#it doesn't work anyways and just continues the trend of people being mean and nothing good ever comes of it

[bspeaks]

Please let us hear some more group smut thoughts

im on my knees

glad you're already on your knees because that's probably where the boys are gonna want you at some point.

i honestly just think they would love to keep you as their own personal toy, "band property" if you will. lets say you're touring with them. you tell people you help sell merch but its a big fat lie. you can't even assist at the merch table because you're typically put to work in different ways in the time frame surrounding bad omens set.

so yeah they basically just use you whenever they please while they're on the road. i'd say you spend about 40% of your time being used by all of them at once, 40% being passed around, and 20% sitting looking pretty for them.

things switch up a lot, and nothing's super consistent except for the pre-show ritual. the guys all swear up and down that this ritual is the sole reason they perform so well each night, but you feel like you've seen them do just fine without it...

anyway the ritual consists of you performing a few simple tasks that help each band member prepare to get on stage:

first, you're sat on noahs lap. his cock is buried inside you and his hands are all over you. having full access to your body like this helps to make him feel powerful enough to get on stage and give his all.

at the same time, folio is standing in front of you holding your head in place so he can fuck your mouth. he says cumming down your throat is the perfect way to relax his mind and his muscles so that he can get into a good flow once hes sat behind his drum kit.

continuing the trend of multitasking here, you also have nicky and jolly on either side of you, your hands wrapped around each of their dicks trying to get them off. it amuses them both to see you struggle to maintain steady strokes with your hands while you're distracted by the two men filling you from both ends. you always manage to do such a good job, though, eventually making both of them cover each of your cheeks in their cum. they say it helps clear their minds so that they can lock in on stage.

after folio, nicky, and jolly all finish, noah finally grips your hips and fucks up into you. hes so mean about it, you're already so exhausted from getting the other boys off but he doesn't care. he fucks you as hard as possible and doesn't stop until you're a complete mess. he needs to see you cry, he needs to hear you scream, he needs to watch you fall apart under his control so that he feels strong enough to control the crowd too. and he needs it before every single show, no exceptions.

-this is just the little au ive created in my head... let me know if you wanna hear about different scenarios or specific pairings, this was fun to write

[deepseavibez]

Drowning Too Deep_2.1 || KNJ || JHS

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-> Picture Source - Pinterest

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Drowning Too Deep [Namjoon x Hoseok x Reader]

Part 1 || Part 2 || 2.1 || 2.2 || Part 3

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Genre - Established!Boyfriend(s) au; Poly;

Summary - Alone at home, nothing but thoughts, pent up emotions, roaming fingers and a wild imagination... that is... until your boyfriends catch you in the act.

Word Count - 1.6k

🎶 - Anyone - Justin Bieber

It had to be her, it just had to - Namjoon

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Choices were a part of everyone's life - - she was definitely one he could never turn back from, one he didn't want to turn back from.

It wasn't easy for Hobi, or any of them for that matter, but they had all grown up together; Hobi knew and felt and observed and listened. Joon took action, implemented and took charge. Cues, after years of being together with people were unspoken. Sharing dorms and cramped spaces, privacy non-existent, problems solved as a family in family meetings. Yeah… it took time. 

Joon had had his fair share of bad days with Taehyung. Namjoon was too serious when they first met each other - - the random thoughts and eccentric actions, 'the world would go on anyway' energy, it took Joon some time to realize that Taehyung cared, just differently. 

Over time Namjoon exercised looking at both the heads and tails of a situation, stopping to smell the roses, using the rose-coloured glasses and Taehyung grew to understand why there was a need to be serious in certain circumstances, that not everyone deserved a smile, that the black and white existed on either side of the grey.

Most importantly, he was Joons maknae. Every hyung had a maknae; Jimin and Hobi were roomies, Jungkook had Jin and Taehyung was Joons. It couldn't necessarily be called a responsibility, but Joon wanted Tae happy, stress free, in control, able to think level-headed and be strong. 

Joon had to learn how Taehyung worked. How he liked his food. His distaste of coffee. His eye for fashion and style. In return he trusted Joon with lyrics, with ideas, with his vocal range. And somehow, they just...were. Just were. As themselves. As each other. It worked. They had made it work.

But with mistakes, misunderstandings and arguments, and time. Y/n had barely been here a year, and yet… 

'I don't think you're wrong, Tae.'

Joons ears perked up at the statement. He had a clear view of them as they all faced the wall length mirror.

Y/n sat side by side on the floor against the wall of the dance studio right next to Taehyung, who currently had his head hung low, legs stretched out in front of him. 

Tae's argument with Jungkook the day before had been weighing on everyone's minds.

Jungkook had left for vocal practice immediately after the group dance practice and Jimin was caught in between the both of them.

Jungkook isolated, he needed silence, he needed to be ready to talk first. Taehyung needed to talk, to drive his point home, to be himself. Jimin needed to clear his head. He loved too hard, knew both of them weren't wrong, but it was tricky to handle a situation where what you said could break someone's heart if it spoke for either of them. 

Joon himself tried, earlier on, yesterday, last night even, to diffuse the situation but to no avail. He had found Taehyung in Jimins bed that morning. Jin reported Jungkooks door locked, when it was generally closed or slightly ajar. They weren't on talking terms, avoiding each other at the dorm, staying as far away as possible for the group schedule. It was obvious they had decided to keep their distance until further notice. 

Y/n was passing by when she noticed them; Tae, Jin, Hobi and Joon were the only ones in the studio. 

They needed the extra practice, and Tae was only scheduled for vocals late this afternoon so he hung back. They could see how deflated he was. She saw it as soon as she stepped in, asking for him to check out the twitter trend affiliated to him going on by ARMY's before looking up from her phone and reading the room.

Intrigue, general interest not even the least piqued, even she could put two and two together, after all, everyone had heard of argument that transpired in the studio the day before.

Greeting them softly with a nod, she walked straight toward the sulking puddle of grey sweats, shirt and beanie.

She bent down at first, whispering a few words, pointing to her phone, and when he shrugged in nonchalance, a mumble that sounded like he would 'check it out later,' uncaring of her suit, she sat down, her heels kicked off and placed on the side, socked feet stretched out next to him. 

She had gotten used to them over the last year. She knew who she had skinship privileges with. Jimin liked hugs, Jungkook liked clinging on the odd day, and Taehyung liked her overall. He said she had a specific minty scent that curled around him and Joon knew the perfume firsthand, having seeing the bottle on her dresser so many times.

She hadn't visited the night before, texted Hobi and Joon that their family came first, she shouldn't be a part of it quite just yet.

It seemed a couple hours had changed her mind considering what she did next.

'Listen,' she stared ahead at the mirror as she spoke.

'I haven't been here very long and I have no right to say anything about this. But Tae,' Y/n looked at him, placing her hand over his to have him look up at her. 'You know you're not just anyone to him.'

Hobi helped Joon with a particularly subtle hip movement that would make a step easier to manoeuvre, Jin next to him nailing it in three tries. They pretended to be preoccupied, uncaring that the music wasn't even turned on. 

Offering up a soft smile, she continued, 'The people that coax us out of our shell, the people that reassure us, the ones that grab onto our hands when we get off balance, the ones we find home with, sometimes it's hard to accept that we rely on them as much as we do.'

'I won't leave him alone, Y/n. I would nev-.'

'I know you won't. And deep down he knows it too. But you are all growing up Tae. You know more people and have grown into so many new things about yourselves.'

Y/n could hear the desperation in Tae's protest, his eyes filled with hurt at the very idea of ever leaving Jungkook to do life alone.

'I mean look at his tattoos, look at your hair, and you all want to do more side projects.'

Ofcourse, Taehyung had never meant to sound insensitive about pursuing acting jobs, and he didn't mean to say that their group, their lifstyle, was something they should just put behind them.

Lowering her head to meet his eye, she brought him out of his mini spiral and continued.

'This is the only family he's ever known Tae, he knows everyone won't live together someday, he knows he wants to do things that are different, that are on his own, he knows he can't have both worlds always, but knowing doesn't mean it hurts less. Acceptance doesn't mean being ready to move on, and he, himself needs to come to the realization that he can come back to you when he's done, his brothers...his hyung.'

With her soft touch and her words, recognition slowly sunk in. 

'Like I said, you aren't wrong,' she closed one eye, measuring a shirt distance with her thumb and forefinger in front of it, 'but your mind, and how it works, sees things a bit further ahead than Jungkook right now. So, you can either go to him, and talk to him, about the pressure, and the pace and the after, even if it's not what he wants to hear, or you can just give him time and let him come to you.' 

Y/n clasped his hand in hers, letting it fall in her lap as she whispered her next words, 'We don't stay far from our homes for very long, he will come back to you,' 

Joon found Hobi in the mirror, he had his chin up in pride, a smile akin to Joon's own, and Jin turned toward them at the same moment, blinking slowly as he nodded his head once. 

It did something to Joon to have the sign given, so silently, so freely, because Jin was their hyung, the eldest, nothing would go on without his consent. There were no serious dislikes about Y/n but this, this moment, it was a yes, it was an approval, it was a statement - - your choice is not wrong. 

When Joon turned back to her, seeing Taehyung's face light up at the tweets on her phone screen, seeing her smile at him, genuinely happy on a sweaty dance practice floor, next to a brother they would protect always, Joon's head immediately filled with maybees. 

Because maybe it was that she took over without meaning to when they were busy or when they couldn't get anywhere with the situation. 

Maybe it was her words. Maybe it was that she took the time to make the people important to them understand.

Others might see it as butting in, an emotionally off kilter person would feel like she was meddling in business that was not hers. She could have gotten fired, had they just said the word.

But Y/n sat there, disregarding her own busy day, to make sure Tae understood that he was the bigger brother even if by only a year. 

She did it all without looking at Hobi or Jin or Joon, she didn't need them to be there, to see or to show off, she did it because she was that type of a person. 

And maybe, just maybe the blanket on Joon's heart, an emotion full of warmth, spread in earnest because when she spoke of homes and shells and coaxing, the emotion behind it said one thing only to him - - Hobi and Joon…they were her home.

Part 1 || Part 2 || 2.1 || 2.2 || Part 3

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[deltaengineering]

Spring Anime 2021: Embarrassment of Riches

So this current anime season absolutely stinks, which just makes the last one look even more impressive. Well, maybe not all of it...

Zombieland Saga Revenge

First off, you don't need to tell me that the following is a severe outlier opinion. We good? Ok. ZLSR is, in a word, subpar. I liked S1 back in the day, but it was already in the process of getting lazy towards the end. S2 continues this trend and is basically just another idol show. And as someone who actually does watch other idol shows I have to say that it's not a particularly good one of those either. The zombie gimmick has mostly stopped mattering and we're just doing what every idol show does, only with the odd occasional sight gag. The alleged subversive qualities mostly amount to a flashback for Yuugiri, which is admittedly the best part of the show but feels like it barely has anything to do with anything. Apart from that, it's a bunch of generic idol plots, rehashed character beats, shoddy attempts at twists (while not connecting to any setups from S1), and the obligatory "idols give us hope" ending, which is terribly hackneyed and flat out bad. Tae gets further memed into the ground, because of course she does. And there's stuff that was simply never good to begin with, like Kotarou and his comedy schtick, which gets truly insufferable now that there's no qualities to distract from it. It really makes me think that S1 wasn't even all that good to begin with and seems like an attempt to turn this surprise success into an easy money longrunner with no edge and no ambitions. "The idol show for people who don't watch idol shows" indeed, but not the way you mean it. 4/10

Bakuten

But not to dwell on the failures, with the second show we're already above the cut — barely. This one got my attention with its really impressive performance scenes early on and it totally sticks to that, which is even more impressive. But besides that? Well, this is by far the most predictable show in a season where I watched an unambitious Kiraralike and put ZLS on blast for having no ideas. The characters are a mixed bag, some are cool (Shida, Asawo), some are very annoying (Mashiro), but those are the supports. The main cast is extremely one-dimensional, which is fine until they try to heap a ton of pathos on their lead, which doesn't go well. But I guess execution matters, and Bakuten is slick enough to get by. Writing this down in stark daylight I feel like I overrated this show somewhat (I actually put it over the next one originally, which definitely doesn't hold up when thinking about it), but I was indeed mostly entertained. 6/10

Yakunara Mug Cup mo

Yeah. Of course Mug Cup definitely doesn't invent or subvert anything either, but it's a pretty good Kiraralike that's always entertaining to watch. Explaining the qualities of such a nothing genre is as difficult as ever, but it mostly comes down to me liking the characters and it having nothing to annoy me. It's shorter than normal, which is a plus for slim shows like this. And yeah, you can make an excessive amount of dick jokes with the clay fondling. That helps too. Looks are just fine, pleasant but nothing out of the ordinary. Comfy low-effort anime. 6/10

Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song

This one is decent, but sadly still a major letdown. Because the first few episodes of Vivy were excellent and kicked ass, but then it became increasingly clear that the writing can't cash the checks the ideas wrote while the action starts running into severely diminishing returns. Vivy just keeps slowly getting worse and worse as it goes on, not by a huge amount each episode but by the end there's a pretty sizeable gulf between potential and result. Going into detail would probably be a little much for this venue because there's a lot, but from the top level view the issue is that while Vivy has good fundamental ideas and steals at the right places, it just isn't a smart show — it's schlock, and by the end, poorly thought out schlock that tries to smooth out every problem with liberal application of the big feels hammer and le epic twist at that. Yeah, couldn't tell that the Re:Zero dude was aboard here, for sure. That said, it still works pretty well as entertaining schlock that is not to be taken too seriously, and the characters are generally just very fun to watch even when they're doing stupid things. Still, I can't in good conscience rate this higher than Beatless, a show that looks like butt but properly executes on its ideas. 6/10

Super Cub

So this is 100% a Honda commercial, and I got really mad a Yuru Camp last season for being a blatant shill. Yet I'm feeling this, what gives? I think the main difference is that Super Cub is specifically a commercial for one product (and a very iconic product at that), while Yuru Camp is so all over the place that it ends up mostly a commercial for consumerism in general. And when Super Cub goes too hard on the product (which it does), it's at least pretty entertaining. That's something about Super Cub in general: It goes hard. Your regular Kiraralike this is not, because it's uncommonly slow, focused and moody - yes, it almost measures up to Yuru Camp at its best and demolishes it at its worst. Also, it's just extremely amusing to see sadblob Koguma grow a huge grizzly biker beard and become a badass outlaw dad to her goofy wife and cute daughter, all thanks to the power of afforable personal transportation. Needless to say, that can get unintentionally silly, but Super Cub has so much charm that it doesn't matter — it's great when it's good and still funny when it's not. 7/10

Shadows House

Shadows House turned up with a lot of potential, and I have to say it at least delivered on most of it. It has some problems; notably I'm not a fan of how the entire middle turned out to be a tournament arc of sorts that seems curiously inspired by Resident Evil memes, crest-shaped intentations and boulder punching included. I also think that this is a show that would be perfectly fine without explaining much, but I guess it is a shounen manga after all so we got dumped on eventually anyway. At least that came late - close relative Promised Neverland didn't show that much restraint. Shadows House is generally well written though, with great characters, interesting interactions and a great hook. But what really makes it memorable is that it's exceptionally good at the cute/creepy contrast, something that is often tried but rarely works as well as here, with great character designs and very appropriate production. I hope this gets a sequel, because it seems like it's just getting started. 7/10

SSSS.Dynazenon

Coming in with a fondness for Gridman, Dynazenon didn't have to do much to convince me. The surprise though is that it's not a rehash even if it's basically the same show, a character drama where occasionally huge and goofy fights break out. Dynazenon is Gridman done better, and the interesting part is how it accomplishes this - mainly by being far more conventional. I do appreciate that Gridman went for something weird and almost experimental, but that only really paid off towards the end while most of the show was a distraction/holding pattern. It just didn't feel like there was enough material for a full series there, more like a movie maybe, if even that. Dynazenon fixes this by just being a TV show, with an actual cast of characters that each have their own arc. And by spreading the material this way, Dynazenon ends up having a lot more nuance than its intensely focused predecessor, while having the same themes and not actually being any deeper. In a way, Gridman ends up looking like the spinoff in retrospect, while Dynazenon is the full package. 8/10

Thunderbolt Fantasy S3

So how good was this season? So good that Thunderbolt Fantasy doesn't end up at the top, that's how. And all the elements that made Tbolt such a sure thing are still there, big hammy puppets doing stunts and scheming never gets old. However, I do have to note that at this point, the writing appears to have gotten too comfortable. I don't expect it to ever top the amazing S1 ending, but at this point it's like Tbolt has stopped trying to deliver on endings at all and seems in the process of retooling itself into a longrunner instead. Barely anything gets resolved in S3 (the climax is that the climax of S2 is resolved again, for good this time... maybe), and everything else is just setting up plotpoints for the next season. Tbolt is truly lucky that it doesn't actually need to resolve anything to be a great time, but at this point I have to say that I'd appreciate it if they wrapped it up with S4. 8/10

Nomad: Megalobox 2

Speaking of sequels to shows I liked, Nomad doesn't so much improve upon its predecessor but steamrolls right over it. This is a tall order, since Megalobox was surprisingly good for a sports shounen and had a real nice, heartwarming ending that Nomad instantly negates for purposes of drama and everyone being extremely miserable. That sounds like a pretty terrible idea - and it would be, if Nomad wasn't as excellent as it is. To call it not the same show would be an understatement, because it's a true sequel, not just the same characters doing their thing some more, or new characters doing the same thing as the old ones did. Indeed my biggest problem with Megalobox was that it still closely adhered to its genre template and was very predictable; Nomad fixes this issue thoroughly. Nomad is about questioning what being a hotblooded shounen protagonist eventually leads you to, and how to fix everything you screwed up by being one. You could call it a deconstruction, but that term has been so abused for cynical, edgy "thing you like actually sucks" takes that I feel like it doesn't really fit here. Nomad isn't cynical at all, it's just a character drama about some boxers past their prime, and it being a sequel to a show that is indeed rather formulaic just enhances the experience. My biggest issue with it was that I really like what they did with Joe in this story, so the big focus on Mac's backstory felt like a distraction for a long time. But in the end that turned out to be absolutely necessary to make the ending work. The ending's just great, by the way, and I shall say not more about it. 9/10

Odd Taxi

Yeah boy, here's the show that has apparently become somewhat of a "greatest show you didn't watch" meme, which I can feel smug about because I don't need YouTubers to tell me what's good and followed this from day one. Anyway, Odd Taxi is indeed great, the greatest show in a few years even. What starts out as seemingly a relaxed hangout show in the vein of Midnight Diners quickly turns into a psychological murder mystery while never losing its quirky humor. The character writing is outstanding, with even small bit players being on a level that the average anime wishes it could have for leads. And the rollout of the mystery is exemplary, with answers given and new questions raised every episode with a satisfying and logical payoff in the end. This is also the rare anime that has rock solid production from the first to the last second; it's never really flashy but excellently done and highly consistent nonetheless. And the music just owns. I have a few complaints, mainly that there's a few logical weaknesses in the story (which wouldn't even register in a lesser show, but sticks out here since the rest is so immaculately constructed) and that the ending overextends on the emotions when the rest of the show is so reserved and dry in comparison. But those are only the reasons why I didn't give it perfect marks, and I almost did that anyway. 9/10

[plague-of-insomnia]

Lol I *hate* that post. Also like, most people don't read classic lit, and classic lit in general can be critized as being made up of primarily cis, white, straight men. Women and queer authors often have their works shuffled into YA. And fanfic?? Primarily made of of women and queer folk (and queer women). Which... is often what the reasoning is why it's targeted.

Also, children's lit and YA lit are some of the best works I've read. They deal with harsh topics. One of my favorite books from when I was a kid is Gossamer by Lois Lowry. My class read it in fifth grade (so like, 10 year olds) and it dealt heavily with abuse and coping with and recovery from trauma. The book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson also deals with very dark themes, and it's YA. (Also both very good books and I highly recommend each. Look up the trigger lists for them. When I say they deal with dark subjects, I mean it.)

Fanfic and YA are such broad categories, and to dismiss them shows a clear lack of true understanding of literature. Typically, when people say they dislike them, it boils down to bias against queer people, women, and romance as a genre (which was spear headed by, you guessed it, queers and women).

Also, there's nothing wrong with liking tropes. I like tropes. Everyone likes specific tropes. We've all just been copying off of one another since the beginning of art creation, and we will continue to do so. Just let people enjoy things ffs. Reading is for fun and creating fanfic is for fun. Just because I read or write something doesn't mean I want to base a master's thesis around it

[In reference to this post: TL;DR - people who only read fan fic/YA aren’t capable of understanding/analyzing complex themes bc they’re obsessed with tropes]

Oof! @gabedemon, this is all a really good point/addition to why that OP’s point was 😬.

Now I’ll confess I do not personally like YA as a general rule, largely for two reasons: 1) I don’t like reading about teens and 2) for a while EVERYONE and their grandparents were writing YA to try and hitch onto the bandwagon of popular novels turned films like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, et al, and so a lot of people were writing stuff just to try and ride a trend rather than bc that’s what they should have been writing/what their story actually wanted.

However, you are 100% right that there are some amazing novels that fall into that broad category and are worth reading whether you’re 15 or 95 (or somewhere in between).

One of the best novels I read before my headache began (and I stopped reading novels 😞) dealt with some really heavy issues (it was focused on suicide) — and it managed to delve into complex mental illness (like BPD, borderline personality disorder) and suicidality in a really realistic and complex way while not glorifying it in anyway. I highly recommend it, if the topic isn’t too tough for you (general you) to deal with, Suicide Watch:

I definitely think you see queer authors and their stories forced into niche publishers or fan fic (I don’t know if I would say only YA here as I’ve read a ton of non-YA queer published fiction).

I think you have some people who are just “snobs” who think only “serious” “literary fiction” is worth reading and has any depth. Those people have probably never read a really good YA novel (I also recommend Freaks Like Us for one that tackles mental illness in a insightful way) or any fan fic at all. (Or if they have, it’s something like My Immortal.) So they make the assumption that all fan fic must be meaningless drivel (as if there isn’t plenty of that in mainstream, published adult fiction or other media for that matter).

They also forget that people read for different reasons, and like you said, not everyone wants to read something to write a master’s thesis on.

Some “pulp” stories, like the Sherlock Holmes tales, have survived and proliferated across time and languages because people find them entertaining and can identify with the characters in some way. (Ofc some people like to analyze those stories but not everyone does; in fact, most people don’t, and that’s perfectly fine.)

So I think you have the snobs who really aren’t looking at it from a “I must crush queer writers,” though ofc you’re absolutely right about the fact that bias still exists among readers and publishers.

As I mentioned before, trying to publish a novel with a queer MC or romance through one of the big ones is really difficult for the same reason we see plenty of queer baiting in film but very few actual queer stories. Publishers are afraid that those stories won’t sell, will offend and affect sales of other books, etc, etc,

So we see the proliferation of queer stories and writers in fan fic where people are free to write whatever they want. And that’s really wonderful, imo. (But I also hope we finally see more mainstream queer stories and authors/creators as well.)

And as for tropes, honestly that was the dumbest part of the whole argument. Tropes have always and will always exist bc there’s just some things we humans love to see over and over and over again. I’m sure you could label just about any “high” art with a trope of some kind. Just bc something can be distilled into tropes doesn’t mean that’s all it is. I mean, writing programs always talk about things like “the hero’s journey” or whatever and that’s a kind of trope, too.

Anyway, I’m gonna stop before I keep rambling 😅 but yeah I think you make some really great points/additions, and I absolutely think that “all generalizations are bad” 😅😂 and trying to make a sweeping assessment like that is ridiculous.

Kind of reminds me of how much scorn “genre” fiction has gotten (think mystery novels or romance novels or sci fi, etc) because it’s “shallow.” But that has begun to change, and I do think we’re slowly seeing the attitude toward fan fic changing…. Now, if only we could chuck all the antis and their puritanical BS out the door….

[cornerstorebitch]

(previous ethics asker) good argument -- there is a difference between forced interventions and artificially limited options. (i wonder if the new abortion law doesn't blur that difference though, or somehow render it less relevant. abortion is still a medical intervention and pregnancy is not, but it's different when extra steps are taken to prevent people handling a pregnancy themselves with ecbolic teas or coat hangers. doesn't that mean, despite it not being an intervention, for anyone not prepared to live outside the law it will just as surely force a medical decision? it's categoriclly similar to the vaccine mandate; you don't have to get the vaccine technically but people need their jobs the way they need not to have the law breathing down their necks. anyway i'm with you 100% as far as inalienable rights, right to choose what happens with your own body should fall near the top of the list (privacy is the only thing which might come above it, but that's relevant to the vaccine mandate too. online charting has somehow created the concept that others' medical trends are anyone's business. people are spreading contagions every day. and when has the cdc ever kept a named national registry instead of anonymous incidence logs? there is actually no need for a competent doctor to identify a patient before treating them.)

what you've said is right (kevorkian mentioned that pressured euthanasia is simply murder) -- but i was thinking more along the lines of, doctors are not very good at their jobs since their medical knowledge is often lacking; it's also kind of a privilege to be in a position to help others; if they can't think creatively and compensate for lack of patient knowledge by clarifying, they're not fit for the field. but my mind wandered saying that; it has nothing to do with legal issues, unless what passes culturally eventually dictates what's acceptable in terms of policy, which means the system is broken anyway

"If there's a legal precedent to be cited here (which there is, but thats a different lengthy paragraph)" -- will you say more about this? please and thank you. your mind remains sharp as always and it's delightful to read what youve written

yeah i think the primary difference between SB8 and the vaccine mandate is that people are by and large choosing to comply with SB8. obviously the law exists and some people want to sue but i think the chances of anybody actually forking over 10k+ to the courts or losing their livelihood is... unlikely. maybe that sounds dismissive. but there are a hell of a lot of people seeking abortions in the state of texas so it seems patently absurd to me that abortion providers immediately tucked tail instead of deciding they couldnt catch everyone. the vaccine mandate already has caused people to lose their jobs, will continue to do so, and will probably make anyone who does not wish to be vaccinated virtually unemployable if things go like theyre looking. and it's going to be a LOT harder to fight legally than SB8 because the vaccine mandate has legal precedent supporting it and SB8 does not. the vaccine mandate is also dramatically less legally clear cut than SB8 is, which inarguably creates an unjust obstacle to accessing abortion which is considered a protected right by the supreme court.

i do agree about doctors and the medical industry. ive said this before but doctors are generally competent in the same way mechanics are generally competent. does a doctor probably know more than i do about whatever random medical issue is being discussed and have a much larger knowledge pool to pull from in general? yeah. are they after your money? also yes. are they infallible? absolutely not. but most people don't know enough about cars or medicine to argue

the strongest argument supporting the vaccine mandates is simply the fact that public schools and universities already require certain vaccines to attend. consequently, i would say it's hard to argue against requiring covid vaccinations in analogous contexts. that said, the primary reason why we require vaccines in public schools is because a room full of snotty children who don't cover their mouths in close contact is a lot more likely to spread, idk, whooping cough, than a bunch of adults working in a hospital. and that argument only applies to places that receive funding from the government, not private businesses (which iirc are not currently required to comply) which does probably include most healthcare facilities. i can't remember if HPV shots are required in schools but i would say thats a heavy argument on either side bc the HPV shots were similarly new when they began to encourage them for teenagers. anyway thats a lot of circular talking to say that the vaccine mandate does in my opinion exist in a rather large legal grey area with... related but not really directly comparable legal precedents at play as well as highly vague and highly contested constitutional arguments regarding privacy and personal liberties

thank u for the kind words

[itsclydebitches]

as a yennefer fan, her standom really baffles me because like, i 100% get why you don't like her (and i do wish the story were less invested in making everyone around her act like she's not a bitch, because she very much is and that's part of what i love about her), i am that 'she's a bitch and i love her SO MUCH' because she's a complex character without being traditionally heroic and her Sad Story doesn't make up for the fact that she's often horrible to ppl who dont deserve it, but that's-c-

Exactly! I was deep in the Hannibal fandom for a while and you’ll often see stuff like “Hannigram is goals 😍” and “Hannibal did nothing wrong!!” but it’s all tongue-in-cheek because... we know. Like, we’re well aware that he’s a serial killer cannibal slowly driving everyone around him insane. Staggeringly no one missed that lol. How messed up Hannibal is, how messed up his relationship with Will is, the complexity of how it’s nevertheless alluring and tender and fascinating in a forbidden way...that’s all the point. No one (that I’ve seen anyway) is making serious arguments about how Hannibal is just a misunderstood baby who should be forgiven for everything because of a traumatic childhood. Any similar sounding comments are just a way for fans to express their adoration for the character/show without constantly providing the disclaimer, “Yes, I know he’s a bad guy.” 

I don’t get that same sense from a lot of the Witcher fandom. Now, I’m obviously not trying to make a 1:1 comparison between Yennefer and Hannibal as characters, but rather just acknowledging that lack of understanding within one fandom when it exists in another. My experience in the Hannibal fandom was absolutely “He’s a murderous bitch and I love him so much!!” whereas with Witcher I see far more serious work - often antagonistic work - to absolve Yennefer of all crimes. Which, as you say, is not only inaccurate but devalues why a lot of people are drawn to her. Given that I myself am drawn to antagonists/morally gray/almost villains at times, I wonder if I would have been more receptive to Yennefer if my fandom experience with her had been closer to my Hannibal experience. I came in expecting to have others agree with that, “Yeah she’s awful. Isn’t it great?” reaction and instead got very serious - and at times seriously angry - arguments regarding how I just couldn’t see what she was “really” like. 

Explaining why the fandom has reacted this way would, I think, take a whole lot of research. But I suspect at least part of it stems from the continuing trend of Strong Women in fantasy media. We went from the powerless girl in the tower to the powerful woman in charge, but the simplification of Yennefer’s character is just as limiting as turning her into a damsel to be rescued. It’s the same kind of unattainable perfection, just given a badass gloss - you’re now a Queen™ instead of a princess - and both deny the character’s right to be human. The inability to admit that Yennefer has done good things and horrific things erases what makes her a strong, complex character. I’m actually thrilled to get a woman in a fantasy series that I don’t like because that means the series has depth. Women are people! You’re not going to love the personality of every person you meet on the street! But a decent chunk of the fandom is determined to “prove” Yennefer’s perfection and likewise “prove” that anyone who dislikes her is dumb at best, misogynistic at worst. Which is not only a terrible way to go about fandom-ing but undermines what makes Yennefer an engaging character in the first place. 

[crusherthedoctor]

I know it was only a small part of your comment, but personally, I think people give a little too much credit to how many opportunities the non-Sonic cast actually got to shine outside of Shadow, Silver and Blaze during the Not-DBZ era, possibly due to a nostalgia filter. They may have been playable more often than not, but that doesn't necessarily mean their inclusion in the story was always well handled, on top of their actual gameplay not always being the most fun or logical anyway.

In SA2, Knuckles' search for the Master Emerald shards is oddly isolated from the rest of the plot - aside from the one time he's not looking for them - and him using the Master Emerald to stop the A.R.K. from falling is immediately rendered pointless by the Biolizard continuing its collision course directly. Meanwhile, Amy had to wait till the very end to do something useful by talking to Shadow. (She may have freed Sonic earlier, but since Tails was the one who actually stormed through Prison Island, he could have easily done it himself. It really feels like they only let her do it because they realised she had nothing else to do.)

In Black Knight, the Knights of the Round Table may seem important given their role, but all they actually do is get beat up by Sonic, get lectured by him about nearly everything (made worse by how the narrative dictates that Sonic is always right, and they are always wrong), and like Knuckles in SA2, their biggest moment of assistance is immediately cancelled out.

Even Heroes, while not being too bad on the whole due to the inherent way the game itself is set up, kind of insults Tails and Knuckles in a way. “Wow, for the first time ever, they CANONICALLY go super!”... except no, they don't, they just get a peasant gold shield, rather than a “true” super form like the hedgehog master race. Likewise, Unleashed beat Forces to the punch in making Tails act cowardly against opponents that he could have easily taken care of. (One can argue all they want about how cowering before an unfamiliar group of monsters is more justified than cowering before Chaos 0, but this is still the same kid who faced the Egg Walker by himself and won. He could have at least tried to fight back.)

And I don't need to mention ShtH and '06. Everyone else is ultimately just a cheerleader for Shadow in the former (with Sonic himself also getting the Worf treatment), and they just kind of... exist in the latter. Much like how Seinfeld is a show about nothing, '06 has roles that give them nothing.

After SA1 - which I think did handle the overall cast relatively well - the handhelds often made the best use out of Sonic's friends. But even they weren't immune to selling them short. In Rush, they're just there to shill Sonic and go on about how great he is to Blaze, to the latter's increasing annoyance. In Battle, Amy in particular was widely flanderized (her violent side was kicked up to eleven, and she was so delusional about Sonic sharing her feelings that she hallucinates him assisting her in battle at one point), and while Cream refusing to fight could have worked if this game marked her debut, it doesn't make sense when she had already appeared and was willing to fight in prior games, even if begrudingly. And Chronicles' numerous character failings goes without saying, since Bioware understood Sonic about as well as I understand Twitter trends.

If Sonic's friends are to be used more in future games, it needs to be done correctly, and done properly. None of this half-hearted “have them all run around for a bit in the final level so that they can cheer on Sonic and Shadow while they get all the actual glory” flim-flam. They don't all need to face the final boss or have super forms or anything, but they do need to be important - actually important - in a way that even casual fans can actually care about. They should remember the characters' moments through how memorable and awesome they are on their own accord, and not because someone on Twitter or Tumblr brought it up one time.

Hey crusher what do you think would happen if sonic went full on shonen?

Basically just the SA2-’06 era turned up to eleven. For better or for worse.

Mostly for worse, if your Sonic tastes are like mine. Since I don’t like it when this unique universe made up of several inspirations is reduced to little more than Goku the Hedgehog and Vegeta the Hedgehog fighting uninteresting monsters while everyone else are varying degrees of absolutely useless.

[maneaterwithtail]

The politics are the cough. the disease is flooding to chase the trend of personal brand building. Events and confusing communities and arguably the arrangement of the direct market itself. No simplicity and lots of expense with shakeup one after the other.

And some transparently business or out of story disrupting existing (in humans versus mutants)

Starting Marvel, as an example, is harder than figuring out where to come in on the Fate series. I mention this because Comics are often compared to manga and yet however convoluted in silly may get for the most part you buy one collection, or let's not kid ourselves pirate, or wait until an animated adaptation comes out realize that it's pretty much faithful, go back to the core comic and so long as you start from the beginning you can follow to the end. Even if it's based off of a visual novel chances are everything will progress from beginning to end. It's usually when that models messed up with that something becomes destructive and difficult to follow or deal.

Unlike with manga where if you're having trouble following where to start with, like the Fate series, you can at least enjoy the latest Nasu verse offering. especially if you can turn your brain off and just engage with one example. Or if you don't want to deal with that you can just go to an entirely different property from a similar publisher that scratches a similar itch.

Like the premise of America Chavez buts I think she did it wrong? Well it's not like you can just switch over to Champions because that's a mess as well along with Miles Morales Spider-Man and ms. Marvel or spider woman.

it's expensive, patchy, filled with all sorts of weird continuity that you end up having to buy just to start. As such only the dedicated fanbase could possibly tolerate it but that also is exclusive in the sense that it's so to them with a history that it feels kind of off-putting.

I like the comicsgate comics I have heard of. I can also understand why we try to move away from that. Such as very obvious p*** tracing. And so on. Yes supposed diversity has basically led to a similar story of we're here now we're going to f*** the status quo too strongly relating to the audience or the author's pandering.

But it's not just they're going to have a trans person in an announcement. Which is a pretty major character trait I imagine that they want to talk about that or include it in the announcement.

the discontinuity does not help you build upsetting characters characterization and Circumstance. This is what I mean you're following themes story and events building to something then a new author will come in and he or she will wreck all that up so that they can go in an entirely different direction. Okay maybe you don't like the homosexual overtones of Eddie Brock and Venom. Maybe you want to stick it to all the slash shippers on Tumblr. But they've been the people who been following the comic and there's been a multi-year build up with sleeper, Eddie Brock and Venom's son.

going no now Eddy has a son he doesn't know about. oh and he was in the car that killed a child and him and Venom hate each other? Basically says f*** that other story we're going back to this story because I liked it better when I was young and I like it this way. And this kind of hostility is constant with every Changing of the Guard which can happen almost every two to three years. This keeps happening right when things are starting to get good or conclusion is reached. this undermines any death any major event or twist especially when it's in the headlines as if it's going to be meaningful

we can't even engaged in the illusion that someone has a plan charting something out when it feels like it's always fly by the seat of the pants the slightest whim can blow off the direction. We know in our conscious nothing that happens matters or at the very least when things end and we don't move on to something else then realize that there was a change but it seems seamless. Or at the very least it's a damn good seem that makes a very likeable and unique and distinct quilt. Again comparing and contrasting with manga

basically constantly ragging on the Politics as if that's what's causing the problem as opposed to Poor practices is off. yeah the customer service is definitely a no-go. But let's not kid ourselves Fanboys started it

I can straight up say that if you had a book that was straight up gay. like it starred the gay couple that once was Rescued by Captain America including his childhood hero And they were joined by the gender-bending exiled courtesan. you know those girls that always hang around in the background of Thor comics and everybody talks about winching and all that stuff? What if we actually focus on one of them and we threw in some mythological deviant queerness with the idea that men who practiced a certain form of Witchcraft had to be ladies. Now in practice this often meant anything from cross-dressing to performing ceremonies with a freaking dildo. But this is Comics so instead I can just go with the idea that after he uses magic so much he can turn or does turn into a lady. At first it's inadvertent but then he Masters the power so much that can transform into any lady. So he can go from weak little nerdy witch man to a Vanir (super durable pretty strong) or she giant.

It gets even more so when apparently he can change not just to a generic woman but any specific one. so he can literally clone an individual lady alive or dead. If she's dead you can act as a vessel for her soul so effectively while he might be booted deep within he can resurrect anyone's female loved one. Until changes back. The Twist is that while he won a beauty contest to be one of Odin's many many side pieces due to the politics and sociology of the time and the setup Odin didn't like admitting that they were both men or equals. Now the crossdressing courtesan isnt necessarily the nicest person. In fact the number one thing that characterizes him is that he hates the alpha male warrior culture or at least what he perceives of the negatives of it of Asgard. But that doesn't necessarily mean that he provides a good alternative. This will be a total retcon. not only would this make Odin effectively bisexual -although it's long since established that it seems like he's banged about so much he has had a child with everyone but his wife- but the idea that Loki and Thor grew up exposed to this weird gender-bending courtesan who tried to compete with the affections of their Queen Mother just so that that way he could get ahead and hated showing the absolute loyalty and Devotion to Asgard seeking glory in battle and death as opposed to conniving Gatling favor and trolling for booty while having to serve drinks for the Warriors that came by and were celebrated in the castle Hall.

Probably make up all sorts of relationships with other lesser-known Danny's that haven't been as much part of Marvel Thor but are important or at least well-known for the tradition. I would also shamelessly ripoff @gumon and her take on Norse mythology. With giants that just naturally produce children whether male or female. anyway ignoring all the continuity just so I could bring in the mythology that I want I would have it so that he was ultimately exiled because he got set up on a failure assignment. He got assigned to the Blue Mountain the traveling planet or set of rocks now that was the home of one of the Warriors Three the blue guy well the guy who wears blue and looks kind of like Angus Khan

The entire point of this is to get a different eye view of the Marvel Universe. What was it like to be one of those disposable pin-up girls. What is the gay population in gay culture and gay people been doing and light of the world that's been invaded from the ground been in a Perpetual fight with remnants of terrorists from World War II. And of course how they've been in for you property and making their lives and how are they responding to the fact that New York finally recognizes their marriage and of course life in the Twilight years as a gay couple that's constantly facing mortality. Also with the usual hey I'm an immortal mystical being who's having to relearn how to be human after having lived a life with a God's but neither being loyal to them nor a particular loyal to my own people. Along with the issues of the shapeshifter gender Dynamics and identity and all other sort of things. Pretty damn gay book. But I read it

Kids like imitating what they see so ripping the idea that someone's going to take some of the more iconic X-Men looks and style themselves after them when they know that their mutant doesn't seem wrong. I like the idea that we're going to open with someone who manages an online community for mutants. I like the idea of Trailblazer I like the ladies thick and I like the fact that she has a more utility power that she's going to have to work with and around hopefully being clever though that backpack does run the risk of becoming the Omnitrix and having the solution for every problem that you need.

Basically I like the children of the atom a bit more than the whole lineup of the new Warriors. I think people really should give the characters a chance so if you're turned off by yet another set of incest siblings in Marvel ya no problem or argument here.