#hope this is understandable I got a little ranty

[raphmybeloved]

hc ask raph number 6 plzzzz

Oooh 6. Something they lost and would love to have back (gonna for rise raph)

So I have two answers for this one and funnily enough both things were lost at the same time.

I think that when they lost the lair after season two Raph feels kind of guilty because to be honest he misses his things. They went back and salvaged what they could but he lost childhood toys and a wrestling merch collection and even just the couch he and his brothers had piled on together for years.

He knows it’s more important that everyone is alive but after they move he is sometimes looking for something and is just hit with a sudden wave of sadness as he realizes it’s gone.

That’s the more literal one now for the other one.

I think the other thing Raph loses during the finale is the belief children have that their parents and or heroes are invincible. Splinter is Lou Jitsu a mix of parent and childhood hero. He’s a ninja master and talented and supposed to be the strongest person in the world but he almost dies and Raph is hit with the knowledge that his dad is mortal and not as strong as he is in Raph’s head.

I think that realization really fucks him up and he hates that he can’t just have that childlike belief that dad is the strongest guy in the world. (I think this also explains a lot of why he acts the way he does in the movie)

Anyway this is way longer than I expected it to be tldr: Raph lost parts his childhood and misses them dearly

[greatprotector-if]

Hi everyone! It's been a while and I hope you're all doing well :] I have realized that 99.99% of you are not on my personal Tumblr so I should probably update here too. Hey! Hi!

Going to start off by saying that no, The Great Protector has not been abandoned! I am still working on it!

Details under cut. A little ranty, sorry HAHA

So yes, I am still working on TGP! But no, I have nothing to show for all the months I've been gone.

Essentially the plot got way out of hand and in the end it was so messy I felt it would be faster to just start from scratch instead of trying to prune all the unnecessary parts. It was that bad.

I'm currently making my way through the new outline slowly but surely — but I know this isn't the update you all wanted. I literally have less than I had before... haha... and after all these years I completely understand that this is disappointing for all of you, and I'm really sorry about that.

I think I'll always regret putting up that initial intro post for this game as early into production as I did. While the community has been wonderful and I appreciate so much all the support I've received, it's also sort of paralyzing to have so many eyes on you, expecting great things you aren't sure you have the means of providing!

I've sort of just been too scared to work on it because I know that nothing I make could ever satisfy all of you, and then the impostor syndrome in me is telling me that means nothing I do will ever be good enough. Yeah. Brain. Funny guy, the brain.

If I had a time machine I'd go back and force past me not to post jack shit on the internet until he had at least a full chapter written and coded, but alas! Hindsight is 20/20 and all that.

But taking this time away from the blog and restarting the story from scratch has made the pressure feel a lot less intense. I really, really do appreciate everyone who's shown interest in my silly little project so far, but I will likely continue on with my break away from this blog until I have an actual demo. It makes me feel guilty to post here with my hands empty haha

I have no idea how long it will be until said actual demo is ready, but I sure hope it won't take another multiple years!

Again, I'm sorry about how this has gone. The next time I post something on this blog, it'll probably be less depressing I promise 🙌

With love,

Cassian

[oreo-oro-orero]

I thought I would talk more about how I feel Ekko is often mistreated or ignored by the Arcane fandom and why I think that is and spoiler alert I Anti-Blackness is at least a part of it.

Ekko is subjected to what a lot of black boys are too in real life which is  adultification. Ekko just like a lot of black boys was essentially forced to grow up and due to this I think a lot of the Arcane Fandom treat him as an adult and thus judge him more harshly just like how in real life black boys are often treated as older then they actually are and thus are subjected to more scruinty and Ekko is sadly constantly subjected to this by the fans. This is in direct contrast with Jinx who seems to be given a lot more leeway which to a certain extent is understandable because it is her story essentially but I still find it odd how she is given the "oh poor baby pushed around by the big bad world must protect" but Ekko is just given a side glance and a "he's doing fine" when both Ekko and Jinx deserve that "need to protect" additude but yet it feels like Jinx is given the most of the protection and Ekko is just left to fend for himself.

Honestly I don't think a lot of the Arcane Fandom looks at Ekko as a victim and that is genuinely upsetting. They look at his situation as more of a success story but even then his "success" is is very sad when you think about it.  Yes he built a community and yes I guess he did "turn out okay" despite his situation but he shouldn't have had build that community in the first place and just because he did doesn't mean he's healed, trauma doesn't just go away because your relatively okay compared to everyone else. I also think his hurt isn't taken as seriously as the other characters because he doesn't actively display it as much, in total his hurt is displayed in two main instances and that's it mostly, the other times he's on screen he's either angry or at the very least mildly annoyed or somber which is interesting because this is most likely a mask he wears and this mask is a direct result of the adultification I talked about earlier. 

Ekko suffers from what a lot of black characters do which is that despite them going through the same or sometimes even more trauma then non black characters, their trauma is often overlooked or downplayed to be less then it is which is something that happens in IRL to black people all the time. Also this mischaracterization of Ekko extended to Shipping as well to where some people label him as an abuser towards Jinx which is ironic because he is one out of like 2 other characters that doesn't actively kill anyone and if anything he tries to avoid that as much as possible so I genuinely don't understand where this abuser assumption came from, is it because they genuinely Believe it or is it because they saw a black man being aggressive an automatically assumed he was the one in the wrong in the situation.

I got a little bit ranty there and I apologize but Ekko is my favorite character from the show and just fiction in general and I feel like he has so much to offer but he is seemingly being mistreated by other fans of the show and that just doesn't sit right with me. I just hope next season really gives him his time in the spotlight.

[elderdragonblu]

Spoilers for the first two episodes of the new Life is a strange game so if you don’t want to see this then please scroll past to the bottom for my note :)

Sorry if it’s ranty I’m passionate

I absolutely hate how they took the game. In most parts.

My opinion of it is that the game and environment are so cool. Like the characters are cool and like the people and the college are interesting, but they shouldn’t have used max Caulfield for their main character. It’s what the original developers wanted and to have he in this new environment in a way that makes it feel unnatural to her character

Speaking of which. Her and Chloe’s breakup is entirely out of character for both, but Chloe especially. Chloe sending a letter and saying Max needs to stop living in the past and that she hopes she’ll live in the future with someone else?? GIRL. After we kill the whole town for you?? That’s not a trauma that takes a day to heal she probably didn’t have therapy road-tripping and how can she? Shes time traveling, what the fuck is she even supposed to say? Not to mention Chloe was stuck in the past when Max got to her with her father. Not that she can’t grieve for her dead dad, but jfc make the breakup believable. Chloe out of everyone should be able to understand MAX’S POSITION.

The texts messages are also weird? Like Chloe is a mix between immature and mature and tbf I haven’t seen much of them, but they’re just so weird. I won’t speak further, but it feels like… idk, the writers are fighting to figure out what they want with her. (Sidenote the desert picture got of her green hair and I personally fucked with it so).

Also people claiming that Victoria and Chloe are flirting are a jumping a little overboard. I’ve seen it only once and honestly like, maybe it is flirting, but I think it could also just as much be a hangout. Don’t take my word for it, tho. I’m not the most qualified to be talking so.

That’s partially why I think choosing Chloe’s death is just the easier option. Because they butchered her character so bad post-bae ending that I’d rather have Chloe dead and go date some other chick bc fuck that. I’d rather have an in character Max mourning the lost love of her life and what she had to give up then out of character Chloe breaking things off with Max.

Speaking of the new love interest, the only positive thing I’ll say on that and most of the game is that I actually really like Amanda. She seems really sweet. I like the characters, I like how they talk with Max. I wasn’t a huge fan of them earlier, but I think my issues were mostly that they felt like replacements of the old cast, which in some parts are true. I do like the dynamic, tho, and I do enjoy that Max is secretive abt her past and herself. Especially the trauma, it feels in character in some aspects.

I haven’t gotten far into the game, only most of chistes 1. So I won’t speak on the story much, but I have seen some characters that parallel Nathan and Jefferson so that’s making me worried. I just don’t want them to, and they’re already doing it, to just put life is strange 1 in front of us in a different font and that’s more expensive.

The close and style of Max have grown a little. I personally liked what they were building in the game and the comics. It’s not a huge deal to me, but I thought those styles helped stand out as a main character. Then again she’s essentially thirty I think in the game so maybe I’ll cut her some slack.

SPOILER END

As always, tho, please don’t harass anyone over the game. If they like it, that’s awesome!! Lis1 was a shit show in story too at times, im not saying the games are cinematic masterpieces. My problem is when creators take beloved characters and butcher their entire characters. Max and Chloe were fine before they were messed with. They were never meant to have a game after the storm for a reason. I wish they would’ve respected that.

However, I’ll be following the development of the game and probably write fix it fics again 💀

[ray935sworld]

OK OK this took so long to get pit cause I honestly forgot about it....BUT I'M HERE NOW (although you are asleep I'm sure you'll enjoy waking up to this). Also, we must all thank Elle for having a birthday and giving us this fantastic fic.

I assume by the way you have introduced us to the setting, that people (or at least the teams) are aware of Dani and Jorge's relationship, considering Dani invited Jorge, a Yamaha rider, to a Honda-specific event, which is a cute idea but also interesting when you take into account the tense atmosphere Jorge mentions when it comes to him and Honda. I kinda wonder how the teams feel about that, their rider being in a relationship without another rider on a team that has...mixed feelings about the other. (Again, I forget a lot of peak Pendrenzo timelines, so I don't 100% have down how everyone is feeling. But you provide great context so I'm doing good so far) I mean considering at least someone there was able and willing to reach out to Jorge about picking up his partner. There is respect there off-track that I quite like. (a difference from the usual, very tense rivalry trope that is used so often. I love it, but sometimes it can create...unnecessary problems.)

Anyways rant aside about rivalry specifics, I have a weird soft spot for the troupe of taking care of the drunk partner or love interest (and I say this as someone who doesn't like being around drunk people most of the time lmao) and clearly Elle has great taste too and agrees with me or this wouldn't exist. For some reason, I have a feeling the inverse of this setup (Jorge being drunk...maybe this is stereotyping, but it is rather common for the strong, guarded one to show their vulnerable side. (I could get into the use of hurt/comfort or writing a guarded person as vulnerable as a way to validate your own vulnerability but that is the inner psych major in me) I actually haven't read many Pendrenzo pics that weren't just part of a larger group of ships in one fix. I am being converted ty Ray.), so I kinda prefer this setup.

Ofc they got into a drinking battle. Typic adrenaline junkies. OFC MARC IS AT THE SCENE OF THE CRIME. (Now tell me who picked HIM up. There is a wrong answer /jjj) Alright, Jorge, Puig is just trying to help 😔 protective mf. Alright, Puig, get behind me. Jorge wants to kill you.

I didn't mention it before but I did have a feeling about Dani feeling a little something something about Jorge declining to join him at the dinner. Obvs, he understands because of the general mood that would probably follow Jorge around like a proverbial ball and chain. It would dampen things and just make it kinda a little bit awkward. But also, I think a tiny part of him and drunk him, kinda hoped Jorge would just say "fuck it" and go anyways. For Dani, which obviously if he thought it would make Dani upset not to go, he would tough it out. But it doesn't make Dani upset, he definitely understands, but drunk him is obviously gonna cling onto that one hidden space for that disappointment at the declining of the invitation. Drunk people and speaking their deepest thoughts...I think maybe that's why I like the troupe, cause it can be a good end to a miscommunication troupe or unspoken words that need to be spoken. Neither really applies here, but still, thoughts and feelings from the crazy future therapist.

Alright Ray, do me and Elle just truly have extremely similar tastes or is this purely coincidence. Maybe I just like everything (a LIE I can be picky, but hurt/comfort troupe are always like...my favs. I think I have a problem with vulnerability). Dani baby, dear, YOU'RE GONNA BREAK POOR JORGE. The "you can't leave me" is gonna haunt me; you can't SAY THAT, DANI.

Im counting this as a drunk proposal, Jorge you better have the fucking ring ready by the morning STAT.

Apparently, I was real ranty today, so don't feel pressured to respond to it all, just the important bits you want to 🤗

About this

Okay I FINALLY got around to answer this. I am so sorry that this took... Like a week? 10 days? I'm really really sorry about that. I hope you don't mind me answering this anyway. Because AWWEEE THIS IS AMAZING. THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH!!

Okay so I honestly like to just say stuff and not think about it. The thing with the team is similar. But now that I think about it, I'd say that the team (mostly Dani's side) is mainly like "Okay. He's our rival but he makes Dani incredible happy. And we love Dani. So we just ban him from the box, maybe give him a disapproving head shake if he did something fucked up during a race afterwards but otherwise we like Jorge cause he makes Dani happy" I'd say there's a HUGE difference between Lorenzo and Jorge. They don't like Lorenzo, as a rider. But they like Dani's boyfriend Jorge. That's mostly what I'd go with. Don't get me wrong, I completly understand why some people prefer the other version of "I hate you on track and off track" and honestly valid but I prefer the other one. I think it shows a deeper level of care for Dani. But maybe that's just me.

Oh yeah I totally geh what you mean. There is something soft and caring about taking care of the drunk lover. Especially if the person is annoying drunk. I really like it but I thibk it's rather complicated to write drunk people. Idk I just always feel like I'm writing them too silly or stupid or wrong. But oooh drunk Jorge and Dani taking care of him would be sooo intrested on so many different layers. Like. Or timelines. Like in a married Pedrenzo timeline, it would be so different to an early days moment. Okay my first thought was like a drunk love confession, a really deep one, maybe with the reveal of a few hurtful details about his past. If they'd be dating for longer, Dani would already know. He'd be loving and caring and having a "It's okay, my love. Tell me. It's okay. I know. I know" kind of way to deal with it. Whereas in the early stages Dani might be more taken aback at the sudden softness and Jorge being so open about his feelings. There's definitely a shift in how Dani sees him there for young Dani.

YES. DRINKING BATTLE. No one can tell me that the mechanics never made their riders do some weird stuff and getting them drunk at the end of the season. PLEASE.

Oh and to answer your question... I was actually thinking about including Marc being picked up. The first idea was actually Vale. Kind of as a "Yamaha stealing the Honda riders from their team" joke. But then I didn't cause I couldn't really pick a vibe from Vale. So instead I let Alex pick Marc up. Alex being still slightly/ visible nervous around motogp legends like Jorge or Dani all while trying to act cool. Jorge is giggling about it and doesn't make it easier for him by nagging him a little. Kind of in a "Look how drunk they are and now we gotta take care of them 🙄😒" while smiling. Alex is very confused. But that sadly didn't work out with the time. I didn't had much time to write it so I had to cut and the only Jorge is there to pick up Dani way definitely was the shorter one to make it in time.

Ooooh, I like that!! Dani actually wanting him there and all. That's so sweet and I totaly see the vision. Like he knows Jorge might not be the best person to bring there even if a few people accepted maybe even like Jorge as his partner cause they've seen how well he treats Dani. But it's Jorge and he wants him there. But drunk he can't really rationalize why bringing a yamaha rider to Honda might not be the best idea.

Oh drunk Dani is breaking Jorge in ALL ways. Like. Drunk people say the truth so Dani being all cringy and sweet and asking him to stay with him is real and Jorge knows that. And it's soooo pure for him. So yeah his brain das definitely deep fright afterwadds. And OH THAT MAN IS LOOKING UP ENGAGEMENT RINGS ASAP. He has the next juwelier on speed dial to place a very over the top custom order.

Anyway, thank you so much again for your rant. Your rants are VERYuch appreciated <3

[itsbebebrainrotting]

Rant incoming, sorry!!

Do they even know WHY they are fighting and killing??

Im still trying to figure out why tubbo and bad thought to attack red first and then yell revenge when red retaliated. Like, why?? (I'm crow and red main so I probably won't watch the others for the lolz) Chaotic angst energy.

And people keep saying because of Dapper and what Dapper said. And I'm like "what?" Because with that same logic/energy qPhilza can say the same if decided to do the same. "Chayanna said to protect Tallulah no matter what- so Ima kill everyone in sight for whatever reason." That sounds crazy. Right? (Is it just me??)

Like we(their little community/family) been talking and communicating all this time why now does it go out the window? because some random guy who doesnt like us said so? (Quackity did warn them in Brazil tho)

We know the fed dont like us and can't be trusted so why are we not having that same energy towards this guy?

Like I get it, I do. Things are on the line or so it seem but why aren't we actually thinking things through?? Talking?? Coming up with a plan to get everyone and the eggs home. Do we not care for all life anymore?

Its about to be Day 3 and I am so drained from Day 1. Like Charlie's voice, I'm struggling now. My soul is heavy as a red pov.

And yes we won Day 2 but everything has consequences... like please..

I- I just want them to talk for more than a couple seconds.. minutes before thoughts of killing off rip..

*peepoHands*

(I hope it was okay to come to you)

Dont worry about the rant! I like hearing other peoples opinions on things and dont get many asks often so anythings appreciated.

As someone whose main povs are team blue i still understand you entirely but also can explain a couple things (in a similar ranty form lol):

First of all as to why they were killing: I think on day one the competitive nature of the event was at the forefront of blues mind. Bad had been told by his son (who, remember, he literally kidnapped a worker to save) to do anything to win even if it hurt others. Which honestly does imply hostility a bit more than chayannes message. Tubbo also wants chayanne and tallulah (and richarlyson) back like theyre his own children (and has definitely been over excited and trying to prove himself as leader of blue so is being more competitive for his own pride). They were thrust into this situation with all that in mind and just wanted to win by any means, or at least thats the vibe i got.

None of them fully understood the rules of the event either. They tragically fell to the tragic mcyt curse of not reading instructions. They didnt even think about the cursed team until i think it was slime who said he thought red was cursed at which point niki insisted (and still insists) she doesnt think there is a cursed team. Tubbo thought the cursed team changed daily, if you want further proof that rules were not at the forefront of their mind. They just wanted to win since that was what the eggs had said to do. Of course now ccs are more aware of the rules they are keeping them in mind but no one seems to be proposing full teamwork yet.

Funny enough, i think ive mentioned it in a post before but red being their target on day 1 was entirely on accident. Bad killed slime first under the impression he was on green and then continued to go for his team because they happened to be not too far. From what ive gathered, green was bloodthirsty but struggling to find the other teams so thats why blue and red originally started fighting. As for getting angry at retaliation? I think thats just competitive spirit getting in the way.

The whole thing was slightly frustrating personally from a viewer pov because im exactly with you in the fact that they should be talking. They should be figuring out the cursed team. They should be boosting the cursed teams stats. But they didnt understand that and instead went hostile immediately due to the newness of the whole thing.

Even yesterday bad was considering killing red and i was a little frustrated. I get that he was annoyed (if u dont know yesterday blue grinded global tasks but were barely gaining percentage compared to etoiles - at one point they handed smth in and got like 1% - and bad thought kills may have helped them a bit) but blue didnt need to win day 2! If anything that wouldve been detrimental to them considering the cursed team is still unknown (but bbh thinks blues cursed so...). Eventually he settled on bargaining with them by offering something in return for a kill but never got a chance to because he ran out of time. Still, the suggestion was a bit frustrating at the time as someone who was seeing red having a terrible time from liveblogs.

I definitely consider most of day one out of character, as there is no way in hell the characters shouldve been acting the way they did considering all they were supposed to know. Even if qbbh would do anything for dapper he definitely wouldnt outright hurt his friends or risk the other eggs chances of survival. (Also this entirely broke cellbits current arc of being very agressive considering how badly hes been beat down this event.)

Even just hearing about red on both days was draining for me. The one reason im not vodwatching them is that i could feel the draining vibes from liveblogs alone so i cant image what it must be like to main them and while im happy they won, their strategy today was a lot more aggressive compared to everyone else who was trying to tone it down a bunch so i fear for the next few days on everyones povs as the aftermath of that plays out.

Thankfully ive heard bagi wants to unite the teams and bad and baghera discussed getting a group together to theorise about the cursed team so maybe between the three of them things can start moving in the right direction and return to being in character and communicating. Todays the event which may not allow for anyone to unite everyone immediately but i hope they do sooner rather than later.

[angstics]

someone who’s into fob and mcr here.. tbh i feel like the bands are so different that i don’t rlly understand why fans of one or the other are always trying to pit them against each other?? it’s like, they’ve got their own histories and impact and influences and idk what point it serves to be like, “mcr has more interesting lore than fob” or vice versa like oh my goodness. so what. can we just enjoy the music. can we let fans enjoy what they enjoy. Please.

sorry i realize this sounds rlly ranty i don’t actually care about what’s happening on the minute fandom level 💀 hope this provides a little insight tho have a good one

i get itttt as someone who doesnt want to hear about fob most of the time — theyre too different to be talked about in the same way. but i ask because theyre paired together much of the time for bringing emo (as in Emotional Hardcore) to the mainstream. i want to know ppl’s personal experiences, not the Objective answer. which was more impactful and why?

[perfectlyvalid49]

OP, this is a very good post, and I’m very glad that you are willing to learn from where you screwed up, and share what you’ve learned with others.

I hope you’re willing to continue learning though, because there’s one important point that you make here that I disagree with. You say that antisemites are trying to “Trojan horse” their way into leftist spaces, but leftist spaces are already filled with antisemites, and have been for a long time. To continue your Trojan horse analogy, Odysseus is and antisemite, sure, but so are Hector and Priam.

I think that this is something that is vitally important for leftists to understand, and I know it’s something that they don’t want to, but antisemites don’t have to sneak in to leftist spaces because leftist spaces are already full of antisemites. Jews have been complaining about antisemitism in leftist spaces for a long time, and have been noting for the past decade or so that things have been getting worse. An easy example is when the star of David was banned from the D.C. Dyke march in 2019, but that wasn’t particularly new or exceptional, it just got more press than average.

You’re right that it’s an easy thing to stumble over, because a lot of antisemites have learned how to hide their antisemitism behind progressive language and dog whistles. But it is important to learn how to spot those, because there are a lot of very reasonable sounding if you don’t think too hard or don’t know what you’re looking for. To use the example above, the Dyke march told people that they could not display the star of David on a flag because it considered it a “nationalist symbol from a country with oppressive tendencies.” And that language sounds good to the leftist ear – nationalism is bad, countries with oppressive tendencies are also bad. So why is it problematic? Well, Israel’s record with LGBTQ folk isn’t great, but it’s better than any other country in the Middle East. As an example, in Palestine, you can be executed by the government for being gay. Why do I mention Palestine specifically? Because the Dyke march said that the Palestinian flag was ok to fly.

So, when we take a step back we see that the rules are not being applied the same way to Jews/Israel as they are to everyone else. That’s antisemitic. But the way was presented, it sounded like good leftist praxis. And you see it all over on the left. It’s the same way that Israelis have been branded as “settler-colonists” even though most of the Jews who came to Israel in the last 80 years have been refugees, and are indigenous to the land. But if we call them “settler-colonists” then they’re oppressors, and we can be as mean as we want. The left works very hard to find reasons for Jews to be bad guys – if you’re anti-capitalist, then they’re capitalists, if you’re anti-communist, then they’re communists. If you’re not in Israel, they should go back to where they came from, if you’re anti-Zionist then they’re colonizers. There’s always a “reason” that a leftist can give to hate on Jews, but the real reason is antisemitism, and you will find it in every sort of leftist space you can hope to find.

I’m sorry this got a little ranty, but the Jews are tired of this nonsense, and those on the left have gotten increasingly bad at hiding it over the last four months. I’m sure as a non-Jew this is less obvious to you because you have to deal with less of it and it’s not pointed in your direction. But I think that if you’re really interested in learning and growing (and it seems like you really are! And I want to reiterate that I appreciate your willingness to do so!) then one of the next things that you need to learn is that it isn’t a handful of sneaky antisemites trying to get in to leftist spaces, it’s that leftist spaces have always contained a large population of antisemites.

Is your pro-Palestine activism hurting innocent people? Here's how to avoid that.

Over the last few days, I’ve had conversations with several Jewish people who told me how hurt and scared they are right now.

To my great regret, some of that pain came from a poorly-thought-out post of mine, which – while not ill-intentioned – WAS hurtful.

And a lot of it came from cruelty they’d experienced at the hands of people who claim to be advocating for Palestine, but are using the very real plight of innocent Palestinians to harm equally innocent Jewish people.

Y’all, we need to do better. (Yes, “we” definitely includes me; this is in no small part a “learn from my fail” post, and also a “making amends” post. Some of these are mistakes I’ve made in the past.)

So if you’re an advocate for Palestine who wants to make sure that your defense of one group of vulnerable people doesn’t harm another, here are some important things to do or keep in mind:

Ask yourself if you’re applying a standard to one group that you aren’t applying to another.

Would you want all white Americans or Canadians to be expelled from America or Canada?

Do you want all Jewish people to be expelled from Israel, as opposed to finding a way to live alongside Palestinian Arabs in peace?

If the answer to those two questions is different, ask yourself WHY.

Do you want to be held responsible for the actions of your nation’s army or government? No? Then don’t hold innocent Jewish people responsible for the actions of the Israeli army and government.

On that subject, be wary of condemning all Israeli people for the actions of the IDF. Large-scale tactical decisions are made by the top brass. Service is compulsory, and very few can reasonably get out of service.

Blaming all Israelis for the military’s actions is like blaming all Vietnam vets for the horrors in Vietnam. They’re not calling the shots. They aren’t Nazis running concentration camps. They are carrying out military operations that SHOULD be criticized.

And do not compare them or ANY JEWISH PERSON to Nazis in general. It is Jewish cultural trauma and not outsiders’ to use against them.

Don’t infuse legitimate criticism with antisemitism.

By all means, spread the word about the crimes committed by the Israeli army and government, and the complicity of their allies. Criticize the people responsible for committing and enabling atrocities.

But if you imply that they’re committing those crimes because they’re Jewish, or because Jewish people have special privileges, then you’re straying into antisemitic territory.

Criticize the crime, not the group. If you believe that collective punishment is wrong, don’t do it yourself.

And do your best to use words that apply directly to the situation, rather than the historical terms for situations with similar features. For example, use “segregation,” “oppression,” or “subjugation,” not “Holocaust” or “Jim Crow.” These other historical events are not the cultural property of Jews OR Palestinians, but also have their own nuances and struggles and historical contexts.

Also, blaming other world events on Jewish people or making Jewish people associated with them (for instance, some people falsely blame Jewish people for the African slave trade) is a key feature of how antisemitism functions.

Please, by all means, be specific and detailed in your critiques. But keep them focused on the current political actors – not other peoples’ or nations’ political or cultural histories and traumas.

Be prepared to accept criticism.

You probably already know that society is infused with a wide array of bigotries, and that people growing up in that environment tend to absorb those beliefs without even realizing it. Antisemitism is no exception.

What that means is, there’s a very real chance that you will screw up, and get called out on it, as I so recently did.

If that happens, please be willing to learn and adapt. If you can educate yourself about the suffering and needs of Palestinians, you can do the same for Jewish people.

Understand that the people you hurt aren’t obligated to baby you. Give them room to be angry.

After I made a post that inadvertently hurt people, some were nice about it, and others weren’t. Some outright insulted my morals and intelligence.

And I had to accept that I’d earned that from them.

I’d hurt them, and they weren’t obligated to be more careful with my feelings than I had been with theirs.

They weren’t obligated to forgive me, trust me, or stop being mad at me right away.

I’ll admit, there were moments when I got defensive. I shouldn’t have. And I encourage you to try not to, if you screw up and hurt people.

I know that’s hard, but it’s important. Getting defensive only tells people you care more about doubling down on your mistake than you do about healing the hurt it caused.

Instead, acknowledge that they have a right to be angry, apologize for the way you hurt them, and try to make amends, while understanding that they don’t owe you trust or forgiveness.

Be aware that some antisemites are using legitimate complaints to “Trojan horse” antisemitism into leftist spaces.

This is a really easy stumbling block to trip over, because most people probably don’t look at every post a creator makes before sharing the one they’re looking at right now.

I recently shared a video that called out some of the Likud and IDF’s atrocities and hypocrisy, and that also noted that many Jewish people are wonderful members of their communities.

I was later informed that, while that video in particular seemed reasonable, the creator behind it is frequently antisemitic.

I deleted the post, and blocked the creator. I encourage you to do the same if it’s brought to your attention that you’ve been ‘Trojan horse’d.

Fact-check your doubts about antisemitism.

Depending on which parts of the internet you look at, you’ve probably seen people accused of antisemitism because they complained about the Likud and/or IDF’s actions. So you might be primed to be wary, or feel unsure of how to tell what counts as real antisemitism.

But that doesn’t mean antisemitism isn’t a very real, widespread, and harmful problem. And it doesn’t mean many or even most Jewish people are lying to you or being overly sensitive.

So if someone says something is antisemitic, and you aren’t sure, I encourage you to:

A. Look up the action or thing in question, including its history. Is there an antisemitic history or connotation you aren’t aware of? For best results, include “antisemitic” in your search query, in quotes.

B. Understand that some things, while not inherently antisemitic, have been used by antisemites often enough that Jewish people are understandably wary of them. Schrodinger’s antisemitism, if you will.

C. Ask Jewish people WHO HAVE OFFERED TO HELP EDUCATE YOU. Emphasis on WHO HAVE OFFERED. Random Jewish people aren’t obligated to give you their time and emotional energy, or to educate you – especially on subjects that are scary or painful for them.

@edenfenixblogs has kindly offered her inbox to those who are genuinely trying to learn and do better, and I’ve found her to be very kind, patient, reasonable, and fair-minded.

Understand that this is URGENTLY NEEDED.

In one of my conversations with a Jewish person who’d called me out, they said this was the most productive conversation they’d had with a person with a Palestinian flag in their profile.

THIS IS NOT OKAY.

I didn’t do anything special. All I did was listen, apologize for my mistakes, and learn.

Yes, it feels good to be acknowledged. But I feel like I’ve been praised for peeing IN the toilet, instead of beside it.

Apologizing, learning, and making amends after you hurt people shouldn’t be “the most reasonable thing I’ve heard from a person with a Palestinian flag pfp.”

It should be BASIC DECENCY.

And the fact that it’s apparently so uncommon should tell you how much unnecessary stress and fear Jewish people have been living with because of people who consider themselves defenders of human rights.

By all means, be angry at the Likud, the IDF, and the politicians, reporters, and specific media outlets who choose to enable and cover up for them.

But direct that anger toward the people who deserve it and are in a position to do something about it, not random people who simply happen to be Jewish, or who don’t want millions of people to be turned into refugees when less violent methods of achieving freedom and rights for Palestinians are available.

Stop peeing beside the toilet, people.

[chi-the-idiot]

So im going to get real for a second, this may be ranty but i'll be sharing my feelings on Yuri on Ice just to pinpoint how this show literally changed my life (in what has to be described as the most cringe sad statement i will ever make in my life but hey, sometimes its like that).

So, picture little Chi. Dumb little Chi when she was 11 years old. Lonely girl, who had very few close friends to begin with but was also, quite literally, living inside a bubble (as described by herself back then). Then, i meet this person (kid, same age as me, nowadays nonbinary so i will address them so) and immediately bond over Steven Universe.

Now, keep in mind, this bubble i mentioned had to do with living in an extremelly sheltered space. Like, "didn't know being queer was even an option, just that it was wrong" levels of sheltered-ness. So, when they mentioned that Pearl from SU was clearly in love with Rose Quartz, I immediately pulled a face. Not that it would be wrong if she liked her, but, you know, i didn't feel like that was the case. My friend, then, suggested I search for the anime Yuri on Ice, and watch it through.

That weekend, while my parents were in the living room watching the news, I sat in my room, computer in my lap, facebook on the screen, and watched the entirety of Yuri on Ice in under a day. And, sure, at first it was odd, but by like episode three I was already rooting for them to get together. I freaked out at the kiss scene (even with the censorship). I cried at the ring exchange. I cried at the ending. And left with my heart full of something warm that I couldn't yet identify.

It took me years to finally understand what being queer actually was, and all that it entails. But that show, as weird as it sounds, guided me towards the first few steps of understanding. Its dumb, im aware. But as an 11 year old, living in the environment I lived in, it was my first introduction to queerness, even before Steven Universe got to the stage in which its queer themes were much more noticeable (for little me, at least).

It eventually lead me to the pont of putting the pieces together that I was actually queer (had been for a long time, but had repressed it as unnatural).

Yuri on Ice is not a perfect show. At all. Its been years since I last saw it but a lot of it probably didn't stand up to the test of time. But it will always occupy a super important space in my heart. Maybe that's why i still hold onto the hope that someday we will get more of it, whether at the hands of MAPPA or some other studio. Or, maybe, i don't need an explicit continuation, because to me the ending is clear. Victor and Yuri ended together.

Maybe their story in the screen is over. But they did make history.

[dribs-and-drabbles]

The weekend series roundup - Cutie Pie edition

Cutie Pie ep 10:

Warning, this is going to be ranty 😂

Did we need a thirty minute time reverse? At first I wondered if it was because Lian had purposefully left the deeds on the desk so that Kuea could find them...but no...so then what was the point to all this?! This time reverse gave us no new information, no twist. So, Lian is planning on waiting a day or two to tell Kuea. He KNOWS the deeds are on the desk, he looked at them then left them there when he got up and left. WHY did he then tell Kuea not five minutes later that he could go into his office?!! Honestly if he's that forgetful or incompetent then I wouldn't trust him as a businessman at all 😂

Most of this episode was focused on Kuea dealing with this knowledge...which could have been solved SO MANY times if he'd just called his mum straight away. Or ASKED Lian straight away. This kind of accidental reveal of something and subsequent hesitation to talk to the person directly is one of the most boring tropes in any show, bl or otherwise. I mean, Kuea set boundaries with Ton…so we know he can. He just needs to do it with Lian 👏🏼 And at this point I'm loosing sympathy for Kuea's tears. Just ask Lian. Or your mum. Even Diao is giving him great advice but he's not taking it. 🙄

So on to Diao and Yi...and I'm sorry to anyone who has ever been traumatised by an animal but my immediate reaction to the flashback was "is that what he's so guilty about!!" Get. Over. It. 😂 Like...Diao doesn't even remember it. He doesn't seem to have any lasting physical issues. So...what's the problem? Why all the guilt? Maybe there's more info we don't know ybut oh my god all this drama just for that?! Diao and Yi's interactions are all SO unsatisfying. The eventual confession was sweet at the end but honestly I was ready to throw hands when Yi went in for the kiss before saying "I love you". Just use your words!!!

Okay, ranty bit over. I hope you're still with me 😂I still love the visuals and the colours in the whole series, it has been exceptionally designed. I wrote briefly about some colour coding the show seems to be using (mainly red and blue for Kuea and Lian respectively and yellow has been used a lot but I haven't seen a pattern as to why yet) and, if I have time once the show is over, I might make a series of posts looking at it all...but some of the small details are wonderful. For example a lot of background decorations and accessories are red and blue...and sometimes the show isn't subtle about it at all. I mean, are the balls really necessary here? Or are they just to add to the red/blue theme?

BUT my favourite moment was when Neur basically confessed to Syn. In admitting he wouldn't cheat on Syn (the 3rd precept in Buddhism), he's implying he likes Syn and would like to be with him. It was a beautiful little interaction. And Syn's little pleased shy smile was adorable. And then the knees overlapping, the hesitant uncertainty, the acknowledgement and permission, and the shared understanding... Just...more of them please! And 👏🏼 let 👏🏼 them 👏🏼 be 👏🏼 happy.

[clovermunson]

hi!! <3 i’d like to request ❤️ and ☎️.

i am a straight woman. i am very quiet/shy/have social anxiety and do not have a lot of friends so i can get quite lonely, but that’s okay!! i’m in college and an english major. i love to read and write. i prefer fictional characters to humans. i used to be really into art, but that’s sort of faded away, but i’d love to practice if i had the time. i worry a lot. i listen to an unhealthy amount of 80s music and lately i’ve been listening to lots of rock/metal. i’m quite the movie nerd and will geek out over aspects of that. i can’t wear plain shirts. they’ve all got something graphic on them that has to do with something i like. it feels wrong to wear plain t-shirts. i’ve got a pair of converse that i’ve had since middle school and they’re starting to fall apart. i’d love to write professionally someday, but we’ll see where it goes. i’m very opinionated and can get very ranty if needed. i love musicals and going to see theater productions too! i laugh at stupid things. i hope that’s helpful!

congrats on 500 followers!! you deserve it!! <33

hii!! thank you so much!!🥰💕

❤️you’re the heart — send this + a description of yourself (can be long or short) along with your gender preference, and i’ll tell you which character i’d ship you with!

i would ship you with…steve harrington!

what would immediately make him interested in you would be your shyness. he would find it extremely cute, and even a little endearing as well. steve would absolutely love how outspoken and opinionated you are and how quick you are to stand up for what you believe in. you’re both generally very mellow people, but once you’ve had enough— you’ve had enough. he may not understand your geek moments so much, but the good thing is he can just ask dustin about it lol also if you date steve, you also get six kids that he’s pretty much taken in as his own— they’re a package deal😂 he would also absolutely adore your interest in art and writing, and he would always encourage you to keep writing because he thinks your stories are the best he’s ever read

☎️joyce’s phone — send this for me to tell you which character would always call you when they have a problem, and/or which character you would always call for help

i think that without fail, robin would call you for help! sure she’d ramble on and miss the point of her call entirely, but you’re always sure to keep her on track and address the issue, helping her find an effective solution.

on the other end, i think you’d always call eddie for help. sure he might be a bit erratic and scatter-brained, but he means well and he’s always willing to drop everything to help those he cares about!

join the celebration!

[evita-shelby]

Hi! It's me the Finn anon again! First! Yes I totally hope it's just a glitch! I don't think you'd be shadowbanned because I can still see all your posts and find your blogs so that's good! Also I'm gonna be honest I'm not completely sure what the "grace Stan threats" mean (I may not be caught up on it) but I can maybe guess and if it mean what I think it means I'm sorry about it! That sucks and some people need to learn to grow up instead of making threats!

Second, oohhhh at least two more parts!!! Ahhh I'm so excited ❤️❤️ I'm ready to see Michael break his ass trying to make amends! Also because I realised that you said the Shelby family is still unsure if they could trust the reader or not after the lies about her from her "mother" painting her as untrustworthy! And idk if the family knew how the reader was connected to Mike before they heard those lies or if they just thought the woman was b*tching about her random daughter. But like if Michael DID know who the woman was referring to when saying the lies, I want him to grovel even more, like I want this man to almost cry realising how badly he hurt the reader and their adoptive parents!!! BECAUSE IF THIS MAN IS JUST GONNA SIT THERE WHILE SOMEONE BASHES HIS LITTLE SISTER!!!!!! Even if he did want to forget his adopted family he could have at least had the common decency to defend their character, because all they ever did was love him!! He may not want to live that life anymore, but he could at least have grown to balls to say they weren't the worst people in the world and maybe his adoptive sister was good! Oh oh!! And if he did know that the Shelby institute was apart of taking the reader back away from her mama and papa and putting her back with her "mother"!!!! Like if he really did grow up with her all this time and he was her brother and they were so close, surely the reader may have confided in him about her birth mom! Like as kids when she was scared and had nightmares of her old life, surely she'd go and find comfort in her big brother and tell him what happened and he'd promise to protect her! But for him to like possibly hear the reader was sent back to her birth mom because of the Shelby foundation, knowing how bad her birth mom was and how good his foster parents were and then DO NOTHING!!!! Ahhhhh, Michael I can't even begin to word how much trouble he'd be in!! It doesn't matter how pretty of a head he's got, he needs to pull it out of his ass and tone down the ego a bit! (But also like I'm glad he is at least willing to help now, but he's still in deep sh*t)

Ok sorry for the little ranty but there I got distracted 😂😂 But also I totally agree with you too on following teenage Finn or at least like Pre John's death Finn (who was like 20)! I can kinda understand why his character developed the way it did but I also kind hated how after John dies and in the later seasons Finn kinda becomes more of a dick. Like I really do understand how he always felt pressured into being like his brothers and taking on the family business and trying be be like then even though they really just seemed to see him as a normal worker at times (or they actually seemed to just stop carrying about him unless they needed leg work. Like the didn't bother teaching him to read at all or speak Romani or really teach him anything other than business and family fueds) But I really miss the younger and more innocent Finn who even when he wanted to be like his brothers still seemed to have some personality that was other than just trying to get their attention. Like he still seemed to somewhat act his age" and not be so kinda nervous and kinda stiff as much of the time. Plus I really miss how after John died his relationship with his siblings seemed kinda non-existent, and like I always loved how even if they weren't part of the scene we got to see the cute brotherly relationship between Finn and John in the background. Their relationship was so cute and I really feel like if either of the other brothers had died instead of John, Finn would have turned out more like John personality wise. But yeah, I also really like Finn's character pre-it all goes to shit where Tommy basically throws them all (but like Finn and the women minus Polly) in jail! Even though it was right after grace died if feel like other than season one that was when the family was more or less still a family instead of how they ended up😭 But yes That is one of my favorite versions of Finn and I can't wait to see how him and the readers relationship progresses!! Ooh I can imagine Mike eventually getting kinda pissy about them being close b/c he's overprotective and a bit possessive about her liking him best even if it is as a brother, and even if the pair is technically only together "for show" but then like one of the pair mentions how he has no right to get mad at the reader because of how he acted!!

Ahhh I'm so excited sorry for the rambeling! Your great and I hope you have a great day❤️❤️❤️

That is such a great take on Finn and i too hate what they did with him.

As for the grace stans thing, some grace stans are notoriously anti sex workers (going by the way they talk about Lizzie) and I blocked most of them because of that which apparently pisses them off because they started sending me anons because they also hate the idea of anyone writing her as a bad guy(#ACAB) and when i write her as a woman of her background, upbringing and time period.

One grace stan kept sending me anons trying to play the victim because apparently all my grace one shots are 'disturbing' (only two are and they say so on the tin) because she is written as the bad guy and not with Tommy (i ship her with Jack Nelson)

I blocked her and found out some writers in the fandom who had been mysterious banned had received similar anons, so I assumed she'd be up to her old tricks.

I love seeing you in my inbox and hope i can write part 2 of the finn series later today🖤

[rayshippouuchiha]

Ok, so a friend of mine wanted to catch up with the marvel movies... I very reluctant agree and we made a thing out of it.

Over the last three months, every weekend, we would sit together (via discord) and watch as many movies possible.

To explain a bit more about me (because it's important) I am a huge comic buff like huge, huge. I read a shit ton of comics from DC to Marvel to Manga (I read everything available of One Piece in less than two days last year because fell behind and wanted to start from the beginn).

Our movie nights would conspire like this, I played the movie over my Disney+ account and mute myself until she had a question about the characters or I had interesting little tidbits/"nerd knowledge" (how she affectionately calls it) for them. Nothing big enough to really taint the picture but enough to give a bit more substance/to finally animate her to read the god dammed comics!

We made it so because she wanted to form her own opinion on the movies. We most of the time discussed them afterwards, like how they diverged from the source material etc. (By the way, she hates MCU Wanda something I am very proud of)

So, we got to the finish line, Endgame, and as I saw this movie again something made me very very angry. Don't get me wrong, after the first watch and after I got the adrenaline out of my system I wasn't a big fan of the movie but I didn't hate it (except for it's ending fuck that) but now? Now after I saw with my friend and really thought about it for explanatory reasons I really fucking hate it. The howl movie from finished to start. I mean I know the Russo's didn't really care or understand most characters (Clint, Wanda, Tony etc.) but I think the most captivating of this willful misunderstanding is encapsulated in Bruce!

Like they took all the tension out of his character in on fucking move, not even thinking about it... Bruce's howl spille is about unhealthy coping mechanism and mental illness and how it is unhealthy to undermined your own feelings because they will manifest in something big and angry and dangerous, something that I - as someone who was taught shit like that - struggle very much with.

Him just simply... doing what he did? Him just "combining" the "best" traits from both worlds because The Hulk didn't came out anymore just... it just undermines everything! And it's just played for laughter... like I get it, they did the same shit to Thor but the thing is Bruce is very much a lot more personal to me.

Because I am someone who berries their feelings until something big and angry comes out of it and that's something I will deal, probably, my howl life with... it, funny enough, makes me really angry! I hate it... just like I hate these movies for it...

I dunno where to go with that, I just randomly thought about that right now and wanted to share. It is very ranty and I deal with dyslexia and it's late so probably not my best work... hope's still readable... have a nice [place here the current time of day]!!! ^^;

there was so much about what they chose to do in Endgame that upset so many of us on so many different levels because of the absolute disrespect done to the character arcs that we’d been living with for a decade.

So I’m with you on the absolutely hating the shit. Just, Endgame was such a huge fucking blow that I had to take a huge step back from the MCU as a whole.

[amwritingmeta]

Hello there! So, fellow destiel shipper here, read all about the finale a few hours ago... I just saw your destiel queerbaiting analysis (LOVED IT!) and... what are your thoughts on Carry On? (canyoutellimshamelesslylookingforsomecatharticrants)

Hello my dear!

I’ll admit I’m in a ranting mood, so you’re in luck. Catch me in a few days and I’ll probably be less ranty, more level headed, more oh they think they can shove Cas out of the narrative and hint he’s running around fixing Heaven with Jack without actually giving us a visual establishing of TFW 2.O reunited and of course especially Cas and Dean reunited and we’ll all just be absolutely understanding of that and nod and go, mh, makes sense because the show was always about the brothers wasn’t it, mh, mh hmh, hmmmmmmmmh let me present you with my slideshow of why and how of course we shall not go any form of mh at it.

This is not a few days from now. (look out for that slideshow though) (it will be spectacular)

Queerbaiting. Such a hotly contested topic in relation to this show. If you read my analysis then you know the faith I’ve always had. For four years. Unwavering faith. I’ve seen it so clearly in this narrative because I’ve wanted to see it, because it got me excited for what this narrative might be moving towards ripping apart, which is how the American manly man is represented in media such as this, the one that mildly glorifies the violent, repressed, WHITE middle-class male. The not quite well-educated but street-smart WHITE male. The modern cowboy WHITE male.

For someone representative of all these things to flip the switch and reveal himself to be bisexual would’ve been... well, glorious. It would have been utterly glorious. 

So were we - was I - queerbaited into thinking this would happen? That we’d get queer representation, in full, on Supernatural through the stated love story of Dean and Cas?

I. Still. Don’t. Know.

I’m serious. That’s the truth. The ugly fucking annoying frustrating goddamn truth. Dammit!!

(I may have had wine and whisky and a bit of beer so pls ignore me if this turns from rant to ramble) *drunk af* *that’s not true* *I’m tipsy at best* *aiming for drunk af though*

I don’t know if “queerbaiting” is what these writers engaged with for over a decade because I don’t know if they knew for sure that they would never be able to deliver it, or if it’s possible that all the showrunners and all the writers throughout all the seasons that have played around with the Destiel subtext HOPED that it might come to fruition once the finale rolled around.

Here’s another question, though:

Was I queerbaited into watching this fucking disaster of a finale because I was left with the hope that Cas was going to return?

I would, at this moment in time, say ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY I WAS.

I didn’t get to grieve Cas when I was supposed to BECAUSE I HAD NO INDICATION FROM THE CAST OR SHOWRUNNER OR ANYONE CURRENTLY ON THE SHOW THAT THE DEATH WAS STICKING AND HE WAS NOT COMING BACK OMFGGGGGG THIS IS THE WORST THING THEY’VE EVER FUCKING DONE!!!!!!!!!!

I swear to Jack. I’ll never forgive them for this. Not that they want any forgiveness or expect it or would ever even seek it. Obviously. All they cared about was the fucking ratings for the finale, which would’ve been lower if we knew for sure there was no Cas in it.

I wouldn’t have watched it as eagerly, I’ll admit that. I would’ve watched it, though, which is what makes me sad. At least I could’ve been prepared for the badness, for the utter pit of horrors that awaited me, at least I could’ve been in acceptance mode and nodded and laughed a little, maybe shook my head like, yeah, makes sense. But no.

Nope. 

And yes fine Cas is in Heaven with Jack so it’s not like they didn’t HINT that maybe at SOME POINT these men will all be reunited but omfg.

The finale.

Does not.

Exist.

I refuse to acknowledge it’s existence. It existed for about an hour and a half while I was going through every single stage of grief with my pal @natmoose and then I moved into laughter at the absolute ridiculousness of this whole situation, and acceptance, and now I’m just drinking. And chilling.

Here’s where I take proper offence. 

I take offence at 15x18. I take offence at the episode beginning with two queer characters having their relationship torn apart by one disappearing, and then the person remaining lamenting the fact that she dared open her heart and then this happened - her person is just GONE - only for Charlie to then die as well. Visually. Disappearing from sight. Erased.

I take offence at a straight couple consisting of one deaf character getting torn apart, yet more representation just inexplicably erased. 

And then I take offence at this love story I’ve followed and adored and hoped and embraced as the possibility for healthy representation and healthy progression for Dean and for Cas for four years, a love story others have embraced for well over a decade, ending in Cas finally reaching a moment of true happiness, and that happiness requiring a self-sacrifice so great that his I love you literally means death.

I take offence at all this. It makes me fucking angry. It’s dismissive of what representation means to a lot of people and it MAKES NO SENSE since it’s written by a writer who has always seemed extremely sensitive to these things. 

So. Queerbaiting occurred, to my mind, for sure for the first time in these two weeks after 15x18, where the lid was put on Cas actually dying, and there were enough hinting that he did for everyone to throw their hands up and say but we thought it was OBVIOUS, but not enough of it there to put us off watching the finale, because we might’ve been put off had we known, for sure, hands down, that Cas was not going to come back.

Or perhaps that hope wasn’t wide spread and most people accepted his death for what it was. I know some people immediately saw it for what it was, I saw a few posts on Instagram and Twitter to that effect, so, you know, idk. Maybe it’s just me. Being hopeful. Yearning for hopeful endings. The fact that the show didn’t deliver the ending I was hopeful for isn’t, end of the day, the show’s fault.

To me, the way I view this narrative, the way I’ve always read it, this ending makes no sense, regresses both brothers in horrifying ways, underlines the codependency as the healthy option (which makes me feel physically ill btw), and leaves us with the moral of the story being... what? What was it for? What was it all about?? WHAT WAS IT ALL ABOUT PEOPLE??? 

Anyway. Finale does not exist. So it’s about love, and growth, and identity, and freedom, and finding peace with who you truly are.

Dean did not get impaled. In a vamp den. In a BARN. Like how DARED THEY KILL HIM IN A BARN?? OMFGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!! 

Sorry.

Does not exist. 

Okay, this is already long. Did I... rant enough? Did I talk about queerbaiting enough? I’m not going to throw queerbaiting shade on the entire narrative. I just can’t. But queerbaiting shade on 15x18? Yah. Thrown.

Sigh.

[lonelychicago]

I have head canon’s about Buck and Maddie as kids and I wonder if you have similar ones or agree- Maddie was the one who helped teach Buck things like how to read and how to tie his shoes, how to tell time, and read books to him when he was little before bed sometimes. I think Buck looked up to her a lot not just because she defended him from their parents who were awful to him but because she was so kind and loving in general. She’d talk to the quiet kids in school who sat by themselves at lunch and she’d give spare change to strangers and she would help Buck with homework even when she had her own homework to do and her own things to deal with. I think growing up Buck saw both ends of the emotions/feelings spectrum. His parents were on one end and were cold and mean to him and Maddie was on another end and despite growing up with the same parents, she taught him (my personal head canon) that kindness is so powerful and love is powerful too. Because I think if Buck didn’t have Maddie growing up he would still be Buck, but just with less hope and a bunch of more insecurities with no one THAT close to him like Maddie is to reassure him that he’s more than his insecurities. What do you think?

absolutely!!! i love to think that maddie rejected invitations to parties or hang outs in high school just because she didn't want to leave buck alone with their parents.

and i also have this headcanon that when buck was little (maybe seven or eight) and he had a bad day, his parents were as indifferent as always, maddie would cheer him up. she would buy his favorite food at the store close to their house and they would lock themselves in her room, she would build a blanket fort and read to him his favorite book. ( i just think the idea is adorable and i can really picture them in a blanket fort, hiding away from their parents and reading stories about pirates or ghosts and maybe that's why buck believes in them, because he grew up with those stories and his sister read them to him so they lust be true bc maddie would always tell him the true)

and i just know that maddie was a nurse because of buck. i mean, she's the one who was with him everytime he got hurt, she's the one who took care of him and she probably had to learn how to treat wounds and a bloody nose. that's all she ever knew so she grew up and studied that.

and i like to think that she told buck this. when she got into college and later when she graduated, she called buck to talk to him and to let him know "i know you think you owe me everything because i was there for you when our parents weren't but i need you to know that you helped me too. you saved me buck, i wouldn't be the person i am today if it wasn't for you. evan, you taught me how to be kind and patient, how to love unconditionally. you are my person, little brother and even if i'm not there for you i will always be just a call away."

i totally think that maddie helped buck become the man he is but also buck helped maddie. they taught each other how to be kind and loving and caring because they both were just kids. and yes, maddie was older and probably she taught buck more things but she also learnt from him how to care and love someone, you know? buck was there for her when she lost her other brother so i think she focused on him instead of the loss of daniel and that helped her to moved on too. like she was just a kid and she probably didn't fully understand what death meant but she knew enough to understand that her brother was not coming back and that must've hurt. so she focused on buck and take care of him because their parents sure as hell wouldn't.

i have so many things to say about buck's and maddie's relationship honestly. but this is already too long and ranty lmao

[dreamersscape]

I’m kinda glad that there were more potential “developments” on the 15x18 dub front, because it helps me feel a bit better about not being able to write about this sooner, in a more timely fashion. Not that I need anyone to read my opinion on this subject, it’s not that important at all, but I just wanted to write it down for my own peace of mind, I suppose.

I’m going to refer to some of the phrasing in this post, but what I have to say is not specifically directed at it in particular; I’ve seen similar sentiments conveyed in several posts, and I didn’t want to directly reblog it and go on a ranty spiel in its tags. Plus, there might be some extra various stuff I add at the end that isn’t specifically related to that post’s point.

Okay, so, I feel like this post and others like it present a false dichotomy as fact that I have been finding pretty aggravating. I would have liked to see the cuts to 15x18-15x20 that have been speculated on in the actual episodes, I would have preferred them to what we got, but that story resolution and the aired story resolution were not the only two options. And the cuts, if they did indeed occur, did not cause the aired resolution to occur irrevocably. It appears that Dean’s death was always going to happen, no matter the other changes that may have happened, and an onscreen reunion with Cas and resolution to Cas’ and Dean’s feelings would not fix the problems inherent in the manner of Dean’s death. It may have softened the blow for some, and that’s okay, but personally it wouldn’t have been any consolation for me.

This post presents a cause-and-effect argument of ‘kibosh[ing] Destiel’ with the total destruction of Dean’s character development, that the only route they could take not involving queer feelings was to give Dean the ‘worst possible ending’, and that ‘accepting love from Castiel’ was the entirety of Dean’s character arc. I... do not see how this tracks at all. Would Dean reciprocating Cas’ love and being loved in return been a good ending? Yes. But was it the ONLY good ending? No. It’s a shame they didn’t resolve the feelings situation highlighted in 15x18, but it was not the only thing regarding Dean that needed resolving. Love for a significant other is not the only meaningful thing in life.

 I meant to go into more detail and talk about other potential optimistic conclusions to Dean’s story that would not involve his dying then and in that way and also not prominently feature Cas’ presence, but the specific words are starting to run away from me. But those options wouldn’t be meant to say they’d be better than ones involving Cas, just meant to emphasize that I don’t think it’s fair or correct to equate the destiel cuts inevitably leading to Dean’s awful ending. 

But I understand if a post-death reunion would’ve changed things a little for the better for you, that’s a matter of opinion. However, that’s also why I’ve been bothered by other posts that have implied that it is unfathomably laughable and appalling that the writers had the audacity to focus on Sam and Dean and their relationship in the final episode. Maybe that’s not a draw to the show for you, fine, but how is it strange that that was the writing decision? I don’t know how you could say that the brothers’ love for each other was not THE central theme of the show?? I mean, I get it, I almost always gravitate towards the side/secondary characters (and Cas may be a lead now, but that’s not how he started) and they’ll hold most of my attention, and I love the found family trope to bits, but IMO I don’t think the show destroyed that message in the way many of you have been describing it. Also, maybe this is controversial, but I think it’s possible for Dean and Sam to love each other deeply and stay really close without it still being tied up in the codependent patterns they once had? If Dean had lived and never had a romantic partner/family of his own, while Sam had married Eileen/someone else and had a family/’normal life’, it wouldn’t automatically mean that Dean’s life was empty, all about Sam’s happiness, etc.

So... yeah. I totally don’t mind if you disagree with me on some of this stuff, but if you do, I hope it didn’t upset you. I know a lot of this is subjective and I’m not trying to tell anyone they’re wrong... but I do stand by what look like logic flaws to me and my relative... uh, ‘refutation’ of them?