#not to mention all the conservative talking points he brings up

[mtkay13]

Lord Zhou and the Ghost Valley Master Cross-posting because i'm just that wild, hah! /jk More about the art below! --and a little talk about WenZhou and their relationship to power (+ some meta).

So hum, it is no secret that I enjoy a bit of "spice" in WenZhou's dynamic and at times am very prolific on my nsfw twitter account.

Collars and leash stuff have been on and off, and I was recently enabled for more of that by friends going wild about ZZS on a leash, etc, etc. LBR: I don't think you need any reason to go feral about that kind of stuff--but seeing how I myself seemed to regress to the state of a wild horny beast while making this painting, I felt like I may need to adress it a little. Here are some of my thoughts about WenZhou & power:

WKX and ZZS are both men who are/were in a position of extreme power. Both rose to that position of extreme power, but from very different starting points and motivations.

ZZS was, from what we know from how he describes himself in TYK and from how he behaves in QY, a very smart, cocky, ambitious kid, who probably deliberately sold his services to HLY to keep rising. There were probably ideals mixed in that, but point is, ZZS desired that power, that influence, and was encouraged to reach it. Becoming a sect leader so young was probably a shock, but nothing indicates that this position wasn't wanted. ZZS also mentioned not having a physique as advantageous as ZCL's when he was a child; so he probably had to work hard to reach his goals. Point is: the power was desired and strived for.

WKX has, without a doubt, needed the power, without ever really showing any pleasure nor satisfaction in having it. Surviving in the GV =/= reaching the top; if anything, becoming the GVM put the largest target on his head--but it is likely that reaching the position of GVM was necessary for him to execute his plan (find the key, pull the right strings, obtain his revenge). WKX was a little genius who didn't want to study, and probably wasn't dreaming/aiming for power. Conclusion: the power was a necessity and a tool. Many various characterisation points/analysis/dynamics can be pulled from this, and it is quite interesting to explore how, later, their relationship to power can evolve, both re:the rest of the world and each other. For the following personal analysis, I also worked with the following points from the book:

ZZS admires WKX's strength and power

WKX seems to have multiple fantasies of control and domination

ZZS seems receptive to many of them (including the biting, the somno stuff, and the cnc suggestions)

WKX admires/envies/resents ZZS' freedom

ZZS has fun becoming a subversion of his past self (swearing, being gross, being ridiculous, being openly cocky)

WKX is a control-freak and is very patient

ZZS is a bit conservative

WKX quite the opposite

Now how does that bring me to ZZS on a leash for the GVM?

(note that this is my current conclusion, not the conclusion)

I like to think that on the one hand, ZZS is that man who sees himself as a man and enjoys a lot of things about masculinity. The power that he likes for himself, he also enjoys seeing it in someone else's hands--he likes fighting for it, but (and this is a very personal interpretation) I like to believe he gets the most thrills from being overpowered; because it shows how strong the other is, bc it subverts whom he is himself. The power he's fought to get, has had all his life, but ended up leaving him alone at the top, feels good when taken from him--or when there's someone strong enough that he isn't alone up there anymore. On the other hand, I feel like although WKX would benefit from relinquishing some control and power, he does enjoy using it in a personal, pleasurable way, rather than by necessity. While he probably likes toying with presentations, with appearances, and doesn't mind being perceived as the wife, as the more submissive one in their fake-traditional relationship play of husband and wife, having the power, holding the leash---simply out of pleasure and mutual satisfaction is, I think very cathartic and arousing for him.

But then, why precanon? For the aesthetic bc I'm a simp for TC!era ZZS. And because showing him so strong, so powerful, yet leashed, is kind of a reminder that... It's not about real power. It's not about who, between them, is the strongest, the most powerful, the winner or whatever. It adds that thrill, the aknowledgement that this is out of freewill and choice and pleasure, I guess.

On top of that, man, I'm sorry, but peak TC!ZZS right post-QY canon after he's become the most powerful man in the country but is completely jaded by what happened in the end? On a leash? For a man he respects?? ugh

Anyway TLDR; I think it's hot and all of that gibberish barely has anything to do with my actual motivations to draw this.

[mysteriouslytransparentwitch]

Hello Mysterious, I hope all is well and continues to improve with you.

You don’t need to post this ask,but I just wanted to express my thoughts on the expansion of the far right across the world, in relation to your last post about France and Macron.

1. Putin

2. Trump and GOP

3. Elon Musk

4. Nigel Farage

5. Marie Le Pen

6. Venezuela president Maduro Moros, plus Argentina’s president Milea.

7. Canadian conservatives now far right party.

8. Corporate right wing media in Europe, North America across the globe.

9. Money, laundered, bit coin or otherwise.

10. War in Ukraine.

All ten are connected, with the source being Putin. He’s been involved since 2015 when he stole Russia’s state money and the oligarchs money. He’s rumoured to be the richest man in the world at one point, and what better use of that resource than to fund a world in your vision of the future??? What we’re witnessing today are the dying throes of this evil heinous collaboration. Putin was very much behind the Conservative Brexit movement in Britain and behind Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage. Not to mention putting trump in the White House. Those were his successes. Putin desires the dissolution of the EU and NATO, a united Europe. Trump was espousing those wishes when he was ‘President’. Elon and Trump are his voice in the west. Maduro was pushing to start a war in South America for oil rich land in Guyana, and was blocked by Blair and Clinton recently. The Guyana president visited Britain when all diplomacy failed on his part. I’m originally from Guyana so I was paying attention to those moves.

Putin has been funding far right causes all across the world for at least a decade now. And he should be reaping the rewards of his hard work. But sadly, no.

The media companies don’t mind the marriage and getting in bed with Putin to consummate the unholy alliance. Money is money is money. Let it rain. They don’t even draw the line at promoting his blatant propaganda as they are doing right now in bashing Biden in the US. The US citizens have to wake up and make the right decision on November 5th.

Yes I believe you when you say Macron will have a fight on his hands in November. It will be directly as a result of the upcoming US elections and its results. All are connected. Sow doubt and fear in France, bring violence to the fore. See??? this could happen to you in the US, a civil war…. But what would you have Macron do?? Submit to the far right and plunge Europe into a proper World War 3? IMO Le Pen will always do as Putin asks, she is his wh*** he just has to say the word and she will obey. And proximity to Russia is also a factor in this. Again as in the US the media is heavily involved too. Right now they are flirting with WW3 in Ukraine. My guess is that war won’t end until after November 2024. A LOT of decisions will be made after November 5th. Just my opinion and observations. Thanks for listening.

I sincerely think that Macron and Lepen are ready to sell the French system for money. I'm serious this time. The complicity of journalists is beginning to be revealed. I can only see an explosion of the 5th republic.

I sincerely believe that the financial system wants the skin of the population. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, you know me.

There's too much of a weird connection. We talk again about links and traffic with Kadafi (Libya)

I need to sit down seriously and look at my cards

[tismtron]

“What would they be like if they had a boyfriend?”

Warnings: angst, mentions of smut, use of words faggot, homophobia, situationships, most of these headcanons are unhealthy asf.

Reader: male AMAB

Pete Dinunzio

•Pete would keep your relationship very down low. It’s nothing like shame or internalized homophobia in his case, it’s to protect himself and you from the club.

•will the club beat the shit out of you for being gay, no?..will the deprecate and degrade you about it until your six feet under because their insecure teenage boys? Yes of course. And Pete knows this.

•Behind closed doors and out of the public eye he’s tender and loving. Binged horror movies with you even if you can handle them or not, thinking that you would get so scared of the movie, you’ll cling onto him as he embraces you type of trope.

•will bring you things from he was hanging out with the club like a cat bringing its owner what it found. In both cases being small dead animals and you gotta explain to this man why you don’t want nor can keep roadkill in your bedroom.

•If he’s shorter than you he would get a complex and always try to prove to you that he’s the macho man of the relationship eve if you told him that you don’t think any less of him because of his height. Although bringing up his height at all brings fuel to the fire. When just the two of y’all go on dates he will rap his hand around your waist while you’re watching a slasher at the movies.

•this guy is inexperienced in relationships like the rest of the virgin club and tries to get advice from horror flicks.

•He calls people faggot derogatory while infact being one of the himself.

•Pete does genuinely love you but he wants to be sure that you’re safe from the club.

Jerry Stokes

•Jerry is a sweetheart but the club find out sooner or later cause for one; Jerry is a bad liar, and two they snoop on each other if one of them misses a meeting. And when they say Jerry holding hands with a boy they didn’t know what to think.

•Jerry is neurodivergent. You know this. You’re aware of his vocal stims, hyper fixation on fantasy, and stims with his hands and body when gets worked up or excited about something.

•when you come over he’s over the moon the see you, but he has to hide you from his parents aswell cause I think his parents are more conservative.

•sometimes when the two of you make out or get intimate he vocally stims and he got so embarrassed but you said he was ok.

•the club clowns on him about it when they found out saying things like. “Now we see why you like fantasy you fucking fairy.” And calling him a fag when he tries to be the voice of reason to their dumb ideas.

•He doesn’t let you near the club because he doesn’t want you to think less of him or he’s friends to dog on you like they do to him.

•please let him rant on for hours about his fantasy games and movies and he’ll love you forever.

Bill Dicky

•Internalized Homophobia in the most incel way possible. He will date you but degrade you to push himself up on his ego. Will not do any pda or nickmaes in public, almost as if you two aren’t dating at all.

•But behind closed doors it’s very different. He’s never had a partner, so he can take what he can get, but got thrown in a loop when you were a guy. If he really likes you he’ll be more closer to you by standing next to you and talking to you more than others.

•Bill is a very insecure man. So when you started dating him he used you as reassurance that he’s a good person, and if you point out something he did that’s clearly wrong he will get so defensive.

•His mom knows about your relationship and is surprisingly okay with it. His younger sister actually thinks you would help Bill get better in some way or at least more tolerable to be around.

•he whimpers (WHO SAID THAT)

Josh Levvy

•Josh like the rest keeps your relationship more private. Mostly out of shame of being gay himself than you.

•His parents are Jewish and very religious. Josh is more willing to show you to his parents than his friends. His mom calls you a Sheigtez and Josh would fight for you and stand up for a you against his mom whether you want him to or not.

•The most odd conversations with Josh will mean the world to him. Y’all can be talking about nothing and Josh would cherish the moment.

•For his short temper he has a very low self esteem. The fact anyone is dating him makes him question why him of all people.

•will talk your ear off about Star Wars,Star trek, DC, you name it. And when he shows you his collection and lets you touch them you know your in deep with him.

[biceratops7]

So here’s the thing,

Being visibly queer to the point of ostracism is historically synonymous with gender nonconformity and I don’t think that’s a conversation some are ready to have.

Gender nonconformity as it pertains to Stede is a hot button topic of debate in the fandom rn, and I love that! So much! Queer theory shit is in right now? Sign me tf up! But I see a lot of posts answering “no” to “does Stede wear feminine clothing?” as if it’s the same question. It’s also being talked about as a binary “to be” or “not to be” as if gender nonconformity is not a concept experienced on a spectrum.

Even if Stede’s clothing can be considered reasonably “masculine” with all the anachronisms, picking flowers, not being able to stomach a “man’s” job, and wearing robes that cause other characters to misgender him are harder sells. The number one thing I see the “Stede is NOT gnc” side say is that these things are only associated with femininity if you’re seeing them from a stereotypical lense. And well… yah. Gender nonconformity is a social construct. That’s what a social construct is. Enjoying bright colors, preferring non-confrontational solutions, wearing a skirt, having long hair, these are all things that are not biologically innate to women. They’re extra characteristics our society uses to construct the idea of a woman. That’s also why gender nonconformity hinges on the cultural context as well. Different societies, different rules.

In order to understand where people are coming from when they say Stede is gnc and use the queerphobia he experiences as evidence, you have to look at the metaphysics. What is homophobia in its original form? What is it made of? I’d argue it’s purest components are the fear that the divides between men and women will break down. It’s considered “an abomination” because sleeping with a man is seen as the natural duty of a woman, and for women, sleeping with a man. Beyond that, all of the baggage that comes with those extra characteristics I mentioned follows suit. Lesbians were by and large excluded from womanhood, in some points of history specifically bottoming was illegal because it was “placing yourself in a woman’s position”, etc.

And that’s not to say masc gay men don’t experience homophobia, they absolutely do. I’m just saying if Stede is experiencing specifically the same bigotry as non-passing queer people do in the form of being excluded from his own gender and even from others in his group, then I don’t think he’s one of those men.

Honestly a thousand kudos to @eluciferate for already bringing Albert from “The Birdcage” to the conversation. Cause he really is the perfect example of not only gender nonconformity beyond the literal surface, but the fact that for many it’s a state of being rather than a conscious choice of queer empowerment. When Albert’s son brings home a girl with very conservative parents, and Albert attempts to “play straight” for his sake… he can’t do it. Even in ultra masculine clothes and trying his best, the nonconformity shines through like toes poking out of old shoes.

Fuck, Stede wasn’t kidding when he said he was “uncomfortable in a married state”. Even the way he carries himself back home looks carefully minded, like his whole life is a play he was horribly miscast for. In other words sometimes you didn’t purposely decide to stick it to the heteronormative man. Sometimes with great gayness comes great responsibility and that’s that.

Jokes aside, we can nickel and dime all his frilly little affects all we want, but at the end of the day Stede is gender nonconforming in a way that goes beyond aesthetic. And I think a lot of people may be hesitant to read him this way because it requires you to acknowledge homophobia in the show, that Stede’s queerness is commented on and something he actively has to mind before even knowing what it is.

[anamericangirl]

I'm sure you've gotten this question before so I hope I'm not bothering you and I apologize if this isn't articulated very well.

What do you think of Project 2025?

I've looked into it and it seems that the consensus on the right is that it's a Think Tank document and the consensus on the left is that democracy will 100% end and we're not going to have any rights anymore.

The main reason I'm asking this is because my best friend is center-left and is genuinely convinced America is going to collapse to the point where she's considering moving somewhere else entirely. She's making herself paranoid and depressed over it. I've tried my best to comfort her but ever since she's found out about it, she's been spiraling into full panic mode and it's all she talks about. I'm sad and nervous for her and I don't know what to do.

I consider myself center-right politically. I personally don't think our rights are going to be taken away, but I will admit that her paranoia is rubbing off on me a little due to how much she talks about it, and how much it clearly scares her. I'm completely lost on how to calm her down since she originally brought it up out of nowhere (and I'm not very good at dealing with stressed people, to be honest - I've never seen her like this). I'm trying to remain neutral when I talk to her purely because the truth is that we have no idea what's going to happen in the future, and if something does, we'll deal with it (which is what I told her when she first told me about it). Because she's already made up her mind that this country is doomed, she hasn't considered any alternative possibility and I haven't even tried to say anything else other than what I previously mentioned. It's more or less, "Wait for the future to pan out (because I know you won't listen if I even suggest that this isn't going to happen").

I might get flak from people but from what I've read on your blog, you seem to know what you're talking about, so I was hoping you had some advice? Thank you, either way.

Hi you’re not bothering me at all :)

You are correct that our rights are not going to be taken away. And even if Project 2025 was a plan to take rights away from people it doesn’t matter because Project 2025 isn’t happening. It’s nothing more than a conservative wish list that the left is creating a boogeyman out of because they have nothing else. Trump isn’t associated with it and it’s not his agenda.

Your friend is paranoid and freaking out about it because she is just listening to and giving in to the relentless fear mongering of the media and democrat party. But I bet she has no actual knowledge of Project 2025. I bet she has never looked it up, never read it, never taken the time to see what it is or even checked out Trump’s agenda to verify that it’s not aligned in any way. Because anyone who is scared of it isn’t doing any research about it. They are just sharing and repeating headlines.

People who aren’t freaking out about it aren’t freaking out about because we’ve looked into it and immediately saw it was nothing more than a wish list headed by the Heritage Foundation and it’s not Trump’s agenda that he will implement if he wins the election.

And if you pay attention, you will notice leftists are the only ones even talking about it and if they stopped it would go away completely. They are just using it as a distraction to try and keep people from focusing on just how bad they are.

Leftists are always saying democracy is ending and the only thing that can save it is voting for them. It’s their new thing. They have to try and scare people into voting for them because even they can’t think of any actual good things they bring to the table or how their policies will benefit the American people so they have to lie and pretend things like Project 2025 are out to get everyone when Project 2025 has nothing to do with either candidate.

I am sorry that you are in such a difficult situation with your friend. It’s hard to reason with a person who has let themselves go to the point where they are so scared of a complete nothing burger that they are panicking and genuinely afraid of losing rights.

And it’s incredibly easy for them to do because they can just say anything they want is “Project 2025” and people will believe them because they don’t bother to fact check.

It can be hard not to get nervous when the people around you are so paranoid and I think it’s wonderful that you are trying to calm your friend down and help her see that we’re not doomed like she has been led to believe.

You might not be able to get through to her at this point but I would encourage you to look at (and encourage her to look at) Project 2025 completely independently of whatever the media says about it so you can form your own opinions. Look at the agenda for yourself and ask what is so bad about it? What’s the worst thing on it? How is it going to destroy “democracy”? What rights is it going to take away? I don’t expect anyone to sit there and read the entire thing because it’s like 900 pages but if people are going to be freaking out about it they should at least be willing to take a look at what they have been convinced is the end of the world.

And then go look at Trump’s agenda and see that it’s not the same thing. Trump’s not talking about it or promoting it and it’s not his plan. So exactly what is there to be afraid of?

[self-loving-vampire]

Maybe I'm misreading but I feel kind of weird about the "forcemasc exists, here are examples from conversion therapy!" thing because as a transmasc it's like, okay, are you also going to acknowledge that forcefem can be part of conversion therapy, or...? Like your tags about "isn't foremasc what they do to GNC AMABs generally?" Are completely correct, but I feel like I would get destroyed for saying the same thing about forcefem. If we can acknowledge that forcefem has a whole culture around it with an origin that isn't conversion therapy surely we can see that forcemasc is similar?

Yeah I think I reblogged a post about that a couple of weeks ago that mentioned it in the context of like, being forced to dress up for family photos and the like. I don't think that's actually controversial to say that's a thing that people are forced to go through as well?

I'm pretty sure that was a common feminist talking point when I was growing up, even. It made conservatives really mad when anyone at all did not conform to the norms of their gender assigned at birth, even if they were completely cis.

This is evident enough from looking at christian parenting guides. For example, in "Bringing up Girls" known christofascist and child-beating apologist James Dobson comes out explicitly in favor of gender essentialism and argues (with use of some old-timey neurosexism) that not raising children in accordance to this view is doomed and harmful, and that deviations from it are aberrant and artificial. "Proper" boys like guns and violence and "proper" girls like flowers and babies.

And as a result, he concludes that there is a moral imperative to raise everyone AFAB to be feminine "ladies" (who are also sexually "pure", of course) and to counter any assertiveness they might have picked up from the fallen and overly feminist modern world.

Unsurprisingly, conservatives want people to conform to what was assigned at birth, regardless of what the assignment was and deviation gets punished.

We all know about transphobia, for instance, but even among cis people, those who deviate to their role experience more bullying, abuse, and sexual violence. Sex pests may also preferentially target women who violate gender norms.

(As an aside, this is why the argument that it is "femininity" itself and not GNC behavior that gets punished makes me feel like I'm losing my mind. Ditto for arguments that "pickmes" and "tomboys" are somehow privileged misogynists.)

[ducktracy]

I'm really curious on what a layout artist is. Do you know?

layout’s a finicky thing to describe because it’s so all encompassing, and there are so many interpretations of it, especially nowadays in the current animation landscape where the definition seems to vary by production. i myself am even not 100% confident in my answer!

but, essentially, it’s a visual guide of a scene for the animators. this can be many things: clarifying how a pose is supposed to look, with the animator following/mimicking the art style of the layout artist to give the scene a coherent, consistent look (putting it “on model”, in layman’s terms. the layout artist’s drawing would be considered the model). that would be character layout. a layout artist can also establish the way the scene is supposed to be structured—how characters interact with the background environments, how the background environments frame the characters, what the background is even supposed to look like. that’s background layout. likewise, a layout artist also registers the camera field—indicating where the camera is supposed to be positioned and how much of the character(s) fits in the frame.

in-house layout departments are scarce in a lot of modern productions nowadays, and many productions will try to have their own version of a layout team lumped under the term “character design”. you’re not actually designing characters, but refining the poses drawn in the storyboards to bring it even further to the model of the show, so that the animators have a visual guide to follow. sometimes, a board artist will draw a particular drawing that the “character designer” needs to clarify so the animators know how to put it on model. these are usually called “special poses” which, again, is basically slang for layout. this is how we operate on SpongeBob now. it seems LTC did as well.

it’s a bit different in a golden age context though. the general point is still the same in that the layout artist will collaborate with the director and often dictate the general art style of the short. hell, sometimes the directors WERE their own layout artists. Chuck Jones and Bob McKimson were both their own character layout artists in the ‘50s—this is why it’s practically impossible for someone like me to be able to discern who the hell is animating what in a ‘50s Chuck Jones cartoon because they adhere SO STRICTLY to his style

whereas Bob McKimson—i’ve mentioned this before, but i just brought it up yesterday and it’s on my mind. here’s a character layout he did for Fool Coverage (which you should watch very good cartoon), and here’s Rod Scribner’s interpretation of it below…

obviously not very loyal. but Scribner’s interpretation is much FUNNIER and works way better in animation than McKimson’s; McKimson’s drawing is still a GREAT drawing and super solid on its on, but definitely a much more conservative approach. you can also see, though, how much of his personal style leeches into his own shorts as well

or this here: John Carey was Bob Clampett’s layout artists for a good portion of his time in the “Katz unit” (aka black and white cartoons), and also animated this very scene he laid out. the two drawings are practically indistinguishable, but there are definitely minor differences. he dictates how the scene is to look

i’ve mainly been talking about character layout, but here are some background layouts indicating where the characters are to fit in the shot as well. this is more all encompassing.

the credits on LT shorts are such a continuous melting pot of nonsense for many reasons, and one of it is because it took until… 1945? 1946? i think ‘45, for them to credit the layout artists… and background artists (who rendered and painted the BG layouts)... and Mel Blanc. and so this is sort of where my knowledge flounders a bit. we know that Maurice Noble was Chuck Jones’ BG layout guy in the ‘50s, and we know Chuck did all his own character layouts. that’s fine enough. but i have no idea, if, say, was John Carey doing background layouts as well in Clampett’s cartoons? was it his background painter, Dick Thomas? Clampett himself mentioned doing the layouts on A Tale of Two Kitties, and the staging of the short in that one definitely has some very warped and drastic angles not usually found elsewhere, so it’s safe to assume he was working on BG layouts in that. but where is the line drawn?? who is responsible for what?

thanks to Warner’s bunk credit system it’s been difficult to piece together. a lot of very talented artists that worked on these shorts never got their credits or dues. everyone knows “oh yeah, Chuck Jones’ shorts in the ‘40s are really stylized and flat.” but do they know the name John McGrew? Bernyce Polifka? Eugene Fleury? all of whom were a part of establishing this style, but also maintain independent subtleties to their own cartoons they worked on? how do Fleury’s paintings based off of McGrew’s layouts in The Case of the Missing Hare or The Aristo-Cat differ from Polifka’s paintings based off of McGrew’s layouts in Wackiki Wabbit and Tom Turk and Daffy?

i’m going off on a tangent, but my point stands in that it’s a very complicated, multifaceted aspect of the animation process that doesn’t have one meaning. it impacts so many different aspects and even how it impacts or WHAT it impacts differs. basically, it just sets the stage for how the scene looks in the final animation, whether it be where the characters and camera are positioned, how the characters look or how the backgrounds look. think of it as the cartoon’s blueprint.

[iliveinprocrasti-nationn]

I’m just writing out my thoughts here because I’ve just realised something about a situation from a number of months ago (could even be a year at this point) where my friend shared that he’d told his school friends about the word “kvetch” and its usage as a way to describe a type of complaining, and I immediately got defensive of the word to a point where I even tried to explain I knew I was being somewhat irrational, but that I couldn’t figure out why. I was mentioning how the word has different meanings, how different people can take that usage of “kvetch” in different ways, how his friends might not get the nuances, etc. And I had no clue why I was so defensive until today when I realised it was because I was scared.

I was lucky to have not experienced as much antisemitism at that point, but I was also very aware that I didn’t know those people. I still don’t, really. I didn’t know how they were going to use the word which, being Yiddish, I was thinking of as “my word” in this situation. Are they going to understand the nuances, or are they going to make it a joke? Or are they going to do something worse? I didn’t know.

And I think that’s the thing about Yiddish. A lot of goyim see the language and like the insults and the hyper-specific words and think other words “sound funny”, but they don’t get it. To me, Yiddish is the language my great grandparents kept from their children because it got them beaten in school. They only taught their oldest (my great uncle), but he would get his hand whacked with a ruler by his teacher every time he spoke it. It was the only language he knew, so you can imagine it got pretty bad. My great uncle didn’t like to talk about it. My great grandparents went on to pay a neighbour a quarter a session to teach him English, and they didn’t teach Yiddish to any of their other children, despite it really being the only language they spoke. They never became fluent in English. I’m only now relearning Yiddish to bring it back into my family, but I’m also aware it wouldn’t have been the type they spoke. I mourn that fact often.

Of course I love the insults. Of course I love how we have so many specific words for things. But it’s also so much more to me, and I’ve gotten more and more uncomfortable sharing any part of Jewish culture with goyim because of my experiences with goyishe leftists. The typical antisemitism you see from conservatives who think Jews run the world and own the banks and all that obviously sucks, but it’s the antisemitism from leftists that’s the most insidious because they’re absolutely convinced they can’t do anything wrong and that they’re correct and validated in saying what they say. And then their antisemitism is subsequently defended by other leftists who think and act the same. My being Jewish is almost a vetting process for new people - I bring it up once I get more comfortable to test their reaction because I don’t know how people are going to react anymore.

Sharing a random Yiddish word was nothing to him, but, to me, it was sharing a part of my culture with people who might disrespect it, if not harbour contempt towards it. Yiddish loan words can be fascinating, but part of me will always be a bit scared of the actions and reactions of goyim to Jewish culture.

[ae-azile]

Progression: Chapter 31 Preview

“They're small islands,” Kim says as Chay walks towards the drugstore with determination, “And conservative. The last store we went to told us that they were part of a delayed shipment that contained unnecessary items-”

“Those ARE necessary!” Chay snaps, then turns around, “Stay here. I'll go in. Can't have anyone catch on.”

“We already researched it. The tourist Islands tend to turn a blind eye-”

Chay walks through the door before Kim can finish. He scans the aisles, sees the tags for brands like Trojan and Durex on empty hooks, then goes over to the woman at the counter and leans in.

“Hi,” Chay says kindly, “Um, I saw that you were out of…condoms-”

Chay feigns a bashful squirm, then moves on.

“Is there a chance that you have any in the back that haven't been put out yet?”

The woman shakes her head, “Sorry. The ships bringing in certain products are late. We’re also out of Cheez-Its. We’re one of the only islands that sell those.”

Whatever will the population do without Cheez-Its? For some reason, Chay can't find it within himself to care.

“Thank you for your help,” Chay says, then leaves the store without buying anything. He will probably feel bad about it later, but if he bought pointless things at every store that didn't have condoms, they would have too many pointless things to carry around.

“Any luck?” Kim asks, his eyes following Chay as Chay goes and sits on a nearby bench before putting his head in his hands.

“This is the worst thing that could have happened.”

“Yeah.”

“We should have savored that last condom,” Chay says morosely, “Made it last. Used the cock rings even.”

By the way Kim glances around at that, he is probably checking to make sure no one heard Chay. But Chay doesn't care. Not anymore. The universe clearly hates him, so let any punishment come his way. Any punishment wouldn't compare to this. Getting ripped away of the opportunity to fuck Kim after just getting a taste of it is torture.

“We could go without.”

Chay’s spiraling thoughts come to a halt, and he looks at Kim with wide eyes. Meanwhile, Kim can't look at him at all.

“I'm obviously clean,” Kim says quietly, “Even if the men who abducted me did do something - and all of the exams pointed to that not being the case - I was tested. Given meds as a precaution. Nothing has come up, even in my most recent appointment.”

Chay blinks, and then sits up straight, “You'd really be okay with-”

“If you are okay with it,” Kim interrupts, then clears his throat, “And if you're clean.”

“...Hia made me get tested right after we all went to Cambodia,” Chay says hesitantly, then rolls his eyes, “Right after he started shipping us. Everything came back clean, and the blood work I did as a follow-up came back clean as well.”

“Oh,” Kim says, nodding, “...We don't have to make a decision today. But I guess it's something to think about.”

It is. Even as they give up on their quest to find condoms and go about their day, it's all Chay can think about.

He needs to talk about it with someone. As soon as they get back from a historical island tour and Kim decides to take a nap, Chay walks out onto the beach and does just that. He wars within himself on who to call. Khun has been surprisingly open-minded and comforting about anything Chay has talked with him about, but he's on vacation with his new fiancé and is also Kim’s brother. It doesn't seem like a good idea to ask him. Kinn sounds even worse, not to mention more intimidating.

He's pointedly ignoring the obvious choice for now.

Maybe Macau. They're the same age. But when he calls, Macau sends it straight to voicemail.

Macau: I'm on a date with Nalin. Sorry. We’re getting Khun and Arm presents. What's up?

Chay: What do you think about me barebacking your cousin?

Macau: BRO, STOP! I don't think about that and I don't want to!

Chay: It's hard for me to wrap my head around too. It sounds appealing though, you know? I'm just worried it is too big of a step.

Chay: What if you and Nalin go on a very quick getaway? You can pack your bags, get on a plane tomorrow morning, take a ferry to our island, and we can get lunch. You can also maybe bring a value pack of condoms so Kim and I can sit on this possibility a little longer. Since you are coming anyway. You can fly out tomorrow night or even the next day. 😃

Macau: Aw, you'd let us stay a full day before kicking us off the island?

Chay: Of course!

Macau: No. Besides, Nalin is bringing the twins over. We agreed to babysit them. Malai picked up some independent contracting work she needs to finish and Preeda is taking some advanced painting course in the evening now.

Chay: Can't someone else watch them? Hansa? Your brother? Pete?

Macau: P’Pete and Hia are going on a double date with Hansa and Pol. They can't.

Chay:...That's so weird.

Macau: Yeah, but Hia is actually looking forward to it?

Chay: Because he wants to make Pol nervous the entire time?

Macau: Maybe. But I think he wants friends like a normal person. And to probably gossip about me and Nalin with Hansa.

Macau: But anyway, can’t bring you condoms. Good luck with whatever journey you go on with Kim, but don't talk to me in detail about it. Thanks.

Chay looks down at his phone sadly before gazing off into the horizon. There is only one person he can talk to. The thought of bringing this up to him brings Chay feelings of both relief and mortification, but he has to do it.

“Chay?” Hia says as he answers the phone, “Hey! How is the trip?”

“It's amazing,” Chay tells him honestly. And that's true. It is. He just hopes Hia will come up with a solution that will make it a lot better.

[siryouarebeingmocked]

"Supporting gun rights is about fear, unlike us gun control supporters! Pay no attention to what we said about Kyle Rittenhouse, armed anti-lockdown protesters, and the supposed threat of white racial terrorism!"

I'd also like to point out that Mulford happened decades ago, and most pro-gun people these days actually support minority gun ownership, and commonly claim gun control is inherently racist.

Bringing up the Mulford Act is just point-scoring, especially since it had support from the Dems too. That part always gets left out, conveniently.

https://www.tumblr.com/aspiringwarriorlibrarian/727950516313849856/https-wwwcurrentaffairsorg

Also, don't gun controllers sell gun control on the fear of bad stuff happening? As in, that's the whole point? Isn't a lot of left-wing rhetoric about Bad Things That Will Happen if we don't do what the left wants? Including this post?

Isn't this common to all forms of politics? 

This whole shebang is rather nakedly hypocritical.

Those links:  https://www.currentaffairs.org/2023/05/why-the-right-will-never-ever-support-gun-control| Archive

Conveniently, the article doesn’t mention Trump’s gun control support. 

It’s kind of hilarious to see someone claim the right’s views are “not grounded in reality” while spouting blatantly incorrect nonsense. Including the claim that the pro-gun right treats mass shooters as normal, when it’s the anti-gun left that usually claims they’re an everyday, omnipresent threat.

It feels like the writer is just terrible at talking to conservatives because he doesn’t actually listen to them, but thinks the problem is entirely on their end.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5793824/ 

[spacenintendogs]

How many employees does the sanctuary have aside from the gang or do they work on volunteers?

Or, is it just the gang working there?

Aka pls i wanna know more about the inner workings of the sanctuary like. Do they have a calender together or a whiteboard they all write notes on

Pls i wanna know all about their work shenanigans too

Ly rose!!! <33

besides the gang it's all volunteers until later down the line when gustav, heather, dagur, eret, & bayana get hired!!! :) everyone else is volunteer!! gustav wants to work there so bad & eventually becomes part-time but never decides to go full time!

dagur rlly steps in once the majority of the gang are away at uni a lot of the time (they try to work on weekends & def work throughout school breaks & stuff!! but it's mostly snotlout, gustav, & dagur by that point (u shall see in snotstrid fic ;)) but it's also how dagur sees gustav and is like; ah yes. younger sibling (adds to list).

OH they absolutely have a calendar. astrid & fishlegs made the calendar bc no one else could be bothered to keep track of everything.

hiccup is in charge, he hates office work tho, despite needing to make sure they have enough sponsors/donors for things like electric bill, water bill, buying all the food the dragons need, medical supplies, etc!! also paying the gang (and himself) altho i should say they don't get paid much. some of them get second jobs!!

i should mention: when hiccup is like. 15 he "runs" the sanctuary but it's actually stoick LOL

they also absolutely have a whiteboard for notes. ofc it desolves into chaos with so many different notes that half the time don't pertain to anything anyone is doing that the sanctuary. they get silly rlly quick lol. there's an on-going tic tac toe game & no one knows who's who anymore & it keeps ending as a cat's game (aka no winner). one time they spent a week playing hangman LOL.

and they all take turns doing field work (going out and trying to search for dragons to either study/tag or bring back due to injury). astrid is in charge of operations in terms of scheduling work, shipments, etc!! fishlegs is basically the Nurse (and later ruff as well!!)

they also have their specific specialities with dragon classes. (hiccup - strike class, astrid - sharp & tracker class, fishlegs - boulder, snotlout - stoker class, ruffnut & tuffnut - tidal class & mystery class (respectively, altho they just team everything together for their stuff)

eret becomes part of tidal class with ruff (esp once she starts doing more of the medical stuff!) & tracker class with astrid, dagur helps wherever tbh, i'm open to assigning him a class tho if anyone has suggestions!! heather helps take over sharp class (astrid's load rlly gets lessened bc she becomes a primary spokeperson with hiccup & travels with him for interviews & stuff to talk abt the sanctuary & dragon conservation!!). bayana helps tuff with mystery class!! gustav helps with stoker class :)

they just act like they do in rtte when they're screwing around from unnecessary comments from the peanut gallery to pranking one another (some pull pranks more than others...) & they also are not afraid to get the dragons involved (who fucking love it).

esp in the tidal class dragon area there's a HUMONGOUS water area & ppl have gotten shoved in. someone's shoe has been down at the bottom for almost three months and no one knows who's shoe it is. they all have no clue what they're doing tbh but make it work <3

ofc they also have a work group chat that quickly devolves into stupid memes snotlout & the twins spam the chat with & hiccup is constantly scolding them to STAY ON TOPIC THIS IS THE WORK GROUP CHAT. and then dagur joins in and continues to send memes. the memes eventually become how they respond to specific work stuff & hiccup gives up.

the gang like to eat lunch together outside & surrounded by dragons :) it's a rare quiet moment for all of them & they're still goofy obv but sometimes they'll just sit & eat :)

[leathr-blr]

Headcanon dump when

you’ve made a grave mistake. media analysis is one of my special interests and i’m also a lifelong writer so this will definitely start to get incomprehensibly ranty (warning i literally gave like an essay length explanation of how i would rewrite heinz’ story in mml s2 and this whole thing devolves away from the question very quickly)

1. my funniest one and most out of pocket one i like to bring up is that i think doofenshmirtz is such a whore imo. an absolute harlot. i think he gets around. not like people are attracted to him or find him charming (he is NOT) but he will have been with everyone in the room, like, at least once. particularly the love muffin scientists, especially rodney, and he and monogram DEFINITELY were together at some point

2. on the monogram thing, i figured monogram “experimented” at one point before doof was an owca threat and dated heinz for a short period of time and that’s why they call eachother by their first names and are so familiar with eachother (heinz probably turned him from bi-curious to homophobic very quickly). i just think the idea is hilarious

3. obviously, heinz is transgender and so is perry, that’s a given. and as mentioned one of my previous posts, 2d doof is a karen archetype and your conservative aunt at thanksgiving dinner (you decide if he’s actually cishet or if he’s like blaire white)

4. less of a headcanon and more of an “i wish this happened”, i think monty and vanessa should have stayed together and i don’t like ferbnessa much but that’s also a pretty popular take. i like the perryshmirtz parallels what can i say. also this pairs very funnily with my first and second headcanons

5. buford and bajeet are qpps (they don’t know what that is but they are). ginger is supportive

6. another obvious one, i think pretty much everyone is neurodivergent because of course they are. to get specific on the ones i feel strongest about, heinz has audhd, perry is low-empathy autistic, the rest of the flynn-fletcher family besides linda are autistic, milo is autistic, cavendish is autistic, and dakota has adhd. thank you for listening to my ted talk. i’m actually.. 👉👈 writing my first ever fic, focused around how heinz and perry communicate with their contrasting neurodivergence that will be up on this account once i finally post it to ao3, and that goes a lot more in depth

7. this is actually something i feel differs a bit from most headcanons i see. my take is that norm initially (throughout most of pnf) does not see perry as a father figure at all and only tries to get that from doof, and is also jealous that perry gets all his attention, so kind of actively dislikes him. he also hasn’t made the connection that anyone other than heinz could fulfill that role for him, because in his robot brain, he will take father in the most literal definition, like they have to be directly responsible for creating you. and not something more complex and nuanced like it actually is because he’s a robot and he’s not gonna get that right away. but i feel like over time, he’d begin to realize those nuances, and start to accept perry as family, and get much more out of him as a father figure than heinz. especially since (unless it’s a human au) they would have similarly complicated relationships with not being human but also being fully sentient.

that was a long one and i still don’t feel like i covered all of it but maybe i’ll do a fic about that one too one day 💔

8. i don’t know, as i am writing this sentence, how explosive i will get with my details on this one, but my favorite proposed future for heinz is both a mix between doof 101 and act your age. so an open secret between my friends and i is that although i love both seasons of milo murphy’s law, i really. really. dislike the whole professor time thing. don’t get me wrong, i would keep the whole reveal and not change anything about the season 1 finale.

but, if i, alister r. zamir, were personally hired by dan povenmire and swampy marsh to write the continuation of said finale, i would make everyone including the audience think he’s professor time but have that be a RED HERRING and not ACTUALLY have him be professor time because i think that’s REALLY BAD!! (maybe make it sara or cavendish or even phineas and ferb since they already did that)

the reason why i, the new writer of milo murphy’s law season 2, think this sucks, is because heinz has spent his whole life trying to live up to the expectations of others, and in the shadow of others and is always striving for unreachable goals to substantiate his self worth. it’s like his whole character, it’s his whole thing, this is his canon ass story, so to just throoooww in that whole professor time thing VALIDATES this behavior and encourages him to keep holding himself at an unnecessarily high standard, PLUS the fate of the world is kind of in his hands now, so that’s FINE. AND IM FINE ABOUT IT AND IM NOT MAD. YOU ARE.

so coming back to doof 101 and act your age, particularly act your age (which i also don’t like as an episode but that’s another story), as somebody who suffers from The Serious Illnesses of the Mental Variety, heinz being able to move on, adjust his expectations, and not be doing great or amazing or rule the tristate whatever and just be fine with doing alright, is super meaningful and relatable to me

so i think they should have just stuck with that. i like the phineas and ferb characters included in mml and like i said id keep a lot of it, but i’d save all the heinz arc stuff for phineas and ferb exclusively cause i love the perry funding professor time thing and that whole deal is cute but also i hate it. because it’s so rushed. and everything with his development feels so out of place. and wrong. and it makes me throw a tantrum.

not to mention, but i WILL, how heinz is completely justified about being upset and falling into depression because of this whole ordeal, and they sorttt of treat it like he’s justified? but they also make him unbearably annoying and we as an audience are justifiably unsympathetic to that and it seems like you want me to feel bad for him sometimes but also hate his guts, which could have been an interesting conundrum ig, but even though i love milo murphy’s law, it’s character writing is farrr from strong enough to get any kind of interesting story or arc out of that

so like, in conclusion, dwampy, hire me, i will work for pennies

alright that’s not all of them but i’ve been writing for 20 minutes and my fingers hurt thank you very much for asking me i needed to get these out of my system

[myimaginarywonderland]

Thoughts on the latest episode of station 19:

Travis character has literally gone downhill since season 5 and they just continue to not develop him fully which is why I hate this episode because Travis was outraged by the fact that Emmett cheated. Travis would never do it himself. Not to mention the fact that Travis has literally been shown to still care for Emmett so I don't understand why they are trying to make it seem like Travis is hurting him again.

The lack of Jack just shows how they basically wrote him off now, so I don't really have hopes. I would have loved to see him at pride or maybe even just walk in the station and I don't know, show him along with Beckett, maybe have them both there? Jack has been a crucial character for making other people realise their worth so I was actually secretly hoping we would see him with either Travis or Beckett.

Why do we need focus on everyone else but the 3 main canonical queer characters? Going off on that why do we see more of Eli and Travis dad, two characters who came on very late as gay, then let's say Emmett a character that was there since season 3 and has literally been brought up again eventhough they could have just left him? What is the point in killing his father and having him sleep with Travis multiple times if we don't even see him?

Why bring in someone like Beckett who obviously would be a perfect character to show having a genuine journey but only half ass it? Besides can we literally have Beckett progress in any other episode? Hell, we could have even talked about how Conservative he is and then have that journey showed throughout this entire season to fully show a character growth?

What is the point of having Theo be a dick, break up, cheat and then still talk about him and Vic like they will end up together?

On that note, I love Vic standing up to Travis but do we really have to make her the listener of Travis whining cheating story when she herself basically just had that happen to her? Can we maybe acknowledge her first and have anyone else be the burden buddy for a second?

The whole riot storyline would have already been enough. I wish we had a full episode that focused on that. On showing the growing danger and unease that queer people all over the world are feeling right now because the acceptance for us isn't rising and the Conservative parties are getting louder and more powerful globally.

Eli is absolutely right in going off on Travis but he shouldn't be!!! We have literally seen this before with Grant and Emmett. They have never tried to progress Travis journey so can we stop trying now and maybe could we have just shown his growth especially since his breakup with Emmett? The one guy I believe Travis genuinely could/did love after the one person he thought he would spend forever with died? We had Emmett call him out and that should have been a wake up call but alas, they refuse to actually progress Travis and now Eli, who already felt like such a weirdly placed character most people didn't have a real connection with, is once again taking up the role of someone having to call Travis out when it has happened multiple times by different people.

This just felt like such a lack luster episodes that was trying to recycle old things while still trying to pick up the new storylines and it just didn't fit all that well?

[lumiereandcogsworth]

okay so I'm curious, when Maurice would travel with his inventions/art, one, did he ever bring Belle along, or was it something he only started doing once she was older and two, I know she only ever asks for a rose, but did he ever bring back any books for her?

i LOVE this question thank you!!!

i think he definitely took belle along when she was younger, absolutely. he probably didn’t start going to those markets until she was around 7 or 8, when he really started getting back into art business and someone maybe mentioned to him that he could go to these markets in bigger towns and make some side cash!! i think he would bring her especially for the longer ones, like 3-5 days, because that’s just too long to be apart and they only have each other 🥺 and she loved going to them!! i can just imagine her curious little mind pulling her in every direction. he probably loses her at some points and nearly has a heart attack because of it. i’ll have to write that sometime, lmao.

i think the first time she Doesn’t go is when she’s like maybe 15? and it’s only one night. she probably still wanted to go but maybe there was something farm related happening that they both felt it would be better if she stayed, and she was happy to do that. maurice definitely asked pére robert to check in with her though, and i’m sure he had dinner with her that night. i’m SURE they have such academic convos, gosh. need to explore that more too. anyway: after that, i think belle started going with him less. she still joins sometimes, but i think it was partly that she was getting into her own projects at home and didn’t always Want to leave at that exact time because she was really hyperfixated, or it was just like one night, not a big deal, (like what happens in the movie). AND i think maurice did gain a few friends that he would meet up with at those markets, artists from other villages, so belle would get kinda bored because it would be like those unskippable cutscenes like when your parent runs into someone they know at the grocery store. except it’s your dad talking about his passion with other people who share it😭 IT’S LIKE BEING TRAPPED AT HOME DEPOT WITH DAD. anyway you get the point. even as adventurous as belle was, it’s not like the markets were any places too new or crazy, so it got kind of boring for her.

but like i said, i still think she goes sometimes!!! just way less frequently. in one of my courting fics (probably my favorite of my courting fics???) belle had gone with maurice to a market for a WEEK. which was the longest her and adam had been apart since they had met 🥺🥺 which i think maurice did very intentionally lmao. he was (internally) like you guys are so attached at the hip… let’s remember you’re individual people please!!! and also i think he could sense they were getting near the idea of marriage so he wanted one last bit of time with belle before her life really changed 😭😭

and second!!!! yeah no definitely. i like to think that when he says that, “you ask for that every year!” i think that’s for this one specific market he’s going to that day. like maybe it’s a place she’s joined him many times and it just happens near a really beautiful rose garden, or something. so she’s always like !!! ROSE FROM THERE PLEASE!!! but i think he goes to markets a lot more frequently than just once a year. maybe like every few months? especially as belle gets older and he worries less about leaving her at home, if she doesn’t want to join him. but anyway to answer your second question, YEAH! i can totally imagine that people there, who have known maurice and his daughter for years, ask about her when she’s not with him! and they learn all about her and i am SURE she always brought an emotional support book (or two or three) when she goes with him. so the market people know belle reads!!! and yeah probably a few are conservative and think that’s odd but MAJORITY of them are free-spirited artists !! many of them also fled paris the same time as maurice!! these are his people !! so they support that and probably gift him a book to give to her (or just give it right to her if she’s there) every now and then!! it’s not every time but if he can snatch a book for her he absolutely will 🥹

i did have one additional thought but it’s more just about belle getting books in general <3

[variousqueerthings]

okay I didn't go into Victory of the Daleks whilst watching cos I think it's trash, but let's do the Measurement on it!

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 9/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored): 3/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 6/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 5/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 5/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 6/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 7/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 8/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 3/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 1/10

FULL RATING: 53/100 (if I can count….)

Christopher Eccleston I hope you never watched the last two episodes, in which the Doctor was personal friends with various members of the royal family and supports its structures, and the Doctor is personal friends with Winston Churchill....

also I've gotta be honest, Matt Smith's acting isn't giving it in this in terms of the Dalek Trauma, but then none of the episode is

I liked the Doctor going "Amy- Amelia!" when worried for her safety

OBJECTIFICATION: At least there's none of that really. Second miniskirt, but youknow. that's Amy's wardrobe most of the time.

PLOT-POINT: nothing is really explored about Amy in this episode, but I guess not every episode needs to be doing that. I think her relationship with the Doctor continues to be written a bit to the left of what makes sense for them, considering the past, but I'm willing to consider that she just wants the adventure and not to think too much about things

COMPLEXITY: I mean, it's not complicated at all. if anything it's a bit simple. bringing the Daleks back like this, in a way that previously was reserved for Very Special Episodes. marks the beginning of the end of the Daleks as serious villains....

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: because the Daleks make very little sense in this, it's kind of dumb lore, but way more interesting is the tidbit that Amy doesn't remember the events of previous seasons

now I've previously disliked this plotpoint, because I feel like it never properly gets resolved despite the cracks in time later on being... uncracked. however it is cool when it's first mentioned!

COMPANIONS MATTER: Amy does mostly one thing, which is remind the guy who's actually a robot what it is to be human, so he doesn't blow up, and she does it by reminding him... that he was in love once.....

“hey Paisley… ever fancied someone you know you shouldn’t… hurts doesn’t it… but kind of a good hurt…” <- look I’m biased but I’d just explode if I were a secret Dalek bomb RIP to all of us aros, but we're not really human

this wouldn't needle so much, if I didn't know that this is so much of M*ffat's thesis. romantic love is better than any other forms of connection

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: the Doctor is kind of the point of this episode in that they needed his voice to make the plot work, and then he's badass, and then it ends. it's not "godlike," but it's just. not a good episode. the end.

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: So this also ties into the lore -- I kind of like right now how it definitely does acknowledge the previous narratives and it's weird that Amy doesn't know that it happened... highly suspect

“SEXINESS”: we're fine on the sexiness overall. minimum trying to be sexy outside of the general weirdness of the miniskirts as a Choice

INTERNAL WORLD: it's not good folks. it's trying to be so big and impressive and so we've got random planes in space and Churchill is Personal Friends With The Doctor and it's got this whole wink wink we know we're going to beat the Germans, because we know the Future

vs, say, M*ffat's last foray into WWII (which, granted he didn't write this episode, but this is his show now) in which you really got a sense of the fear and the unknown and the Deeply Human, because we're not just hanging out with the Most important people

it's just not recognisable as a Place and Time, beyond the need for some kind of coolness factor

and speaking of The Most Important People--

POLITICS: uuuuuuurghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh okay

I have seen someone say that this episode is actually a critique of Churchill, and honestly I was this close to skipping it, and then that dragged me in to actually give it a go and

no it is not. I mean, yes, Churchill is characterised as someone who will try to win however he can, but he's actually trying his best in a difficult situation and as the Doctor says: “the world doesn’t need me. The world’s got Winston Spencer Churchill.”

UUUUUUURGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH OKAY

the doctor personal friends with winston churchill

the fucking. Hey-Ho Britain Propaganda! We'll Beat The Bally Germans Ey Lads!

FULL RATING: 53/100 (if I can count….)

It loses on the politics of course, and on the internal world-building (again related to the politics), and Amy isn't really much of anything in this episode beyond... there

it does well on... not doing the sexy sexism I guess. and it's not terrible towards other Doctor Who stories, although maybe it deserves less on that because fuuuck the shit it does with the Daleks is an insult in and of itself

it's just not a good episode

[peachjagiya]

https://www.tumblr.com/peachjagiya/758997707616616448/httpswwwtumblrcompeachjagiya7589857071508848?source=share

First of all thank you for answering. I really appreciate it.

I agree with your first point that it’s good PR even though it still doesn’t make any sense why they wanted to show JJK THIS close when they knew that people would immediately ship them upon seeing them breathing the same air let alone sharing the same car, sleeping next to each other and leaving marks on each other’s bodies (hickey!) or being seen together almost everywhere in the released contents and being teased for being boyfriends in some of them. Let us just not talk about military service because I don’t think it’s proper and in any way possible to romanticize it👍

I don’t agree with your second point because it just doesn’t make any fucking sense to me at all! JJK have been going overboard…they (HYBE) could have just toned it down a bit! I can bring numerous examples of them being together and doing everything (even though it’s a part if the narrative). To this day, I still don’t understand the hickey thing!😐It’s just too much when you think about everything that Jimin, Jungkook and Taehyung have been going through and are still going through and keep going through because of whatever the fuck this masterful and sophisticated strategy is!🫤

I also agree with the third point that at some point Taehyung’s persona changed (2017ish). I still don’t understand why Taehyung was a hidden member and why isn’t he supported by HYBE when he can bring so much profit for HYBE!? Imagine having Leo Messi in your team, yet decide to bench him because of whatever!😑

I agree with the “Streisand Effect, throwing Taehyung under the bus and putting Jimin and Jungkook in an awkward position (+ Taehyung and the rest of the members I believe)” that you mentioned, too👌

I also agree with this part because I’m one of those people out there who kinda believes in this: “And you know, I don't think it's a tinfoil hat conspiracy theory that this happened. All of this worked. It did exactly what it was supposed to. There are people even now absolutely convinced that Tae and JK didn't spend any time together over certain periods when we know otherwise.”…and that’s why I sent you the previous ask and you took the time to answer it🙏

All in all, they could’ve just not going overboard with the whole JJK thing (or at least let TK breath ffs) just because they’re afraid of TK’s love and I really don’t know how they’re going to clean up the whole mess because it’s a dumpster fire out there! I don’t expect them to come out anytime soon, but when they do, there’d better be less JJKRs out there since it’s already hard enough to come out in a conservative country like SK + the three of them need their mental health for the rest of their lives (we all know how toxic people can get).

Thank you again Peach. This is all for me.

💜💜💜