#him from haters who see no good whatsoever in him. It’s about the truth not about whether you love him or hate him.

[bsdtakanenohana]

Exhibit 1 of people in this fandom basing their forgiveness of a character’s crimes based on how much they’ve suffered.

the strangest thing to me about the BSD fandom is the fact that the vast majority of people in it are dazai fans, while also consistently assuming the absolute worst of him, disregarding the circumstances around his actions and giving him no grace or consideration of his situation whatsoever.

there's no doubt dazai is a bad person in many ways. he did plenty of unjustifiable, inexcusable things. he's pathologically manipulative with a totally skewed moral compass, most of which was undoubtedly brought on by his upbringing in the mafia. but at the same time, i see such a huge number of people taking that and somehow ending up with - and vehemently defending - this idea that he's a remorseless, indifferent, innately cruel person by nature?

are we forgetting this is the same dazai who was forced to false-witness a murder at fourteen years old? the same dazai who already wracked up numerous suicide attempts barely out of his pre-teens?the same dazai who was referred to by everyone around him as a 'demon' at fifteen years old? the same dazai consistently described as having grief-filled, empty expressions and detached, vacant reactions to practically everything when he was so young? the same dazai that oda described as "a child crying in the dark, alone, left to fend for himself with a hole in his heart as large as the world itself"?

that dazai is an indifferent, heartless, innately psychopathic person? really? i'm not convinced.

[yuri-is-online]

After reading a translation by Yuu Rei on twitter, I’ve been thinking about Book 7 and how this could potentially end. I know there’s been a lot of discussion of how this may need to be ended with a peaceful resolution since Malleus is so powerful and/or Idia’s plan is looking too much like Henrik’s very successful take down of Maleanor. Personally, I actually want to see Idia’s plan succeed to a degree and think it would be fun to defend why.

I’ll link it for reference here if you want to read the thread too: https://x.com/yuurei20/status/1672514883215331328?s=46

1. I personally would find it narratively fitting. History repeats itself when no one learns from it, and it was a previously mentioned lore tidbit that fae history is not well known among humans. And let’s be honest, anything that does exist on the human side for history would not be completely truthful on what happened with Maleanor if her fate is even mentioned. There has also been a lot of buildup with how overblots are dangerous to the health/wellbeing of the overblotter, and using Malleus to pay it off would both parallel Maleanor’s fate and nerf him for Book 8. A necessary action in order for the plot to not be immediately solved by Malleus’s ridiculous might.

2. I think it works with Malleus’s portrayal so far. He does have his good moments and traits, but I haven’t forgotten his tendencies to steamroll the opinions and perspectives of others. Take the Spectral Soirée for example, when Malleus decides to freeze time and kidnap a significant part of the student body simply because he sees himself in the lonely ghosts. No concern whatsoever for harm to his classmates or how it would look for an entire chunk of the student body to suddenly go missing. Or his dorm uniform vignette, where Malleus remains stubbornly insistent that it is the fault of the other housewardens or circumstance that he does not attend the meetings despite very reasonable measures to remind him having already been taken. Followed by a complete disregard for what’s polite/acceptable by summoning the other housewardens using magic reserved for objects because he doesn’t want to miss another meeting. The point I’m making here is that a massive rebellion like Idia gathering up his peers may be what it takes to get through to Malleus that what he is doing is not acceptable behavior just because he was afraid of Lilia leaving and didn’t want to be alone.

3. The last two books set a precedent for the shift from teaming up with solely the current and previous dorm to defeat an overblot to joining forces with students across various dorms. Combining that with the opportunity to build characters further by showing the NRC boys being capable of working together it would make sense for the big overblot battle to involve the other cast members like Idia’s plan intends to.

But I’m also kind of Malleus hater so take it all with a grain of salt. - 🦐

I am also kind of a Mallues hater and think his relationship with Yuu kind of gets overplayed by the fandom to an annoying extent at the cost of the character development and friendship of all other characters in the game by the English speaking fandom. In fic anyway, in game I appreciate him for what he is specifically for reasons like this, he's an interesting character.

I sort of disagree about Idia's plan looking too much like Henrik's take down of Maleanor. It might look like that on the surface to a fae who was there at the time but there is a big difference between Maleanor defending her territory and her child and the temper tantrum Malleus is throwing. To compare the two is disingenuous at best, which is why it is so narratively fitting that they might go down the same way.

I sort of get the sense that what happened is lost history because the fae eventually destroyed the human kingdom/ the kingdom destroyed itself. There is a reason Silver is an orphan and the fae keep to themselves. In a way Briar Valley seems sort of bad at history education? Which makes sense in a weird way, if you don't reproduce often and everyone lives for an age you sort of just expect to remember things and you don't always think to explain important stuff to kids. The point about needing to nerf Malleus for Book 8 is such a good fucking take I would be so surprised if the health complications angle didn't come up. I wonder if the consequences are worse for fae due to them being made of magic?

Malleus does seem to understand that his power is great and that it is meant to be used to bring people happiness... he just does not seem to see other people as. Well. People nor does he seem to understand the concept of dreams. In a way the ideals of someone like Azul are completely foreign to him because he's never had to work to be good at anything he's needed to do. Sure he might like learning to do mundane things like use a washer and dryer, but he doesn't need to do it and that's the only reason why he likes it. If he had to do it every day he would find that exhausting so yes, this plan does seem like the only way to get through to Malleus. He needs to realize he is treating people not like his subjects but his toys, just because Sebek is ok with that doesn't mean everyone else is.

Agree. I feel like the real threat in Twisted Wonderland, whatever it is, will need every student to work together in order to face it and not just a handful of students from one or two dorms. We still need to find out what's up with Grim and Crowley... and RSA if we're lucky!

[see-arcane]

honestly after seeing everything, from films to annotated books, say 1. him getting a "wicked desire" out of the sisters is Repression, or fear of dominant women, or it was hot and he'd enjoy it 2. him not recording what happened between him and Dracula the last night is him "hiding a homosexual affair" 3. him being unable to wake up to save Mina makes him a cuckold and "demoted" by the forbidden object of mina's desire... It's nice to see all three instances when he got assaulted (because 3rd Oct was an assault on him too dammit) being treated seriously, instead of turned into jokes or infidelity Actually.

I joke a lot about subjecting poor Jonathan to assorted horrors, but the truth of it is that while I do like throwing new twists and terrors his way, this guy was already very much subject to a wide array of nightmares and traumas that the rest of the cast never experiences, and for far longer. This obviously isn't to belittle the brisker and more immediately vicious attacks Dracula inflicts on, say, Lucy and Mina, but those same threats--exsanguination, death, undeath, automatic enslavement/entrapment--were all still very much intended for Jonathan on top of the rest of his two month marathon of psychological torture.

And you're right. The latter is never, ever brought up in Dracula media other than Dracula itself. Certainly never with any kind of dignity, honesty, or acknowledgment of the horror involved. Part of the reason I write Mr. Harker into so many miserable corners--corners that, some have pointed out, he's only trapped in by dint of the Villain of the Moment taking a covetous interest in him, be it for his weird strengths or his charm or both--is to highlight the fact that he is a damsel in distress. One who is consistently targeted because he appeals to the monster(s).

Jonathan Harker is a good, sweet, strong, intriguing, desirable character.

Jonathan Harker is a victim of unwanted amorous and/or literally bloodthirsty attention from multiple aggressors.

Jonathan Harker is a traumatized individual who, regardless of what sequels or spinoffs try to twist in otherwise, spent months having his mind dragged over broken glass as he tried to juggle trying to get help, trying to escape, trying not to anger the undead horror keeping him prisoner, trying not to get magically coerced into laying back and letting the sexual predator-coded vampires take turns drinking from him or worse, trying at the very end of his rope to attack the monster only to get parried by yet another surprise superpower and the cheat of arriving minions and elements to conspire against him, trying, trying, trying everything he could think of to Not Be in This Hell, only to ultimately gamble himself on a cliff fall or death in the wilderness rather than stay another minute in that stone box of nightmares and undead eternity with the Weird Sisters.

Jonathan Harker has all this inflicted on him because, like Lucy, like Mina, he was wanted too much. And, like them, he did not want any of it.

Jonathan Harker is not weak for that.

No narrative that tries to warp him into either a quailingly repressed hater of powerful women, or secretly willing cheater with the Brides or Dracula, or any other copout to make it seem like a softer, ignorable, unctuous little footnote in someone else's liberating vampire fetish take on Dracula in which he is unceremoniously booted aside for Mina and the Count's ribald affair which is automatically a better thing than Jonathan daring to have such with the Brides or Dracula has any merit to it. Period. But the infuriating fact is, yeah. The latter are an overwhelming majority in films, shows, and books.

So I feel no shame whatsoever in being as indulgent as possible in my portrayal of Jonathan as the first and most long-term damaged victim of the Count; the only victim in the book who was not one of Dracula's idle afterthoughts, but a meticulous and coveted project. His pain and his appeal are both overdue a spotlight by over a century. So it's all going into whatever I write with him.

[ladedanixie]

I'm just gonna address this under the cut.

I love helluva boss. Its not a perfect show, but I deeply enjoy it and have re-watched it to death, especially when I was in bad spot. So when I critique it, its not from a place of hatred or pettiness, its more from a place of knowing how good it could be with better execution and focus. Now that I have gotten that out of the way, onto what I wanna say.

Just because someone critiques the show, or dislikes something you liked, does not mean they lack media comprehension or are just a hater. For example, Western Energy and Ozzie's being addressed in texts on Stolas' phone or people not understanding Blitz also cares about Stolas. Or even Seeing Stars, or Queen Bee not giving time to have an awkward moment or two. They say it'll be addressed eventually or its subtext.

And I'd concur. The show isn't over yet, it has 2 and 1/2 seasons more to go. But, that doesn't mean everything done so far is perfect.

First off, I understand that Blitz cares, Truth Seekers proves that, Ozzie's proves that, but if you're defending the texts in Western Energy or even the picture Blitz has on his phone of him and Stolas in Ozzie's, I'd like to counter that with not everyone is as obsessed with the show as you or me. There are casual fans, who yes, will throw their hat in the ring and critique the show, they usually don't pause or go back to read or double check the photos. That and some world-building elements, like the difference between Sinners and demons and imps, aren't explicitly addressed in the show. Sure Season 2 has somewhat addressed it, but there wasn't clarity and most causal viewers only know because other more invested viewers tell them. I know this because I'm a huge fan, and my friend who I got into the show, often asks for explanations.

People nitpick sometimes sure, like in Oops, when most people asked why didn't they just shoot Fizz (my friend was one of them), whereas I didn't think anything of it (probably mostly because I play dnd and I accepted Fizz's song as a Nat 20 on performance). Or claimed the song was too long, I loved the song and how long it was.

But nitpicks aren't bad, nor is all nitpicks made by solely casual fans. And not all critiques are nitpicks. I personally think that some bring up good points. Such as Western Energy and how Ozzie's was addressed in a series of texts between Blitz and Stolas, which if you blinked, you could have missed it. That and in order to read them, you would have to go back and go by frame by frame to read it. Pausing in-between. I am not of the belief that the texts should have been cut, but I do believe it could have been acknowledged if only a little in Seeing Stars (which I do have my opinions on, but I'll that in another post.) Because that would have been better structurally and could have set up the texts better.

Now to address another argument people make against critiques. And I will use Season 2 as my main example. Most people argue that the reason why Season 2 has gotten so much flack is due to people's built up expectations, the fanon, they created in their head. And sure that might be true. I've seen it in the reaction to Stella, which Sarcastic Chorus on youtube did a fantastic video on that that addresses the issue about that far better than I ever could. So check that out.

But I'll touch on it here anyway. Season 1 Stella was barely fleshed out. All we knew was that she was angry that Stolas cheated. Some eagle eyed views noticed her anger seemed to be mostly about him sleeping with an Imp and not the cheating, but aside from that, a picture, and a few split second scenes (Pilot: Blitz apologizing to her. Her telling Stolas to get up instead of her. Octavia briefly mentioning her.) We didn't know anything else about her. Some folks theorized about her in ways that created a lot of depth, only for Season 2 to reveal she was purely one dimensional with no sympathetic virtues whatsoever.

She was an abusive wife bound to Stolas out of a non negotiable duty to the Goetia family. It absolved Stolas of any responsibility or fault. Western Energy took it a step further and then robbed her of any weight as a villain in the story by introducing her brother and making him the mastermind. While Stella was painted as a pretty, petty, short-sighted, spoiled, impulsive brat. Which that's ok. I'm fine with her one dimensionality. Since the show never promised more than that. But some folks were really angry about it, claiming that the show did promise more. Now, that is a good example of building castles out of nothing but a potential future. Not to say that people aren't allowed to be disappointed with Stella's lack of depth. Because while the show didn't promise more, the lack of concrete evidence to the contrary allowed the space for potential. Thus, this is also a good example of how the show could have avoided this, if it were only clearer about Stella's personality from the beginning. Perhaps a scene or two more illustrating this.

This doesn't mean, that I think the creators suck. I do think they are doing the best they can, and are putting a lot of effort into the story. No, I don't think that I could do it better. Which sidebar, sometimes dissatisfaction with the execution of a story, and wanting to do it better i.e. your way, can lead to some pretty cool things. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao comes to mind (The author took inspo from Darling in the Franxx, they were unhappy with how it executed it's concept and they took it and made Iron Widow.) Or any multitude of fanfic. Or stories inspired by stuff in the public domain. But critique is ok, it helps with becoming a better writer/story teller. It tells you what works and what doesn't. Moreover, critique is always a suggestion not a command. Yes, haters exist, entitled fans exist, and people who completely miss the point exist. And yes, smaller projects tend to get more flack, especially when it involves queer stories, but that doesn't mean the rest is all noise. Multiple things can be true at once.

Claiming that people just don't understand subtlety or that they are plain stupid, is just disheartening. As though the only way to enjoy a show is to do so without complaint. I will admit I dislike negativity as much as the next person. I do in fact avoid it. Hell sometimes I don't like seeing critique. And yes, people are allowed to dislike, or express distaste with people critiquing the show. But again, it feels as though its being held on a pedestal, as though it can do no wrong, and its kinda a dangerous mindset to maintain. Nothing is above critique, nothing is perfect, and that includes your favorite shows.

Now does this mean that Helluva Boss is inherently a bad show? No. Are there problems with it? Yes. But, Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder though. Which means not everyone agrees. But I love this show. What's wrong with wanting to see it do its best, live up to its potential? (Oops is epitome of Helluva Boss's potential in my opinion, btw, and I look forward to more.)

Besides, Helluva Boss's creators are still gonna do what they are gonna do. Does it matter what someone on the internet says about it?

[gnocchighoul]

Operation Hot Potato

Summary: 

“See? She’s just a baby~” you coo, gently wiggling the kitten in his face.

Lucifer grimaces. Takes another, larger step back. “If a baby is what you want, I’d rather give you one myself.”

(You bring home a kitten and try to hide her from Lucifer. Unfortunately for you, nothing gets past the House of Lamentation’s resident pet-hater.)

Word Count: 3.6k

AO3 Portal

You found a kitten.

Well—kind of. It’s debatable.

You think it’s a kitten. She certainly looks like one—fluffy little thing with snow-white fur, blue eyes, a poofy little triangular head, and the most perfectly pink toe beans you’ve ever had the pleasure of squishing. 

The reason why you’re so hesitant to call her a kitten? 

She breathes fire. Hiccups fireballs. Sneezes flaming hot streams of… well, flames.

You learned that firsthand ten minutes ago, when you nearly got your eyebrows singed off by a particularly dangerous sneeze. All you wanted to do was give her a smooch on her wittle pink nose, you weren’t expecting to get blasted in the face with an orangey-red inferno.

But you know what? It doesn’t matter if she’s a little strange. You’ve sworn your everlasting love to your newfound daughter—your secret daughter that the demon brothers can absolutely not know about under any circumstances whatsoever, because you just know that Lucifer will make you put her back in the wild where you found her.

Your fire-sneezing, bouncing baby girl wouldn’t last another day out in the harsh wilderness (aka the dumpster that you retrieved her from). In the forty-seven minutes that you’ve had her, she’s grown accustomed to belly scratches, sleeping in your bed, and gnawing on only the finest tortilla chips in the Devildom. 

Her name is Tater Tot.

She sticks out like a sore white thumb among your colorful assortment of pillows. Not that she cares. She’s living it up in the lap of luxury. Tater Tot stretches—turns around with every paw in the air, proudly showing off her rotund little baby belly, and mrrps at you.

Its the cutest thing you've ever fucking seen. You just wanna SQUEEZE her. Ugh, who would've guessed that a little trash fire baby would steal your heart so quickly?

And it’s not like you broke the rules and brought home a pet on purpose. Tater Tot had chosen you. By choosing to rummage around in that specific dumpster that you just so happened to walk past on your way home from RAD, Tater Tot had effectively decided that you were to be her new caretaker. 

It’s fate. Kismet. You’ve wanted a pet for so long—dog, cat, dragon, gremlin, doesn’t matter. You’ve spent hours upon hours bitching and moaning to anyone that’ll listen about how badly you’ve wanted a pet to smother with your love. Nobody has been able to escape your woe. Everyone—the brothers, the angels, Solomon, and even your good buddy Diavolo (somehow, Barbatos has managed to evade you) have all been forced to listen to your lamenting about the pet-shaped hole in your heart. 

But finally—finally—your prayers have been answered.

With a fire breathing kitten. 

Oh yeah. Kismet.

You’re fairly certain that Tater Tot has never lived in a house. She had been perfectly content to snuggle up in your school uniform like some kind of tiny, pouch dwelling, heat seeking creature, until you had snuck into your bedroom and closed the door behind you. 

The second you set her on the floor, it was like a switch flipped. Tater Tot had shown off her unnatural strength by flinging her little puffball body around the room like a possessed tumbleweed, spastically crashing around the room and knocking over furniture and keepsakes alike.

You had finally cornered her under your bed and sat peacefully nearby, humming quietly to calm her. It didn’t take long for you to coax her out with snacks—she liked the chips, but passionately disliked the gummy worms—and within twenty minutes you had Tater Tot lounging with you on the bed, rubbing her soft little cheeks into your palm for rubs and scritches. 

You need to come up with a plan to hide your beloved child ASAP. It’s only a matter of time until either Lucifer hauls you off to his room or one of the brothers decides to camp out in yours for the night, and if word gets back to Lucifer that you’re harboring a fugitive animal… Well, favoritism or not, it won’t end pretty.

Though perhaps there is one person who can help you with this little secret.

Satan. The cat-loving fourth brother. 

Man oh man, he’s going to be thrilled with sweet little Tater Tot. You have to be careful though—you reckon that there is a 96% chance that he’ll try to steal her away from you. Trying to juggle custody battles and harboring your secret daughter from Lucifer all at the same time sounds like such a pain.

But… That would still be better than having to put Tater Tot back on the streets.

With the threat of big-meanie-Lucifer looming over you like a particularly gothic and pet-hating phantom, you come to a final decision. You’re just going to have to pull on your big girl pants and accept the soul crushing truth of the situation.

Satan is your only hope. 

But how are you going to sneak your daughter all the way over to his room?

You look around your own room for something, anything that can hide your beloved dumpster pet and—ohohoho.

 ~

“Darling?” 

You freeze midstep.

Busted.

“What’s up, Lucifer?” You try so hard to keep your voice calm and normal. So hard. 

Judging by the way Lucifer looks at you, you’ve failed. And you were so close. Satan’s bedroom is literally right there! Only a few yards away! If only you’d just had ten more seconds to yourself in the dark hallway... Alas, the warden your beloved Lucifer aka the resident pet hater stands between you and the dusty salvation that is Satan’s library of a bedroom.

You shuffle your feet a bit nervously. Readjust your grip on the cardboard box. A bit warily, Lucifer eyes it.

“What’s in the box?”

You panic. “What box?” 

Fuck.

Lucifer cracks a smile, though it doesn’t meet his gaze. He gestures to the cardboard box that you are currently holding near to your chest like some sort of ugly, cubic liferaft. 

“Oh!” You laugh. It’s too high pitched. Suspicious. “This box? It’s just some books for Satan, it’s nothing—”

The box sneezes.

Your mouth snaps shut and you thank all the fucking stars in heaven that this sneeze didn’t flambé you.

Lucifer’s eyes narrow accusingly. Tone icy and sharp, he says, “Books? Is that so?” 

Fuck fuck fuck fuck—

You wilt a bit under the intensity of his gaze. “They’re… cursed books? Yeah, so cursed and dangerous and only Satan knows how to nullify the evilness of these books so I’m gonna just slip past you—”

Lucifer takes a step to the left, planting himself firmly in your path and effectively thwarting your desperate grand escape. A single blade of moonlight cuts through the curtains and slices through the shadows, Lucifer now caught in the spotlight and—oh that fucker did that on purpose. Ugh, what a drama queen.

Red eyes practically glowing in the dark, he nods menacingly at the box. “Go on then. Open it.” 

“I dunno, I really shouldn’t because of the curses and—”

Clearly not in the mood to entertain your scheming-slash-rambling, Lucifer takes matters into his own hands. Before you can twist away, one of his hands darts out to knock the lid off of the box and—

Books. It’s filled with books.

He frowns. Lifts one up and—nope, there’s just more books underneath. “...What?” 

“Happy? Now if you don’t mind I really should get—”

“Let me help you with that.”

Your reflexes aren't fast enough. Before you can leap back or Sparta kick him away, Lucifer plucks the box right out of your arms… and reveals a squirming lump beneath your sweater, right inbetween your breasts. The box hits the floor. Lucifer stares at your newly acquired mass with a very particular sort of horror that you’ve never seen before. 

You panic. Again.

“...I grew a new boob. I think the Devildom air is toxic or something, but it’s okay! The more the merrier, right? We can still—gET YOUR HANDS OFF MY TIDDIES—”

Lucifer presses one hand to your lower back, trapping you, and yanks down your zipper, revealing the purrito that is wrapped kind-of-securely to your chest with a scarf. He recoils backwards, looking equal parts horrified and peeved off.

Time for Plan B.

93% sure that you can still recover from this situation that is rapidly soaring downhill, you stuff your hands into your pockets and then throw them outwards, flinging fistfuls of rainbow confetti into the air. “Surpriiiise! You’re a daddy! Say hello to our daughter.”

“No.”

“Her name is Tater Tot. Personally, I think she takes after you.”

The Tater in question shimmies out of her silky prison and tumbles nose first into your palms. You hold her right up to Lucifer’s face, grinning like a goddamn sociopath when he takes an alarmed step backwards. Little puffball paws desperately try to swipe at his nose. Lucifer looks downright offended by the assault of pink toe beans.

“See? She’s just a baby~” you coo, gently wiggling the noodle-limp kitten in his face.

Lucifer grimaces. Takes another, larger step back. “If a baby is what you want, I’d rather give you one myself.”

“As fun as that sounds, we have a perfectly good one right here!” 

“That thing is not a baby. Where did you find it?” 

There’s a concerned little scrunch in his brow that you wanna smooth over with your thumb, but when you try to close the distance between you two, he moves further out of reach. Frowning, you hug Tater Tot to your chest. She snuggles her face into the crook of your neck and purrs like the smallest biodiesel engine in all of the realms.

“I found her in a dumpster!” you say, perhaps a bit too proudly. 

Lucifer’s eyes widen. “In the city?”

“Why is that so shocking? Does the Devildom not have stray cats?” 

“That’s not a cat.” 

“Well yeah I kinda figured, what with the whole fire breathing thing and all, but—”

“It’s a chimera.” 

You stare at Lucifer. Try to gauge how serious he’s being. Tater Tot nibbles on your thumb with little needle-like teeth. 

Surely he’s joking. 

“...Like the lion-goat-lizard thing? That chimera?” 

Lucifer nods. 

Like you’re in some twisted version of the Lion King, you hold Tater Tot up in the beam of moonlight that Mr. Doom and Gloom had previously been occupying. Examine her totally normal kitten-features. The distinct lack of goat hooves. Miss Tater licks her nose. A Chimera? Her?

Surely he’s fucking with you.

But… it would explain the whole fire-breathing thing. Kind of. You’re not fully convinced he’s lying, but the truth doesn’t make much more sense.

But if she is a chimera… that’s so badass.

If Lucifer thinks for one second that Tater Tot being a nightmarish Hell creature is going to scare you into giving her up, then he is sorely mistaken. (You did choose to date him, after all. You're an expert at loving on Hellish beings.) At the end of the day, whether Tater is a chimera or a cat or whatever the hell else, you’ve already bonded with each other. She’s your baby and you are not going to let him get rid of her. 

If he gets Cerberus, then you get your funky little Tater Tot, dammit.

Lucifer watches this journey of emotions play out on your face. His eyes narrow. He says your name slowly, strained—a thinly veiled warning in his voice.

The grin that overtakes your face can only be described as evil. 

“We’re keeping her.”

“Absolutely not.” 

 ~

“You can’t be serious.” 

From the depths of your blanket fort, your hand emerges to flip Lucifer off. He scowls. 

“This blanket fort is only for Tater Tot and me.”

“Then perhaps you should relocate to your bed.” Lucifer growls.

You snuggle further into the black sheets cocooning you. With impressive speed, you had raced back to Lucifer’s room and stripped every piece of fabric from his bed in record time. From there, it was simply a matter of combining the dark sheets with a bunch of pillows and voila. You had created your very own anti-Lucifer fortress, right in the middle of his bed. 

Tater Tot army-crawls across your thigh and worms her way into the sheets, vanishing like a ninja.

"What?" You peek at Lucifer through a small opening in the fabric. “But then you would just ignore me and Tater Tot.” 

“Yes, exactly. I’m glad that we’re on the same page.”

“No! We’re not on the same page at all,” you scowl. “I’m not moving until you bond with her.” 

“Then I suppose you’ll be stuck there forever.” 

“Maybe I will!”

You can’t see him right now, but you know in the depths of your heart that Lucifer is rolling his eyes at you. 

Which, y’know. Fair. You are being a little bit ridiculous. But what choice do you have? The confetti didn't work and Lucifer needs to form an everlasting bond with Tater Tot. He needs to experience how lovely and precious and wonderful your little baby is, so that he won’t make you put her back in the dumpster where you found her.

You have one last tactic. It is by far the absolute worst. 

Talking to him. Like some kind of functioning, responsible adult, because apparently that's what you're supposed to do in a healthy relationship. Blegh. 

While you agonize over stooping to this final resort, Lucifer climbs into the bed without a word and settles himself in like he owns the place. Which he does. But that’s beside the point. 

One of your arms emerges from the blanket shield to poke at his pajama clad thigh. He doesn’t react. So naturally, you poke him again. And again. And again, until finally he sighs, “What?”

You squirm your way out of the stuffy blankets, gulping down air once you're free—sweet baby Jesus, fresh air has never felt so good—and Tater Tot flies out after you, rocketing across the mattress at the speed of light and tumbling around like a little white pom pom. While she does her own thing, you worm your way into Lucifer’s side so that you’re halfway on top of his chest. He huffs and lays there like a board, refusing to hug you, so you grab his arm and wrap it around your shoulders yourself.

Here goes nothing. 

“Why are you so against having a pet?” you ask, dancing the pads of your fingers over his chest.

Lucifer cracks one eye open. “The first and last time I allowed pets in the house, Satan brought home 48 cats. In one hour.” 

...You really should have seen that one coming.

“Oh. Well, I mean… Is that reallyyy a bad thing—ow! You jerk, I was just kidding.” You pout. “You didn’t have to pinch my butt that hard.” 

Lucifer snickers and pats your butt consolingly. “Mmm, no, I didn’t. But I wanted to.”

Briefly, you consider headbutting him right in the chin. But alas, that wouldn’t solve anything, so you settle for pressing a kiss to his collarbone, then reach a hand up to play with his hair, just how he likes. It’s not very ~vengeful~ buuut it’s bound to put him in a better mood. 

You trace cutesy little heart shapes on his right pec. “You know what I want?”

Lucifer closes his eyes—lets his head fall back onto the mattress. “We’re not keeping her.” 

You snuggle into his chest with a happy little hum. “Yes we are.”

“...Just for the night. Tomorrow you're putting her back where you found her."

 ~

You wake up in agony. 

It feels like you’ve had a lung ripped out and replaced with serrated knives. Or shark teeth. Each breath drags oh so painfully at your—just kidding. 

You wake up well rested and tangled in the bedsheets, your head hanging off the side of the mattress. You’re a little hazy-brained and your skull feels like it weighs a thousand pounds, but that’s probably because of all the blood rushing to your head. When you roll over and haul yourself back up onto the bed, a noise escapes you that is definitely not fit for polite company.

The murky depths of slumber threaten to take you again, so you pat around the bed with your hand, looking for your favorite demon-slash-body pillow. You pat. And keep patting. Where the hell is Lucifer?

You crack one bleary eye open, trying to find Lucifer and—

Where the hell is Tater Tot?

Your heart jolts in your chest as you realize a few things all at once.

One: Lucifer is missing. 

Two: Tater Tot is missing.

Three: You slept through breakfast, but that’s less important. 

You’re off like a shot, wrestling yourself out of the sheets and flinging them to the floor, then stumbling across the room to get to the door before your brain can even fully wake up. It’s fine, you don’t need 100% brainpower, you just need to find your baby. 

You’ve barely taken four steps into the hallway when you slam nose first into Mammon. He catches you, saving your face from becoming acquainted with the floor, and you grab him by the leathery lapels of his jacket. 

“Where’s Lucifer?!” you hiss.

Mammon desperately tries to squirm out of your feral grip. You shake him like a polaroid picture.

“Geez, knock it off would ya?! He’s in his office, what the hell is up with you? Wh—HEY! I’M NOT DONE TALKIN’ TO YA!”

Whatever the Weenie has to say to you is less important than finding your child, so as soon as you acquire Lucifer’s location, you haul ass to Lucifer’s study.

 ~

In a raging fury that could rival Satan’s existence, you fling open the door, ready to tear Lucifer a new one for not even letting you say goodbye to your beloved kitten and—

And your heart melts into a warm, gooey puddle. 

Lucifer is sitting at his desk. Tater Tot is draped across his shoulders.

Lucifer glares at you, but there's no real bite in his gaze. “Keep it down, Phobos is sleeping.”

You blink stupidly, your brain racing at a thousand miles an hour to catch up with whatever the hell you’re currently feeling that has you all mushy and moon-eyed. “Phobos? What the hell? That’s not her name at all.” 

“My love, we are not naming our daughter after potatoes. Her name is now Phobos. She and I came to a mutual agreement that it is far more fitting of a name for a creature of her pedigree.”

...You’re so torn. On one hand, you want to argue that Tater Tot is a lovely name for your dumpster kitten-chimera-thing, but on the other hand… he called her ‘our daughter’. As in your guys’s daughter. This can only mean one thing, and you clutch at your heart when you realize what’s happening.

They bonded.

It damn well might bring a tear to your eyes.

You make your way over to Lucifer, shove aside the papers on his desk, and perch your happy ass right on the hardwood.

With a bone deep sigh, Lucifer leans back in his chair. “Why do you always do that? My lap is available, you know.”

Tater Tot wakes up and lifts her heavy little sleep-addled head to meep at you.

You grin—hook your ankles around the armrests of his chair and pull him closer. “So… does this mean we’re keeping Tater Tot?” 

“... Yes, we’re keeping Phobos. But that’s it, no more pets.”

“Okay, wait. Hear me out. What about a dog?”

“Absolutely not.”

Lucifer plucks another white hair from his RAD uniform and holds it up to the moonlight, scowling at the offensive thing. Why in all the realms did you have to find a white cat? The damned thing has only lived with you lot for two days and yet somehow its hair has already gotten over every article of black clothing in his wardrobe. It’s infuriating.

His gaze wanders across the courtyard to where you’re sitting pretty on Beel’s shoulders, clawing at his face with your fingertips and screaming in terror at how high up you are. He grins. 

He can put up with the shedding fur, so long as he gets to see how your eyes shine like the stars when you see Phobos.

Still though. Why couldn’t you find a black kitten? 

“Lucifer! There you are!” 

Lucifer flicks the cat hair—lets the breeze catch it and float it away. Before he can even get a proper greeting in, Diavolo is pulling him in for a bone crushing hug.

“You’re here a bit later than usual. How’s life with the new kitten treating you?” Diavolo asks.

Lucifer steps out of the hug and eyes Diavolo warily. “Just fine, thank yo—wait. How do you know about the cat?”

Diavolo blinks innocently. “Surely you told me about her, didn’t you?” 

No, he definitely did not—oh no. 

Lucifer stares, slack jawed and horrified, because in that moment, he realizes something that he refuses to accept.

No.

No. It can’t be.

Diavolo would never do that to him. He would ne—oh fuck, he absolutely did.

Diavolo planted the cat. He knew that you would find her in that dumpster and take her home.

Lucifer has never known a betrayal quite like this. Diavolo says something about heading off to his office, but he doesn’t hear him over the rushing in his ears.

“Diavolo.” 

The demon prince in question pauses in his escape to look back at Lucifer. “Yes, Lucifer?”

“Why did you have to pick a white cat?”

And oh, Diavolo laughs. A full belly laugh that quite honestly kills Lucifer. Just a little bit.

[simplyotometrash]

Headcanons with Obey Me! Oc, Alex

Alex’s relationships to each of the characters

Lucifer:

Have you heard of love at first sight? You have? 

Yeah this is not that whatsoever. 

Alex hated Lucifer from the moment they met. His attitude, the way he talked to them, the way he talked to Mammon. All of it. 

So they made it their mission to get on his nerves as much as physically possible.

They really wanted to see how far they could push him.

Lucifer knew their game and put up with the annoying human and their antics despite the headache it caused him.

They finally talked to one another properly without a fight one night. It was late and Lucifer was, unsurprisingly, still awake and working.

Alex quietly shuffled into his office and immediately was called out on it. Lucifer rightfully suspected a prank. But the truth was that Alex had a bad dream and didn’t know who else to talk to.

Lucifer turned and saw this tired, helpless, upset human and gestured them closer. He listened to their nightmare and did his best to provide them comfort. 

Suddenly they weren’t the nuisance they usually were. They reminded of him younger brothers when they were much younger and new to the Devildom. Scared and feeling isolated. 

Did their relationship get any better?

Well, yeah it did. 

Lucifer grew to see the petite human as another sibling he somehow gained. 

Their relationship became sibling-like and the torment only continued, though less hate-filled.

Mammon:

Did they like him? Not at first. He didn’t really care much for them either.

They came to their first major breakthrough early on, though, when Alex witnessed firsthand the treatment Mammon received from his brothers.

Oh they hated it.

Alex is the youngest of 9 and knows what Mammon’s experience is.

From that moment on they took it upon themselves to become Mammon’s designated protector.

If anyone tried to fuck with Mammon they had to deal with Alex and vice versa.

They also are touch starved, so there were many movie nights where they just cuddled up together because they both needed physical affection.

Mammon is one of their best friends in the Devildom and they would not trade him for anything in the three worlds.

Mammon isn’t sure if he is in love with them or wants to just be their best friend, but he protects them just like they protect him.

They also always get into trouble together.

Mammon always ended up going into their room at night when he was having trouble sleeping, sometimes they were awake and sometimes not. 

They had an agreement, though, that if the other needed comfort at night they could always go to one another. 

He quietly would crawl into their bed and it was as if Alex knew he was there without waking up. They would shift so he could cuddle into them and they’d sleep like that the rest of the night.

There’s something inherently comfortable about being around one another when it’s just the two of them, something Mammon does not want to risk losing. He is very protective over them and will do harm to those who try to hurt them.

Leviathan:

Anime fan? Video game lover? Alex is the epitome of heart-eyes.

Yes, Levi comes off a bit weird but they do not care.

They wanna become his friend as fast as fucking possible because anime nerds need to stick together. They need someone to show them good Devildom anime.

Levi was very hesitant to let the human in. He was a gross otaku, why would they want to be his friend?

He was terrified that it might be some super elaborate prank.

It was seeing them playing a game from the human world that made him begin to open up.

They were playing a video game that they loved and he merely caught a glimpse over their shoulder. That was all it took. He stood there, hovering behind them, watching their gameplay intently.

The rest is, as they say, history. 

The pair became the best of friends and bonded over their mutual hobbies. 

Levi is also one of the potential love interests for Alex so the feelings can run even deeper depending on how I am feeling.

Overall, though, they are just as attached at the hip as Mammon and Alex. Levi is fiercely protective over Alex and their friendship, often fighting his brothers to claim best friendship. They are his Henry.

They’re able to get through to him when he draws in on himself. When he is so plagued by negative thoughts and anxiety that nothing can reach him, Alex is able to crack through the negativity to shine light back on him.

They give him so much positive reinforcement and affection.

While they are touch starved, they never force physical affection without consent. They know Levi has issues with being touched and would never want to push it.

They’re the only one he is okay with hugging him out of the blue, though it makes him blush, it also makes him feel special. 

Satan:

They did not get along at first.

Alex did not hate him on sight like they did Lucifer, but they did not take to him very quickly either.

They pretty much ignored each other for the first couple of weeks.

they could cohabitate in the House of Lamentation in peace without ever acknowledging one another.

It was Alex’s dislike of Lucifer that piqued Satan’s interest in them.

A fellow hater of Lucifer? Someone to plan pranks and piss off the eldest in the house? Maybe they were alright then.

They became friends over their disdain of Lucifer and truly bonded over a love of books.

Alex is a big reader, not only of manga, but of all literature. So they were able to find common ground in that they had some similar interests.

There was never the potential for romance between them and that’s okay.

Their relationship, similar to Lucifer and Alex’s, evolved into a very sibling-like relationship.

They became a younger sibling to him and he enjoyed their company. They proved good to prank with as well. 

It was nice to have someone else who liked reading, someone who was calm, and also loved cats. Alex’s love for cats was just as strong as Satan’s. 

I personally headcanon that Alex’s cat got to come with them to the Devildom so Satan really had to decide whether or not he was going to kidnap (catnap) their cat or not until they told him he could visit anytime for some kitty cat cuddles. 

Asmodeus:

Asmo was a very fast friend to Alex.

The moment they met he was enamored. What drew him in specifically? Alex’s hair. They came to the Devildom with pastel blue hair with an undercut that needed to be maintained.

Asmo saw they were a lover of fashion and had nice hair and he wanted in on that. He volunteered himself to be their personal hair stylist. 

They began bonding over these sessions where he would touch up their hair color and cut followed by painting their nails and telling them anything and everything he could think of.

But they did not hesitate to call his seemingly narcissistic personality a fraud. They didn’t buy that he was only a self-absorbed and shallow person who only cared for his looks.

This moment is what makes Asmo the second contender as a love interest for Alex.

They saw right through him and suddenly he felt...free. Free to express himself in more ways then he thought possible. He also began to view them as more than a doll to play with and a sounding board to talk to.

Suddenly they were so much more alive as a person. He wanted to truly know them. 

He fights Mammon and Levi for the role of best friend but he also wants to be so much more than that.

He makes a point to spend time with them and never mentions his previous encounters or relationships. He doesn’t want to even risk upsetting them in case they love him back (which they do depending on what I’m writing oops-).

Asmo, though he struggles to admit it out loud, views them as even more important than himself. Their beauty inside and out is blinding. He wants the world to see it and their outfits to reflect it.

He doesn’t hesitate to drop just as much Grimm shopping for them as he does himself.

Beelzebub:

These two cohabitated quite peacefully. They didn’t need to talk or really do much of anything. They simply existed together.

Alex didn’t think much of the large demon at first. They were impressed by the sheer size of his appetite and thought he looked kinda cool.

Beel thought they looked so small and was afraid just breathing too hard might break them.

Their first bonding moment was when he came into the kitchen for a midnight fridge raid and found Alex, in their pajama shirt, cooking. He quietly sat down next to where they were standing and asked what they were making.

Comfort food was their answer. They were homesick. Their favorite thing when they were homesick was potato soup, their mother’s recipe.

Beel knew the feeling all too well and did not press the subject. There was comfortable silence before he asked questions about the human world. Before long, they were offering him a large bowl of soup. 

They ate together, sitting there on the kitchen floor, and the hours flew by. 

They did get in trouble together for not even cleaning up the mess in the kitchen where they inevitably fell asleep together, but Lucifer was lenient. 

Beel became their confidant. The one person they could talk to without feeling judged. And they became someone he could also tell anything too.

Someone he needed for those bad nights plagued by nightmares or when he felt homesick, too. 

Their relationship stays this way. There’s not romance that may blossom and neither of them are interested in that. 

Belphegor:

They knew he wasn’t human from the moment they found him in the attic. These two had very little relationship prior to the incidents of chapter 16.

We all know how Belphie was about humans and what happened to the MC in that chapter. 

Scooting past that, their relationship afterwards was exceptionally tense.

At least on Belphie’s side. He wanted to make up for what he had done but also felt uncomfortable with Alex. He wasn’t sure how to approach them.

Alex, on the other hand, took it as a personal mission to annoy the ever living shit out of him as revenge. 

Did they hate him for what he had done? No. They did not hate him. What they felt was not hatred nor resentment, rather they felt irritated and rightfully pissed off.

They sought revenge in the form of annoying him.

But that only lasted a little while. These two actually get along very well once they have a proper talk about what happened and Belphie wanting to make up for what he had done. 

Belphie is contender number 3 for Alex’s love and affection in a romantic sense (I’m soft for him, I can’t help it).

They bond over the stars and the fact that they can be in the same room together without even having to talk. 

Alex is a high-energy kind of person but even they need breaks. They don’t like feeling as if they have to be like that all the time. And they don’t have to with him. They can be quiet and calm. 

They nap together all the time. Belphie is actually the one they go to when they have migraines because his very presence is so soothing that they’re able to relax and sleep through it despite the pain.

Belphie knows they love pillows and buys a new one every time he goes out, whether with them or not, just to add to their bed so they have their own massive pillow collection.

I will do a part 2 for the rest of the characters! Let me know what you think!!

[hippychick006]

Look, I’m going to explain something as Misha fans and AA’s do not seem to understand the differences between ‘them’ and ‘us’ They see us as the ‘haters’ and the ‘antis’. I hope this explains at a level they are capable of understanding as I don’t want to resort to having to draw pictures. That won’t be prettyfor anyone.

1. I have not, and will not ever @ Misha directly with hate. I respect the right of his fans to enjoy following him without seeing rabid accounts that don’t even like him try to bring him down.

2. I have not and will not ever comment on one of Misha’s posts no matter how much I disagree with something he says. I respect the right of his fans to enjoy following him without seeing nasty comments in his posts from people that are not even fans of his and post only to twist everything he says into something it isn’t.

3. I have not, and will not ever put anti Misha comments in the pro Misha Collins tags. I respect the right of his fans to enjoy content concerning him, without having to scroll past posts from people that do not like him

4. I have not and will not ever post Jared Padalecki or Jensen Ackles content in Misha Collins tags. I respect the right of Misha Collins fans to enjoy the actor they like without subjecting them to the face of an actor that is not relevant in their tags and that they do not follow or even like

5. I will not ever lie about Misha when I do comment on him. I will never take something out of context or twist the truth in order to make something seem something it is not. If this blog says Misha Collins owns Stands and is a pos for misusing Pride for a non existent ship, then you can 100% bet your life that this blog has done their research and knows this to be true. I do not need to make up lies or bend the truth or take things out of context as he’s done enough things on his own to warrant me having no interest in him as a person.

6. I have not and will not ever start up or get involved in a campaign to get Misha cancelled. I don’t like Misha, I think he’s manipulated some very vulnerable people to his own gain, but unless someone is a complete pos with no redeeming features whatsoever, I don’t believe in the cancel culture

7. I have not and will not ever try to push Jared, Jensen, J2, Sam or Dean onto people that have no interest in him. This blog respects the right of people to like (or dislike) what they want and they deserve to do that in peace. On that note I have not and will not ever demand that people must like exactly the same things I do otherwise they aren’t a ‘true fan’. I have not and will not ever ask someone for justification why they like/dislike a certain character/actor. I also have not and will not target hater accounts. I block them. I may post a correction if the hater account has lied about something - e.g. saying Jared told a rape joke.

9. This blog has and will get annoyed at fake journalists who write articles and miss Jared out of the article. I will get annoyed at fake journalists who attend 300th episode ceremonies and only post cockles content and completely miss Jared out. I will get annoyed when Creation try to sell a con under the guise of AKF and use a cockles photo in order to do so. I will get annoyed at the unprofessional minion writers, editors and social media who abuse their positions to drive a narrative and erase Jared and I have and will comment on the official social media when this has been done, but the only time I have ever tweeted a writer is to thank them for the episode.

Im sure there’s lots more differences between us, but these are enough for starters. I’ll add on if I think of any more.

Basically, this blog is 95% here for good things like Jared, Jensen, J2 and classic Supernatural. I am not a hater account but neither will I stay silent when a good man is being attacked time and time again by toxic fans and other fans are complicit by their silence or following these toxic accounts. I will also not stay silent when Misha’s fans come out with ridiculous made up statements like ‘Misha is the third lead’ or ‘Misha saved the show’ or ‘Misha is the reason the show lasted 15 years, you should be thanking him’. This blog will always be here for dishing out truth and reality and for respecting 2 men that gave us 20+ years of entertainment including pre Supernatural content.

[musette22]

Hi Minnie! First of all, thank you for being so sweet, reasonable and respectful, I can't even describe how much joy your blog gives me! You are a true pro in emotional support for Evanstan fandom, so I guess I kinda need some reassurance. [1]

The thing is, as you probably know, some Seb stans on Twitter take the whole Chris insta situation and turn it into smth embarassing, like making fun of Seb and Mackie ignoring Chris and calling the idea of the challenge stupid (even though Chris did donate, not just "asked fans for money", as they say). It's like they feel the need to attack the first before smb calls they fav out. [2]

I know there ARE good people in Seb fandom, it's just that the aggressive ones are so loud and spread their bs so fast, I end up seeing it on my TL. No matter how stupid it sounds, it keeps making me sad to see so much hate towards Chris and his fans not from some random locals but from Seb stans. It's like two halves of my heart are torn apart. Not even ship-wise, it just seems so hard to love them both and be present on twitter these days. [3]

And, since I'm whiney af today, one more twitter thing: the CW promo era was some kind of honeymoon for us, sure, but I've recently seen some opinions on how Chris was all lovey-dovey and Seb was stiff and bored and uncomfortable, how their interviews were unnatural and boring. I mean, in my part of fandom (non-English speaking country) there has always been a popular perception of boys' dynamic as these "over-excited puppy playing around a confused cat" vids, if you know what I mean. [4]

But it kinda seemed ok for me, and the way they acted a little awkward around each other etc. Well, you can tell I'm easily affected cause now it does feel more negative to me. Stuuupid, I know. Maybe it's my "let's feel sorry for Chris and his fans" phase, idk. Sorry for bringing it here, you just seem to reassure people so well. [5 and last, it was long lol]

Hello my lovely!! This was indeed long hahaha but that’s totally fine, I myself am also someone who also has trouble keeping things short to I feel you 😘 

This is a very long reply so I’m putting it under the cut so I don’t clog up people’s dashes!

Okay so first of all, let me say I was never a fan of Twitter, but everything I’ve heard lately has just lowered my opinion of it even further. I know there’s a lot of amazing stuff and brilliant folks on there as well, but it also seems to be where all the bitchy, hateful, entitled and inappropriate people congregate. So personally, I’m very happy with my little community on Tumblr when it comes to fandom, and for news and social media I prefer actual news outlets and instagram. The sad truth is that there are a lot of harmful and hateful opinions in the world, and as someone who struggles with anxiety, I try to find ways to avoid a lot of it. Especially the stuff I can’t do anything about (you can try to reason with most haters until you’re blue in the face, and 90% of the time it’s not going to make an ounce of difference). It’s much easier to curate your own experiences on platforms like Tumblr and even Instagram than it is on Twitter, or so I’ve gathered. So I’m afraid I don’t have a lot of helpful advice for you there apart from ‘maybe try and stay away from Twitter if you can’ which you probably don’t really want either...

As for the whole Seb vs Chris issue: it’s clearly completely ridiculous. There is no ground whatsoever to believe they’re at odds. At worst, they’re now just casual work friends, but there is no reason to believe there’s any bad blood. It’s interesting to consider that initially, the argument seemed to be they had fallen out and both disliked each other (no idea where that came from but sure), then it was that Chris didn’t like Sebastian (because he allegedly shaded him when he joked that Scarjo was the only one of his friends who came to see Lobby Hero), and then Chris got Instagram and tagged and followed Seb, but because Seb hasn’t responded to the challenge yet, he now apparently hates Chris. For what reason, god only knows, because only last year at MCM London (where I was present myself) Sebastian gushed about Chris and his experiences with him while filming the Cap movies, and lets not forget it was him who initiated the hug at the Endgame premiere. Long story short: they don’t dislike each other. They’re completely fine, people just like to make up drama for whatever reason.   

As for the Sebastian stans who hate Chris and vice vera: to be honest, I wasn’t even really aware it was an issue until recently, because I was under the naive impression that it was kind of impossible to love one but hate the other. Both of them are such amiable, sweet, thoughtful, funny, talented guys, and everyone who actually knows them adores them, so why on earth anyone could hate either of them is beyond me. But even if you do, I genuinely don’t understand this need to pit them against each other? Why? I think a lot of it is down to people just liking drama, or being actual 12 year-olds who still see the world in a kind of high school dynamic-way. I’m not saying Chris and Sebastian have never done anything wrong, but in my opinion, none of it warrants outright hate or being cancelled over. It’s such an immature and unreasonable take. I’m just sorry for the people who can’t love both of them, because man, are they missing out! I understand that it’s painful for you to see all those opinions when you love both of them so much, but that’s why I try to just avoid them. I know they exist, but not seeing them makes dealing with it a whole lot easier, I promise! ❤️

With regard to the challenge itself: if the celebrities who are taking part in it are not donating themselves, then yeah, that would be problematic. However, we know that Chris donates to a ton of different charities, so there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s donated to this cause as well. Asking people to buy tickets to try and win this “prize” is not in itself an issue, if you ask me. People can think for themselves, can’t they? If they think it’s worth it, they think it’s worth it. They’re not being forced to part with their money, and moreover said money is being used to help people in need. Of course fake and problematic charities exist, but there are still good ones out there as well, so let’s assume for the moment this one is actually doing all of this from a genuine desire to help people and it’s not some money grabbing scheme.

Furthermore, as I’ve said so many times before, I really don’t believe Sebastian and Mackie are “ignoring” Chris. If they’re choosing not to do the challenge (they still might do it at some point) then I’m sure they have a good reason for that and it isn’t that they’re holding a grudge and are thinking “screw this charity and that Chris Evans, I’m going to ghost him to get my revenge!” I mean, do these people even realize how ridiculous that sounds 🙄 I also believe they would have let Chris know about their decision privately. They do have each other’s phone numbers, you know... 

And lastly, about the CW press tour... I don’t know what footage these people have been watching to come to such conclusions, or what’s wrong with their eyes and ears, but that makes NO sense to me. I’ll tell you what; it was mostly the footage from the CW press tour that got me convinced there was something going in between the two of them! Both Chris and Sebastian acted in a way that screamed “smitten kittens” to me, and if there was ever any “stiffness” from Sebastian’s side, then that was no doubt just his slightly more reserved personality compared to Chris and Mackie’s. Chris and Sebastian’s videos together give me LIFE, so for anyone to call them boring is actually kind of insulting lol. To me, almost every interaction Chris and Seb had during that press tour showed that they were either low-key (in a friendship way) or high-key (in a romantic way) crushing on each other, and they clearly admire each other very much. Any awkwardness I’ve ever seen between them for me seemed to stem from that crush (is anyone not at least a little awkward around their crush sometimes?) and not from any dislike from either side. That’s actually such a ridiculous idea to me that it doesn’t even make me worried, it just makes me laugh. Some people really don’t have eyes, it seems. 

Anyway, that was a reeeeeeaaaaaallllyyyyy long reply lmao, I’m sorry! I hope this helps a little though, because I do know how shitty it is to feel like you do about things that are supposed to make you happy!! Tuning out the haters and focusing on people who feel the same way you do in my experience is the best way to get to feeling good again 🥰 Big hug, and hopefully you’ll feel better soon!

[rabidbehemoth]

On Kylo Ren as Incoherently Evil

@neonnothing brought up a succinct point that I had to stop and really think about my response to during our dissection of TROS. and i had a three hour text convo with two other friends the same day about ren (god help me) and it all coalesced into the following meta, which I’m still thinking about: 

Regardless if people think he is redeemed or not, I think no ONE absolutely no one can argue against the fact he overcame so much internalized hate to cross over to the good side.  That he still deserves love, at any given point, as long as it's consensual. NO ONE CAN TAKE THAT AWAY and almost NO ben hater actually give him this acknowledgement. Everyone's like "OH but he hasn't earned it." 

I'm pretty far from a Ben hater, but that's my argument too, and my eternal disappointment. For me, the worst part of his arc wasn't when he died (I did cry a little okay), but when he turned to the light for what I felt was far too little reason. I think by saying he hasn't "earned it", maybe people mean what I do: that he didn't have a chance to struggle in TROS. All the struggling happened in TLJ (with some in TFA, actually), and Abrams just swoops in an profits without building on that whatsoever. Experiencing Leia's death doesn't count for me because it wasn't even his fault. I wanted more than anything to see Ben come to jesus, to lose something so precious he is forced to reconcile with who he's become because he's out of other paths. I think redemption, like any character heel-face-turn, to be satisfying, has to have the weight of inevitability, of reaching the last resort and finding there's no where to go but up. 

This is almost entirely what my earlier 3 hour convo was about, and thanks to that I have a new theory as to why it may have been impossible to give Ben a satisfyingly inevitable turn toward good (even in the hands of a competent director!): his motivation is nonsensical. The backstory about his turn to the dark is too vague, leaves too much to the imagination (you and I may have fertile fandom-fed imaginations that can almost see what Ben Solo might have been like as a young man, or earlier in his journey toward the dark, but my friends couldn't and they had dramatically different interpretations of his character because of it). How do we go from "my master/uncle betrayed me", which is a terrible, tragic, traumatizing thing, to "let's light people on fire"? I mean, how exactly? Sketch it out for me. It's not a simple thing. That kind of development takes time, and you have to be willing to sit in that character's head and play with possibilities and see how their life may have lead them in that direction. It's work, hard work. Painful work, if you're doing it right.

I think it's telling, that my friends (quite smart people really) mistook Ben's motivation as wanting power. it doesn't take much to debunk that--he only seizes power from snoke when rey is threatened, but more importantly he's simply much more fixated on killing the past and the light than embracing the dark and being evil or for the sake of it, or for power. The fixation with darth vader's mask seems to speak more of a fixation with the past, particularly his own bloodline, than the kind of admiration that snoke suggests he has. And he gets rid of that icon so freely. 

There are so many questions regarding what Ben wants and why he is the way he is (what role do his parents play in this exactly? We're always laden with implications and no answers). This incoherent motivation is further complicated by the incoherent morality of the SW verse, in which you have to pick and choose who's right based on color codes and be willfully blind to contradictions. His status as evil is extremely unstable and kind of unknowable too, which is why I think so many fans have been unsettled by the suggestion that he might toe the line into grey morality, become some kind of grey jedi with rey. Because that would be truly subversive to the SW universe--where is your god, your rules, now? I think the instability and incoherence of his evilness is precisely the defining point: either you read that to mean he's redeemable and an appropriate romantic partner with some adjustments, or you read that to mean he's worse in some way that a normal static villain and especially inappropriate as a romantic partner.

Funny thing, I think the reylos are the ones paying better attention, because his motivation finally becomes coherent when rey is what he wants. That we can understand, it's a development that happened on screen for understandable reasons, and his backstory and motive become far less important in fleshing out the character (REALLY, RIAN JOHNSON MANAGED A LOT WITH TLJ WHILE STARTING FROM VERY LITTLE, I'M JUST REMINDING U). 

Kylo's character is mostly a patchwork of guesswork, relying on codes that they then go and poke holes in. All the chars rely on similar codes, but kylo's is just done in such a weird and inexplicable and self-contradicting way that it seems to allow people to read him dramatically differently. So maybe it's no wonder that he's so divisive. It's like publishing a story before you've come up with the ending, and you don't quite know where your character is going--that's all stuff you figure out later as you're writing, then come back and fix the beginning. Except they published chapters as they went and can't go back and make it all make sense.

And without a sensible, coherent foundation to what makes the character the character (from the very beginning, not just the coherency that his connection with rey brings him), it's pretty much impossible to do an effective about-face, isn't it? You have to have those motivations fleshed out in perfect clarity, so you get that ring of truth when the char finally sees the light.

That's what I wanted. Not a simple turn to the light, I wanted him to see it first, because I'm still frankly in the dark about why he's been in the dark at all.

[nancykali]

Oh so we can trash El and Max and Nancy but we can’t talk about sexism in season 3′s writing? How nearly every single main male character was written as blatantly sexist without actual repercussions or change at the end of their arcs? Except Steve. Who got his magical transformation into a good guy and fan favorite at the expense of Nancy and Jonathan’s characters, in seasons 2 and 3; especially Jonathan, who’s gotten sidelined to the point most of the fandom would prefer he was killed off.

But no, instead the fans can’t take off their misogynist goggles long enough to see they’re bashing female characters who were written poorly as a result of sexist writing. Learn how to criticize writing and see the flaws of a character in a Doylist sense instead of hating on female characters. Everyone was written with less depth (except for Steve and Robin), and all the sexism surrounding most of the main characters made nearly all the male characters OOC.

Mike and Lucas were sexist and by the end they still didn’t understand what they’d said about their girlfriends was wrong. Will’s sexism continues to be unaddressed (girls can’t play video games or go to science camp, and all El was to him was a stupid girl ruining his friendships). Mike never apologized for lying to El, only for monopolizing her time (which still makes no sense because El was an equal participant). Hopper manipulating Mike and El for his own benefit was not addressed as bad (when his lying to El in s2 at least was partially addressed), Hopper lied to Joyce (again) - that was never addressed, and Hopper’s horrible treatment of Joyce was only played for comedy. 

El should have apologized for spying on Mike in the same scene that Mike should have apologized for not telling the truth about what Hopper did to manipulate them from the beginning, but instead the writers decided El and Max should make light of El’s spying. Because somehow the conflict was about Mike’s one-sided possessiveness of El (that was not shown; we’re shown El wanting to be around him just as much), instead of El’s chafing against the restrictions of these implied rules she still lives under, and the lack of trust between El and Mike. Mike’s reasoning from “I have to lie to El to please Hopper” to “El is conspiring against me and is another species and I don’t deserve this” made no sense whatsoever, not even if you factor in a fear of Hopper, which he didn’t even have in season 2. They dropped the conflict between Mike and Hopper that deserved development after season 2, to further develop Mike, Hopper, and El’s characters, to instead have petty teen drama (and even worse parenting from Hopper) that made no sense for the characters. The entire Mileven arc was OOC and focused on the wrong issues, selling every character short.

Nancy ending her relationship with Steve is still a reason to hate her character (and say her and Robin can’t get along) because people still refuse to understand she didn’t lead him on or cheat on him. Nancy’s journalism career was completely dropped and her relationship with Jonathan gets zero development after the apology scene in the elevator. And that apology between them only addressed Nancy being wrong about comparing Jonathan to their misogynistic employers, and Jonathan being wrong to disregard her degradation under them (“Real life sucks. Deal with it like the rest of us.” – yes, Jonathan and his family are poor, but that was a shit thing to say). The elevator conversation completely ignored their economic disparity. And even though Nancy addressed that with Karen and knew she was wrong not to consider their economic differences before, the later apology scene did a disservice to both Nancy and Jonathan by ignoring half of their conflict with each other.

And the fandom is wrong to cast blame on Nancy for being “so selfish” in her privilege that she got them fired—Jonathan decided to go with her and support her in pursuing the case. She was willing to go alone, pursue it alone. Him saying during their argument that he told her to drop the case, implying it’s her fault he doesn’t have the job anymore, ignores the fact that he made the decision to help her, to involve himself in her case and put his job on the line. Just because it was Nancy’s idea to pursue the case doesn’t mean Nancy forced him to be further involved. He chose to get involved. So I don’t understand why the fandom thinks Nancy is this self-centered person who sabotaged Jonathan’s livelihood with her decision to pursue a case – a case that she gave Jonathan the choice not to involve himself with.

And finally, Max’s friendship with El was used solely to create drama between Mike and El and made both the Mileven relationship and the Elmax friendship shallower - Max had no character outside of making El do things Mike didn’t like (and giving fodder for Mileven haters to argue that Mike and El don’t belong together), and arguing with Mike about El. Oh and suddenly having a bond with Billy that made no sense after the events of season 2.

El had no character outside of being upset with Mike, having fun with Max getting back at Mike, and being upset about 2 major things: 1) losing her powers, and 2) Hopper’s death. Mike and El’s relationship had no emotional depth, they didn’t even have a full serious conversation outside their arguments and expositional dialogue. Their devotion to each other was turned into a mutual clinginess that was solely blamed on Mike for an inexplicable reason. El’s friendship with Max was used to show her breaking the rules (which we’re never shown the need for – what sort of danger was El still in? What exactly was the risk if she broke the rules?), which included spying on Mike, and even El’s love confession was based around eavesdropping and was met with another lie on Mike’s part.

It’s like the writers decided that in order to have any emotional plots in season 3, they had to throw characterization out the window and invent a bunch of petty drama to drive the main characters’ storylines, instead of using any of the characterization that had been built in the first two seasons – especially in season 2 with regards to El, Max, Nancy, and Joyce. This show used to revolve around the strength of the characters’ friendships and the intelligence and resilience of its main female characters. All of that was tossed in season 3.

[ingayderzim]

not to be that person who asks a googleable question but wtf is hazbin hotel bc i googled it and the only “critical” thing i could find was a typo-ridden article of someone saying it has good animation and its haters are stupid. i was able to glean what it is/what it’s about but idk about the discourse lmao

Im actually so glad u asked this. Here's the lowdown, this is my definitive answer to hazbin shit from here on out, unless new info comes about of course.

Hazbin hotel is an independent cartoon by vivziepop. Most people (that ive seen) have agreed that the pilot of the show really isnt that great but the reason it has so many fans is bc of the entertaining livestreams, massive amounts of canon content produced (she has had these characters for years), unique art style, and the characters. (Ass ugly but unique.)

Its haters are totally justified bc of some of the "controversial" (read: bad) things vivziepop has done. Here's the conclusion that my friends and classmates (several of whom are Black, one Hispanic woman, and one trans woman...nellie if ur reading this i 💜 u) and i came to after discussing this stuff. I am NOT saying "well my black/trans friend said it's ok so i dont have to think about it!" this is based on a few different conversations that my friends and i have had about this topic so what im saying is that my opinion was formed by talking about this situation with multiple people affected by the controversy.

One controversial thing is a drawing u can easily find on google (called beastiality.jpg i believe?) It's a cropped (chest and up, but hes obv naked) drawing of vivziepops character, drawn by vivziepop, moaning, with a snake around him. The character is 17. Many people have interpreted this as child porn. I dont think this image is pornographic, i think it's a stupid joke (it was even tagged as a joke iirc) and completely inappropriate but since it's 8 years old on top of not being porn, i think it's just an example of a dumb drawing. That being said, i would NEVER argue that someone who is uncomfortable w the drawing (im uncomfortable with it! It's gross just not porn) or considers it porn is wrong. They are entitled to that opinion and i would never expose them to vivziepops work or talk about her stuff around them if they expressed to me that they disliked the image.

Another thing is that she drew a doodle of two racist TERFs. This is the one where my friends of color, my friends who are black, and my friends who are trans women took the lead. I sat back for this part and here's their and my opinion on this after talking about it and verbally going through this whole situation.

She was following these women (who had done blackface and stuff) and drew art of them. The art was a "quick doodle" that she did apologize for and she said she didn't realize the extent of their beliefs. She knew they werent great but hadnt consumed much of their content in depth. I believe her bc while ive never followed anyone as bad, ive certainly followed some pieces of shit and didnt notice for months simply bc im not online all the time and bc of the volume of people i follow, combined with the non chronological algorithms lately.

At the risk of screwing myself, im going to admit that there was about a year or so of my life where i enjoyed The Amazing Atheist. I was even subbed to him. I was a nonbinary lesbian (2 things he cant stand lmaoo) in catholic school and therefore i strictly watched his videos about theological stuff since thats what was frustrating me at the time. I had no clue the type of evil racist, transphobic, homophobic (yes ik hes bi), misogynistic things he thought, said, and did, bc i didnt watch those videos. I literally only watched select theological ones that could be of use to me while edgily debating my teachers (sorry mrs macdougal but u had it coming). I was about 15 at the time and im 19 now. Im sorry to everyone i hurt by ever having supported him. I had one of his quotes written in the inside of my religion notebook in high school. I regretted it and ripped the page out the moment i discovered the truth about him. I cant stress enough how much I HATE HIM. Thats an example of what i think happened here tho.

One of my friends who is a trans woman said (paraphrasing) "i think the worst thing shes done is that terf art but i believe the apology especially bc it was a quick drawing."

That being said, i would NEVER argue with someone who wanted nothing to do w vivziepop bc of this. That's their right. 100%. I would never expose them to her work after that.

The last thing i remember is something about a pedophilic couple in a comic but i heard it was a 17 year old and a 19 year old. Im 19 and if one of my peers did that i wouldnt say pedophile but id say ur a fucking weirdo, BUT, the kids were fake and being written by an adult so i can totally see her thinking that age gap is much less of a big deal than it really is. Like she forgot what it's like at this age. Idk how true any of that part is tho, i heard that info entirely secondhand.

Another thing to do with racism is that there's a joke within the show where one character says to the other

"don't get your taco in a twist"

"Was that supposed to be racist or sexist?"

"Whichever one pisses you off more"

I thought that was gross but one of my friends pointed out that vivziepop is of el salvadorian descent so that's her business. Like if i made a lesbian joke of equal or greater offensiveness than that and someone tried to call me lesbophobic over it id be like "that's literally my territory."

Oh speaking of which that character's name is vaggie and shes a lesbian but it's not pronounced w the same G you'd hear in "vagina." Vivziepop seems to name characters weirdly (like how in helluva boss theres a guy named blitzo and the o is silent) so maybe it's a pussy joke but i have no idea.

The animation was.................better than i could do, i wanna say the faces and gestures were good but god i remember there was a part with a car and my gf had to pause so i could laugh my ass off at it. I wouldn't describe the animation as a highlight but i liked the style in motion i thought it was a fun change. Vivziepops style is not appealing imo but i appreciate it as an art student and as someone whose friends all like she ra and steven universe where every character looks the goddamn motherfucking same, and while its chaotic and i dont care for it, the style actually works way better in motion than you'd think.

A good rule that i def use is to assume hazbin fans are guilty until proven innocent. If someone says they dont care about the discourse surrounding it and like it no matter what, RUN! They would support the show even if the creator was in fact a pedophile, or had done the blackface/was a terf herself! They probably support some horrible ppl and are probably "anti antis." A lot of them are minors tho so i'd say block and move on.

So, do i like it or not? Im an art student and all my friends like it so while i didnt think it was funny, i do fuck with it. At the convention this weekend my friends and i had a convo that led to me drawing an ahego hoodie where the faces were angel dust (a character's) face. It was a joke that i could make a killing by selling that in a booth at a con.

Theres really nothing compelling about the show but my friends like it so i join in on their conversations, and i do have a soft spot for angel dust bc he's like a worse, less amazing and gorgeous version of one of my characters, Candy, the love of my life.

A lot of people say the show was edgy/offensive and maybe im just desensitized but besides the taco thing i didnt pick up on that whatsoever??? The Archer episode "Swiss Miss" is worse than helluva boss and hazbin combined and even archer isn't offensive.

Im probably not aware of all the "discourse" (aka people being reasonably uncomfortable by weird and bad shit this random woman has done, and other ppl saying their opinions are wrong when it's literally just an opinion about a show) so if anything she's done isnt included in here it's not to defend vivziepop, this is genuinely all i know. I wouldnt describe myself as a fan of hers.

[swannsjack]

I still can't wrap my head around the fact that of all people in Hollywood, people decided to hate Johnny Depp. That man had gone his entire career with good reputation. Everyone that'd ever known him said the nicest things about him.

but then one day this person comes up with some seriously suspicious allegations with suspicious circumstances (arrested for dv herself, only asking for a divorce at first, sending a damn extortion letter, and making allegations just days after his mother's death, avoiding deposition three times! to name just few from the very long list) and all goes to hell. His entire previous life is forgotten. like it didn't exist. all that exists are unproven allegations.

“Johnny is one of the nicest people that I know—to the extent where it’s almost heartbreaking how kind he is"

Y'all really think he just woke up one day as he was nearing his 50s and became an abuser? everytime an abuser is revealed, it doesn't come as surprise. even if she were to be his first physical "victim" it would still not be a shocker. there are always signs. always something that makes you look back and see things in a new light, maybe not casual acquaintances, but definitely people that had spent with them more time. yet, Depp's exes spoke up in his defense. people who know him personally, even staff at events, they all have said that's just not him. but especially his exes are the most important. he would absolutely have a history of questionable behavior. but he doesn’t. oh sorry, I forgot he chased away paparazzi after politely asking them to leave his family alone and they didn’t. what a jerk, protecting his family from vultures, ugh. and don’t tell me “can’t know what happens behind closed doors” Vanessa Paradis lived with him for over a decade and she sent a handwritten note defending him. and no, she did not do it for the kids. where is the logic in that? if their father was abusive, don’t you think she would make sure her kids are safe from him, protect them from him, instead of defending him?! 

yet they all said he's gentle, kind, caring. I saw two of his less famous ex girlfriends tweet about him last year, not about the allegations, just posting or commenting some pictures of them together. there have been people speaking up, saying he was the victim (people now question why he hadn't come out early with his allegations against her, but you fail to realize that he would have, he didn't sell his stuff to tabloids for all of you to see (I know, the audacity!) unlike her, but he was ready to do it properly through the court of law, but the case was dropped with prejudice (!), a NDA signed and he was never given the chance to clear his name, he even says in the new lawsuit that he was going to challenge the RO before they reached an agreement (+ his evidence list does have a photo of himself from december 2015 and while we do not what the photo is about, there’s a pretty compelling argument to be made that she injuried him that month - watch this video at about 14th minute) but there have been people saying it. saying she lied and there were no bruises, including TWO POLICE OFFICERS, at least one of them being a woman (so that's two female officers of the law speaking out against Heard - first being the one that arrested her for assaulting her then girlfriend/wife) yes, there are new witnesses saying the same but a lawyer that lived in the building said Heard was seen without make up and no bruises even back in 2016! that's not news, the same person also tweeted something about helping the real victim...

Johnny's friends all had agreed she treated him badly but they were too afraid to tell him that, said they watched her:

"f*ck with him at his weakest, or at his weakest from being f*cked with"

how do things like that not make people take a step back and consider that maybe, it's not the hundreds of people defending him that are trash? that he didn't pay all of them to lie (and how interesting to now have witnesses saying Heard asked them to “help” her by lying for her, that she said she had contacts in PEOPLE magazine, how interesting that all the things people accused Depp of, were actually something Heard did). he is willingly going back to court. he has invited her to show up at the court if she wishes to, “we are looking forward to that [her] evidence” his lawyer said.

why can't you just consider that it's the one shady person that is the piece of sh*t. a person who's "witnesses" are two of her friends who lived in Depp's home rent free. witnesses whose stories kept changing or didn't match her own. Even Heard kept changing things. At some point it was said she made a decision not to file a police report. later she said her LAWYER advised her not to file it (??? im sorry what? what lawyer would give that advice if something truly had happend?) and so many other things. honestly, how does that not make you suspicious?

and then we have the video, the video people think is proof that he abused her, even saying "there's a video of him hitting her, throwing glass at her blah blah blah" when he does NO SUCH THING. go watch it, I dare you to show me where exactly does any of that happen. all that happens in the video is that he's upset, but he's trying to ignore her. she keeps making it about herself despite the fact that he tells her it's not about her. and he slams some cupboards shut and throws a glass into the sink or something. damn I'm glad no one has filmed me when I was being abusive, by slamming the door behind me or throwing something a little harder than necessary when upset. no one does that unless they abuse their loved ones. still, Depp's not one of the smartest guys, is he. he sees his "victim" filming him while he "abuses" her and doesn't think to delete the video. sad

believe women is all nice and good, but not at all cost, not when there’s all that evidence against her. and what about all the women defending him? the list is pretty long, including JK Rowling who you've been bullying despite the fact that it was implied that she knows things that weren't made public at the time (and there's absolutely no excuse whatsoever for the bullying Johnny's daughter received for defending her father, you wanna pretend you don't support abuse? don't f*cking bully children) what about the female officers, one that witnessed Amber Heard assaulting her then partner, and the other who saw no bruises, no redness, no swelling on her face, no property damage, no disturbance (which Heard claimed was there) whatsoever? 

who made the choice that, in all of this, Heard is the only woman to be believed?

not every case is the same. some people are truly guilty, but some are not. false allegations happen. and Depp was never found guilty, the restraining order request (a reminder that's all the case was about) was dropped WITH PREJUDICE. Another fun fact, the money she got was for the divorce, she got no compensation for the “abuse” as people like to say. they were married, when divorce happens, there is money involved, allegations or not, surely people know that. And guess what, being the abuser that he is *not, for some reason he did not have a prenup. funny isn’t it? one of the richest, most famous actors in the world, and he marries his “victim” without a prenup. 

And let's not forget that according to the new documents in the Sun lawsuit it says she admitted to causing him multiple serious injuries. Oh yes, sure, she was just defending herself from her "bigger, stronger husband" as she said, because that's a perfectly natural way to phrase it. sure doesn't sound like a rehearsed manipulative bullsh*t to force you to picture this big bad MAN and the helpless fragile woman.

oh my God there's so much more to say. so much not only disproving her lies, but also showing she abused him, but it’s been said before and my venting is pointless, but I'm just so sick of people hating on a victim.

everytime those ignorant haters call him derogatory terms, make fun of his looks, or his social anxiety - which causes him to speak slower and stammer (which he's had his entire life but even more so now, while evil people were making fun of him at the tCoG premiere for having a hard time getting his point cross, saying he was high or drunk, I WAS FREAKING PROUD OF HIM for even standing up there in front of all those people, after two years of getting unfair hate and backlash against his casting in said movie) - it makes me sick. 

Absolutely sick that this has been done to one of the most genuinely nice people in the hellhole that is Hollywood (”he doesn’t belong in show business, he belongs somewhere better” SJ. Parker). it feels like I'm in an alternative universe where it's all backwards.

I truly want to hope that things can turn around and people will hold the real perpetrator accountable for what she's done. But then I see the foolish hate, the lies (so many crazy, disgusting lies made about him by vile nobodies on the internet just to support the "bad guy" image when everything else fails and they have nothing but lies), the twisting of facts and truths, the misguided, ignorant support of Heard because she's a woman, and she had a pretty wig in Aquaman or whatever, and it feels hopeless again.

But he deserves better. Johnny Depp deserves better. And this may be too long and pointless, because who cares what I have to say, but I just had to vent, at least for my own good, because it’s been so frustrating. 

Johnny Depp was a victim. He deserved love and support. Instead he got hate and bullying. Will people apologize and admit their mistake? No. Most will not.

But Johnny Depp deserves better.

[crackmadhi]

Loss

Loss. Loss. Loss. It was the one thing that followed me everywhere. The only constant I had ever known.

When I was three, my dad left for the Iraq War. A year later he was reported dead. It was the only time I did not cry after losing someone.

In the following five years my mother started dying. She coughed and coughed and two weeks before Aura turned eighteen she stopped forever. I was nine and I did not sleep for longer than five hours in one go since then.

I got older and when I turned sixteen Aura took me to her work place, the Space Center, where I met her colleague and my future mentor Metis Cykes and her lovely daughter Athena.

As I became a prosecutor at the age of twenty, I met the young police officer Robert “Bobby” Fullbright. He was ecstatic to work with me and made me feel welcome in a work space, where everybody was questioning my worth and usefulness. A place where the law and justice were about to break after the disbarment of a defence legend.

I thought I could help. I could catch the Phantom on my own, restore the reputation of the prosecutor office.

The Phantom did not let me.

At the age of twenty-one I lost my mentor, my freedom and innocence, my credibility, my profession and passion and the love of my sister and Athena.

At least that was what I believed back then. Yet I was given a chance to at least unite one last time with my work as a prosecutor. I was twenty-eight and I was a dead man walking. I had no hope left for salvation. Secretly, I might have longed for it, but I had no strength left to wish for it any longer.

I did not count on the grieving hater of my sister, the desperate rage of Justice and the loving courage of Athena. And I did not take to account that Phoenix Wright’s bottomless faith in his clients and the unshakable will to peruse to truth of Miles Edgeworth would work in my favour.

Neither did I think that Fulbright, the man who had continued to come and talk with me, had been dead for more than two years. I did not understand how I had not noticed it, how I had been tricked, how he could had been dragged into this.

Three years, even a bit more, had passed since they freed me. I got used to the freedom and the separation from my sister. I got better. People knew more about me, I opened up…

But still… Fulbright was not leaving me. I reached the point, where I could see that Metis death was not my fault, but why, why had I not noticed sooner that I was no longer talking with the real Fulbright? What had I missed?

It hurt. It hurt so much. So much I still have not talked about the man with anyone. Anybody else, but him.

Wednesday, 8 May 2030

It was a Wednesday evening and I was about to finish my paperwork for the day. A weird feeling, as if something was poking my lungs, had haunted me for the last half hour and I felt somewhat nauseous.

The brainless routine while filling in papers did not distract me from it. In fact, it made it even worse, as my thoughts started to wander, and I heard his voice chanting his fucking maxim.

In justice we trust! In justice we trust! In justice we trust! In justice-

“Fuck! Stop it!”, I shouted and interrupted the voice in my head.

Tiredly a threw my pencil on the desk and stood up. Aimlessly I stood up and wandered over to the tall bookshelf, filled with books Klav had given me in order to make the place look homelier.

I felt like he failed but took one out and opened it at a random page. State law. Great. The words did not stick. My eyes flew over the pages and left me clueless.

… could be interpreted as …

What? When did I say that? It must have been over a decade ago. It was to him. But why? What reason could I possibly have had to –

The book was lying on the floor now. I moved away from the shelf, felt my hand gripping the skin on my skull. Did I start hyperventilating?

… Don’t worry! I’m not …

I almost fell down. I gripped helplessly something to hold on. Probably it was one of the shelves. How could my voice only sound so young? Why did I remember this conversation only now? I had forgotten about it. It had no importance, I wanted myself to believe.

… Justice.

Justice?

Yeah. Funny isn’t it? …

It hit me straight in the face. My stomach ached horribly. I dropped down on my knees hitting my right hand on something.

My limbs suddenly became heavy, so heavy. Everything was numb. I – I felt like I watched myself cowered on the floor from the other side of my office.

That should have made me panic. At least I thought I should panic. Yet I did nothing like that. I saw myself crying, no weeping loudly. Unable to move, to stand up or to do anything other than that.

Was I disassociating? Great. That would be a first. Maybe it was a reaction due to the shock? The realization that there actually had been a way for me, and exclusively me, to figure out so much sooner that the Phantom and not Fulbright was standing in front of me?

Terran could be alive. My sister would be free, and Athena would not be traumatized. Dear god, why was I so oblivious?

I felt so devoid from emotion and started to drift away even further. Taka was in the room and screeched at me. My poor girl tried to pull me out of my turmoil, but it was an impossible task.

My crying continued, and I tried to remember if I had ever cried this loudly. No memory from such a thing crossed my mind.

A knock. Apparently, it did not startle me. I kept on sobbing, no reaction whatsoever.

The door was opened. Nahyuta came in. They had wanted to ask something but stopped as soon as they saw the scene in front of them.

“Simon?”, they said panicking and kneeled before me. With one hand they tried to keep Taka away from them and with the other they carefully touched my knee.

No reaction whatsoever. I did not even feel it.

“Simon? What happened? What is going on?”, they went on asking.

It had no use. They kept saying my name. After some time, I did not know how much later, steps followed. Someone entered. They were probably alarmed by Nahyuta’s cries and wanted to check onto the situation.

Von Karma and Klavier.

“What-? Nahyuta Sahdmadhi, what am I looking at right now?”, von Karma said furiously, while gripping her stuffy cravat thingy.

“I don’t know!”, Nahyuta answered teary. “I already found him like this! He- he doesn’t respond at all! He is like this for several minutes now!”

“Why didn’t you get someone in that case?! What fool-”

“Bright”, I completed breathlessly.

All three stared at me. I even I stared at me. I was surprised that I was even able to say a thing.

“Holy mother! Simon! Please, tell us what is going on! Or at least try to do so!”, Nahyuta now said.

They had let go of my knee and were crying now. I lifted my head a bit. Their eyes were so strikingly green, unique in their colour. Not like Fool Bright’s.

Thank god not like Fool Bright’s.

I had slipped back into my body, but everything was still so heavy and numb. I tried to lift my hand a bit, to reach for Yuta, to tell them they should not worry.

My body failed me. They saw it. It made Nahyuta stop crying, because now they must have realized that I was trying. That I was actually responding to their pleas.

They and Franziska started talking about moving me over to the couch, Nahyuta breaking of then and when to tell me I was doing good, as I slowly stopped sobbing. Until Klavier shrieked and pointed at my right hand.

“He’s bleeding! Oh god, his hand is full of blood!”, he exclaimed and jumped over to me. Decidedly he grabbed my hand and looked at it highly concentrated.

I did not even realize that I had been hurt. Must have happened when I fell down.

“Okay it’s not too deep, some of the blood has already dried and we still need to clean it. Please, Frau von Karma, do us the favour and get the first aid kit. We’ll try to seat him on the couch, while you’re at it.”

Von Karma did not contradict and was gone. Immediately Klav and Nahyuta tried to help me stand up. I tried to help them support my weight, but it was not much help. They were struggling to carry me but finally managed to get me on the couch in my office.

I now sat there and saw Taka hopping towards me. I had regained some control over my senses and knew I was the only one in the room, who would care for the poor, helpless animal. So, I cleared my throat and murmured, as it was the only thing I managed to do: “Window. Taka… wants… out…”

It took a moment before either of them understood what I wanted from them, so I had to repeat myself several times. Finally, Nahyuta got it and went to the window to let my beautiful bird out. At least on of us should be able to enjoy their freedom, I mused.

Von Karma came back and handed Klavier the kit. He opened it and laid it next to me on the couch. Nahyuta volunteered to fix my hand up and was assisted by the rock star.

They started with cleaning the wound and warned me carefully that it would probably hurt. I nodded absently but I felt no sting, as the cloth with the disinfectant on it touched my skin.

My lack of reaction might have bothered Nahyuta, but they did not let it show as they went on nursing me. Silence lurked in the air. It let me slide back to my thoughts on Fulbright. To the talk we had about eleven years ago. It had only been a stupid chat, not more than the exchange of unimportant stories. To think that this once so playful and light conversation would bring me such great turmoil. It was ironic.

“Do you know what happened, Simon? Can you tell us?”, Klavier asked me and handed me a glass of water.

I took it with my left and took a sip. Only now I started to realize how dry my mouth was and noticed the dried tears on my cheeks. A tissue was given to me and got to clean my nose. I started to feel like myself again, still somewhat off.

I took a deep breath, looked up and said with a weirdly peaceful smile: “I guess, I was disassociating due to shock.”

Von Karma and Nahyuta looked worried, while I saw anger arise in Klavier’s eyes. I did it. I actually used up Klavier’s apparently endless patience. He was done with my shit.

“Himmel, Simon! What the fuck fucked you up so badly? Stop this whole thing and follow your own fucking advice for once in your life! You might not believe it but it’s actually work- “, he started lamenting heatedly but was dragged back by Nahyuta and von Karma.

They pulled him outside of the room. I straightened up and folded my hands in my lap. Deep breath. I would not talk with him. Not here.

My strength had returned to an extend that it was possible for me to stand up and walk on my own again. Softly, I rose and snuck to the door. I heard them talking by the left side of the door. I know where they stood talking, they did not see me exit. I went in the opposite direction and took the stairs to leave the prosecutor's office.

Link to the fanfiction on ao3(there are 8 chapters)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16073606/chapters/37531937

[music-of-silence]

A literary public service. Great book for young people of all ethnic backgrounds. Add to your young adult library collection. I knew nothing of this artist outside of learning the news of her tragic early death, and her impact on her fans and her community at large, which is what led me to purchase the book personally to find out why she was such an important figure in her community. Go to Amazon

A MUST READ! I never really knew Jenni but was a fan of her latest CD. Having read her biography brought upon a whole new meaning for her as a Woman, Mother, Daughter, Sister and Survivor. Jenni was called upon early in life to be one of God's Angels. after reading her book and reviewing the media attention before and after her death, it all came to its fruition. The reality of who Jenni Rivera really is. I think we all know a Jenni in our lives and whether we accept her or not, one thing is for sure... Real People Who Love Unconditionally Will Always Be Envied For Possessing A Quality They Simply Want. We all know them as "haters", Jenni epitomized Isaiah 54:17. I love, respect, and admire her for her courage and passion to love and to be loved. This is a must read to understand and appreciate her legacy. I laughed and I cried but it was all worth it! Great Autobiography! Go to Amazon

A Truly Inspiring Book, but ending was not honest I love love love this book because it takes you on a journey of a woman who had many hardships in life but never gave up on herself or her children. I truly respect her for everything she went through. Throughout it all she managed to live life to the fullest and come to terms with stuff that happened. The only thing that I was sadden about was the ending. Throughout the book she reveals many deep secrets and events about her life that were very very sad and horrific, from her rape to her sister and kids being raped by her first husband. But she couldn't mention the reason why her and Esteban divorced. I mean those who really know about Jenni's life know the real reason why they split. We all know her family wrote the last chapter or altered it and did not want to expose the real reason because they wanted to protect a certain "Family Member". Anyways they should have just left out sections of the last chapter. If they want to be 100% real then be 100% real and tell the whole truth. All in all this is a great book for anyone to read. Go to Amazon

A WONDERFUL LEGACY I loved this book. I feel sad that I did not become a fan until after her death. The fact that this book was here for people like me to learn and love the person and artist that Jenni Rivera was is truly a great gift. If only the good die young, then there is angel in heaven with the name Jenni Rivera! The book is well written. Very emotional and inspiring. Everyone should read it Go to Amazon

❤️❤️❤️❤️ Has to be my favorite book ! I was really into her show and still follow her kids on Instagram via social media. I guess you can say you get to see Jenni on a whole other level.. This truly helps you understand why she was the way she was. You get to see what it was like before her fame, before the kids, before her family drama. The book goes as far as marrying Esteban and her life with him.. I would definitely recommend this ! Go to Amazon

A true story of determination and inspiration This is a must read. I couldn't put this book down. I think it was a story well told. I of course did not know Jenni personally but the way the story was written - her way - made me feel like I was chilling out with her in her home talking over coffee. She definitely experienced more than her fair share of heartache in her lifetime, but I think that is what made her who she is and if she had a choice in the matter, I don't think she would have had it any other way. I'm only left questioning why she would be okay with any of her children having any relationship whatsoever with Trino, and what really was it that went wrong in her relationship with Esteban, so bad that she didn't even want to write about it? In any case, there's no doubt about it- this woman was determined, courageous and above all a great mother who would stop at nothing to provide for her children and in my eyes that goes a long way. My heart goes out to her family. Go to Amazon

Amazing life changing I purchased this book not only because it is Jenni Rivera but because I wanted to read more of the life of her and know who she is and more I recommend this book for any one that wants to be inspired to find a way to change your life because reading Jennis life is amazing how much she suffered and still never gave up and that is a way for a woman not to never let herself down by anyone because we woman are strong and we can be independent...... I laughed and cried while reading her story and I can read it over and over like it was my first time reading it... Jenni we miss you and love you were ever you are #Jennivive #Junit #J9093 Go to Amazon

Five Stars Five Stars finally manned up Five Stars Five Stars Five Stars Her book is so good it's so real it feels like u were right ... I Love Jenni's Biography Five Stars Jenni Rivera

[justanearth-boundmisfit]

½ I am starting to feel Bibros have been right all along. Misha/Cas fans are not even 1% of the fandom. Fans for whom Misha/Cas is more important than anyone else. Misha/Cas fans are mostly Jinsing/Dean fans and wants to ship him with another beautiful man. That is all Misha/Cas is to them. People who want the best for Misha/Cas are truly not even 1%. Jinsing flashed his underwear in Europe. Everything mean he does and says in USA will be excused by Misha/Cas fans because Cockles! the AU Destiel

2/2 Even if Jinsing physically hurts Misha, these Misha/Cas fans will lecture you to watch 50 shades of grey and how romantic it is. Now the same people are even singing new Mishalecki tunes. Jordash punched Misha in the balls. Cockles. Jinsing wants to get rid of Misha. Cockles. Trump tweets Covfefe. Cockles. It is getting embarassing to watch “so called” Misha/Cas blogs trip over themselves for Jinsing but remain Deaf/Blind/Mute/Dumb when it comes to supporting /standing up for Misha/Cas.

Under the cut, for rant extreme, I think this is the longest reply that I ever wrote, so so sorry anon! For the people that don’t like ship criticism, turn around now, don’t read this, I give you a fair warning…

Hello anon. Well I hope you got it wrong on the percentage but it certainly feels like it. And even more, a lot of Misha`s fans that actively defend him are not in the fandom anymore, because they are tired of the same bs. I’m tired of the same bs too. Everything is being justified through the eyes of a ship. I stated this before: maybe is because I’m old? I’m almost forty, and I don’t find abuse or bullying romantic. I don’t find Cas’s death romantic. The romeo+juliet shit doesn’t work on me anymore. Well It never worked for me tbh. And also It’s been years seeing this obsession about ships getting bigger and bigger, to the point of making trying to defend Misha or stand up for Cas, almost impossible. Surely they are still fans that see reason, but they are not in the big numbers. I got second hand embarrassment sometimes. Let me give you an example: Misha posted the picture remembering the victims of Orlando…a lot of people: “yes! now make destiel real!” Wtf?? No respect whatsoever, I have tears in my eyes rn, not kidding. This is not acceptable, what’s the difference between those destiel fans and the most extreme crazy about incest ones? Because I see none. And it’s really sad because deancas was a beautiful ship, a beautiful love story. Now it only brings me, not only pain through the show, but shame, through their shippers.

And cockles ohmygods, this ship! The people of ancient aliens, are taking tips from cockles shippers let me tell you! Everything is justified, everything is because they are sooooo in love, everything is because they are a couple. Tell me if the last sentences can’t also be applied to what bibros think about jinsing&jordash. “But we respect the wives” they say. ok, but do they respect Misha too? Or they only see Misha, again, through the eyes of a shipper? Everyone has a right to ship whatever, but when your obsession becomes so strong, that you start avoiding truths, or twisting them to your convenience, then something is very very wrong. Some people could tell me: “ok, you don’t like it, don’t read/follow/watch! Block!” I truly wish I could do that! Follow Misha and don’t see anything about cockles bs! But is everywhere! In fact It’s really hard to find a blog that is only about Misha and Cas, there must be two or three I’m not kidding. 

And mishalecki, well… Let me tell you a story, when I started getting more into the fandom, about 8 years ago or so, I thought that jordash was really cute and kind with Misha. Not as a ship, but as good friends. Real truth there, that’s what I thought at the moment. But then I started to watch some videos, I started to listen to the fucking prank stories, I watched some panels (just the parts when he was talking about Misha). And then that fucked up Phillip Seymour Hoffman tweet that jordash sent, calling the man stupid after his suicide…It was all too much, something was not right there. The last 2 or 3 years have been the worst. Or maybe I’m more aware now idk. He has this dude/fraternity bro vibe that I can’t stand. I see all the signs of a bully, and believe me I knew quite a few in my life. But his fans justify everything. Everything. The doxxing, the mistreatment, the bully attitudes… when some point out that what he is doing is wrong, is because, we, minions, are hateful!

Look, I love Misha, but the man is not perfect, I said this before, he’s human. But jordash fans see him like this being that can do no wrong, in anyway, no sir, he is perrrrrfect. When you see another human being like that, something is not right with you. Nobody is perfect, and all of us make mistakes, the thing is accepting that we were wrong. Jordash doesn’t do that, his fans are this hateful bunch that can’t see anything wrong following his example, and mishalecki shippers, as usual, only see that, a ship. “But Misha was laughing!” Is the latest comment about that photo op, when jordash is kicking his balls, yeah really mature there right? And yes, of course Misha is going to laugh and let it pass, at least in the view of the fans, do you people think that he is going to start making a fuss about that with his co-worker in the middle of a convention? I don’t think so. Another comment that I read; “But Misha rent a house and they sleep in the same room” So? Never have a friend that is a fucking bully? And you care about them, so you try to do the best? It happens, a lot. Even between full grown ups. Another justification “Misha can take care of himself” I have no doubts about that, but sometimes Misha cares too much, and he receives so much hate, that he can’t even joke about jordash career, that they are preparing the torches…imagining him complaining about jordash attitude? Although, sometimes it shows that he is not happy with some things happening on set. Shippers can find what kind of underwear jinsing was wearing, but they can’t see when Misha is really being sarcastic and doesn’t like something. *insert big sigh here*

Ufff this got so long, as usual so sorry, but well I think you know me at this point. And even with so much that I wrote there are still a lot of things left unsaid. Let me close with a few thoughts: I think that Misha is really tired of some of the situations, it showed on jibcon and a lot of people say that they saw Misha really tired on autos or photo ops. Misha does a lot, above all at this time of year with gishwhes, but I never read so many reports of him being really out of it, not even smiling. And you know when I saw that change? After that fucking gishwhes chat and all the shit they say about his family. And when he wanted to talk about his children at jibcon, jinsing kept interrupting him with bullshit. But all is ok, because cockles right?

I’m tired too, I don’t seem to find a lo of people who cares about Misha and all the great things that he does. There are some blogs out there that are all Misha, but also is one post about Misha and 5 posts full of anti destiel hate. I don’t want that either! And I’m in the fucking middle: a big, big Misha blog blocked me because I’m not a full destiel shipper, much less a cockles one. And the full on anti destiel blogs also block me because I’m not hateful enough. Lmfao! I can’t defend the guy without hating on someone, either I have to hate everything that is not Misha, or just love everything that is a ship with him. I can’t being a critic because I’m a hater. The extremes of this fandom is what is bringing it down. I’m going to keep defending Misha/Cas, until I can’t no more, because sometimes is really emotionally exhausting. I don’t know how much bs I can take.

Take care anon!

[clubofinfo]

Expert: It feels as if world events are in overdrive, and sometimes it’s hard to escape the thought that there is no longer much point in trying to analyse, or make sense of, a trajectory increasingly out of control. I see little evidence that those of us in the segment of the world political spectrum likely to read these words need much persuasion — nor that those who consider us dupes of the Evil Vladimir, or apologists for what was once called the “Yellow Peril”, could ever have any inclination to even glance at the arguments and sentiments of those they consider so utterly deluded. In fact, the plethora of information (both truth and lies), and the amazing communicative possibilities most of us now have at our disposal, have brought with them a world in which no one is very often persuaded of anything: for every fact we present, they have access to an official or cleverly crafted lie with convincing-looking documentation that demonstrates our ostensible mendacity and subversion. What pre-internet thinker – is it possible that bygone age ended only 20 years ago for most of us? — would have ever thought that a technological world in which every voice can be heard worldwide would solidify, rather than threaten, the role of propaganda in public life? Or that near-universal access to technology enabling impressively thorough research at incredible speed would be one of the major factors in eliminating political consensus and rendering nearly obsolete the recognition of facts as such? Well, perhaps there are brilliant minds out there who foresaw it all. But consider me dumbfounded. While there is a range of similarities between our world today and those described by Orwell and Huxley in their famous novels of future horror, there are other aspects that render this a different universe altogether, and one that continues to shock me. Assuming that it WERE, in fact, possible to persuade people who accept their governments’ colossal lies and distortions that those same lies are, in fact, exactly that – lies — one would be required to acquaint most of them with the most basic facts of recent history. For remarkably, almost unbelievably, in a world where all of us have limitless information and history at our fingertips, most people know nothing about recent history – and the vast majority is not even curious about it. Pointless though it may be, I continue to attempt to jog the memory of these amnesiacs. It seems somehow therapeutic to my own shaken sensibilities as well to see this recent history on paper or on the screen from time to time. Perhaps it is an act of self-defense against the fear that soon I, too, will be unable to remember what really happened. And so, repeatedly, I write about the real face behind the moral masks worn by the empire’s minions. “Enemies” Custom Made to Order While You Wait While I am not a Muslim, nor a Russian — as a matter of fact, I am American with no religion whatsoever — I feel it only fair to point out the following to those who view US-NATO-Israeli-Saudi propaganda as credible: 1. In 1953, American President Dwight Eisenhower used the CIA (which has admitted this) to overthrow Iran’s democratically-elected leader Mossadegh, who wanted to nationalize the oil companies. The CIA and its allies put Shah Reza Pahlavi on the throne. The Shah murdered and tortured opponents and/or imagined opponents via his secret police SAVAK. He was eventually overthrown by Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini and the mullahs who transformed the nation into the Islamic Republic of Iran. Everyone in Iran knows all about this, but most Americans and many Europeans do not. Obviously, the USA had a major role in shaping modern Iran, whatever one thinks of Iran’s policies (I for one consider most of what the USA and Israel and Saudi Arabia say about Iran to be utter bollocks, largely in support of Israeli angst and Saudi Wahhabi-Sunni hostility to Shi’ism). 2. ISIS evolved out of the terror group “Al-Qaeda in Iraq”, which emerged AFTER the US invasion of Iraq and was led by former officers in Saddam Hussein’s army, an army that was disbanded and left to its own devices by the American forces in Iraq. Some of these officers developed the newer ISIS model while they were held in the infamous American torture prison in Iraq, Abu Ghraib. Obviously, the USA bears major responsibility for the creation of ISIS, WHETHER OR NOT it is true that the US and Israel continue to work with ISIS consciously for strategic purposes. US ally Saudi Arabia is also known to have put much funding into ISIS through private channels, as Hillary Clinton and others have publicly admitted. 3. The original Al-Qaeda, like much else which is dangerous in today’s world, developed directly out of American — and interestingly, also Polish — hostility to the Soviet Union and Russia. US National Security Adviser to the President, Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, Polish-American and passionate Russia-hater, persuaded US President Jimmy Carter to attack the Soviet-supported communist government of Afghanistan in the 1970s by arming and funding Osama bin Laden and other jihadis (sound familiar?). Later, bin Laden turned against America because (in his own words) the US stationed troops in Islam’s Holy Land of Saudi Arabia, and Al-Qaeda was born. A huge percentage of modern Islamist terror evolved from this seed, not only in the Hindu Kush and Middle East but now in Africa as well. Obviously American catastrophic imperial foreign and military policy are responsible, both directly and indirectly, for much of the unrest and violence in the Islamic world and exported out of it, not to mention the colossal refugee crisis associated with that violence and the American wars there. Red Alert: Unfiltered Truth on MSNBC I posted a video of it in social media twice because I consider it so significant: famous economist Jeffrey Sachs stated emphatically on national American TV this week (“Good Morning Joe”, MSNBC) that the US and President Barack Obama started the war in Syria via the CIA. I have a feeling that they would never have allowed him on the show if they had known he was going to say that. TABOO BROKEN … imperialist media twits sit stunned with egg on faces, military man stutters incoherent bullshit in response … Sachs is not exactly a radical, and he is too renowned and respected to simply be told he is full of it by such habitual sycophants. Too bad he didn’t go even further and tell the show’s co-host Mika Brzezinski that her father put into action the policies that resulted in the existence of Al-Qaeda and ISIS, and have left half of the Middle East and Hindu Kush in ruins and/or at war, millions dead, and created a horrific refugee crisis. But I am grateful for what he did say. On the Value of Human Lives Outside of the USA and the EU I should be used to it by now, but I continue to be stupefied by the following dynamic:  As John Steppling, in his recent article “The Sleep of Civilization” wrote: Most White Americans, as a general statement, think they are better than the rest of the world. And most Americans have scant knowledge about the rest of the world. So the belief in cultural (and moral) superiority is based on what? The answer is not simple, but as a general sort of response, this trust in “our” superiority is built on violence. On an ability to be effectively violent. Most British, too, think they are superior to those “wogs” south of their emerald isle. But since the setting of the sun on Empire, “officially”, the British hold to both a sense of superiority and a deep panic-inducing sense of inferiority — at least to their American cousins. They are still better than those fucking cheese eating frogs or the krauts or whoever, but they accept that the U.S. is the sort of heavyweight champ of the moment. Meanwhile, the tragic and criminal fire at Grenfell Towers in London elicited a public discourse that perfectly reflected the class inequality of the UK, but also reflected, again, the colonialist mentality of the ruling party and their constituency … But that is exactly it. The colonial template is one etched in acid in the collective imagination of the West. At least the English-speaking West. Expendable natives…which is what Jim Mattis sees everywhere that he dumps depleted uranium and Willy Pete. It is what Madeleine Albright saw in Iraq or Hillary Clinton in Libya or Barack Obama in Sudan, Yemen, and…well… four or five other countries. It is what most U.S. police departments see in neighborhoods ravaged by poverty. As in those old Tarzan films, when the sound of drums is heard, the pith helmeted white man notes…”the natives are restless tonight”. When one discusses Syria, the most acute topic this week, remember that for Mad Dog and Boss Trump, or for the loopy John Bolton, these are just natives in need of pacification. Giving money to ISIS or Daesh, or whoever, as a cynical expression of colonial realpolitik, is nothing out of the ordinary. It is what the UK and US have done for a long while. It’s Ramar of the Jungle handing out beads to the *natives*. Although every indicator and every new disaster outside of US-EU-NATO countries confirms once again, clearly and unmistakeably, that most citizens of the United States and Europe consider the lives of those in other parts of the world to be worth far less than their own … astoundingly (at least to me), it nonetheless continues to be possible for the US and European governments to build public support for military strikes in those parts of the world by feigning horror over civilian casualties in wars in such places – casualties occurring in many cases, as now in Syria, in wars for which the United States itself is responsible, wars which the USA encouraged quite deliberately with arms and money and CIA involvement. But in this new presstitute House of Mirrors media world, no large media entities call the insane Nikki Haley to account when she stands in the United Nations Security Council holding up pictures of dead children in Syria – whether real (and there certainly are plenty of dead civilians there) or once again faked by Western-supported jihadis and their associates – and blames Russia for their deaths in a war organized and kept going by the US and Saudi Arabia. Recently Haley closed one such nauseating and vulgar mountebank performance by stating, “But pictures of dead children mean nothing to countries like Russia.” I’m sure that would come as news to the parents and families of the vast numbers of Russian children who died during World War II while the USSR was defeating Hitler, during most of which time America sat back and waited, hoping Hitler would conquer the Soviet Union. It is now estimated that 26 million Russians died before their time in that war, known euphemistically in the USA as “The Good War” and widely thought to have been won by the American military. Ms Haley’s Dead Children Show contains no mention of Yemen where, according to the NGO Save The Children, 50,000 children are believed to have died from disease and starvation in 2017 alone as a result of the genocide against the Houthi people carried out by Saudi Arabia with massive support from allies including the USA, the UK, France, and Germany. But those who wear the Moral Mask are shameless and highly selective. http://clubof.info/