#i'm bad at direct communication! but you deserve the world.

[vividlyaro]

i love my friend SO much. like. i adore her. i have a short conversation with this girl and suddenly i'm thrown back into being a middle school kid at summer camp, trailing behind her on a rocky sidewalk, eagerly absorbing the conversation.

does she know she's there in my happiest memory? with the summer breeze and the music, and the cluster of kids, laughing and dancing?

and maybe it's the nostalgia clouding my memory. homesick for a time that never existed, and all that.

but then i talk to her again. and i remember this is real. and she exists. and she is wonderful.

and we have changed, and we have grown, and maybe i will never dispel the ache in my chest that longs to be face to face with everyone i love.

but she has grown into someone amazing. the kind of person who makes me want to be something good. the kind of person who makes me feel like i already am something good.

and maybe we'll see each other soon. in the meantime, we have words.

[etz-ashashiyot]

You know how sometimes arguing a point is losing?

Like if you engage the argument at all you are inherently putting up for debate things that should never be up for debate and the argument itself is degrading?

You see this with interpersonal gaslighting:

A gaslighter doesn’t simply need to be right. They also need for you to believe that they are right. In stage one, you know that they’re being ridiculous, but you argue anyways. You argue for hours, without resolution. You argue over things that shouldn’t be up for debate  – your feelings, your opinions, your experience of the world. You argue because you need to be right, you need to be understood, or you need to get their approval. In stage one, you still believe yourself, but you also unwittingly put that belief up for debate. In stage two, you consider your gaslighter’s point of view first and try desperately to get them to see your point of view as well. You continue to engage because you’re afraid of what their perspective of you says about you. Winning the argument now has one objective :  proving that you’re still good, kind, and worthwhile. In stage three, when you’re hurt, you first ask, “What’s wrong with me?” You consider their point of view as normal. You start to lose your ability to make your own judgements. You become consumed with understanding them and seeing their perspective. You live with and obsess over every criticism, trying to solve it.

[Source]

But you also see this on a broader societal level, with people asking unfathomably awful questions about minority groups, such as:

[Source]

It should go without saying, but no group of people should be forced to explain that yes, they really are real people, dickheads. The question doesn't deserve an answer; it deserves at best a disgusted eyeroll + "Are you a Nazi?" and at worst a punch to the face.

There is also the related phenomenon of the "when did you stop beating your wife?" type questions. The question is framed as a yes or no question, but the real answer for the innocent is: "I've never beaten my wife and never would." But even that answer still dignifies the question with a real response and puts the idea in the mind of the listener that hey maybe that's a real possibility and this guy is lying because of course he wouldn't just admit that. Now I don't know what to believe, but I'm skeptical.

Even if he answers, doubt has been cast on his character and many people (maybe even most people) neither have the attention span to listen to his full counter argument and supporting evidence nor are invested enough in strangers' lives to take the time to dig for facts on their own. Critically, it comes from a good impulse that shouldn't be repressed or taken too far in the opposite direction; namely, that we want to believe survivors and make it socially acceptable to speak out about abuse.

This leaves us with the uncomfortable reality that balancing believing survivors and whistle-blowers against not automatically believing allegations that very well may be false and/or in bad faith is a very tricky balancing act indeed. Because of this, people tend to struggle with taking survivors seriously and with presuming innocence until guilt has actually been proven, both. And as for the latter, this is at least partially due to the same psychological factors underlying the Don't Think of an Elephant problem.

Why am I discussing this?

See the thing is that these types of discourse have all been used, heavily, against the Jewish community, especially since Oct 7th, but really going back hundreds of years.

If you want to be our ally, you need to be on guard for how people use this rhetoric to accuse Jews of absolutely batshit cookoo bananas allegations (like being lizard people or having horns, or secretly running the world, or killing Christian babies to use their blood in our matzah, etc. etc.) and get away with it. Now obviously if so many people weren't already racist towards Jews as a people and had a vested interest in maintaining their supercessionist cultural worldview from Christianity and Islam, it would be a lot harder for this to work. Alas, the past 2000 years has created a bit of a snowballing effect.

This culminates in the effect described so well by Sartre:

Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.

— Jean-Paul Sartre

Right now, Jews are facing extreme levels of these types of rhetorical abuse, and are receiving very little help in the way of pushback.

We have to stop trying to explain ourselves and start just naming these tactics instead.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Hi,

I am very much not american so I must admit that my first impulse when seeing all the rap/racism discourse was something like "do I really need to consume more american culture, it's fucking everywhere already". Idk but to me it feels like american/english-speaking culture absolutely dominates a lot of the world, sometimes at the cost of out own cultures and languages, if something is in English it is "good", if it is in own own languages it is "bad". Musicians often start singing in English and more american-like after a while to get bigger. We value American culture and music, they mock our accents (and languages sometimes) and best case scenario see us as funny and silly.

Then I started thinking. Do you think that americans kind of see rap kind of like foreign music still? Like low-brow unexotic foreign music.

I don't know this is a really fresh thought and I'm not sure if I am explaining it very well.

hey first off I just want to say -

you are entirely correct in your reaction that people outside of America/the English-speaking world do not need more American culture thrust upon them! this discussion is extremely centered on Americans, the reception and reaction to rap within America, and excuses that white American use to avoid interacting meaningfully with Black culture, art, and ideas. while anti-Blackness as an issue obviously extends far outside of America, this particular conversation is deeply tied to American culture. I appreciate you pointing that out!

I also think you're point about rap, and by extension other Black artforms, being Othered in American pop culture. certainly in terms of language, African American Vernacular English (AAVE), which is utilized by many rappers, is still heavily disputed in its validity as a "real" language, with many dismissing it as a bastardized version of "proper" English and associating it heavily with those who are lower-class and uneducated. in a similar way to many international artists having to work in English to gain wider recognition and validation, many Black Americans are proficient in "code switching," the practice of switching between AAVE that they likely grew up speaking and an English dialect that is considered more "professional."

similarly, I think your use of the term "low-brow" is very apt. Black music has always been met with distrust and disdain by white audiences. there's a reason that so many people feel the need to bring up sex, drugs, and violence when they talk about rap; to many white cultural gatekeepers that was all rap was. (and, like, we should very much talk about why that is in and of itself a bad thing, when white crime is so often glorified in pop culture. why is the Godfather a classic masterpiece but Black men making art about their own experiences with racism, violence, poverty, and survival don't deserve serious consideration?) and that didn't start with rap! in the early 20th century jazz, also a Black creation, was seen as dangerous for promoting promiscuity among nice white teens. no matter what Black people make, white cultural gatekeepers will find a way to start a moral panic about it.

the reverse also happens as well, with Black people being treated as foreigners even in music genres that they helped pioneer. Black Americans were hugely formative in the early days of country, but are met with hostility in the contemporary country scene. Lil Nas X's Old Town Road was one of the biggest songs of the year it was released and undeniably country but was largely snubbed by country music community, and Beyoncé's new country album, Cowboy Carter, is a direct response to her hostile reception at the Country Music Awards in 2016.

the point being, yes, I don't think it's off-base to say that, to many Americans, rap and Black music and art generally are like... very optional and avoidable parts of pop culture in the way that more white-dominated genres are not, similarly to a lot of international and especially non-English art.

[objection-u-a-bitch]

I seen you post about me hating.

I just like to say that I agree with it partialy.

Trans men are men, and disabeld men are men just like ableld bodied men (this includs trans men). But unlike cis, and ablebodid men, trans men and disabeld men are much more safer for women to be around. Trans men were treated like girls growing up, so they know what it's like, and we don't need to explain how we are viewed socialy. And we don't have to be sceard of disabeld men become they can't really hurt us the same way as able bodied men can. Like a man in a wheelcheir can't kill us with his own hands dou to phisical restriction he has.

And I still be sceard of Jewish, black, asian, ect, men because they are men. Like if I'm alone at night going home from work then I will be sceard of any men regardless of his religion, ethnicity (exept Russian, if you see a Russian no metter the genders they are defenetly up to no good), or race I will be sceard the same way.

And fat men are a mix bag. They are eather sweat guys who strougles with self esteem issues and deservs support, or a raging misogenist who hates on fat women.

I don't know what post I made that you think is about you. The post about needing to unlearn misandry to be an ally that is pinned to my account is directed at everyone in leftist circles, and not because of a singular post I saw anywhere. I made it over two months ago with regards to general frustrations I have with anti-masculinity in the queer community in particular, but also in other leftist circles. It's funny though that you saw that post and thought it was about you. I don't even know who you are. And you clearly aren't telling me, because you're on anon. I'm not going to spend the time telling you why all of your ask is horseshit. It just is. You treat minority groups like a monolith and use it to justify being scared and bigoted towards men of all kinds. You treat all trans and disabled men as nonthreatening, which is infantilising, while saying all Russians are dangerous, which is some McCarthyist Cold War red scare bullshit. You talk about fat men as if only the "good ones" deserve support. Men constitute approximately 50 percent of the world population. To hate, fear, dismiss, avoid, ignore, and insult them is incongruent with leftist ideas of making the world a better place for everyone. Men are as varied and complex as women. They can be as gentle or as aggressive as women can be. They can be as harmless or as dangerous as women can be. They can be as forward-thinking or as close-minded as women can be.

You can't treat men as a monolith, and you also can't divide men into neat little groups that you sort into "good" and "bad". Every person is an individual who can choose to do good or do bad. Some of the white able-bodied cishet men in my life are the most supportive and kind people I know, and I know some fucking vile disabled trans men who need to shut the fuck up.

Taking precautions for your safety at night is reasonable, just like putting your seatbelt on in the car is reasonable, just like putting a smoke and carbon monoxide detector on every floor of your house is reasonable. Treating all men like shit because a few of them could be bad is not.

[heathersdesk]

The FOMO of MyKayla Skinner

MyKayla Skinner is a former gymnast and silver medalist from Team USA. She is a Latter-day Saint. She is also getting every one of her holes handed to her—in some well-deserved schadenfreude—from her former team mates. Let's talk about it because it also involves a needed discussion about LDS racism.

MyKayla Skinner got the dog and pony show that LDS Olympic athletes often get in our community. At that point, she didn't just become a representative of Team USA. She became a global ambassador for our faith. Which is really unfortunate because she's bad at representing herself well, let alone other people. So let's learn together how not to repeat the mistakes of MyKayla Skinner in public. Let's be prepared to answer well for her behavior, since she has become an emissary for us on the global stage and is doing it badly.

It's unwise to criticize a team to which you no longer belong in any kind of official capacity. But if you must, avoid opening yourself to the entire US women's gymnastics team dog walking you in public for your feedback. Never say anything that Simone Biles could ever use against you in an Instagram caption.

Also, never call Gabby Douglas a monkey in any way, shape, or form. Not in word, not with Photoshop, and not via stupid little monkey emojis. In case you haven't been exposed to the lexicon of racism and slurs, that's a deeply offensive racial slur for black people. And I'm not giving Skinner the benefit of the doubt on this one. It is a knowable fact that NBC got themselves into hot water for the portrayal of a monkey doing gymnastics in an ad that also featured Gabby Douglas back in 2012. The condemnation of that portrayal as a racist slur is something MyKayla Skinner would know about. This isn't poor wording or ignorance on her part. Skinner knew it was racist when she did this to Gabby Douglas in 2016. She still did it anyway.

And as a Latter-day Saint, I condemn what Skinner has said and done to her team mates. She has every reason to know better and do better. I reject the notion that her proximity to the LDS Church and its past failures with race are an excuse for this. This is her failure and she should take responsibility for it. She owes sincerest apologies and restitution to those she has harmed with her words. That's what the Church teaches. That's what her religion teaches her duty and obligations are.

MyKayla Skinner is clearly a deeply competitive person. It has gotten to the point of irrational and self-destructive jealousy. She can barely contain how she feels about not being able to compete in Paris. She cannot bear to see anyone else succeeding in this moment if she can't. And for all of the apologies she's had to give over the years, she doesn't appear to be learning the right lessons.

When people talk about there still being racism in the Church, this is what they're talking about. This is what it looks like. It's what happens when individual members, of whom the Church is composed, engage in the moral licensing and hypocrisy to justify their own racism. The racism, not the envy, came first. The envy only illuminated the racism that was already there.

Team USA has world class athletes, gold medalists many times over, on their women's gymnastics team. Directing racism at any of them is wrong, no matter who does it—even when it's one of our own. Especially when it's one of our own.

[huaiian]

I'm going to write my feelings down below and basically just get everything off my chest:

Grief is such a weird thing nowadays. Because celebrities have passed and it had hurt. I remember hearing Cory Monteith had passed away and I was shocked.

But this feeling is something so different, it's actually jarring. One Direction became a boyband and started creating music together at a time where social media was just entering into people's lives and where young people could consume more content involving their favorite celebrities then ever before.

What's funny to me is that so many people now are almost desensitized to this type of stuff now when a celebrity passes away. However, this was different because I watched him grow along with me. He was only 5 years older than me, but it felt like we both were maturing and understanding the world at the same time.

And with this social media surgence, they also showed and talked and disclosed things about themselves that they probably wouldn't do now if given the chance to start over. The naivety of what the internet was and what it mean to make a vine, make a post on instagram or twitter, it was all so new. It felt like we got to see them clearly and with that, the communities and friends made along the way were unforgettable.

I've seen a lot of people, specifically on Twitter, say that we shouldn't grieve or mourn because we didn't know him and, in recent light, he was not someone deserving of such thoughts and prayers.

To me, however, I'm not grieving the man that he had become. I'm grieving that 17 year old boy who laughed with his chest and had this infectious laugh that always had me giggling at my screen.

I'm mourning the fact that these boys helped me through every single horrible time in my adolescence, yet no one was able to help them once they reached stardom.

I'm mourning the fact that the man will never be afforded the opportunity of redemption. Of moving forward and healing, offering applogies that, while long overdue, could still be given without an expiration date.

I mourn because I'm empathetic of what he meant to others, not just myself. I did not know him but that is not the only reason to mourn someone. I don't mourn a deer in a field, but when I see one laying in the road, struck by oncoming traffic, my heart breaks. You do not need reasonable explanations to mourn when grief does not afford us the luxury to think clearly.

I'm crying on and off, sometimes about Liam, sometimes about the boys and their reactions to the news, sometimes about the new meaning this tragedy brings to certain lyrics. But never feel bad about experiencing your emotions. Life allows us to think and feel things that can be complicated, but that's the price we pay to be in this world. And I think Liam would be thankful for that we get to be here one more day for which he can't.

Sorry if some parts of this don't make too much sense, it's 1:28 AM and I had to write something down or else I wouldn't be able to sleep.

[ggomos-maribat]

Soul-Stitching: The Heir and the Guardian

Masterlist

Chapter 3: to remember and forget | AO3

CW: Panic attack, mentions of childhood trauma, mentions of death

If Marinette can put it in simple words, the Justice League's prison doesn't look like a prison at all.  

The neatly-done bed, a queen size perhaps, leans against a large headboard. There's a desk positioned at one corner with a rolling chair tucked into it; at the center sits a sofa set on top of a comfy rug. In the other corner, a narrow door leads to the bathroom. The room is well lit, the palette is quite friendly, and the golden accents speak of lavishness. 

She barely caught onto what the Justice League discussed with the Parisian Government, but suddenly she found herself escorted into the Watchtower. Into space. If he had not already known where she was taken, Adrien would've freaked out.  

Speaking of Adrien, her biggest inconvenience is her lack of direct communication with the others. She trusts that her second-in-command will take care of things while she's gone but if they do get into non-guardian-permitted trips, it's not her problem if they incur more expenses.  

She looks down on the special handcuffs they put on her. Apparently, they are supposed to suppress powers, whether of the meta kind or the magical kind, but as soon as the metal hits her skin, she realizes that the cuffs don't do anything to her. Next, she stares up at the two heroes ordered to escort her. They stare back at her.  

“Um . . .” The shorter one breaks silence, rubbing the back of his head, “You're not actually a bad person, are you?”  

Marinette blinks. “What do you mean?”  

“Are you actually Hawkmoth?”  

“What difference does that make?” She asks. “If I say no, will you let me go?”  

“I—um, no we can't but why didn't you insist that you're innocent?” The masked man asks, “With the right evidence you could've won, but you weren't saying anything. How do you not care about being imprisoned?”  

“I'm not the only one falsely convicted because of the flawed justice system, you know,” says Marinette with practiced nonchalance. “The judge said I'm guilty, so I'm guilty. Nothing I can do about that.”  

“But this is a serious crime. Terrorizing Paris? Causing widespread trauma?” This time, the taller leather jacket-clad one interjects.  

“How is this any different from the situation of the ones wrongfully accused? Does that mean I deserve freedom and they don't?” She tips her head towards the room. “Ironic, how you're imprisoning me, a supposed ‘world threat’, in a luxurious room. If you ask the people in Paris, they'd probably tell you I deserve a death penalty, so this is actually a light punishment.”  

The two seem to have difficulty replying to her words, until the shorter one sighs and tells her, “Still, keep in mind that you still have a chance. The members of the JL are still half-and-half about what to do with you. Some of them want to keep you here under close watch while you're serving your sentence. The others are pretty convinced you didn't do anything—they're having a pretty heated debate right now.”  

“What do you guys think?”  

“I dunno, really. You're weird,” says the tall one.  

“Cool. I'll take that as a compliment.” 

“As a detective, I'm taught to consider every clue first before I act,” says the other. “For now, I still can't say for sure.” 

“Okay, that's reasonable.” She gives a flitting smile. “Thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt.”  

She can tell they're feeling awkward based on their expressions and stances. She holds out a cuffed hand. “I'm Marinette, by the way. Nice meeting you both.”  

Marinette nearly laughs at their astonishment. She's aware she's unexpectedly direct even though she's the criminal. The brightly-dressed man steps forward to shake her hand first. “I'm Superboy.”  

And the other tentatively follows: “Nightwing.”  

“Superboy. Nightwing.” She nods, finally stepping into the wide threshold of her room and activating the automatic barrier. “I like you both. Before you go, can I ask when I can eat?”  

The two share a look before Nightwing replies. “Your meals will be delivered at set times. There's some kind of chute over there.” 

“Thanks. See you around?”  

---

Marinette easily falls into a rhythmic routine inside her ‘prison cell’. Though the bed is beyond comfortable, and the meals are filling, she finds that she has nothing to quell her boredom. So instead of walking around aimlessly, she decides to make use of the space to exercise. The other heroes don't seem bothered by this; in fact, in the first two days, rarely anyone stopped by her room. Later on, she wonders if she can request a sketchbook or two.  

Finally, on the third day, she's taken out of her cell, bound into handcuffs again, and brought to what looks like an interrogation room. There is only one occupant—Superman—but the glass panel on one of the walls tells her otherwise.  

She looks up and down at the hero, who gives a polite smile and motions for her to sit. 

“I think you're already aware of the situation you're in?” Superman asks.  

Marinette nods. If unfair treatment and injustice is her current situation then, yes, she is very well aware of that.  

“I know there are things you cannot simply say in court.” His face is grim. “I was there the whole time. But you can tell me, and we'll see what we can do for you. It's safe here.”  

Her eyes stray towards the glass panel, wordlessly saying, ‘Is this what you call safe?’  

“Fine,” Superman sighs, “But can you at least elaborate on why you can't tell us. Is this a binding secret? Will you be harmed if you divulge anything or are there drastic consequences for it?”  

“I'd say a little bit of all three.”  

“Is there anything that will make you talk?”  

She shakes her head. “By keeping silent on the matter, I'm not lying, but I'm not giving the full truth either. I can't tell you because this is what I think is the best course of action to protect you and many other people.”  

“What do you mean?” he presses.  

“You know about what happened to Paris, yes?”  

“Hawkmoth and the akuma attacks . . .”  

“Let's say Ladybug and Chat Noir decided to globally broadcast the existence of miraculi, magical jewels that can grant anyone immense power. What do you think will happen?”  

“It will be chaos. Everyone would be fighting to get a miraculous for themselves.”  

“A perfect example of why knowledge is dangerous.”  

Superman looks like he's thinking it over; she can only predict that he's trying to guess what kind of knowledge she holds, and how far worse it is than the Paris situation.  

“Fine,” he relents, “Can you at least tell us about Hawkmoth's reign?”  

Marinette notes how he said Hawkmoth's reign, which leads her to inwardly ask if he's one of those who believes in her innocence.  

“Why?”  

“What?”  

“Why do I owe you my trauma?” She makes her tone calm but her words impactful. “I've set my expectations for the Justice League, and now I can say that you've gone below it.”  

“What are—”  

“What gives you the right to persecute someone from Paris when you neglected our city when it mattered?” Her eyes narrow slightly. “Much less ask that someone for intel you can't be bothered to find yourself?”  

It's already common knowledge for the Parisians: at one point, the young heroes had called on the JL for aid during Hawkmoth's time, but they were unanswered again and again. It’s just bemusing, how in the most urgent of times, they haven’t responded at all, but when a random girl is convicted of terrorism, suddenly they're all up in their feet.  

The silence in the room is deafening, and Marinette can tell the onlookers outside are speechless as well.  

Superman's voice is painted with deep regret. “I'm sorry. We’re trying to extend our help to the city, even if that doesn't make up for our mistake. We want to do that with you as well, but why do you want to be in prison?”  

Partly, it's because she owes Paris that much. The city never found out who Hawkmoth was, so their anguish was directed at the heroes instead for keeping them in the dark. Then a year later, they find a girl fitting into the profile of their villain. If she's the convenient scapegoat they choose to blame, then so be it.  

“I didn't go here on my own. You guys brought me here,” Marinette says pointedly.  

“That's not what I meant.”  

“You know I can't cooperate even if you try to convince me.” She looks at the window, even if she can only see her reflection. “I think it's best for you to spend your energy elsewhere.”  

---

“That sign is flickering,” Adrien comments with a mouthful of burger in his mouth.  

Eating double-decker burgers in a Batburger parking lot at nearly two in the morning certainly isn't their usual gig. But Adrien gathered from the reliable internet that the Batburgers are a must-try during a Gotham visit, so he decides to hunt for them. Kagami surreptitiously heard about his plans and wanted to tag along, as did Luka. Fei has to join to babysit them.  

“Here, Gami, flip it upside down. The bun will absorb the sauce,” Luka suggests to the girl beside him, who has been attempting to bite down on her burger for a minute already.  

“Seriously, we are being americanized,” quips Fei, who squeezes out some more ketchup on hers.  

“Aw come on, it's a celebration for Adrien,” Luka says, “He did a good job in his defense attorney debut.”  

The boy in question groans, pausing mid-bite to drop down his head on his free hand. “I did so badly! Even when I spent all night reading that textbook on French law and making my cute little badge. She was still proclaimed guilty!”  

“We all know Marinette doesn't mind.” Fei picked up her soda from beside her to let Adrien have a sip. “You could've, you know, told her you'll be representing her. To get the trial running more smoothly.”  

“I had it under control,” the blond insists, “It's just that they brought up the childhood issues card, which is a foul by the way, they basically breached her privacy. I'm still so mad about that!”  

“If I could give my critique, I'd say you should've done a worse number on Rossi,” says Kagami.  

“I couldn't. They would've kicked me out of that trial and disbarred me.”  

“Adrien, you're not a real lawyer in the first place,” Luka reminds him.  

“Whatever. That trial's done and we just have to think about what to do next.” Fei makes a face at the grease on her fingers and furiously rubs them into a napkin. “Marinette's aboard the Watchtower now, so we have to do our work down here—”  

“Marinette's in the Watchtower?!”  

“Yes, Adrien, the JL took her away, remember?”  

“Do you think if I turn myself in for fraud, the JL will take me there too?”  

“Adrien—”  

“What if I say my father's the supervillain, do you think they'll take me? That earns me criminal points, right?”  

Kagami delivers a light slap to his arm. “I thought we agreed that you would not joke about that.”  

Adrien lets out a huff of defeat, focusing back on his burger. Just then a noise sounds out from above them—looking up, he sees that a vigilante has landed on top of the restaurant, partially cloaked by the night. The figure offers a friendly wave, which Fei snorts at.  

“Did we do something?” Adrien whispers as he looks at his friends. “If this is about the camembert stash in our hotel room, I swear to kwamis, it's not me.”  

“What does the infamous Red Robin want with us?” Fei yells up at the stranger.  

“Oh good. You know me.” Red Robin drops down to a ledge, much closer so they can hear him.  

“This is about Marinette, isn't it?” Luka guesses out loud.  

The vigilante nods. “The Justice League is conducting its own investigation for her case. I was hoping to hear from you, since you four are her closest friends.”  

“What's there to hear from us?” Adrien asks. “I already gave my statements to the court.” 

“Before you ask us, we knew nothing about her involvement with the Butterfly miraculous before the whole thing blew up,” Fei supplies firmly.  

Red Robin taps his fingers on his leg. Adrien wishes he can see him better, because he's pretty sure the Gothamite is buzzing with eagerness. Entertainment. “This isn't a formal interrogation so I call your bullshit. You're obviously lying.”  

“Even if we are, you don't have the evidence for that claim.” Adrien licks the sauce that has gathered on his thumb. “The police already asked us. They got nothing from us.”  

“But aren't you concerned that your friend just got thrown into jail?”  

Ah. All the while, they've been munching on fast food in a deserted parking lot. Adrien can tell there's something wrong with that picture. 

Kagami smiles wryly. “Marinette assured us she'll be fine before she was arrested. Unless the Justice League has turned inhumane and is currently torturing her?”  

“No—no, of course not! A handful of the heroes want to prove her innocence, in fact. Don't you want to help out?”  

“Even if we do want to fight for her freedom,” Fei replies, “Are you insinuating that we try to break her out of space prison?”  

And Luka adds, “Marinette's very stubborn if you haven't seen yourself already. We can't help her if she doesn't want to be helped.” 

“Any idea why she's like that?”  

The four of them simultaneously shrug.  

“So your lips are sealed like hers. Got it.” Red Robin sighs. “Why are you in Gotham?”  

“Oh? Did tourists need clearance from the Bats before vacationing in Gotham?” Adrien quips, raising an eyebrow.  

“No, I thought you'll be in Paris. Imagine my surprise tracking you down here.”  

Fei crosses her arms. “Marinette's trial opened up fresh wounds in that city. Of course anyone would want to escape for a short while.”  

“You're not from Paris.”  

“I was close enough to Marinette to understand what it was like. I'm from Shanghai, which Hawkmoth also targeted once, in case you haven't done your research.”  

“You're having a getaway in Gotham, though. Why in Gotham?”  

“Why does that matter?” Adrien rakes a hand through his hair. “If you're concerned about our safety here, don't be. We have experience beating up akumas while half-awake.”  

“Actually we wanted to see what's so great about Gotham that Batman chose to neglect Paris all this time,” says Kagami casually.  

That seems to have struck a nerve. “We didn't know—!”  

“You ignored a city crying for help,” Fei says, “Sorry birdy, but this is a touchy subject if you ask all Parisians. They may have given Marinette to the JL, but everyone still holds a grudge. It's not just us.”  

Later on, they finally chase off the talkative bird, but Adrien has grown quiet. While the burger did lift his mood a little, Red Robin's appearance has soured it again. He angrily sips on the last of Fei's drink (which he promises to replace at another time), leaning against one hand on the pavement.  

“The nerve of them,” he mutters. “Now I don't want to stay in Gotham anymore. Let's go back to base.”  

---

Damian's heart is practically leaping out of his chest. The incidents in Paris and the convicted girl are all the talk in the Wayne manor. At first, he had no mind of looking into it himself until he saw a picture of her.  

Before he knows it, he's suited up, headed towards the Zeta tubes and the Watchtower, breathless but persistent. He knows that face from his dreams. He has memorized that girl in his memories. If there is a chance she's alive after all, he doesn't care how; he just needs to confirm it with his own eyes.  

Finally he's there and he sees her sitting on the foot of the bed. Her blue eyes widen when they meet his, and she presses herself against the wall when he subconsciously opens up the barrier himself. That's when it dawns on Damian that it is her, it's Marie in the flesh, the girl he killed when he was a child. Overwhelmed with the tightness in his chest, he drops on the ground, trembling. 

“Hey, are you okay? What's going on?”  

He feels her presence nearby but her voice seems warped, like he's hearing her underwater. He tries to blink his eyes back into focus, only to be met with a hazy double vision. Hot tears run down the sides of his face; he doesn't notice the hands holding onto his arms.  

“You—you . . .I don't—” he chokes out.  

The voice is closer now. “Stay with me, okay? You're going to be okay. Come on, deep breaths.”  

Damian cannot even control himself, which is such a foreign feeling. His body is wracked with sobs as he holds onto her tightly in the fear she'll disappear before him again. He can't form coherent words, nor stop the shaky cries from his throat. It's as if all the grief he's bottled up in his childhood is coming out all at once.  

She slowly shushes him. “It's okay. I'm going to touch your back now, is that okay?”  

He nods against her shoulder, hearing his heartbeat become less erratic. A small hand presses against his suit and rubs circles on it. He starts to savor the warmth— 

“What are you doing?!”  

He's suddenly separated from that warmth, but he can't register what's happening. He can hear loud yelling and footsteps rushing, and from the corner of his eye, he catches the movement of his father's cape. Damian whimpers, clutching his head.  

“I don't know! He suddenly came in and—”  

I needed to see her! 

“You used magic on him!”  

No, she didn’t harm me. I need to talk to her! 

“No, I did not, he's having a panic attack—”  

Stop, please—the words seem to dissolve on his lips.

“Stay away from my son!”  Damian doesn't know how or when, but he's being carried away from the warmth, from her. His body struggles to break free, but he's forcefully held down. The tears come again, unstoppable as his whole body shakes. 

←Previous Chapter | Next Chapter →

Fun Fact! The idea of Adrien being Marinette's defense lawyer came from a joke between him and Kagami. If you ask Luka, he'll say he had no part in it. They carefully kept the secret from Fei and Marinette until the day of the trial . . . for obvious reasons Taglist: @noisydreamlandkoala

[brokendoor16]

Okay, so this is a vent post more than anything, but this has been on my mind an awful lot recently and I really just wanted to say it somewhere.

Something I've noticed recently, not-recently, in my experience and presumably other people's (anyone? Does anyone else feel this?) is how inherently fucking TERRIFYING being queer actually is. Like, I might not have experienced violent homophobia of any description, and sometimes I'll catch myself thinking 'it's really not that bad, people are getting better' until I actually think about it. There's the constant fear of telling people, or letting something slip. There's the girl who treat you like some sort of fucking pervert when you've got to share a changing room. There's the straight-girl crush who 'isn't homophobic' but told half the school you stalked her because you made the mistake of admitting something. There's that horrible sense of discomfort when you talk about your own rights, like a timer running down in your head until you've said too much and you get 'too political' or start 'shoving it down people's throats'. The little voice in the back of your head telling you there's something wrong with you, you're just faking for attention. The jokes you overhear that make you fear for your safety. The slurs, not even directed at you, that make you flinch. The people who think they can ask you 'masc or femme?' then when asked to explain change it to 'top or bottom?' like the moment you admit queerness you lose all rights to privacy in your own sexuality. There's the things that aren't about you, but cut just as deep; the doomscrolling on the news about people killing in the name of their God. The laws that might not affect you, but affect your friends, family, partners (check out my pinned post for more info on that one).

There's the fear, the constant itching at the back of your mind of 'what's next?' 'am I safe?' 'how can I fix this?'

And people still standing there saying it's better than it was, you're being dramatic. Let me assure you, anyone who's reading this and feeling the same way, you aren't alone. It probably feels it at times, but there is a whole community, past, present and future, fighting alongside you for your inalienable right to be yourself.

I love you all, and you deserve the world. I'll probably delete this later though. I'm just tired.

[finley-theal1en]

i don't know what compelled me to do this but here's a list of how mcsm incorporated and expanded on elements from the game and mc community!!!

along with aspects of how mcsm was written that i really like!!!!

allot of the following will be taken either from things i noticed in the game itself and things the head writer @/stirpicus's blog from like. years ago

so first of all, i love the direction they went with in mcsm. for the time it was made, you'd think they'd make something relating to Alex and Steve and even herobrine, or even the popular overworld vs nether trope that was around, BUT NO!! they introduce a new set of characters in an original setting with its own story

and having the ender dragon already be beaten and a finished arc is a breath of fresh air in my opinion

so instead they took the second(?) strongest boss, mixed it with the command block which they made stronger/more powerful than it already is and made the wither crazier than before, thats just fucking cool

the (old) order of the stone are awesome too, they took different types of mc players and made them into a group of heroes!!!! and it isnt the usual group from nowadays, like sure a warrior and an alchemist are typical but they threw in a builder, an alchemist, and griefer!!! thats fucking awesome!!!! and ivor as the alchemist isnt even the biggest fighter (because he's fucking old) which i love, they use his other characteristics as an advantage. before the ninja arc obviously

AND THE ORDER'S TEMPLE AND THE TRACKING MAAAPP!!! i love how they used and expanded on that feature

SAME WITH THE RAILWAY SYSTEM!!! TO TRAVEL LONG DISTANCES IN THE NETHER!! i wish we got more of that x(

now this might be biased cause i don't like ep2 thaaatt muchhh, though it deserved so much more when it comes to redstonia and boomtown, tho the concepts alone are really creative

only thing i can point out from ep3 is the grinder from soren's fortress, and how its just the actual mechanism to get loot and xp in game but on a larger scale. and the fact that the amulet doesnt work in the nether/end like any other tool of that sort!! small details!!!!

and this is just my opinion but soren's studies on the enderman feel like a jab at those enderman related theories from years ago xd

the far lands. i just really love that they added the farlands in ep4 was it?? and i love how they utilized the aspect of enchanting weapons, which they kept it as epic as in ep4 x(

the portal arc.. I LOVE THE PORTAL ARC. SO MUCH. it uses allot of aspects outside of mc survival like mini games and the community itself!!

like. episode 5 is literally just sky block, obviously. and it's got spawn eggs, which without the world build in the network would've been hard to implement BUT THEY STILL MANAGED TO ADD IT IN!!!

ep6 is murder mystery with some iconic mcyt. literally what more do you want!!!

ep7, pama's inspired by players who make redstone computers in the game like said here!!! thats so fucking cool!!!!

EP8 COULD'VE AND SHOULD'VE HAD SO MUCH MOREEE!!! and its inspiration is obvious too; the different mini games in mc and respawning!! i love that they added respawning in at least one episode

like the way they took elements from and outside of mc survival is so creative, especially with how they were implemented (even if sometimes they weren't accurate) and all the world build!!!!

season 2's more focused on the idea and limits of creative mode or the idea of a "god" in mc, and definitely has its fair share of world build, which is still really cool

i actually like how they went about revealing the admins and their connection to the overworld without it messing up the lore in s1 or having it come out of nowhere in a bad way!! like old OLD myth turned real trope worked out well here

also it felt like the sea temple scene was foreshadowing the aquatic update that was to come in mc at the time!!

and one thing about the sea temple, when the origins of the world and the admin were being explained, i'm pretty sure they mention how "the world was flat until the admin gave it hills and trees" and stuff, referencing both super-flat worlds and foreshadowing the bedrocking event!!!

and idk how many people actually know this but the structure block is an actual thing in mc?? i did NOT know about that till recently it's embarrassing

might just be me but i like to think that the original mobs romeo makes are also a subtle reference at mods and how people can mess around with that kinda stufff.... idk tho

from this point on i can't think of anything else in s2 that i could put in this ramble, but overall, mcsm writers and develops were fucking geniuses and i love how they put everything together ^_^ ty for any1 who read this far, and feel free to leave your own insights!!!!!

[akuma-tenshi]

so this is a big, long rant about sexism in the idv community bc it's been on my mind lately and i need to put it out there. this is what i've observed after almost four years in the fandom and been stewing on for a long-ass time. if you don't feel like reading an essay on how annoyed some random enby on the internet is, then don't click the read more and just keep scrolling. don't interact with this post if all you're gonna do is get mad; i'm not here to piss anyone off, just make observations. and if this isn't your experience, good for you and please direct me to whatever circles you run in because i need to be there.

so, i've noticed that the idv fandom is extremely shit when it comes to how they treat female characters, and nobody really.. talks about it?? the only person i've ever seen actually discuss it used it as a way to drum up sympathy for ada. which, if you know me, you know really fucking pisses me off. because there are SO MANY OTHER EXAMPLES of sexism in this community, but no, clearly because we have sympathy for a male victim of abuse we're being sexist towards his abuser.

the thing is. there is so much to point to when you talk about how the fandom is sexist. it's very common to see female characters boiled down to just a couple traits. mary?? hot mommy step on me. michiko?? soft and gentle and demure (don't think i won't notice the weird shit about how that's a very common stereotype of asian women btw i see it). demi?? hot and drinks a lot. emma and lily are "uwu mentally ill babies". annie is soft. emily is either an irredeemable monster or a bitch, depending on who you're talking to. patricia is scary and mean. sangria's a girlboss, grace is soft and gentle, martha is spunky. and if you ask anyone their thoughts / ideas on these characters beyond those short descriptors you get nothing. i'm starting to fucking hate the word "girlboss" because it's all anyone says in response to like half these characters.

male characters are given alllllll the nuance in the world you can't talk to an aesop fan without them going into their endless headcanons / theories on why he's the way he is or how he's not actually that bad of a person or how cute he is or whatever. look at norton, or eli, or orpheus, or luca, or edgar, or joseph, or ithaqua, or any characters in that vein, and look at how the fandom treats them. look at the endless fanfictions and character studies and ships and x readers and headcanons. and then look at what female characters get. nowhere near that much.

i feel like margaretha and emily are the ones who suffer the most from this male-centric view by the fandom. they're characters who are inherently intricate, whose actions can't be explained away as entirely good or entirely bad. but that doesn't stop people from actively trying. they're going to act like margaretha wasn't being horrifically mistreated by her husband and just decided to burn down the circus for funsies or whatever. they're going to act like emily isn't trying so fucking hard to help emma and repent for what she's done. neither of them are meant to be read as black-and-white, but people will try because if they have to use more than two braincells on a female character they're going to implode.

meanwhile you get paragraph after paragraph about the intricacies of the argument between luca and alva. you get so many people analysing the relationship between norton and orpheus and how they're both kinda dicks but also both kinda have points. you get endless people defending joseph's actions bc his brother's dead and he's terrified of growing old / forgetting the people he loved / dying. you get so many fucking stories about how y'know, edgar's not that bad actually.

AND I'M NOT AGAINST ANALYSING THESE CHARACTERS!!! idv, especially in recent years, has been doing some great things with character writing. like, fuck 'em, they've got their issues, but they're still really good with some stuff and deserve credit. but don't act like it's not obvious how so many people have overlooked women (and poc, don't think i've noticed people ignoring the intricacies behind william and ganji as characters as well in favour of "himbo" and "bastard who cares", but i'm white so that's not exactly my place to talk) in favour of their favourite skinny whiteboy of the week.

they're that way with older-looking characters, too. if an idv guy has facial hair, you bet your ass he's also getting boiled down to his base traits. jose's an alcoholic, kevin is self-sacrificing and likes women, kurt is a little guy, kreacher is Awful, charles basically doesn't fucking exist anymore. but again not the focus of the talk atm.

it's just. so upsetting. esp. since most of my favourite idv characters are women but everyone i talk to about them is like "oh yeah demi's hot" or "aww annie's such a nervous little baby" or "god patricia's such a cool girlboss". and even when the shit they say is positive in a vacuum it still makes me so upset bc THAT'S NOT ALL THEY ARE!! demi is kind and loving and hardworking in the face of a world that only ever hurt her. annie's life has been an endless stream of pain and heartbreak and the only thing she really wants is freedom. patricia is literally cursed and is trying to find her place in the world.

also. i fucking hate ada but she falls victim to this too. as much as i despise the "you dislike her just bc you're sexist" thing and as horribly uncomfortable as she makes me, don't act like you haven't seen how her entire character is boiled down to how much she "loves" this man. don't act like you haven't seen how her entire character, all of her promise and potential, is forgotten in favour of that fucking trainwreck of a relationship. i bet half the fandom can't tell me anything about her other than her relationship with emil. emil suffers from this too, with his backstory and personality and life of abuse becoming an afterthought, but again, not what we're focusing on.

this is not an isolated thing or confined solely to the idv fandom. this happens in fandoms everywhere. but because idv is so close to my heart i feel like i really need to talk about it. there's so little content of female characters when there's fucking daily content of male ones. and don't get me wrong, i do like male characters. norton is literally one of my favourite fictional characters and i love talking about / analysing him. but i can guarantee a lot of people wouldn't be so interested in him if he was a woman.

sorry, just needed to get that off my chest. mandatory "this doesn't apply to everyone in the fandom" and "if this doesn't apply to you then i'm not fucking talking about you". we were so against the ashley wood collaboration bc of how much he sexualised michiko (and women in general) but like. do y'all really care that much?? bc i really don't think you do.

[sheenashifts1217]

hello! ^-^ i just saw your post about shufflemancy, and if you're still taking requests, i would love to get a message from dean winchester (he/him) from my supernatural dr.

my name is ange or angelica (she/her). i don't really have any specific questions. anything that comes through i will be happy with!

tysm for doing this for the community!! getting a reading helps so much with motivation it's crazy 🫶 and i personally LOVE shufflemancy because music means so much to me. if you decide to do this, please take your time, i'm in no rush. take care!! 🫂💕

Hello, pretty!! You’re so kind. I love doing shufflemancy and learning more about it. I love it so much because music means a lot to me as well. Im also really excited to do this reading because I love supernatural!

What Dean wants to say to you:

First song:

Lyrics standing out:

“I’m so glad you made time to see me

Your guard is up

I left them there to die

This is me swallowing my pride

I’m sorry

Nothing but missing you

Wishing I realized

All the time

I haven’t been sleeping

Your birthday passed

Watch you laughing from the passenger side (I literally saw you laughing in his impala while y’all ride with the windows down. Sam sitting in the back seat pouting)

Gave me all your love (he feels that you’re the best thing that has and will ever happen to him. Awww)

Freedom

Change my own mind

Your sweet smile

So good to me

So right

You saw me cry

I swear I’d love you right

I’d go back in time and change it, but I can’t”

Oh girl, the love this man feels for you is DEEP. I’m picking up on a slow burn between you guys in the past. He hates that his guard was up so high when you guys first met or maybe started getting close and he pushed you away at first. He hates that he did that and he’s so sorry. But, you stayed anyway, even when he did push you away and he’s very grateful for that. He’s almost jealous of you because of how kind hearted and patient you are with him. It pisses him off lmao. He wants to be more like you. He says, “you make me better”. He worries he will ruin you or take away your “Pureness”, but he will never leave you. He doesn’t like that you put yourself in danger for him. He feels like he doesn’t deserve it. He wants you to hold him at night. He has a soft spot for you, but he said “you already know that”. Ever since that day you saw him at his most vulnerable and showed him that it’s okay to be vulnerable and you accept him, he’s felt like he owes you the world. He loves you so much and wants to keep you pure.

Second song:

Lyrics standing out:

“Feeling destructive

Let me break it down

Build it up

Let me be honest

Wanted to protect you

We ain’t that different (he sees himself in you, the part of him that he thought he lost)

Don’t you walk away from me

See the mansions

Falling for weakness

I know you love when I sing

Pray I get through”

Idk why, but I kept seeing that scene of him as a kid at Christmas time. He’s a self destructive person due to the trauma he’s been through. He doesn’t want to put that onto you, but he knows you’re willing to listen. He needs your reassurance. He’s afraid of saying too much and scaring you away. He sees himself in you, the part he locked away because he thought it made him weak. You amaze him because you’re like that part of him but you’re so strong. You make him feel like a kid again. He wants to sheild you from the world and wants you to always come to him and open up. He also LOVES your car rides together and when you tell him he’s a bad singer. He really loves your smile and always wants to be the reason for it. He also really wants to dance with you.

Overall, Dean put up a lot of walls in his past and didn’t know what to do when you broke them down. Im hearing “Heart attack”, by One Direction, playing in my head. That may mean something to you. He’s so happy you tore those walls down. Now he needs you to guide him without him. Like a horse getting used to not having to wear blinders anymore. Like he has so much freedom now, he doesn’t know how to use it. He wants to be able to guide you in the same way. He would give you the world. He loves how you two are playful with each other and have a very “puppy love” relationship.

Happy shifting, my love. I hope this resonates and please give feedback :) 🫶💗

Edit: also, I’m not sure if he is your s/o or not. I picked up on either him being your s/o, but I also kind of felt like a best friend kind of energy. Could be a best friends to lovers? Either way, he loves you deeply and wants you to know that. Whether it be platonically or romantically

[iamnmbr3]

How do you think drarry’s dynamic would be if Draco came into a creature inheritance such as a veela or werewolf?

So I enjoy veela!draco for the crack potential but personally I'm not as into it in a serious manner (though now that I said that I'll probably find a super serious veela!draco fic and end up staying up till 3 am reading it and then crying at the ending and then have to totally eat my words). I love the idea of werewolf!draco though and am actually working on an 8th year drarry fic where post book 7 Manor sequence Voldemort let Greyback bite Draco and Draco's hiding his status due to 1) shame and 2) between his last name and his Dark Mark he's already shunned and pretty much unemployable and this would only make it worse and 3) now that he didn't report it when he was supposed to he's committed a crime which could violate the terms of his parole. (And of course Harry immediately notices he's acting off and decides to investigate. Eventually drarry happens).

I really like the idea of Draco, who has all these internalized blood purest ideas suddenly having to deal with something that, according to that world view, gives him "corrupted" blood. While I think postwar he would have realized a lot of the bigotry he grew up with is wrong, those internalized ideas wouldn't go away overnight. And especially in the case of becoming a werewolf himself, the self hatred that he was already dealing with due to his alignment with Voldemort would get magnified, so since those bigoted ideas would be directed at himself he probably wouldn't feel the same need to question or reconsider them the way he would ideas about communities he's not a part of.

PLUS, Draco's exposure to werewolves included having Greyback and his pack hanging around his house. So I think he would feel even more negatively about werewolves than he did in his younger years and believe that everything he had ever been told about them being vicious and violent monsters had been proven totally true. I think he'd be terrified of becoming like that and also kind of feel he deserves it.

Harry, who spent a lot of time around Lupin obviously has a very different view of werewolves so I think once Harry found out about Draco's condition there'd be a lot of push and pull. I think Harry would probably be frustrated and maybe a bit surprised at first that becoming a werewolf actually didn't make Draco realize that werewolves are just regular people. I think there'd be a lot of back and forth with Draco struggling to get over his internalized prejudice and self hatred. I think Harry not really caring and being much more concerned with the bad choices Draco made, rather than what happens to him now on the full moon, would help him learn to accept himself and live with his condition. I think ultimately he would get to a point where he could realize that Greyback was brutal and violent because that's who he was - just like there are brutal and violent people who AREN'T werewolves - rather than specifically because of his condition. I think his internalized feelings of shame would be something he'd spend year and year struggling with though.

Conversely, I think Harry would be forced to confront a lot of the systemic problems in wizarding society and the way that affects werewolves and also be forced to confront the fact that Lupin repressed a lot of part of himself to make himself more "acceptable" in mainstream wizarding society. I really like the idea of Harry realizing that he doesn't know some stuff about werewolves. Given that Bill, who isn't even a full werewolf, apparently craves very rare meat now - and not just at full moons - I always headcanoned that werewolves actually have some wolfish characteristics all the time, like wanting to eat raw meat, but that Lupin represses all that to act more "human" and that's part of why he looks so unhealthy all the time but Greyback doesn't. I think Harry should have to deal with the fact that this is a very life changing condition and also deal with the fact that werewolves are so shunned that most of them chose to back Voldemort int he hopes of things getting even marginally better.

[dc-and-arfrona]

Speak Now

Jason Todd x GN!Reader

Summary: Yáll break up

Type: Angst

Word Count: 2.2k+

Masterlist

------

The once vibrant connection between Jason Todd and their significant other had started to fracture under the weight of unspoken words and unaddressed emotions. Their partner had grown tired of Jason's consistent lack of communication, the silence that stretched between them like an unbridgeable chasm. As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, the strain became unbearable.

Restless and filled with a mix of frustration and longing, they found themselves at a crossroads. They couldn't continue in a relationship where their feelings were left hanging in the air, unanswered and disregarded. With a heavy heart, they made the painful decision to confront Jason, to address the mounting issues that had gone unattended for far too long.

The air was thick with tension as they sat in a secluded corner of their favorite café. Jason's usually vibrant blue eyes were clouded with a mix of confusion and apprehension. They sensed the change in the atmosphere, the unspoken words that hung between them like an impending storm.

Their voice trembled slightly as they began, "Jason, we need to talk. It feels like we're living in parallel worlds, and I can't keep going on like this. The lack of communication, the constant silence... it's tearing us apart."

Jason's brow furrowed, his gaze searching their face for answers. "I... I didn't realize it had gotten this bad. I thought I was giving you space, but I see now that I've been pushing you away instead."

Their voice wavered with a mix of hurt and frustration. "Jason, I need more than just space. I need open dialogue, honest conversations. I need to feel like I matter, like our relationship is a priority."

Silence settled between them, heavy and pregnant with unspoken words. Jason's eyes held a flicker of regret as he reached out and took their hand in his. "I never meant to make you feel like you don't matter. You do. More than you'll ever know."

A sigh escaped their lips, their eyes brimming with unshed tears. "But Jason, actions speak louder than words. And the silence... it speaks volumes. I can't keep pretending that everything is fine when it's not."

Jason's grip tightened, his voice filled with a mix of pleading and regret. "Please, don't walk away. I know I've made mistakes, but I love you. I'm willing to change, to work on our communication. I don't want to lose you."

A bittersweet smile tugged at the corners of their lips as they met Jason's gaze. "Love isn't enough, Jason. It takes effort, commitment, and the willingness to address our issues head-on. We both deserve a love that isn't drowned in silence."

Tears cascaded down their cheeks as they gently pulled their hand from Jason's grasp. "I think it's time for us to go our separate ways, at least for now. Maybe some time apart will give us the clarity we need."

Jason's voice cracked with emotion, his voice filled with regret. "I don't want to let you go. But if that's what you think is best, then I'll respect your decision. Just know that my love for you will always remain."

With heavy hearts, they bid each other farewell, their footsteps carrying them in opposite directions. The silence that had plagued their relationship now hung between them like an unspoken farewell, a poignant reminder of the love that had once bloomed but couldn't withstand the weight of unaddressed words.

And as they walked away, a mixture of sadness and hope filled their hearts. They hoped that time would heal their wounds and that, perhaps someday, they would find their way back to each other with a renewed sense of communication and understanding.

The once vibrant connection between Jason Todd and their significant other had shattered, leaving both of them adrift in a sea of regrets and what-ifs. Jason couldn't shake the feeling of loss, his heart heavy with the weight of his unspoken words and unaddressed mistakes.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, but the ache in Jason's chest refused to fade. He couldn't help but replay their final conversation over and over again in his mind, tormenting himself with the knowledge that he had let something precious slip through his fingers.

One evening, as Jason walked the deserted streets of Gotham, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the distance. His heart lurched in his chest as he realized it was them, their silhouette intertwined with someone else's. A bittersweet mix of sorrow and regret washed over him, mingling with the relentless ache that had taken root within his soul.

He stood there, hidden in the shadows, as he watched them laughing and sharing a tender moment with their new companion. It was a scene that Jason had hoped he would never witness—a stark reminder of the consequences of his silence and inaction.

Regret clawed at his insides, whispering that he had let go of something beautiful without even attempting to win them back. The weight of missed opportunities and unsaid apologies pressed upon his shoulders, threatening to crush him.

In that vulnerable moment, Jason realized the extent of his mistakes. He had taken their presence for granted, assuming that love alone would be enough to sustain them. But now, seeing them moving on with someone else, he understood the magnitude of his loss.

A fierce determination ignited within him. He couldn't let them slip away without a fight. He couldn't live with the regret of not trying, not pouring his heart out to them one last time.

Taking a deep breath, Jason stepped out of the shadows and approached them. Their eyes widened in surprise as they noticed him, the smile fading from their lips. Uncertainty and a flicker of pain flashed across their face.

"Hey," he spoke, his voice laced with a mixture of vulnerability and regret. "I've been doing a lot of thinking... and I've realized how much I messed up. I never should have let you go without a fight. I'm sorry for my silence, for not fighting for us."

Their gaze softened, but sadness lingered in their eyes. "Jason, it's too late now. I waited for you, I hoped you would reach out, but you never did. I had to move on for my own sanity."

His heart sank, the weight of his regret pressing upon him. "I understand. But please know that I still love you, and I regret every moment I spent without you. If there's any chance you could give us another try, I promise to do better, to communicate, to cherish what we have."

Tears welled up in their eyes, their voice barely above a whisper. "I wish it didn't have to be this way. But we can't go back. We both deserve happiness, even if it's not together."

Jason's shoulders slumped, the weight of his mistakes threatening to crush him. "I can't change the past, but I hope you find the happiness you deserve. Just know that I'll always regret not fighting harder for us."

With a heavy heart, he watched them walk away, their hand intertwined with their new companion's. The ache within him intensified, a constant reminder of the love he had lost.

Jason realized that some mistakes were irreparable, that the consequences of his silence would forever haunt him. But as he stood there, watching them fade into the distance, he vowed to learn from his regrets, to never let silence destroy another chance at happiness.

And as he walked away, he carried the weight of their absence, etching their memory into his heart as a reminder of the love he had lost and the importance of speaking his truth before it was too late.

Years had passed since the shattered fragments of Jason Todd's heart had been left in the wake of a lost love. Time had carried him forward, but the ache of regret still lingered, an ever-present companion in his life.

One fateful day, as Jason went about his routine, a small envelope arrived in the mail. His hands trembled as he recognized the elegant handwriting on the front, a name he had longed to see but feared at the same time.

Opening the envelope, he pulled out an invitation adorned with delicate lace and intricate details. It was an invitation to their wedding—a celebration of love and a painful reminder of what could have been.

A surge of emotions swept over Jason as he read the carefully crafted words, each letter piercing his heart with a mixture of heartbreak and longing. It was as if the past had resurfaced to haunt him, reminding him of the love he had lost and the choices he had made.

In that moment, he felt a flood of regrets crashing against the walls he had built around his emotions. He had let silence win, let his fear of vulnerability drown out the voice that had urged him to fight for their love. Now, as he held the invitation in his hands, he realized the magnitude of his mistakes.

His heart weighed heavy, burdened with the weight of what-ifs and missed opportunities. The image of their radiant smile on their wedding day danced before his eyes, and he couldn't help but imagine himself standing beside them, the vows of forever exchanged between them.

Grief washed over him, a torrent of emotions that threatened to consume him whole. It was a bittersweet realization—a painful reminder that his chance for reconciliation had slipped through his fingers, swallowed by the passage of time.

But amidst the heartbreak, a flicker of determination ignited within Jason. He couldn't let this moment pass without trying, without at least expressing the depth of his feelings one last time. He wouldn't let regret dictate his future.

As the day of the wedding approached, Jason hatched a plan. He knew he had to stop the ceremony at the crucial moment, the moment when the officiant would ask if anyone had any objections.

With a racing heart and a mind filled with urgency, he made his way to the venue—a picturesque garden bathed in the soft glow of evening. He positioned himself at the back, hidden among the shadows, his eyes fixed on the scene before him.

The officiant's voice reverberated through the air, his words tinged with solemnity. "If anyone has any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Time seemed to stand still as Jason's heart pounded in his chest. This was his chance, his final opportunity to fight for their love. With every fiber of his being, he willed himself forward.

As he stepped out into the open, all eyes turned toward him. Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd, but Jason's gaze remained locked on their eyes—the eyes he had missed so desperately.

"I object!" his voice rang out, carrying the weight of his heart's desire. "I can't let this moment pass without telling you how I feel, how much I still love you."

Silence descended upon the garden, the air heavy with anticipation. Their eyes widened in surprise, a mix of emotions flickering across their face.

Jason took a step closer, his voice filled with a raw vulnerability. "I made mistakes, I let silence drive us apart. But I can't live with the regret of not trying, not fighting for what we had. I'm sorry for everything, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make things right."

Their eyes widened, tears glistening in the corners. The crowd held its breath, caught up in the weight of the moment.

"I've watched you from afar, seeing you move on, trying to forget the love we once shared," Jason confessed, his voice filled with longing. "But I can't live another day without you by my side. If you'll have me, I promise to spend the rest of my life making it up to you, cherishing every moment we have together."

Their face softened, a glimmer of hope shining through their tears. They stepped closer, their voice filled with a mix of pain and longing. "Jason, I never stopped loving you either. The pain of our separation has been unbearable."

In that instant, the world around them faded away, and their gazes locked, a shared understanding passing between them. Without another word, they ran toward each other, embracing in a tight embrace, their hearts reconnecting after so long.

They didn't care about the shocked gasps or the disapproving murmurs from the crowd. All that mattered was the love they had rekindled, the chance to start anew.

Hand in hand, they walked away from the chaos, leaving behind the remnants of the interrupted wedding. Their hearts beat in sync, a promise of a future filled with redemption and a love stronger than ever before.

As they disappeared into the distance, their entwined fingers a symbol of their unbreakable bond, the echoes of regret faded away. In their place bloomed the hope and joy of a second chance—a chance to rewrite their love story and create a future that held nothing but love, trust, and happiness.

And as they embraced their shared destiny, they knew that the challenges that lay ahead would be conquered together, their love serving as an unyielding foundation. In the end, their journey was a testament to the power of love, forgiveness, and the resiliency of the human heart.

[pb-dot]

Film Friday: Cuckoo

It's yet again Friday, and this being Spooky Month and all, I'm going to write about as much new and good horror as I can the next couple of Fridays. First up, I would like to explain a term I'm probably going to use a couple of times. It is what I call "And then A Monster Ate Them"-endings. This is a thing you see popping up in indie horrors a lot, where the movie goes on establishing a character and their deal, and continues to do so until the very end, where, well, that part should be intuitive. This can be done well if the preceding non-monster parts are interesting on their own, but if it's tedious grindy misery showing off the monster at the last second to seem interesting in retrospect, it's decidedly more frustrating. See Wounds (2019) for an example of the latter. Now, I bring this up because today's film, Cuckoo (2024) struck me as a film that might've pulled this stunt in a world where it was worse, but let me tell you dear readers, it did not.

Gretchen is having a hard time of things. She's along for the ride with her father and stepmother as they move to a resort in the middle of nowhere in Germany. It isn't just that her mute stepsister suddenly falls ill in a way that her parents end up blaming Gretchen for, nor that the enigmatic yet overly familiar Herr Köning starts taking a shine to both her and her sister in a way that feels too weird to be solely predatory. No, something is out there hunting for her, and try as she might, bad miracles and impossible happenings prevent Gretchen from leaving. Bereft of options she ends up teaming up with Cop On The Edge Henry, but she still can't shake the feeling that she is the only one on her own side in this one.

The whole affair takes on a very mystery-tinged air, as Gretchen seeks to uncover the mysteries surrounding the little insular community, and eventually to save her own life from a supernatural, well technically preternatural, threat. What I admire most about the movie is that the point where the character realizes what exactly is going on could easily be a stopping point as the real goings on have every opportunity to rob our heroine of her agency. Fortunately, Cuckoo is too smart of a flick to do that, and instead spins the whole setup in a fun direction. What if, the movie asks, the story shifted into a power struggle with regards to the resolution of the monster story, and Gretchen resolves the whole deal by flipping both sides the bird and going for a third option. It makes for a tense but very heartwarming sort of finale that has frankly the neatest answer to "Who is the REAL monster here? The monster or the man?" and goes "yeah." in reply, as unbothered by the mathematician's answer as can be.

I'm working hard to dodge spoilers in this one, in part to challenge myself, and in part because this movie really deserves to have the entire arch of the story experienced in one go. The title does hint at what goes on, of course, but it does nothing to prepare you for exactly how hard it goes with the concept, nor how it manages to produce a near-flawless needle drop soundtrack moment in diegesis. This is the kind of thing that deserves to be experienced on its own.

Now I've been talking a lot about the monster and business in the second and third acts, but honestly, Cuckoo is a solid experience even before things go from creepy to scary as well. For one, Hunter Schafer does a great turn as a silently pissed off teenager who's good on the bottom. Her role requires quite a lot of silent straining against the often conflicting role of adult and child that teenagers start with having to deal with in the back half of their teenage years, and she pulls it off with aplomb, leaving us both silently pissed off and not so silently outraged on her behalf more than once. Mila Lieu does some impressive acting as the younger sister, as her thought processes are easy to follow on face acting alone. This is especially good as several plot points in the third act relies on the audience understanding what the mute Alma is thinking and feeling.

It's also a story about grief. Through all the teenager attitude and mounting dread, a thread weaves about the fate of Gretchen's mother, and while part of it feels like a twist that doesn't quite have the punch it's intended to, it also becomes the staging ground for a really good secondary twist that carries the movie emotionally into the climax. It becomes yet another thing this movie just does right from a dramatic storytelling standpoint, while it could easily have remained just a grim tiresome indie horror cliche, Cuckoo and director Tilman Singer does the vitally important thing of asking the twist a follow-up question. Wow! What does this imply for the story? Where does it take us?

It feels like I'm giving this movie credit for all the ways it could have sucked but decided not to, and that does feel a bit counterintuitive to me. Still, though, indie horror, as much as I love it, has a bad habit of descending into navel gaze-y grim nonsense that uses "not being constrained by narrative cliches" as an excuse for telling a story that goes nowhere, says nothing, and in that stagnant way becomes less genuine than a late-stage slasher sequel.

When all is said and done, Cuckoo has the making of a bit of a cult hit on its hands, and I, for one, hope it becomes one of those films we revisit frequently. It's just fun to have a horror movie where the main character resists dis-empowerment and scorn and comes out on the other side bruised and bloodied, but still swinging. It is, after all, trivially easy to tell a story about monsters in all the forms they can take. What's harder is telling a convincing story about how monsters can be slain, or even raising the question of whether they should be.

[elfwreck]

The age thing's a little relevant too. I'm approaching my mid 30's and I just feel adrift, and lost. Nothing in my life's really worked out, I made bad decisions, I missed opportunities, I lost potential. I don't want to live another 40 or so years like this and then die a nobody. I know the "gifted kid" thing is a meme now but everyone thought I had so much potential, including me. And that just makes me feel even worse than if I'd been a loser from the start.

It gets... better? Sort of?

Take everything you have heard about "your potential" and throw it in the trash.

"Potential" is a myth we tell to small children to encourage them to study and work on projects. "Potential" is a way of giving kids a direction and a reason to focus on their interests. Small children have no context for understanding what they could be doing a year, five years, twenty years from now - they just know what they can do right now, and that it doesn't include "build a whole car" or "paint beautiful sunsets" or "write a book" or "be Mayor of Can Town" or "overthrow the Dark Lord and put his minions in wizard-prison" or whatever.

So we tell them: You have potential, which means, You share some personality traits and innate talents with people who have done these things. It gives kids something to aim for. "You have a lot of potential" means "you share a lot of traits with people who are famous for doing these things."

At no point does anyone tell you how many not-famous not-rich just-muddling-by people also have those traits. At no point does anyone say, "You have a terrific singing voice and perfect pitch so you could be a famous musician OR... you could be like Mrs Thomson who plays piano and leads the church choir in a tiny church with 37 weekly attendees and gets paid a $40/week stipend for it, and she also works 5 days a week in the chicken-packing plant."

By the time you are an adult, that is no longer meaningful. You know how to assess your skills, and what kinds of skills you might like to develop, and which of them you'd be good at. (And by "good at," I mean, "good enough to enjoy practicing them and get results that make you happy." I assure you that I am a mediocre cook at best, but I have the level of cooking skills I want, and I know I could develop more if I cared to.)

It's also easy to get intimidated by the people around you, who've developed expertise in areas you have not, especially in areas that you'd like to have more skill.

I promise you that you have expertise in areas other people want. (Because. Here you are, in your 30s, talking to strangers on the internet, and trying to figure out what to do next with your life. THOSE ARE SKILLS. Really. Even the "try to figure out" part; there are people who feel absolutely stuck in life and have no idea why, don't even know how to realize they want something to be different. And I'm betting you have other skills that aren't apparent in an anonymous ask.)

Ignore your "potential" and focus on what do you want to do?

Maybe throw a few thoughts towards "what kind of world do I want to live in, and what would I do if I were living in that world?" but don't put a lot of energy into fantasies about "if we had clean energy and robust anti-capitalist legislation and UBI and..." (I mean. Spend all the time you want on those. But those aren't part of sorting out "what do I do with my life now?") So: if you want to live in a world where neighbors welcome each other to the community with a casserole, then go talk to your neighbors, even if you feel awkward about it. If you want to live in a world with active, thriving libraries, go borrow some books from your local library. If you want to live in a world where you own your digital purchases, learn how to strip the DRM from ebooks. And so on.

If you're running into self-worth issues, consider who the Republican party is running for office, and remind yourself that you are not worse than them, and if they "deserve" money and power and fame, you at least deserve to be comfortable. (Whether they "deserve" what they have or not, they have it, so you might as well decide you deserve some friends and some entertainments and a job you don't hate.)

If you're running into "but all that seems like a lot of effort and I don't know if I have the energy" - pick something smaller as a first goal. Don't write the novel; write one scene that's stuck in your head, one bit of dialogue that makes you want to tell the story around it. Put it in a private file just for you. Start a collection of story fragments.

tl;dr umm...

We're all just muddling along. Really. We're stuck in a capitalist hellscape together. Find something you care about and let yourself be obsessed with it. Give yourself permission to be bad at it. Give yourself permission to just do the 5% you enjoy.

Don't count your achievements by starting with a list of things you haven't done.

[pokepalsarchive]

New Years, New plans +Thank you note to everyone

Hey guys, Admin Mega here, happy new years PokeAskblog community! Hope this year has been wonderful for all of you, even if it had troublesome moments! As 2024 is on the horizon I wanna talk about the resolutions me and OG have for the blog and what to expect in the near future. Regarding Activity: I'll openly say this, I haven't been that active in the community lately which is unfortunate, but starting 2024 I'm hoping to get right back in and finish all the asks that have been left unattended. This means I'll try and participate in, aside from asking other blogs, community events hosted by anyone like the sinsibgala and bad end AU event. The Characters: As of typing this resolutions post, Skarla is undergoing a redesign as I feel somewhat unsatisfied with her current appearance, alongside an art style change that doesn't heavily utilize the Pokemon art style and just stick to the art style I have, something that's unique to me without always going on model for others like I have in the past. For new characters, while they haven't been unlocked yet we have teased quite a few and we still have some behind closed doors that me and OG would love to reveal one day! A w.i.p preview of Skarla's new design:

About the Blog: Previously stated, activity for the blog has been very slow due to a multitude of reasons, such as dealing with problems in real life, lack of motivation and direction, bogged down by other activities, etc. Story and lorewise me and OG are at work fleshing out the entirety of the Pokepalsverse, that being important moments in it's history, relations between humans and Pokemon along with the main cast, the aforementioned background organizations, and deities that would be present or have an important role in the world. On a side note, given that this blog is essentially a miniblog it doesn't have many benefits compared to a main blog, so me and OG are in talks of possibly rebooting the askblog, meaning that we'll have to start over on a new blog format and delete this one. Possible sideblog?: During my long hiatus writing for the askblog, an idea popped into my head about starting a sideblog that revolved around the company that Skarla works with and the many shenanigans that go on in the organization. Maybe it might happen, maybe it wont, who knows! But in the meantime keep on the lookout. What to expect in the future:

When activity kicks back up, we'll try and focus on making more art of the characters, make some minicomics detailing their history and backstory, possibly many more. But before I can close this post off, I'm gonna give some thanks to some of the community members that I like, admire and influenced me.

Many thanks:

Nori (@harmonia-university): Thank you for being the main askblogger that aspired me to become an askblogger myself. I'll never stop saying this, your cast of characters and world setting is very unique and I love everything about it! You're also a very wonderful person to watch and talk to, and I wish I can spend more time with you and the others! I look forward to what you have in store for the Harmoniaverse. Mikey (@askdeoxys): You sir are a driving force of encouragement, you have brought an entire community together and you have hoped for the best for many askbloggers, including us! Your words are extremely aspiring and it helps us strive to bring our askblog to the potential it deserves, and I couldn't thank you enough for that Mikey. You are awesome! Aro (@ask-the-shiny-pokemons/@aro-pokeverse): You are the first big follower/fan of our askblog the moment we opened up. Thank you for sticking with us and this blog, you're a cool person and I appreciate your company! I look forward to seeing more from the Virbank Baddies and other cohorts your world has. Migmog (@ask-the-royal-absol/@singularity-and-co): A massive shoutout to you for your great worldbuilding and colorful cast of characters. It's fun having chats with you during your streams on discord and watch you draw out your panels! Thank you for making a very intriguing world that leaves people wanting to see what happens next! Edge (@casteliacityramen): Thank you for the advice on some aspects of the lore, I really appreciate it! Like everyone I've mentioned, I hope to interact with all of you more in 2024, get to know all of ya better! Jean (@ask-casteliabounce): Another blog worth checking out, thank you for the further drive and inspiration for upcoming works for the blog! I really like Max, he's a cool cat weasel. Oh and one more thing, a final word from OG: "Thank y'all so much for the great 2023! Without y'all, askpokepals would just be a mere concept, lol. You guys are swag, epic and amazing in that order! Here's to 2024!" And that's pretty much all I have to say. Thank you for reading this, and thank you to the wonderful PokeAskblog community for it's chill atmosphere and positivity. See you all in the new year! With love, MegamanNick, Co-Admin of the blog.