#i have concerns about the design. all of it

[edaworks]

This. Equal access to resources and social assistance programs is so important. And if you're U.S.-based and in need of support to combat poverty or inequality issues, or just want a fair shake at getting a freaking job, you've just been effectively abandoned by our federal government: many social assistance programs and/or safefuards against discrimination/unequal implementation of assistance will be defunded.

For instance - goddamnit, fine, I'll talk about it - the recent Executive Orders (EOs). The following EOs related to assistance programs and inequality/poverty issues were just rescinded by Trump:

(Summaries in part sourced from https://www.insidegovernmentcontracts.com/2025/01/president-trump-issues-numerous-executive-orders-with-potential-impacts-on-federal-contractors-and-grant-recipients/, with my own commentary in bold.)

EO 14096 (Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All), which directed agencies to ensure all programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance “that potentially affect human health or the environment do not directly, or through contractual or other arrangements, use criteria, policies, practices, or methods of administration that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin.” (Good luck ensuring that those in marginalized communities have any protection against federal agencies or contractors coming into their communities and subjecting them to toxic and harmful environments from industrial, military, or infrastructure activities from now on.)

EO 14052 (Implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act), which established an Infrastructure Implementation Task Force to implement the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (This was to include funding for and development of improved public transit programs. No longer. Good luck accessing any resources without even basic, half-functioning public transit.)

EO 14091 (Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government), which established a government-wide goal of 15 percent of federal procurement dollars awarded to small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals in Fiscal Year 2025. (What was that? Yet another bullshit bootstraps argument? I thought so.)

EO 13985 (Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government), which directed agency heads to review and report on potential barriers to full and equal participation in agency procurement and contracting opportunities. (No oversight? No problem...I guess.)

And the following EOs negatively impacting these issues were just implemented by Trump:

Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government EO Defines sex as an “immutable biological classification.”  All federal agencies “shall enforce laws governing sex-based rights, protections, opportunities, and accommodations to protect men and women as biologically distinct sexes.”  Federal funds “shall not be used to promote gender ideology,” including pursuant to federal grants. (Say goodbye to any federal funding for social assistance programs that have as any part of their mission provision of assistance to, or even breathe in the direction of, trans- and queer-inclusive communities.)

Regulatory Freeze Pending Review EO Orders all executive departments and agencies to not propose or issue any rules until a department or agency head appointed or designated by the President after Noon on January 20, 2025 reviews and approves the rule. (Meaning not a single federal agency can do ANYTHING to implement ANY programs - social welfare programs or otherwise - or generally create administrative rules and federal regulations without being specifically endorsed by Trump - this just means literally nothing will get done. Thank SCOTUS - they paved the way for this bullshit by overturning Chevron.)

Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing EO Orders Director of Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Attorney General (AG), and Director of Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to “coordinate the termination of all discriminatory programs, including ‘illegal DEI’ and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear.”  OPM immediately issued a memo to all federal agencies to provide initial guidance regarding this portion of the EO.  This includes a directive that each agency terminate, to the maximum extent allowed by law, all “equity-related” grants or contracts and that each agency provide a list of “[f]ederal grantees who received Federal funding to provide or advance DEI, DEIA, or ‘environmental justice’ programs, services, or activities since January 20, 2021 to the Director of the OMB.” (Self explanatory. Good luck getting federal employment or contracts if you are part of a marginalized community once the hiring freeze is off.)

Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity EO Revokes several previous EOs, including EO 11246 (Equal Employment Opportunity), which prohibited contractors from discriminating in employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin and required contractors to take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity in all aspects of employment.  Requires agency heads to include two terms in every contract or grant award: (1) “requiring the contractual counterparty or grant recipient to agree that its compliance in all respects with all applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws is material to the government’s payment decisions for purposes of section 3729(b)(4) of title 31, United States Code;” and (2) “requiring such counterparty or recipient to certify that it does not operate any programs promoting DEI that violate any applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws.”  Further, directs OMB, with the assistance of the AG to “[t]erminate all ‘diversity, ‘equity,’ ‘equitable decision-making,’ ‘equitable deployment of financial and technical assistance,’ ‘advancing equity,’ and like mandates, requirements, programs, or activities, as appropriate.” (I CANNOT BEGIN TO STRESS what a huge problem rescindment of EEO is. THIS HAS BEEN IN PLACE SINCE THE 1960s AND WAS ONE OF THE PRIMARY GUARANTORS OF DISCRIMINATION CONTROL AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.)

That's just a smattering. That's without even getting into the horribly discriminatory immigration/citizenship-related EOs or new legislation which will all but ensure immigrant communities are cut off from access to social assistance they might have otherwise received. Why? Because they will probably feel the need to avoid public places swimming in government officials where they might become visible targets. Why “targets,” you ask? Because now even allegations of certain criminal acts, paired with questioned immigration status, will require ICE to detain - no conviction needed. This is disgustingly rife with pitfalls. I won't go into more detail about the hows and whys because I think it unethical to publish what could effectively be a roadmap for exploitation.

"But if immigrants are here illegally-" No. This issue affects EVERYONE, no matter their status, and EVERYONE is a human and deserves access to these resources. Plus: your status can be 100% valid - you can even be a citizen - and you can still be stripped of status, arrested, detained, or deported due to administrative error or due to racial or ethnic profiling. Not convinced? The US Government Accountability Office confirmed that "ICE arrested 674, detained 121, and removed 70 potential U.S. citizens from fiscal year 2015 through the second quarter of fiscal year 2020 (March 2020)." That's right: We deported 70 people that ICE itself had cause to believe were citizens, and arrested and jailed hundreds more...for alleged immigration offenses. Whoops.

All it takes is bad luck, or to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and suddenly those who don't care about these issues now might find they care a hell of a lot.

[kirbmey]

— 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒃𝒊𝒈𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓!𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒃 ૮꒰˵• ﻌ •˵꒱ა

synopsis: there’s also soft moments with gege, the majority of them are!

tw: the usual stepcest and cute reader, besides that it’s all rainbows and unicorns, reader calls her mom ‘mommy’, i picture their house being spotted in some natural area and it’s quiet vintage, etc.

waking up from what you could swear was the worse night of your life sweating was not on you monday plans. caleb could hear your coughing from the other side of the house, so he visited you earlier than normal to check on your condition.

finding you curled up underneath your silky bedsheets he could barely spot your eyes. and when he met them he immediately knew something was wrong, very wrong.

he knelt in front of you as he was used to, a big palm coming up against your forehead to check your temperature first thing; no fever.

his best friend zayne (and one of your fewer ones, he trusted him to be around you) was studying medicine and told him how to spot things such as fever, flu or a mere cold.

⠀ ⠀ 　　　 “my angel, what’s the matter? what do you feel?” he questioned with a saddened expression, hurting when you did. his amethyst eyes locking with your lifeless ones.

⠀ ⠀ 　　　 “throat feels dry and m’ head hurts so much.” you complained with almost quiet voice, turning your back on him so caleb couldn’t see your pathetic state.

cold it is, he deduced. he softly caressed your hair for a little longer before standing up and coming back with the right medicine. he helped you sit up against the bed frame and medicated you.

⠀ ⠀ 　　　 “there you go, good girl. we’ll be taking these again in eight hours, hmm? for now you’ll be taking a warm bath, it’ll make you feel a lot better.” he informed you and stood up grabbing some fresh clothes from your drawers, heading to your bathroom to fill up the bathtub along with your favorite vanilla scented salts and lighting up cherry candles.

the window of your bathroom almost completely covered by the blinds, he could see just how dark it was outside yet, the moon not ready to leave for now.

when he came back to you he found you falling asleep again, smiling to himself at the adorable sight. “i know you wanna sleep, princess, but we have to wash you up first.” he acknowledged, he always knew how you felt or what you were thinking.

you merely nodded and lifted your weak arms as you could so he would take you to said bathroom, which was warm by the time you got there because of the steamy water filling the tub.

the pink countertop was your designated sit while he undressed you, not a single lustful intention in his actions.

he began rustling with the cottony fabric of your nightgown to finally lift it out of your lumpy body, leaving it aside as he removed your used panties so they could be thrown away with the rest of your clothes.

you let out some sneezes and coughs from time to time, making caleb pull you against his dressed chest and wrap his big arms around you, hugging you while resting his head on top of yours, just for moral support.

while waiting for the tub to be full of water you both heard a weak knocking on the bathroom door, hearing your moms voice.

⠀ ⠀ 　　　 “is everything okay, baby, you need help?” she asked, concern noticeable in her voice. you were quiet prone to get sick these seasons, so she always tried to help you whenever you felt off.

⠀ ⠀ 　　　 “no, mommy, gege’s helping me.” you said as you came down the counter, opening the door so your mom could see caleb turning off the tap, your discarded clothes and your naked form.

anyone would find that alarming, weird, off putting, mostly when you were already grown up adults. but your mother had a pure heart, just as you did, and only felt tenderness take over her soul when noticing how caring your step brother was about you.

she held your pale face between her hands, peppering it with small kisses as she spoke. “alright, i see caleb gave you medicine already. what about if i get on cooking breakfast so it’s ready when you come out?” she smothered your arms up an down.

caleb came up behind you, grabbing onto your shoulders and offering your mother that characteristic boyish smile of his. “that’d be great, ma, we’ll be done in a minute here.”

⠀ ⠀ 　　　 “splendid then, i’ll light up the fireplace as well! we have to keep you warm.” she mumbled while leaving the room, closing the door in her departure.

and just like that your brother held you between his arms, lifting you like a princess without needing much effort due to his strength, and put you down inside the warm and bubbly water.

he knelt in front of the tub outside, the sleeves of his pajamas rolled to his elbows so he could wash your hair and body comfortably. he would often times use the foam floating around to plaster it on your face and give you little mustaches or weird beards, gaining tiny laughs from you.

after a few minutes he was done and didn’t waste time on pulling you out when he felt the water running cold, making you stand in front of the big vintage mirror while he had your back, drying your hair and applying your usual products on it to keep it silky and smooth.

he then dried you whole and creamed your body with coconut scented lotion, massaging your arms, legs and feet on the way, dressed you up with a cozier pajama, making sure it was perfectly buttoned and squeezed your nape to make you turn to look up to him.

⠀ ⠀ 　　　 “feeling better, my dear?” you simply nodded, standing on your tippy toes to leave a loud kiss on his cheek. a stupid smile drawn on his lips; he was utterly in love with you.

when you two came out of your little bubble the sun was already setting, waving the moon goodbye. the wooden walls of the house filled with the sound of the gramophone playing your mom’s favorite jazz album; you loved jazz too.

she’d play it when she carried you inside her belly.

grabbing onto your brother’s big hand you would go downstairs to meet your loving mother place some homemade pancakes on the peeled white table along with chocolate syrup and orange juice.

caleb sat down next to you and in front of your mom, feeling your legs coming up to rest on his lap while you chatted with the woman who gave you birth, caressing the soft skin of your ankles as he munched on a chocolate covered pancake.

he could pick some parts of what you two said, something about his dad being out of town for work, something about the roses out the garden starting to bloom, to which you happily clapped at.

he was too mesmerized with your angel-like features accompanied by the lake he could see outside the window behind you, noticing how the swan that swam around looked just like you.

his little swan.

a/n: this is by far the sweetest thing I’ve ever written, i need me a caleb living with me in a vintage country side cottage rn ૮꒰ ྀི >⸝⸝⸝< ྀི꒱ა

— masterlist.

[trainsinanime]

Trains in Miraculous Ladybug - The Season 6 Tram

Part 1: The Metro Train

Part 2: The Metro Station

Part 3: Startrain

Part 4: The Gare du Nord

Part 5: The Bus

It's a new season, and we got a new art style, new trains, buses, cars, villains and anxieties in the world of Miraculous Ladybug! Mostly trains, of course!

At the end of season 6, the right person got elected mayor, which immediately transformed Paris into a wonderland of walkable urbanity and plentiful urban transit, even more so than before. That's literally canon. As part of that, the city has gotten trams. A lot of them. And they're weird. Time to restart this series of posts that I thought I'd finished long ago!

This will only focus on the trams we see, because there's just one episode out yet, "The Illustrhator". This will contain spoilers for what happens to the trams there. There is also a new bus that we see very briefly, but I'm hoping other episodes will tell us more about that.

The Vehicle

The trams we see are single four-axle vehicles. Yes, four axles, we do get to count them.

The design looks like they're individual small wheels rather than connected axles, which is a common design that has its advantages and its drawbacks. The floor tram is entirely at one level, seemingly about 30-40 cm above rail height.

We do get to see its interior as well. Nice big windows, different seating layouts, a big wheelchair area, and readers for Navigo RFID tickets at all doors. And, interestingly, fold-down seats, which are a feature on older Paris metro rolling stock.

We get a tiny hint of the inside of the cab as well. According to the display, we're going forward, and we're on line T3A towards Porte De Vincennes. And we're going 70 km/h.

There is actually a real-life Paris line T3A that does terminate at Porte De Vincennes (where you can change for the T3B), and I want to talk more about that, but before we can go there I need to talk about the rear of the train first. It has an open platform!

The rear platform

Don't worry about it being raised in the air here, that's just because the tram is currently falling down because the bridge is collapsing.

But don't worry, that is not a supervillain thing, the bridge just did that on its own, that's perfectly fine…

…right? The characters treat it like it's perfectly fine that this bridge just partially collapses without any supernatural interference, but, uhm, I have concerns. Questions even. Frankly I'm far more worried about that than about any supervillains. Alya and Nino later interview the mayor, and they completely ignore that a city bridge collapsed while a tram was going over it.

Sorry, I keep getting distracted. The rear of the tram has an open platform, which looks silly, is silly, is completely unrealistic, and I love it! See, while I am not aware of any trams like that, unless you count partially open ones like the San Francisco Cable Cars, but those are not quite the same.

However, there is a precedent for this platform, because Paris has a long history of city buses with such platforms. A good example is the Renault TN series

Picture from Wikimedia Commons, taken in 1950 by Sven Goliath, published by the Stockholm Transport Museum Commons

These were mostly a thing in the 1930s, but then got brought back in limited numbers in the 1960s after a Saviem SC10 had an accident that destroyed most of its rear, and RATP decided to be funny while rebuilding it. Later Saviem built these busses in series.

Picture from Wikimedia Commons, Tumblr won't let me link to the actual page there but it's on the Wikipedia article, taken by Sauvabus (bus historical association), published under CC-BY 4.0 international

All buses since then have put their engine at the rear, which has a lot of benefits, but also means it's right where this platform would go, so this has fallen out of fashion. Today you can only experience it when the one private transport museum near Paris has its monthly opening day, which is something I really need to visit one of these days. Here's a video showing the experience:

So there is precedent for this rear platform. Does it serve any purpose? Not really. Is it fun? Absolutely! And that's all it was on the Saviem SC10 as well, really. I love this platform. It's historic, it's quirky, it's fun, it's great.

The show definitely aims for a retro-futurist vibe now, seen e.g. in cars, like this modern take on the Citroën DS:

This modern take on this 60s and 70s legendary classic is what the modern DS brand should do, instead of their array of generic boring SUVs. Anyway, I'm not going to go too far into that, if I start talking about the cars in Miraculous Ladybug I'll never stop (yo is that a modern Peugeot 504? They literally modernised Aphrodite from Only Murders in the Building!). But I will say that this detail matches nicely.

The Infrastructure

Look at that station! Gorgeous! The designers of this show have created a tram stop in the style of the famous Guimard metro entrances, with their beautiful Art Nouveau design. That's amazing. I wish real tram stops in Paris look like that.

As for the tram stop itself, it's a low floor island platform with walkways to the sides, which matches modern standards for new tram stops worldwide. The track has gras planted on it, which is also common and popular, as it helps absorb noise, water, heat and pollution and it just looks nice. Yes, side platforms are more common, but this is still what a modern urban light rail network can and should look like. The only thing unrealistic about it is how pretty it is.

It should be noted that there's no overhead lines here, so the trains are powered by batteries, probably. That, or hydrogen, but a hydrogen tram would be a supremely bad idea, nobody would ever build something like that…

…except for Hyundai for some reason.

God that thing annoys me by its very existence. Hydrogen is expensive and will remain expensive for the next few decades, and this is what you're spending it on? A tram!? Trams should run with overhead wires. That's the good thing about a tram, you know where it's going to be, so you can put a wire there to give it power, and then you don't have to worry about batteries or hydrogen storage or whatever…

Sorry, I got distracted. Anyway, no overhead lines is realistic, and if they ever say, "it's a hydrogen tram" in future episodes, that'll be realistic too, even if it shouldn't be.

Instead let's look at this!

Closer…

Yeah! They finally fixed the metro map! The old one was an unholy mess of lines that didn't match anything (which I complained about before), but this one clearly has the Seine flowing through Paris as it should, with the island in the middle. The transport lines on it don't seem to match anything I can recognise, neither Metro nor RER, but let's just assume they are the new tram lines that happen to go this way.

Compared to the real thing

Real-life Paris abandoned trams in the 1930s already, being a negative trend-setter there. It didn't help that trams were limited to lower top speeds than buses were at the time. However, since the 1990s, trams have made a huge comeback in the Paris region.

(Aside: Note that I say the Paris region. There's only really one tram line in Paris itself (plus a few stops from the other ones). Where Berlin or London absorbed most of their suburbs at some point in the 20th century, Paris didn't, so the actual Paris part of the Paris region is surprisingly small. That's why Paris has both far fewer and way more inhabitants than e.g. Berlin, depending on what you count.)

Anyway, the tram lines in Paris mostly serve the suburbs, providing tangential connections from one suburb to the next so you don't have to take the metro or RER into the city centre, change at fucking Châtelet-Les Halles, and ride back out again. A unique feature of the the tram network is that each line is separate, with its own tracks and maintenance facilities, and at times very different technologies used. Most of the tram lines don't connect to other tram lines at all, each line is just out there doing its own thing. And since they're out in the suburbs, as a tourist you're unlikely to ever see one if you don't go looking for it.

The exception to that is the T3, divided into T3A and T3B, which runs in a 3/4 circle around Paris along the outer boulevards. The final quarter is where rich NIMBYs live, so it'll be a while until the circle gets closed, I fear.

This actual T3 is run with long bi-directional vehicles with no open platform anywhere in sight, and pleasant but considerably more boring stations. It does have green track (meaning with grass) in many places, though, and it has overhead wires.

In Paris, the trams are used as very long buses (with some overlap with really tiny metros) in underserved areas. Serving areas outside the city core is really the main thrust of Paris transit development at the moment, with a 200 km metro extension, the Grand Paris Express, being built exclusively to better connect the suburbs. This mega project is one of the coolest things happening in public transport anywhere in the world at the moment. The trams augment this.

I do actually think that some trams in Paris's city centre could make sense, to replace the busier bus routes. And there are definitely thoughts about that, but with all the money going towards doubling the size of the Metro, I don't think we'll see that very soon.

The verdict

I like that tram. I don't think it's what Paris would actually have, a longer articulated bidirectional model without a rear platform would make more sense, but I love the quirkiness of it. This season is off to a good start.

[weirdsht]

Hii 😞😞

I genuinely can't help myself but request for sweet stuff

Bc I'm lonely

Cale w reader who always wears pants and barely dolls themselves up, but then they decide to wear a dress one day and WOWZA

Something New - Cale/Reader

tags: fluff, a tiny bit of insecure! reader, jealous Cale if you squint, established relationship, reader's gender isn't specified but they are wearing a dress.

Pls don't repost my work anywhere without my permission

Requests are open and welcome

Navigation Masterlist

It happened on a whim, starting when you saw a lone dress in the closet while trying to spring clean.

You bought the dress impulsively a few months ago, finding it cute at the time. You swore to yourself that you’d find an occasion to wear it, but you never did. 

It’s not because the dress isn’t cute anymore. No, no, it still is, it’s so cute you had to take a few minutes to admire the glory of it after taking it out of the hanger. The design of the frame wasn’t the issue. Rather, it was just the simple fact that it was a dress. Something you don’t usually wear.

And so its elegance didn’t stop the dress from being stashed at the back of your closet.

Well until today that is.

Once you were done sorting your closet you abruptly decided to change into the dress. Wear something different for a change.

You can’t help but feel a tad bit insecure as you look in the mirror. The dress is pretty and it frames your body as though it was made specifically for you. The ruffles of the off-shoulder clings to your skin while its see-through puff sleeves showcase your arm underneath the fabric.

The skirt has three layers; two sheer fabrics at the top and an opaque layer underneath. It sways beautifully alongside the ribbon in the back whenever you twirl, the hem grazing your thighs as you giggle in front of the mirror.

It’s a beautiful dress and you look so good wearing it. However, it doesn’t take away the uncomfortable fact that it’s not something you would usually wear, doesn’t take away the smidge of insecurity you feel as you play with the cut-outs of the dress around your waist area.

Perhaps the dress can’t soothe your mind but Cale’s reaction definitely can.

“Can I hide here for a while? The kids have been bugging me to train and we both know I’d rather drown in lemonade than do that.”

Cale knocks on your door as he asks for solace. Taking pity on him, you opened the door to let him in. Your room is the safest place to get away from the kids’ antics, they actually respect your alone time and wouldn’t go in unless given a go signal.

The redhead stops in his tracks as he sees what you’re wearing. His actions make you gnaw your lips. Did it look bad? It is too unusual? Maybe you shouldn’t have tried it on.

You were about to speak up, ask him if you should change, when he beat you to it.

“Let’s sneak out and go on a date.”

“Is it– wait what? I thought you wanted to sleep today.”

You shot Cale an incredulous look. Just where did that come from? He has always had an impulsive side, no matter how rare it showed itself, but this was something that had never happened.

“Yes, but you look too good right now. It would be a shame to just stay here.”

“Excuse me? Wait! Cale!”

Before you can wrap your head around what your lover said he was already whisking you away with his ancient power. The two of you exited through the window and proceeded to go to town to have an impromptu date.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have gone hear…”

Cale grumbled under his breath a few minutes after roaming around town. The townfolks were kind enough to not bother their young master silver shield today after seeing that he was on a date. Despite that, Cale was still frowning and grumbling under his breath.

“What’s the matter, love?”

You inquired, concerned that perhaps his social battery had run out. Cale was never one to socialise much after all.

“It’s nothing… it’s just that everyone keeps looking at you.”

He frowned before activating his dominating aura. He just let it ooze a little, just enough for people to steer clear of the both of you.

Confused at what he meant, you tilted your head towards him, silently asking him to elaborate.

Finding your gesture cute, Cale kissed the top of your head surprising you once more. He was never one for public shows of affection, preferring to indulge you in his love in private.

“You just look too good okay? That dress looks too good on you and now everyone’s eyes are glued to you. It doesn’t help that this is the first time you wore one.”

He might have murmured something about going on a picnic in the forest instead but you didn’t quite catch it. 

Your mind reels at the accidental compliment. Well, Cale already said you looked beautiful earlier, but still, it didn’t feel real until now.

“You mean it?”

You hesitantly asked making Cale stop in his tracks just outside your favourite restaurant.

“Yes.”

He nonchalantly said before linking your arms with his and entering the establishment.

The two of you spent the entire day having fun. The news will definitely have a field day writing various articles of how Roan Kingdom’s it couple are seen enjoying the day as if they were the only people in the world.

You had so much fun that you almost forgot you left the villa without telling anyone.

Don’t worry though, Ron will make sure you remember and understand the heart attack you accidentally gave everyone.

[offsidetracked]

I've been thinking about how I'd go about byler in S5.

When I got hooked on byler it was the same way I got hooked on every other ship; it's heavily supported by subtext, regardless of if it's confirmed by the text later on or not. Sasunaru, reylo, bkdk... all are ships that have intricate and beautifully woven subtext that made us fans speculate for years. In some cases discourse is still ongoing. That's a hallmark of some great writing as far as I'm concerned (all of these ships crashed and burned in different ways but until they did the writing was truly stellar).

Stranger Things and byler are in the same league. I just believe that this time the outcome will be a lot more satisfying. So how do we get the GA to root for it when it happens? I'm not the Duffers but I know some things I would do to help it along:

Dial up the homophobia. When byler becomes canon there can be absolutely no question; the bad guys of this show are the bigoted close-minded homophobes. It must be explicitly shown how mindlessly cruel this specific type of hate is and that it's incompatible with viewing yourself as a hero or good guy. I'd continue to spin the thread from last season and have the town blame pretty much all that goes wrong in Hawkins on your resident nerds, outcasts and misfits. Mix that with the aids crisis and the Reagan administration and next season is gonna be brutal. But it needs to be to drive home that in Stranger Things, if you're a homophobic bully, you're the monster.

Make the subtext hornier. One of the things I adore about Rian Johnson and Masashi Kishimoto is how they do subtext, particularly sexual subtext. Funnily enough dudebros in both the Star Wars and Naruto fandom, just like a lot of Milevens, didn't pick up on any of it. The Last Jedi is filled with Freudian sexual imagery. From Rey falling onto a hairy seaweed-filled cave hole to Kylo's light sabre design, yoni-shapped doorways and their joint fight towards the end—all sexually loaded and masterfully tongue-in-cheek. Naruto had a much longer run and was consequently more parsed out with it's subtexual imagery. Still it's not hard to find if you know how to look (there are some really excellent accounts on here if you wanna dive into that rabbit hole). Stranger Things has the beautiful benefit of being a horror; a genre that excels at showing our suppressed desires in grotesque and weirdly relatable ways. Phallic monsters, fluids everywhere, exposed scratched up and damaged skin, tending to wounds in intense and intimate ways, grime and dirt, panting, moaning, grunting through pain... It's up to the Duffers how in the face they wanna be about it. But it would be a missed opportunity if they don't crank up this type of imagery at least a little. Also, I want to see Mike suffer. Let him sweat and have a nervous breakdown over allegory.

Show that repression = impotence + harm. Freud, no matter what you think of the guy, is all over horror. This quote from Men, Women and Chainsaws sums it up pretty neatly; "Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways". Well bitches, now is later and it's time for the subconscious to come out of the closet and ruin everyone's day. Will is gonna be stuck in the victim part of the Final Girl trope until he fully embraces his queerness by having his feelings reciprocated by Mike. Mike, on the other hand, will probably actively find himself and the people closest to him in dangerous and harmful situations as a direct consequence of all the shame, fear and desire he's bottled up. Until he too, embraces his queer self by confessing his feelings to Will. Poetic cinema. However the Duffers go about it, the lesson everyone watching S5 needs to leave with is that forced conformity is harmful to you and everyone around you, and that there is no greater horror than the horror we subject ourselves to when we deny and repress the truth of who we are.

Well there you have it, this is what I would do to promote byler, get the GA on board and tie together this wild, wonderful, nerve-wracking ride we've been on for the last ten years. Godspeed to all of you, however it goes.

[aventurineswife]

Howdy there! Can I request a suggestive fic with Kaveh where the reader tries their best to convince Kaveh to not pull an all nighter and exhaust himself out because of a big project he's been working on, so they take it upon themselves to try and convince him with sweet kisses and soft caresses! I just love the mental image of reader sitting on his lap and kissing him all over to convince him to go to bed so he can rest while they spoil him, because he absolutely deserves to be spoiled!!!!!.

Have a good day, and no pressure with making this <3

Tired Eyes, Tender Heart

Summary: Kaveh has been pushing himself too hard with a big project, ignoring his need for rest. His concerned partner tries to convince him to take a break, gently coaxing him with soft kisses and affectionate touches. Eventually, Kaveh surrenders to the warmth of your love and care, allowing himself a moment of relaxation and tenderness. In the end, it’s a night for Kaveh to receive the attention and rest he so desperately deserves.

Tags: Kaveh x Reader, Suggestive, Fluff, Soft Romance, Emotional Comfort, Slow Burn, Affection, Rest, Caregiving, Light Dom/Sub Dynamics

Warnings: Suggestive Content, Mild Innuendo, Emotional Vulnerability, Physical Affection.

It was late. The moonlight filtered through the half-open windows, casting long shadows across the room where Kaveh sat hunched over his desk, the light of his lantern flickering weakly against the sheer volume of blueprints sprawled across the surface. His fingers trembled slightly, not from lack of skill, but from the exhaustion that had taken over his body. Yet, the passion that fueled his soul refused to let him stop working. The lines on the parchment blurred, but his mind was alive with his grand designs. He had to finish this—he simply couldn’t stop.

But then, a soft voice broke through the storm of thoughts swirling in his head.

"You're going to burn yourself out, Kaveh."

You stood at the doorway, watching him for a moment before stepping inside. Your eyes softened at the sight of him—his hair disheveled, his sharp eyes weary yet still focused. You had seen him like this far too many times. He was always so driven by his ideals, always pushing himself too hard. The thought of him falling into a deep exhaustion, unable to recover, unsettled you.

"You know that this project won't go anywhere if you're too exhausted to finish it," you continued, your tone gentle but firm.

Kaveh let out a sigh, not bothering to look up from his work. "I know, but this... this needs to be perfect. Every detail matters."

You couldn’t help but smile at his dedication. His idealism was something that you admired deeply, but it also made him blind to his own needs. With a soft laugh, you crossed the room, kneeling beside him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"How about you take a break?" you suggested, your voice laced with sweetness. "Just for a little while. A moment to rest, so you can come back to this with a clearer mind."

He didn’t respond immediately, but the weight of your touch seemed to slow his hands. His eyes met yours for the first time in what felt like hours, and for a moment, you saw the weariness in them, the silent plea for someone to care enough to help him.

Before he could protest, you slipped onto his lap, straddling him gently. His breath hitched as you leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. His body stiffened in surprise, but you stayed close, your warmth against his. The kiss you gave him lingered longer than necessary, a silent invitation to let go of the tension that gripped him.

"Kaveh," you whispered, brushing a lock of hair from his forehead. "You’ve been working so hard. You deserve a little rest. Let me take care of you."

He hesitated, his hands flexing at his sides as though debating whether to push you away or hold you closer. But then, as you kissed him again—this time on his lips, slow and tender—he gave in, his body relaxing under your touch.

You didn’t stop there. Your kisses became a trail down his jaw, along his neck, sweet and soft, coaxing him into relaxation with every touch. His breath grew shallow, and his hands finally reached up to rest against your waist, pulling you even closer. But you didn’t let him pull away from your affection.

"You've worked so hard, Kaveh," you murmured against his skin, nipping lightly at his earlobe. "But you can’t do it all alone. Let me spoil you for once."

Kaveh’s mind was swirling, and though his body still ached to finish his project, it also longed for the tenderness you were offering. He leaned back in his chair, allowing you to guide him into a position of comfort. You kissed him again, this time deeper, more insistent, as if telling him, without words, that he deserved to rest, to feel loved, to be cherished.

When you finally pulled away, he was left breathless, his eyes half-lidded as he gazed at you with a mix of admiration and gratitude.

"You spoil me too much," he whispered, his voice hoarse.

You smiled softly, brushing your hand through his hair, smoothing out the tension there. "You deserve it, Kaveh. You deserve every bit of rest and affection. Now let me take care of you. Just for tonight."

He seemed to contemplate your words for a moment, his hand finding yours and squeezing it gently. Finally, with a sigh, he nodded, his voice barely a whisper.

"Alright. You win."

You couldn’t help but smile at his surrender, glad that he’d finally let go. As he relaxed into your embrace, you kissed him once more, this time a soft promise to care for him, to ensure that he never forgot how deserving he was of love and rest.

Together, you guided him away from his desk, towards the warmth of the bed, leaving the plans behind—if only for the night. Kaveh had given so much to the world, but tonight, it was his turn to receive, and you were more than happy to spoil him as he truly deserved.

[rivenharlow]

{{ Emergency Commissions }} + mutual aid request!

I'm trying desperately to get my bills paid. My husband had a bad mental health episode a month ago with suicidal intentions, and lost the job he'd JUST gotten. We've gotten behind on EVERYTHING. We just need help getting back up. He starts a new job on Monday, and I'm trying to get us by in the meantime!

Comm info beneath the cut, as well as donation links and other ways to help, like my adoptable pre-buy option (big discount on my adoptable character designs)!

You can see the breakdown of my bills' amounts a little more on my Ko-fi goal.

Please reblog! My electric gets shut off in TWO days and I'm 💲250 shy of being able to get it paid!

{{ TO COMMISSION ME }}

Five slots currently available at time of writing. Example images are above.

$150 with half due upfront + remainder due when comm is completed.

FYI: I will not likely have them done for 1-2 months, maybe 3. I will be doing them on-stream + post them on YouTube (unless you’d prefer not).

DM or send an ask to start the order process.

{{ TO DONATE }}

Anything is greatly appreciated! Obviously my electric and my water are the biggest concerns, but I'm terrified my car's about to be repossessed, too.

My mortgage is handled, thankfully. I just can't do it all.

PayPal Ko-fi (psst, you can get my free Clip Studio brush set and opt to pay for them, if you'd like!) Ven//mo + Cash//App are both RivenWren (or scannable QR codes below)

{{ ADOPTABLES }}

You can find full details plus plenty of example designs on that in this post here!

[rylem33]

A Good Person -- Ending #2: Reality Rewrite to a Bitchy Girlfriend

I asked you all for ideas on endings to my story "A Good Person" and you came through. Here's the the second one, requested by @shift-change. "Maggie's alterations becoming her new reality, with ripple effects flooding backwards, altering her memories, and Scott's memories too, so that they both remember her getting the nails, and the lip injections, having the bigger breasts, and blonde hair, and also remembering being the kind of person who would have wanted to be like this. It could affect her personality, making her more vain, more selfish, more materialistic, with a shorter fuse. Maybe even tailoring the particular personality changes to specifically fit her "bad" slip-ups from earlier in the story (e.g. road rage -> crass and vulgar; lying to boss -> dishonest and catty; judging the couple -> bitchy and judgy; skipping work -> lazy and entitled). It could also affect her and Scott's dynamic as well. She with her altered personality would be a very different wife (or even girlfriend if you want to make her not the kind of person to get too tied down), and Scott is put off by her changes, but too enraptured by her to leave. the Devil and she becomes a succubus." Here's a link to the original story in case you need it: https://www.tumblr.com/rylem33/773678228559872000/a-good-person?source=share

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Scott’s fists clenched, his voice trembling with desperation. “What do you mean, collect?”

The man tilted his head, his smile widening with faint amusement. “Oh, Scott. It’s quite simple. Maggie made her choices, and choices have consequences.”

Before Scott could respond, the air around Maggie shimmered. She gasped, her hands flying to her chest as a ripple of heat coursed through her body.

“No!” she cried out, stumbling backward. “What’s happening to me?”

The Devil chuckled, stepping closer. “Not just you, Maggie. The reality you’ve created with your actions is rewriting itself. A new you. A new life. Perfectly tailored to the person you’ve been this past week.”

The room trembled as invisible waves of energy radiated outward from Maggie, distorting the air like ripples in a pond. Scott staggered, clutching his head as his vision blurred. Memories crashed into his mind, layering over the life he thought he’d known.

When the sensation faded, Scott opened his eyes. Maggie stood before him, but she was completely different.

Her hair was a sleek, platinum blonde, cascading perfectly down her back, and he suddenly remembered her excitement the day she came home from the salon. Her smile had been wide, her eyes gleaming as she’d run her manicured fingers through her freshly dyed locks, tossing her head back with a confidence that felt foreign and magnetic all at once.

“Do you love it, babe?” she’d asked that day, posing dramatically in the mirror. “I have to look perfect if I’m going to turn heads.”

Scott stumbled back, his breath catching in his throat as more memories flooded in. He remembered Maggie’s complaints about her body, her obsession with achieving the “perfect” figure. He recalled the hours she’d spent researching surgeons, the arguments about the cost of breast implants, and the way she’d dismissed his concerns.

“This is about me, Scott,” she’d said sharply. “You just don’t get it. Women have to look good to get ahead. You’ll thank me when I look amazing in everything I wear.”

He could still hear her delighted laughter after the procedure, the way she’d flaunted her new curves in front of the mirror, running her hands over herself with pride. “I told you this would be worth it,” she’d said with a wink.

Scott’s heart pounded as he took in her crimson nails, long and glossy. Another memory hit him of Maggie dragging him to the nail salon every two weeks, insisting on the most expensive designs. “You don’t want me walking around with chipped nails, do you?” she’d said teasingly, holding up her hands for him to admire. “This is part of the whole package.”

His mind reeled as the ripples continued to rewrite their past. He remembered the lip fillers, the complaints about how her natural lips weren’t “voluminous enough.” The painful sessions she’d insisted on enduring to get them just right, and the endless stream of selfies she’d posted afterward.

He saw the countless shopping trips, the designer dresses, the sky-high heels, and her obsession with curating her appearance for maximum impact. Every memory painted a picture of a woman who was vain, self-absorbed, and relentlessly focused on her looks.And yet, despite all of it, he remembered telling himself he loved her. He had to love her.

“Maggie…” Scott whispered, his voice shaking as he took her in.

But she wasn’t paying attention. She was scrolling through her phone, her manicured crimson nails clicking against the screen as she smirked.

Another ripple hit, and Scott’s memories twisted again.

He no longer remembered Maggie as his loving, caring wife who worked tirelessly for their future. Now, she was the Maggie who always wanted to be the center of attention, the Maggie who pouted until she got her way, the Maggie who loved flaunting herself for the stares and admiration of others.

He remembered their arguments about money, not because they didn’t have enough, but because she demanded more for designer clothes and expensive nights out.

Maggie looked up from her phone, her lips curling into a smirk as she caught him staring.

“What?” she asked, her voice sharp, almost dismissive. “You’re acting weird, Scott.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms, her body language oozing entitlement.

Scott struggled to speak, his mind wrestling with the fragmented memories. “Maggie… you’re… different.”

She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Ugh, you’re always so boring. Honestly, Scott, why don’t you loosen up for once?” Her tone was dripping with condescension.

Another ripple hit, and Scott’s chest tightened as more memories shifted.

He saw her snapping at waiters when her food wasn’t perfect. He remembered her yelling at drivers on the road, flipping them off while laughing. He remembered her lying to her coworkers to avoid blame, brushing it off as “survival of the fittest.”

Now, all of those traits fit perfectly into the woman standing before him.

Scott’s head spun as he tried to reconcile the memories with the woman he loved. He stepped closer, reaching out to her. “Maggie, I don’t…”

She slapped his hand away with a laugh, her expression both playful and cruel. “Ugh, don’t be clingy,” she said, rolling her eyes again. “It’s such a turnoff.”

His heart broke at her words, but he couldn’t look away. She was stunning, but she wasn’t his Maggie anymore.

“You’re lucky, you know,” she said, picking up her purse and slinging it over her shoulder. “Most guys would kill to have someone like me on their arm.”

Scott’s jaw clenched. “Maggie, we’re supposed to be partners. We’re supposed to love each other.”

She laughed, loud and dismissive. “Love? That’s cute, God, you’re such a loser.”

Her words cut like a knife, but he couldn’t tear himself away. Another ripple hit, and Scott’s feelings shifted. His heartbreak mingled with a desperate need to please her, to keep her happy, no matter the cost.

Scott’s knees felt weak as he sat back on the couch, watching her adjust her dress in the mirror.

The Devil stood silently in the corner, watching the scene unfold with a satisfied grin.

“This is what she chose,” he said softly, his voice dripping with amusement. “And this… is what you’ll live with.”

Maggie turned back to Scott, pouting as she inspected her nails. “Well, are you going to get up and take me out, or are you just going to sit there?” she snapped, her tone impatient.

Scott blinked, his heart breaking all over again. “Maggie… where would you even want to go?”

She rolled her eyes. “Somewhere expensive, obviously.” She grabbed her phone, snapping a quick selfie before tossing her hair over her shoulder.

“Let’s go,” she said, striding toward the door without waiting for him.

Scott hesitated, glancing back at the Devil. “Why are you doing this to us?”

The Devil’s smile widened, his sharp teeth glinting. “A deal is a deal, Scott. She’s perfectly tailored to the choices she made. The real question is… what are you going to do about it?”

Scott’s turned back to Maggie. She stood by the door, scrolling through her phone with one hand while adjusting her purse with the other. She didn’t even look at him.

“Well?” she snapped, finally glancing over her shoulder. “Are you coming, or do I have to find someone else who knows how to treat me right?”

Her words were a dagger to his heart, but the thought of losing her terrified him even more.

“I’m coming,” he said quickly, his voice small and desperate.

She smirked, turning back to the door. “That’s what I thought.”

Scott followed her, his shoulders slumped. He hated what she had become, but he couldn’t bring himself to fight her. She was intoxicating, and his love for her, twisted as it was now, kept him tethered to her.

As they stepped outside, Maggie didn’t wait for him. She strode confidently toward the car, her heels clicking against the pavement, her head held high.

Scott hurried to catch up, reaching for the car door to open it for her.

She slid into the passenger seat without so much as a thank-you, immediately pulling out her phone again. “Drive me to that new rooftop bar downtown,” she said, her tone commanding. “And don’t embarrass me this time.”

Scott nodded silently, starting the car. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as he drove, her laughter and selfies filling the quiet between them.

The Devil’s words echoed in his mind. What are you going to do about it?

Scott glanced at her in the rearview mirror, she posed for another photo, oblivious to his feelings.

And yet, he couldn’t stop himself. He would do whatever she wanted, anything to stay by her side, even if she barely noticed him.

[moonselune]

hiiii can i request halsin with a tav/reader that has chronic migraines? 🫣 like how he helps alleviate pain/takes care of his partner, etc. thank you! i love your writing <3

yesssssssss i love halsin so much and as i am currently fighting this cold this was very comforting and self indulgent ahah

Halsin x reader | The Weight You Carry

The first time Halsin noticed your pain, it was subtle—so subtle, in fact, that no one else seemed to catch it. It was the way you’d stretch your neck when you thought no one was looking, or how your hand would absently rub at your temple during quiet moments. He noticed the stiffness in your gait after a long day and the tension that pulled your shoulders tight, though you masked it well with humor and determination.

At first, he respected your silence. Halsin understood that some battles were deeply personal. You were strong, capable, and resilient—qualities that had drawn him to you in the first place. But it wasn’t long before he started seeing patterns: the days where you grew uncharacteristically quiet, your energy waning, your laughter fading into strained smiles. And then came the night when the mask finally slipped.

The two of you were seated by the campfire, surrounded by your companions. Lae'zel and Karlach were sparring nearby, their boisterous laughter echoing in the cool evening air. Astarion was polishing his daggers, and Gale was lost in one of his tomes. You, however, sat unnaturally still, your hand pressed firmly to your forehead.

Halsin leaned toward you, his warm voice low so only you could hear. "My heart, are you well?"

You forced a smile, waving him off. "I’m fine. Just tired."

But then a low groan slipped out before you could stop it, and Halsin’s sharp gaze fixed on you, unwavering. He shifted closer, his large hand gently cupping your face, turning it so you had no choice but to meet his eyes.

"This is not mere fatigue," he said, his voice a mixture of concern and quiet authority. "You are in pain. How long has this been happening?"

You sighed, realizing there was no point in hiding it anymore—not from him.

"It’s nothing new," you admitted softly. "I’ve dealt with this my whole life. Chronic pain, migraines…some days are better than others."

His brow furrowed deeply, his concern etched into every line of his face. "Why have you never spoken of this? You should not have to bear such a burden alone."

"I’ve managed just fine," you said, your voice firmer than you intended. "I’ve been dealing with this for years. I’m used to it."

Halsin shook his head, his golden eyes filled with a quiet determination. "Being used to pain does not mean you should accept it without help. Allow me to ease your suffering where I can."

From that moment on, Halsin took it upon himself to be your healer, your comfort, and your fiercest advocate. He threw himself into the task with the same dedication he showed to protecting nature.

He delved deep into his knowledge of herbs and natural remedies, crafting salves and tinctures designed to ease your pain. He brewed teas with calming properties, their scents of lavender, chamomile, and valerian filling the camp. At night, when the migraines were at their worst, he would sit beside you, his large hands cradling your head as his thumbs gently massaged your temples. His warmth seemed to seep into you, grounding you as his deep voice murmured soothing words about the beauty of the natural world and the strength he saw in you.

When the pain became too much, and you couldn’t hold back your tears, Halsin never wavered. He would hold you close, his arms a fortress against the storm.

"Let it out, my love," he would say, his voice steady and calm. "You are safe with me."

It wasn’t just his remedies and his comfort, though. Halsin became something of a mother hen, watching you with a careful eye and stepping in before you could protest.

"You’ve been on your feet all day," he said one afternoon, nudging you toward a soft patch of grass. "Sit. Rest. I’ll handle the firewood."

"I’m fine, Halsin," you replied, though your legs were aching.

"You are strong," he said, his tone gentle but firm. "But even the strongest among us need to rest."

Another day, as the group stopped for a meal, he handed you a bowl of hearty stew, his expression leaving no room for argument.

"I’m not that hungry," you said, though the smell made your stomach growl.

"You need your strength," he insisted, sitting beside you to ensure you ate. "And after this, I’ll make you some tea to help with the tension in your shoulders."

You couldn’t help but laugh softly. "You know, Halsin, I’ve been dealing with this my whole life. I’ve withstood worse than this."

"I know," he said, his golden eyes meeting yours with a seriousness that made your heart ache. "And that is precisely why I cannot stand idly by. You may be strong—stronger than most—but you deserve care, just as much as anyone else."

That night, as you lay with your head in his lap, Halsin’s fingers combing through your hair in slow, soothing strokes, you felt lighter than you had in weeks. The pain was still there, a dull throb at the edge of your awareness, but his presence made it easier to bear.

"You’re too good to me," you murmured, your voice thick with gratitude and drowsiness.

"I simply give you what you deserve," he replied, his lips brushing against your temple in a soft kiss.

"You don’t have to worry so much," you said, looking up at him with a tired smile. "I’m tougher than I look."

"I know you are," he said, his voice warm with affection. "But you should not have to be tough all the time. Let me share the weight, my heart."

As sleep began to claim you, you thought of how lucky you were to have Halsin—a man who saw your pain not as a weakness but as a testament to your strength. And though he couldn’t take it away completely, his love made it bearable.

this was so wholesome oml, i hope you guys enjoyed it!!! - Seluney xox

If you want to support me in other ways | Help keep this moonmaiden caffeinated x

[secretagentsloveblogs]

a few angsty hcs, in no particular order. tw: mentions of suicide, addictions, and car accidents.

lovely was going to kill themselves the night they met vincent, but they were so floored and stunned by his... everything, that they just decided to listen to him and go home instead. he saved their life through pure coincidence and inconvenience alone (walking them back to their car to make sure they leave)(honestly this makes a lot of their decisions since make a LOT more sense. they have/had no regard for their own life for a MINUTE)

treasure is a recovering alcoholic, and being their group's designated driver has always felt like a blessing and a curse all at once. there's a reason they had water in their glass the night they met Porter.

angel was in a rough car accident prior to meeting david, and it left them disabled. they now use all sorts of mobility aids. their "recovery" has made the holidays a sore spot when they're around their human family.

doc is tired and doc smokes cigarettes. a lot. hush is concerned for their lungs. (doc was on a smoke break when they heard hush being attacked by a daemon)

cutie has privacy issues because of unresolved childhood trauma, ie no bedroom doors, they had to turn in their phone at night, etc. this is why they were... confused and didn't understand why geordi was so mad at them for invading his mind. (they really need/ed therapy but god i love them)(also i think they lived a very sheltered childhood, which is why they now work for the department. once they turned 18, they ran and learned as much about the world as they could and then found themselves working for dump).

baabe had been married prior to meeting asher. them and their former husband/wife/partner actually just finished finalizing the divorce a week or two before they met him in the elevator at work. at best it was 'amicable', at worse it was time consuming and frustrating. this made baabe worry about entering a new relationship so soon, but ash completely respected going at baabe's pace.

[ilikekidsshows]

We can see what kind of "friend" Marinette is from the way she treat Socqueline. In my country, we have a saying that said 'When the sweetness is gone, the pulp is thrown out'. It means when something is outgrow it usefulness, it will be thrown away. That's exactly how she streat Socqueline. The moment she got expelled from the school and can't be Marinette defender anymore, thats the moment she's no longer needed/important enough for her to remember.

(Even Cat Noir got this treatment despite of him not going anywhere)

People can't use the defend that 'Socqueline isn't go to Dupont that's why Marinette can't give her a Miraculous' or that 'she's a new character's because neither Kagami nor Luka go to Dupont' and Zoe is a new character just like her. Yet the designated dog miraculous is Sabrina, who's assisting in bullying her just some months ago.

Why, I wonder...

---

Yo, I’ve been planning to write a post about how Marinette's treatment of Socqueline is what made me realize that she will only be friends with someone she can benefit from. Might as well do it now.

Okay, so, the most damning thing when Socqueline gets introduced back into the story is what they say when they meet. Socqueline brings up starting highschool, something she did almost a year ago, as a new thing to Marinette and doesn't know she's completely defanged Chloé. They only talk about meaningless stuff, so you can't even argue that this conversation is important exposition for people who don't remember Socqueline. There's only one assumption to draw from this: Marinette hasn't contacted Socqueline since she got expelled protecting her.

The writers could have avoided this with a single line. They could have implied they’d seen each other off-screen, or that Marinette has been calling/texting/emailing her. Something like: “What have you been up to since last month?” “It's so great to see you in person!” “I really liked your last email!” “Sorry about keeping you up so late last time I called!” But no, Marinette can't be arsed to call, text or email her once only friend that her mom still has frequent contact with, let alone visit her. And why is that? Well, what is their conversation really about? “I was so worried about leaving you with that monster (aka Chloé).” Socqueline’s job was to protect Marinette from Chloé. When she could no longer do that, she was useless. The writers didn’t put in anything to avoid this interpretation because, as far as they are concerned, Marinette’s friends’ job is to benefit her.

Marinette is the kind of friend who’s only concerned with what you can do for her. Like, I already pointed this out before, but Marinette can’t be bothered to remember a pool trip with her friends and she will dip when they’re all supposed to plant trees together if something more interesting comes along. The only time she will hang out with the girl squad and not dip is when they’re helping her with her Love Quest. It’s sadly very consistent that Marinette didn't bother to contact Socqueline because she didn’t need anything from her. She didn't miss her enough to call, didn't wonder about her enough to ask her mom how she was doing, she seemingly didn't even bother to think about her. Socqueline was worried, Marinette mentions nothing of the sort. It’s Socqueline’s job to take care of the poor, miserable, defenseless wretch Marinette, while Marinette will just soak up all the care and give nothing back like an emotional support black hole.

This is also another thing that makes season one Marinette look questionable in hindsight. You're telling me her previous school year ended with her losing her protector against Chloé and dropping all contact, and the next one started with her instantly becoming bosom buddies with the new girl who defended her against Chloé. Hm.

[jaydenism]

been thinking about this bug a lot recently...

i want a big kanade arc pls pls pls 🙏 its her turn to go through the horrors ♡

slight TW below cut: implied SH depicted

i think that savior complex of hers is gonna send her crashing down. hard.

look. i see her as someone who would SH since she's shown to 1) not give a shit about her own well-being, 2) constantly push herself to save others, being very hard on herself if she isn't able to, and 3) bottle any of her own issues so she doesn't burden others any further, wanting to be her group's rock and the one to save everyone. this is my interpretation anyway, im a new kanade fan so i could be off idk.

continuing my ramble, if you care:

we haven't gotten any huge kanade focus events yet, or anything that really progresses her story or builds her character in a significant way, but im really looking forward to see what they have in store for her character arc. im hoping kana5 will stir the pot a bit and get the plot moving.

i feel like overall shes been really mysterious and strangely without much going on, and at first i thought she was a little boring even... but i think that's by design. she doesn't open up about herself much, and generally appears to be pretty put together, maybe aside from her poor self-care. she doesn't talk about many of her own problems, because she doesn't want to have the others worry for her, when her problems are "insignificant" compared to the others, as she says. i think the lack of progression in her story also fools the audience into believing she has her shit together. ena has had her fair share of struggles. mafuyu had her big arc, but shes also been trying to find herself since the beginning. mizuki just went through hell and finally fell apart after the long-lasting growing tension in her story. but kanade? she's been stagnant. unchanging. it makes it easy for her to be overlooked. but that's exactly what she wants-- to not weigh the others down, and to be their support. but she can't keep that up forever. so yes, i admit i wasn't super interested in her character before, but I've now realized that's because they've hardly even started her story yet. as one of my oomfs said, she was always going to be the last wall to fall.

when reading the story at first, kanade has a lot of warning signs you might glance over. ive only recently started to see them more, like just in passing comments here and there that are REALLY concerning and unhealthy. i mean the most obvious sign is that she barely gives herself time to eat or sleep of course, but the more you pay attention to the subtle things, the more apparent it becomes that she's got some serious shit she needs to unpack, or she may just end up crumpling under the weight of it all. i think her undoing has the potential to be huge. catastrophic even. i really wonder what the writers are planning for her, but all this waiting leads me to believe they could have something big planned. like okay, looking back to the card i drew from, the bloomfes kanade card, shes got some wild shit going on... there is nothing normal about that !!!

i also posted abt this on bluesky, but reiterating it here, i felt like her newest card for her mixed focus event kinda seemed like foreshadowing... specifically because of the niigo colored star charms. mizuki and ena's charms are together, facing each other (yippeeeee), but mafuyu's charm faces kanade's, who's charm is not facing hers. mizuenas charms also seem to glow in the light, while kanamafus dont reflect as much light. could just be coincidence, but i know they love hinting and foreshadowing with card details like this. and overall, kanade's expression is unreadable, like a still, empty doll. the card has a bit of a melancholic feel, to me at least. im not sure how soon the next niigo event will be, but it's gotta be a kanade focus, unless they pull a saki. i dont think its the biggest leap to suggest this could be some foreshadowing for the next event.

but anyway, i think kana5 will start building up the tension at least, maybe entering a kanade arc even. i need to see her snap pls pls pls pls pls

if you read all that,,, wow thanks, u get a star ☆ :)) also lemme know ur thoughts and if im off base about anything

(also i hope that depicting SH in this drawing isn't hurtful in any way. i refrained from drawing her closer to my hc for her, because i worried drawing her with scars also could be too much. i dont want anything to be taken the wrong way or to upset anyone, because i know it's a sensitive topic, especially to visualize. it's not something i take lightly either. i just believe it lines up with kanade's character, especially if things get worse for her going forward.)

[bibibbon]

I wouldn't say that jayce hates people from the undercity at all, but I also wouldn't deny him being discrimatory against them.

Jayce definitely has an underlying predijuice against people from the undercity that he is shown to kinda unlearn through season 1 (similar to caitlyn in season 1).

The show begins with him and caitlyn's speech talking about how jayce went down to the undercity, aka Benzo's, to get supplies, and he doesn't deny the fact that the undercity is dangerous rather he simply says that the risk is worth the gains. Now, if we look deeper into it, this could be him falling into the harmful stereotypes associated with the undercity.

I think what's also interesting is that at this current time there wasn't particularly high levels of conflict in the undercity since vander was still around and making a deal with grayson so the level of tension and conflict wasn't as bad as what it becomes at the end of season 1 and the people don't know about silco, yet there is that belief that the undercity is dangerous.

Now, jayce's and viktor's partnership heavily implies that a huge goal they had was to help the people, help the undercity, and make progress for piltover. You see it when jayce becomes a Councillor, and viktor stresses the urgency he has to get their plans up and running.

Helping the undercity and helping those in need is a pledge that THEY BOTH made. This is the literal text, and they both want to help people. I am pretty sure that jayce probably went through a very similar arc to caitlyn learning more about the undercity through viktor and essentially connecting to the undercity as a labourer in piltover.

You see it with the tools they make, the way they want hextech to be accessible to everyone. However, there are major critiques and flaws in their designs and ideas. Sure, in a perfect and flawless system, making the hexclaw for artisans and making the gloves for the miners in the fissures would realistically heavily benefit the undercity economically and socially as they're would be less strain on their bodies and therefore the equipment can guarantee an increase in productivity and less health issues appearing as the people get older. However, that's the problem, the system is flawed and we see both jayce and viktor try and work in a flawed system, trying to mend the system or add something good just for them to be swallowed by the corruption and become a huge factor into why its so bad in the first place.

When jayce becomes a Councillor, this is when we see a huge change in his views and how he starts to view the people of the undercity. The constant threats that silco poses put him on a constant high alert, and we see quickly how that starts to radically change his views concerning the people of the undercity and zaun. Again, you see this best with his interactions with mel and viktor on which, on separate occasions, he ends up making very questionable comments about the undercity.

Surprisingly, both of these happen in the same episode, and it essentially depicts jayce at his worst. These are probably the most direct and discriminatory comments that we have seen come from jayce about the undercity. The rising tension and threats that he is constantly seeing start to really blur and corrupt his previous beliefs as he starts to essentially alienate the people of the undercity and demonise them.

I think it's really interesting how the moment viktor does call him out on it, jayce seems to essentially recognise his mistake and immedit apologise. This kind of leads me to believe that a huge character flaw that jayce has is his struggle to see two things true at the same time. He is been surrounded by threats that he believes are because of people from the undercity so he starts to develop a very negative image and thought process about them but when he is confronted by his partner or vi or even renni's child he slowly starts to develop that dual view that he needs to see. Yes, people can be dangerous, but they can also be good. You see that your own partner and the people you claim to care for are also from the undercity.

Jayce's arc and his changing views of the people from the undercity heavily start to change to a much more nuanced view when he starts to go back to his roots as both a scientist and a labourer.

You see this mainly during his final speech in season 1 and when he chooses to broker a peace deal with silco. I think it's really important to point out that from that moment onwards, jayce always addresses the people of the undercity as a completely separate entity to the people of piltover. Again this is a great call back to him realising that he has failed those people and that he is not in any way shape or form able to truly govern them, to be their voice or their symbol. Jayce realises that he cannot represent the people of the undercity and essentially season 1 works on him realising that and season 2 was supposed to be him further learning and getting closer and becoming a symbol of progress for both cities, essentially setting them apart but starting to build healthy connections (jinx and jayce should of interacted. We should have seen two symbols of two cities interact, I am pissed)

Jayce acknowledges the undercity as independent the moment he interacts with silco, and he does describe viktor as a "zaunite," which is a heavily politically charged term in his statement and heavily contrast viktor whom describes zaun as just the "undercity".

His final speech really drives his season 1 character growth home and ends up paralleling viktor's own speech of "in the pursuit of great, we failed to do good." This is a full circle moment for jayce as he acknowledges and currently believes that this would be his last act as Councillor before he steps down as he literally says that his time in the council is limited (could also be a really interesting parallel to viktors time living being limited)

In the end, season 2 dropped his arc so bad it pisses me off. The fact that no one questioned what happened to the veto head of the council is astounding to me and that he didn't even get much time with other characters.

I don't know why people think Jayce hates zaun, he LITERALLY used to go to Benzo's all the time to buy shit for his illegal experiments. He said one shitty comment and everyone jumped him like PLEASE free my man it is not that deep

[solidwater05]

I'm watching a video about a nuclear reactor in Minecraft and I understand the nuclear part better than the redstone part. What the fuck is a monostable circuit.

[vaguely-concerned]

the strength it must have taken for illario to not immediately go full 'lmao since when have you even had a kiss hello lucanis' sibling violence mode during the café talk. inspirational. rook and lucanis really were doing all that right in front of his salad huh

[airocats]