#god forbid the cow gets to play right? god forbid we play tag with the cow that would be horrible!

[monty-glasses-roxy]

Doing research for Foxy's whole wild western thing with the horsies and stuff is really annoying actually? I feel like there's a lot of rodeo sports in here that either shouldn't exist, or could very easily be made totally fine if they could be bothered to put the effort into it.

Like... guys... you can train cows. Did you know that? You can train literally any animal you want... if the cow is scared when you're lassoing it maybe like... teach it to be in on the game? Let the cow play too? I feel like that's such a stupidly obvious solution to some of these man...

Not all of them though! Obviously not all of them! I'm thinking of the ones where they just lasso the horns and steer it in a different direction and that's it! The rest of those ones can fuck the hell off what the actual hell possessed anyone to consider cattle wrestling as a fucking sport? Like yeah sure a sport revolving around turning a cows head 180 degrees by jumping on it's horns seems perfectly safe and completely reasonable, not at all absolutely insane /s

Literally what the fuck is any of this I'm actually so glad I planned for Foxy to have also run various non-rodeo sports as well so I don't have to deal much more with all of this whadda hell

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

TLDR: the future of the country lies with the For The People Act, and Joe Manchin holds all the cards.

Whether or not Donald Trump runs for re-election in 2024 largely depends on whether the For The People Act passes in the Senate.

If it does, and elections are reformed with federal guidelines, AND if it survives the inevitable Supreme Court challenges (which is dubious given the 6-3 conservative majority), then no, Trump won't run again because he wouldn't want to risk losing a second time. He's humiliated, he has to pretend it was stolen from him so he doesn't have to acknowledge the fact that he lost like a little bitch. If the election reforms level the playing field, he wouldn't stand a chance of winning in 2024; he only won in 2016 because of voter apathy and suppression in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Turnout was WAY higher in 2020, and he got blown out of the water.

If the act fails in the Senate or is struck down by SCOTUS, then Trump will absolutely run again because Republican lawmakers will rig the elections in his favor in all the swing states he lost. If the reforms don't pass, all the states Biden flipped will flip right back because of even worse suppression and partisan interference. Republicans tried to overturn the results after he lost in 2020, but the courts prevented them from doing so; now they've had a taste for things, they know what they can and can't do, so they'll spend the next four years rewriting the rules in their favor so the courts will side with them in 2024. 2020 wasn't rigged, it was arguably the most transparent election in American history, and that has Republicans scared shitless; they know they can't win on policy, they're trying to win by technicality. They haven't legitimately won since Bush Sr in 1988; Democrats have won 7 of the last 8 elections, the only exception being 2004 at which point we were still reeling from 9/11 and were caught up in two new wars in the Middle East. Bush Jr had the incumbency advantage, and the wars made him more popular than he turned out to actually be (he left office with record low approval ratings in the 20s; in 2008 both parties ran candidates on the platform of "I am not George W. Bush"). Republicans know they can win without a majority, so that's what they plan on doing from now on. They don't need to care about popular opinion.

For The People is extremely popular, with majority support from Democratic, independent, and yes, even Republican voters, but their lawmakers are fighting tooth and nail to stop it. Not a single Republican will vote for it in the Senate, and Manchin and Sinema refuse to get rid of the filibuster, so it's as good as dead unless they change their minds or reform the legislative process. Back in the day, a filibuster was active, it required a senator to hold the floor and refuse to yield for as long as possible (the record is over 24 hours). Any member could filibuster a bill by taking the floor and delaying until they were exhausted, or until 60 senators voted to stop them. Starting in the 1970s, the filibuster became passive because the Senate decided that actually holding the floor was irrelevant so long as the other side couldn't get the 60 votes needed to stop it. Legislation has ground to a halt ever since, exacerbated by the election of Mitch McConnell as majority leader in 2015. He proudly became known as the Bill Killer, effectively vetoing every single one by simply refusing to let any of them go the floor at all; instead of opening up the chamber and letting members filibuster, he would simply let the bills die on his desk, even if they had enough support to pass. If he didn't personally want it to pass, then it didn't pass. End of story. There's a joke that if Congress were on fire, it couldn't even pass the Pour Water On Congress Act, and this is largely McConnell's fault.

If Manchin and Sinema agreed to change the rules to bring back the active filibuster it would allow more bills to move forward, but each one would almost certainly take DAYS or WEEKS to get passed. If we thought Republicans were obstructionist before, just imagine what they'd do if Democrats could simply wait them out. What will happen is that a handful of them will decide to filibuster, one after another, each one holding the floor for at least day, preventing anything from getting done. Because the other side doesn't have the 60 votes to stop them, they would keep talking until they got tired, then tag out for someone else. The thing is, once you stop talking, you can't start talking again, so they wouldn't be able to filibuster indefinitely, they couldn't recharge and give it another go, they'd have one shot each. Imagine dozens of Republicans holding the floor hostage for weeks, maybe months if they were dedicated enough; if every senator held the floor for a full day, that's 50 days, over a month and a half. Now, a lot of senators are old men who probably couldn't last that long, but others like Josh Hawley are quite young and would try for a publicity stunt by holding out for the longest filibuster ever (I could imagine him making it 2 or 3 days if he was dedicated enough, which would make him a Republican superstar and guarantee him the presidency).

Of course, such a prolonged filibuster would be torn to shreds by the media; just like a government shutdown, eventually popular opinion would turn against the obstructionists, and they'd eventually have to concede. The majority of Americans blamed the Republicans for the shutdowns under Obama AND Trump, so any prolonged filibuster would largely be seen as a waste of time (though it would score them big political points from their bases, it would unite the opposition against them, hurting their chances at re-election). It's all a game, and the outcome depends on the will of the players.

I could see some of the hardliners like Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, Rick Scott, Josh Hawley, or Lindsey Graham filibustering until the cows come home and hoping to swing public opinion in their favor, but I think eventually even the other Republicans would grow tired of having to sit through days or weeks of meaningless noise and would vote to stop them and move the bill forward.

If by some miracle the Democrats manage to increase their majority in 2022, then Joe Manchin will almost certainly leave the party and start caucusing with the Republicans. He's in West Virginia, one of the most conservative states in the country; their own governor Jim Justice was elected as a Democrat in 2016 and became a Republican immediately after being sworn in. There's even precedent for Manchin to switch parties before the midterms; in 2001 the Senate was tied 50-50 for the first time, with Republicans having the majority because Dick Cheney was VP to break ties, but Vermont Republican Jim Jeffords became an independent and began caucusing with the Democrats instead, giving them the 51-49 majority until 2003 (fun fact: Jeffords was succeeded by none other than Bernie Sanders). I could see Manchin becoming an independent and caucusing with the Republicans to try and swing public opinion towards the conservatives. A slim majority of independents are left-leaning, with both independent senators caucusing with the Democrats (Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine). If Manchin became an independent and caucused with the Republicans, it would give the right-leaning independents someone to latch onto, allowing Republicans to make gains with centrists and moderates. Manchin has a snowball's chance in hell of winning re-election in 2024 as a Democrat; I don't think he's gonna go down like Doug Jones of Alabama and just let himself be voted out, he'll either decline to run at all or run as a conservative independent with Republican support (especially if Democrats keep the majority in 2022, then he'll see no point in staying on their side; they won't need him anymore)

2022 will be close, especially if For The People fails in the Senate. If it goes through, Democrats might be able to hold onto Georgia and Arizona, and could very possibly pick up Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. If it doesn't go through, then Georgia is gone, Arizona will be super close, and they'd stand to lose New Hampshire (it's been leaning further right in recent years; Republicans just flipped both houses of the state legislature).

Biden is already more popular than Trump, and Republican opposition isn't going to be nearly as united as it was against Obama for completely unknowable reasons *cough*cough*White*cough* That's not to say Republicans will cooperate with him, just that they won't be able to portray him as the super-liberal boogeyman they want him to be. He is a moderate centrist, he has been his entire career, Republicans offer him a modicum of respect because they've known him for decades, so I figure he'll stand a good chance at winning re-election in 2024, especially if the bill passes. If not, then he'll probably win the popular vote and lose the electoral college because of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

I don't see any one particular future as being the most plausible, I see a web of five or six possible futures with varying degrees of plausibility. If Democrats lose the senate in 2022, Biden won't get a single Supreme Court justice, paving way for a 7-2, 8-1, or God forbid a 9-0 conservative unanimity. SCOTUS will be the deciding factor going forward; Breyer needs to retire RIGHT FUCKING NOW so Biden can replace him with someone young, though Manchin will likely hold any appointments hostage, playing kingmaker, insisting that Biden only put forward nominees with bipartisan support. Remember, he voted for 2 of Trump's 3 justices, and only voted against the 3rd because it was too close to the election and he thought the Republicans were being hypocritical (they refused to let Obama seat anyone in 2016 citing the election, but railroaded through Asshole Conservative Barbie in 2020 without hesitation). It's not as though Biden's nominees would have been super-liberal either way, but Manchin will ensure they're as moderate as possible, turning a safe 6-3 into 6-2-1 or even 7-2. He also opposes expanding the Supreme Court, which Republicans will not hesitate to do if the filibuster is reformed. They would gladly wait out every single Democrat for months if need be just to turn 6-3 into 7-3, 8-3, 13-3, 435-3, whatever they want! Sky's the limit. Republicans have no morals, they only care about holding onto power by any means necessary.

If we don't change course as a country right now, things will only get worse going forward. We have never been this politically divided before; even during the Civil War both parties had conservative and liberal wings (like the copperheads and war democrats). Republicans never controlled the House under Ronald Reagan, but enough conservative Democrats sided with him to help him push his agenda anyway. Things are so polarized right now I can't imagine either side working together ever again. Nothing short of a constitutional convention or another civil war will make the parties come together, and even then the Democrats would end up compromising and appeasing much more then the Republicans. It's all going to boil over in the near future; it nearly boiled over in 2020, and if the state Republicans start rigging elections then it'll likely boil over in 2024 or 2025.

America as it exists today will not make it to 2030.

[ravens-rambling]

You’re Perfect Just The Way You Are

A/N: I’ve actually done this a while ago and just remembered about it ha XD whoops! Hope you like it!!! We need more Remile in our lives I think. 

summary: Emile loves Remy with all his heart and soul. He loves every single thing about the sarcastic flirty man who always makes him laugh no matter what... So why can’t he enjoy their kisses like how normal people do?  

WC: 2,486

ships: Romantic Remile, Mentions of Romantic Prinxiety 

warnings: Nervousness, Mentions of PTSD, Mentions of NSFW, Anxiety, Transphobic, Asexualphobic (idk what its called I think that's right?), panicking, Mentions of Abuse

Tag List: @punsterterry @frostedlover @stormcrawler75 @mutechild @mycatshuman @panicattheeverywhere15 @thewinterbookqueen @analogical-mess

Picani took a shaky breath as cold lips were pressed up against his own. He closed his eyes as he tried to let himself enjoy this. He really tried. But his entire body seemed to spasm in disgust at the contact. His mind was screaming at him to run away and never look back.

But he can’t do that right? This is Remy. Remy isn’t like the others that he’s been with… Right?

Remy is kind and caring sure he can be a bit…much sometimes but…would he not like it if Picani says no to this? Heaven forbid if Remy knew about his secret plus his asexuality would he leave him?

Just like everyone else before?

That thought surged through him and it took every single fiber of his being not to cry right then and there. Luckily he was a decent actor as Remy didn’t catch on to his internal struggle.

They were sitting on a park bench watching the snow lazily float down around them. Most people would consider it romantic. There weren’t many people around having it be a bit later in the day and having it being so cold outside. Luckily both of them didn’t quite mind the cold, only in Remy's case for his eyes.

This is the fifth time Remy has done this just today, Picani has counted, and every time sent so much disgust through him he can’t even put it to words. And every time Remy hasn’t noticed a thing.

It really wasn’t his fault, why they have only been dating a couple weeks now their one-month anniversary coming up really soon. And it’s not like Picani has ever told Remy his sexuality beforehand, he's never had the chance. No, Picani doesn’t blame him. He blames himself.

Why his previous relationship only a few years ago was…rocky, to say the least. The guy kept thinking that he could ‘change’ Picani's mind about his sexuality. He thought that he was too simpleminded and that if he didn’t do the things that he wanted he’ll leave him.

Emile didn’t want that. He did love the guy he truly did. He didn’t want to be alone again, he didn’t want to be by himself again. He did want that comfort of somebody there to hold him when he’s sad or vise versa. But he just didn’t want…that.

So he forced himself to stick with the guy and that only crumbled under his feet when during one night of their…'sessions’ he couldn’t take it anymore. He ended up crying with the guy on top of him. And at first, he completely ignored his cries until he was shaking so badly that even he couldn’t enjoy himself.

That was when he snapped.

That night was a night he really wanted to forget.

And every time Remy kissed him all he could think about was him. Even his previous relationships, though wasn’t as bad as him, always gave him weird looks when he squirmed away from kisses or any of the like.

Even his parents called him a freak for not liking kisses and not having anybody for such a long time. Plus when he came out as trans they really weren’t happy with him.

He didn’t want that pressure back on his shoulders. But he felt maybe Remy was different. He was cute in many ways than one. With his sunglasses and dark chocolate brown eyes. With the leather jacket that always makes him look like he stepped right out of an action movie. Of his smile that was always a smirk, a devilishly handsome smirk, that played on his lips every time he spoke. And of his charm that he always carried with him, his witty humor that always made him laugh even during his darkest days.

He loved Remy.

So why does he only feel disgusted every time they kiss?

Was there something wrong with him?

Did he truly not love Remy?

Was he just playing Remy into some manipulative game?

Was he becoming like his ex?

His throat tightened up at that. It took all his willpower not to tear up as he tried to smile through the kiss. This was a rather long one…

But what finally made him break off was that his stomach did a very uncomfortable twist.

When he turned his head he tried to give a smile back though he knew it turned to more of a grimace. Great, he couldn’t even do that now. Remys gonna catch on and leave him and-

“Babe? What’s wrong? Are you cold cause if you are we can cuddle you know I’m as warm as the sun.”

Picani chuckled and looked up to him through his bangs. Yeah… He always has that nice charm to get him to smile. And that look of worry on his face… Stars above, does it look believable.

What was it that he always told his patients? Sure it can be rough but holding it in will only damage you more? Yeah…. No wonder why all his patients always said its easier said than done.

“Yeah, I’m cool as a cucumber, love! I guess I am getting a bit chilly. Though I would love to cuddle with you, my sun, I think it’s about time to head to that cafe, no?”

Luckily Remy bought it. “Gotcha! Thank gods it’s been like hours since I’ve had coffee. Almost a record for me! I need my seasonal depression.”

Picani giggled as Remy stood up and offered him a hand, gladly taking it and not letting go he smiled, “And I’ve told you it’s not good having so much coffee. So that’s good for you, love.”

“And I’ve told you you are a deepy downer! How can I enjoy winter without my Carmel frappe? Such dishonor!”

“Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!”

“…. Did you just meme me? That’s a me move!”

Picani giggled again, “No I swear I didn’t. It’s from Mulan can you blame me?”

“I suppose not.”

Yeah, they really did click like two peas in a pod. Like Sapphire and Ruby. So why can’t he enjoy their kisses???

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the cafe it being only a block away. The entire time they held hands and talked to each other, well more like laughed at each other. Picani almost didn’t want the tranquil moment to end.

The familiar bell rang through the place and he blinked at the all too familiar sight of teens huddling by the corners cramming in all the homework and studies they could possibly get. The smell of coffee hit him and he smiled. This is where they first met and he still loves this place with all his heart. It was almost like a second home to him.

“Remy. Picani. I take it you want your normal?”

He looked up to be greeted with the familiar sight of, well, bangs. Bright stark orange bangs were really all Picani could see of his eyes. Ah yes, Toby!

“Hey Tobs! What’s up, Babs?”

Toby glanced up and shrugged, “Nothing much as normal. Now, what do you want? I would rather this get moving along please.”

Ah yes and the normal roughness. Though Picani and Remy still smiled, they got used to this ages ago.

“Hot chocolate as always please!”

“And Carmel frappe babe.”

“Yes, the normal like I said. You guys are predictable as always,” He rolled his eyes and huffed as he turned away.

Once both of them sat down waiting for their drinks they chatted a bit more. Remy instantly grabbed on to Emile's hand once again and had both of their hands on his lap. It was mindless chatter for a bit until Remy suddenly leaned forward as if to kiss him again. Emile sucked in his breath as always when this happened but before their lips could touch Remy backed off a bit.

Shocked eyes met serious ones as Remy lowered his sunglasses a bit with a finger. Emile gulped Remy never is serious. Ever.

“Babe? What’s wrong? I can see how uncomfortable you are when I kiss you. Was it-”

“Remy! Emile!”

Their drinks were called Remy got up to get both of their drinks without a single word leaving Picani shocked and speechless. Remy figured it out. Now he’s going to leave him. Now he’s going to be left alone again. Now he’s-

“Gurl? You okay?”

Emile whipped up to see Remy standing right next to him both their drinks in his hands. He set them down while taking his seat and looked back to him with a frown.

Gently he grabbed both of Emile's hands and glanced around at the people around him for…something? Maybe it was to see if anyone’s around? Why would he look for that? Is he going to break up with him?

“Breathe babe I got you. What’s wrong? Is it something I’ve done girl or?”

“No! Heaven’s…no it’s not Rem…”

“Then why? I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable love. But I gotta know why.”

Emile gulped loudly. He could feel tears on the edge of his eyes threatening to leak down. But no he can’t cry. Just keep breathing. Keep breathing. You have to tell him soon or later it’s not right to keep it from him. He needs to know….

“Um… You remember my last boyfriend?”

Remy nodded, “Yeah you told me you guys broke up after a fight.” His eyes looked sad now, “Was it something he did? I’ll go after that bastard if he did-”

“No… No… I… It’s not like that… I..” He gulped loudly again and glanced to the table. He didn’t want to see Remy's face now.

“I’ve never told you why we fought did I?”

“No… Not that I can recall, love…”

“It… It was…. It was cause I’m... I’m asexual…” He spat out the word as quickly as he could, maybe Remy won’t have heard him. Maybe he can get out of this quickly somehow.

Then he didn’t hear anything. Very slowly he glanced up to Remy only to see he was opening and closing his mouth. But his expression made his heart sink. He looked heartbroken. So sad and concerned.

Emile's never seen Remy like this before. Normally he always keeps his composure. He wasn't quite sure what he was so sad about, however, did he felt sad that he couldn't have kisses anymore? He was definitely going to break up with him now.

Finally, Remy breathed out, “I’m so sorry….”

Well, Picani wasn’t expecting that.

“W-What?”

He felt gentle warm hands cup his cheeks and when he looked up he saw Remy nearly was on the verge of tears.

“I am so sorry… If I known… I’m so sorry for making you uncomfortable like that… You two broke off cause you're asexual and he didn’t like that, I guess?”

He shook his head, “No… He kept…trying to change my mind so he called it…”

His grip tightened on his cheeks not by much though he made sure his hold was still gentle. Remy's eyes almost turned to fire before Emile.

“I will kill that bastard for you, babe.”

He wasn’t upset at him. He wasn’t going to break up with him….

Emile swallowed, “Please don’t… He… I… It was my fault I mean… I don’t know I just… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. God love don’t ever be sorry. I’m just glad you told me before we went any further. Heaven forbid if I found out the hard way.”

“Yeah… Properly won’t have uh…been the best I guess.”

His hands fell to Emile's hands as he now gently held his that gentle warmth spread throughout his hands and arms. They sat like that in silence for a moment until Emile spoke up again.

“I was afraid… of telling you…”

He could feel Remy's eyes on him as he continued he knew if he didn't say this now he might ever be able to, “I was afraid that you were gonna break up with me once you knew… Or be like him… Not even my parents were very accepting of it so I just sorta figured you would be like that. I’m sorry for thinking like that. Guess it’s like the Avatar gang when accepting Zuko huh?”

Silence for another moment then his grip tightened.

“What did I say? There’s nothing to be sorry about babe. Not even your parents were accepting?”

“…no…”

Then a deep sigh.

“I have a killing spree to get to apparently. Babe, there’s nothing wrong with being asexual. Why I know somebody who’s asexual.”

Picani's eyes widened and he turned to him, “You do?”

“Yeah. My brother, Ro's boyfriend? V something or another. The emo like Toby? He had a really rough relationship with this bastard and uh…it wasn’t pretty at all properly like how yours ended and after that even the thought of any of that sends him panicking. PTSD I guess it’s called?”

Picani instantly nodded. Yep sounded like some patients he’s had. Maybe he can talk to this V person to help him out sometime?

“So it’s nothing new for me. And honestly, now that I think about it you never liked that kinda talk huh… Guess I’m blind and stupid…”

“Now Rem your none of those things. I just..hid my feelings too well I guess. It’s not your fault.”

“I feel like it is though! I could see your entire body tense up and how it looked like you wanted to run the second I lean in. I should have figured it out sooner! I should have…” Another loud sigh and he looked at Picani straight in the eye, “I’m sorry, babe. I’m so so fucking sorry.”

Emile breathed out and smiled, “And I keep telling you there’s nothing to be sorry about. Why don’t we both stop blaming ourselves and enjoy our drinks alright?”

“I guess… You okay with cuddling? I could use your cuddling right about now…”

Picani smiled and opened his arms, “I love cuddling with you, my sun.” Remy smiled and dove into his arms curling his face into Emile's neck and chest. Emile wrapped his arms around Remy and with his gentle lips kissed his hair. They stayed like that for quite a while them both sipping their drinks and soon or later brought out their phones. They were at peace with one another now.

That was until Picani mumbled into Remys hair, “And I’m trans...And autistic.” He tensed up still though, his mind started racing again he couldn't help it apparently.

Though he felt a shrug, “I don’t care love. Don’t like the nickname 'ma'am’ or 'gurl' then huh?”

Emile shivered and shrunk back at that name, “No, please.”

“Gotcha. Love you, Em.” He kissed Emile's chin and smiled looking up at him. “This okay?” Emile smiled brightly and hugged Remy closer to him, “It’s perfect.”

[adorkablephil]

The Roles We Play (3)

Title: The Roles We Play Summary: Dan Howell and Phil Lester work together as voice actors for BBC radio dramas in the late 1930s, but slowly begin to develop “inappropriate” feelings for each other Rating: G Word Count: 3,760 (this chapter) Tags: Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Historical AU, 1930s, BBC, Radio, Actors AU, Slow Burn, Eventual Romance, Love Letters, Period-Typical Homophobia, Closeted Gay Characters, Past Character Death, Grief, Angst Author’s Note: This fic was inspired by the @phanfichallenge 20k History Challenge. A bazillion thanks, as always, to my amazing beta, India! See my note on the first chapter regarding historical inaccuracies. Note some changes to the tags, including reference to grief and past character death, because—even though no one actually dies in the story—I decided I should warn people there will be some angst about that. I’ve blatantly stolen from Wikipedia in this chapter’s brief section on existentialism. And, lastly, I cast no aspersions on cucumber sandwiches, as I personally adore them.

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[ All Chapters Masterlist ]

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6 November 1938

After a solid week of grueling rehearsals with Drury as their slave driver, the actors finally broadcasted their first live performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Act I.

Phil didn’t need to be there, since his role didn’t have any lines until Act II, but the repertory group seemed to habitually come to every performance of a play in which they were cast, as if every member supported all the others with every broadcast. It was a lovely tradition, actually.

And so Phil was there, even though he had no lines to speak. Dan, on the other hand, had a great many lines, but his performance went off without a hitch, and he found himself smiling madly when the BBC sounded their tones to indicate the end of the broadcast.

Dan looked around at his fellow cast members, and everyone smiled at him and at each other. Men shook hands, patted each other on the back, and laughed heartily while the ladies gently touched each other on the arm and spoke softly but happily amongst themselves, their faces glowing with quiet pride.

No sooner had the immediate excitement begun to die down than Dan saw Phil approaching him. Face bright with excitement, Phil asked, “Would you like to go to my club for a bit? Celebrate the first day of the broadcast and all that?”

Dan bit his lip in indecision. He knew he shouldn’t. He had responsibilities and obligations. But this was an unexpected opportunity to get to spend time outside work with Phil again … how could he pass that up? Not to mention the fact that Dan had never been inside an actual gentlemen’s club before. The idea made him feel quite sophisticated.

Dan decided to throw caution—and responsibility—to the wind. “I would be honored,” he told Phil, and Phil’s face brightened even more. The fact that Phil actually seemed so pleased at the opportunity to spend more time with him made Dan positively giddy.

******

The club to which Phil belonged seemed very impressive to Dan’s eyes, all dark wood and polished brass. Apparently, most of the club was reserved for members, and only one front room allowed members to entertain their non-member guests.

This room contained several opulent-looking sofas and armchairs, as well as some small tables where Dan imagined food could be brought if members and their guests wished to dine. Perhaps half a dozen men sat scattered about the room, each sitting alone and occupied in some solitary pursuit, most of them apparently reading newspapers. Dignified silence practically echoed in the high-ceilinged room, with only the occasional rustle of pages turning to disturb the quiet.

Servants hovered in discreet locations, probably nearly invisible to members of the upper class who were used to such things, but very noticeable to Dan. His family had always been comfortable, but he was not accustomed to strangers hovering in the periphery of his vision at all times, waiting to satisfy his every wish at the slightest wave of a hand.

Phil navigated the room with obvious comfort and ease, as if accustomed to this opulence ... as he no doubt was. Dan found himself wondering about Phil’s home life before he’d come to fame as a radio star.

“Would you like some tea?” Phil asked as he guided Dan to a corner table with two comfortable leather chairs. He sat down, lounging comfortably, and continued, “I’m sure we could get something stronger if you prefer, but—to be honest—I myself usually prefer tea or coffee.”

“Tea would be lovely, thank you.” Dan felt like a child at an adults’ social occasion.

Phil made a gesture with his hand, which in some secret language apparently meant, “Please bring us tea for two as soon as possible, my good fellow,” since tea service appeared almost immediately afterward, along with a plate of cucumber sandwiches and a bowl of fluffy whiteness.

Dan was not fond of cucumber sandwiches in general. He didn’t recognize the food in the bowl.

After the servant had left, Phil leaned forward to confide, “They always bring the cucumber sandwiches, even though they know I won’t eat them. But perhaps they consider popcorn insufficiently dignified unless accompanied by some traditional English fare.” He chuckled to Dan and assumed a ridiculously exaggerated upper class accent. “Pip, pip, my good man, you simply must have some elegant cucumber sandwiches with that uncouth American popcorn.”

“Must I?” Dan asked, teasing.

“Good gods, no! Ignore the horrid things and just go for the good stuff!” Phil dipped a hand into the bowl to pick up a few pieces of the stuff and popped them into his mouth, chewing with obvious relish.

“And ‘the good stuff’ is ... popcorn?” Dan asked. He’d heard of the snack, but had never tried it.

Phil’s face grew ecstatic. “The most sublime food imaginable! Try it for yourself. The crunch is just delightful!”

Dan took a few pieces and cautiously gave them a try. He had barely finished chewing and swallowing before he exclaimed to Phil, “This stuff is smashing!”

The other gentlemen in the room all glanced disapprovingly at Dan, and he abruptly lowered his voice, cowed by their simultaneous glowers. “You were right,” he whispered. “Anyone who prefers cucumber sandwiches over this stuff is clearly mentally imbalanced.” Phil nodded soberly, and then they both giggled before eating more popcorn together with much enjoyment and a complete disregard for propriety’s cucumber sandwich preference.

As they snacked, Dan noticed a nearby table with a chess board set up. Phil apparently noticed his glance. “Do you play?” he asked.

“I love a good game,” Dan admitted. “I don’t often find a good partner, though.”

“Then let’s test our mettle against each other,” Phil suggested, looking supremely confident.

Two hours later, thoroughly whipped, Phil made another suggestion. “Perhaps next time we could play a different game, since you so clearly outclass me at chess.”

“Do you only play games you know you’ll win?” Dan asked archly.

Phil rolled his eyes. “No, but I do prefer games I have a chance of winning. You utterly mopped the floor with me! I have no remaining dignity and shall have to return to my home in abject shame after this poor showing.” He shook his head in a pretense of dismay.

Dan just laughed at his antics. “I’d be happy to learn any games you wish to play, so long as they only require two players. I’m not particularly fond of larger groups of people, and none of the other members of your club seem to appreciate my company.”

Phil leaned close, and Dan could smell the sweet, spicy scent of his cologne. “To tell you the truth,” Phil said in a confidential tone, “I don’t much like the fellows here. But the club itself is a pleasant place to go when I just want somewhere quiet where no one will bother me. I can hide in a corner here for hours and never be disturbed.”

“You can’t get that kind of peace at home?” Dan asked, puzzled.

“Well, you see,” Phil explained, “at home, the phone may ring. And one must either instruct the servants to lie about one’s presence at home, or one must speak to the person phoning, and neither option appeals to me. The club’s policy forbids confirming or denying the current presence of any particular member.”

Dan nodded, impressed. “So it’s as if you can become socially invisible. Completely unavailable without offering any offense. Perhaps I need to find a club of my own.” Immediately upon saying it, though, Dan found himself embarrassed, because few gentlemen’s clubs admitted men of his social class.

But Phil frowned at him. “You would prefer to attend a separate club, rather than coming with me to mine? Do you wish to become socially invisible to me, as well?” His smirk implied a joke, but the tone of his voice sounded honestly hurt.

Dan reached out spontaneously to rest his hand on Phil’s on the table, just for one brief moment before he realized what he was doing and drew his hand back into his own lap. “Of course I would always prefer to be here with you.” That sounded too serious, too earnest, too vulnerable, and so Dan floundered on, “Even if it requires allowing you to believe that you can win games against me.”

Phil laughed again, the injured look in his eyes disappearing, replaced by a glint of approval and amusement.

“We’ll see about that arrogance,” Phil proclaimed firmly. “I’ll take you down a peg or two, just watch me.”

Dan nodded in mock seriousness. “You believe whatever you need in order to retain your confidence in yourself as a man and a game player.”

Phil raised an eyebrow. “You doubt me as a man?”

Flustered, Dan opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally exclaiming, “Of course not! That wasn’t what I meant at all! I’m so sorry!”

The other gentlemen in the room were positively glaring at Dan now, but he was much more concerned with Phil’s good opinion than with theirs.

Phil shook his head, smiling, and assured Dan, “I jest. Do not worry, Dan. It was merely a joke. I know you meant no offense.” Then, with an impish glint in his eye, he added, “Besides, no one could doubt the virility of my impressive manliness.”

Dan spluttered with laughter.

Phil confided, “I was going to say ‘manhood’ instead of ‘manliness’ ... but ‘the virility of my impressive manhood’ just ... some things are better not said.”

But some things were now certainly imagined. Dan laughed, but he could hear a bit of hysteria in the sound. He hoped Phil could not.

******

15 November 1938

The next time Phil took him to the club, they’d barely emerged from their taxi before Phil randomly exclaimed, “Dog!”

Dan looked around them and saw a man walking a corgi on a leash. Phil turned to the man and begged, “May I please pet your dog? I love corgis!” The man agreed with good humor, and Phil crouched to pet the brown and white dog, who seemed to enjoy the attention immensely. Phil looked up from his crouch to tell Dan, “The Royal Family have a corgi called ‘Dookie,’ so all corgis are basically royalty!” The corgi’s owner chuckled.

Dan could bear it no longer and asked the man, “May I pet your dog, as well?” And the man simply shrugged in amusement at these two grown men fawning over his dog in the middle of the pavement. Dan, too, crouched so that he could scratch the dog behind his ears, which seemed to go over quite well, as Dan got his face licked in response.

They did not want to overstay their welcome, however, and so Dan and Phil both stood to allow the dog and his owner to continue on their way with many thanks. “I love dogs!” Dan proclaimed as they turned toward the club’s doors.

“So do I!” Phil agreed as they entered the front room. He lowered his voice instinctively. “I’ve always wanted a dog, but I’ve never had one.” Phil guided Dan back to the same corner table where they’d sat the first time he’d brought Dan as his guest, and they took their seats. “When I was seven years old, I wrote my parents a ten-page letter on why I should be permitted to have a dog. It was ten pages of the sentence ‘May I please have a dog?’ repeated over and over again.” They both giggled, just as a pot of tea, a plate of cucumber sandwiches, and a bowl of popcorn were set upon the table between them as if by magic.

Dan eagerly took a few pieces of popcorn and chewed them with much delight. Phil placed a rather inelegant amount in his mouth all at once. For an obviously wealthy and well-educated person, he showed remarkably little snobbery or even elegance. Yes, his hair looked debonair and his suits were of excellent quality, but Dan would never have expected a gentleman of high social standing to excitedly pet a stranger’s dog on the pavement or to shove a handful of snack food into his mouth with such apparently unselfconscious glee.

“I don’t mean to make you envious,” Dan remarked, “but my parents have a lovely dog called Colin. He is most definitely the highlight of any visit to my family.”

Phil frowned after swallowing his popcorn, and Dan cursed himself for the possibly overly-revealing comment. Phil took a sip of tea, coughed a little, and asked, “Do you not get on with your family?” He drank a bit more tea.

Dan shrugged and tried to deflect the question. “They’re fine. What about you? Do you get on with your parents?’

Phil smiled broadly and nodded. “Oh, my parents are wonderful, and I’ve recently become an uncle, as my brother Martyn’s wife Cornelia gave birth to a baby boy just days ago!”

“Oh!” Dan proclaimed immediately, “We must toast the little fellow! Shall we request something stronger for the purpose?”

Phil shook his head, explaining, “I was honest when I said that I really do prefer tea and coffee. I’m not a very sophisticated drinker, I’m afraid.” Phil said all this as he placed three entire lumps of sugar into his tea cup.

Dan grimaced. Phil had done this their first time here, as well, but Dan had been too shy to comment on it. He felt more comfortable with Phil now, however, and so asked with an amused smile, “Isn’t that quite a lot of sugar? Can you actually drink tea that sweet?”

Phil widened his eyes, making their fantastical color only more striking, and insisted, “I’ve already told you: There’s no such thing as ‘too sweet.’”

“If you say so,” Dan replied with a dubious and exaggerated shudder. It made Phil laugh.

Phil raised his disgustingly sweet tea and suggested, “Would you mind toasting the newest member of the Lester clan with tea?” Dan shook his head and raised his cup obligingly. “To Steven Bartholomew Lester!” Phil declared. “May he grow up to be a fine and elegant young man, leaving me the only eccentric in the family!” Dan chuckled, and they clinked their cups together and sipped in honor of the babe’s birth.

“I wanted them to name him Sylvester,” Phil said after a moment of solemnity out of respect for the child’s no doubt very bright future. Dan nodded, then thought a moment and frowned.

“You wanted your brother to name his son ‘Sylvester Lester’?” If he’d been aghast at the amount of sugar Phil put in his tea, it was nothing compared to this.

Phil giggled delightedly. “I think he would have been the most popular child at school.”

Dan laughed, recognizing Phil’s sense of humor now, almost as if they really knew each other. He really did feel as if he was beginning to know the man, rather than just the famous radio star. And Philip Lester was nothing at all that he would have expected. He found that he liked the real Phil much better than that elegant idol. “I’m sure he would have,” he responded dryly, and Phil giggled again, the tip of his tongue showing at the corner of his mouth. That was one of those inelegant things that Dan had come to love.

Love? No, that wasn’t what he meant. It was one of the things he’d come to like about Phil.

They barely knew each other. And Phil was a man. Like. That’s what he’d meant. Not love. Obviously.

******

23 November 1938

Dan felt quite comfortable walking into the club at Phil’s side now, as this was actually his fifth visit. He and Phil had begun to make it something of a habit, coming regularly just to snack on popcorn, play the occasional game of chess, and talk about whatever happened to cross their minds. Phil showed remarkably little interest in politics and literature, but professed a love for the horror stories of someone named H. P. Lovecraft, whose work was published only in American pulp magazines. At university, Phil had met a young American fellow who had come abroad to do his degree at Oxford, and they had become fast friends. The American had left England to return home upon the completion of his education, but he still sent Phil regular shipments of Lovecraft’s work as it was published.

As he and Phil took their accustomed seats at their accustomed table, Dan admitted, “I don’t read fiction very often.” He hesitated, not wanting to sound pretentious, but then decided that he trusted Phil not to think less of him. “I read primarily philosophy, though I did recently read a new novel by Jean-Paul Sartre.” Phil pushed away the plate of cucumber sandwiches that had appeared, and the both snacked on some popcorn while waiting for the tea to steep.

“What’s the book about?” Phil asked with obvious interest.

“Well,” Dan hesitated. “It’s called Nausea.”

Phil made an exaggeratedly disgusted face. “It sounds … er … delightful.” Then he lost control of the giggle Dan had seen hovering on his lips.

Dan rolled his eyes. “Would you like to hear about it or not?”

“Yes, yes!” Phil insisted, pouring the tea and acquiring his usual three lumps of sugar. “I want to know what you enjoy reading. I’ve bored you halfway to Hades with all my talk of monsters. It is your turn to bore me with talk of nausea!” His tongue peeked out of the side of his teasing smile. “We even have the plate of cucumber sandwiches as illustration!” Phil grabbed the plate and put it between them, gesturing at it elaborately while urging Dan. “Now. Please do tell me more about nausea.”

Dan couldn’t help but chuckle. “The novel isn’t really about nausea. It’s an existentialist consideration of the ways the world encroaches on our ability to define ourselves.”

Phil’s eyes looked a little glazed. “Existential consideration…?” he repeated blankly.

Dan waved a hand in some impossible attempt to explain an abstract concept. “Existentialism focuses on the disorientation, confusion, and dread of trying to live an authentic life in a meaningless and absurd world.”

Phil bit his lip and nodded hesitantly. “I think I understand the confusion part, anyway.”

Dan shook his head and chuckled. “Never mind. It’s just … it’s a philosophy that interests me, because I find it rather difficult to find a way to live a truly authentic life in a world with so many ridiculous rules and expectations. You seem to live your own life authentically without the same kind of difficulty, and so perhaps this makes little sense to you, but I sometimes find myself experiencing what you might call an ‘existential crisis.’ I just don’t know how to even define the truth of myself, let alone live it.”

Phil pushed the plate of unpalatable sandwiches aside and took Dan’s hand from where it rested on the handle of his teacup. “You are living your true life, Dan! You are pursuing your dreams!”

Dan looked away, disturbed by the reassuring warmth of Phil’s hands and words. “I … I try. But I find it a struggle. Every day it is a struggle to find my truth, and to live it. There are some truths more difficult to face than others, less socially acceptable.” He pulled his hand away and picked up his cup, though he could see it shaking in his grip. He drank a bit and found the bitter liquid fortifying. He placed the cup back in the saucer and reached for the popcorn. “But you promised me a distraction.”

Phil slowly let the concern fade from his face, though he seemed reluctant to drop the subject. He was so kind—of course he would worry about a friend who said such things. Dan resolved never to speak of his existential concerns to Phil again, as he did not wish to worry his friend unduly. It was simply a personal issue with which he had wrestled for years, with no end in sight.

“Goofspiel!” Phil declared.

“God bless you,” Dan replied.

“It’s a card game of pure strategy. I think you’ll enjoy it.” Phil made a gesture to a nearby servant, who approached their table. Phil asked him to acquire them a deck of cards, which were then quickly provided.

Phil taught him the game, and it was, indeed, very intriguing, with complex strategy and occasional dramatic plays. “No!” Dan cried aloud when Phil devastated him with a particularly clever play. “I was so close!” He tossed his cards down on the table and crossed his arms in a fit of pique.

A very self-important man in an expensive suit approached their table a moment later and said firmly but quietly, “I am afraid we must ask that you leave the club, gentlemen.” He cast a dubious glance toward Dan at that last word. “Your raucous behavior has for some time disturbed the other members, but today’s actions have convinced the management that this simply cannot be tolerated any further.”

Dan felt horribly embarrassed, but he watched as Phil simply rose to his feet and popped another handful of popcorn into his mouth. He looked at Dan and gestured expansively toward the front door. Dan rose and walked, head hanging low, through the room of smug-looking prigs watching their shameful expulsion with obvious satisfaction.

They emerged into the blue-gray of twilight. Dan stared at the pavement as he said morosely, “I am so sorry for causing you to be ejected from your own club, Phil. I’m certain you’ll be welcomed back … as long as I am not with you.”

Phil swallowed audibly, and at first Dan thought it caused by emotion … but then realized the other man was probably simply finished chewing that last rebelliously-grabbed handful of popcorn. “Oh, no,” Phil replied lightly. “I shall be finding a different club.”

Dan looked into his face and insisted, “No, Phil! I know they would still value your company and your membership!”

Phil shrugged. “Well, I don’t value an establishment that does not appreciate and welcome you, so there we are. I shall find a different club.”

Dan felt his jaw drop, then quickly closed his mouth to avoid looking like an idiot. He gazed helplessly at Phil’s beautiful face and felt a stirring in his heart and soul.

A stirring that most likely indicated an existential crisis in the making.

******

[ Continue on to Chapter 4 ]

[detrevniwrit]

re: kacchako is bad (responses)

oh my god I'm going to answer all of these in one post because it’s been a freaking long day and i have no desire to answer each individual permutation of the same sentiments over and over again

read more this time bc it didn’t seem clear enough last time by the bolded ‘kacchako is bad title’ that you can scroll past if you’re sensitive to criticism because this is a criticism of kacchako.

Concern:

Don’t tag it in the ship tag if it’s hate! Just blacklist it if it bothers you so much. People can ship it if they want, don’t be mean/an asshole! :(

Answer:

I can't believe I'm getting "let people ship what they want don't spread hate it's never worth it" msgs in this year of our lord 2017. Don't moralize down to me about spreading hate and quit acting as if I went into people’s inboxes to harass and specifically be mean to them. I used the tag, yes, but I did it to bring kacchako fans’ attention to legitimate concerns I have about the ship’s consequences, and I made my opinion very explicit in the bolded title of the post so people can scroll past if they’re sensitive. I thought it was worth the risk to my sanity to make sure that people who aren't as sensitive to criticism won’t just ignore that there are important issues with kacchako because it’s easier, or because they just don’t know/never thought about it. (I’m now partially feeling it wasn’t worth it, but determined to stand by my points)

Concern:

I think kacchako is fine and I don’t defend abuse! I just imagine them in a place where Bakugou is grown up and not abusive anymore and Ochako doesn’t take that shit!

Answer: 

It has occurred to me that it’s rarely anyone’s intention to support abuse, which is why I bothered to write the original post at all. To reiterate my argument so I don’t get confused ‘kacchako is not abusive’s in my inbox, I’m not saying that kacchako is inherently abusive. I’m saying that as Izuku’s friend, Ochako wouldn’t be motivated to date Bakugou specifically because he bullies Izuku and has abusive tendencies towards her friend, and because she’s someone who cares about Izuku’s wellbeing she wouldn’t be interested in someone who continues to unapologetically treat Izuku like that. 

There is no ‘she secretly likes Bakugou’ right now, or vice versa. She just wants to catch up to Izuku. And Bakugou does not respect her more than he sees her as a threat.

To the reimagining future Bakugou part: again, I doubt anyone has the intention to erase Izuku’s experience as a victim of Bakugou’s bullying. I’m saying that no one writes Bakugou changing from a bully into a better person respectfully or realistically. Most interpret Bakugou’s one interaction with Ochako (in which he considers her a legitimate threat to beat) as an indicator of Bakugou beginning to change because of Ochako, even if after this interaction he’s still only interested in winning and dominating over others and if people are potentially in his way. 

Let me give you a definition of domestic abuse (my bolding):

"domestic abuse occurs whenever one person in an intimate relationship or marriage tries to dominate and control the other person. Domestic violence and abuse are used for one purpose and one purpose only: to gain and maintain total control over you. An abuser doesn’t ‘play fair.’ Abusers use fear, guilt, shame, and intimidation to wear you down and keep you under his or her thumb. Your abuser may also threaten you, hurt you, or hurt those around you.”

All kacchako shippers imagine a future Bakugou as someone who automatically deserves forgiveness for not being an asshole anymore, most likely due to Ochako keeping him in line, and not a single one has been able to describe, in informed detail, about how hard it is to change abusive behavior. 

“In discussing why abusers abuse, it’s clear that a lot of the causal factors behind these behaviors are learned attitudes and feelings of entitlement and privilege — which can be extremely difficult to truly change. [...] While we hope abusive partners will change, it’s not always realistic to expect that they can and will. Focus on changes you can control to improve your own life, because you deserved to feel loved, happy and safe.”

Signs of progress of changing abusive behavior include (some bolded for what I think kacchako shippers particularly don’t take into account often when characterizing future Bakugou):

Admitting fully to what they have done

Stopping excuses and blaming

Making amends

Accepting responsibility and recognizing that abuse is a choice

Identifying patterns of controlling behavior they use

Identifying the attitudes that drive their abuse

Accepting that overcoming abusiveness is a decades-long process — not declaring themselves “cured”

Not demanding credit for improvements they’ve made

Not treating improvements as vouchers to be spent on occasional acts of abuse (ex. “I haven’t done anything like this in a long time, so it’s not a big deal)

Developing respectful, kind, supportive behaviors

Carrying their weight and sharing power

Changing how they respond to their partner’s (or former partner’s) anger and grievances

Changing how they act in heated conflicts

Accepting the consequences of their actions (including not feeling sorry for themselves about the consequences, and not blaming their partner or children for them)

Making Bakugou an adult does not change that you need to write him checking his abusive behavior.

Concern:

But Bakugou has changed at this point in the manga---he and Izuku now have an understanding of trust and respect.

Answer:

Bakugou has only demonstrated one instance that he could be changing. Though change for Bakugou is a good and decidedly difficult feat, one instance does not an abusive pattern break.

Let me direct you to the classic cycle of abuse by psychologist Lenore Walker, with helpful manga caps from Ch. 117-121:

1) Tension building phase 

2) Acute battering phase (in which Izuku absolutely does not want to fight at first until he feels obligated to)

3) Honeymoon phase

“The abuse may be terrible, but the promises and generosity of the honeymoon phase give the victim the false belief that everything will be all right.”

Secondly, to the aforementioned abuse-changing bullets Bakugou has not achieved up to after he’s fought with Izuku Ch. 117-121:

Admitting fully to what they have done

Accepting responsibility and recognizing that abuse is a choice

Accepting that overcoming abusiveness is a decades-long process — not declaring themselves “cured”

Thirdly, to what he is beginning to do

Stopping excuses and blaming

Carrying their weight and sharing power

I concede that Bakugou is making steps towards change because he is a hardheaded egoistic teenager who up to this point hadn’t offered help out of his own volition. But if you’re taking this as a sign that he’s anywhere near lasting and permanent change, even years from now---I almost literally just wrote a foot of text and references as to why that isn’t realistic or respectful towards the realities of abusive behavior. Please realize you are likely oversimplifying his path towards change.

Concern:

Not all kacchako shippers are like that! I know (insert fanworks here) that are respectful, good, etc,

Answer:

Show me. I’m more than willing to take a look and then give you my detailed opinion afterwards, if you’d like.

Concern:

I’m not trying to force a het agenda, I just like the dynamic.

Answer:

I mentioned before that people may not realize their intentions don’t match up with consequences. I just wrote more than 2 hours worth explaining why kacchako doesn’t have a sensical basis for a good relationship and am considering just passing out on the spot right at this moment in sheer exhaustion. I’m just going to post screenshots that actually do have the aforementioned good qualities and ask politely that you consider these respective Ochako and Katsuki ships, instead of kacchako het, which endorses a contrived relationship over not straight ones that actually have a basis of mutual affection in canon:

Fuck, if you really really want to ship Uraraka with a guy Iida and/or Midoriya have plenty of shared affection and solid relationships with her, I trust you don’t need me to screen cap to know that. 

Concern:

If Bakugou is so problematic, wouldn’t any ship with him be problematic (including kiribaku)?

Answer:

Finally a good question. I would say yes and no. Yes, because if you’re a survivor of abuse it’s perfectly valid and understandable not to want to think about Bakugou and his potential romantic partners at all. No, for a variety of reasons, using kiribaku as an example: 

a) Bakugou and Kirishima are established friends with a relatively healthy, mutual relationship. Bakugou has a foul temper but he’s not abusive towards Kirishima, even going out of his way to---admittedly badly---help him study (above caps from the manga and light novel); Kirishima admires Bakugou, finds positive qualities in their friendship, and isn’t cowed, wary, or disgusted by him, like Ochako or Izuku and many others are. tl;dr, there is plenty of solid evidence to back up the mutual affection, respect, and trust between them, something that kacchako and---god forbid---bakudeku lack.

It’s actually good for Bakugou to learn how to develop uncontrolling behaviors through healthy relationships where he doesn't feel the need to dominate over his partner.  He can’t do this with Ochako, with whom he regards as nonexistent at best, and a threat to him as Izuku’s lackey at worst (I discussed this in detail further up). Referring back to the changing abusive behavior list, Bakugou’s relationship with Kirishima demonstrates that Bakugou can learn a) respectful, kind, supportive behaviors and b) carrying weight and sharing power. This doesn’t justify how Bakugou treats others, but it does facilitate a view of how Bakugou would be able to treat others better, which I think is worth exploring.

Concern:

Why do you care so much? People ship bad/problematic stuff all the time lol there’s nothing you can do to stop it. Just let it be or blacklist it or something??

Answer:

I’m maybe foolishly invested in the idea that some people don’t have to be like that when they’re informed and engaged in critical discourse, and well fuck I have time and resources and have already started two godamned things this weekend with fandom out of probably masochistic impulses, so why the fuck not. 

Just because I don’t like something doesn’t mean I’m here to attack people or be unwilling to talk to them about it---rather, I’m more concerned that people are so unwillingly to talk about why the things they like isn’t good?? 

Kacchako is just one instance. I can provide a lot more examples of this kind of behavior in different areas of interest, in detail, with plenty of support and reasons, over private message. Otherwise, I’m not interested in making a detailed -post- of examples of bad kacchakos because honestly, I’ve already spent a lot of my time writing this when I could be discussing more pressing issues. The downsides of hyper focus.

On that note, forgive me if I don’t immediately respond to further replies any time soon after this post. After more than 10 messages that entirely missed the point I’ve exhausted myself thinking people could put aside their first impulses and self-indulgences to maybe formulate better opinions on tumblr.com, rather than sending me vague, misinformed, and/or childishly defensive insults that don’t actually tell me I’m wrong.

[fictionalwonder]

True Blood Season 4 Review

Ok It's done. The guessing and spoiling is over for another 9 months leaving us with only a serious fangover and an unprecedented post season body count. True Blood Season 4 was bat shit crazy even more than Season 3, the timeline of such memorables as jar of Talbot and spine ripping TV. So now post Season 4 finale whether you were calling for a Scream award or thought the whole thing blew chances are you're about to embark on 9 months of TB withdrawal. Yup even the haters feel its absence. So let's savor the moment in a post finale look at the best and worst of True Blood Season 4

THE BIGGEST THANK GOD MOMENT: Wee Marcus and gang finally putting Tommy and us out of the misery that was Tommy Mickens sorry ass life. As soon as he went skinwalker you knew his days were numbered. Sam Tramwell was brilliant doing Tommy doing him and who didn't cheer when said Tommy/Sam fired Sookie! She is the worst waitress ever! Talk about sick leave; is she ever at work for more than half a shift!?! The fall out from his death will certainly carry us through season 5, where we can only hope Sam has some modicum of hope at returning to just running the bar and attending anger management sessions.

Close second was Sookie decisively shooting Debbie Pelt in the head, even though she begged her not to. Yup, we had to wait till the very end of the season for evil, laughing while pouring Talbot down the drain Sookie, to return.

BEST OMG MOMENT: Ginger riding the coffin - nuff said.

SCARIEST/SEXIEST MOMENT:

Scary and sexy are often one and the same on True Blood, and this year Eric Northman ripping out, here to be known as, Juice Box Roy's heart will be stamped on my brain as a shining TB moment. Countless screamed everywhere, I had know idea THAT could be sexy! Give Skarsgård a raise!

BTW the T-shirts were on sale a mere 3 hours post show.

BIGGEST WTF MOMENT: Sookie and Eric snow shower then frak in Narnia. I've never read the books but the post Spellbound roar over The Vampire, The Witch and The Shower Stall, chocked up the blog commentary for days. I suspect because nothing could ever live up to this sacred cow of the sookiverse sexcapdes, Ball and company for better or worse decided not to go there; thus sparing us from more Skinmax test reels by getting out of the shower faster than they got in

MOST IMPROVED: King Bill - sure

he's damaged goods nailing his great great great great granddaughter and watching his ex screw his brain-damaged frenemy but sans Sookie round his neck, Bill was standing a bit taller this year. He even had a sense of humor, and Bill with balls is actually kind of hot. The developing bromance between him and Eric turned out to be one of the best parts of the season close.

MOST POTENTIAL: Laurel and Hardy move over. With Sookie out of the way Bill and Eric make an an awesome tag team, dissing each other on the pyre then cooperatively staking and decapitating Nan and troopers. Here's to more of Bill and Eric's excellent adventure in Season 5.

MOST IN NEED OF IMPROVEMENT: Sookie got enough of her spunk back to blow Debbie Pelt's head off, sure, but seriously she spent most of the season literally on her back, well sometimes on top. She was once a gifted mind-reader; we saw that maybe twice this season. Instead we learned more about her castrating powers when it comes to boyfriends. She mommied Eric into a hoody wearing puppy dog, did the dirty with him in every room of grandma's house and then kicked him, alongside Bill, to the curb come finale. In four seasons she truly did go from virgin to love em and leave em fangbanger. The classless moves have got to stop if the Stackhouse angle is to survive. We need an even slightly relate-able protagonist. I'm hoping another eligible lady moves to town, though god forbid she get a job at Merlotts - the most dangerous workplace in America.

SOOKIE'S ONE REDEEMING FEATURE SEASON 4: Sookie had unbelievably great hair this season. I swear to god I saw the camera man reflected in her locks in Eric's cubby.

MOST IN NEED OF A HUG: From defending herself against zombie slurs to losing an ear, Pam had endured what must go down as the worst week in her hundred plus years. She lost her maker to back country fairy vagina and her face rotted off. And things weren't exactly looking up when we left her, blood tears running down her cheek, hugging Ginger.

Why did they do that to Pam!!! Well for one reason she gave TB viewers some of the best gore the show has ever delivered. Still, writers, you better fix her. At the end of the day we really just want to look at Kristin Bauer being gorgeous and acting snarky.

Coming in second is Hoyt who despite the bitterness of his bad boyfriend rejection could really use a little lov'in right now, if not some of Summer's biscuits.

BEST RECAPS and REVIEWS:

VLOGS

#1 Bloodworks takes the stakes as a no contest winner. Besides being just the cutest couple in the world, Brian and Any's post show cocktails and theatrics amount to sometimes slurry worded and always hilariously astute recaps. I swear by mid season you look forward to Andy and Brian's upload as much as the episode itself. With its "staking points" and "do bad things" they were the best thing that could happen to a mediocre TB episode. Brian Juergen and Andy Swist @campbloodbuzz @andyswist http://campblood.org/Newblog/

#2 Think Heroes True Blood Review is tried and true. Roth Cornet has hosted solo for two seasons, and this season Jenna Busch was on board. Roth's reviews are first-rate often delving deeper than the show deserves. Busch does a good job of keeping things in the watercooler-moment mood of the short vlog format. The two combined offer a sometimes giggle ridden but always insightful True Blood take. Jennings Roth Cornet @JRothC | http://www.jenningsrothcornet.com/ JennaBusch @JennaBusch | http://girlmeetslightsaber.blogspot.com

#3 BloodBites is family friendly fair with this sister and brother team showcasing familial bonds and blood-dipped funny bones. Reenacting then reviewing a given episode's wtf moments, Blood Bites has cross-gen appeal. It's quality YouTube content you could show your grandmother and your eight year-old niece, who you know are both watching True Blood too.

Honorable Mention My Future Lover's Reason to Ship Sookie and Eric Spawn of You Tube strictly for Team Eric members, My Future Lover's play by play captions to the best and worst Sookie Eric moments capture at least half the audience's joy, tears and tv punching moments.

BEST PODCAST

True Blood in Dallas Straight up fan founded talkshow and review of both book, show and TB culture with revolving guest reviewers each week. A steady dose of all the criticism only a Stackhouse booklover can bring, Talk Blood is laced with plenty of Charlaine Harris loving that fellow fans can appreciate.

Listen to internet radio with True Blood in Dallas on Blog Talk Radio

BLOGS AND WEB SITES

Best Recaps

Pros and Cons True Blood by Meredith Woerner nails it everytime. for a no holds barred, tell it like is play by play pro con style. This is one of the funniest and most astute TB recaps out there. Meredith Woerner @MdellW | http://io9.com/people/MeredithDW/posts/

After Eltons WTF recap by Steven Frank is an imaginative post morteum with major plot points reviewed then rated in Grace Jones Vamp limps.

Jef With One F's music and episode recap for the Houston's Press is a creative spin that lets the show's lead track set the tone for review and analysis. Jef With One F @HPRocksOff

Best Blogs

Talk True Blood Digging deep and ranting in the best way, Talk True Blood goes so far as to offer scene by scene body language analysis of major characters.

Buddhism and True Blood Dedicated to Alan Ball and the wheel of life, Buddhism and True blood reminds us that life is suffering especially in Bon Temps

True Blood Underground Do you really know what's going on in Bon Temps? Conspiracy theories abound as TB Underground calls out Alan Ball on his addictive mind control experiment.

FINAL WORD Four seasons later there is still a bit of blood left in the series, and while fairy-finger-cop-outs and super silly, supernatural assumptions do show signs of laziness in the writers room, True Blood still does deliver some amazing TV. Godforbid we get bogged down by process oriented stuff like how amnesia Eric lost his shirt post-spell or ends up on a bonfire tied to Bill between episode 11 and 12. Things like how come no one reports a death in Bon Temp anymore or WHO IS running Merlottes only get in the way of a good story or at least a good "oh no they didn't" jaw drop.

I suspect, forty eight episodes later, TB writers actually relish every shark jumping moment as much as fangbanging spectacle. They know they can get away with it because they know how dedicated, creative and forgiving their fan base is. Plus narrative logic be damned, camp and drama are fine edges to play on, and they deserve applause for taking even tasteless risks.

For every bit of hocus pocus cgi True Blood throws at us, such as the anime forcefield surrounding Moon Goddess or the ridiculously bad fx exorcism of Mavis, there was a Pam getting a skin peel or Eric ripping the heart out of juice box Roy to make up for it. For each ridiculous Scooby Doo and the gang moment, there was a Vampire A-team or death by pencil. For each and every minute we tolerated Andy, we had a shot of Ginger riding a coffin or Eric drinking the whole fairy. True Blood IS very uneven but it IS very fun.

So that caps summertime Sundays and True blood still remains my ultimate guilty pleasure. The culture and coverage this year has been as much fun as the show itself and made Sundays feel like a party. I think Alex Skarsgård sums it all up in this quote,

“At 7 in the morning, I’m hanging from the ceiling in a Nazi uniform with fangs in[my mouth]. I look over and I see [Allan] there in his Nazi uniform hanging like a puppet. We’re about to descend down to kill this wolf, you know? And that was the moment where we just looked at each other like, This is what we’re doing for a living?‘”

Yup, IT IS! And even more surprising I CAN"T believe I'm watching you do it and not only that but loving every minute!