#highly illegal

[whetstonefires]

You know I'm realizing one reason you keep seeing mdzs modern AUs where the Jiang parents are alive mainly so they can dramatically fail and betray Wei Wuxian by cutting him off financially--defaulting on his college tuition or formally disowning him etc--isn't just that people want to translate the Burial Mounds II arc into modern terms while keeping Jiang Cheng clean of it.

(Despite the fact that the internal logic of Jiang Cheng's character is largely built around him being a person who would abandon someone he intensely cared about under these specific circumstances.)

It's because it's hard to set up a modern analogue for the way that Jiang Cheng is responsible for Wei Wuxian, as his Sect Leader.

We live in a highly individualistic society. People are trying to write Wei Wuxian Tragically Wronged, and because there's a normative expectation that people in the position of parents will provide you with resources, and certainly won't withdraw them without warning, but no such assumption that people in the position of siblings necessarily owe each other support, making this work in modern setting with Jiang Cheng in his canon role would require a lot of extra work, just to get a less readily resonant result.

But I keep thinking about it. Because something that's getting lost here is, not just the nuances of character and relationship, but like...it's sort of key to the story that cutting Wei Wuxian off was, in fact, Completely Socially Appropriate.

The level on which it was a betrayal is subtle, and deeply cutting. And intensely tied up in the very different opinions each of Jiang Cheng's parents had about what obligations existed in their family wrt Wei Wuxian, and what these meant.

The level on which it was the obvious, normal course of action is blatant. That is to a huge extent why it happens: because Jiang Cheng's instinct to conform is a survival instinct, reinforced by trauma, and Wei Wuxian's choices meant he had no coherently compelling reason not to obey it, and enormous peer pressure to do so.

The fact is that Jiang Cheng was making a reasonable choice, the actual thing 'anyone would do in that situation,' unlike Wei Wuxian and Jin Guangyao's respective wildly warped ideas about what that is.

Wei Wuxian wasn't betrayed by Jiang Sect like your foster parents cutting you off because you're disobedient. Wei Wuxian was betrayed by Jiang Sect like your brother refusing to drop fifty grand to bail you out of jail.

Of course Wei Wuxian tells him not to. And of course the fact that Jiang Cheng already chose in the moment not to pay a cent because Fuck You Wei Ying still stands there glaring, a precedent that can never be taken back.

And then later he's betrayed by Jiang Cheng like your brother cooperating with a police investigation into a manslaughter you really did commit, that's being handled like domestic terrorism. And then like your brother calling the cops on you. And then like your brother helping the cops find where you're hiding.

I'm personally fascinated by the way Jiang Cheng's lifelong resentment for the way Jiang Fengmian reliably bailed Wei Wuxian out of everything informed those decisions to do the normal thing, the way he's reacting against his dead father as well as against Wei Wuxian and the actual situation.

But even without that daddy issues angle, the fact that the person who made that choice was Jiang Cheng, and that it was simultaneously the reasonable appropriate normal upstanding citizen rational thing to do and so shitty Wei Wuxian would be entitled never to forgive it is sort of. The Point.

Of the scenario, and also to a considerable degree of the entire finely tuned narrative construct that is Jiang Cheng.

[angelpuns]

Leo going through the horrors but the horrors are just that he had a shitt day and no one bothered to save him any cookies :/

[hanaaishi]

ANDREI SVECHNIKOV 11.22.2023 - Oilers vs. Stars

[still-breathing-au-p3r]

Kirijo’s gone by the time they all slog their way back to the dorm. She’d called to report what had happened the minute the Dark Hour ended. She’d managed to keep her composure through the entire call, and she’d even pulled off her Heiress Voice– though it had sounded as brittle and transparent as glass to him. Less than twenty minutes later a car with tinted windows had pulled up. A minute after that it was joined by an ambulance. The sirens were left off. There wasn’t any hurry.

Aigis had been escorted into the car by a frazzled looking technician. Before she’d climbed in after Aigis and been spirited off, Kirijo had thanked Shinjiro for lending his coat and insisted on returning it.

“You’re shivering,” she’d said when he tried to talk her into keeping it, and he couldn’t exactly argue with her on that point.

He thinks it helped at least a bit, with the way she’d bundled it tightly around herself until the car had arrived.

He hopes it helped.

No one speaks as Aki unlocks the dorm and lets them in. Most of the team drags themselves up the stairs immediately, defeat weighing down their steps. Only he, Aki, Koromaru, and Yamagishi stay behind. Koromaru whines and nudges at Shinjiro’s palm until he scratches behind his ears. Koro croons, leaning up into the touch.

He’s got no idea why Aki and Yamagishi are sticking around, but as long as Yamagishi’s still down here, he should figure out how to thank her. His own stupidity would have killed him tonight if not for her.

But Yamagishi speaks up before he even knows where to start.

Shinjiro looks down at her worried face and her tiny, wringing hands, at a loss for how to respond. He just does not have the mental capacity right now to figure out the balance between ‘over my dead goddamn body’ and something that won’t upset Yamagishi. Lucky for him, Aki swoops in and saves him from having to.

Her eyes dart back and forth between them, wide and dubious, and it looks for a second like she might argue. Hell, he would’ve been proud of her for arguing in literally any other circumstance, but right now that is absolutely the last thing he needs.

In the end, she doesn’t argue. He feels a little bad about how relieved he is when she nods and finally heads upstairs, quietly wishing them goodnight.

Shit– after all that, he forgot to thank her. He’ll have to remember to do that later.

Koromaru looks between Yamagishi and Shinjiro with his ears pinned back, as if he doesn’t know who he should try to comfort. Shinjiro gently nudges him towards the stairs.

Koromaru still seems dubious, looking back and forth between the two of them again.

That finally convinces Koromaru. He gives a last little whine and butts his head against Shinjiro’s hand for a final scratch, then trails upstairs after Yamagishi. It’s just him and Aki left now.

He feels a lot less bad for being relieved that he doesn’t have to be delicate with his words anymore.

Kirijo’s gone for who knows how long, any adult equipped to be in charge of S.E.E.S. is dead, and Shinjiro sure as hell isn’t cut out for the job. Aki’s never been one to enjoy being in charge, but he’s the only one who can take the lead now. He’ll do it because he has to. That’s how he’s always been.

But shit, if he’s openly admitting to feeling in over his head instead of trying to be stoic about it– that really underlines just how bad the situation is.

That’s something he knows how to handle, at least. He might be shit at support during combat, but taking care of people off of the battlefield is something he definitely can do– so he will. He’ll play Den Mother for as long as Aki and Kirijo need him to.

Aki laughs. Or snorts, at least. The sound is quiet and exhausted but Shinjiro’s still counting it as a win. The mood feels just a little lighter than before. The issue of what the hell they’re supposed to do from here still looms like an elephant in the room, but– that’s a problem for their future selves.

Shinjiro makes his way over to one of the couches and flops gracelessly onto it. He’s beyond exhausted, and right now all he wants is to pass out and not wake up for a good ten hours. Maybe twelve.

Aki's whole face pinches up, looking torn between worry and understanding.

Shinjiro freezes right in the middle of shrugging out of his coat.

Aki smiles thin and humorless, and goes to fetch the first-aid kit from the supply closet while Shinjiro finishes shedding the rest of his gear.

[waffliesinyoface]

gundam aerial is SO gender, to me

if i looked like this it would fix me, i think

[alchely]

Ideas for my Gallavich "season 12" spin-off.

Pov is shifted from the whole family to just those two, ideally this season should be able to be seen by people that haven't watched Shameless.

The first episode is inspired by the world's got nothing on us by biblionerd07 (go read it! It's funny af and then actually made me tear up!), it introduces Gallavich by not tackling directly any of their issues but hinting at them.

Every additional episode addresses something in the present that resurfaces from their past, by using old clips from Shameless as their flashbacks (ideally we could also get some scrapped scenes that never made it in the original)

Examples:

Ian tackles his grooming

Mickey deals with Yevgeny and Svetlana

They both deal with 3x6 and what it actually meant

Ian has to confront the fact that he left a lot and hurt Mickey doing so

Meeting the exes episode 😋

An episode about the Milkoviches (bring back Mandy, Iggy and Colin! And Sandy!)

An episode about the Gallaghers (bring back Fiona!)

Talking about their parents

Mickey talks about being in prison and in Mexico

Ian tries to go back to being an EMT

Mickey manages to put together an honest business (Mickey with a head for business and being his own boss)

Keep in mind this is not Hall of Shame style, I'd like to think that showing actual flashbacks could be kept to a minimum.

[fallen-goldfishcracker]

Yeeess cower before the child. Be afraid. You should be shaking in your boots that's a man on a mission. He's there's, he's square, he's terrifying, he's gotten two hours of sleep in the last week. Cower before him.

[essektheylyss]

hi hello hi I need to scream for a sec but I HAVE A SHORT STORY IN A PRINT ANTHOLOGY! like a real actual physical book!!! the anthology as a whole is about resource scarcity and specifically the moment a resource runs out, and true to form I wrote a funky thing about time and grief and messy familial relationships and gardening. cuz what is there to do when something ends other than to keep maintaining your plants.

this isn't even to say you should totally buy this thing but if you do want to check it out, it's available for preorder

[viric-dreams]

Ockham tries to get along with Twitch's friends, even if Ockham thinks they're sad losers (Grace's naval affiliation did not put them on the right foot when they first met). But Ockham tries. Even if heshethey can't be sure that Grace isn't having himherthem on when they speak.

[dingodad]

ive been hating so i will say one thing i really got a kick out of from friendsim was the reference to jadebloods not being allowed to fuck. this was daraya's date i think? i don't remember i'm never going to play those games again. but the idea that jadebloods are forbidden from reproducing is such a great example of the kind of emergent worldbuilding, obvious once you think about it, that homestuck employs to such good effect. not only does it a) hint at the well-known Alternian policy of eugenics and reproductive control, possibly indicating that the empire is in the active process of (trying to) breed dangerous rainbow drinkers out of the gene pool and b) obviously echo the association between the jadebloods and the virgin mary, but it also c) has clear parallels with the real-life history of nunneries - where women were often sent in the hopes of preventing promiscuity, a practice which frequently led to lesbian sexual encounters instead! - and d) implies that, if jadebloods keep being born in spite of their ancestors being prevented from fucking, they may be some kind of necessary component of the system, like drones, which the mother grub can produce asexually. like it truly writes itself. that's exactly how you should extrapolate from what's already in the text

[wraithsoutlaws]

[steakout-05]

i think all those autism vlogging youtube channels that post distressing videos of their children having meltdowns and intense panic attacks for thousands and thousands of people to see should be deleted and banned off the website and i am not kidding. i don't care what excuse they use whether it's "oh no it's for education purposes! so clearly posting our kids in state of extreme emotional and mental distress is okay 😊" or some other excuse, it's not okay to post your kids in what can be a very vulnerable and embarrassing state to be in for the whole internet to see. don't even come at me with that "they asked for the videos to be posted!" rubbish kids cannot consent to that no matter how intelligent or informed they are about the consequences of those videos going online. children cannot and should not consent to those videos going up and it pisses me off that the blatant exploitation of children and disabled people is still normalised and excused like this. cause that's what it is. it's exploitative of the vulnerable no matter how much it swears it's trying to be educational. 99% of the time the only reason these kinds of videos are online is to get clicks and views and money and it's disgusting.

[goldeneyedgirl]

Sonya! (Imagine, for a moment, that Tumblr Staff actually fixed the bug that means I have to screenshot and tag you @sonyawix for replies.) I missed you!

Jasper's just there realising that a couple of decades of training and practice with the Cullens was no match for a tiny teenage girl who looks at him like he's the second coming. She did more for his self-esteem in one night than anyone has done for him since he was human.

Jasper's softer in STL and his trauma has already been sorted, organised, and filed in his mental storage unit so he just has to simp over worry about Mary-Alice. Mary-Alice has the trauma conga-line but it gets pretty soft for both of them starting next chapter.

But it's why Jasper chapters are usually easier to write.

And listen, we all switch hyperfixations. I read a whole bunch of MCU fics that had Correct Vibes but Incorrect Takes, and beautililies had to stop me from writing MCU fic before I worked on Jalice fics. Also the idea I am carrying 70% of your Jalice experience is fucking wild. What do you want? I feel like I need to give you something because 2024 was not my most active year ever.

My little Mabel has recovered from the infections she had well, but decided to keep things interesting and acquired an ear infection which has since been upgraded to a double ear infection because what's more fun than a lot of credit card debt? Even more credit card debt! She is why I can only stare longing at Coach bags and not own fun stuff like that.

And honestly, I join you in solidarity that my sister and father are also Shitty Fucking People. Sometimes, people are rancid, and we just need to salute their bullshit and carry on our merry way.

It is law that if you bring up Anathema, I post something. I picked this scene WIP because Alice being a dramatic teenage girl is somehow so funny in my head? I can't wait to get to a scene where she's dramatic in front of Jasper and he's just "...you're adorable, you know that right?" And she's like, "absolutely not."

But for now, Alice makes a small scene.

“This is to never get back to the Clearwaters,” I could hear Freddie saying to Charlie Swan in a low voice. “Any of them. I trust you, Charlie.”

Charlie sighed. “Fred, I’ve known you a long time, and I don’t like this at all. What is so important you have to meet with them alone, without Sue and Billy knowing?"

Silence, and I was tempted to creep up the hallway to be able to hear better.

“… This is about Alice and her well-being. If… I have reason to believe that if Sue, Harry, and Billy knew more about Alice’s … health and genetic make-up, they would be deeply unhappy."

That was most likely an understatement. I had a feeling that if Sue found out that I was biologically half-vampire, I would be persona-non-grata in the Clearwater household. There was a fifty-percent chance that Harry would hunt me for sport, honestly. His aim with a shotgun was second-to-none.

//

Dr Cullen had brought his wife, and there was something almost funny seeing them in our home - they were both dressed in very stiff, fancy clothing, standing in the entrance looking awkward. I was in the kitchen finishing the washing up in pyjama bottoms and a t-shirt; both Freddie and Charlie were still wearing work clothing.

The apartment was still mostly in the late 60s style from when it was built. Lots of brown and yellow. Freddie always intended to renovate, but we never seemed to get around to it - moving all the books would take us days, and we’d have to stay downstairs. It was cozy up here, and if we made any changes, it would be to clean out the third floor.

“Hello Alice.” Mrs Cullen smiled so warmly at me, but I felt oddly shy, offering a little wave as I put plates back into the cupboard.

“Turn on the coffee maker, love, before you go,” Freddie said, and I got the message that this wasn’t going to be a meeting I was included in. I wasn’t upset about that; somehow Dr and Mrs Cullen were far and away more intimidating than Jasper was. Somehow the golden eyes and the pale skin that looked so right on him made me nervous around them.

Thankfully, Dulcie was having dinner with her brother’s family tonight. It meant we could have this meeting at home and she’d probably bring home left-over dessert. Hopefully that really good blueberry donut thing that Mrs Stanley usually made for Dulcie’s birthday.

It also meant that whilst I had been told I wouldn’t be joining in on the meeting today, there was no one in the house that would check to make sure I was wearing headphones and watching movies on my laptop instead of eavesdropping for all I was worth. And in my defence, I had to know what Freddie was telling everyone so I didn’t mess up the story later on. It was just planning ahead.

//

“He can read minds?” I shrieked, giving myself away instantly.

Charlie Swan swore, sloshing his coffee in surprise, as the rest of them spun around to look at me in the hallway.

“Alice,” Freddie groaned but I didn’t care that I would be doing extra cleaning this week or whatever as punishment.

A girl’s mind is private. There are things happening up there that die with me, okay?

Things like me contemplating the logistics of having sex on a gurney now that I’d met Jasper and realised he was a foot and a half taller than me, and probably 100lb heavier.

Or the fact that whilst my visions hadn’t been instructional, so to speak, they had given me a certain amount of reference material to reflect on. I might never have been a Girl Scout, but I do like to be prepared.

And the idea that one of the Cullens could mind-read and had probably told the entire family that a good fifty-percent of my brain power was solely dedicated to what I had seen of Jasper’s body in my vision at any time was… not ideal. Not at all how I planned to integrate myself into their lives. I was aiming for lovable future daughter-in-law, not mouth-breathing creeper.

“Edward considers the contents of everyone’s mind private, unless harm would result in keeping it secret,” Mrs Cullen quickly reassured me. Please. I had seen Leah and Seth together; I knew what siblings were like. There was no way in hell that Jasper hadn't been informed that I had absolutely noticed he was ripped when he helped me up.

“I’m taking a lot of emotional damage learning this,” I said slightly hysterically. “Can he hear everything?”

“Only when he’s present.” Was Dr Cullen laughing at me? He looked amused.

“Alice,” Freddie sounded tired. “There are brownies in the downstairs freezer if you want some dessert.”

Huh. It was bad if Freddie was bribing me with the catering supplies.

“That would help,” I said, trying to walk through the kitchen to get a knife with some kind of dignity. “You understand why I would be uncomfortable with a teenage boy reading my mind, right?”

“I think we’re all on the same page about that,” Charlie said. He didn’t look amused.

"Alice, I really don't think there's anything in your head that Edward Cullen would worry about," Freddie said, obviously trying to sound comforting and mostly made me want to slam my head against a wall.

"I've had unmonitored access to the internet since I was eleven and no boyfriend! Or girlfriend! There's plenty up there I don't want Jasper's brother knowing!" I snatched up the cake knife and looked over to see Freddie looking like he needed a drink, Charlie Swan looking the most uncomfortable I had ever seen him - and that included the ass-injury incident - and Mrs Cullen trying very unsuccessfully not to laugh at me.

"And now I've made it worse. I'm calling Cynthia!"

It's not the fact that my father was a vampire that makes me a freak. I manage to do that all by myself.

[lemonthing]

Xisuma the type of guy to be like "I didn't kill that guy! He just ran into my knife!"

[feddy-34]

hes so pretty when he's upset with what just happened

[wandering-wolf23]

Reddit is the one site where I can reliably be downvoted for pointing out completely normal facts about dogs. What are those completely normal facts about dogs?

1). Working dogs aren't pets. Working breeds aren't pets. Having a working breed and not allowing that dog to work is, in fact, cruel.

2). Free spay/neuter prevents dog bites. It should be free or very low cost for people to have their companion animals sterilized.

3). If you get a dog and don't train that dog, you are being extremely neglectful.

4). All dogs bite. Some breeds are far more prone to it than others and do more damage, but all dogs can bite. Acting like only one breed bites (and making excuses for non pit bulls that bite) is stupid.

5). Even if we went door to door and killed every pit bull type dog (barring the human mental health cost and the money needed to DNA test every dog in America), there will be another problem breed. My money is on Australian cattle dogs or Malinois.

6). It should not be controversial to legislate mandatory insurance, licensing, training, and sterilization of pet dogs.

7). Pushing for the natural extinction of a breed via mandatory spay/neuter is not being blind to the breed's issues. Nor is being fine with breeding for a look, while also breeding for a very docile temperament.

8). By acting like any solution short of mass culling is a crime against God and nature, you are, in fact, acting like an idiot and pushing people into a corner. Most folks would be fine with sunsetting a breed/mix if it was done humanely.