#it just further proves the point that people don’t ACTUALLY want to learn and do better
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avichor · 2 months ago
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very weird that the rpc wants to do “better” but feels attacked when their “way” of “better” is rightfully criticized
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neiptune · 11 months ago
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i got nothing to believe unless you're choosing me
cw: 2k wc, blank blogs don't interact, hurt no comfort (ish), something is wrong and tobio can't quite put his finger on it, excuse the angst i promise i like him
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Kageyama Tobio has never been particularly skilled at picking up on social cues but he’s certainly learned how to read your cues. It doesn’t mean he knows how to properly voice his concerns.
Your shoulders are tense when he describes how the training is going in agonizingly specific detail over dinner, the inflection clothing your good morning and have a good day hasn’t been particularly warm or affectionate lately, even when his body felt heavy from muscle fatigue, as if he was trying to move through mud, but he still suggested a comfortable movie night on the couch, you refused and went to bed early because you were tired. What could be possibly tiring you?
Tobio doesn’t mean to be an asshole but knows he can easily come off as one, so he doesn’t ask. He doesn’t get annoyed when you anticipate his usual goodbye kisses by briefly pressing your lips to his cheek, doesn’t investigate further when you start suspiciously timing your morning showers just perfectly to miss the exact moment he usually heads out. You still make him breakfast and pack his lunch and reply to his texts and pick up when he calls.
But you barely touch him anymore and it’s with a heavy heart that Tobio realizes that it’s almost never him that initiates physical contact anyway. It’s easy to melt in your hands and nuzzle his face in the crook of your neck and tighten his arms around your frame once you climb on top of him or gently cradle his face or start running your fingers through his hair.
You ask questions and reply when he asks about your day, friends, family, but you don’t smile as often and when you do it doesn’t even reach your eyes. He doesn’t remember the last time he heard your laugh.
There’s a weird feeling infiltrating his heart and it sucks that Tobio only realizes something is wrong when focusing becomes increasingly hard. He doesn’t see the ball or the court just as clearly, can’t think of how to run his team’s offense, suddenly forgets all the Italian vocabulary he’s worked so hard to master.
There’s an odd emotion that clutches his chest, it’s cold and it scares him because he knows that, whatever it may be, it’s his fault. Somehow, he has disappointed you. You, of all people. The person who moved across the freaking globe to support his career, who accepted to leave family and friends and life behind out of nothing but love. Fuck. What did he do? How did he do it?
Tobio wants to ask but he doesn’t know how. And suddenly his world seems on the edge of shattering, so much that he thinks leaving you alone and giving you time to figure it out on your own isn’t exactly proving to be a successful strategy. You’re drifting away and Tobio isn’t sure you aren’t already where he cannot reach you.
The apartment you share is significantly close to the gym and it came fully furnished. Yet you insisted on adding some little personal touches, dragging him to ikea over the weekend and asking him opinions on napkins, bath mats, duvet covers, dish towels. You’ve never been one of those people who ask for someone else’s thoughts only to follow your own taste in the end and that is why he actually felt invested enough to pick things he actually liked, albeit hesitating, hyper aware of just how differently you would’ve picked. But you never once faltered as he pointed towards the less exciting, not really colorful options.
“You’re back early” is the soft greeting Tobio gets as he takes his shoes off, leaves the gym bag by the door because he knows if he’s a second too late the courage will melt away and leave him a sweaty, timid, confused coward.
“I’m not very hungry but we have some leftovers you can heat up” your eyes have only shortly darted to him before settling on the show you’re watching on tv once more.
“I was hoping we could talk” he feels a weird lump in his throat and suddenly swallowing seems hard. Is his voice coming out weird too? It feels weird. Like he’s watching the whole scene from the outside, you turning to look at him as he mechanically makes his way to the couch, sits reasonably afar from you.
You look at him with what feels a weird mix of apprehension and distress. Are you anticipating the topic? Would you have preferred to be the one to bring this all up? But just how much longer did you want him to wait, exactly?
The tv is turned off.
“Yeah. Yes, we should talk”
Tobio recalls feeling nervous a couple of times in his life, maybe the worst anxiety he’s ever felt was the one creeping onto him the night before the 2021 Tokyo olympics. But this? This feels so much worse. It’s dreadful. There’s no outcome he can predict, only one he can pray against.
“Something is wrong and I want to know what it is” he knows he’s picked the wrong words, the wrong tone, from the sigh you heave. “I mean, I feel that something isn’t right. Please tell me how to fix it” and then, much more quietly, “I miss you”.
Your eyes soften at that but, much to his horror, also fill with fresh tears.
He’s made you cry before. Out of anger, frustration, petty arguments, sharp edged comebacks. But right in this moment Tobio feels you’re about to tell him there’s nothing to fix anymore, that it’s too late. Those are the kind of tears he’s never made you shed.
“What did I do?” his uniform sticks uncomfortably to his sweaty back, he didn’t shower in order to get home as fast as he could.
“You didn’t do anything, Tobio”
Well, that’s not exactly the truth, but he didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. Nothing you haven’t been used to throughout the years spent together.
“Please. I really want to understand” it scares me he wants to add.
“This is nothing I can hold you accountable for. It’s always been like this, after all”
“What has always been like this?”
“My place in your life” you smile sadly with a slight shrug of the shoulders “I always come second. It’s fine, I know I do, really. I guess it has just been weighing extra heavy lately”
Tobio blinks once, twice, genuinely surprised and even more confused. “I love you” he articulates slowly, as if to express what should be the most obvious thing on earth “the only person I love as much as you is my sister. But it’s different, she’s family”
“I would never expect you to love me more than it” you carry on as if he never interrupted “volleyball was there first, I get it. Please know I actually get it. But it’s just… not always easy”
Tobio gets that feeling he sometimes gets when trying to fall asleep, the oh-no-I’m-plummeting-from-a-fucking-skyscraper one. His body jerks the same way, an involuntary contraction to the last words he was expecting to hear. “I don’t understand” because volleyball is different too. It’s a comparison his brain can’t process the right way. You’re the person he’s in love with, volleyball is the one thing he has dedicated his entire life to. He doesn’t dare put you both on a scale.
“I know you don’t” you reply softly, cheeks now stained with tears that put a knife through his heart “and maybe it’s on me because what else did I expect?”
“I love you” Tobio scoots closer now, takes your hands in his “I will be better at proving you how much I love you” it sounds desperate and pathetic even to him as you shake your head.
“And I love you, Tobio. But you’re just… never here. You’re either training or staying for extra trainings or on the road or playing, always playing. You forgot my birthday, which is no big deal because I know how tired you were and it’s not like it hasn’t happened before. But then you forgot our anniversary. You forget the promises you make. You don’t come home for dinner or meet me at the restaurant or pick up the groceries. You can barely keep your eyes open while I tell you about my day” he watches you choke up on your words and it’s like someone is toppling a bucket of iced water over his head. So he was right. It is his fault. But he did worse than disappointing you, he hurt you.
“I just think… I need to go home for a while. I miss my family, I miss my friends. And, well…”
“I promised we’d travel home for our anniversary” he murmurs, realization hurting his chest and twisting his insides. He tightens his hold over your hands.
“Yeah” you offer another grim smile “yeah, you did”
Tobio has no idea how to fix any of this. He just knows he might lose you forever if you step on that plane without him and the thought alone is enough to make his eyes fill with tears too. “Don’t go. Please, I’ll make arrangements, take some time off, and we can go together. I promise-” he shuts his eyes the second the word leaves his mouth, disgusted. This is what he has sounded like for the past months. He feels sick.
“I have my ticket ready. I need to go alone, I think it will do me good” your thumb travels over his uncharacteristically chapped knuckles “I might even surprise Suga at his school”
But all Tobio hears is that you’re leaving. Without him. “Don’t do this. I need you” he flinches when you free one of your hands to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye.
“I don’t think that’s true, Tobio. I think you have one priority in your life and that it’s unfair to ask everyone else to be okay with being eternal seconds”
“I don’t love it more than I love you” he bites “it’s a fucking stupid comparison. It’s a sport and you’re a person”
“Would you stop playing if I asked you to?”
He stays silent, petrified. That question also feels unfair and so unlike you. “You would never do such thing”
You chuckle but there’s no actual humor in your laugh. It’s empty and so exhausted. “You’re right, I’d never. But that still isn’t the answer I would’ve hoped to get”
“So what, if I don’t give up on my entire life it means I don’t love you enough? Is this the yardstick by which you’ll decide if you’ll break up with me or not?” he hopes he seems angry because he’s desperate more than anything else. He feels inadeguate and, for the first time, wrong for you. Like you’re a perfect match but a one-sided one. Could he ever be a match for anyone, honestly?
“But I did give up on my entire life, didn’t I?” you lean forward, press your forehead to his shoulder because looking into his pained eyes is torture “for something that now feels like the shell of what we once had. You say you miss me but I’ve been missing you for far longer, Tobio”
He aches for the way your body shakes as you try to muffle your sobs, his arms around you don’t feel nearly enough. Tobio wishes he could rip his chest cavity open and tuck you inside, right next to what’s sure is a bruised heart. Maybe then you’d believe how deeply sorry he is. Maybe then you’d feel loved once more, you’d be safe from his selfishness.
“Don’t leave me” Tobio whispers it into your neck, lips grazing your skin. He wants to be better, knows he can be better. “I wouldn’t be who I am without you”
“I don’t want to stay and end up hating this, or you. I want to shield the love I have for you and I can’t do that if I stay here. It's like I'm... fading” your voice isn’t but a murmur “you understand, right, Tobio?”
He shuts his eyes, time and space and his house and the room you’re both in cease to exist. He doesn't. But he thinks the least he can offer, at this point, is understanding.
“Yes. I do”
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mac-n-chees · 4 months ago
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man i fucking hate enji todoroki
when i say that i hate endeavor i dont mean i think he’s icky and i dont like him. i mean i dont think he deserved the forgiveness he got im so sorry. for context let’s back things up. the entire todoroki family lore is SO FUCKED UP. the whole “convenience marriage” thing? WHACK. sa-ing rei until she gave him the child he wanted? WHACK. and we don’t talk about that enough! it was rape! he didn’t care about her at all, he just wanted the perfect weapon to beat all might! and then touya’s whole deal? the fact that he was literally self destructing bc he thought he wasn’t good enough? and endeavor never made him feel good enough? he had all the right to become a villain.
and then, shoto. literally alienated him from his siblings so none of them know a single thing about him and vice versa. weaponizing him since he was a TODDLER. and saying he was “tough on him” is a SEVERE understatement, that little boy was thoroughly abused.
and then the aftermath of the whole thing with rei. he traumatized her so bad it led her to BURN HER OWN SON’S FACE. and what did he do instead of reevaluate his behavior? LOCK HER UP IN A MENTAL INSTITUTION. and not because he cared for her health, but because he didn’t want her to hurt shoto again. messed. the fuck. up.
and if yall gonna come in here and say “oh but other characters have been forgiven after their redemption arcs like zuko and regina mills” DONT YOU EVER COME IN HERE WITH THAT SHIT. their entire redemption arc revolved around them making a wrong choice that further proved to them that being good was the right way. they felt severe unease, and like it wasn’t “them”, so to speak, at being inherently “evil” so they CHOSE to convert because being “evil” was not their true selves. they made MISTAKES but learned from those mistakes BY THEMSELVES without anyone else influencing their thoughts or telling them anything. they CHOSE good because the people they cared about were good, and they wanted to be with them. they made a bad choice, yes, but the whole point of the redemption arc was that they learned from it and improved their characters. endeavor did not make a bad choice, he abused actual, living people for many, many, MANY years. it wasn’t a “bad choice” it was a deliberate decision to fulfill his stupid fucking delusions of grandeur.
how are those antiheroes different from endeavor you ask? I WILL TELL YOU. sure, he got a redemption arc, and sure he got forgiven. but did yall notice he only did an effort to do better after he became the number 1 hero? after shoto was in UA and his children were grown? after rei was locked up so she couldn’t tell anyone about what happened? after all might was no longer the symbol of peace? he only made the effort to become a better person once his OWN PERSONAL GOALS were fulfilled. he always prioritized himself. he didn’t learn shit. he’s not sorry for shit. he regrets nothing. he just wants to be perceived as the perfect #1 hero like all might was.
be fucking for real, his redemption arc was NONEXISTENT, and his children should not forgive him no matter how hard he begs. he does not deserve forgiveness. he’s a fucking abuser, rapist, and all around ASSHOLE.
if he has no haters im dead. and if i see even one endeavor ass kisser in the comments, you’re getting blocked idgaf. the fact that you think he’s hot and just because of that he earned his forgiveness will not fly here hoes idc. that man deserves to rot in hell for all he’s done, if he wasn’t (and i cannot stress the “quote unquote” part enough) “attractive” yall would be on the other side. i can’t anymore, endeavor stans gtfo.
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cerealkilleratmidnight · 1 year ago
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A few kids were gathered around in one bundle, Billy was curious as to what was going on but he wasn’t curious enough to approach the circle that was forming. Then he saw who it was in the middle of the circle, full attention on this one child. He appeared to have a cast or something. ‘Oh that must be why all of them are so interested, someone broke their arm and everyone is amazed’ Billy sighs as he moves his head from afar, trying to see the boys face to make out who it actually was. Some adult joined the gathering as they tried their best to make the kids leave him alone or something, some left as their attention was occupied with something else that was plain and boring. Now Billy could see the boys face. ‘Huh? It is Stu, when did Stu break his arm? He was fine yesterday?’ Billy looked around , waiting until the boy was alone before approaching him, he made his way over.
Stu knew him and they hang around a bit already before, but still Billy was shy. He stops as he stands in-front of Stu, Stu looking at him with his expecting eyes as he waits for Billy to say or do something. Billy moves his arm, pointing at Stu’s cast on his right forearm. Stu blinks as he looks at his cast and then where Billy is pointing at , before he speaks:
“Ooh… yeah I got a cast yesterday! I broke my arm” he says , voice chipper and unbothered. His smile wide as he moves his arm up to show off the cast to Billy.
“Pretty cool! People been drawing on it all morning and-“
Billy interrupts him as he speaks quietly, it probably wouldn’t have been heard over Stu talking but Stu reacted to it so quickly , immediately shutting up.
“Did it hurt?” Billy speaks with his quiet voice, not looking up at the boy.
Stu’s eyes wander as he musters Billy, before the smile reappears.
“No not really!” He says proudly.
Billy gives out a small huff as he stares at the cast, he hits his fist against it with a bit of force, making Stu squeal.
“Ow..” He mutters as he retracts his arm. Billy chuckles for a split second.
“So it did hurt! “ Billy says with a stronger voice than before , happy that he proved a point.
“Well yes if you hit it, it hurts! Ow…” Stu seems a bit hurt by the fact that Billy would just hit it like that. The two share some awkward silence for a while until Stu speaks again.
“Do you …want to sign it?”
Billy’s eyebrows furrow as he examines the poorly written on names and drawings on his cast. He seems to think about it before he nods. Stu takes out his sharpie as he lends it to Billy, who takes it and starts to scribble something on it. Stu is quiet as he watches Billy draw something on, a scrawly looking face. When he’s done he gives Stu back the pencil without further comment. Stu moves his arm closer so he can see what Billy drew.
“Woah you can draw! It kinda looks like that dude from that Halloween movie” he says as he smiles at Billy , who actually smiles back as he nods.
“Is it from the Movie?” Stu takes his nodding as a cue that’s Stu guessed right, even if it only was by chance (definitely did not look very much like Micheal Myers) since he watched that movie with his sister a few nights ago and had it on his mind ever since.
“Micheal Myers” the boy simply replies. Stu grins.
“I loved that movie !!” Stu exclaims.
That’s how Stu would learn the fact that Billy is obsessed with horror movies , making it his mission to watch them all behind his parents back in an attempt to get to know the quiet boy better.
I see them as being around 10 years old maybe? Had to think about it randomly so why not try and write it down, I always like writing but I never really think I’m good at it nor am I satisfied with it. There are probably so many grammar mistakes and all but still. I wish dyslexia would not exist :)
largely inspired (and the thought originally sparked) by @sharpth1ng fic Butterfly eater (hope it’s okay that I tagged you, don’t want to annoy you 🙇🏼‍♂️)
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ochrearia · 2 months ago
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Overwhelmed
Biff and YS favoritism strikes again we win these lmaoooo
The nefarious. Black and white esque thinking also strikes again but at least I can have some sort of gray area about things I think I'm good at portraying both sides making mistakes instead of writing a victim and a "bad" person. If I learned anything from my situationship last year it's that a lot of the time. Both sides are helping to create issues. Does that make sense? Idk I'm over-heating too much right now
But I've had this thought about. Biff for a little bit. Just in general of canon FNF BF has to basically prove his worth before anyone bothers to consider him and I think I resonate with that. I know it's just the plot or whatever but makes me sad in a way
BFs in this one-shot: PoPr!BF (Biff, mine), Yourself (YS)
Biff almost never had his problems get to him. The bastard was consistently upbeat and cheery for the most part, so when he suddenly wasn’t it was always sort of a panic button for YS. He didn’t like seeing his little brother like this. All… stressed and overwhelmed by something on his mind but didn’t feel like he could say.
“Just take it.” Biff sighed. “Please just take it. I’m tired of this. Stress-induced overheating. You’re constantly cold and can never make your own heat, take mine, get rid of it. You’re me. It’s still technically me solving my own issue.”
YS grimaced slightly, letting Biff slot right into his arms like second nature. Hugs from a guardian angel. Maybe if he was lucky his body would act as a heat conductor so he actually could help take it. Though he wasn’t really sure if that’s how it worked. “You’re stressed, then. Don’t you want to talk about it?”
Biff let out a hollow laugh. “No. There’s no real point anyway. I’m not exactly being all that fair anyway. I think I’m just tired of no one wanting to listen to me. When I say things. All these damn people I have to rap battle. My words mean nothing regardless unless I fight right then and there to prove myself as anything.”
“Still talking about it.” YS pointed out gently. “People do listen to you, though? Your partners? Your brothers? …Me?”
“Not always.” Biff shrugged, keeping his face hidden. “And I know it’s unfair, to want people to listen to me every time I have something I want to say. No one is required to care. It’s just me being selfish. Thinking that whatever I have to say is important anyway. Sometimes it really just isn’t and that’s my problem.”
“And you don’t bother to do anything because you think trying to bring it up won’t be listened to either.” YS finished, assuming.
“I can’t make people listen to me.” Biff frowned. “I don’t… want to make people listen to me. That’s basically what I’ve been doing this whole damn time… these rap battles. Just being louder than the other person until they have to listen. I don’t want to do that to the people I actually care about. I can be quiet. I can’t have everything I want.”
“That’s not a good mindset, little man.” YS mumbled. “I know it’s not because I think that way too. You should be honest. You can’t just hold onto everything because you think it’s better that way. You’re just going to internalize it instead. I don’t want that for you.”
“Yeah, well…” Biff trailed off, pushing further into his big brother. “Just want things to be fair… I know I don’t have any special powers or anything. But I still want to protect the ones I love. But I guess I’m not… really allowed to do that? Everyone jumps to take care of me. And I really do appreciate that. But it’s like pulling teeth, sometimes, to be even allowed to take care of… ugh, never mind, this is stupid.”
YS’s frown deepened. “It’s not stupid, man. Not communicating doesn’t solve anything. You should say something about it.”
Biff shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I know what I’m good for and what I shouldn’t bother with. I can’t have everything I wish I could. No one can.”
YS let his arms tighten around his little brother. Fuck, he was talking like how he would. Had he helped drive this idea? Maybe pointing fingers wasn’t a good idea. It wasn’t about blame. It was always going to be about helping to fix it. But Biff seemed overwhelmed, stressed and unable to really think properly. There wasn’t very much he could do with someone not willing to listen- Oh.
Right.
“It does matter.” YS insisted gently. “I know you probably won’t believe that right now. You should talk about how you feel more. I know you’ve gone through so many encounters at this point that don’t bother to let you have a say. And you’re at a point that you don’t think it even matters anymore, so you don’t even try. But you’re guaranteeing no one to listen if you don’t even try. I know it’s hard. Have a little faith in your people to realize what’s bothering you?”
Silence from his little brother.
“The cycle is just going to continue like this. You end up in a situation where someone doesn’t listen to you, or take your words as something to consider. And it hurts you. You know it hurts you. But you don’t say anything because you don’t think there’s a point, because why would they consider your words for that either? But they might. If they care about you, they will. You’re not giving them a chance to, though, by saying nothing. And I’m telling you this but now you’re not listening to me. Because you’re upset and don’t want to. It’s just going to keep repeating.”
“Yeah… I guess.” Biff mumbled. “Just… sucks. I don’t want to bring moods down or whatever. Hurts more than it should I think. I shouldn’t feel like I’m about to cry when this keeps happening, should I? That doesn’t feel normal.”
“I think you’re taking it as a rejection.” YS theorized. “Which, I guess, it could be in a way. But I highly doubt it’s on purpose when your partners do it. Or our brothers. And, well, if I’ve caused it, I’m sorry. I definitely don’t mean to do that. I know how much RSD sucks. But no one’s going to automatically know a boundary unless you set it. Which means you have to speak about it. Even if you don’t want to, for whatever reason.”
“Maybe. I don’t think I have the strength for that right now. I’ve been having a bad streak for a few days. I might be at my limit, is all. And I don’t like this stress heat either. It’s getting in the way of being able to snuggle with my partners. Because I’m too hot.”
“Well, I don’t really know if I can fix that.” YS chuckled softly. “Am I helping? Am I stealing enough of your body heat yet?”
“Still stressed.” Biff admitted. “But your hugs always make things better eventually. Can I stay?”
YS smiled down at him. “Of course. Promise you’ll talk about this later, though? I can’t fix that for you. You have to talk if you want anything to change.”
“Okay.” Biff said eventually. “Maybe not when I feel so overwhelmed, but. I’ll try.”
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comradekarin · 1 year ago
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That last ask you got here, just reminds me of the fact that while TS fandom claims to be all about feminism and women supporting women, it surely lacks intersectionality and it SHOWS and this is in great part because that’s the kind of advocacy they get from the celeb they worship, that’s why is dangerous to just pander to one kind of feminism as if everyone had an universal experience, when it couldn’t be further from the reality, we need to have those conversations we need to learn from one another and whoever has a privilege, should make good use of it to uplift those who can’t at the moment
Yup!! That’s basically the point I’m trying to hone to be honest. Again, I absolutely believe we should support female artists in the music industry, especially when they will be held to higher standards than other male artists (even in that area we can have a conversation about the dynamic race plays between male artists, too). However, it’s imperative we discuss how Taylor and her fans only use feminism to tell other people they can’t be mean to her, or critique her. Are these group of people the minority in the fan base? Maybe, sure. But should we sweep it under the rug and let it fester just because it’s the minority? No.
Do I believe the average Taylor Swift stan is normal and doesn’t hate black women? Yes. I believe there’s a lot of them who just enjoy her music and don’t feel the need to bash other black female artists in order to prove how much better Taylor is. Nonetheless, there’s still a large group of her fans who claim to support all women but will not hesitate to degrade and shut out the voices of woc making valid criticisms against Taylor. Just look at the Matty Healy situation. A white woman’s partner is exposed for making disgusting racist comments about black women, and the responses are not “this powerful rich white woman is continuing to date this man and is being complicit through her silence, which is enabling his repulsive behavior and she needs to be held accountable” but instead “we need her to stay away from this bad man!”. Yes, because the image and reputation of this white woman is more important than the dangerous rhetoric her partner is spreading about the same women she claims to support! Yes, because this white woman can have a collab with the same woman (ice spice) her boyfriend was making racist remarks about and everything is ok! Yes, because it is the white woman who is the victim here, and if you can’t see that you’re a misogynist!
Taylor’s silence during the wave of transphobia, the criminalization and banning of drag shows, the uptick of hate against black women, and so much more just makes sense when you look at the company she keeps. Didn’t her team try to sue a journalist for stating Taylor constantly toes the line with conservatives and white supremacists a few years back? Just look at the CO2 emissions drama where everyone was like “man I hate privileged white millionaires” and then she dropped an album and everyone forgot? Any critique for Taylor is met with these responses: A) Taylor isn’t the worst apple out of the bunch so why is she getting attacked like this B) Y’all would never do this to male celebrities so just say y’all hate women C) Why is Taylor blamed for the actions of other men or D) [justifying anything Taylor has done].
So, what you’re saying is correct anon. We can not talk about feminism and supporting “all women” while also trying to lump the struggles of all women into a single category. The initial Feminist movement itself excluded other women of color, it was something only meant for white women. White women have a level of privilege over other women of color, and we can’t pretend they don’t because they’re just “women, too”. White women and their fake white tears have done so much harm to marginalized communities, especially my own black community. I want this conversation to actually mean something, for it to be a moment of self reflection, for it to actually be about supporting, advocating for, and uplifting the voices of all women. I don’t want this talk of “support all women” to only be brought up when someone attacks your white fav.
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okaratauri · 5 months ago
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For the character ask: Skippy
Also, because I know you're in the fandom, how about Starflight?
YESSIRRRR OKAY
here’s the thing:
https://www.tumblr.com/okaratauri/759735234791129088/give-me-a-character?source=share
OKAYOKAYOKAY FOR SKIPPY
How I feel about this character
I RELATE TO HIM WAY TOO MUCH. He is literally me im just not as big of an asshole EXECPT TO ONE FRIEND. I am legit his Skippy and he’s Joe. 100%
Skippy’s character development/design is beautiful. He has a slow burn development that you kinda don’t notice, until you do. Just like Rodney McKay from Stargate. The parallels between Rodney McKay/John Sheppard and Skippy and Joe are all too similar. I’m convinced the author based Skip and Joe’s duo off of Sheppard and McKay. I’m also a SUCKER for the arrogant genius tropes. Skippy is my all time favorite character of all fandoms ever, which is funny bc that title had belonged to McKay which further proves my point.
All the people I ship romantically with this character
Nagatha. Those two are freaking adorable. Nagatha and Nagatha alone. Sorry doll lol
My non-romantic OTP for this character
Halloween colors oooo
okay I really like Frey and Skippy’s friendship. The way she sings with him and makes him feel wanted and not like he’s a burden to talk to? Amazing. I’m here for it 100%. Also Skippy and Tripps! I would’ve KILLED FOR TRIPPS TO SURVIVE OH MY G O D. AHHHH. Also Skippy and Friedlander is hilarious. And Skippy and Joes mom. I can see her chatting away with Skippy over tea about Joe, Skippy tryna learn more about his favorite monkey and Joes mom tryna make sure Joe is doing alright and hearing about his adventures kicking rotten kitty ass.
My unpopular opinion about this character:
Home front was amazing. Seeing as it was written by skippy. My only problem with home front was the battle cries that’s it, I bore through everything else and loved it.
One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:
I wish he actually snuck a puppy onto the ship…or had more heart to hearts with bishop…or yk…
TRIPPS SURVIVED AND THEY INTERACTED MORE??? PLEASE??? GAH. IMA KILL ALANSON. (Not really) BUT OH MY GOD 😭😭😭
OKAY NOW FOR STARFLIGHT
How I feel about this character
baby boi baby
I wanna hug him 😭😭😭 he deserved so much 💀 it’s not his fault he was born into a bunch of racist, god complex, lyin little worms! Honestly his queen reminded me of the Maxholx commander Reichert loll. Anywho I was so sad when he lost his eyes but also that’s really cool to visualize. He needs a scavenger companion.
All the people I ship romantically with this character:
I think him and Sunny are a-freaking-dorable! I haven’t read the series in a while but yeah him and Sunny I can’t change it it’s too good. Ik I haven’t branched out from canon much but sometimes canon is so good it can’t be changed.
My non-romantic OTP for this character:
Star flight and Glory. The quiet, introverted, people pleasing bookworm and the loud, sassy, bulldozer of a queen. Love it so much. Also I feel like Starflight and Cricket would be such a great duo to follow.
My unpopular opinion about this character
uhhhhhh idk lol. It’s been a long while since I read the series.
One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.
I wish he got a scavenger friend or two to help him in the library. Ik that’s it and boring but srsly it would’ve been adorable.
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bisluthq · 5 months ago
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Regarding Blake/Justin, I do think each person's history does provide some insights.
Blake got married on a plantation (and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe only Ryan has publicly apologized for it). Her defunct lifestyle website published a story called The Allure of Antebellum (https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2014/10/76178/blake-lively-preserve-antebellum-shoot). She's been in a Woody Allen movie. We just saw that interview from the Woody Allen promo cycle were she was rude to the interviewer. If it was a one time thing it could maybe be excused as her having a bad day, but then we have this interview from a few days ago were she gave a very tone-deaf borderline rude answer about people possibly wanting to talk to her about their experience with DV. And as we know she is using this promo cycle to promote her haircare brand etc.
Also, there was rumored beef with Leighton on GG, there was rumored beef with Anna Kendrick on A Simple Favor, and now there is beef with Justin. At some point it becomes a pattern...
I'm not saying she is evil, but at the very least she is very ignorant and self-centered, and not nearly as nice and wholesome as her public persona would have us believe.
When it comes to Justin, I don't know the guy so maybe something comes out tomorrow that proves me wrong, but he's been focusing on deconstructing toxic masculinity for years (his very famous Ted Talk, video series, podcast, books). And he hasn't shied away from leading by example by talking about his issue with body dismorphia or having struggled with a porn addiction. His previous movies were basically about people living with illnesses, to being awareness to those topics. And he seems to have maintained good connections with his past cast members (including Sabrina).
He's also been involved in charitable efforts for a long time (like Skid Row Carnival of Love). And he is actually promoting this movie as a movie about DV.
Was his decision to adapt that book a mistake? I haven't read it, but from what I've heard about it, probably. But based on what is known about him publicly (as I said, I don't know him so I have no idea what happens behind closed doors) he does seem to be a pretty wholesome guy generally.
I mostly agree with what you’re saying with one big caveat: Blake and Ryan apologized together. They issued a joint statement and then he elaborated on it further in an interview and said “we” so I don’t think it’s fair to say she didn’t apologize. We can say it’s a bit weird and says a lot about their dynamic that he seems to do most of the talking for them both, but all that’s giving is trad relationship and he’s the bigger star and stuff lol. I think they both should’ve known better and DONE better but I also don’t get the sense that Ryan’s off apologizing for that and feeling bad while learning how to be a better person and Blake just dgaf. I think they both did genuinely feel a bit bad about it but I don’t think either has taken like a class on race relations or anything. I think if Ryan cared more about this kind of thing, he’d be… making sure he’s producing works by marginalized creators and using his platform to broadcast marginalized voices/scripts that would struggle to get made and casting marginalized performers. He doesn’t do that. So like… yea. I’m not into even subtly implying he’s “better” than her, especially since he seems to control a lot of her life.
Re her and leighton, multiple people have said it was less of a feud and more that they just weren’t friends. They were colleagues. CW wanted to promote them as irl besties because CW loved that kind of promo - everyone was meant to be besties or dating off screen and they had clauses that made it difficult to publicly date anyone not on the network like that was an actual thing they did - and blake and leighton never fucking were besties off screen but that doesn’t mean they full on Kim Cattrall x SJP hated each other.
I do agree that she’s ignorant and self-centered and super fucking privileged and tone deaf, and I think her husband makes most of her decisions for her and kinda runs her life lol but obviously she could change that if she wanted, so that’s her choice.
Justin seems like a decent enough guy, just not imo as smart as he thinks he is, but also not as stupid as I thought and he’s about to give those two a serious run for their money in terms of public perception like… as he should.
Blake and Ryan are def not as wholesome as some people online like to act and re Justin obv we don’t know but he doesn’t appear to be a Disney villain (or even like idk Hollywood high on power levels of shitty - that seems more Ryan).
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adamwatchesmovies · 9 months ago
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Wanted (2008)
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If Wanted is your favorite film, it might be because you’re the kind of person who dreams of shooting up a school. You think I’m exaggerating. “Come on Adam; sure this film might glorify violence and gunplay, but don’t most action movies?” Yes, but Wanted takes it a step further. The film has such a hard-on for firearms and is so mean-spirited its nastiness will be obvious to everyone. Or it would be if it weren’t drowned out by an idiotic plot with no identity of its own, Maxim Magazine-like titillation, and admittedly dynamic action scenes.
Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is a nobody loser. He has no money, no future or aspirations and worst of all, no will to do anything about it. Everything changes when he crosses paths with Fox (Angelina Jolie). She reveals to him his identity as a member of The Fraternity and the son of the world’s greatest assassin. His crippling panic attacks are actually superhuman killer instincts trying to break out. Daddy’s been murdered and only Wesley can avenge him. Leaving his cheating bitch of a girlfriend, his crummy job and the boss he hates behind, he begins training and prepares to take his revenge.
I am not a fan of the comic book that inspired Wanted. While I admire writer Mark Millar’s vision of a world secretly ruled by supervillains - actual supervillains who gleefully indulge in crimes even the most evil and demented monsters our history has ever produced could dream of - six issues about a rapist who does nothing but shoot innocent people in the face and then laugh about it loses its appeal pretty quickly. In theory, this means I should like the softened-up movie more than the mini-series… but I don’t. Gone are the costumes, the references to well-known works and the amorality of the protagonist. This film has so little in common with its progenitor it’s almost unrecognizable. Instead, it’s a rather by-the-book leather-clad gun-wielding assassin movie… until it becomes so dumb you can’t believe it was written by adults.
To its credit, the film firmly establishes itself as taking place in a world that's not ours. Guns can shoot around their targets if the wielder swings their arm the right way. The chases and stunts prove Wesley and the other members of The Fraternity are indeed the world’s greatest killers. The climax is an orgy of mayhem and bullet holes so well done it makes you forget everything you hated about this movie, if only briefly. Say what you will about Wanted, but it's not boring.
While Wanted may seem like nothing but harmless escapist fantasy, certain aspects make it more than a little distressing. When we meet Wesley, his life belongs at the bottom of the trash can. His girlfriend is having an affair with his best friend so he’s got no friends and no sex life. His boss, an overweight woman (Lorna Scott) has no redeeming qualities (they couldn’t make her just overweight or unbearable, she had to be both). His mother is unimportant and Wesley doesn't know his father. Everything changes when he picks up a gun. Suddenly, Wesley’s looking up Angelina Jolie’s skirt, he’s got millions in the bank, he’s respected, and he’s saving the world… by killing people in ways no one else could. The better he gets at killing, the more fortunes are heaped onto his lap. Even when he loses everything, he has learned to kill and that makes his existence better than ours. He breaks the fourth wall to tell us so.
Perhaps I’m looking too deeply into the importance of the gun in Wanted. I’m sure you’ll nonetheless grant me that this whole Fraternity thing is pretty dumb. Mr. Sloan (Morgan Freeman) interprets the “Loom of Fate”, which weaves a fabric that - once in a while - contains errors. If a strand is misplaced in this way, it’s a 0. In another way, it’s a 1. Through this binary system, the Fraternity has been finding targets for 1,000 years. You read that correctly. At some point in history, some bored weaver looked at a piece of cloth through a microscope, decided - for yucks - to write down the errors in the fabric and realized it could tell us who would turn out to be evil. Wesley just accepts this without batting an eye. Now, when Mr. Sloan is revealed to be corrupt and we learn he’s been lying to our protagonist the whole time, you might think the whole thing’s been made up, but no. In fact, he’s something that’ll bake your noodle: At one point, Fox is assigned to kill Wesley because he will cause the death of thousands… and he does. In his quest for vengeance, Wesley causes a train full of innocent people to derail and fall down the deepest canyon you’ve ever seen. Every single person on that train except for him and Fox dies. Of course, our lead character is too self-obsessed to even think about that tragedy.
Wanted might have some stylish elements in that “curving the bullet" thing and this might also make it memorable in a way, but once you start thinking about this movie, it becomes more than a little uncomfortable. Not helping is the supremely unlikable protagonist. Wanted barely even makes an attempt to emulate the work that inspired it. Some people might say that's a bad thing. Some might not. It just means any way you look at it, this film is dreadful. (June 24, 2022)
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hoperays-song · 2 years ago
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Johnny’s Fight Scene
***Potential TW: mentions of past injuries, abuse (just say the word once), fighting, and questionable fighting tactics.***
For those of you who might not know, I was in martial arts for several years growing up. In fact that’s where I met my girlfriend! I was in the class for numerous hours a week for over five years, so the things I learned there definitely stuck with me. 
And one of those things that I learned immediately jumped out at me as I was rewatching Sing 2 with said girlfriend and their younger brother who was in the class with us. Johnny appears to use a mental method of losing your inhibitions during a fight, something we called flipping the switch, in his fight with Klaus.
Now, this technique is kind of odd to describe. It involves you essentially shutting off all your thoughts and switching into fight or flight mode (we were trained to go immediately into the fight aspect). You stop thinking. Your mind goes blank. All that matters is getting out of this situation and giving your attacker as much hell as they just gave you.
And when I say you stop thinking, I do literally mean that. I once broke a bone during sparring with someone who had “flipped the switch” (that was not the other student’s fault but our teacher’s, I should not have been allowed to fight). And the person who did that? Amazingly sweet guy. Literally like a big brother to almost everyone. Which just shows that this flipping of a switch method is extremely effective since it bases itself off people’s survival instincts. 
Now, why would I and my family think that that is what Johnny did during his Sing 2 fight? Because it’s Johnny. We’ve seen this kid trapped in a flooding building, was in a room with angry gang members who seemed pretty chill with murder, at active bank heists, and run from people who want him dead. And yes, he did break his skateboard out of frustration after weeks of literal abuse, but we also see him immediately regret that action. In no other scenario do we see him act on a fight instinct. Ever. Hell, even that skateboard scene started with him running away from what was happening. Johnny’s first instinct isn’t to fight, it’s to run. 
So why would this suddenly change? Why would the kid who had been solely on the defensive the entirety of the fight before that point just change to extremely offensive in a second? Well, we know that Johnny likely is trained to fight. His father boxes for fun, and every other member of his family has proved themselves to be extremely good at fighting as well (to the point they can easily take out professional bodyguards). And despite it being a very poor excuse for a gang, Johnny was still in a gang. He knows how to protect himself. And judging by his reaction to being told he has a fight scene, not only is he likely good at it, but he enjoys it.
But the point stands that he didn’t fight back until he looked back up towards the others. Which actually just further proves to me that he used the “flip the switch” method. That technique is harder for some people to learn than others, especially if they don’t like hurting people or are worried about hurting people. That anxiety can cause someone to not fight back in dangerous situations as it essentially stops that survival instinct I was talking about earlier. 
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To get around this in training, our teacher would either physically place one of the younger kids a few feet behind us or tell us that they were in danger (though that was typically after the physical method had been used several times), trying to get protective instincts to come into play. And speaking as someone who had to be told this a ton as I don’t like hurting people, it works insanely well. Like scarily so. And I imagine it would work for Johnny too. We see just how family oriented this kid is. His dad and uncles are extremely important to him. His theatre family is extremely important to him. He cares a lot about them. He’s willing to do just about anything for them, no hesitation.
And if he was to tell himself during a fight that he had to protect them, that they were in danger, it’s likely that flipping of a switch would be pretty much instinctual (think of all those references to (insert family member)’s love being a powerful force to be reckoned with).
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However, it is important to point out that Johnny was still restraining himself during that fight scene. We see Johnny throughout both movies perform acts of pretty extreme strength (ie. lifting giant slabs of concrete with a basic pulley in Sing 1). The fact that the most destruction he causes during that scene is the breaking of his opponents staff shows the restraint that Johnny was using, despite being in a defensive mindset. 
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This does speak more on Johnny’s character than anything, as he was able to disarm his opponent in a hyperfocused state, especially since he still has to blink himself out of it at the end and be surprised when the scene was over. He genuinely forgot what was going on and was focused on protecting himself and his loved ones. He forgot he was performing. And yet he still managed to avoid seriously harming his opponent. 
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That amount of control is insanely hard to come by. It takes years and years of training (the shortest amount of time I saw was 4 years) to be in a flip the switch mindset and still be able to subconsciously access the situation. Johnny is a skilled fighter for sure, with an insane amount of control in his techniques.
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TLDR Conclusion: 
Johnny used a trick taught in some martial arts classes called “flipping the switch” which involves tapping into a person's survival instincts and essentially only focusing on getting away from/hurting your attacker back during his Sing 2 performance. This shows how skilled he is as it is extremely hard to do damage control subconsciously (ie. Johnny not actually hurting his opponent and only breaking the staff), and that he was likely trained in self defense for years.
TLDR Evidence:
- The look back at family and friends is often used to get your brain into a protective mindset.
- Flipping the switch involves instantly going onto the offensive, which we see Johnny do after behaving purely defensively in the past.
- Johnny would likely know this trick as we know he at least knows how to fight.
- The fact he seems surprised at the audience at the end of his scene is similar to what it’s like coming out of a “flip the switch’ mindset, you’re shocked by reality or where you are.
- Johnny is very protective of loved ones, as seen with him helping Mrs Crawly and Rosita during the escape, as well as never turning in his family to the police despite not agreeing with the gang.
- Johnny’s typical first reaction in dangerous situations is flight (as seen by him running from the classroom before), so the sudden switch would have to have some motivation behind it.
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myinterestsvary-writes · 2 years ago
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The Beach episode
Tamaki is sexist…
specifically in the way he treats Haruhi that he grows out of, which can be explained by the fact that girls his age - whom he is notoriously popular with - fit the way he idealizes and wants Haruhi to be as
…but I specifically remember watching Haruhi coming out of nowhere and redirecting their antagonism towards her and immediately thought as a little girl, “what are you doing by yourself like this?! Are you crazy?! You’re so small…plus you’re a girl against three men.” for real, THEN feeling further validation from what Tamaki had to say. That helped grow my admiration for Haruhi while reaffirming my stances on gender roles and heroism through seeing both sides, I.e Tamaki’s and the boys’ side of things. You can be a hero no matter your gender but you can also be smart about it no matter your gender (and I also thought Haruhi wasn’t being smart about it *cough* and I still do *cough cough*). You don’t have to care about gender while simultaneously acknowledge that not everyone thinks that way too. I’ve internalized this message so strongly up to this point in my life, it helps me not be selective in my understanding and usage of gender roles to my advantage and allowed introspection.
Haruhi was a boy to those offenders, so they attacked her as a guy (punching her in the manga) by pushing her into the ocean after berating her and not sexually harassing her like they did the girls. There’s not a doubt in my mind however that they wouldn’t have acted the same had they discovered Haruhi’s actual gender.
I don’t believe in victim blaming but I do think people need to take accountability somewhat for the choices they make that sometimes lead them to becoming vulnerable and harmed, that way things can be prevented or prevented from happening again. May sound synonymous to victim blaming to you, but I’m just not interested in woobifying anyone. It’s more disrespectful than victim blaming in the right circumstances. As in this one, not the bedroom scene I ain’t touching on because that’s pretty clear as an message for me as well but like…
Although I now believe Tamaki worded what he said poorly, I understood his intentions which I valued more than kind of weird imo interpretations of him saying, “you’re weak because you’re a girl!”. That just further proves my point of thinking this to just be poorly written, than anything, because Tamaki respects women in his own way that most women in his life adores (and if not then he adapts to them as individuals as a respectable person should) and holds no contempt for them in general. The message here in my eyes is that to others you’re more so viewed as weak because you’re a girl on average, because really, it’s kind of true. Gender does still matter, being trans surely does NOT erase that notion. Being GNC though, sure, but there’s still a ways to go in my opinion before there’s complete respect for that logical as shit perspective on things. Being outnumbered and being outmatched more than likely because you’re a girl against a guy, much less three matters because it is reality. Matters a little bit, just a little bit less so when you’re a guy because guys on average are stronger but no matter what the situation will be dangerous to take on alone. To say Haruhi shouldn’t have learned anything from what she did is a bit ridiculous to me, you have friends and family for a reason.
But I also get her point, “in a situation like that, you don’t have time to think.” And she’s right, which is why that kind of situation was inevitable for her to be in for me. It says a lot of good about her character, as we all know.
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floatingcatacombs · 1 year ago
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Trying to Talk about Touhou
12 Days of Aniblogging 2023, Day 9
This is the year that something finally clicked. I went from getting a game over halfway through any given Touhou game to racking up Normal one-credit clears in Touhou 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 17. It’s a journey that’s required self-restraint so I don’t destroy my hands (see my Caves of Qud post), but I’ve gotten to a point where I can try out a new Touhou and largely intuit what that particular game is putting down without bashing my head against the first few stages for days. It’s a really nice sweet-spot to be in, even if it took years of on-and-off play since 2016 to achieve.
I’m not in a position to give hot bullet dodging tips or anything (you’ll have to turn to John Madden for that), but maybe I can share some scattered views on these games I’ve come to love.
A lot of advice given to new players boils down to either “don’t bomb too much, you’ll lose valuable practice” or “you can bomb, it’s fine”. But my biggest roadblock was actually sticking to one game for years instead of trying out a bunch in that time. Practicing the same spell cards over and over helps you progress much further through one game than your skills would otherwise allow, but I don’t think you’ll learn as much overall! Because even though all the games look very similar from the outside, Touhou is an exercise in constant experimentation between releases.
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ZUN is never content to rest on his laurels for too long, always going back to the drawing board and making minor adjustments to the Touhou formula that carry far-reaching implications. For example, Mountain of Faith may be one of the mechanically simpler games, but changing the bombing system from fixed quantities to bombs that lower the player’s shot power has a ton of knock-on effects! It makes bombing during the stages far more viable, and lets the player bomb through spell cards with confidence if they know they’re going to be regaining that power afterwards. This makes Mountain of Faith one of the breezier entries in the series, but only if the player is comfortable with bombing that much. The people who want to prove themselves by capturing as many spellcards as possible will continue to do that and face a moderate challenge. The next Touhou game, Subterranean Animism, uses an identical system, except bombing removes 25% more power from the player, and bosses drop fewer power items after each phase. These little tweaks flip the equation on its head entirely, as bombing even once will leave you noticeably weaker for the rest of the fight. You can’t bomb proactively anymore, but it’s still absolutely worth it when the alternative is dying. It makes these games feel extremely different from one another, and not being able to play them in the same way means you'll have to gain some flexibility.
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The method through which you earn extra lives is also in constant flux. ZUN’s thrown every idea at the wall, from score thresholds to collectible UFOs to grazing lots of bullets to just being able to buy them at the metaprogression store. The problem is that no matter the method, it’s going to be gamed by better players and underutilized by novices. That’s why I’ve gradually come around to Subterranean Animism’s system, even though it’s one of the most frustrating at first. It’s absolutely brutal for new players but rewards the right behavior – surviving by any means necessary. For every segment of a boss fight that you make it through without getting hit, regardless of whether or not you bombed, you’re rewarded with a fifth of an extra life. This snowballs both ways. If you’re getting hit a lot in early stages, you’re not going to be receiving any extra support at all, but if you can survive everything thrown at you, you’ll be rewarded with more extra life opportunities than in nearly any other Touhou. My winning run of Subterranean Animism had me get through the first four stages without dying and then break even on Stage 5, letting me face the final boss with eight lives. As mentioned earlier, SA is extremely stringent on bombs, forcing you to learn patterns to a painful degree, but my god did finally capturing all of Satori and Rin’s spells and fumbling through Utsuho’s feel good. After two years of practice, it’s definitely my favorite of the games, and the clear that I’m the most proud of.
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top 10 spell card name btw
So switching between games is a great way to pick up general skills and it’s cool to watch ZUN’s gamedev iteration cycle, especially if you’re playing somewhat chronologically. The only challenge is having to learn to allow seven or so girls into your heart at a time. Touhou characters are like Pokemon in that whenever there’s another installment, all of the new ones feel kind of fake for a bit and the part of your brain that keeps track of all these creatures needs time to really integrate them. Maybe this is just a me problem. Eventually though, they are friends all the same. Also, you will learn to love the character portraits. Every era. Give it time.
The early Windows games have most of the classic characters and generally play on the easier side, so maybe start with one of those if you’re interested? Touhou 8 (Imperishable Night) is often recommended as a starting point, and is regarded as one of the easier installments, but the one-off gameplay systems are as numerous as they are ridiculous. Time of night, human/youkai meter, minions, alternate stages, Last Spells - it’s chaos. Also, any plot involving the moon is bound to be truly convoluted, even by Touhou standards. Play 7 or 10 instead (or be like me and start with 6 (definitely use the hitbox patch tho)).
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JUST DON'T PLAY LEGACY OF LUNATIC KINGDOM BECAUSE YOU'LL FALL IN LOVE WITH THE MUSIC AND WANT TO KEEP GOING BACK BUT THE GAME WILL BE EXCEEDINGLY FRUSTRATING EVEN IF A LOT OF THE IDEAS ZUN IS TRYING OUT ARE REALLY COOL (i will not be clearing this one ever probably)
I’m glad ZUN is thoughtfully experimenting with trends from other genres such as metaprogression and checkpointing with infinite lives in his more recent games. The non-numbered side games in particular provide a space for him to further mess around. My personal favorites are 100th Black Market, which recontextualizes the roguelike shop from the previous game while acting as a great practice tool, and Fairy Wars, which is stupid fun.
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In conclusion, Touhou demonstrates through its excellency that the ideal skill hierarchy for solo gamedev polymaths is music > gameplay > writing > art. See also: Toby Fox.
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y0noirs · 2 years ago
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youve heard of “i have a new favorite buddy daddies episode” now get ready for “i have a new LEAST favorite buddy daddies episode” // buddy daddies ep 11 spoilers
as i was watching ep 11 the things i kept repeating as i watched were “WHAT?”, “????????”, “this is not fucking happening”, and “oh my fucking god”
needless to say i’m REALLY unsatisfied with the choice to kill misaki off ): i’m 100% not impressed at all whatsoever. i don’t think it was a good or sensible choice, even for the tragedy points. it left a bad taste in my mouth and it really sort of bothered me for the rest of the episode. there was nothing other than annoyance and dissatsifcation with the way she dropped dead.
is that the point? maybe. to which i say: that’s not cool, dude! i don’t think i will be satisfied with this result no matter what!
buddy daddies has had REALLY GOOD story beats so far. much of the writing, i was cool with! i really liked buddy daddies for the refreshing writing it had with this sort of concept. however, killing misaki off right after she had shown just how much she tried to change for miri, just how desperately she wanted to give miri everything, just how much she wanted to do for miri is so wasteful. not to mention, killing off a single mother who tried her best to change and did leaves a really bad taste in my mouth.
was she the most righteous character? no. you could even say that her attempt to change even after all the neglect she put miri through is a little tasteless. not a lot of people like her, and it makes sense because she didn’t treat her daughter all that well, only to come back for her. but she’s a much deeper character than the surface hypocrisy that she displays. she was dealt a terrible hand. she was unlucky and, while she may have perpetuated her unfortunate situation, there’s no changing that she is a victim. and not every victim plays out to be someone who can be admirable or likable. the point is, though, that despite everything, misaki proved that she wanted to be miri’s mother. and that she really did try her best to be a good mother towards the end.
(fuck i hate saying that! “towards the end” is so stupid!)
i, for one, actually really like misaki’s character. i don’t like what she’s done, but she’s a very well-written and complex character. she’s supposed to be this parallel to kazuki, which was clear from their confrontation in ep 3. that’s really neat IMO! the two of them contrasted each other well, especially with how they learned to be the best parent for the same child.
but killing her off? it just seemed like a waste. i don’t feel like there’s a way to justify that choice that will satisfy me. revenge will not make it any better for me, nor will some other choice. i have no idea what they’ll do for the last episode, but i don’t feel like the conclusion will be satisfying for misaki at all. i hope they prove me wrong, but i’m not particularly that hopeful.
would it have been hard to fit her into miri's life if kazuki and rei managed to fix everything? sure. it would've been hard, but it would've been worth it. miri's happiness includes her mother, too. especially her mother who tried her best despite the bad hand she was given. just 'cause it's hard doesn't mean it's wrong.
anyway, what else? that confrontation between kazuki and rei! if there’s anything to be satisfied with in this episode, it’s probably definitely that. the contrast between kazuki wanting to pull away from miri’s life to keep her safe vs rei wanting to continue their family was really great! it flipped their dynamic on its head!
i’m always here for rei growth, ok? the way the last few episodes were about rei’s growth (ep 8 + 9) was really good for what ep 11 did to cement that character growth! and seeing that resolve become what it is now - the determination to give miri the happiness she deserves for bringing warmth into his life - is really so good to me.
and kazuki’s complexity is shown further in here. he just watched misaki die (FML!), possibly even blaming himself for it. at this point he brought BOTH of miri’s biological parents to their deaths. that’s not something that someone as soft-hearted and family oriented as kazuki can take. from this point onward, he has to cut ties with miri so that he doesn’t take any other part of her - or worse, have her taken away from him. in his eyes, nothing has changed at all. he can’t do anything but bring misery to everyone around him, exactly as misaki had once told him. wow! ouch man!
but thankfully rei can convince him. rei, who is now determined to follow through with his resolve. rei who desperately wants to keep the warmth and happiness he’s been shown by this little family of theirs. he can’t achieve that warmth and happiness alone. kazuki was part of that happiness, so he’ll do his goddamned best to to convince him that they can change - for the child who brought that happiness into their lives.
there’s a thousand things i could say about their confrontation, but there’s so many other people who are also talking about it and i don’t want to rehash everything since i agree LOL but i just ... i really liked that flashback sequence, too. “we can change” and kazuki thinks about meeting yuzuko and losing her. he thinks about meeting miri. “this time, we’ll make miri happy” and he thinks about karin’s faith in him to make miri happy. yes you can, kazuki!!! yes you can!!!!!! because when has rei wanted something this badly before? if he’s by your side, if your efforts are combined, can’t you achieve that impossible dream??
it’s not bad for both of them to need each other. it’s not bad for all three of them to need each other. altogether, their little family makes all of them happy.
but mark my words, PAworks. i care more about miri’s happiness than you do GRAHH misaki’s alive in my canon ok
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natedogx15 · 2 years ago
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Miraculous Descendent Chapter 29: A Flamboyant Scent
Previous Chapter
Ladybug and Cat Noir run to each other to group up.
"Good job getting everyone out of here." Ladybug tells Cat Noir with a smile.
"Thanks, I'm glad you came here. So, what's the plan?" Cat Noir asks his partner as Princess Fragrance starts to recover from Ladybug's sneak attack.
Ladybug thinks about what she can turn into for a minute before an idea comes to mind after remembering Mrs. Mendeleiev's lesson.
"Yeah, I think I know what I can turn into without using the Lucky Charm this time. However, it's going to be pretty destructive." Ladybug tells him while winching as she thinks about part of the hotel being blown up or on fire.
"I mean, your last power fixes everything, right? So, I think it'll be safe to use here." Cat Noir tells her before remembering the civilians.
"I can try to lead the ones mind controlled away if that's what you're worried about." Cat Noir tells her.
Ladybug nods thankfully toward him with a smile.
"Thanks, that'll definitely help me a lot." She tells him.
Cat Noir looks at Princess Fragrance as she finally recovers and shouts.
"Hey, Princess Fragrance, it must be hard having to control people to make them like you!" Cat Noir yells at her, causing Princess Fragrance to get angry.
"How dare you? I can get people to like me without my perfume!" Princess Fragrance shouts at him indignantly.
"Oh, then why don't you prove it, release them from your spell, and try to make them still fight for you." Cat Noir orders while pointing at the girl.
Princess Fragrance was about to accept his proposal, but Hawkmoth quickly stopped her.
"Don't do it, Princess Fragrance. If you do, you'll be fighting both of them alone. They don't want to harm the ones you control, and that's why they're trying to make you give up your control." Hawkmoth warns her sternly.
Princess Fragrance grits her teeth and looks like she's debating with herself about what to do. The heroes are tense and have been ever since they saw the butterfly outline appear over her face. After a few seconds, Princess Fragrance accepts Hawkmoth's words, albeit reluctantly, and says.
"My subjects, attack that rebellious animal for what he said to your princess and make him pay for getting in our way." Princess Fragrance orders her minions while angrily pointing at Cat Noir.
The mob charge at Cat Noir, who quickly looks at Ladybug.
"Good luck!" He shouts before running for a stairwell with the mob chasing after him.
Princess Fragrance glares at Ladybug, who decides to try and appeal to the person under the magic.
"Rose, I know you don't want to do this. Please try and fight Hawkmoth's control." Ladybug begs the girl with pleading eyes.
"There is no Rose. There is only Princess Fragrance." Princess Fragrance tells her as she aims her perfume gun at Ladybug and fires.
Ladybug dives out of the way and immediately shouts.
"Seamstress!"
Magic glows around her, and she changes into her sunny seams costume. Princess Fragrance shoots another blast of perfume, but Ladybug throws a fireball at the attack and causes it to explode. The force of the explosions scorches the area covered in gas and blasts them both backward slightly. Ladybug manages to stay standing, but Princess Fragrance falls to the ground. Princess Fragrance quickly sits up with a shocked expression and shouts.
"What was that?!"
Ladybug smirks at her.
"Oh, just something I recently picked up with my flames." Ladybug tells her, purposely not saying where she actually learned it.
Princess Fragrance glares at her while Hawkmoth sighs in annoyance.
"Looks like this may be another failure. However, I'll let it play out this time." Hawkmoth mutters as he watches the battle between Princess Fragrance and Ladybug.
Princess Fragrance continues to glare at Ladybug before remembering her original goal.
"My prince!" She shouts in alarm when she remembers that Prince Ali and the others escaped and are probably getting further away from her as she wastes time here.
She tries to fly out the window, using her perfume to propel herself, to chase after the prince before he can gain any more distance between them. However, this plan doesn't go as well as she hopes since it has her back face, Ladybug.
Ladybug fires another fireball at her and hits Princess Fragrance in the back, causing her to crash into the streets from several stories. Ladybug sees this and winches before materializing her wings and worriedly flying toward Princess Fragrance.
"Are you okay, Rose!" Ladybug shouts at the girl in worry as she flies above where Princess Fragrance crashed.
Princess Fragrance shakily starts to get up, much to Ladybug's relief, while glaring at Ladybug angrily for what she did.
"How dare you attack me like that!" She shouts at Ladybug.
"Sorry, it was a reflex when I saw that you had your back turned to me. I think I'm starting to adapt to this lifestyle." Ladybug tells her apologetically while rubbing the back of her head.
Princess Fragrance grits her teeth at Ladybug and her words before shouting.
"Why are you getting in my way?! All I want to do is meet Prince Ali and become his friend! Maybe we'll be more one day!" Princess Fragrance shouts, her face showing signs of being deranged.
Ladybug sees this and can't help but grow more worried for the girl. She knew Rose was excitable and imaginative, but this was on a different level.
"Rose, please try and calm down. You have to fight Hawkmoth and remember who you are." Ladybug tells Princess Fragrance, once again trying to appeal to the person under Hawkmoth's spell.
Her words didn't seem to go through, though. Instead, Princess Fragrance stares at Ladybug with eyes full of firey rage.
"I already told you. My name is Princess Fragrance, and I don't have to rely on anyone else to let someone know of my feelings for them! Unlike the weakling before!" Princess Fragrance shouts at the hero.
She aims her perfume gun at Ladybug and fires more streams of perfume to try and hit the hero and get her under her control. However, Ladybug is able to weave through and avoid all of them, much to Princess Fragrance's frustration.
"Hold still so I can hit you!" She shouts at Ladybug in anger as she continues to fire.
"Sorry, but no." Ladybug tells Rose while dodging the attacks.
Ladybug flies higher in the air to make it take longer for the shots to reach her and looks down at Rose from a fair distance over her. Princess Fragrance glares up at her and decides to change tactics by propelling herself towards Ladybug to try and get close to her. However, her plan doesn't work out the way she wants.
The reason for her plan's failure is the difference between how Ladybug and Princess Fragrance fly. Princess Fragrance can propel herself forward using her perfume. However, this approach doesn't give her a lot of versatile maneuverability while flying. Plus, she can't attack and fly simultaneously unless she manages to overtake Ladybug with speed and have Ladybug inhale the perfume she uses to propel herself. Ladybug, on the other hand, has wings like a bird that let them move quickly and easily maneuver while in the air. This is proven by her ability to dodge Princess Fragrance's attacks while flying. Unlike a bird, however, Ladybug's wings are attached to her back like her namesake and are made of fire like a phoenix's. With these wings and her ability to generate fire, she can maneuver in the air and attack at once with little to no difficulty.
When Princess Fragrance tries her plan of charging toward Ladybug while propelling herself in the air with her perfume, Ladybug quickly flies to the side to get out of her way. Princess Fragrance tries to chase after her but continues to propel herself forward as she turns. This gives Ladybug a chance to attack. She throws a fireball at Princess Fragrance, aiming for the perfume bottle she thinks contains the butterfly but misses. She throws more, and one manages to hit Princess Fragrance herself instead of the perfume gun. The attack causes Princess Fragrance to once again crash into the pavement. Making Ladybug winch when she sees it happen.
"I have got to work on my aim." Ladybug mutters, feeling bad for making Rose crash from high up, not once but twice.
Princess Fragrance stands back up and glares upwards at Ladybug angrily for not only getting in her way but also causing her to crash into the pavement again. Despite basically having magic armor, Akumas could still feel pain from attacks or falling.
"Can you please just give me the perfume? So I don't accidentally make you hit the pavement again!" Ladybug once again requests surrender. So she doesn't have to hit Princess Fragrance anymore.
"Never!" Princess Fragrance shouts up at her.
Ladybug was getting annoyed at this point. She sighs before muttering to herself.
"Sorry, Rose. I'll need to get a little rough with you here."
She dive bombs toward Princess Fragrance with incredible speed, which only increases as she descends towards Princess Fragrance. However, the increase in velocity isn't the only thing happening as Ladybug dives toward Princess Fragrance. Fire surrounds her body, and she looks like a meteor chunk that survives breaking through the atmosphere.
Princess Fragrance looks up at this in absolute horror. She tries shooting her perfume at the incoming attack. However, it instantly ignites when it hits Ladybug's cover of fire, and the explosion caused by its igniting doesn't seem to slow Ladybug down either.
Ladybug rams into Princess Fragrance from above, causing a giant dust cloud upon impact. When the dust clears, it reveals Princess Fragrance down with Ladybug over her with Princess Fragrance's perfume gun in her hand. Ladybug squeezes the weapon and causes it to break and release the butterfly before capturing it with her yo-yo.
"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug shouts as she throws her yo-yo in the air.
Once again, magic ladybugs swarm the streets of Paris and undo all the damage done to the city. In this case, they are undoing the mind-control effect of Princess Fragrance's perfume and repairing all the damage done by Ladybug herself and the chemical reactions from igniting Princess Fragrance's perfume.
The magic around Rose dematerializes and frees Rose from Hawkmoth's spell. Ladybug looks down at her as Rose looks up at her.
"W-what happened?" Rose asks in confusion as she looks at Ladybug before looking around to figure out where she is.
Ladybug looks at her with pity before helping her stand up and soothingly telling her.
"Hawkmoth was controlling you with his powers. Luckily you didn't do anything too bad while under his control."
Rose gains a worried look when she hears this and finally realizes where she is. This causes her to go into a panic.
"Oh no, did I try and attack Prince Ali?" She asks Ladybug.
Ladybug looks at her sadly and nods.
This causes Rose to start to tear up.
"Now he'll probably never read my note like Chloe said he would," Rose mutters to herself, but Ladybug hears her.
She narrows her eyes and decides to mark that in things she'll deal with or talk about later. For now, though, she remains focused on the girl in front of her.
"I'm sure he'll read the letter still. He doesn't know that you're the one who gave it to him, does he?" Ladybug asks her despite already knowing the answer.
"N-no, maybe, I don't know. I gave it to a classmate to give to him, but I don't know if she gave it to him." Rose shakily tells her as she tries to calm herself down.
"Alright, maybe we can talk to her or check to see if he got the letter. I'm not on a timer, so I can help you if you need it." Ladybug explains to the girl while getting closer to try and comfort her.
"Y-you'd do that for me?" Rose asks Ladybug with teary eyes.
"Of course." Ladybug tells her.
At this point, Cat Noir arrives on the floor where he last saw Princess Fragrance and Ladybug and looks out the window to see them in front of the hotel. Pulling out his staff, Cat Noir lengthens it to hit the ground again before saying.
"Alright, let's see if I can pull this off."
He jumps out the window and contracts his staff to land safely on the ground. He then runs towards the two girls.
"T-thank you, Ladybug. I-it means a lot," Rose tells Ladybug with a teary smile.
Ladybug doesn't say anything and gives Rose a warm smile before looking toward Cat Noir.
"I'm planning to help Rose apologize to Prince Ali. Don't worry; I didn't use my Lucky Charm, so I'm not on a timer." Ladybug tells him.
Cat Noir nods before getting an idea.
"I'll help you. I'm sure it'll help more if we both talk to them. Plus, I want to talk to you about something later." Cat Noir tells her, and Ladybug nods with a smile.
"Thanks, and sure, we can talk later." Ladybug tells him.
It takes a few minutes for Prince Ali, Samuel, and Halima to return to the hotel. They return via the limo that Prince Ali first arrived in. Cat Noir guesses that they must have seen the limo and got in to get further away from Princess Fragrance quickly. In the time it takes for them to arrive at the hotel again, Tom, Jean-Yves, Nate, and even Sabine, who spent the entire time helping the cooking staff with catering for the event, walk outside to join the group of teens.
Prince Ali cautiously steps out of the limo while Halima quickly steps out of the limo and quickly moves to the other side to be next to Prince Ali before he can leave his seat. Samuel steps out of the passenger seat next to the driver's seat, and Nate immediately runs to his father and hugs him in relief.
"Oh, thank god you are alright." He tells his father as he hugs him tightly.
"I'm glad you're okay too, son," Samuel tells Nate with a smile.
Sabine and Tom notice this and smile before realizing something and looking around in a panic.
"Where's Marinette?" Sabine asks Nate in slight worry, causing Nate and Ladybug to freeze.
Cat Noir's eyes widen when Sabine asks that. He quickly scans the area for his classmate, his ears twitching as if trying to find the sound of her voice. However, his and Marinette's guardians' worries are quelled by Ladybug's answer to Sabine's question.
"Oh, don't worry about her. I found her and got her somewhere safe before anything happened to her. I'm sure she's still somewhere around the hotel." Ladybug explains to her mother with a smile to try and hide the fact she's lying.
Her response and smile calm her partner, parents, and Nate down. However, one of the people there calms down for a completely different reason.
"Nice save." Nate thinks to himself with a relieved sigh.
Rose looks towards Prince Ali and his chaperone with teary eyes and bows her head apologetically.
"I-I'm so sorry for attacking you, Prince Ali. I never wanted to hurt you." Rose tells Prince Ali while bowing her head, unable to look the prince in the eyes.
Prince Ali looks uncertain of how to respond to the girl. He can hardly believe this is the same girl who attacked him earlier. She looks so different from earlier.
"She wasn't in control when she attacked you, prince. Hawkmoth can control people and amplify their emotions, making them obsessions." Ladybug explains to Prince Ali while placing a hand on Rose's shoulder for support.
Prince Ali looks at her in uncertainty before asking Rose.
"And what emotions were you feeling?"
Rose looks up at the prince when he asks that before saying.
"I'm a big fan of how you help children across the world and wanted to let you know how much I respect you. Your work is similar to what I try and do at the animal shelter. I help take care of all the animals and help them get adopted." Rose explains to Prince Ali with a slight smile on her face.
Prince Ali absorbs this information for a few seconds before gaining a smile and taking out the letter from his shirt pocket. Rose sees the letter, which she hadn't noticed before, and lights up.
"I take it this is your letter, then?" Prince Ali asks her curiously.
"Yeah, Marinette said she'd give it to you for me," Rose tells Prince Ali, happy to know that Marinette did give her letter to Prince Ali.
"Well, maybe you and I can talk on the way to my next appointment." Prince Ali offers while motioning towards his limo.
When Prince Ali says that, Halima facepalms while groaning in annoyance.
"That's right, the schedule. We are behind on it." She says before motioning for the two teens to get in.
"Come on, you two. We have to get moving now." She orders the teens while trying to push Prince Ali and Rose into the limo.
"Wait, me too?" Rose asks as she's getting pushed into the car.
"Yes, Prince Ali offered for you to come with us. Now we have to go. Otherwise, the prince won't be able to enjoy the fireworks show tonight. Now move it." Halima orders them in a rushed tone.
"Nate, why don't you stay here? It seems like Prince Ali already found a friend to talk to." Samuel tells Nate, who happily nods.
"Cool, I'll be in my room, laying down after all this excitement," Nate tells his dad before walking off.
However, he stops when he looks at the door of the hotel.
"Hey, where's the new doorman?" Nate asks out loud.
His question causes his father to look at him in confusion.
"What new doorman?" Samuel asks his son.
Nate immediately turns to his father with wide eyes and says.
"The new doorman Marinette and I met after school. Tall, lean, with glasses. Ring any bells?" Nate asks his father while explaining what the guy looks like.
"I didn't hire a new doorman. Our regular one called in sick today." Nate's father tells him.
"Then, who did I meet?" Nate asks in confusion.
After everything in front of the hotel was settled, Ladybug and Cat Noir left to talk with each other about what Cat Noir needed. The two are sitting on the Eiffel tower with Ladybug looking at a nervous Cat Noir.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Ladybug asks him.
Cat Noir rubs the back of his head.
"How did you get so many powers so quickly?" He asks Ladybug curiously.
Ladybug looks at him in surprise for a second before shrugging.
"Tikki just gave them all to me when I met her." Ladybug tells Cat Noir.
Cat Noir's mood sours when he hears that.
"Dang, I was going to ask you if you had any advice for me." Cat Noir tells her with a sigh.
"Sorry, but didn't your Kwami give you any advice when you asked them?" Ladybug asks him.
"Yeah, he did. He told me to make better use of what I already have." Cat Noir explains to her.
Ladybug thinks about Cat Noir's words and tries to figure out what she can do to help.
"Well, maybe you can do some research into all of a cat's abilities. I mean, it can't hurt since you have the powers of one." Ladybug tells him.
Cat Noir thinks about her words before nodding.
"Yeah, that could help. So far, I've only focused on my staff and what it can do." Cat Noir tells her.
"Well, good luck then." Ladybug tells him, and Cat Noir nods with a smile.
"Yeah, see you next week when Hawkmoth attacks." Cat Noir tells her before jumping off.
Next Chapter
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readingsquotes · 2 months ago
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There should be a special place in hell for people who scapegoat some of the most vulnerable people in the world in order to avoid taking personal accountability. Gay and trans people live every day of their lives in this country feeling the full pressure of the Right, the betrayal of the moderates, and understanding that their rights and safety are only as good as the next second they live. That Democrats would repeatedly tell these people they had their backs and then run away from them in the campaign AND then have the temerity to blame them is incredibly disgusting shit.
Let’s be clear about something. There is a huge difference between “the Left” and what people call the Left now, the same as there is a massive chasm between “wokeness” as expressed in our politics and culture and what the actual term means. When it felt like the cultural momentum, following Trump’s first election, was in the direction of a progressive backlash, corporations and politicians put on cultural disguises and cashed in on entertainments, advertisements, and other appeals. What was birthed was a simulacrum of change and progress. It was just a product that made people thirsting for a better world feel like things were getting better. Essentially, with splintering economies (Woke vs. Anti-Woke), you saw liberals and Right Wingers immerse themselves in consumerist pursuits dressed up to look like political action. Over that time, the wealth class pushed the culture further and further Right by chipping away at the actual political components of the facsimile, leaving behind a meaningless husk.
The problem isn’t gay or trans people. These people have been forced to live in a culture that consistently harasses and demeans them and have created their own communities that protect one another. Some likely didn’t even vote in this election because they don’t trust modern parties. And, to be honest, they shouldn’t. The Democratic Party, under advisement from strategists who get paid whether they win or lose, castoff Republicans desperate to turn the Democrats into neoconservatives, and wealth class “advisers” who told them to ally themselves with Goldman Sachs and the Cheneys, ran away from gay and trans people as fast as their legs and billions of dollars could take them, affecting the best impersonation of the Republican Party as they possibly could.
What the Democrats have done, for years now, is pay lipservice to marginalized groups and then throw them under the bus when it comes to time to vote. In 2020, the Democrats tepidly supported the BLM protests - including cringily kneeling while wearing kente scarves - but then rejected even the notion of talking about investing in communities as opposed to continuing to gift law enforcement weapons of war. And then? For years they continually crowed about wanting to give the police even more funding. When students protested the brutality in Gaza, Democrats scrambled over one another to get to a microphone and denounce it and practically cheer on the brutality.
All in all, there is now a feeling that the Democratic Party cannot be trusted by the people who need them most. And that is an earned feeling. If the Harris Campaign, which strategically and euphemistically avoided getting into any of this, wasn’t bad enough, this swell of blame should only further prove the point. The party has moved to the Right, is terminally in bed with former Republicans who ran the party before Trump and created this situation, and, unless something radically changes, will sail the Right Wing winds they helped foster and continue in this direction.
....
For four years people listened to Joe Biden and the Democratic Party talk about the unique threat Republicans and the Supreme Court posed to democracy. There was a lot of talk in speeches and social media posts, but you also didn’t hear much in the way of solutions. Biden rolled out some very tepid ideas for reforming the Supreme Court (an institution there is no reforming) but never followed through on any of them or even really pushed them at all. There was a lot of voicing of disappointment following the overturning of Roe V. Wade, and talks about codifying a woman’s right to choose into law, but there was never a specific plan or actual forceful push. Same when it came to so-called Red States stripping Black people of voting protections. Activists were told to out-organize it while the Biden Administration and the Democratic Party shook their heads.
...
Also, while we’re on the subject, it’s kind of hard for people to believe that you’re the last line of defense against an authoritarian movement hellbent on destroying democracy and representing an existential threat to the United States when you dillute that message constantly by taking the stage with members of that party, celebrating war criminals from that party, campaigning that, somehow, you’ll be tougher on Right Wing issues like immigration that power their movement, and when, at a debate, your Vice-Presidential candidate spends the majority of his time talking about how much he agrees with their candidate.
...
I don’t know if the Democratic Party is going to come to its senses and offer an actual defense of democracy or an actual alternative to Right Wing authoritarianism, or, for that matter, whether they have any desire to. Capitalism drives so much of this and what capitalism wants is an illiberal democracy that serves the interest of the wealth class as they demolish the standard of living, rollback the progress of the 20th century, and realize a state of play that mirrors what people in Russia and Hungary have been surviving. That’s where the headwinds are and the project we’ve seen play out over the past few years has delivered the perfect opportunity.
Maybe the Democrats will get it together. I haven’t seen proof of it yet. Where I see potential right now is in actual populism and solidarity. Labor unions. Coalitions that the Democratic Party has largely ignored. Citizens who are waking up and realizing they can’t rely on politicians to be saviors, special prosecutors to serve as messiahs, who look at “trusted” voices and platforms and realize, with stark horror, they were never what they thought they were.
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So there's this guy I've had added on Facebook for years who's a bit of an e-celeb for all the wrong reasons. And I don't want to say his name here because the dude's mentally ill and doesn't need any more attention or harassment than he already gets… but if I said he was thrust into the spotlight in the late 2010's after making international headlines for being trespassed from an establishment in the Pacific Northwest & subsequently given a lifetime perma-ban from every single one of that multinational company’s locations... some of y'all might know who I'm talking about anyway.
But for those who don’t then think of him as a non-autistic, bi-polar version of Chris Chan (pre-dimensional merge & gender transition) but replace the Love Quest with an even creepier obsession with finding a Gen Z girlfriend combined with the belief that such a woman should want to be with him despite the fact that he’s an unemployed, homeless 39 year old mentally ill man with diabetes and a whole litany of other health problems who has absolutely nothing going for him other than being such a popular lolcow that he can sometimes successfully beg for cashapp donations from his followers.
And maybe I’m contributing to his delusions of grandeur by being yet another spectator of his, but the dude’s like a train wreck or car accident: I just can’t look away. However for the very first time I tried to intervene today in order to save him from making even more of a mess of his life than he already has. Yet all I actually managed to achieve was proving that it doesn’t matter how pure your intentions are or how much sense you’re talking or even how much evidence you present - some people simply cannot be helped and will only ever learn things the hard way.
Like, if you saw a job posting for a work at home job where you’re the “cashier” for an online company and your duties are to receive money transfers to your own bank account, use that money to purchase bitcoin for a wallet that you don’t have access to, and are promised to be paid thousands of dollars after doing this for a month then you probably wouldn’t even be wondering if it was too good to be true - you’d just straight up know that it’s a scam, right?
Well not this guy. He bought it hook line and sinker.
He’s proudly boasting about how he’s no longer unemployed and has the first job of his adult life - and apparently he’s already taken 700USD that was sent to him by this alleged employer and converted into bitcoin for that mystery wallet. So obviously the comment section is full or people telling him that this sounds like a scam - but I decided to take things a step further and figure out exactly what scam he’s fallen for; finding within minutes a news article detailing this exact scam with firsthand accounts of people who lost tens of thousands of dollars after falling victim to it. And - in my very first interaction with this guy ever - I posted that article in the comments and said “I think you should check out this article. Be careful, bro.” And how does he respond? By love reacting my comment and doubling down on his commitment to this “job” by saying that he's neither given them his social security number nor access to his bank account and that therefore it can’t be a scam.
🤦‍♂️
I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that rather than being unwilling to accept advice he had simply just not read the article. So, under a separate comment of his where he assured everyone that this company he thinks he works for has a Facebook page and seems legit, I pointed out that anybody can easily make an account for a fake business on Facebook and then even more easily delete it once they're found out. And then I told him in simple language exactly what scam he's fallen for: They're laundering stolen money through him - and it'll be him on the hook for it, not them. If they’re sending him money from a stolen card or hacked account and he's then using it to buy bitcoin for them then once the bank realizes whats happened they'll see that he was the last one who had the money. And the bank can’t get the bitcoin back - but they can (and will) get the dollars back from him. Even if that means putting his bank balance thousands of dollars into the negative.
How'd he respond to that? By saying that he has this company’s phone number so it must be legit but will "proceed with caution" anyway. Lol. Like, c'mon... it's far too late for that. Caution was abandoned long before he got this far into it.
Oh well. I tried.
But I guess this is sort of the reason I have him added in the first place. If the only way someone is willing to accept that a stove is hot is by touching it then how could I possibly not watch them do it? What if the Germanic blood I have in me just isn’t diluted enough for Schadenfreude to be beneath me? lol
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