#like am i someone or am i no one perceived to be someone

[the-cats-noodles]

Everytime I see this, everytime, someone brings up marriage as an exception and I can't help but think, really?

I get it, promises are important (to death do us part, which is in and of itself an unrealistic standard but whatever i dont have time to talk abt that) but I feel like people forget that marriage for love is relatively recent? The point of marriage being to join households and pass on property is much older (and the origin of the whole "only death can make us separate" bc property and inheritance) like, the reason people stayed together was bc of duty not love and that was a very different environment than the one now (which is good) but it still means we're talking about a standard that is unrealistic in our current environment (not to mention the insane amount of murder over not being able to get divorced in the past, like it's a very good thing we can end marriages now)

There's nothing wrong with marrying someone and wanting to stay with them forever (we chose to do this for love and that was good actually), but can we stop pretending this idea is universal?

Making a promise is all well and good, but people change and their promises do too.

Like, yes you keep growing as you get older and yes you might grow closer with your partner (and that's perfectly normal and okay) BUT you might also grow apart and that is ALSO PERFECTLY OKAY

Saying that marriage is something to exclude from the idea of decentering permanence is kinda ignoring all the people who really shouldn't be staying together but "have" to (for the kids, reputation, etc) and anybody involved definitely feels that dynamic shift...

Just, yeah "keep your promises" but also know that breaking them is a part of life and its much better for both parties if you break a promise instead of wither away trying to uphold it for some perceived sense of duty or obligation to people whose opinions literally DO NOT matter

(If you wanna be with one person forever? great! If they don't agree bc they don't love you anymore? Oh well, tough luck, I guarantee you'll be better off letting them go then forcing them to stay in a legal contract, which is what marriage becomes when you don't feel love for the other party anymore)

Also I get most people don't want to force someone to stay in a situation that makes them miserable, at least I really hope they don't, but when (as a society) we place more importance on the whole 'till death do us part' bit and less on the 'I love you and want to show it' (or even say the only way to show it is to hold onto that person forever) then it kinda forces people into this idea of "having" to stay

And look, counseling is great, it can work wonders, but it is NOT a miracle worker. It can't fix everything and it doesn't have to bc A LOT of marriages aren't broken they're just fizzling out

Am I making any sense? Who knows, but I was raised in a community where ending a marriage or relationship was worse than cheating bc "marriages are work"

They are, but you also retire from work when it becomes a strain and you can't do it anymore. You can quit a job if it doesn't fit. I'm not saying marriage is a job, but I am saying that if we expect marriage to involve work we can expect it to reach the point where people just DONT WANT TO DO THAT ANYMORE and that's okay

I'm begging: please stop insisting marriage is different from other relationships in this regard bc it isn't. It's sweet and a wonderful experience but it's still just a love between two people and we can't expect that to be magically enough to stop the natural progression all relationships go through.

You lose friends over time but some stay around. You lose family over time (like, no contact in this case not necessarily through death) but some stay around. You lose lovers and partners over time but some stay around. And that's okay, u just don't see how the last one is somehow expected to have more weight.

(Which I believe was op's point? That they're all temporary and that's a good thing actually)

Like everything is temporary, it's just sometimes that temporary lines up with our lives bc we ourselves are temporary beings, and it's okay if it does and it's okay if it doesn't.

I think a lot about how we as a culture have turned “forever” into the only acceptable definition of success.

Like… if you open a coffee shop and run it for a while and it makes you happy but then stuff gets too expensive and stressful and you want to do something else so you close it, it’s a “failed” business. If you write a book or two, then decide that you don’t actually want to keep doing that, you’re a “failed” writer. If you marry someone, and that marriage is good for a while, and then stops working and you get divorced, it’s a “failed” marriage.

The only acceptable “win condition” is “you keep doing that thing forever”. A friendship that lasts for a few years but then its time is done and you move on is considered less valuable or not a “real” friendship. A hobby that you do for a while and then are done with is a “phase” - or, alternatively, a “pity” that you don’t do that thing any more. A fandom is “dying” because people have had a lot of fun with it but are now moving on to other things.

I just think that something can be good, and also end, and that thing was still good. And it’s okay to be sad that it ended, too. But the idea that anything that ends is automatically less than this hypothetical eternal state of success… I don’t think that’s doing us any good at all.

[omniseurs-blog]

I am a stealth trans man, the privilege I have is being treated like a man as soon as they see me

If I'm applying for a job, I am treated like a woman trying to be perceived as a man, because they still see my legal name and gender marker on my ID.

If I'm trying to date, I'm perceived as a predator by straight women, a confused lesbian by bi/lesbian women (these demographics I rarely, if never go after), a tomboy by straight/bisexual men, and a gay fetishizer by gay men. At best with trans women, I become the therapist, and with trans men, it becomes an argument of passing better or worse and jealousy. That's not to say out of every demographic there are people who handle the relationship properly, but that the majority don't.

In friendships, things can go great for months and months, sometimes even years before they find out I'm trans and they start acting weird about it.

Suddenly they recommend more "feminine" music, hobbies, activities to do with me, they suddenly view me as their therapist to vent about difficulties with women, and that's all the BEST case scenario, that's the BEST thing that could happen from them finding out, this one's also the easiest to handle, "I thought you might like to see my grandmas garden.... My grandpa also likes it... Haha" - "no, nah, I wanna get back to playing eve online with you though, I mean, I do have some fake plants, heard they help with depression, think real ones would last a month at most".

An unfortunate amount of people react to things they don't understand with anger and attacks, whether that be verbal or physical.

I used to be nearly best friends with a girl named Kat. Unknown to me at the time, she had a crush on me. She invited me over, we got to her bedroom (in my mind, to hang out), she pushed me on the bed (I thought it was playful, like wrestling), and she pulled my shirt up and saw my binder, jumped away, and started apologizing. I went home straight after that. After that, she avoided me, and called me a faggot, rapist, molester, and creep after that. I wasn't interested in her at all before or after that, and I wasn't the one who initiated or caused that situation to happen.

Another incident was while I was at the mental ward, in which they usually refused to put my chosen name on the cards, and I would turn it around and write my chosen name every time I saw it. Unfortunately, I usually wasn't fast enough and someone saw my dead name on the card. He started asking me inappropriate questions, calling me a tranny, and eventually lead to him punching me in the face, the police being called, and the police did nothing besides give me a court date in an entire state over, which I had no way to get to, meaning nothing happened and the case was dropped.

A lot of people react to things they don't understand with suddenly disappearing from your life too.

You join a hobby discord server, talk, people think you're cool, they add and DM you, you get along fine talking to each other, you mention as relevant to the conversation that you're trans, the conversation magically fizzles out and becomes dry, and then they stop responding all together, usually intermitten with one or 2 inappropriate questions about your genitals or body or kids or hormones or surgery.

[doriana-gray-games]

Plans for the next two weeks 💖

This week:

Friday 7th, update public build ch6.1 with W pov and more.

Send another batch of the Valentine's letters to Patreon.

Next week:

Upload linear fiction story for Lestrade on Patreon.

Another Patreon free tier to paid tier giveaway. (Remind me if I forget...)

Sneak peek below for y'all of the Valentine's letters (there's like... 30 of them, but basically, Patreon users got to send letters, and the game characters answered them).

Dear G. Lestrade Maybe once upon a time you could have a sliver of hope to have the right to look at her the way you do. Now you are but a shadow of a man. You do not deserve her. Get away from Holmes, looser. Ano Nymous

// Sorry Lestrade, not so much of a romantic one! I wanted to see what would be his reaction to a jealous random letter (sent by someone that knows better than to provoke a cop in the streets so anonymous Valentine' card is the way to go xP). I guess I'd rather have his take when they patched things up with Holmes, as he would be not so crippled by doubts, but I'll let you work your magic!

And how, pray tell, do I look at her?

I am curious how you perceive me, or what I once was, dear Anonymous. You seem to think I have expressed some claim over someone, someone much braver than you—I knew she had fans, but to think they were this deluded…

I shall meet you in kind, whoever you are, and promise that if I find you by a crime scene she is ever at—you won’t ever see the outside of a cell again. You do not have a claim on her. Nor do I. But by God, you do not.

Stay fucking far away from her, you deluded fucking fanatic. Do not talk to her. Do not send her letters.

— A firm promise from this shadow of a man.

[hxney-lemcn]

Affection-Starved — The Chain x gn! reader

summary: poor reader isn't used to the casual affection the group offers, but their favorite Link finds himself indulging in giving them some extra love.

a/n: Wind's is obvi platonic, some of these got more out of hands than others...oops. Not 100% romantic but like...lowkey is who am I trying to fool LMAO

wc: 3.1k

Master List

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Legend

As much as Legend liked to pretend he didn’t care, he was probably the one who knew the most about each member of the chain. He found himself watching the others, taking in each member’s small quirks. The way Twilight’s nose would twitch at a smell no one else could perceive, how Hyrule seemed entranced with shiny objects, how you always seem entranced with any form of affection. You were pretty good at hiding it, if not for the way your shoulders would tense or the way your lips twitched to keep your natural expression as Twilight ruffled your hair or Wars bumped your shoulders. 

It honestly ate at Legend. You clearly liked the affection, your smile becoming a bit warmer and your eyes hopeful. For someone who was trying to push others away (you especially since you were particularly dangerous), he was doing a terrible job. Once again, Legend found himself watching the others, most chatting happily or playing a game, Time was out patrolling the parameter, and you…you looked…sad. Did the others really not notice? Your eyes looked so crestfallen, even if your usual neutral expression rested on your face. You had isolated yourself from the others, that itch eating away at Legend. You had grown on him, a dangerous prospect to the hero of legend, but he’d be damned if he just let you mope alone. 

So, putting his sewing kit away, Legend found himself sitting beside you. His stiffness melted as seconds passed without a word, the fire crackling a few meters away. With a sigh, he finally gained the confidence to wrap an arm around your shoulders, pulling you into his side. He could feel your muscles tense under him, the way you hesitated in his hold. ‘Is this okay?’ he whispered so only you could hear, and the small nod you gave made him relax. Slowly you relaxed with him, putting more of your weight into his side. Legend could feel the stare of the others burn into you both, but he ignored them in favor of feeling your warmth surrounding him.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Twilight

Twi was naturally more affectionate than he realized. Growing up and taking care of the village children, he didn’t notice when he ruffled someone's hair or pulled them into a side hug. That was until he found your startled expression, which you had quickly tried to fix. He tried to apologize, but you cut him off stating that you just weren’t used to…well affection in general. Poor boy's heart split in two at that. Now he had a new mission to accomplish. Getting you used to affection. Hugs, patting your back, holding your wrist, hip checking you…okay so some forms were more teasing than others, and he may have found himself smug everytime he managed to make you crack your cool facade, but he also enjoyed the soft smiles that inevitably spread across your lips.

Twi would be lying if he said he didn’t shower you with more affection than the others. He loved your reactions, the way you shied away, even better when you slowly started embracing it. The first time you had initiated affection had him smiling widely and blushing profusely. It wasn’t much. An uncertain, shy expression rested on your features, you were clearly nervous. Twi found himself anticipating what could possibly make you feel this way, his imagination getting the best of him. Your hand raised up as you patted his mousy hair gently. He felt his cheeks warm at how cute you were, a giant smile overtaking him. He had refrained from teasing you too much, not wanting to scare you off.

This man is so, so smug no matter what, feeling proud that you felt comfortable enough with him. It’s strange how you could make something he didn’t think twice about become something all he could think about. He didn’t mind though, he liked the way you managed to make his heart flutter with every little touch.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Sky

He didn’t really notice at first. In fact, he was dead asleep the first time he pulled you into his impromptu cuddle pile. When he awoke, your form snug into his side, he didn’t think much of it. Sure it was nice, you were warm and he felt sleep call for him once more, but it was normal to find himself wrapped around the other heroes, it was bound to happen with you. With a sleep smile, he found himself nuzzling back into your hair…until he felt how fast your heart was beating…how were you not dead? Sky unwillingly pulled away, you were in fact awake and it looked like you were in pain. Quickly, Sky scrambled back, sleepiness long forgotten in his worry of your comfort. 

You apologized, much to his confusion, shyly mumbling about how you didn’t mind, you just weren’t used to such affections. Shaking his head, he sent you a beaming smile, mentioning that if he or anyone else ever made you uncomfortable to let them know. Yet that didn’t seem to be the problem at all. In fact it seemed like you yearned for the intimate acts, always placing yourself beside Sky as he slowly nodded off. You had become his pillow more likely than not, and it almost seemed like you were anticipating it. The thought made his stomach fill with butterflies and a blush coat his cheeks. 

It was when your hand had found its way into his hair one night that he knew he was a goner. Your touches were gentle and hesitant, fingers softly carding through his hair making both his eyes droop and heart accelerate. His arms found purchase around your torso, head nuzzling into your shoulder. It had become very clear to everyone just who his favorite cuddling buddy was, and he’s not sure if he’d cuddle with anyone else ever again.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Hyrule

The boy wasn’t as confident as the others, finding himself in awe of their everything. That seemed to be something the two of you could relate to. The other heroes made everything look easy, from swinging a sword showing their care. Hyrule always wanted to join in when Warriors would hug your shoulders when you managed to improve your fighting technique, or when Wind would drag you around by your hand so effortlessly. Little did you know that Hyrule admired you as well, watching in awe as you managed to keep up with seasoned fighters despite being a civilian yourself. 

It wasn’t until you found yourself hurt that he finally managed to initiate any contact between you both. It was a small scrape, barely there on your palm and a small frown on your lips. Hyrule didn’t hesitate to heal the wound, finger tips glowing as your skin mended back together. Your eyes widened, cheeks warming at the feeling of his fingers barely touching your palm. You must’ve gotten too used to being with the others as your fingers twitched, intertwining your fingers. Hyrule felt his face burn as you whispered a small thanks, your smile was so warm and you were looking at him so softly…

You were internally going crazy. You had never initiated something like this before, it felt so intimate, but the way Rulie couldn’t meet your eyes but continued to hold your hand confirmed your hypothesis. He was just like you all those months ago when you first joined the rag tag group, and they had helped bring you out of your shell, so you would help Rulie break out of his. It was still hard for you to reach out first, but you made yourself try, starting out small until Hyrule found himself reaching for you first, meeting each other halfway. You never thought you’d be the one to help break someone out of their shell, but you didn’t mind if it meant you had a cute traveller glued to your side. 

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Time

Time himself was more closed off, with arms crossed and always slightly outside of the group. It was clear to anyone with eyes that even if he was an integral part of the group, he did not see himself fully a part of it. Time noticed that you seemed to feel the same way, watching longingly as the others rough-housed like you wanted to join, or how your face lit up when they’d mess up your hair (no matter how much you grumbled and pouted). Time found himself endeared by you, it was clear you were not used to such affections, but made every effort to act like it didn’t affect you as much as it did. He couldn’t help the mischievous part of him that would reach out for your hand or brush your hair away from your face, soaking up your flustered reactions. 

Time was much more subtle with his affections towards you than the others, which only seemed to make his actions all the more special. He wouldn’t admit that the way your stunning eyes searched for him made him feel more smug, or the way you’d walk by his side during your treks warmed him. You were just the sweetest thing, and he found himself having a sweet tooth more often than not. Oh, and when you had jumped one night, the sound of a twig breaking in the forest startled you, causing you to cling to his arm…he was basically putty. Your eyes frantically searched for any sign of a monster as you pushed further into his side. Time decided not to tease you too much, as your world didn’t have monsters like theirs did, and he took his arm out of your hold only to wrap it around your waist. 

You tensed in his hold, this was the most affection Time had ever shown you, but when his hand found your hair, gently soothing you that it was mostly likely some sort of animal, you ended up melting in his hold. You could feel the others watching, snickers sounded just over the crackling of the fire, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to care at the moment, lost in the comfort that was known as Time.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Four

Another one that isn’t super affectionate, more likely to smack someone’s head than hug them, but that didn’t mean he didn’t care. Four noticed that you seemed uncomfortable with touch. Maybe uncomfortable wasn’t the best word, more like tense. He also didn’t miss the way you would lean into it, trying to act nonchalant. It made him smile, you were sweet if not a bit awkward. When he found himself holding your hand while leading you through a dark cave, he couldn’t help the bright red blush that coated his cheeks, grateful that he was in front of you so you couldn’t see. Four may not be as affectionate as the others, but he didn’t react like this either. Whatever, he didn’t want to think about it. 

And when you started to slowly interact with him like the others, patting his shoulder, tugging on his sleeve or hell, even just sitting closer to him than normal, he felt like his heart was going to give out on him. Why were you so cute? Always so hesitant like you were afraid of making him upset, eyes watching him expectantly like you wanted him to hold you as well. Was that what you wanted? Goddesses the thought made his blood boil with how flustered he was. Oh and it was even worse when he woke up to the sound of chuckling snorts, opening his eyes and being met with your chest. He nearly screamed, jumping out of your hold and effectively waking you up. Damn Sky, who had his arm wrapped around the both of you before Four made his escape. 

After that you had stopped, taking his reaction as how uncomfortable you had been making him feel, which was not true whatsoever. And so, he found he had to rectify his mistake, trying his hardest to hold your hand without it becoming a death grip or burying his face in your neck every time you hugged. Yet it was worth it with the way your eyes lit up with every touch.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Wind

Wind, as much as he’d like to boast, did not have such a keen eye when it came to someone’s emotions. Not that he was oblivious, but with childlike glee, he found himself more entranced with the thrill of a fight or adventure more than anything. And, as children are known for, he did not have a sense of boundaries whatsoever. Never hesitating to grab your hand and drag you towards danger, or jumping on your back to get your attention. Of course, if you got hurt because of something he did he’d feel guilty, latching onto you until you managed to quell his fears. 

He huffed and puffed when the others told him to dial it back around you. Why would he do that? You deserved to be bothered as much as the rest of them! From poking your cheek when he’s bored to cackling when you did something embarrassing, he refused to treat you any differently than the others. The thought was just absurd! You had even shaken your head with a fond smile, muttering that you didn’t mind all that much, leaving the young hero to puff his chest and stick his tongue out at the others. ‘That’s right, losers, you heard them, I’m their favorite!’ Wind cheered. ‘I wouldn’t go that far.’ One of them murmured, but left it at that. 

The best moments were when he’d tuck into your lap, listening to you ramble about your own world and how different it was from theirs. It made him feel so warm and safe, you made him feel protected, even if you sucked at fighting. You were like an older sibling he never had, something he didn’t even know he wanted until you pulled him close to you protectively once as some rude adult tried swatting at him. He had never seen you so angry, nor heard you say such angry words towards anyone before. He was a giggly mess by the end, telling the others with an exaggerated story about the events that transpired earlier, leaning into your side with a hug. 

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Warriors

As much as the flirt liked to make everyone believe he was knowledgeable with love in any form it came in…he very much was not. In fact, it was kind of the opposite. Warriors found your shy reactions to be like those who only cared about his pretty face. He knew you weren’t like that, but something in his gut didn’t feel right, and so he found himself distancing himself from you physically…until he saw you have the same reaction to almost every single one of them. Your eyes darting away when Twi’s hand brushed against yours, how your shoulders tensed when Time patted them, or how you stood stock still when Wind hugged you. It wasn’t because you saw them all romantically…so why were you so shy when it came to even the smallest touch?

Wars got his answer one day while you both were in a small town. You had been walking down a semi busy street when someone brushes past you, causing you to squeeze as close to Warriors side, an uncomfortable look on your face. Due to his confused expression, you explained how you don’t like being touched by people you don’t know, mainly because you’re not used to being touched period. It was then when everything clicked in his head, and guilt for his first assumption slowly consumed him. Biting his lip, Wars threw an arm around your shoulder, keeping you close to his side until your shopping was done. 

From then on Warriors found himself more affectionate around you. Everyone noticed the change, you included, but you refused to bring it up, not wanting him to stop. Not only had his actions become warmer towards you, but he found himself complimenting you more as well. Even he wasn’t fully sure where this was coming from. Relief that you weren’t another person swooning over his good looks, trying to make up for the guilt that had filled his gut, or perhaps maybe…just maybe he found himself enjoying the way you reciprocated his touches, something you didn’t do for many others, and the thought of being special to you made his heart flip.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Wild

With Wild’s attention being dragged from something or another, whether it be a crazy idea to what may test the best in a dish, he’s too unfocused to even realize you tense posture when he places a hand on your arm as he slides past or how you refuse to meet his eyes when he feeds you a small spoon of the food to taste test. That’s not to say he doesn’t notice at all, just that it takes him so long that you’re already comfortable with his unconscious touches. He has to bite his lip from grinning too much when you nuzzle into his touch unknowingly, or to stop himself from squeezing the daylights out of you when you hug him so firmly. 

Don’t get him started with the way you fret over him. Wild’s always getting himself in danger even when he’s not trying, and you’re always the first one to run over and check to make sure he’s okay. The way your hands hesitate for a split second before gently grabbing whatever you deem was most possible to be injured, how your touch is so gentle when you inspect his skin, or how your eyes melt from concern to fond frustration as you lightly scold him for scaring you. The way you care is so sweet, so scared, like you’re afraid he’ll push you away if you get too close, but Wild would never do such a thing. In fact, he finds himself meeting you halfway, grasping your hand firmly as to quell any insecurity or fear from your mind. 

The one time you not only find yourself hurt, but because of Wild’s reckless actions guilt consumes him entirely. He had not only put your safety at risk, but you had gotten seriously hurt, something Wild vowed to protect you from. He tried pulling away, feeling it would be better if you weren’t so close, but you had stopped him in his tracks when you held onto his wrist tightly, eyes silently pleading for him to stay. It was the first time he had ever seen you touch someone without even an ounce of worry, clearly desperate for some comfort, and Wild was at your side in an instant. How could he ever take that comfort away from you?

[faelynnupward]

I am often perceived as impolite for expecting customers to think of the comfort of other customers.

Mainly it comes up when I am helping a customer (I sell wine) and another customer will come up to demand I help them. I am generally pretty calm but nothing will make me help a person less quickly than when someone is rude to another customer or one of my sales team.

I kindof have a finite resource for small talk, too. I have never especially liked it anyways but I hate it when a person is chatting while others are forced to wait, like at the checkout lanes.

i love it when you accidentally meet eyes with a stranger in public and you flash a quick polite smile and they look at you like they wish you were dead in a ditch

[misakiisstupid]

Headcanon: Jason Todd vs. The Internet (A Losing Battle)

Jason Todd is many things.

A crime lord? Sure.

A vigilante? Absolutely.

A walking embodiment of chaotic violence and trauma? 100%.

Tech-savvy? Not even remotely.

And nobody realizes it until it’s far, far too late.

The Problem? Jason Missed the Internet Boom.

Jason was 15 when he died. The last time he was alive, the most advanced thing he used was the Batcomputer, and even then, it was mostly just:

"Enhance that image."

"Pull up the GCPD files."

"How do I delete my search history before Bruce sees it?"

Then? He was dead.

By the time he came back, the world had moved on without him.

Smartphones. Social media. Streaming. Apps. Online banking. Memes.

Jason Todd had no idea how any of it worked.

But Jason is Also a Little Shit.

Which means he refuses to admit it.

Tim once made an offhand comment about how Jason wasn’t on social media. Jason, not wanting to sound out-of-touch, just scoffed:

"Pfft, as if I’d waste my time on that."

(Translation: I don’t actually know what that is, but I refuse to be perceived as old.)

Steph once tried to add him to a group chat. Jason took one look at all the notifications and noped out of there.

Cass once sent him a link. Jason stared at it for five minutes before giving up and just asking Duke what to do.

The Man is Just Out Here Not Acknowledging the Internet Exists.

If Jason needs to find information, he doesn’t Google it. He asks Barbara, Tim, or literally anyone else.

If someone tells him to "DM" them, he pretends his phone is broken.

If people try to show him TikToks, he just nods like he understands.

When Bruce tried to introduce online case files, Jason printed them out and handed them back in a folder.

Once, he accidentally clicked on an ad and it crashed his browser. He just never opened it again.

Jason’s Excuse? "I Don’t Care."

And the thing is? It’s a damn good excuse.

Because who’s going to question him? Jason Todd is a 90s kid who was raised on street smarts and paperback books. He doesn’t need all this tech nonsense.

So when someone asks him why he doesn’t use the internet, he just shrugs:

"Why would I? I already know everything I need to know."

(Translation: I don’t know how to open a PDF and I refuse to learn.)

Then Zoe Asks.

One day, his surprise-adopted (kidnapped) daughter, Zoe, asks him for help with her school project.

“Papa, can you show me how to make a slideshow?”

Jason freezes.

His entire soul leaves his body. A slideshow. That’s… PowerPoint, right? People still use that?

But does he admit his ignorance? Absolutely not.

Instead, he just goes:

"Of course, kid. Just… uh… remind me what you need again?"

(Translation: I am absolutely going to ask Barbara to do this for me.)

The Batfamily Finally Catches On.

One day, Tim jokingly says:

"Man, I bet Jason doesn’t even know what a meme is."

And Jason, completely deadpan, responds:

"That’s the thing Alfred uses to season food, right?"

Silence.

Dead silence.

Bruce looks disappointed. Dick is choking on his own laughter. Tim actually falls out of his chair.

Jason? Realizes he has made a grave mistake.

Now? It’s a Running Joke.

"Jason, do you even know how to turn on a laptop?"

"Jason, you’re so off-the-grid that even Bigfoot has better Wi-Fi than you."

"Jason, when was the last time you used an ATM?"

"Jason, do you even know what streaming is?"

[chronicbitchsyndrome]

i really just have to laugh whenever someone pulls out the "autistic men use their autism as an excuse for sexual assault and nt hegemony defends and supports this" talking point, like. you're just wrong. this is so laughably wrong the only way i can conceive of why it gets pulled out so regularly is that it's a literal hate speech dogwhistle.

like people hear "men sexually assaulting women" and their brains turn the fuck off i guess, but the reality of autistic life is. like. autistics of every gender, and especially autistics read as men and autistics affected by transmisogyny, are illegitimately perceived as sexual predators. like. as a primary axis of marginalization. this is straight up one of the ways autistics are socially marginalized and one of the primary excuses for inflicting both physical and social violence on us. is the idea that we are sexual predators. inherently.

and this is, in fact, weaponized against autistics committing social faux pas related to sex. sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but it is factually true that about half the time, when you hear someone talking about how an autistic person committed sexual violence, the details of the anecdote are things like "the autistic did not accurately read whether the social environment was open to a joke about sex and their sex jokes made everyone uncomfortable (which they only expressed via body language and did not state in a direct way to the autistic)" and "the autistic did not correctly read someone's body language indicating they were uninterested in flirtation and kept flirting with that person (who only expressed this via body language and never once directly told the autistic verbally they were uninterested)"

like i do think there are differences between weaponizing sex for the purpose of violence and committing a faux pas due to not being able to read social subtext and cues. like i do actually think "i am literally incapable of reading the way you attempted to communicate a concept to me" is a different situation than "i am attempting to leverage power over you and/or make you feel unsafe to my benefit." and i can't help but notice that we all seem really eager to conflate these two concepts when we don't like an autistic and are calling them a sex predator!!! HMM!!!

[thoughtless-mindless-thoughts]

Can't tell if I have no personality or too many personalities

[kittykatninja321]

See the reason why I will always be down with the poc Jason headcanon is because I look at the way his lashing out as a grieving child gets interpreted/demonized as “anger issues”, and the way Bruce at times projected “anger issues” onto him that weren’t actually there and also immediately assumed that Jason was bound to become a dangerous criminal unless he intervened despite the fact that Jason was just trying to survive and said himself that he “didn’t wanna be a crook” and didn’t show violent inclinations until AFTER he became Robin and I go “idk, sounds kinda racialized to me buddy, hitting you with the melanin beam”. Now we know the real reason for this is classism but classism and racism are right next to each other on the periodic table so it doesn’t not fit yknow?

[medicallyfascinating]

For the whole Ferdinand thing, that's completely chill, I get it, don't worry.

Also yes, I love a good debate. I LIVE for it so please please. I feel like we won't ever feel agree on this topic and that's fine but I'm very happy to discuss it.

I think I need to preface that I don't think Edelgard is a horrible awful terrible person with no redeeming qualities. But I also don't think she's the sun and stars and she can do no wrong.

Yes, my empathy take is she struggles to put herself in other people's shoes. Empathy in my mind is - putting yourself in other people's shoes. Sympathy - caring about someone and what they're going through. The lines DEFINITELY DO BLUR.

I think empathy is something that Edelgard has to really really really put her mind to to do it. I think it shows in her interactions with her friends where she initially cannot understand why they're acting in such a way and it's not until much later that she can attempt to put herself in their place and even then, she still struggles with seeing how other people act and how they're feeling. This does not mean I think she doesn't notice/care when others are visibly upset. Clearly when Bernadetta is upset, she tries to comfort her and she's learnt Hubert's signs of distress so she can somewhat recognise when to back off.

I understand that she is trying to pull Hubert out of unhealthy habits but I think characters can be well-intentioned and unhelpful at the same time. Hubert's boundaries are important to him and entirely rigid and he needs them and Edelgard pushes too hard. She is well-intentioned and yet she also manages to push him away and make him put his guard up even more than before. In my opinion, it is an act of sympathy and her issues with empathy show up with her struggling to understand why he is pulling away and refusing to speak up.

These moments I think show much better with her enemies. Her refusal for the most part to compromise with Dimitri and Claude and understand where they're coming from in order to create a better Fodlan. She is BRUTAL. It is stated many times throughout Hopes and Houses that the Empires methods are underhanded, brutal and criminal (not to the extent of decimating villages though).

I believe her grief towards SS!Byleth is a personal rather than political matter. It is practically canon if not completely canon that Edelgard has a crush on Byleth from the start of the game and I believe she is mourning that crush and is still in denial/depression that Byleth has defected from her side.

Edelgard sees this perceived end and I do think she has SOME understanding of what's going on but not an in depth one. Her understanding appears very surface level and when she does dig deeper, she comforts herself with "this is best for everyone" when, in reality, it is not.

Change in Fodlan is revolutionary, yes, i agree. But when in the endings characters like Sylvain and Dimitri can change the world for the better by abolishing crests and implementing new laws which heavily benefit the commoners, Edelgard's ideals and her refusal to acknowledge any other way of going about it does fuck her over.

I do agree that lots of these traits show up in other characters but again, I am not in any way saying that Edelgard is horrible and awful and everyone else is perfect, I am pointing out her flaws. I believe both Dimitri and Claude are heavily flawed. As is Rhea. As are all the other characters in this game.

I, again, think Edelgard's understanding of commoners issues are rather surface level but she DOES understand the trauma of nobility, which is inflicted by the church. So yes, she can pinpoint all the trauma that the nobles have of being forced to be the best and perfect and some being lazy because they're given everything. But when it comes down to what commoners NEED to be able to rise and have their own chance at power, she struggles to understand what is necessary for that to happen.

I also think people can enjoy politics but not always understand what's necessary for the change, but instead just that change is needed. And in Edelgard's mind the only war to do that is start a war, when in reality, that isn't the case and causes more harm than good.

I might be repeating myself a bit, but yeah, these are just my opinions on Edelgard and you're totally allowed to have your own, I won't attack you for it.

I lied. Put your clothes back on. We're going to talk about how Edelgard is a product of her environment.

Edelgard's motives for change are purely based on her own experiences and what she does want for the commoners is poorly thought through and has no more depth other than "I want them to be our equals" whilst having no planned out steps to actually do anything about it.

It is Ferdinand who makes her realise that commoners require free education to even attempt to be able to attain the same level that the nobles are given on a silver platter.

But of course Edelgard wouldn't think about that, because she doesn't have to. She had grown up Princess of a kingdom with the promise of Emperor at her feet since she was around 10 years old. Even when she wasn't promised Emperor, she was promised a comfortable life. Her education would have been paid for her. Of course she doesn't understand the struggles of commoners, because she has never had to.

Edelgard has been through hell but she has not been put through inherited disadvantage so why would she ever consider what it is like to be raised a commoner????

And so of course, when Edelgard sees the church exploiting and hurting everybody she immediately blames crests and becomes so tunnel visioned on her own experiences to make her stronger, she becomes blind to the other very real and much more important issues happening around her.

Edelgard lacks basic empathy and whether it is just something about her or it comes from the intense trauma she experienced as a child, it makes it impossible for her to relate to commoners and pretty much anyone who has a different lived experience to her. To the point where she even treads all over Hubert's boundaries, and he's the person who is the closest to her at the start of the game and agrees with her and her ideals the most.

This not to say she lacks sympathy, I believe she has a lot of sympathy for people. But she cannot for the life of her put herself in other people's shoes and think about how they are feeling/would feel.

This partially causes her lack of basic respect towards Petra and her racism towards Brigid, holding their freedom over their heads in exchange for Petra risking her life for FIVE YEARS and if she doesn't. Well then. No freedom for Brigid. However, this is also caused by being raised within the Adrestian Empire, especially within the Imperial nobility.

But her lack of empathy extends to her friends. I've mentioned Hubert already but she repeatedly makes Ferdinand uncomfortable, she gets snappy with Bernadetta whenever she's panicking, she outright calls Byleth pathetic for grieving their dead father DESPITE STILL GRIEIVING HER OWN DEAD FAMILY. There are hundreds of instances where Edelgard just simply cannot understand anything from someone else's point of view.

I don't hate Edelgard. I don't think I'm capable of hating any character but I definitely do not like the way she goes about things and treats other characters. She has many many many flaws but I do believe she is a product of her environment. As well as a victim of shitty writing (but that applies to all the characters).

[eyewyrm]

noel and identity loss...

trying to articulate why it feels wrong to call him charlie, because thats still him but at the same time not.

he's changed and things cant go back to the way they were, noel took up a new name one to remember but also to move on

i don't think noel is a fake name to him more so just a new identity he's taken up as an extension of himself. or at least someone he's rebuilt himself as after the dreamlands. i don't think he's discarded charlie as an identity but that he just has two names that are both very real to him, however just one of them is more in the forefront than the other so he'd be unused to his old name being used.

but i also think that he'd feel extremely disconnected to his old life and name that it would be uncomfortable and feel wrong for him, might feel that his past is catching up to him or maybe he'd be afraid that if he stops using noels name he'd be abandoning him in some way

or just using the name as an escape from the king in yellow who likely would've called him by his original name

i recognise this is like probably nothing at all but it is rotating in my brain and i need to get it out, i love saying shit and being completely incoherent

[kaiserouo]

i need more rhino heirloom art

[somecunttookmyurl]

all the while society conflates "being an adult" with "having a proper job" and "having money to make arbitrary Adult Purchases" disabled people who can't work - or can only work part time or can only do entry level baby jobs - will never be 'allowed' to be adults

you can say "being an adult is looking after yourself you don't have to have a job!!!" all you want but most people who say that will still assume anybody who doesn't either can't or won't 'look after themselves' actually. and every 'marker' of 'adulthood' that's observable and thus actually counts or whatever loops back around to... having a job and 'contributing' something

[scribblewise]

I can only speak from my own experience as someone whose main employable skills are grocery stocking and general labor, and as a person who came from relative poverty that is supported in their "artist lifestyle" by a partner that can simply afford to with few problems. I am by no means over having feelings of guilt for being relatively well-off during a time of crisis, but I have made some peace with it and I hope this can bring you or anyone else in the same situation some level of relief.

I'm clearly capable of supporting myself with terrible shit-paying jobs with long hours, I did it for 12 years. During that time I did find myself subscribing to a number of patreons and buying products (that I mostly didn't care for) to support artists I liked - in truth I almost never even looked at the patreon rewards or even consider them significant, I simply liked contributing to art that I believed to be good. I did not, as a laborer, spend every second of my life fuming about artists making literally any money. And believe me, there was a time when I did hold resentment for people whose work I considered to be bad earning what I thought was a lot of money for it - that's some 4chan shit, and it's a totally distorted and inaccurate view of the world that doesn't really hold up to scrutiny. Do not believe that having a bad job makes every second of your life unimaginable agony to which every dollar gleaned from the jaws of a corporate hellscape is so hard-earned that you could only ever stand to give it to a saint, that's not really how it is. I liked certain parts of my life and even my job. I'm kind of an outlier in that I legitimately literally love stocking groceries and managing inventory but it pays very, very badly.

Something I'll always remember is the feeling of resentment and also respect I felt while bailing cardboard at 2:30am in the grocery store listening to the hosts of Off Book the Improvised Musical Podcast very honestly explain that the only reason they were successful is because they had people supporting them long enough for them to make it in entertainment, and how there were many more talented people in their circle that washed out simply because they didn't come from the means or find a way to secure it with their personal connections. If you look around, it's all like this, things haven't changed much from the olden times for artists. If people (even family) are supporting you financially during an economic and civil rights crisis as an artist and you're not revolutionizing the world's political institutions, you're actually still doing great! Trust my word as a laborer: when they can't afford or don't enjoy supporting you and getting what they believe to be value out of it - they will stop! As I did, when money got tight.

I am not going to ever be one of those assholes that says shit like, "emotional turmoil and depression is actually a part of the art making process that makes it more authentic blah blah blah" but the job you're doing isn't measurable by the same metrics as putting jars of pasta sauce on a shelf. Art necessarily comes from articulating intent, and that's trickier to sort out than just taking it out of the fucking box - there's gonna be downtime! And it sucks, sometimes!!

As for being supported by a partner - if the roles were reversed and I was making enough to support her while she did like, math or whatever and made basically zero money doing it, the reason I would be doing that would not be out of some perceived future financial or social payoff but simply because I love her and I like it when she is happy and safe and cared for - the exact same way she feels about me. It's not my "job" to just be a happy domestic partner, because even when I'm miserable the support is the same. However, by looking at myself from the outside, in a little diorama of my home and my friends and family, I can see that simply my stability and well-being is actually a fairly robust source of comfort and support for those connected to me.

As a closer, and not that I don't understand that politics is so deeply saturated into every aspect of this discussion that it's almost inseparable, but I will separate it out here - I can't really help you much there other than to remind you that every aspect of this is so deeply saturated with politics that any actions of support you take for anyone ever could conceivably be construed as political action. As a single thread in the tapestry you can't really be held responsible for the weave of society collapsing or becoming poisoned around you, because you (and I) do not individually hold the level of power necessary to do these kinds of things. If you feel like you're not doing enough, there are many options for actions that impact the lives of those around you. Consider volunteering, like maybe literally anywhere and maybe not even that long, but as much as you can manage. Maybe even just solitarily walk around with a bag and a stick and pick up trash. Talk to someone about their problems or something. Help someone, anywhere, and you'll be playing a part. Maybe not the biggest part, but a part nonetheless. I don't want to simply suggest monetary donation, because it doesn't really have the same emotional impact for a person as literally reaching out to help, but I also won't discount the idea as worthless or ineffective - there really are places you can give money that have a positive impact on things.

Anyway, sorry if that sounds like a bunch of cope bullshit, and maybe it is and I'll have a revelation about it later, but it's my honest perspective about this issue at this moment.

i also think its a little reductive to position me as saying "the world is bad so why should i be happy". my dilemma is "the world is bad right now, what part am i playing in contributing to that?". i dont think thats an absurd thing to consider nor the result of just shame. if anything the shame comes from reflecting on the answers to that question

[misakiisstupid]

Headcanon: Damian Wayne and His Plushie Collection

Damian Wayne is an assassin, a vigilante, a fearsome warrior.

And he has a massive collection of plushies.

It starts by accident.

At first, it’s just one—a tiny, worn-out stuffed hawk that his mother once gave him when he was five. It’s the only childhood possession he ever kept. Hidden in a drawer, untouched but never forgotten.

But then?

The Batfamily happens.

It begins with Dick.

Because of course it does.

Dick sees Damian staring a little too long at a display of stuffed bats in a toy store window while they’re out on patrol. He doesn’t say anything then, but the next morning, Damian finds a plush bat on his bed.

He scoffs. Tt. He doesn’t need such things.

… But the bat stays on his nightstand.

Then comes Alfred.

One evening, Alfred simply hands him a stuffed lion. No explanation. Just a small, knowing smile.

Damian stares. “What is this?”

Alfred clears his throat. “Master Damian, every young boy deserves a childhood.”

Damian insists he doesn’t care. He is the heir to the League of Assassins, the blood son of the Batman. He has no need for such—

… The lion is now sitting next to the bat.

Jason gets involved.

Jason overhears Dick talking about it and loses his mind.

“He’s a tiny, angry gremlin, but he hoards plushies? That’s adorable.”

So, of course Jason starts bringing him the weirdest ones.

A plush Joker (which Damian set on fire). A plush skull that Damian actually liked. A plush potato ("Todd, what exactly am I supposed to do with this?").

Jason cackles every time Damian tries to pretend he doesn’t care.

Tim? Tim weaponizes it.

He learns Damian hates being perceived as soft. So what does he do?

He buys him a pink bunny plush.

Damian nearly murders him.

(But nobody misses the way Damian quietly places it on his shelf later.)

Stephanie and Cass escalate it.

Cass gifts him a plush tiger.

Steph gifts him a massive unicorn.

Damian acts annoyed but doesn’t reject them. They take this as permission to keep going.

One week later, Damian comes home to find his entire bed covered in stuffed animals.

He storms into the Batcave, furious.

"THIS IS A PERSONAL ATTACK!"

Tim is crying from laughter.

Bruce finds out.

One day, Bruce walks into Damian’s room and stops cold.

There are at least 40 plushies scattered across the shelves, bed, and floor.

Damian stares at him. Daring him to say something.

Bruce just sighs.

"… You need more shelves."

And that's that.

Final Count?

Dick gifts him plushies because he wants to give Damian the childhood he never had.

Alfred supports the hobby and occasionally sneaks new ones into his room.

Jason does it just to mess with him, but also secretly cares.

Tim turns it into psychological warfare.

Steph and Cass just want to see how many they can get away with before Damian snaps.

Duke joins in once he finds out.

Bruce doesn't even question it anymore.

Damian will never admit he likes them.

But if anyone dares touch his collection without permission?

They will suffer.

Bonus:

Titus is not allowed near the plushies after an “incident.”

Damian absolutely has plush versions of Batcow, Alfred the Cat, and Jerry the Turkey.

One day, someone finds him napping in a pile of them. (There are photos.)

He pretends not to care, but if someone gifts him a new one, he keeps it. Always.

His favorite? The tiny hawk from his mother.

[torchickentacos]

do you have any pokeani fic recs for the classic vibe (read: the content is unhinged and wild)

Referencing this post- long reply but I give a few pointers in these fics' direction at the end!

I'm gonna be so honest anon, I'm not sure I want to actively rec some of them 😭 A lot of them are very of-their-time (usually 2007-2013) and, while HILARIOUS, often contain things that I really don't want to 'recommend' (homophobia, sexism, a lot of slutshaming, some REALLY out of pocket stuff that is not properly warned for, etc). OBVIOUSLY I am not reccing the yikes of things so much as the rest of it (the hilarious unhinged side), but the current fandomscape leans bad-faith and assumey and I'm just not keen to fuck around and find out tbh. Ye olde fic reccing takes a level of understanding of other time periods and attitudes and customs in fandom and on FFN that I'm... not sure that all of tumblr is always very good at tbh lol. If you guys really want me to and if we can all understand that it was a different time and that enjoyment of batshit insane fics does not equal agreement with everything said or depicted in them, then come back and I'll consider it again. But for now, I'm MORE than happy to tell you guys the best ways to find them on your own lmao. It's not hard once you get it down, and anything I'd rec, I've found through this method.

First off, FFN's search system is just frustrating imo. Between a less-than-intuitive UI and people not bothering to tag characters and ships and genres properly, using it the same way you'd filter stuff on Ao3 is a fool's errand (unless you're doing it by word count/completed/etc, which is objective and automatically tallied I think). You're better off using key words. I usually ignore the filters. The only thing I filter by is fandom at the start page (all of Pokemon is under 'games' in FFN and I don't bother narrowing it down to animeverse personally due to aforementioned mistagging or an entire lack thereof).

So, what key words do I use? When looking for that specific brand of insane campy 2000s kitschy wild unhinged stuff, I usually default to searches like "PS CS IS" (poke contest ikari, there's a lotta stuff in there, sometimes there's ORS/LGS/OS/ES/AS etc and you won't always know the acronym and it's just a surprise tbh) or trope related searches like "Assassin" or "High school" or "Vampire" other words you might find in a summary. You can also search by character names (in the search bar and not in the actual filters, which are not reliable in my experience). I'd say to go for tropes and AUs as far as keywords go. I'd ALSO say to not filter by completed, because that'll filter out a lot of two-week-passion-projects that someone dropped as soon as it got flamed, and there's some fun ones in there.

That's about it, but if you find one good fic then it's worth checking the rest of what the writer has. A lot of them have a bunch of unfinished fics and there's some hidden gems. Have a good time reading, and the search is half the fun! Come back with any funny lines you find if you want :)