defense and disarming him.

Holding two training lightsabers in your hand, you point at his neck as your gaze meets his hard one. You lower your lightsaber and offering his weapon back, he snatched it from your grasp with a sudden, harsh motion as his gaze remained hard "You just lucky this time"

You scoff at that as you rolled your eyes, "Yeah, say that after I beat you like 3 times today Ian" He gritted his teeth, his jaw clenching tightly as a visible sign of his seething frustration, you sigh. "Seriously? I never understand why you seem to hate me that much. You know hatred can lead to the darkside" Without warning, he launched himself forward, his attack swift and ferocious as you block his blue lightsaber.

"Say that to someone who weild a purple lightsaber like you" He taunted, his voice dripping with mockery. As he kept lunged forward attacking you with furious swings, "You forget that Master Windu had the same saber as mine" you spat back as you raised your lightsaber to block the oncoming attack, the two blades colliding in a shower of sparks.

Your movements aimed at deflecting the blows rather than launching counterattacks. Despite your best efforts to block and avoid the attacks, Ian continued to press on relentlessly until he broke your defense as a strike landed solidly in your arm sending a jolt of pain towards your body "Stop, I don't want to hurt you" you strained, your voice laced with determination. But Ian seemed undeterred, he attacked unabated. As his face contorted with anger, he scoffed dismissively.

"Fight back your coward! No one chooses me as a Padawan because of you!" He lunge his lightsaber towards you as you block his attack again, "Maybe because you are not ready" you reply, making him shake his head, a mix of anger and frustration as he unleashed a powerful Force push, Your feet lost their footing, and your body collided with the ground as your head impacting with a jolt. Making your forehead begin to bleed profusely, leaving you momentarily stunned and breathless "I am always ready, more than anyone! until you come and try to get all the Masters attention!"

Gasping for a breath, you slowly rose to your feet as anger slowly began to consume you. You scoff at him as you wipe blood from your forehead "Then it's not my fault that I am more talented than you" you launched yourself towards your opponent. The clash of lightsabers echoed through the air as you unleashed a flurry of strikes, your movement fueled with a mix of adrenaline and anger. Ian seems taken aback by your sudden burst of energy, making you strike his arm and push him with force as the impact made him slam against the wall. You crash your lightsaber training on the wall beside his head as you try to gather your breath "I told you before, I don't want to hurt you"

After Master Yoda tells the boy to meet Healher Che at Medbay, he looks back at Obi-Wan gaze who remains still looking in the direction where your little figure ran away a minute ago. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at the Grand Master, "Remind you of yourself, do they, young Kenobi? hmm" Master Yoda's voice carried a touch of curiosity and insight, his eyes gazing deeply into the young Jedi Master.

The question making Obi-Wan Kenobi pause, as a brief of flashback memories when he remembers he also got himself in the same position as you now. "Yes, Master Yoda," Obi-Wan responded, his voice steady yet tinged with a touch of introspection. "I didn't sense any lie in their words, they were telling the truth. I believe that the boy provokes them first"

But you can also sense anger from them" answer Windu as he sighing softly. There's a brief moment before he continues "I can't train them Master Yoda" Yoda nodded at this and looked back at Obi-Wan who seemed troubled. "But, Master Windu," Obi-Wan began, his tone measured yet earnest, "Surely you can train them to ease their anger"

Master Windu's expression remained stoic, his features unmoved by Obi-Wan's words. "My saber fighting form is not suitable for them" Master Windu paused, allowing a moment of silence to settle in the air. "You know well that Vapaad was explained as being a state of mind rather than just a fighting style. With their unstable emotions. It would lead them to the dark side, and I don't want to take that risk"

Obi-Wan's fingers instinctively reached up and grazed his beard, a troubled expression crossing his face. In his eyes, he saw reflection of his own past. He can feel how scared and lost you are. He can feel your desperation, the anger you feel when not being heard or understood. The look in your eyes broke his heart and he knew that he shouldn't feel this way as a Jedi, but he was willing to take the risk. He won't let you feel just like he did in his past, he won't let you feel alone.

"I'll take them as my Padawan"

A mischievous twinkle danced in Yoda's ancient eyes as a knowing smile spread across his face. It feels like he had foreseen this very moment unfold before him, "Train them, you will, hmm. The willingness of the Force, it seems."

You keep runaway ignoring the blood still dripping from your forehead and the pain as your head feels dizzy, until you reach the room of a thousand fountains. You hide behind the bush as you leaning against a sturdy rock, you huddled close, your arms wrapped tightly around your knees. Tears welled up in your eyes, shimmering with a mixture of sorrow, sadness, and anger. You don't understand how Ian could be that cruel. He is always bothering you since Ahsoka and Caleb are chosen as Padawans and shortly after that, Cal is also chosen and leave you behind alone.

You know you haven't been chosen because of your age, and now after the fight it will become worse. There's no Jedi Master who wants a Padawan like you, the one who can't control their anger. You hate this, being alone. You missed Ahsoka, she always comes to find you when you feel alone, and now she's not here. You are truly alone now, you think, until you sense someone coming. You look up as you see Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi smiling softly at you. When he sees you didn't say anything, he sat down beside you.

"Master Windu told me this is your favorite place"

You look down and refuse to meet his eyes, "What do you want Master Kenobi?" Your voice slightly trembles, making Obi-Wan's heart clench, he sighs "I don't come here to punish you young one, don't worry. I know how you feel" you scoff at this and the realization washed over you, that you had scoffed Master Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi. You quickly muttered an apology, but to your surprise he just laughed softly "I know it sounds unbelievable to you, but I can tell you a story about myself before I get chosen as a Padawan. How does that sound?"

You blinked up at him and nodded, he smiled at this. Obi-Wan's fingers reached up and grazed his beard as he couldn't help but wear a mischievous smile, a glint of playfulness dancing in his eyes. "But I don't think I have much time for that, since I need to go back to my batallion" He can sense disappointment in you as you nodded in understanding.

"But" he paused, as his smile widened. "I can tell you more story if you come with me as my Padawan" As the words left Obi-Wan's lips, a surge of surprise washed over you, your eyes widen. The surprise painted your face with a mixture of awe and gratitude. You shook your head gently still can't believe what just happened "But why?" you whisper, Obi-Wan's gaze soften. He raised his hand and reached out towards your cheek, he brushed away the tears.

"Because you remind me of myself. You are strong in force and talented young jedi, and I won't let you be alone"

[stagefoureddiediaz]

https://www.tumblr.com/stagefoureddiediaz/767049019213103104/httpsxcomcatsielllstatus1856720322319241728

We got a better look during the sneak peak today and if you play with the brightness you can see it sadly is not Eddie Chris during the 6.01 but Buck and Jee

https://x.com/eddieboykisser/status/1857114864055185622

Hey Nonnie.

We’re going to have to agree to disagree I’m afraid!

I’ve seen the better look and I remain confident that it is not a picture of buck and Jee! I’ve played around with the brightness etc myself and there is no way that is Buck for starters or Jee off to the side either - that is an adult not a child in the right side of the picture - the nose is far far to big and point yto be a child’s nose and Jee has an especially button nose that is fairly flat - not pointed.

I want to ask why if that is Buck and Jee, Buck would cut most of Jee out of frame and put what basically amounts to a picture of himself up on his fridge?? Buck is not narcissistic and none of the other pictures on the fridge are cropped in that way - which means that it is someone other than Buck - who is important to him.

This is tv so those pictures are selected by the set team for a reason - if that was a picture of buck and Jee there are a million screenshots they could’ve used from that buck Jee scene when he’s carrying her that wouldn’t have involved cutting her in half in that way.

My other issues with this being Buck and Jee are that if it was Jee then we should be able to see her black hair across the forehead of that person - we can’t see it - what we can see is the full large forehead - which is in proportion with the other person in the picture - so adult sized. We can also see an arm now at the bottom of the picture - it looks like the elbow and lower section of the upper arm in that corner if you ask me.

Secondly if that was indeed Buck - his birthmark should be visible - the section above his eyebrow is clearly lit l, even if the quality is low right now with the screen grabs we have, so we should by all accounts be able to see that section of his birthmark clearly.

Thirdly - the hairline is wrong for buck and the background doesn’t match the door that Buck is in front of in that scene with Jee.

We can see the white section above the main persons head carries on across the whole of the top of the picture and the black section is angled more or less in the same way as Bucks staircase is, even if it’s slightly obscured by the magnet clip.

The person half cut out by the is far more likely to be Buck because he wanted to display a picture of the other person not himself.

I might’ve got the scene wrong, it looks to me like it’s maybe from 6x13 - mixed feelings and the homework scene when they talk about bucks lightning math skills, but I remain pretty sure that that is Eddie.

You can see the green of the shirt he wears in that scene and the neckline of it is correct for the green Henley and you can also see the hairline is Eddie’s hairline not bucks - which has much more of a curve out before it goes down into his side burns. You can also see Eddie’s rosy cheek apple.

So yeah - sorry to disagree with you and get pedantic, but there’s no way that is a picture of Buck.

Also it being a picture of Eddie from mixed feelings makes narrative sense with the context of that scene. The fridge is divided into a section that Buck is sure about on the right hand side - the Hans, and Chris - while the left appears to be things he’s not sure about - that he is mixed up about - so Eddie and the concept of the Buckley Diaz family (not being sure if they are a family etc) not sure what the bottom blue coloured picture is off - it looks like a weird cat to me but until I can get a better look at it I’m not making judgements, but what I do know is that it’s blue and yellow and therefore playing into the blue and yellow queer narrative theming that I’ve spoken about at length in various metas.

We’ll have to wait for the episode to see if we can get better stills, and if I’m wrong I’m more than happy to hold my hands up and admit it - but for now I remain convinced it’s a picture of Eddie!

[2-lines-and-a-circle]

Naive vs kindness

So as everyone has been unveiled for the new event, I was excited to see an event focusing on Kalim, Ortho, and Ace. I feel as though this is going to be a fun group. However, I’ve also noticed these three have some strong traits that tie into each other. Once again this is just my thought, so feel free to disagree or agree. 

Kalim is undoubtedly kind, but that often can be overlooked as him being naive. I personally don’t see his kindness as him being too naive, rather I see it as his truth. Kalim is someone who takes things as people say, he puts trust into other’s words and believes them earnestly. However, the problem here is that he’s surrounded by people who know how to use this trait of his to their advantage. Instead of it being an honest truth it’s now tied to him being naive because he isn’t aware of what others are doing to him. Quite a problem, but it doesn’t seem like those closest to him truly try to tell Kalim he’s being taken advantage of. You could argue Jamil tries his best, but most of the time he tends to divert the situation. One could also argue that it’s Kalim’s fault as he’s blind to it. In the upcoming event story, I have a feeling Kalim will get lured to the circus on the account he believes he’s doing something good. On another note, Kalim has a piano behind him in his card, but it’s broken which is unusual for Kalim. Especially since he’s a member of the light music club and values music greatly. 

Now for Ace, I think he’s both kind and naive, even if he’s not the nicest. Ace has a very roundabout way of being kind, which is kinda similar to Lilia. They won’t say it straight up, but it’s enough to tell what they want to show or mean. As for him being naive, I think it’s his ignorance. He often forgets to read the fine print especially if he got involved with Azul when he was warned several times from Riddle. This would be the only way I could really see him getting involved in the circus. It’s that or maybe we’re getting Ace’s brother!!! I highly doubt it though, but it would be interesting if Ace’s brother was there as a magician or something. I’m only saying this because he learned magic tricks from his brother, and you often see them at circuses. But you know what you also see? Showmen. Ace’s outfit looks more like a showman than anything else and with his pose it looks like a show is going on. So maybe he’s playing a role which entitles him to be a puppet for the performance? Like is he tricked into performing??? Plus, with all the clocks I think there’s going to be something to do with time, maybe there's a time limit. 

Lastly, Ortho! I have high hopes for what we’re going to see with Ortho, especially since he’s going to be with Ace in another event! Otho is naive in the sense that he is learning about the world. Other than that aspect I can’t really see him being naive otherwise. For his kindness I would say I think he has just as much as the average person, but it’s a little selective. I can’t see Ortho being nice to those who have done him or those closest to him harm. Nor do I think Ortho is the most forgiving character. It’s a little tough to say where he truly lies on the meter for me. In regard to his card and the connections to the story, I wonder if he’s trapped. Ortho is the only character who is visually upset in his card. Plus, there’s a bird cage near him and with the solo spotlight, it looks like he’s trapped like a doll. Which is why he could possibly not have his heart flame visible. 

[burnitalldowndarling]

Man... I am a firm believer that you should be able to choose to know what you're about to engage with. Like "chose not to use archive warnings" is fine, but for some stuff, some topics, it's better to make a clear and informed choice about what you're about to read... like think the does the dog die website... idg the point of hiding what happens in a story from everyone

Er... okay? Is this about that AITA I reblogged? I can't think of anything I've posted that's related to this otherwise.

Well, it feels a little out of the blue, but I got time. On one level I agree with you. I'm an "over-tagger" because I want people to know what they're going to encounter in my fics, and self-select out of reading them if there's material they can't or don't want to deal with. I tagged "shellfish" on one fic because I used to know a girl whose gag reflex kicked in whenever she read about consuming shellfish. I regularly get complaints from my readers that I've tagged way too much. So yeah, I get that there are a lot of topics that people need to make informed choices about.

But I very much disagree with your implication that authors who don't do this are "hiding" something. "Choose not to warn" IS a tag. It is a whole-ass tag in its own right, whose meaning is, "If you need to make a clear and informed choice about the fics you read, with clear labeling of certain topics, this is not the fic for you." That author isn't hiding anything. And the reader who ignores "choose not to warn" when they do need certain topics labeled, is choosing to potentially harm themselves.

And sometimes that's what people need! Some folks are working on their triggers, and reading "unwarned" fic might be how they confirm they're making progress. Beyond that, some folks are just used to "unwarned" fic as a reading experience. I'm old.* For the first 2/3rds of my life, all reading was like this -- unlabeled, I mean. You took your chances every time you opened the cover, and if you got slapped in the eye-nerves by something horrifying, you just dealt with it. I prefer trigger warnings as I said, but I also get that many people prefer "unwarned" reading. "Choose not to warn" fics are or those readers. If you're not one of them, it's fine. Not all fiction is for all readers. There are plenty of clearly-labeled things out there for you.

It would be great if there was a "does the dog die" for fanfic. Unfortunately, given the pace at which fanfic appears in the world, I can't imagine any site managing to keep up with that. But hey, if somebody decided to start that up and put it on Patreon or something, I bet they'd make a mint.

*Middle aged, which I don't think is old, but I know a lot of young folks on this site do.

[diavolo-is-babygirl]

I think we can all agree on how Diavolo is the personification of sunshine.

He’s adorable, sweet, cuddly and incredibly charismatic. Which makes him the greatest character of the Obey Me franchise but I digress.

You guys already know that anyway.

You probably feel the same way about your favorite character. They’ve got awesome backstories and so much potential for soul-crushing scenes, but the series doesn’t really do anything with them. Diavolo is the perfect example of this (as he’s perfect in everything) because underneath his super sweet demeanor, he has an incredibly heavy backstory that’s not even really touched on. It’s poked at in both games, then that’s about it

It’s a bummer, I know. I feel you. 

But like all of the other characters, Diavolo has infinite potential for our own unique headcanons and storylines. There’s so much going on with his father being asleep, and him having to carry such a heavy role on his shoulders. Which is one of the reasons why I draw comfort from using Obey Me MCs to pull all of that out of him, love him and dote on him. 

Apparently I’m suffering from Diavolo-itis. How do I cope? Well, if the fate of the world depended on me drawing even a stick figure, humanity would end tomorrow. But I love to write. So I’ve come up with my own Obey Me lore. Specifically the reasons behind why my MCs are summoned to the Devildom in the first place.

I pretty much smushed my love of Sailor Moon and Persona together to come up with this: Barbatos summons a select group of humans to the Devildom because they’re destined to act as knights for Diavolo. Diavolo initially thinks they’re simply exchange students, but through a series of adventures, their Sailor Moon-esque powers awaken and they protect the Devildom from rogue demons. Demons of unbelievably frightening power. Demons that disagree with Diavolo’s decision to integrate humans into the Devildom, and disagree with him taking the throne altogether.

There’s currently a group of five MCs I’m thinking of, three of the men, the other two girls. Together they’ll form a group known as the Celestial Astrals, Knights to Lord Diavolo: and magical singing idols who perform on stage for RAD.

So it's kinda like Sailor Moon, Persona and Love Live Idol 😆

[cosmichighpriestess]

Mastering Non-judgement:

When you judge someone, you are only judging yourself, and a part of yourself that you reject, that you are not aware of, and you don't even realize sometimes that you are becoming the very vibration you say you disapprove of. Invalidation is a negative energy you can become a frequency match to when you say you don't like something or someone you stick yourself to that energy creating more of it.

When we judge others, we are expressing hatred for another part of ourselves, we are in denial of a part of ourselves we hate; unknowingly. Because we're in denial that we're in denial. I have always been someone that has the psychic gift of seeing right through people and straight into their heart. It didn't matter if they had a smile, a mask or they were improper to me, had on a front or they had on a facade. I could always see their beauty, their rarity, behind their perceived flaws, their torment, their battles, tenderness and love within them.

A lot of people who I knew and I was in relations with did not understand me and misunderstood me all the time, but I tried to understand them to get to the lesson of our connection. My relationships were so short lived, I thought I must be the problem or the unworthy one, but it was actually because they weren't doing the inner self-reflection that I was doing. They were there to show me who I was by showing me who I was not and then leave to help me find my own worth.

See, there's a purpose for everyone we meet and there are no coincidences. You will always learn more from a person mistreating you than someone who is always loving. We weren't connecting on an emotional level because they weren't connected with their emotional body, because they weren't healing or doing inner work but that was not their problem, it was mine by agreeing to be affected by it. Everything in this Universe is by agreement. Can you agree to not be affected by anyone you disagree with?

They were in avoidance and in denial, they were projecting their fears, their lack, their insecurities, yes, but why did that need to affect my life so much by giving my power away to them every time? Could I see it as a challenge to master my emotions? Yes. They judged me because they were afraid of being vulnerable and honest with themselves. And I judged them because I viewed them as separate from me and I thought everyone couldn't see me but really, I couldn't see myself clearly because of all the projections from other versions of myself. I couldn't see an accurate reflection of myself in anyone so I judged them for misunderstanding me and believing they should be different. I invalidated what I didn't prefer and when you do that you stick yourself to it and give it energy. You feed it which just creates more of what you don't prefer.

What I needed was more understanding, loving and accepting of my differences and choices but I wasn't accepting them first. I didn't like that they were judging me, but I was judging them for misunderstanding me instead of accepting them. We all have done this at some points in our lives because we were afraid that we might be something we're afraid to look at. To quote Bashar, "discernment is selecting and acting on your preference from the available options you have in front of you and judgment is going a step further and invalidating what you do NOT prefer. The recommendation is to act according to preference, without invalidating what you do not prefer. "-Bashar

What no one tells you about judgment is that if you can master nonjudgement of yourself and others you will become a very powerful human being. Nothing and no one can ever affect you negatively and it will instantly raise your vibration and shift to a more accepting Earth version already existing.

I could always see right through to their heart and who they hide from and it pained me to step into other's shoes. So I isolated myself a lot. Some people finally felt seen for the first time in a long time, and some people ran away because they didn't like someone seeing into their soul. It was too much, even for me, to see them, to feel their pain, to feel all the trauma and suffering, and loss they've suffered for decades unnoticed by everyone in their life.

I have nothing to judge. I would be a hypocrite. It's not my place to tell anyone anything, or step in unless they ask me for help. I'm not perfect. When I was younger I was very rebellious, a free spirit, because I had a very strict, controlling military parent who used fear to control me. I was putting myself in dangerous situations that I shouldn't have put myself in and I felt so much shame for a decade over my choices. Because I wanted freedom and control over my own life. I felt lack within myself. I had to stop beating myself up for just being a normal teenager, and young adult making "mistakes". There's no such thing as a mistake, only learning from neutral, meaningless choices we make so we can see what works and doesn't work.

I made jokes out of everything to hide my trauma. Everyone knew I was a jokester. It gave me a sense of not taking everything so seriously. I would lie to get out of things because the truth would get me in trouble. I would rebel against conformity. I really didn't care what other people thought of me because I was neurodivergent and I just didn't care about people telling me what to do and how to be and how to dress or act.

My attitude was basically, "I'm not here to be likable, I'm just existing here, I'm not even here by my own free will, I'm just passing my classes, if someone disliked me I couldn't even tell unless they were bullying me and I wanted people leave me alone and dress however I wanted so they would not like me even more. I thought, "good." I don't want them to like me because our spirits don't align anyways, the right friends will find me and I will find them." In high school I skipped class all the time because my teachers weren't inspiring me.

I thought school was a prison and it wasn't meant for neurodivergent people like me, except no one knew I was neurodivergent when they were bullying me. When I was in my early twenties I partied every other day but sometimes I would go overboard and blackout after wanting to let loose with my very dark crowd. I really disliked drinking. I saw things that I wish I had never seen, that I wish I had to courage to make right, from the dark people I was surrounded by. I only wanted to be around witchy types and musicians, neurodivergents, because they were the only ones who understood me. I took a lot of acid and shrooms to fit in.

Those were my first awakenings. When it comes to all those things we were told is "bad" "evil". No one is judging you, God just wants you to be high on him, get high off life as much as you can. It's so dense on Earth, I was just trying to make fun out of ugly, lower, denser situations from my very intense life. My life never got easier, it only became more difficult until I mastered myself. My humor was not appreciated because I made a joke out of everything that hurt me to survive it.

I stopped making jokes for a long time, and I began keeping to myself after all the trauma I experienced from the narcissists who were attracted to my light. I never met anyone that could love me without betraying me it just became my norm. I thought that never receiving apologies from anyone was normal. Looking back, I judged myself harshly for being a rebellious teenager and settling for people who didn't even like me. I'm not a perfect person but everything I did is forgivable. When someone rejects you, remember that is their own limitation, and limiting beliefs, not yours.

That is them rejecting a part of themselves that they do not wish to see or experience, there is something about themselves they do not wish to look at, therefore judging you by appearances and therefore judging themselves. The Universe will challenge you on this, when you level up, if you have learned how to stop judging others, by judging yourself you're not helping them or yourself; just think, "wait, this is a person separated from Source/God, they are just trapped in the ego, it happens, I have nothing to judge here because I've done things I regret too, I've felt powerless too, they are having a bad day, they don't know themselves, they don't love themselves, I'm equal to them and nothing they are doing should affect me." Then you will pass the "test" again and again that you sent to yourself.

Just don't respond. Don't defend yourself. Don't say anything. Don't jump to conclusions about anyone or the situation. The test is basically, will you let your judgement of them or that thing, situation, affect your energy negatively everytime? Or will you not judge them and go about your own business not reacting? This Earth game simulation holographic multiverse, hologame is just different levels of consciousness. You will always be in a better position if you can practice non-judgment everyday by going within and taking a look in the mirror, why am I feeling like this? Why did I react so hurt by that when it has nothing to do with me?

Hmm why did this person make me feel insecure just by them existing? Why did I judge them just because they look different than me? Hmm why did I see them in that way when actually they just needed love and understanding? This is what shadow work looks like, and if you want to ascend to your highest timeline, you need to do shadow work in order to heal yourself. No one does the inner healing work for us, they can only give us the tools to heal ourselves.

And it's absolutely okay if you don't prefer to dive that deep into yourself yet because you're not ready. But if you are ready, it's not for the weak. Hell, I'm not for the weak. If someone can't handle me, I can't blame them. So I really don't have any room to judge anyone, I've been there done that. that's why I say I really mean it when you don't have to put me or any other spiritual person on a pedestal. We're all human just like you, we all go through the same things, we all have been through so much in different ways, we're all sinners, we all go through trauma, and I don't judge anyone for where they have been.

God will never disown you for making mistakes. God is pure unconditional love. Basically high frequency energies are pouring to earth now and they are dissolving many of the energies that have held humans in bondage to beliefs of lack, fear, limitation, unworthiness, or fear of being a sinner in need of saving. We've all been brainwashed into thinking we need to be saved or forgiven. God will make it so uncomfortable, so unbearable to follow the man made rules of religion and laws, and limiting beliefs as if sinning makes you unworthy of love. God will force them to quit their long held beliefs that they need to suffer in order to be worthy of something. We don't care where you come from or what you've done.

When you have the most high on your side he will forgive you instantly, love you unconditionally and he will avenge any wrong done to you. He will take your judgement away from yourself and others and he will give you peace. Never judge a book by its cover, you don't know what life they have walked. We are more than the masks we wear and the disguises we wear to protect our hearts. Every choice you make is equally valid. Because every choice you make is neutral and has no meaning. But it does mean you're probably judging yourself if you're judging someone else. Because if you are affected by something seemingly negative, perceiving the person or thing as negative, and their experience has nothing to do with you, so how can you judge it? Everyone deserves a second chance at life and coming back to God, to yourself, your true self.