#normalise blaming them for everything

[philsthighpower]

[kingslionheart]

whats the weirdest thing you’ve ever normalised

i wanted to try to find something a bit lighter to say but there's genuinely nothing light in anything weird that i have normalised, SO.

i guess the weirdest thing i have normalised is exclusion, like actively excluding people and being very open about it. i wasn't the one doing that, it was done to me in middle school and that was part of the bullying i was subjected to, tho the adults (especially the teachers) were the ones who made me normalise it and bullying in general, because they constantly repeated to me like on a daily basis that bullying didn't exist and neither did exclusion, and therefore of course A 12 YEARS OLD IS GOING TO NORMALISE THAT

[obsob]

the uk's supreme court ruling is just the most insane thing ever these people are freaks. not ONCE in any of the bbc articles do they mention at all what they actually mean by 'biological sex' but im guessing they mean pussy . so . u want my big muscular hairy 100% 'passing' ftm bf in ur changing room?? in ur bathrooms?? would that make u feel comfy and safe??????? like they constantly leave out trans men of this argument most likely bc they know what adding them in completely dissolves their entire argument its so funny

and these arguments and "facts" are just not based in any sort of reality at all . like . what? all trans women are actually men and the reason why theyre doing all that is so they can infiltrate womens spaces to assault them? tfw ur a man and u want to assault a women but th door she went through has a little stick figure in a dress on it so u go 'damn' and walk away sadly. like. GIRLS. completely not only just disregarding any statistics that prove this is not in fact happening, or at the very least not happening to the degree they act like it is, but also ignoring the fact completely that women are very capable of assaulting women!! like that happens!!! women are not these perfect untouchable always-the-victim creatures . they're just people!! and all people are capable of evil!! trans, cis or otherwise!! YES men are more likely to assault women than any other group of people, but that is not because they are men and were born with evil in their hearts, its because of the way boys are raised and how normalised misogyny is in our society!!!!! by making everything about biology u completely disregard this fact, which both removes blame from the men who do assault women AND does nothing to help solve the social issues which cause this to happen in the first place!!! girls you are so weird!!!!!!!!

FUTHERMORE! im sorry but if u have intense trauma so bad that you cant spend any amount of time in the presence of man, that is ur problem to heal. you cannot expect the world to mold itself around YOUR trauma and triggers. it is your responsibility to keep yourself safe. just because u dont like something or something makes u uncomfy it doesnt give you the right to just campaign it out of existence sorry !

all my lovely uk trans women ESPECIALLYYYY my poc trans women i love you so so much you deserve the everything and the world is better and brighter with you in it!! one day everyone will see that and it will be a kinder existence for everyone because of it <33333 i love u so so much everything will be okay one day bc we will make it okay i prommy

[jokeroutsubs]

[📝ENG TRANSLATION] 🎈Bojan Birthday special 🍰 Bojan Cvjetićanin: A Successful Procastinator

Original article written by Robert Rebolj for Slovenske novice, published 22.08.2020. Photos by Žan Pevec and Tomaž Rupnik.

English translation by @kurooscoffee, review by IG 10_anja, proofread by @flowerlotus8.

🎧 Audio version available here.

Full article below the cut! 👇

A Successful Procrastinator.

2020 was supposed to be the year for the young Ljubljana's Bežigrad band, which has announced their breakthrough into stardom through dedication and songs like 'Gola' and 'Vem, da greš'.

Ph: Personal archive.

Bojan is currently one of the most popular musicians, loved by both girls and boys alike.

"Last year, we made a plan that was supposed to withstand anything, even a bullet. On the 1st of April, we would have released the album, presented it at two events in Ljubljana's Cvetličarna, and then we would have a summer full of concerts. Unfortunately, everything fell through. If we can't support the album with concerts, it doesn't make sense to release it for now," the 21-year-old singer and songwriter, whose future is expected to be dazzling, described the unexpected turn of events.

Ph: Tomaž Rupnik. The five Joker Out members from Ljubljana have been making waves with great music for some time now.

How are you coping with the disruption of these events that are important to you?

Bojan: At first, we found the whole situation funny; we thought everything would normalise within two months. Back then, I was quite inactive and uncreative, and with each passing month, my mood became even more gloomy. Realisation that this could drag on for a long time has a significant impact on your psyche. And while there’s a widespread belief among the people that this is now a period of new creativity, I’ve created very little myself. I was grieving more than anything else!

We’re hearing a lot of criticism about the immature behavior of young people—partying, ignoring experts' warnings. But there are also those who are very responsible. Which of those are you?

My perspective is that young people here are actually quite responsible. I think they are aware of the warnings and don’t socialise recklessly. Recently, I went out for the first time in five months. In front of Kino Šiška, around 50 people had gathered. It was very calm. People socialised within their groups and kept their distance.

Ph: Žan Pevec. "My parents taught me that no amount of money can replace a clear conscience and fair earnings," he says.

I’d say we don’t have a problem with ultra-parties here. What seems more problematic to me is that the restrictions on cultural events are extremely strict and, without any legal basis, prevent a huge number of people from working and making a living. Meanwhile, at Brezje¹, a few thousand people gathered without any sanctions; most of them belong to the critical age group, and on top of that, they didn’t follow safety measures. It seems to me that a lot of blame is being shifted onto young people, but in reality, those who were the most active in breaking the rules during the pandemic were about 15 years older than us.

¹Brezje is a settlement in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia, best known for its basilica which is the largest pilgrimage church in Slovenia.

What are the strongest values you’ve taken from home?

My parents taught me to always be honest, no matter what I do, because no amount of money can replace a clear conscience and fair earnings. In our family, we’re also very compassionate and respectful toward all people. Both of them supported me greatly in my creative endeavors and gave me everything I wanted, as long as I was fair to them and fulfilled my responsibilities.

And you did fulfill them? You weren't a rebel?

And I did, yes. I wasn’t a rebel—maybe I had a few moments in secondary school, but that’s probably pretty normal.

Were you a nerd?

A terrible procrastinator (laughs). Every year, at the start of the school year, I promised myself it would be different this time. Before school began, I’d buy new notebooks, pens, a pencil case, and all the supplies, tidy up my desk, make and hang up schedules. It would last maybe three days, and then I was even worst than the previous year—a disaster! (laughs) Only now at university—I'm studying sociology—am I a little more diligent, but I’m still quite a procrastinator.

Which was your favourite subject, and which caused you the most trouble?

The worst was definitely maths, but that’s entirely my fault because, from elementary school to the end of high school, I probably did a total of ten homework assignments. Awful! Of course, you can’t learn maths that way. During periods when I focused on it, I didn’t have any problems. I also really liked my maths teacher! My favourite subjects were sociology and history, and over time, I became happy that we learned Latin as well. I won’t single out physical education—we always played football there, which was fantastic.

So football is your favourite sport?

I’m a fan of extreme sports, especially the acrobatic version of wakeboarding (the most adrenaline-filled version of surfing, editor’s note). I also love fast cars. I used to train judo but had to quit because of severe migraines, and then I started playing football. So yes, it’s probably my favourite sport now.

Do you follow Cristiano Ronaldo's discipline as a counterbalance to the temptations of rock 'n' roll?

In that respect, I’m more like Diego Maradona! (laughs)

Let me guess—when it comes to music, you’re less of a procrastinator?

Not at all! (laughs) I’m not musically educated, which I also deeply regret. As a child, I never showed any interest in music, so, naturally, my parents didn’t enroll me in music school. It was only later that I started taking private guitar lessons, and at the age of 12, I learned everything I know to this day.

"On stage, I stop caring about everything. I feel invincible, like no one can touch me."

Unfortunately, when it comes to learning instruments, I’m the same kind of procrastinator I was in high school. As for writing music and lyrics, I only create when I feel a strange inspiration that I have to write it down. It’s very hard for me to just sit down and start writing. I deeply regret this. If we look at the history, The Beatles’ John Lennon and Paul McCartney reportedly had regular creative meetings, and not one of them ended without a song being written. This means they wrote thousands of songs in their lives, whereas literally everything I write eventually gets released.

From today’s perspective, what would you teach your own children?

I’d like to have kids as young as possible...

Really?!

Really. I’ve even picked out the names already! (laughs)

Please, share them with us!

(Laughs) Oh no, I can’t reveal them yet—someone might steal them! I’ll tell you, but you can’t write them down! (laughs) Anyway, continuing on, I’d definitely teach them everything my parents taught me. I believe those are very good values and solid foundations on which a person can then grow in the right direction. I also think education and the ability to think abstractly are very important. My parents strongly encouraged this in both me and my sister. And although it might seem like I resisted them a bit in the educational part, I’m endlessly grateful to them today for all their encouragement.

What do you value most about your parents?

With my father, definitely his humility. With my mother, it’s how well she listens and how compassionate she is.

You seem very confident, but are you truly confident deep down as well?

I am, I’ve never had any problems with this, and when I work, I know what I’m doing. I also feel like I’m good at sensing and reading people, and I know how to respond to them. I’m open to those who are open to me, but others don’t interest me. I guess it all stems from respect.

How are you with girls?

Also very respectful. It’s true that I’m quite flirtatious, so I like confident girls who might even outflirt me in this regard. I really like that. I’ve only had one somewhat serious girlfriend, but I always try not to be rough, rude, or impolite, although I’m sure there were times when I was. But my main guiding principle is to be a good person. I don’t support violence; it should be stopped at all costs.

At first glance, confidence and modesty don’t seem to go hand in hand…

But that’s exactly it. My father is incredible in this regard, I admire him greatly. He’s an extremely intelligent and successful man, a doctor, a surgeon. He’s achieved so much in life and has provided my sister and I with almost everything. Then I feel embarrassed when I catch myself getting excited about material things and wanting everything, even though I haven’t achieved anything in life yet and can’t afford those things.

"I want to have kids as young as possible. I even have their names picked out!"

My father, who could afford a lot and truly deserves it, doesn’t have that need or desire. Such things mean nothing to him. He always brings me back to reality, as I feel bad about myself at these realisations, like a completely spoiled brat.

Successful people are usually very hardworking, and with work comes absence. And no material thing can replace the absence of parents. How was it for you?

My father worked from early morning, when I also went to school, and he’d come home late in the afternoon, just as I was returning from sports activities after school. My mother, also a doctor—a pediatrician—had a well-organised work schedule. So, we were able to spend our free time together. My father always made time to attend my matches, and later, neither he nor my mother missed any significant concerts. My parents always made plenty of time for my sister and I. I have absolutely no complaints in this regard.

I know firsthand that you’re very popular among both girls and the gay community. Are you aware of this?

I knew about the girls, but I didn’t know I was confirmed to be popular in the gay community. However, I’ve recently met quite a few gay people, and they told me that I am. I admit that I really like this. I’m a big supporter of people being free to be who they are. And if everyone can connect with my lyrics, which are usually written as love songs for women, I feel like I’ve achieved a lot. In general, the gay people I’ve met have been incredibly kind and cool. And they’re amazing partygoers, so I definitely enjoy their company!

On stage, you have such a nonchalant presence…

In life, I’m not nonchalant, but on stage, I always switch to a different version of myself. I stop caring about everything, I feel invincible, and nobody can touch me. In this aspect, I strongly identify with Liam Gallagher’s persona from the band Oasis.

In this sense of immortality, many musicians have lost their compass later in life, along with their voices, and even their hearing. What about you, are you being careful?

I’m very concerned about my voice. At least three or four days before a concert, I avoid partying and staying up late because I’m terrified of losing my voice on stage. As for hearing, I hope I won’t have any issues since we always use noise-canceling earplugs during rehearsals, and at concerts, I wear special headphones to control the volume of the sound reaching me. While some old rockers might call us soft, I don’t care—I definitely don’t want to be deaf and voiceless at 60. Right now, my band and I are ready to do whatever it takes to make it big and turn this into our full-time job. You know, after all, we have to work a bit too! (laughs)

By co-hosting this year’s EMA Fresh alongside Maja Pinterič on national television, you also tried your hand at hosting. If you could evaluate yourself: are you satisfied, do you think you have a talent for hosting?

My first real hosting gig was in ninth grade at a school anniversary event. Objectively speaking, I did very well, and that’s when my mum openly said for the first time that I was truly born for the stage. Before that, she didn’t take me seriously when I mentioned wanting to work in show business.

"My view is that young people here are actually quite responsible."

Later, I hosted almost all events in secondary school, got some bigger opportunities later, attended a drama club, and so on. Honestly, I think there’s a host in me too, but it’s clear that I still have a lot of work to do if I want to become really good. Regarding EMA Fresh, I think I did my job well. If I had prepared better, I could have done very well. Unfortunately, the procrastinator in me won again.

[senjuhashirama]

THE NUANCE OF HASHIRAMA’S UNFAMOUS QUOTE

After Hashirama wins a fight with Madara at the Valley of the End and subsequently impales Madara with a sword, Hashirama says to him:

Hashirama is saying this memorable quote to a dying Madara as if he was trying to justify his decision to kill Madara not only to Madara but also to himself. He’s reminding Madara that he will choose Konoha over anything else (including Madara) no matter what. He’s firm and assured with his decision. However, he’s not sure if it’s the right decision and he perceives his action as desperate. In other words, He feels like he had no other option, and he feels similarly to a rat being forced into a corner. He can only jump at his enemy or he (and everything he worked for) dies. He blames Madara for him having to face this hard situation. He doesn’t feel like he‘s won, there’s no movement in his face to suggest that, he’s angry at best for being cornered. Rather than that, he feels like he’s lost together with Madara.

However, this quote alone without context (as it’s usually thrown around) doesn’t tell us the whole story of Hashirama’s point of view that was shaped by his upbringing, experiences and dire situation.

When Hashirama says he would kill his child if the child was a threat Konoha, He doesn’t talk about a literal six years old child who came with a wooden sword. And he doesn’t talk about an adult child he could easily overpower and deal with them verbally. Instead, he talks about an offspring that would be at least on Hashirama’s level of power who would try to destroy Konoha and everyone in it, including babies and families. To put it more simply, it‘s not about only protecting Konoha as a political system but about actual people living there who wouldn’t stand a chance against said offspring and would eventually die if the offspring wasn’t stopped. Considering all previous points, Hashirama wouldn’t kill his offspring as a form of punishment, but out of necessity and out of desperation. This is also how he feels about killing Madara – he doesn’t want to punish Madara.

However, Hashirama doesn’t just think about it, he also says it aloud, which can give sort of dark or even cold vibes. But to understand this, we need to look at the way Hashirama was raised. He was born in a midst of wars where death was so prevalent that he becomes a little obsessed about it. His two brothers died, and we can assume that many of his friends and comrades also died. For Hashirama, death is a normalised, sad part of life and it’s not a taboo as it is later in the series. He is capable of talking about it and it, without a question, taught him to be compassionate.  

To Hashirama, death is not a punishment, but the last resort.   

Similarly, in Hashirama’s flashback, we can see where his struggles with parent/child relationships come from. His father was authoritative and abusive, which means that Hashirama was never shown a proper parent/child relationship. He struggled as a child and he probably automatically presumes he will struggle as a parent (on the other side) too. We don’t know how Hashirama was as a father and I don’t personally believe he was anything like Butsuma, but his traumatic experience with his own father probably shaped Hashirama’s view of familiar relationships. That’s why it was so easy for him to say aloud that he would kill his own offspring if they threatened Konoha. Hashirama’s feelings about family are more numb and lacking because of the abuse he has suffered. Because of that, he will never see father/son relationship as only good and loving as that’s not what he knows. Hashirama’s statement is rather dark and it lacks nurturing (that is prevalent in healthy family relationships), just as his adolescence.

Despite this, Hashirama isn’t sure if his decisions he made for Konoha were right. Madara himself warns him that his vision will bring darkness upon Konoha. Hashirama has regrets and doesn’t fully justify his decision as being right.

That said, Hashirama‘s statement to Madara about killing a family member and his regrets aren’t supposed to show him as a bad person. Instead, they humanise him and they make him seem like an individual rather than an ideal.

On the contrary, Hashirama‘s „heroic sacrifice“ (killing an enemy who was a friend) isn’t supposed to show him as a good person. He’s not just good and flawless or simply bad. He’s not just a cartoonishly evil character and neither he’s a funny and innocent himbo. He’s a nuanced character with flaws, not just an aspirational hero whose hands are clean.

[eddiesgmcsierra1500denali]

No, because it shouldn’t be blamed Oliver here. Yeah, people dont have boundaries and a weird behaviour, but that doesn’t mean that we need to excuse that behaviour. If you apply that logic to everything else, how would it be?

“Oh, let’s bullied this artist because I don’t know how to have boundaries and I’ll say to them how a loser theyre and how they song flops. It’s their fault for having an account”

“Oh, let’s follow this artists because I don’t know about boundaries and I want to take a picture with them. It’s their fault for being famous.”

“Oh, let’s ask about their private lives all the times because I don’t know about boundaries and I want to know if they’re together or not. It’s their fault because they’re famous and I’m a fan and they’re famous because I’m their fan.”

Then we get mad when artists like Chappel Roan set boundaries, because it’s not normalised. What’s normalised is not having boundaries and acting like we’re 13 years old asking weird shit to their accounts. Common sense. The jokes in the fandom stay in the fandom.

Sometimes we forget that just because they’re famous, they’re not humans. Oliver should be meanier. Have a good day xx

i mean, i'm not excusing the behavior. i said that people shouldn't be dming him and i also said i don't understand why people dm him in the first place because i think it's weird to interact with celebrities. i am quite literally advocating for him to do exactly what you're saying here: he NEEDS to set firmer boundaries because it is deeply unfair that he singled out some 19 year old for saying something innocuous about him that he didn't like on a DIFFERENT PLATFORM, where legions of people have been saying the same thing. i feel exactly the same way about being on here, for the record—do you know why i rarely receive anons about things i don't like? because i block and i don't answer and i am also very clear about stuff i'm not interested in talking about. and this is on a platform where you have FAR less control over what gets sent to you than instagram. i also, for example, think it's deeply annoying when people fan the flames of trolls because, even though it's not anyone's fault that they were sent disturbing content, giving people like that attention literally makes the problem worse for EVERYONE. obviously nobody should be trolling or acting badly! but it happens. so we don't engage and we figure out ways to mitigate harm and make the experience better for OURSELVES and the people we care about. and regardless, it is truly disingenuous to act like celebrities, who are indeed human, aren't operating on a different level than regular civilians on the internet. oliver stark shouldn't be meaner, he should log the hell off. but thanks!

[redditreceipts]

i regret testosterone so much. i regret a lot in my life (engaging in noncon kink shit with my consenting partner always eats me up inside. i feel like a terrible person for it and always will despite my partner telling me they were into it and wanted it) but i regret testosterone most. my voice is deeper, my genitalia is forever changed, and i grow hair on my neck. im a feminine woman now that im medicated and happier with my body, but I'll always be changed by the chemicals i put in my body when i was mentally at my lowest. i didnt even have to do therapy to get testosterone (though i likely wouldve lied and said i was fine to get it anyway.)

oh man, that really makes me sad for you :(

First of all, I don't really know why you would feel like a terrible person for engaging in noncon shit at a point where you were not educated on the risks and harm, and there is not really a way to blame you since this bs is so normalised. Especially on the side of the "dominant" person - you are perceived as a good lover if you engage with them on that

And you don't deserve to beat yourself up over taking testosterone. It's not fair, as it appears, you have already gone through enough and blaming yourself will just make everything harder. You blaming yourself and finding the fault withing yourself is probably the very thing that led you to those decisions. It's time to stop acting as though you were acting stupidly in a vacuum and start to see those things as influenced by our destructive misogynistic society - recognising that can be the first step for you to take back real agency.

So see this crap for what it is - the product of a deeply flawed upbringing, society and mental patterns, and instead of blaming yourself, break out of it :)

(at least that's how I try to see stuff for myself and it has made my life better and led me to actually change something lol)

[that-one-i-think]

Idk if you’re up to date with this but recently Jason Ritter made a tiktok responding to some internet jokes about his wife by saying ‘I can fight’

And this is honestly just a totally net positive internet experience and I can’t get over it.

Firstly. Melanie Lynskey deserves all the love In the world. The internet is giving this to her. Lesbians historically love Melanie Lynskey and I don’t blame them I do too. And we’re in a media culture that sidelines older women, so for people to latch onto her so greatly is everything to me. Melanie Lynskey is older and we love her so much. We need to start loving more older actresses because we need to normalise them being just as prevalent as older men, and younger women. They deserve everything in the world. And we start this with Melanie Lynskey, the lead actress of the tv show Yellow Jackets, where she kills and eats people.

Secondly. Melanie Lynskey deserves all the love in the world. With the way men are talking about women online more and more frequently, we needed Jason Ritter to step up and make it clear that he loves his wife, and he loves the attention he’s getting, and he will feed into it because sit gives him an excuse to establish, once again, he loves his wife. And we need that. We need more male figures coming out and going ‘I love my wife, and all the attention the lesbians are giving her’

Loving Melanie Lynskey is good for society. And Jason Ritter is part of the club. Yay for us! We need more love for women, especially older women, and he is heading the movement. Because he loves his wife so much.

I have seen all of it and it is just so fucking sweet! Everything you said is just so on point that I can't add anything!

The fact that Jason Ritter is vibing with the jokes and is in on it is so perfect too! I love the fact that more celebrities are deciding to go with the jokes, roll with the punches, and choose to not take things seriously.

My favorite thing right now is bbno$ cosplaying for charity and for his concerts. Just being a joy and homo for his homies. Cause nothing needs to be serious rn. Just a lo of dudes rn are going "Oh shit, I can be a fun AND POSITIVE goofy dude. Does literally nothing to not be."

[proudfreakmetarusonikku]

like the tradwife movement is so fucking depressing bc it’s centred around romanticising an inherently abusive dynamic. it’s a bunch of women groomed into thinking that they owe men everything for being women and that they’re crazy for not being 100% deliriously happy to be treated like a possession going around and spreading the rhetoric they were fed uncritically bc they’re terrified to not accept physical sexual and emotional violence as signs of love. like this isn’t to excuse tradwives who continue the cycle of grooming other women into being abuse victims be it their own children or people online or whatever, grooming is bad I hope that should be uncontroversial and raising someone into thinking they deserve abusive relationships and that they’re true love bc of their perceived gender being grooming should be similarly uncontroversial. but the fact that tradwives are inherently abuse victims bc their own rhetoric treats abusive marriages as perfect and how they’re born from and tools of societies ever present victim blaming especially towards women and girls is important. they’re not new, they’re just another part of the machine designed to normalise abuse and exploitation of the oppressed as not just good but beneficial to that oppressed group. and that brainwashing often works- which does not make the brainwashed any less victims, they Are being abused, but it also does not excuse them of their actions, just explains them.

[thedezzler]

Do I support Mal for what he said? No. Do I hate him? Definitely not. Because who’s the backstabber? Aerin. I am dreaming of the day y’all stop hating on Mal and hâte on the actual betrayer instead lol. I understand WHY he did it, but that doesn’t make him any better. And trust me, I’m really hoping aerin does get a redemption arc. But rn, I prefer to keep my distance. Like I get you all have your reasons, but I have mine and I’m not gonna change them. Wish I could disable the comments as I don’t want any hate cuz some of y’all be mean asf.

(Still a proud Baldur hater tho, normalise blaming everything on him lol)

[crisiscutie]

People just don't get that redemption isn't for everyone

Yes people can do it but sometimes it's best to say it's irredeemable

Sephiroth has been through so many tragedies to the point,it feels like redemption is one big joke to him,cuz he already reached the point of no return

Personally I feel like the trope of "everything is forgivable" is overused or overlooked way too often,there are things in the world that can't forgive and sometimes punishment is better than forgiveness

In Sephiroth's case, I don't think forgiveness will change anything,rather it's impossible,no one who knows him is willing to forgive him,hence some may say he has no faults at all like Hojo cuz that guy is messed up AF

Take it like this: If a guy who commits an unforgivable crime and someone says he should be forgiven based only on the fact that he was abused or insane or he went through some traumatic shit etc,it would not only feel ridiculous, it's outright selfish

Should Sephiroth be forgiven for the Nibelheim Incident just bcuz it was a crime of passion or he was mentally unstable and should get off free of guilt? No,cuz he did something terrible to others and that should be accepted

I've seen too many cases of normalisation or glorification or defence of characters' faults and apparently "you're a bitch for pointing out others' faults" these days and "it's not nice to have criticisms"

I saw some deep toxic shit about normalised toxicity in fiction lately

I mean I love Seph,but god I'm heavily aware he's evil as hell

-🌹

Yup. Sephiroth's path is set in his mind. For what reason would he deviate from his path? He decided to continue the cycle of pain. And Cloud could've continued that cycle after him if it wasn't for Tifa.

I want to state this: I'm against Sephiroth being redeemed. One reason is that no character ever deserves redemption. Redemption is a complex, grueling process that involves self-reflection, remorse, and a genuine desire to change. It requires a willingness to confront your actions and the consequences you inflicted upon others. Sephiroth, so far, has done none of this. He felt justified in his actions. And the few times when he does acknowledge what he has done? He rubs it in Cloud's face, for goodness' sake. He did this in Advent Children, 7R and even the original FF7, especially during that one iconic scene that shall not be named. Sephiroth has displayed constant cruelty to Cloud, his party and the planet. What on Gaia justifies him deserving redemption? Because of his awful and traumatic past?

Let me say this: the events leading up to and following Sephiroth's birth and childhood were undeniably tragic, and he cannot be blamed for them in any way. However, as an adult with the ability to choose his own path, he made the decision to inflict harm upon others, especially those who ZERO involvement in his suffering.

And like I said before, introducing a potential redemption arc for Sephiroth would actually undermine Cloud's own arc and diminish its impact. Sephiroth serves as a warning to Cloud. He is his dark mirror and representing of what a "hero" could become.

I would also like to mention Aerith, who, like Cloud, serves as another mirror to Sephiroth and had a deeply traumatic past. However, instead of succumbing to darkness like Sephiroth, she remained kind and hopeful. Sephiroth's redemption may also conflict with her story and role as well.

To sum it up, redemption would require Sephiroth to question his beliefs and recognize the pain and suffering he has caused. He's not going to do that. He believes himself to be in the right, and the pain he caused to be "justice" in his mind.

And as you mentioned, it's clear that forgiveness is out of the question for him now. Cloud and Tifa, in particular, hold a deep hatred towards him and are determined to put an end to him. It sucks how Tifa's grudge with Sephiroth has been largely overlooked, both by the fandom and CANON (seriously, what were the writers thinking...). Let's not forget the sheer terror poor Tifa had in 7R when she saw Sephiroth in front of Jenova's pod.

Both she and Cloud had been scarred (literally and figuratively) by this man for the rest of their LIVES. They deserve every blow they can get on Sephiroth...

Anyways, rant over. Please stop trying to make Sephiroth "work". He was a sweet baby that became an evil bastard. Let's appreciate the good and bad of the Crisis Cutie!

(Opinion piece if it isn't obvious)

[mithliya]

I feel like men ruin everything. I always greet the security people in front of supermarkets, like with "Hello" or "Guten Tag" because I feel like it's a polite thing to do. Today this security guard went after me into the supermarket (at first I thought he wanted to check specifically me if I was stealing lol) and asked if he could have my number, and I still kind of blame myself because, of course a man would interpret a little more politeness/friendliness than usual as flirting or interest. So I feel like men ruin everything because you can't even greet them in a context where it's not necessarily expected.

that’s so crazy to me, i feel like in certain settings it’s normalised to always greet ppl like for example the bus driver as u enter the bus… i really doubt it was ur fault, he probably is a creep regardless tbh

[hyphen-8-it]

Here are some of my pre-Ep 5 thoughts. Honestly, I'm not sure if anything will go majorly wrong between our little family and the Last Bast in this episode (though it definitely might!), but there are definitely strong indicators that there's something deeply suspicious going on in this society:

This apparently heavily militarised society where violence towards other animals is deeply common and normalised. Something that is, in this manner, completely unfamiliar to our protagonists. Sounds very troubling. Combined with that, the dehumanisation—well destoatisation, I guess—of the dead, who are not referred to by name anymore and seem to be considered acceptable losses in the pursuit of their goal is also very creepy.

The goal that is ostensibly the destruction of humans, as is indicated by the tale Bennett tells them, which seems to be sort of their creation myth. But then these stoats are so alike humans in so many ways starting with the fact that they walk upright, like what purpose is that serving them?? Scary. But also that they are potentially trapping animals to breed them, like the elks in the pit as well as the rabbits. This would certainly be an explanation for how they feed thousands of stoats without completely emptying the entire forest around them, which would be an unsustainable solution. Also, how else would they have been able to support this society for 20 winters (allegedly)?

The question is also, who did they learn these things from? The tale says they "found the Light [them]selves" which is a weird way to phrase that. Like, as opposed to what? That humans made it and you just found it? In the tale it is implied that the stoats' discovery of the Light inadvertantly created the humans, which, as a human watching this, sounds deeply wrong. Almost everything that they have must have been created by humans and then been taken over by the stoats and made useful to them, instead of having been discovered by the stoats alone.

In connection to that, this is why the ability for history-writing that these stoats seem to have developed worries me. Since they normally don't live for 20 years, this seems like a very long time for inaccuracies and exaggerations etc. to be introduced. Which I find very likely to have happened considering the agressively militant tone of their tale, which paints a very one-sided, demonised picture of humans as monsters. (Not that I can blame them lol, but this scapegoating is still a worrying development to see in this stoat society.) It makes me wonder:

Is there any real intention to eradicate humans "when the time comes" or does this effort of to arm themselves serve to cover up some sinister goings-on in this society that might harm 'the little stoat' so to speak? Who is in control of the tale that everyone introduced to this society is being told, and what purpose would it serve them to have this version of the story be believed?

[gyoung1906]

Documentation of my comphet throughout the years 🧍‍♀️

Okay so I thought it’d be funny to talk abt my most intense male fixation eras as a lesbian (idk i’m just shitposting into the void again) judge me all u want (it is probably needed) but i need ppl to understand the real me 🙏

IT CROPPED HALF HIS FACE OUT but i just realised if you aren’t british ur gonna have no idea who he is anyone (he’s lachlan white from emmerdale) omg this was an ERA everyone around me thought i was going insane (i was) but like they just didn’t get it he slayed so hard at a level that will never be reached (literally) also tom atkinson on sex education was like a full circle moment for me omg but anyways i was like 11-12 here these were literally my formative years this changed me FOREVER don’t judge he slayed omg

THIS okay so u can’t even blame me for this one it’s just correct. yes he’s like walking masculinity stereotype BUT he also had depth and was interesting 😌 the fanfics were SO GOOD this is when i really got into fanfiction and accidentally read smut where someone get pregnant in the hunger games 🧍‍♀️i read this one fic that was like x reader AND THEY STRAIGHT UP BOTH DIED but anyways. i read fanfics abt literally everyone thg character (read abt women and convinced myself i was still straight lmfao) but he was the stand out for me. i recently revisited this era and the fics ppl write on ao3 r INSANE omg like what is wrong with u ppl ( i say this lovingly but also wtf )

OMGOMGOMG BEST ERA OF MY LIFE u actually don’t understand u just had to be there. a solid percentage of my brain even to this day is made up of this man. this is like the stupidest thing ever but when i was like 14 i would just mirror his personality (and tone down the arsehole part obvs) so that i could get more talkative AND IT ACTUALLY WORKED nobody in the whole world will ever understand how much he means to me (i don’t rly understand it myself tbh) and ik ppl literally fuckinf despise him but i will not tolerate the dandy mott slander bc he is literally part of my core identity atp i revisit him every few months just to fully reconnect with my inner being. did anyone read Companion? that shit was crazy also i wrote a fic abt him on wattpad and people actually READ IT so anyways best era of my life it truly never got better i rly hit me peak (i had 0 friends) the few friends i had literally told me i talked abt him too much and it made them like me less 💀

this was arguably my most chill era like yea i was pretty obsessive but with marvel it’s so normalised to be so intense abt everything i kinda just fit right in. there’s too much professor fanfiction r u ppl okay 🧍‍♀️ also more actor fanfiction than i have ever seen for any other man in my LIFE but the capitalism went hard during this era the fluff was so good. arguably my most comforting era? idk i can’t rly explain that one

okay so these two r kinda completely different but also (for obvious reasons) the exact same. gotham was my most openly gay era and for that i will forever be grateful HOWEVER the kristen kringle haters were doing WAY TOO MUCH like she’s already dead why u doing her like that constantly (u will see this sentiment echoed later abt someone else hmmm i wonder who) but yea and then YES i was a paul dano lesbian (literally wasn’t out as lesbian at this point lmao) honestly this is probably the era my friends hated the most they would either awkwardly pretend to agree/care abt the shit i was saying or straight up tell me i was delusional 💀 my friends even now still call it my worst era but i LOVED IT kinda solidified my position at the bottom of the hellish secondary school hierarchy but i still had a good time. the paul dani riddler fanfics r next level tho the way ppl would just post STALKER fics constantly with like zero warnings and it was never labelled as yandere 🧍‍♀️i also got in an argument with a writer on wattpad bc they made the riddler and the oc have like a 6 year age gap and they met when she was 10 and he was like 16 💀 other than that good vibes all round

tbh this era was pretty brief i can’t fully explain what happened here like the vibes were immaculate but also insane WHY IS THERE SM YANDERE FANFIC peter parker is so nice but then in fanfics it’s like 👹 but i rly like spider-man HOWEVER this then led me to my final destination on the comphet journey…

omg were finally at the final stop the peak of comphet ( i came out as lesbian within this era ) arguably not my finest hour bc i swore i would never watch criminal minds bc the number of seasons is WAY TOO MUCH but here we are i watched it bc i read too much fanfic abt this man. i have lots of criticism for the fandom but he in himself is acc a rly good character. this was supposed to be like my ethical era but he’s acc killed like a bunch of ppl and thomas gibson is MESSY (don’t cancel me pls i say that lovingly 🫶) the haley hotchner misogyny nearly killed me off i don’t think i’ve ever been so miserable in a fandom and the fanfics kinda take feminism back a few hundred years but pretty good besides that

anyways there is my brainrot i hope the two (at most) ppl who will read this enjoyed 🫶 LETS GO LESBIANS LETS GO im gonna say i posted this in honour of international lesbian day even tho that was several days ago

[f0point5]

Hmm I feel like parasocial behaviour has been far too normalised which in turn has made people feel so entitled to almost everything. Especially with famous celebs, athletes, influencers etc. you’re not entitled to know someone’s relationship status, you’re not entitled to someone changing their personality because you don’t like it, you’re not entitled to every privy detail of their life just because they’re “accessible” to you online 24/7. You’re entitled to your own opinion of someone but it’s not normal to know absolutely everything about everyone and I think people are forgetting that a lot lately.

It really has. I’m so many areas of life and the internet.

But I really blame Liberty Media and the teams for building the parasocial relationship with drivers. They do it to sell merch and tickets and I get that but it’s gone very far now. Some of them feed into it more than others.

It’s all so gross though. I’m a nosey bitch, I like to know things about people’s lives and I think it’s fine to want to know and to consume information that’s out there. But it’s the feeling of being entitled to more information, or having genuine feelings about that information and a real emotional investment in a stranger’s life that is the creepy thing.

It’s just all so…sad.

[toastedcinnamonflakes]

It just hit me that people are complaining about "Modern dating" and how "people nowadays aren't loyal" and like...it's always been like this. Do you know how normalised having a mistress (or several) was? Or visiting prostitutes when your wife didn't want to have sex with you? (Or you didn't want another child?)

Do you know how many women of higher standing had lovers?

And even lower class people weren't always, you know, loyal. Men especially had a bit more freedom, but believe me, women weren't always sticking with their partner, either, marriage or not.

Two things have happened: 1) the playing field has been leveled, in a way (everyone can now more easily be unfaithful, not just rich people), and 2) thanks to social media, it is now much easier to see and expose a cheater. Where 100 years ago you maybe just didn't hear about it, you now get the information more easily. And I would argue, 3), especially women have come to the conclusion that cheating is, in fact, NOT acceptable, and are therefore nowadays more outspoken about a past partner cheating on them - thus it seems like there are more cheaters around, when it's just that they are more visible (combine with #2).

And people complaining about "Nowadays relationships are shit and ppl are just whoring around" is also such an OLD phenomenon. Madame Bovary, Anna Karenina, Effi Briest, to name just a few, are all novels in which that sentiment is expressed. And just like now, societal changes are blamed (in Anna Karenina it's the urbanisation process, in Madame Bovary it's women being allowed to read novels).

What I am trying to say is.... It is easy to say that "nowadays everything is just shit", when people have, in fact, always been Like That™.