#now I try not to judge people for shit that doesn't involve me but. why did I need to see that

[kittlyns]

I am on 4 hours of sleep (my fault) and I have a new client in my chair who has admitted to at least half a dozen felonies in the 1 hour and 47 minutes she's been here

[ovaryacted]

Might be a bit iffy because I don’t know if this leans into the omegaverse thing you mentioned in an earlier ask, but re2r Leon with a puppy kink, being embarrassed about it because he thinks it’s weird and then him and reader just slowly easing into it…fluffy smut I guess???

Idk I just say whatever random shit pops up into my head sometimes😭 (but also just re2 Leon reminds me of a scruffy little dog and I know damn well I’m not the only one) -🐏

MDNI/18+. NSFW.

Hey, ram anon! So the omegaverse is different, involves genetic stuff with mates and the whole alpha, beta, and omega dynamics that people like to explore. Real Wattpad and Tumblr vets know what I'm talking about (that was a crazy time LMAOOOO). BUT, pet play is an actual kink that people have and I think that is what you're describing! Personally, I wasn't a big fan of pet play in a literal sense (because you live and you learn more about stuff so your opinion can change), and now I don't think it's so bad because there are many ways to mess around with kinks as a whole.

If it were up to me, pet play would be very fun, especially involving RE2R Leon. He gives pathetic puppy dog vibes and will always be at his partner's beck and call even if it comes off as embarrassing because he doesn't realize it's a kink that he enjoys. I think for him in particular, the whole dom/sub role exploration is what would get him off with the addition of a lot of praise.

It really starts with the pet names, where Leon would be praised for doing things he didn't think would actually matter. Doing a good job at work? You tell him you're proud of him. He's been doing good keeping up his routine? You remind him how good he is, and how taking care of himself makes you happy. He fucks you the way you want and makes you feel good? You praise him for doing that and call him a good boy for following your orders.

Leon doesn't realize that your ability to just acknowledge his accomplishments no matter how big and small makes him beam from ear to ear. It makes him feel good that you care about his presence in the first place, that you have this much control over his outlook on life. With every statement of validation you give him, he becomes more devoted to you, like a dog who has found their forever home. If he had a tail, it would be wagging from side to side, that's the best way to put it.

But when he finds himself more curious about why he likes your praising so much, he comes to terms with the fact that it's more than just you caring about him. To Leon, you are his escape, you keep him put together and grounded when the world gets to be too overwhelming. You have him wrapped around your finger and you know this, nor is he complaining about this fact anyway, that's what he wants, what he enjoys.

So when you come up with a proposition to help Leon figure out the best way to explore this new dynamic, he follows along, because he assumes you know best. Currently, he rests his head on your lap, your fingers running through his hair and raking through his scalp. It feels nice, better than good, and a rumble of a sigh slips out of him, reminiscent of a purr.

"That feels good baby?", you ask to him, and he can feel the tips of his ears growing hot at just the sound of your voice.

"Yeah, feels nice", he says with his eyes closed. He's trying to bask in your attention, in letting you pet or touch him however you wanted.

"Good. You can stay like that for however long you want", and of course, he's going to stay until he gets his fill. This was only the beginning of an introduction to something Leon would eventually need. Baby steps.

It takes a while to fully ease Leon into this new kink lifestyle. At first, he didn't think you'd be into it, would judge him for liking something out of the ordinary. But you're just as into it as he is, and it progresses the more you test the limits.

Now with his face in between your thighs, he licked at your cunt incessantly, lapping at it like his personal water bowl. Your hand remained in place at his head, holding him against you, and the other was curled around the leash that was connected to his neck. The suggestion of wearing a collar and leash in the bedroom would make some people raise their eyebrows, but not for you. You didn't expect Leon to be so enthusiastic about the idea, but the feeling of being yours was enough to make his body throb.

Leon's knees were planted to the floor as your legs slouched over his shoulders, his hands rubbing on the underside of them and pressing himself closer to where you needed him. The tip of his nose rubbed into your pulsing clit, his tongue caressing your inner walls as they clenched around him. Your hips moved towards his face, feeling him hum against you and whining when you pulled him away from your heat.

"How does that feel honey? Mama knows how to take care of her puppy no?", Leon looked up at you with hazy blue eyes, his tongue lolling against his plump lips and giving you a nod.

"Mhm, so good. Need more...please let me give you more", he nuzzled his face into your inner knee, placing a soft kiss to calm his own desires.

"Good boy. Make me cum and I'll fuck you after, a treat for being so good for me", the praise made Leon's cock twitch against his pelvis, your fingers pulling him back towards your dripping seam with a tug of the leash. He didn't waste any time, whimpering at the taste of your slick filling his mouth once more and his eyes fluttering closed again.

Anything to please his owner, anything to hear you praise him the way he craves. Being owned by you is where he belongs, ready to do whatever you said just so you can tell him he's a good boy, your good boy.

[newdog14]

I want to talk to everyone who's still saying "I know Biden is bad, but Trump is worse, so just vote Blue."

I know that American Politics sucks right now. Everyone is a bad option and every year our options get worse. I get it, and it sucks, but here's the thing: If we keep saying "Vote Blue no matter what!" then the Democratic party is never going to get better. In fact, it'll probably get worse, because if ignoring the voices of their voter base doesn't lose them votes, then why bother listening?

If you want things to get better, if you want politicians that you can vote for without feeling like you've betrayed your ethics, then we need to show that we WILL stop voting for people who we don't agree with. We need to show that the American people have heard Biden's Administration say "There are no red lines for Israel" and we do not agree.

Politicians only care about us for our votes. If supporting genocides demonstrably loses votes, then politicians will take note and change their policies in accordance. But if we vote Biden no matter what, if we vote Blue no matter what, then they aren't going to listen to us when we call and protest and scream.

Now, some of you may be thinking, what about Trump?

There is a chance he won't be able to run after all; he's currently in a legal shit storm that got his ability to do business in New York revoked. And with many of his co-defendants and associates pleading guilty things aren't looking good for him. Even if he can dodge the numerous felony fraud charges he's been hit with, this is going to be an expensive, embarrassing, dragged out process that will severely limit his time and funds for campaigning.

That doesn't mean he won't find his way onto the ballot anyway, but he hasn't won the Republican nomination yet. Even if he does though, sticking by Biden doesn't mean you're putting someone better in the White House. Given the ever climbing death toll that Biden is not just ignoring but enabling, it’s getting increasingly difficult, at least for me, to believe that Trump is actually worse. They’re both bad, and they’re both hurting people, so instead let’s look at why so many are clinging to the democratic party, even in the face of a genocide.

I know the biggest reason so many folks are hesitating to cut support for Biden is that they're worried about what that means for those of us in the United States.

Who will stop the anti-trans bathroom bills that keep popping up? Who will keep abortion bans off the books? Who will prevent censorship in schools?

Well, in point of fact, not your president!

Think about it. Did Biden being president put a stop to Florida's "don't say gay" bill? No. He had zero impact there.

Is he what stands between Virginia and the Abortion Ban currently being proposed for the state? Also no. He's not involved at all.

Has Biden stopped the bans on Drag Shows so many states are trying to implement? No, the Federal Courts have been doing that, including judges who were appointed by Trump.

See, the President of the United States is all about the big picture. Their opinions matter, and they can set a tone for their party, but they don’t control everything. Their impacts on the governing of states come from the people they appoint, like judges, but even then, most people will still do their jobs over pleasing the person who got them that job. Especially so because federal judges are actually really difficult to remove, and that only really happens if they’re so bad at following the rules that congress gets rid of them.

I’m not sure if Biden can’t stop states from making laws or if he just wouldn’t, but either way he’s not protecting us. 

The President honestly can’t do a hell of a lot to the American people, especially not in just four years. That’s why we survived Trump’s first presidency, and it’s why we as a whole would survive it if he got a second term.

The place where a President’s influence is immediately and drastically felt, however, is in the international sphere. The American people are protected, the citizens of the world are not, and with that fun little “well we’re not declaring war” workaround, the President, aka the Commander in Chief of the US Military, can do a hell of a lot of damage.

The people of Palestine may not survive another four years of Biden’s presidency. If things carry on like they are, they may not survive the remaining one year of his term.

So we the American people need to show that we will not stand by a president that endorses genocide. We need to show that we will not stand by a party that endorses genocide. We need to start talking, and loudly, about how we will not be voting for Biden next year. We need it to be clear that it is specifically his foreign policy that has lost his support, and that we will not be willing to just switch him out for a newer model who reminds me of no one so much as a modern day Aaron Burr.

There are a lot of things that we can do to express our displeasure for Biden, and for Israel, and there are a lot of people who can help you call for change, plan boycotts, organize marches, and determine where to aim direct action to have the greatest impact. But all of that needs to be done while putting our votes where our voices are, or else all of that rage will burn out and nothing will really change, just like it has in the Black Lives Matter movement.

In this case, as we do not currently have a better option, the place to put our presidential votes is with no one.

It’s not an ideal solution, I know. After all the years we’ve spent saying, “Vote! Vote no matter what! Vote or else you can’t complain about what happens!”, not voting feels like one of the most counterproductive moves to make. The reason we have to do it though, is because voting in the same sort of people and hoping they’ll make things better isn’t working, and we’re never going to get new options if we keep supporting the old ones. Cutting support for Biden, for Democrats on the national level, without a viable alternative isn't an easy choice to make. It's scary and I admit that it's kind of a gamble. No one has ever tried it before, not the way I'm hoping you all will.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” It’s time for us to break. No more unconditional blue votes. 

We have to force the Democratic party to recognize that their voting base will not just mindlessly support them, and that the candidates they put forth will be expected to hold up a certain moral standard. Our democracy is skewed to favor the opinions of corporations and the mega rich, but politicians do still need the masses to vote them into office, just like companies need us to buy things so that they can make money in the first place, and voting margins are tight enough that just like in the Speaker of the House vote, it won’t actually take that many of us to throw a wrench in the party’s bottom line.

We might not be able to win, but we can make sure that they lose until they shape up and start making meaningful changes.

And you may be thinking, won’t that just leave us in the hands of Republicans?

I want you to scroll back up. Look at all the bills I brought up that Biden didn’t stop. We are already in Republican hands, and the majority of Democrats are not willing to actually stand up to them.

That said, not voting across the board isn’t what I’m asking you to do. 

Our choices for President may be shot to hell, but there will be other people on that ballot in 2024. Local people, who will very directly affect your hometown and not much outside of it. Vote for your local sheriff, for your school board members, for your mayor and your state delegates. 

These are the people who control whether or not your senator can pass a drag show ban. These are the people who enable or block bills that hurt LGBTQ+ students. These are the folks who vote on whether or not to pass abortion bans. And in local elections? Your vote really, truly counts in a way that it just can’t on a national level.

And it’s not just people who wind up on your ballots. Local initiatives for conservation, funding for infrastructure, redistricting drives, and changes to your state’s constitution appear on your ballots too, and those are things that you’re going to want to have a say in.

There’s more to this mess than just voting or not voting, of course. There is always going to be more than one step we have to take to force change. That's why we cannot and do not vote inside a vacuum. We still have to make calls, and go to protests, and put our money where our morals are. Change isn't easy, and when you're fighting a decades old machine it's not quick either. But the longer we drag our feet about pushing back, the longer we keep betting on the lesser evil to change, the worse our options will get.

It might feel hopeless right now. Like our voices don't matter, and that we're screaming our lungs out alone. We can't give up though. We can't give into despair, and we can’t let up the pressure before new voices step forward, even if it takes time, and even if it takes more effort then checking a box or sharing a post.

One step will never be enough on its own, but every step we take adds up, and when we take those steps together we magnify our voices into something that cannot be ignored.

This is how we force our politicians to change: consequences and losses. If we start up early enough we might even get better options who could actually win the presidency, but we can't balk if we don't.

I know you might be scared to lose this election. As I write this, it feels counterintuitive, and it's something I never could have imagined saying years ago. But we can't change our political options unless we force politicians to change, and that only happens if they can't get elected as they are.

So don't elect them, and make sure they know that you're doing it on purpose and for a reason.

[kotylynnemerrill]

Okay y'all....here is the rest of ch. 1...or just another little section. Tbh I'm still not sure how I want this to flow but I'm working through the process.

Y'all know the drill 😁

Your words I hold forever

************* ❤️**********

11:52

Fez isn't sure how long it's been...how long they've been sitting here, but it must be getting close to midnight judging by the sudden surge in the party's energy. He's doesn't really care to be honest.

He focuses on her voice...the way her mouth moves as she speaks and Fez isn't entirely sure she's not giving him some sort of high from her presence alone or if the joint he just finished is finally kicking in.

Maybe she's a siren he thinks as his blue eyes flitter up to her brown ones...now bright and hypnotizing. Her guard is down, obviously in her element as she talks.

Lexi Howard is in fact a wealth of random knowledge and he loves it. She speaks about Christians stealing Christmas from the Germanic pagans, about how King James was rewriting the Bible while also trying to turn his pee into gold...whether or not Johnson would be successful in limiting the Soviet power in southeast Asia.

Fez wasn't necessarily a pessimist but neither was he optimistic when it came to the current governments abilities. Lexi was hopeful though despite agreeing with him. Like most of America, she was not so sure morally it was a great idea that the US got involved in the war in Vietnam.

The war had already caused a lot of devastation in the effort to stop the spread of communism...a lot of devastation economically as well.

This led to them talking about God and yet again Fez is surprised by this woman sitting next to him.

"Do you, like, not believe in God then?" Lexi shakes her head no...Fez calls her fearless. She laughs a little at this.

" I wouldn't say that...more like I'm guided by my severe discomfort of religion in general. I mean you look at all the shitty things happening in the world right now...I don't see how this person...this being who has all this power...power to stop the war...and all this unnecessary death, but doesn't. And we're just supposed to put all our faith in him? Say he works in mysterious ways and it's his will. It's cruel. I don't know if I'd want someone like that in charge of the entire universe or judging me for my actions for that matter." She heaves a sigh. "I'm not naive though...I realize that..."

"You don't gotta explain yourself. I get what you're sayin." Fez grins playfully. "I know by now you ain't one of those flower girls."

"you mean flower children?" Lexi laughs at the name bestowed upon the free loving group of people...also called hippies.

"Yeah...I'm not one of those either."

Lexi is all white teeth as she playfully nudges fez's worn leather loafer with her dark heel.

"Do you believe in God?" She asks quietly.

"Hell yeah I believe in God." Fez looks up towards the ceiling as if he could sense the 'big guy' looking down on them.

"Like there's a man sitting in the clouds...judging all your actions?"

"Hell yeah."

"Really?" Her eyebrows are raised and eyes wide. Not judging but genuinely curious.

"I mean...I look at it like this. We all do shit and eventually we gotta answer for it...the whole cost of havin free will and shit... balance. Ain't nobody exempt from that... especially not me. I've done things I've got to answer for you feel me? I've had to do what I had to - I ain't blamin anyone else for that shit though. But I don't think we're totally damned either."

Lexi tilted her head thoughtfully. "I'm still not a hundred percent on board but I see your point." Fez raises his hands, and slightly tilted his head as if to say 'well I tried '.

"You here with anybody?"

Lexi scrunches her nose again...annoyed...as if just remembering why she was here in the first place... remembering the source of her stress earlier.

"I was supposed to meet my sister here...she was supposed to ride back home with me after the party, but I'm pretty sure she ditched me."

"That's a shame. I'm real sorry to hear that. She's missing out" Fez flicked his eyes towards the crowd of dancing bodies. Wondered if she would join him for a dance...not that he was much of a dancer...but maybe...

"Ehh," Lexi gave a half-hearted shrug, "not really. I'm pretty boring. That's why none of my other friends bothered to come except Rue..." Lexi pauses, her brows furrowing in thought. "I haven't seen her either tonight."

Fez felt guilts chains tug at him again hearing this. She should be hanging out with Rue tonight...maybe if he had just kept a closer eye on her she wouldn't be..he didn't want to think about where she had gotten to...or what she was more than likely doing.

As hard as it was...he told himself again, tonight - whatever Rue was up to, was not his fault.

He turned his attention back to Lexi and the way her full lips were down turned. He wanted to see her smile again. If he made her smile...said a prayer before bed tonight, like his grandmother taught him...maybe God would be gracious enough to grant him protection and the will to get through what was to come in the coming months.

"What do you mean boring...you're like the coolest person here."

Lexi blanches at this, and furiously begins to denying what was obviously, in Fez's correct opinion, nothing but pure facts.

"Why would I lie?" Her cheeks are crimson again and she unsuccessfully tries to hide it (and the wide smile) behind her slender hand.

Fez could get used to this. He was definitely gonna make a conscious effort to pray more often... everyday in fact, if it would allow him to see her smile like this.

"...thanks." she folds her hands back in her lap again seemingly giving up on trying to hide the effect he had on her.

Yeah...he would pray everyday for the rest of his life if need be.

"Yo I gotta cut soon, but...I just wanted to tell you that...talking to you was one of the best parts of my whole year."

"Yeah right..." Lexi huffs and Fez feels his chest clench in agitation. Had no one ever told her how special she clearly was...how magical...

"Why you always do that shit?"

"What?"

"Like... doubting yourself and shit."

"Oh. Ion know...do I do that?"

"Mm... kinda." Fez let's his eyes flick over her before leaning foward, bracing his hands on his knees.

Courage...Courage...Courage...

"I really liked talkin to you tonight...for real. I'd like to do it again sometime."

Something shines in Lexi's eyes as she stares at him. Something warm and determined...like she had found the missing puzzle piece...and wasn't going to let it go.

"Yeah...me too."

[anjumzm]

Midnight Summer

A Legacy of Gods fanfic

JerCes Daughter x LanMia Son

Chapter 3.

Theodore Sokolov King.

Nearly three days of waiting and no response from the little bird, makes me wonder if the hints I'd left are enough, she seemed like an intelligent person, but I could be wrong.

Judging by her reaction during the Bratva meeting, I thought she'd be here by now, seems like I'll have to up my game a notch. Initially I'd not planned to expose the Volkov's vulnerability at the Bratva meeting, but since Williamson had been making his move after the so called leaks over media, all thanks to yours truly, the news reached the Bratva Headquarters. Williamson threatened to expose the Bratva secrets and try to break other alliances too, due to the fact that the Bratva failed to keep up it's end of the deal. Which is why it became important for me to jump in, you see even if I'm untouchable, the Volkovs net of spys and organization preeceeds anyone else's in the entire US, UK and Russia combined. Sooner or later my involvement with the incident would come up, although personally I couldn't give any fucks about the Bratva business and try to keep away as much as possible, my cousin and grandparents at my mother's side are higher ups in the organization, so it's necessary for both our sakes to keep my name clean, which is why I came upfront to the Pakhan, and made it look as though I'd gotten back the files through unknown sources, shooting two birds with a single stone. Williamson would keep quite for a while now since he might be busy cleaning the mess created before next elections, and the Pakhan now thinks I'm someone who could be relied upon, a fact that doesn't seems to sit well with the Volkovs given the history between my father and Jeremy Volkov, both of whom tolerate each other due to the fact that Cecily Knight or Mrs Volkov is a friend to my Father and Aunt Ava, while my mother , Mia , is a friend to Jeremy and his entourage involves my Uncles Killian and Nikolai. This doesn't lessen the tension whenever the two parties meet for family dinners or so.

Just when I'm thinking about another way to trap my birdie, a loud and obnoxious presence derails my thought process "What the fuck do you think you're doing motherfucker ?" Punch. "Why, hello to you too cousin dearest" I say clutching my jaw, the uncultured piece of crap almost ruined my masterpiece of a face. "I specifically told you to stay away from Aaron and the Volkovs, this ain't your playground Theo, it's the Bratva where there are incomprehensible consequences to your actions" "Is that concern I hear in your voice, Dommy boy?" "Not even in your dreams, the only thing I'm concerned about is getting myself out of this shit show you've put up, which puts me in a tight spot with Aaron, I don't like this Theo, not even a bit" "Do you want to Fuck him? Aaron Volkov I mean?" "What!! NO! Whats wrong with you man! Why would you even think that?" "Good, it's enough that our little helion of a cousin Jessica is obsessing over him, such a downgrade for being a King, I'd bet the lapse of judgment and lack of taste on the Carson genes" "Wow. Just Wow. How can you be so nonchalant about this entire thing?" "Don't stress, I have a plan" "You better do. And it better be something that won't get us in the middle of whatever fuckery is going on between you and the Volkovs, I'm tired already man. I just wanna ride my bike, rail and maim people for fun, eat sleep and repeat, this ain't something I signed up for." "Trouble in Paradise?" Sean comes in with a wicked smile planted on his face. "You better keep your mouth shut big bro, if only you didn't let your hand loose, we wouldn't have to take this psycho's help" "A Thankyou would suffice" I chime in Sean raises his hands up, as if surrendering "those idiots had it coming for a while, they asked and I served, besides you're the last person who should be giving me lectures on "not letting my hand loose", seriously did you forget all your rendezvous including but not exclusive to an attempt to murder?" " Yes, but we never cross a line, not where our families are involved. Seriously Theo what is it that you're planning, why steal from the Volkovs, knowing you, I bet there's more to this than what meets the eye" "I was bored" "WHAT??, do you seriously think I'd believe that bullshit , "Well if you know me so well, you'll get to know my ultimate goal, have patience cousin dearest" "Whatever, this is the last time I'm taking your side over my friends, the next time you fuck up, I'll be sure to help Aaron dig your grave. Don't worry I'll lend Aunt Mia a shoulder" "Sure thing, Dom" Just when he's about to spew some more nonsense, my assistant and guard, a gift courtesy of my Grandad Kyle Hunter arrives in. "What's the update Shera?" "The plan's executed and met it's goal as expected, my sources reported that Ms.Aanya Volkov just left the property and the drive with the files missing too" "Wait, go back, did Shera just say "Aanya Volkov? as in the Volkov princess?" Says Dom with a murderous expression, "Have you lost it you motherfucker, you know that my Dad is her Godfather and would maim you to death if a single hair of hers is out of place?" "Good thing I have Uncle Brans unwavering support" I add in. "What do you mean the pendrives are gone, you trying to double cross me you twat?" Sean says in his cold tone. I zone out and don't pay attention to the two, my minds already high with all the plans I have to play with the little bird, or should I call her little fox, judging the fact that she easily managed to pull something that would have been a difficult feat for others She's cunning, I'll give her that. "You guys are thinking into this too much, trust me I won't get you guys or our families involved, like I said I have a plan. So please remove your unnecessary presence from my vicinity so that I can concentrate on the issues at hand, the doors to the left. Thanks"

Now that the first phase of the plan is complete, time to set the playground for a new game.

[jmagnabo92]

9-1-1 8x4 Live Reaction

Under the cut.

I've heard good things so... Let's do this!

LOL not Buck and Gerard out golfing.

"Baby's belly" - soft.

LOL - he doesn't want to be beloved - FEARED THAN LOVED. OMG.

OMG he wants BUCK to help him make the 118 tough?? OH SHIT OH SHIT. FIRING!!!

12% is better for firing???

"That's what you get for saving the boss' life - instead of being on the list, you get to make it" - SHIT.

I don't care about Bathena house-shopping.

Shit, Ortiz is running for mayor. OMG she's bringing it up with Hen and what happened with her son. FUCK - EYES AND EARS???

She wants to hold Hen responsible.

LMAO Chim correcting Gerard. What is this scene? Body cams???

OMG.

OH Shit! This poor cheerleader.

"The cheerleader is ass-backwards." - the 9-1-1 explanations are hilarious.

It's nice to see the other three rocking it since they were sidelined last episode.

Aww this kid assuming his dad wouldn't come.

Eddie's like "you know, let's just do this here - in a moving vehicle."

Loving Hen and Eddie working together and it works!!! Naturally.

ooooh he called him dad. Poor Eddie.

Wait, photos of the child with them??? OH this things with M/C backfired like I suspected. Of course Ortiz would be able to catch that & point out that it's (or would be) a problem to stay in contact with a child that was taken from you.

OOOH, is this going to work? I doubt it. But Hen's got a good speech.

Now they can't even see her!!! Awwwww :(

At least she's not being taken from Maddie and Chim and to a group home. Wouldn't be surprised if M/C got THEIR license revoked.

LOL the META on TV shows.

Aww "I don't want another house, I want my house."

LOL considering stealing another truck.

Oh no, they're going to rebuild - and Micheal sent over the old plans.

OOOOH, Bobby's not happy because he went into her house and was hoping for a shot to build something together rather than go back to HER place. More stones in their marriage?

Oh, Hen. Why would you do this? Ortiz doesn't care.

"We're all she has" - "yeah, well, my son was all I had. So she can go on too."

WHAT SHE DESERVES???

OF COURSE THEY"RE FRIENDS!!!

"Lack of leadership???"

LOL - "hey,... is my phone off?" "No, I didn't call." IDK why I find it so funny.

Oh, Hen, it's not on you. WHY DOES ORTIZ HAVE THIS AUTHORITY???

Ohhhh Buck. He went to Bobby!!

"Buck, you can't quit because your captain likes you." <3

if he did, then he'd not have stayed with the 118 so long. LOL

Bobby's back to being the 'unofficial captain', I love it. It reminds me of 'Chim's brief stint as captian'.

LOVE IT.

Bobby doesn't like the STACHE!!

Chim's like "The 118 needs you".

OOOOH Gerard doesn't wanna be there? OH RUDE CHIM.

This guy looks really hurt!! No way this was a dog.

OH SHIT. This woman is about to get hurt.

RUN LADY RUN.

IT"S A TIGER!!!!!

Awww this woman. I feel bad.

I really like these 'try and help themselves' scenes with Maddie.

AW CGI BABY TIGER.

LOL Chim with the gun - "where'd you learn to do that?" - "I have layers."

Tiger jumping up at him!!

She opened the door! OH NO!

Oh good. Down kitty!

This lady - no pets!

Oh Bobby at Hotshots. He called Gerard down there.

LOL they made the brit joke again.

The voice of god around here? LOL.

He thinks Bobby is living the dream.

Bobby telling him to quit himself. "She's been using you Vincent and laughing at you."

Oh Eddie what the fuck are you doing? It's not your business to get involved.

You're not a therapist. You don't know what their relationship is. Don't project your shit onto other people.

He showed him the body cam footage???

Gerard & Ortiz. "You're going about this all wrong."

She's a sick SOB. A JUDGE IN HER POCKET. No wonder the judge looked sad at Hen's speech.

WHY GERARD??? SHUT THE 118 DOWN???

New Fire Chief??? NO!

Wait a second - he was wearing his uniform with the body cam - was he RECORDING HER????

OMG, she's really doing this??? FUCK.

OH SHIT HE WAS!!

GERARD SAVES THE DAY. DIDN'T EXPECT IT!

LOVE BOBBY doing this and getting Gerard on their side!!

I LOVE IT!

Glad to see the kids doing much better!!

Oh shit, the dad showed up!

A family reunited!!

Love it!!

Aww, Bobby admitting it was never his house and them deciding to create their own :)

Bobby's BACK!! YAY!!

AND GERARD IS AT HOTSHOTS!! LOVE IT!!

This was great!!! :)

[finnglas]

vent post

man it fuckin sucks to be a floridian right now. i love my state. i love florida. it is inherently queer, as a state - like - key west has been a queer haven since the 60s, miami had an open gay scene before open gay scenes were a thing, orlando has more rainbow pride gear than you can shake a stick at - and yet and yet

a fucking judge (desantis appointee of course) ruled that it was okay for desantis to draw his own fucking voting map in case you're wondering why he got re-elected

and i feel like we've been abandoned by any larger organizations, like, the democrats didn't spend a penny in florida during the last election cycle

and this all started when we voted to reinstate the right to vote to people who had been convicted of a felony and desantis was like nooooooooooo whyyyyyy and promptly did everything he could to delay and nullify the implementation of that - I still don't know where we stand on that!? for a minute there was a thing where you had to pay your outstanding debts so we were all crowdfunding it and they they got big mad about that and then honestly i lost track of it -

but now they're trying to make being gay or trans or even supportive a felony SO I THINK YOU CAN SEE WHERE THAT'S GOING

and good people are leaving the state because they aren't safe and i understand and respect that but also i don't want to leave - i want my state back. and i don't know where to start, and i feel helpless, because they keep doing shit like a) ignoring the results of votes and b) redrawing voting maps on their own and nobody is... fucking doing anything about it? isn't this illegal? doesn't shit like this violate federal laws somewhere??

and i know we're far from the only state in this position, ronny boy is just getting attention because he's trying to run for prez - but people are like "why don't you leave" and i'm like AND GO WHERE, SUSAN - anywhere financially feasible for me to go is also involved in this bullshit just more quietly

anyway, if you are a prayer person, pray for florida, man. they're tearing out our bones and beating us with them.

[abbinurmel]

I have been agonizingly and repeatedly where my bf is right now, where it comes to nurturing people who are close to you and whom do not try to directly abuse or affect you in shitty ways themselves, but their constant personal life dramas and how they abuse alcohol/self sabotage out of nilhilism and stubboness, causes you to wanna obsess over taking care of them or stepping into their drama uninvited as mediator w. 1) the desire to fix their problems for them just out of good friendship in exchange for their many kindnesses and 2) the fear of them abandoning you or God forbid throwing themself off a cliff if they never recover.

And I don't wanna both sound hypocritical/pedantic and also thougtless- but there's a diff when it's internet friends vs. irl. And one part of me argued the long distance friend with a problem is more unhealthy worse and more without point to obsess with. The other hand, irl indirectly toxic drama friend, has actual immediate impact that actually takes itself into your life.

My point was forgotten here. I guess I just feel weary and sad and sorry for these people all involved.

And. Yea. I know. I can never have right to judge others or how we all cope with our pain. We all struggle with inner mental illness or barriers and I just hafta accept as adults we are only able t b responsible for ourself and we all have our own paths to take. I have my own toxic addictions too.

......But I'll say the hot take anyway.. cos fuckit.

....drinking abuse is really really fuckin frustratingly dumb especially when you are over 25. What even are you fucking doing, treating your angst or life problems this way. You need a coping mechanism to escape life, instead of actually taking your inner demons and working thru them? Modern life has provided you with an endless supply of vices and addictions to give a cheap hit of sweet dopamine or a distracted altered state. Tiktok, sex chat, table top gaming, gambling apps, doomscrolling, cook something, go to a sex dungeon, play Animal Crossing, write Animal Crossing fanfic, write tawdry and/or tawdry Animal Crossing fanfic and/or wank yourself into a coma, WE don't hafta know!-

Ffs...weed's fucking LEGAL now in over 29 states in the US, you can dye your hair and paint your nails in any color conceivable and you can cosplay as someone else and you can dress however you goddamn want cos in the world of Amazon you can consume any possible product and shop addict yourself into being broke. You can listen to any music now, watch nearly any TV program or film of the last 100 years, and read almost any literature or comic or play any videogame that is possible to buy or pirate. You can marathon now or binge in ways that wasn't possible even less than 20 years ago. You can roleplay as any possible gender animal or age you could want and the damned endless amount of hobbies and skills you could pour focus in....

There are a million other unhealthy but still less.unhealthy, more creatively degenerate habits and vices you could partake in. You could vape in almost any flavor. You could destroy private property and invent cool tag slogans or mascots to graffiti on your neighborhood. You could steal from corporate stores, it's practically cool now to morally do. You could peddle absurd misinfo, draw porn, get into crypto, get into ASMR,.get into tattoos, piercings, absurd fad diets, you could do illegal drugs that at least make you FEEL EUPHORIC INSTEAD OF SHIT ANYWAY (which disclaimer no, you shouldn't actually do them but if you're gonna do shit anyway-) I hear Molly, Ecstasy, light shrooms, meth, coke and such are fun. You could at least imbibe some dumb shit that fucks you up but doesn't make you a whiny,.moaning, miserable, bitter sonuvabitch who just mopes about why do they still not feel good and you already knew would never made you feel good, emotional or physically, and then throw up. What is your fuckin aim here. Are you stressed and tired, you wanna pass out? Take a fucking regular depression nap then. Or take sleeping pills, or some Benadryl, or go have some.really intense good sex, and let that pass you out. You need to relax your muscles and shut off racing thoughts? Either get a prescription from a doctor or just drink warm milk and take a hot bath like all the fuckin rest of us. Unless you are a broke and homeless person with no hope of access to any material resources or pleasures or amounts of self care without being granted those valuable resources from the outside, or you are someone in a 3rd world country with access to not a single one of these many amenities, options, vices, or informative resources on how to cope with problems, for mutherfucking fucking sake, WHAT are you DOING.

[mrs-monaghan]

okay jikook is definitely real and all i can’t argue with that

but why do they drink so much when they’re together? i understand they’re often awake until like 4AM and they both love alcohol, so obviously they’re bound to drink when they’re together

but it’s just…ALL THE TIME. whenever we get news (more like confirmation) that they spent time together the night before, there’s always drinking involved. them asking each other who smelled like alcohol (whether they were joking or not) in the latest bangtan bomb just means they drank a lot. again.

i go partying and clubbing a LOT and i’m a year younger than jk. i don’t think it’s a case of me tryna mom over them. we’re just made aware of a quarter of the time they spend together. and even then, it almost always involves alcohol so what more off cam?

i guess i’m just extra concerned about them now, especially after news about an idol’s death.

Okay, we seriously need to talk about this. Okay take for example, I am Kenyan and we drink, ALOT. It's part of my culture. I can finish 10 beers and still be fine while my Scottish partner drinks 2 beers and he's already falling asleep. I can finish 2 bottles of wine while my UK friend drinks a glass and half and suddenly she's seeing double. Cultural differences are important anon and they are things Armys need to start considering when it comes to BTS. I wouldn't treat my American friend the same way I will treat my Russian or my Polish friend. I have a Polish ex who used to finish a bottle of Vodka, fucking vodka by himself. And no he wasn't an alcoholic, they just drink alot over there.

Koreans are heavy drinkers. It's part of their culture and they have such high tolerance. If I ever met BTS I want to have a drink with Suga so I can see who between us will pass out first coz that man can drink 😂😂 but I don't see no one giving him shit for it. Just JK. People on YouTube calling Jimin an alcoholic, why? Do you know he's not even the member who drinks the most? Just because he likes to down his drink and others prefer to pace themselves, doesn't make him the biggest drinker among the Tannies. Did u see Jin in BV Malta? And this man still woke up the next day looking fresh as a fucking daisy, after MIXING drinks all night. You have to be pretty bad ass to mix your liquor and still be okay the next day. Even i can't do that!

Jikook don't have a drinking problem. You, the one judging them, you are the problem. Cultural differences people. Let's try n remember this please!

I could send u links about Koreans and drinking but I think this one should be easy enough to find on YouTube or Google. Please look into it and erase this mentality 💜

[distortedwhite]

(naru and gender)

(if my conversation partner somehow sees this, i am deeply sorry. i don't hold any grudges against you personally but i am a bitch with horrible opinions unfortunately)

gutted that somehow it's now acceptable to publicly shit on other people's opinions. or it's probably a normal thing now—idk i don't venture outside my personal bubble. fact is that it's absolutely disheartening to experience getting called transphobic.

and the reason? difference in opinions. that's it. none of the "pronouns = gender" bs or "using he/him would invalidate her as a woman" but "based on my interpretation of her, using he/him would be transphobic"

absolutely Stunned about this mindset truly. like how dare you label me, and others, as someone who doesn't accept transgender people based on the fact we have a different interpretation of naru's character. "i get where you're coming from but i think this wouldn't work for naru because of [insert reasoning for their interpretation of naru]" my dude literally 5mins earlier i was saying that different opinions about the same character is what used to make fandom fun and enjoyable. i have seen and acknowledged different takes on naru. i respect them even if some make me wanna tear my hair out. is it too much to ask to get the same amount of respect back. is it too much to ask to not be labeled a transphobe based on your personal opinion regarding gender.

i mentioned it before, but gender is something so unique and personal to every person out there. holding everyone to Your personal take about gender and judging them based on that is not fair. yes, the world isn't fair but that's why i think it's better to just do your best and make it a little more fair through your actions. it's incredibly idealistic and probably very unrealistic, but i'd rather do that than stewing in hate and negativity just because someone has a different opinion on my blorbs than me. especially in a series like enst where the average fan only reads the stories involving their faves.

i'm not trying to bash other people, like LOL i'm very flawed too. i used to think people who cisswapped characters in fanfics but didn't change anything else (course of story, relationship with other characters, ectect.) were homophobic. but after a discussion i've come to realize that those people too are just doing what they love. they are literally strangers and i shouldn't judge them based on what i see. i don't Enjoy the trope of changing a character's physical body without changing anything else, but i've come to understand and respect it. and that's one of the reasons why i think it's so important to hold conversations with one another... we can come to an understanding if we at least attempt to communicate with each other.

point is, you don't have to Like someone's opinion to be able to respect it. you don't have to Support someone else's opinion to be able to respect it.

for fuck's sake don't label someone a transphobe just because they have a different opinion on a Fictional character than you do.

[thetavolution]

Baldur's Gate 3 Companion!Tav Ask List

Rebecca "Bex" McQuoid

What if your Tav was a recruitable companion, instead of the main character?  (contains major spoilers for the game, and for some dark urge runs as well)

General

Where can your Tav be recruited?  Are they first encountered on the Nautiloid, or in the Nautiloid crash region?  Or are they not recruitable until a later act? She'd be in the Nautiloid crash region. Odds are Tav wouldn't see her on the ship. She would recognize Tav from the ship though. I should note that she's a Mephistopheles Tiefling Bard.

Do the other companions have special comments or reactions upon recruiting your Tav? She's a bard so of course they would. I think Wyll would be a good sport about it if you recruit him first. He'd probably be excited about someone being able to play some old song he longs to hear again. Lae'zel would consider her unnecessary. Shadowheart would be apathetic, but curious. Astarion would already decide she's probably going to be very annoying. (He's right.)

Does your Tav have any comments or advice when you recruit other companions? Astarion: "Why are the murderous ones so hot? That's weird, right? Or am I the weird one? I mean... as long as he doesn't kill us, I don't mind him." Gale: "He is pretty charming. In a nerdy, will tell you everything about his special interest kind of way. I like that about him." Karlach: "Holy shit, she could crush my head with her thighs. I think I love her." Lae'zel: "I'd say maybe think twice on recruiting this one, but I realize I'm in no place to judge anybody here. But still... maybe watch out for her." Shadowheart: "Secretive, isn't she? But hey, she has every right to be. It's just very unnerving when you're relying on each other to survive." Wyll: "You sure he's not too good for us? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to have him around. I just don't know if we're the kind of company he'd like to keep. Well, I should say me. I don't know I'm the company he'd like to keep." Minthara: "Ha! We seriously got the Murder Mommy on our side? I won't complain, but I will be keeping one eye open while I sleep." (You can only do the good route for her to stick around with Minthara.) Halsin: "Gods, did you see the size of him? I already feel safer with him around.... You think he's single? Put in a good word for me, eh?" Minsc: "There's not much going on in that dome, is there? He's awfully sweet though. And I love his little space hamster." Jaheira: "So, we're traveling with a legend now, eh? I've never heard of her, but I'm already impressed. We got one hell of a team here, don't we?"

What sort of general actions raise or lower their approval? She acts irreverent, but she's drawn to good deeds. It won't be hard to get her approval. She also likes someone who has a good sense of humor. If you do something funny, she'll approve. I.E. Drawing on Vlaakith's face.

Are there any instances where your Tav can permanently leave the party, depending on player character actions? She would leave if you kill the tieflings. She is one, after all. She's also got a good heart for all her bluster.

Do they have any secrets that can be revealed?  What are the prerequisites for this secret coming to light? I have to keep this one a biiit quiet. I honestly think it would mirror her secret from @thebonnevillegame too closely. (Once season 1 is out of the show, I can reveal more.)

Do they have their own personal quest that spans the course of the game?  Can it take different branching paths depending on the choices the Player Character makes? Her side quest would involve some people from her past and some loose ends she has to tie up. It's hard to get into, but it would lead Tav into the dark underbelly of the city. Bex has a dark past they learn a little too much about. It can change Tav's opinion of her or they can believe she's trying to better her life.

What do they say when the Player Character asks them to stay in camp?  How about when the Player Character asks them to come adventuring again? Stay: "You sure? You never know when you'll need some good old fashioned bardic inspiration." If you tell her yes, I'm sure: "Alright. I'll be here when you need me." Come: "It's showtime, folks!"

Does your Tav have any escalating conflicts with one of the other companions, like Lae’zel and Shadowheart’s knife-fight? Generally, she tries to avoid escalating conflicts, especially among her allies.

Are there any unique NPCs associated with your Tav that can show up during the course of the game? There are some people from her past that you can run into. Some of them have a good rapport with her while others don't. The ones she has a bad relationship with can be particularly nasty to her. Bex takes their insults on the chin, but Tav is free to be more offended on her behalf. (It's up to the player.) Some of the other companions are more likely to be angry when she's slighted, especially if she's on good terms with everyone.

Are there any moments in the game that trigger unique dialogue for your character? (Like Gale’s anecdote about the barfight after you save the goblin prisoner)  Bex has a lot of stories from her strange life. She's been all over Faerûn and she's encountered a lot of people. Some stories are too spoiler heavy. There are plenty that are stories about "some guy" she knew one time though. I.E. She knew a guy who was almost killed by harpies. Wait, sorry, strike the maybe. He was killed by harpies.

Story Specific

How does your Tav advise the player character when it comes to the Dream Visitor? "You had the dream, too? Hm. I want to believe them. It'd be a lot easier knowing we could trust them. Let's keep our guard up though. Something feels off."

How do they advise the player character on Raphael? "I wouldn't trust a devil. Do what you want, but you better expect shit to go sideways if you make a deal with him."

How do they react to Astarion biting the Player Character? She would be concerned, but surprisingly okay with it. "As long as it all stays consensual, I don't have a problem with it. It's kinda hot in a weird way. Does that make me kind of fucked up to say?"

How do they react to the Player Character letting Abdirak whip them? "Whoa! I had no idea you were into this sort of thing. Not that I'm judging."

How do they react to the Player Character taking their first tadpole power? "Full offense, but that was disgusting. How do you feel though? You're not feeling like you're about to sprout tentacles or anything, right? You look... normal."

Will they stay with the Player Character regardless of siding with the goblins or the tieflings, or is it possible for them to leave the party permanently? If you side with the goblins, she will leave and not come back.

What can they be found doing at the tiefling/goblin party? She'd be drinking and probably flirting with one of the other NPCs. She also flirts with the Tav.

Do they have comments on who the Player Character chooses to spend the night with?  She's a little jealous if she has high approval, but she's not mean about it. Lae'zel: "Really? No offense to her! It's nothing against her or you. I just... didn't think she'd be interested. Have a good night, champ. Don't let her bruise you up too badly." Astarion: "I don't blame you for going for him. If he was interested in me, I'd be on him like government money on a bad idea." Shadowheart: "Oh. She's cute. Seems a bit prickly though. I didn't expect her to go for anybody. I'm pleasantly surprised on your behalf." You can also spend the night with Bex pretty early on.

Do they have unique dialogue if the Player Character lets them die when they steal the Blood of Lathander? "What the Hells?! I have had you back since day one and this is how you thank me. Fuck me! (sighs) Gods, you're lucky you have those puppy dog eyes. Otherwise I might actually stay mad. You ass. Pull that shit again, you won't be so lucky though!"

How do they react if the PC licks the dead spider in the Gauntlet of Shar? "Huh. You know, I knew a guy once that liked to eat spiders. This is feels kind of normal in comparison." When Tav licks it a second time. "Okay, now you're making it weird."

What do they say if the PC tries to force them to go up on stage with Dribbles the Clown? When she first sees him, "Dribbles the Clown, huh? I knew a guy once who pretended to be a clown. Turned out he was just a run-of-the-mill serial killer. Who would have guessed, huh?" When Tav tells her to go up, "Ha! Good one... Wait, you seriously want me to go up there?" After Tav says Go on, Bex: "Oh, you bastard. You're going to enjoy this aren't you?"

Is it possible for your Tav to be kidnapped and replaced by Orin?  How is Orin's deception revealed?  How do they react to the PC rescuing them in the Temple of Bhaal? Yes, Orin would imitate her. She would let Bex have a mental breakdown involving something from her past, but it would be wildly out of character. It's hard to give specifics at this moment. When Bex is rescued, she'd probably simply say, "How do I keep ending up in situations like this? Thanks, I appreciate you saving my hide." She's a little too used to this kind of shit.

How do they react to the PC either allowing Astarion to ascend or convincing him to spare the 7000 spawn? Ascending: "This feels wrong.... I already miss old Astarion." Sparing Spawn: "I think we did the right thing. Or we just got a ton of people killed. It could go either way at this point. We'll see."

How does Tav react to the PC becoming a mind flayer?  Can they offer to become one themselves?  Does their reaction change if they’re romanced?  She'd offer herself up based on how high her approval is. She's honest but accepting if Tav changes. "If it wasn't you under there, I'd be running for the hills. You somehow add some charm to it. No matter what you look like, it's still you." She wouldn't leave you if you became a mind flayer.

How do they react when the Dark Urge first reveals their amnesia and murderous thoughts to them? "I'm glad you felt like you could confide in me. I'm scared out of my mind, don't get me wrong, but thank you for trusting me. I'm here for you, come hell or high water."

How do they react to the Dark Urge killing Alfira? "Gods... I get it. Bards are annoying, I should know, I am one. But I feel like there were other options than this!"

If romanced, how do they react to the Dark Urge trying to kill them in Act 2? She's one of the weirdly understanding ones. She'd help tie you and keep you company until you came back to your senses. "You think you're the first person to want me dead? (laughs) Listen, you can't get rid of me that easily. Whatever this is, we're getting through it together. Got it?"

Romance

Is your Tav a romanceable character?  Are there any specific requirements to romancing them? Yes, she is. There's nothing super special about romancing her. You just have to get high approval. She's one of the easier people to romance.

Does your Tav need to be flirted with to start the romance, or will they approach the PC themselves if approval is high enough? She'd make a move if her approval is high enough. She also takes rejection well if you decide to move on from her.

Are they a polyamorous or a monogamous option? She's never been in a poly relationship before, but she's enthusiastic about trying it.

Do they have a special romance scene at the tiefling/goblin party? Yes, you can sleep with her right off the bat at the party. You can also chose a more platonic/non-sexual option.

Does the romance have different branching paths, or just one route to take? In her case, I think there would be just one path.

How do they react to the player character breaking up with them, or choosing another character over them? She's salty as hell, but respects it. She'll insult Lae'zel, Astarion, and Shadowheart if Tav picks them over her. She can't bring herself to insult Karlach, Gale, Wyll, or Halsin though. She tries, but ultimately gives up. Halsin is "too nice to hate... and too hot." Wyll is "a perfect prince charming" and she can't compete with that. And Karlach is just "awesome" so she gets it.

What questions can Zethino ask the PC about Tav in the Love Test?  "Listen. Think. When is she most comfortable?" 1. In her tent 2. In the kitchen ★ 3. In her bedroom in Baldur's Gate 4. Out on the open road "Fear sits in the soul of all - to tame it, we must name it. Bex - what is her deepest fear?" 1. Decorative wine stoppers 2. Snakes 3. Running out of time ★ 4. Being trapped or confined ★ "Life is full of victory and loss. You cannot have one without the other. What is Bex's greatest failure?" 1. Losing so much of her life to stupid mistakes ★ 2. Getting captured by mind flayers 3. Not catching that serial killer clown

If they’re poly, do they have a reaction to the PC engaging in a relationship with Halsin? She would never judge anyone for wanting that man. She'd just ask if you'll consider sharing next time.

How do they react if the PC has sex with Mizora? The Emperor?  Haarlep? She's less happy about Mizora and Haarlep due to their less trustworthy nature. It's less about being "cheated on" and more about "Really? Them?" The Emperor she has mixed feelings about. She's not happy about it though.

Will they join in with the PC and the Drow Twins, or no? She definitely would. Happily so.

What are Tav’s plans for the future?  Do they propose to the PC, or is marriage not something they’re interested in? She would be coy. She'd hope Tav would pop the question. She asks them to marry her in a more round-about "No, it's really you're idea" sort of way. She's too scared to be direct out of fear of rejection. If you outright reject her, she'll accept it, but obviously be near tears.

Free space! Share anything from your companion!Tav au! I can't share some of what I want to because of spoilers. Some day I can say more! But not today.

[wild-at-mind]

Saw a post yesterday that I got the meaning of but thought the execution was a little misguided. Basically it was saying that you shouldn't shame people for not proving with posts that they are doing all kinds of activism around the war in I/P. But it said you shouldn't do this because maybe they are doing super secret potentiall illegal activism and it's not safe to post about. When in fact I would argue much more generally- stop writing things that attempt to shame people for not 'doing enough' activism-wise AT ALL.

I really don't get this because I've been involved in environmental activism groups for the past 4 years and the most common thing people criticise environmental activist causes for is focusing too much on individual change. (Whether this if fair or not is debatable- sometimes yes, sometimes it's definitely in bad faith, sometimes people are projecting massively, and also often they are talking about some manner of corporate activism or token 'good faith' gesture from big companies that doesn't do much and that environmental activists are alsp criticising.) Therefore now there seems to be a big resurgence in trying to make individuals feel terrible until they put their nose to the grindstone enough to solve huge, monumentally vast conflicts, I am fucking confused. Ok I am being a little flippant here but I keep seeing people who are clearly feeling quilt tripped out of their minds about not doing enough. It is very concerning. What exactly do these ranty posters expect???

There was a period in 2016-2017 where I was really trying to be more involved in activism for a number of social justice issues, but I was also in a massive depressive episode and dealing with a lot of issues with black and white thinking. The way a lot of posts on tumblr were worded like 'hey you! Fuck you because everything you're doing or may even contemplate doing in future regarding activism is wrong somehow! Oh what you feel lonely and isolated? Well don't even think about mixing with anyone local to you who cares about similar issues because what if they disagree with you slightly??? That can't happen! Best not risk it.'

I don't know why people write stuff like this but I honestly find it basically locks up my brain until I can't do anything at all. And judging by some of the recent posting I've seen on here I'm not the only one. I'm not so affected now because I'm on better meds, and now I know a lot of activists IRL which has helped. Once I had recovered from the depressive episode I started getting involved in local environmental activism, as that is the main type of activism around here, and ignored the little voice in my head that I learned from tumblr saying I should get involved in more social justice oriented causes (which plain don't exist round here FYI). Turns out that people who care about one cause care broadly about most, even if they don't always get it right, and being in activist spaces in person helped me turn off the 'oh my god what if these people are...imperfect??!' inner monologue.

No one should have to justify their level of activism to you or anyone else. I'm not even going to give reasons why they may not be able to do more because everyone already knows and also because the whole line of thinking is flawed. Not posting about something does not make you complicit in it. Not exposing yourself constantly to the most disturbing and horrible news coming out of Gaza does not mean you are looking away from injustice. If your brain says that then flip the script on yourself- tell yourself that you personally looking at these things does not help anyone in Gaza. You feeling like shit helps no one.

I think people are much more able to stand up for causes they believe in when they are not being ground down by miserable guilt tripping. I think anyone who wants to avoid this needs to also avoid going along with the logic of these posts. Whether someone is doing a tonne of secret activism or no activism- it's not my business, and it's not for me to try and judge their heart and mind. Or for any of us.

[fire-fira]

I've seen this a few times now, and every time I haven't really wanted to get into this, but...

...If what you dealt with from your parents was harmful enough to give you cptsd, if it was cyclical, if it was ongoing and (because you were a child) you couldn't escape, then even if they didn't deliberately set out to harm you it was abuse.

It doesn't have to be 'on purpose'. They don't have to have physically or sexually abused you. They don't have to have intended any harm-- because news flash: the vast majority of abusers never intended any harm. Simply unintentionally being awful and making you feel horrible in a cyclical and persistent way while almost never making an effort to change their behavior (or even allowing things to be safe enough for you to convey 'This hurts, please don't do this' without blowing up/guilt-tripping you/acting like you're horrible for daring to even suggest they did anything wrong) means they're abusive.

While no one likes the feeling of being told they hurt someone else, someone who makes an effort to not be abusive will apologize for where they're out of line (whether that's immediately or after they've had time to step back and think depends on the person and the circumstances) and then try to do better. Someone who's abusive might apologize, but even if they do they'll make no real changes to their behavior and it'll only be a matter of time before there's another blowup or incident.

In my case, everything I went through was NEVER on purpose, it was NEVER done out of malicious intent, there was nothing premeditated about any of it, and there was never a desire to hurt me involved. And from that alone some people might think that calling it abuse feels too harsh, too accusatory, like I'm judging them cruelly for things that they never intended to have happen. It still nearly killed me.

Whether something is abusive or not isn't about intent, or whether something was premeditated or not: It's about impact. And if I had actually died due to what I went through? It wouldn't matter how 'not on purpose' it was-- I'd still be dead.

Dead is dead. Abuse is abuse is abuse.

And being squeamish about acknowledging the kind of awful shit mentioned in the original post as a type of abuse just means that people who've lived through it have a harder time putting words to what they've been through.

It's wild that you don't necessarily need to even be abused to have childhood trauma. Like just having an excessively negative, spiteful, toxic and mean-spirited parent is enough, even if they never do it at you, or on purpose. Imagine being a doctor and explaining that to a parent.

"Hey you know how you don't have any friends because people find you unpleasant to be around? Well it turns out that your child is also a person, and finds you unpleasant to be around. Growing up in an environment where they are constantly subjected to your opinions technically counts as torture, since the situation was both continuously distressing and inescapable. You are literally so annoying that you gave your child brain damage."

[stench-core]

talking about sex and cheating etc

couple of months? couple of years? ago now me and my partner had a big talk where they were like 'okay. you are too horny for me. i am not THIS horny and i do not like being touched by other people this way so if you want to have sex with other people you can. just be safe and tell me who etc. no details but you know' and today we basically had the same discussion cos we were watching something and the topic came up

and i just mentioned how well it's kinda dumb to judge people for cheating when 'cheating' is so definitionally flimsy like, to some people 'cheating' is talking to the opposite sex while in a relationship, and to some people it's 'having an affair'. so i brought up our arrangement and the BEST way my attitude to casual sex while in a relationship can be summarised is:

if me and my partner didn't play warhammer together, i would go find someone to play warhammer with. even if i do play warhammer with them, i would not necessarily ONLY play it with them. it is a hobby and i can enjoy it with other people.

similarly, if my partner did not want to go out for dinner ('a date') i might go for dinner with one of my friends, man or woman (i'm bi so moot point, also being binarist for ease). that does not make it 'a date' but we would be doing the same activity all the same.

and i kinda just view sex the same now?? which is funny cos i used to be a very possessive jealous person. like, yeah, i'd personally like to know the person i'm having sex with lol but other than that i don't really see why it can't just be like a hobby. like it doesn't mean we 'love' each other (like in 'a relationship') and it doesn't mean we're 'together' it's just sex. even if it was a person i went to have sex regularly with, that's just like playing warhammer with the same friend? and like with that, i would tell my partner where i am, who i'm with, and loosely what we're doing. same thing with sex.

and i know this is a christian hold over for a lot of people (and for non-christians, the societal pressure of being in a generally pretty christian society. would be interested to see what places not-as affected or not-affected by christianitythink about this) of you're in a relationship with one person forever and adultery is a sin etc etc but just like. idk. i don't feel like it's that important. for me it would only become cheating if i kept secrets about it, lied about it, whatever else. it's the trust breaking which makes it 'cheating' for me, most of all. and then on a personal level, if there was 'a relationship' (romantic) involved. but ymmv

but regardless the funniest part of all this is i have not had casual sex with anyone yet despite my condition as the horniest bastard on the planet, i just cannot be bothered trying to flirt with anyone to get to that point. maybe i could go on dating apps, but i cba with dealing with harassment for being trans and also possibly maybe being killed - and i'd feel VERY weird about initially inviting people HERE so if there's issues my big strong wife can get their ass. YOU KNOW??

i'm also very shy and i think having sex with a stranger would be really strange accept for in a high bdsm setting where i am explicitly being guided and cared for and made safe but i think for my first casual sex encounters that's a bit much (<- lying extremely lying that's what i want more than anything. anyway)

like i'm just lazy. mostly. i half-assedly tried while at that festival and really did not try much at all despite you all being able to vouch for how absolutely gagging i clearly am. i'm waiting for my cinderella moment where someone just comes up to me like can i fuck you and i go yeah sure by the way i'm going to whine like a dog etc. until then i ain't doing shit i can't be bothered. anyway i hope it makes my partner feel good that it's been probably years and i have only tried to make moves on someone once and didn't even really try/expect anything

[kmp78]

"I have yet to meet one person who does not see his faults, yet forgives him for them, unlike you who prefers conflict, judgment, and hate. We choose to see him as a human who bleeds, hurts, and cries just like us."

I really like this. I think it sums up a lot about why we, at least for me, defend him against some of the stuff called out about him. He's so far removed from those of us here that I think often people start to look at him as an idea more than as a human being.

He's a "celebrity" like that's a thing and not a person. Does it come with money and fame and probably a lot of perks? Sure, it does. Another reason why it's so easy to disassociate with him. Doesn't really matter how he got there when envy and jealousy are involved, so who cares what he sacrificed or how hard he worked, right? He still shouldn't have been born pretty- then things wouldn't come so "easy" to him. Or why did he get enough talent that it could be split among 3 people? If not for that, clearly he wouldn't be SO famous...

Rich. Poor. Attractive. Ugly. Privileged or a nobody. We're all still just people. So he didn't tip for a $4 coffee. I almost didn't tip for my $40 haircut that I just got in less than 15 minutes of her time. He snapped at an extra on set one day. Have you ever bitten someone's head off over something stupid that had nothing to do with them or what they actually did? I sure have on more than one occasion because I bottle things up, trying to solve them myself and eventually snap. He doesn't owe me a VIP spot for enjoying his music any more than the next person, so if it's good publicity for him to pick someone who could potentially fill more seats that's just smart business. I'm not going to hold it against him just because I've maybe been a fan longer.

My point is I am far from perfect, so why shouldn't I show him some grace? I hope if I say something that offends someone that they don't hold it against me for the rest of my life. I hope I'm given a second chance if I've done something wrong. I can't fault him for doing human things when I do them too. He's not a messiah. He's not a king. He's an imperfect man who lives under a microscope, so his flaws are magnified more than mine.

What if he was just Ron, the neighbor down the street, who really dresses strange sometimes? Would you call him out in the town newspaper for being a weirdo? Or would you just shake your head and chuckle when he waves? What if he was your best friend, Nick, who does some seriously immature shit and hangs with your crowd even though he's quite a bit older because he doesn't really identify with his generation as well? You've been friends forever, and he's always just been one of the crew. You love him even though you sometimes want to shake him for his actions, no?

Strip away whatever privilege or notoriety that clouds what you see when you look at him and get the urge to heckle and name call and ask yourself how you would feel if every "JL" on this blog was replaced with your initials? Some seriously hateful, hurtful, nasty things. Wouldn't you hope that someone, anyone, would step in? He's been in this long enough that he probably doesn't read the love or the hate, but I'm compelled as another person who DOES read it, to step in sometimes and say stop. I'm not defending my imaginary best friend, I'm defending my own humanity.

You were good at something and really loved doing it. You worked hard, put in your time and you caught some good breaks. But now you're on everyone's radar. You can't leave your house without being photographed or followed. Every Nancy and Karen judges the way you look and dress, and they are NOT quiet about their opinions.

The thing you love doing is in a line of business that requires you stay relevant in any way you can, so you agree to interviews and try to share some things you enjoy with others. But because you shared pieces of you, now everyone expects you to share everything with full transparency. You're asked things you're not comfortable answering. People dig and pry any way they can to find out things that YOU wouldn't ask of them as complete strangers. And you better watch how you react because your responses are being scrutinized. So is your tone and your body language. Don't come off a bitch. Don't come off impartial. Don't come off overly enthused because that might be taken for flaunting or favoritism.

You have been so focused on this ONE passion that you've neglected to curate a personal life for yourself. People think you hate your family and that you have no friends. They're pretty close on the friends bit because you don't have the energy or time to keep a lot of friendships going, and you certainly don't have the time to add new ones!

Your love life sucks when you try to find anything serious. Are they with you for you? They go into it knowing soo much more about you than you do about them. There's that damn no time or energy for them problem again. You are so.fucking.over people in your bubble all day and aaallll the schmoozing you have to do that you're also pretty tapped out by the time it comes to them, so of course it eventually doesn't work out. You're a man, though, so don't let any feelings out about it. You can't be a pussy or a prick! Great, more photos of you as a couple are circulating. Rumors. Gossip.

You decide to just be a bachelor for a while. Not enough women? Must be in mourning over your past failures. Too many women? What a womanizing whore! The wrong woman? Now you're associated with something you don't want to be. You aren't looking for the long haul or anything, but again, do they want you for you? Or is it for 5 minutes in your fame or to "expose" you in some way? How are you supposed to form any kind of intimacy with anyone when you don't even know if you can trust them at the most basic levels?

Every action and choice we make has a coinciding reaction and consequence. Most of us are just fortunate enough that the world isn't watching us make them. He's not. He hasn't been for so long that he probably doesn't even remember what that benefit feels like. It has to be fucking exhausting and I don't blame him for not always being sunshine and rainbows to every last Jane he comes across. The same Jane who has an entire view of who he is even though they've never even met before.

I'm sorry if it goes against the main flow here. I DO enjoy the funny tidbits and the mix of opinions and the sharing of things from before my time. I just can't hate him or standby watching everything about him get bashed over and over again because behaviors and incidents that would be private in your life are not in his.

Here´s the thing tho: these anons are now claiming that he NEVER does anything even remotely douchey or bitchy, and at least some of them seem to actually now think that the old reports of his assholery are all LIES when absolutely everyone who was around back then knows how real his douchery was. 🙄

Tbh I think all these rageheads who refuse to see him as anything except the second coming of Jesus Christ are all newbies who have severe issues with accepting realities. 🙄

[kdramabrainrotstation]

If KinnPorsche, The Devil Judge and Vincenzo existed in the same universe - A)I would combust and B) I think that Yo Han and to a degree, Ga On would be jealous of how physically close KinnPorsche are while KinnPorsche would be jealous of how 'emotionally' close Gahan are. And Vincenzo would be rolling his eyes in the background thinking why did God put me in the middle of these insufferable gays?

okay so a) 10000 percent right there with you anon. i think i smell smoke coming out my ears already just thinking about it hnnnn

and b) i have so many feelings and i'm going to try and condense them down and not give you a whole ass novel like i keep giving people lmfao

so the concept of these three things existing in one universe is actually not??? terribly??? impossible??? vincenzo is literally a part of the italian mafia and just a couple tweaks might put the cassano family after kinn rather than the group we get in the show--just...with less creepy gross comments from old mob bosses please.

there's also the alternative of kinn following his father's orders to work with vincenzo on dealing with yohan. could be they were hired by the chaebols to get the job done--we all know how loaded the lot of them are, and money is one of the fundamentals of the organized crime world. in a dystopia, i imagine the underworld is even more volatile, too.

but i'm not gonna get into all the details because that's a lot more kinks than i care to work out and i just want to talk about the stuff you mentioned for now. if i go off, you'll never get me back lmfaooo.

i think that vincenzo and kinn would get along surprisingly well. on some level, vincenzo would have some respect for kinn's boldness and his tendency to take matters into his own hands while at the same time still trying to operate as a responsible heir to the family. he gives off that same badass energy that vincenzo has too, plus the comedic aspect of being easily caught off guard by extremely simple things (see also: love interests doing ridiculous shit that leaves them flabbergasted).

porsche wouldn't like vincenzo at all. he might fancy him a bit of a badass, but unlike kinn, vincenzo doesn't relax as easily. in canon, vincenzo literally has to be dragged into group settings with everyone before he finally starts to unwind and accept that he's a part of their family. once he does, he's committed to them with his whole heart, but the difference between him and kinn is that kinn has an easier time relaxing even when he should be maintaining an appearance. porsche would not have warmed up to kinn as quickly as he had if not for how chill the guy was, regardless of if there was alcohol or tea involved lmao. but i digress--porsche would probably identify vincenzo as a coldhearted torture machine and be heavily against the operation he's being dragged along with kinn to help out on.

that said, i feel like porsche would be very protective of gaon. he can literally see the same naivete his own brother has in the way gaon views things, as well as the big heart gaon has that reminds him of porchay. if there's drama and second thoughts about how they're going to deal with yohan, it starts because porsche is trying to convince kinn to rethink their plan. if he winds up meeting/learning about elijah some way or another (with how protective yohan is of her, i doubt it), he'll be even more insistent.

and considering kinn is very aware of porsche's feelings about things (the torture scene in ep 3), he would begrudgingly give it some thought. on that same note, i feel like kinn would have some level of respect and admiration for yohan. depending on how deep in the tdj canon we are here and if the live courtroom is still a thing, i feel like kinn would appreciate and respect many of the verdicts yohan has come to in those cases. on top of that, yohan is a man who gets shit done, which is a trait kinn respects about vincenzo too.

on top of that, whether you headcanon yohan bisexual or gay, kinn would appreciate the representation. he seems to have a decently strong gaydar lol.

that said, i do agree with you that there would be some envy from both sides of those ships about the other. gaon and yohan are so very strongly emotionally invested in one another but so busy with what's going on during the course of the drama to actually do anything about it. it's obvious that you could cut the tension with a knife, but who has time for that right??? and kinn and porsche on the other hand have no issue getting handsy, close, talking intimately with one another. however, there are barriers keeping them from getting too emotional about it, and it makes perfect sense that they'd want a little of both worlds. it gets me in my feelings tbh.

and then there's vincenzo lmfao: the poor dude was just trying to do his job when these other people and all their feelings and attachments started happening, and depending on if any of the canon vincenzo storyline has happened, he might be forced to reevaluate things himself because now he too has attachments.

i know for sure he doesn't like porsche. they're probably at each other's throats constantly. and by that, i mean porsche says a little too much and gets incapacitated and kinn has to drag his unconscious ass out of the room and explain to him why he should stop risking his balls to argue with a member of the cassano family.

we already touched up on his opinion on kinn, but i also feel like vincenzo would have some level of respect for yohan. they wouldn't get along because yohan would probably already know he was a target and he simply doesn't trust like that, and vincenzo evaluates him as a target and keeps him at arms' length because he also knows yohan isn't just any old bullseye. there would be a mutual understanding that they're both businessmen and have work to do, but they wouldn't ever cross that line and allow much in the vein of friendship.

especially considering vincenzo likely can't stand gaon. gaon is a liability to yohan, and vincenzo can't for the life of him understand why yohan would keep him around with how reckless his emotions are. unless, of course, he's already gotten feelings for chayoung/hanseo (you decide lmfao) and not unlike kinn, understands the way yohan looks at gaon.

i definitely think that vincenzo would feel like he has his work cut out for him, but i also know they ain't leaving with a dead kang yohan as per their mission. if anything, kinn and porsche would have a greater understanding of what an emotional bond looks like through gaon and yohan and kinn and porsche would have done the drama equivalent of the "now KISS" meme to try and get them to just fuck about it already. while vincenzo tries to figure out what they're going to do about their failed mission when they get home or how they can make it look like they didn't fail.

but let's not talk like he doesn't get something out of all of this either. kinn, porsche, yohan, and gaon all have their redeeming and their frustrating qualities, but they all also have something to offer in terms of learning. vincenzo probably picks up a great deal of experience from the lot of them. as well as an appreciation for just how normal the plaza crew is compared to them lmfao.

i had fun with this. it still turned into a novel, whoops...