#or anyone tbh I welcome the discussion

[woundedheartwithin]

You know, I’m a little worried that rgg is just planning on writing Yagami out of the next game

Mild spoilers under the cut

Given how popular the series was in Japan (due in no small part to who exactly portrayed Yagami), I don’t see them just hanging the series up in the event that Kimura Takuya’s agency refuses to come to the table. He was the initial draw, of course, but the series earned its own fan base in the west by having arguably the best writing and gameplay out of any Yakuza/RGG game to date. As much as I hate saying this, Kimura is not needed for another installment to be a success, especially given how viciously some folks seem to hate Yagami just in general, and Kimura’s agency is not giving rgg any reasons to believe that he’s not expendable

But from a canon point of view, LJ being set in Ijincho with Sugiura and Tsukumo’s shiny new detective agency is scary, actually, if you think about the implications, and the Kaito Files kinda confirmed it for me too. Sugiura, one of the main characters of both games, is now in Yokohama. Higashi, another main character in both games, opened another branch of Charles in Ijincho, as well (per the Kaito Files). The crew at Genda Law Office and Mafuyu’s roles in LJ were negligible, aside from Saori (who is technically a player character, and so a main character, and who stated in LJ that she felt like she was being underestimated by both her client and her coworkers)

Kaito, yet another main character, has a brand new family, and there is no way Mikiko actually agreed to move into Kaito’s shitty Kamurocho apartment with all her money and whatever money she got from her dirtbag husband’s estate. That leaves an opening for Kaito to just move to Yokohama with his family. And Yokohama 99 only has one field detective and a pretty high profile win under their belt, so honestly I don’t think it’s all that much of a stretch to see Kaito start working there instead because they need the manpower, and Kamurocho is now too far away to reasonably commute. It’s also pretty reasonable to assume that Jun already goes to school in Yokohama (hell he and Mikiko probably live there) because of his father’s connections with the city (that reunion being held at the Blu Marino every year). I don’t think it was ever explicitly stated that Sadamoto was based in Yokohama, but the implication is there

Not to mention, if the series moved to Ijincho full time, Yagami has stated that he likes working and living in Kamurocho, and his only remaining father figure is still there. I don’t see him leaving, even for Kaito

Idk it’s kinda scary honestly, because Yagami is far and away my favorite character (for more than just his looks I promise), and I love the other characters with all my heart, but I do not want to see Yagami just left behind in Kamurocho while the gang up and moves to Ijincho. And with the whole Saori being engaged to Hoshino angle, I could totally see that souring and Saori bailing to Yokohama as well, especially since she’s expressed quite a bit of discontent at being overlooked and underestimated already. If her relationship with Hoshino goes belly up, I could see her stepping back from Genda’s office entirely and moving to get a fresh start

[hawkfuller]

my (first) thoughts on the iwtv season 2 finale

after seeing 2x08 i have to say i am incredibly satisfied with how this season has ended. this finale felt like a culmination of seasons one and two to me. i also adore the characters and the complexities of their actions and feelings and thought they were all very well portrayed. as for the loose ends, it leaves me w the same feeling i had watching 1x07 – excited for the next season to learn more.

(i'm simultaneously very sad it means we'll have to wait a while again before seeing these characters & the cast after the few last interviews get posted... idk how i survived the drought between seasons one and two in the first place.)

[literalite]

ty for your tags cause why is it painted as a bad thing to want your posts to look pretty and nice 😭

i can understand why people would wish that aesthetic sensibility is less of a drawing factor on simblr because of like. limited access in terms of like. renders and g/reshade and high quality graphics and hq mod etc etc etc i won't deny those sorts of things give the people who can access them a massive leg up. and editing can be quite time consuming and hard if you have for example joint issues or wrist issues of some kind

but also to be brutally honest this is a pictures-based microcommunity? the main draw is. surprisingly enough, sharing images of our sims. it'l be harder yeah but people get notes without renders (me?? lol) without re/gshade presets, without the hq mod. hell people have their stuff blow up and they'll be pure vanilla simblrs putting a 3 layer psd over their images. for me personally its about knowing lighting and colours and shot composition, and that kind of stuff is accessible to anyone, its not like i ever went to any classes for that so 😭 idk man

[kingdomoftyto]

October this year has felt kind of vague and adrift for me, no real festive spirit to speak of--or at least nowhere near how last year felt, when it was Year of the Vampire and all.

BUT I am remedying that now with a combined pincer attack of 1) relistening to Night Vale from the beginning on my commute to work and 2) rereading Warm Bodies on my breaks/in my spare time. Things are getting increasingly spooky up in here

[valar-did-me-wrong]

I just burned my hand while thinking of this Adar headcanon.. (RIP my chai) So now I'm gonna bore you all with it to distribute the suffering :3

So there are 2 major Adar origin headcanons in the fandom rn in my knowledge..

The one most people (including me a few months ago) follow in one version or another is: Adar was among the first elves who woke up in Cuvienen & got captured by Morgoth. Cuvienen Adar

Then there's a minority opinion I've heard come up sometimes (and has me in its grasp since I heard it) that Adar is a nobody Fëanorian who got taken in one of the early wars between Noldor & Morgoth. Noldo Adar

Now I love the angst of Cuvienen Adar, Eldest elf on Middle Earth not quite an elf anymore... It hurts so good 🤌🏽 but there's just something so Noldo about him too! Like his innovativeness in finding unique solutions, his fury, his burning love that keeps him going & his sheer willpower to survive so much torture.. it's VERY Fëanorian coded in my eyes!! ❤️‍🔥

So in an attempt to make both of them work, I created this headcanon which is kinda the best of both worlds for me personally!

I'd love lore experts to correct me if I'm wrong anywhere & for my fellow Adarlings to just take this as a not too serious exploration of yet another version of Adar :))

So my personal headcanon now goes that:

Yes Adar was among the first elves that woke up in Cuvienen, but specifically he was a Tatyar (2nd of the 3 groups of elves in Cuvienen with the leader Tata who was the 2nd ever elf to wake up)

A Tatyar who actually stayed behind instead of following Finwe to Valinor after Oromë had come to take the elves. So in my headcanon he is specifically a Tatyar Avari.

Which makes him kin to Noldor.

As when Oromë came to take the elves with him, half the Tatyar that went with him became Noldor in Valinor (also some parts of the 3rd group also went and became Teleri in Valinor) while those who stayed behind (from both the 2nd and 3rd groups) became Avari. So the Tatyar Avari were related to Noldor.

Now Avari in general are mentioned in some versions to be the elves who got captured by Morgoth to create orcs.. 👀

So it kinda fits the lore too, which is a bonus!

To me this headcanon adds so much more angst to Adar. Specially to his & Galadriel's interactions.

Like not only is Galadriel an elf but she is also a Noldo, from Finwë's line, who lead half the Tatyar to Valinor.. it's everything Adar gave up or lost.

He must look at Galadriel and feel like almost everything he could have been in another life is standing infront of him personified!

I wonder if he ever regretted remaining back in Middle Earth & being an Avari. If he ever regret not following Finwe to Valinor.

Maybe he did not go because he didn't want to follow but rather lead and couldn't.

Maybe thats why he was so unhappy in his existence (along with ofcourse the whole inability to have children thing which implies queerness) and could get corrupted successfully, survive so long & become Sauron's lieutenant; he was an innate leader (but the elves chose the direct descendant of Tata, Finwë instead)

There are so many stories & what ifs to be explored here tbh.

If anyone knows fics that have used this premises please do share with me!!

And if there aren't fics yet, I hope this little attempt of mine at headcanoning reaches and touches someone talented to become a fic now!

Thoughts, discussions and tears most welcome 🫶🏽

[babydollmarauders]

MEDIA MANAGEMENT — JACK HUGHES (23-24 SZN PART 17)

au masterlist

y/ndevils00

liked by jesperbratt, tofff73, and 383,624 others

y/ndevils00 WE ARE SO BACK, BABIES!!

your mighty lil hell raisers won 5-2 tonight against the flightless birds, and SURPRISE!! I WAS THERE!!

what a happy “welcome back to Pitt” to my lovely former-bumblebee-color-wearing bestie, Johnny Rockets!

i’m so proud of all of our goal scorers tonight, one of which is not pictured because he wouldn’t let me order a drink at dinner last night (*cough* Bratter *cough*)!

it was also AMAZING to see my sweet Edward Cullen again, you can see in the fourth photo how much he missed me! doesn’t he look positively overjoyed?!

oh, and: p.s. that one player, number 87 on the penguins? yeah he got a penalty. HA! don’t trip my boys, Sidney. i know where you sleep.

tagged curtislazar95, naterbastian, john.marino97, ryangraves27, dawson1417, holtz_10, tofff73

Load more comments

user19 IS THIS WHAT THE CROSBY HATTY THING LAST RECAP WAS ABOUT?! SHE WAS HINTING THAT SHE WAS COMING TO THIS GAME?!

naterbastian that’s a blurry pic

y/ndevils00 hop off my dick, nathan

naterbastian no

y/ndevils00 NO?!

y/ndevils00 @/dawson1417 how do i solve this?

dawson1417 maybe you could take less blurry pictures? i’m not sure about this one tbh

y/ndevils00 @/dawson1417 USELESS!

dawson1417 oh :(

y/ndevils00 @/dawson1417 WAIT NO! I’M SORRY! I DIDN’T MEAN IT! YOU’RE MY BESTEST FRIEND AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! EVEN MORE THAN JOHN

john.marino97 HELLO?! I’M RIGHT HERE?!

y/ndevils00 @/john.marino97 oh hi John!

user35 DID Y/N JUST THREATEN SIDNEY CROSBY?!

user99 I FEAR THIS IS WHEN SHE GETS FIRED

holtz_10 why is Crosby pictured?

ryangraves27 what i look is terrified because i didn’t even know you were in town

y/ndevils00 it was a surprise!! were you surprised?!

ryangraves27 did he know you were coming?

y/ndevils00 nope! showed up at his house like “BOO!”

user01 who the hell are they talking about?

jackhughes i’m glad the team won and i’m glad you’ve had fun, can you come home now?

y/ndevils00 aww you miss me 🥹

jackhughes yeah, sure, but also, LSH has chewed through my phone charger, has been scratching at the couch, and bit Nico’s hand

y/ndevils00 i put her in charge of keeping the house in order while i’m gone. sounds like she’s doing great!

jackhughes i’m a human and she’s a cat??

y/ndevils00 she’s also smarter than you, my love

jackhughes did you just call me dumb?

y/ndevils00 oh my sweet, sweet himbo, i love you to pluto and back

jackhughes um, yeah, i love you too, dove

holtz_10 hello??? why is Crosby pictured??

y/ndevils00 shhh i ignore stupid questions

jesperbratt i didn’t want you to get drunk, please don’t hold it against me

y/ndevils00 aww okay 🥺 i’m sorry for leaving you out of the post, thank you for looking out for me!

jackhughes how do you do it?!

jesperbratt @/jackhughes i’m cute 🤷🏼‍♂️

jackhughes oh fuck off Bratter, obviously i’m cute too, i’m her boyfriend

curtislazar95 WE WON

y/ndevils00 YOU WON!! I’M SO PROUD OF YOU FOR NOT MAKING US LOSERS ANYMORE

curtislazar95 thank you?? i think??

y/ndevils00 YOU’RE WELCOME!!

y/ndevils00 notice how we win when @/tmeier96 isn’t playing… it’s cause he called me a bitch and the universe has my back

tmeier96 if i could insult you, you would be so sad right now

y/ndevils00 hmm but you CAN’T insult me! because i’m perfect!

tmeier96 actually it’s because after tuesday nights comments, Jack threatened to slap-shot a puck to my face if i insult you again

y/ndevils00 awww @/jackhughes that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever threatened for me 🥹🫶

jackhughes do people often threaten others for you?

y/ndevils00 of course?? i’m lovable and everyone i know wants me to be protected and loved!

tmeier96 well… i highly doubt EVERYONE you know…

y/ndevils00 watch it, Meier!

user56 idk, thats two posts in a row with Sidney Crosby… i’m starting to get suspicious

user13 i wanna know who the mysterious “he” is that they keep discussing!

user07 same! like, is it the same “he” every time?! and if so, if she showed up at his house, does that mean he lives in Pitt?

user22 all i’m saying is it’s suspicious and she better not be cheating on Jack

user91 @/user22 oh please! not only is she obviously head over heels for Jack, but if she were to cheat, i highly doubt everyone on the team, including Jack, would know and openly discuss him on a public platform

liked by @/y/ndevils00

[burningcheese-merchant]

ok, so as someone who also tends to use strength over smarts like Matar Paneer Cookie, I tend to think that maybe it’d be better if I preferred books to fights. When I try to read books for assignments though, I develop a headache that will ruin the rest of my day and sometimes blurs my vision. I don’t expect Matar Paneer to have something like this (cause I cannot torture her like that) but maybe a more watered down version. Yknow, for the mandatory ’my older sibling’s better than me’ thing that every little sibling has at least once.

just a though tho, love your work!

Thank you ❤️ I'm always glad to hear that my nonsense brings some measure of joy to someone haha. Thank you also for sharing your thoughts, I enjoy having discussions like this with people! Understanding and learning from others is a gift we all take for granted (and I always welcome an excuse to vomit word salad lmaooooo)

I think I understand what you mean. Matar Paneer isn't stupid, far from it (same with her father. I always imagined Burning Spice to be quite intelligent, if not outright wise, at least to some degree. He can't NOT be, not when he was the Herald of Change/History, you know? Buff does not automatically mean dumb). It's not even really that she dislikes reading or anything more cerebral like that (she actually really likes being told stories haha. As a child, she often asks Pepper Jack to read her something before bed (and him above either of their parents or anyone else, because she likes the way he reads things the most). Not because she doesn't like to read, but because she likes how others might approach reading/telling her things). She just has her own way of doing things, you know? She's energetic and rather reckless at times. Those often tend to naturally nudge someone away from "calmer" activities, but that doesn't mean they can't do them at all. Strength over smarts is not some great moral failing, nor vice versa. Different people do things differently. The key is learning to find balance when possible. (It's not that Jack shuns strength, either. He is a very tough and capable warrior, even while so young. He carries a dangerous weapon everywhere he goes lol. He'd just rather solve something with his wits if he can. Just how he does things, nothing more nothing less)

As for the "my older sibling is better than me" thing, Paneer actually does wrestle with that to some degree, and it's arguably worse because she adores Jack so much. Jack is her hero. It's not Golden Cheese that she looks up to the most, it's not Burning Spice, it's not Mozzarella or Nutmeg Tiger or Hollyberry or anyone else. It's him. It's her brother. Everyone thinks so highly of the kid, Paneer included (perhaps most of all). Jack is smart, Jack is strong, Jack is disciplined, Jack is this, Jack is that. And Paneer does not begrudge him any of these things; no one cheers for Jack harder than her. It's just... compared to him, who is she? Who is Matar Paneer? What can SHE do? She loves him, but she doesn't love feeling like she's in his shadow all the time. She doesn't resent him at all for this, she doesn't hold anything against him (that's not really how she is tbh), she only holds it against herself. She's mad at herself for feeling inferior. She wants to be cool and strong, too; she wants to be up on that pedestal right next to her brother, not knock him off and take it for herself. She just doesn't know how to do it. Both children hold themselves to very high standards and hurt themselves in similar ways by doing so. They will eventually come into their own and develop the self-confidence they both need, but it will take time and several important life events for them to get there. Paneer will also eventually understand that it's not healthy to put someone on a pedestal like that (it isn't fair to her OR to Jack), and she is just as great as he is and always has been. But again. It will take time and character growth.

She'll get kickstarted on that journey for real after what happens to Jack when they're older. Poor kids, both of them. He loses something important, she watches her hero fall for the first time ever (and when she never imagined it would even be possible. Pepper Jack is great, but he is not a god. She fully realizes and understands this the hard way)...

[epic-the-musical-confessions]

tbh I don't think we should be shying away from critiquing Epic or Jay as a creative, but the fandom is starting to become an entirely hostile and toxic place where critique and discussion isn't welcome unless it's 100% positive. People get sent death threats if they say they don't like a saga. They get called terrible things if they say they don't like how certain themes were handled. Any sense of discussion and critique (particularly about Calypso) has been banned from most servers on discord, including the official one.

It's fine if you love the musical, but the moment you don't like one thing about it or think Jay should have or could have handled something a little differently or even want to point out certain patterns in the writing (SA being glorified, the treatment of black characters, the way the narrative is set up so Odysseus can't have any accountability, etc.), the fandom jumps on your throat about it. And I do think how Jay interacts with his fandom and how he went about fostering the community plays a big role in that.

There's important discussions to be had here. But the ones in the fandom who want to have those discussions are being driven out.

The last time I saw a fandom get this bad about defending every choice a creator makes and driving out anyone who has critiques was the RWBY and Hazbin fandoms. That is how bad the Epic fandom is turning.

.

[austinslounge]

Hey! I'm relatively new to the Austin fandom, and first of all, I just wanted to say you really opened my eyes about the Kaia situation, so thanks! Second of all, I wanted to know your opinion on something: judging by his sister's follows on instagram, and his grandmother (I think it's his grandmother)'s posts on Facebook, Austin seems to have been raised in a conservative family. I know it's none of my business and that "stalking" his family like this can come off as disrespectful, but the thing is: as a leftist, I try to be very mindful of the people I dedicate my time and attention to. Austin never discussed his political views publicly, right? Do you think this is maybe because he is afraid of a certain backlash he might receive if he "came out" as a conservative/republican? I really avoid putting famous people on pedestals and idealizing them too much, and I know some people think it's stupid to care about artists' political views, but I'd still be kinda disappointed if I found out his values are so different from mine. Anyways, thanks for reading, and have a nice day!

Hey girlie! 👋

Welcome to my blog! 🥰❤️ Also, welcome to the Austin Butler fandom. 💕 It's good to see some new fans on here.

I'll be honest, I don't usually like getting into political topics or views here on my blog. But since your ask seemed genuine, I'll try to give you my honest opinion.

Take a seat 💺

Honestly? I think you should just take Austin for face value and not worry about what political party he might (or might not) belong to. As far as I'm aware, he's never really mentioned any real political views, and hasn't even identified himself with any specific political party. (Someone can correct me if I'm wrong)

I think one of the reasons why our country is so divided right now is because people have stopped seeing people as individuals, and they just see people as from one party vs from another party. 🥴 Personally? I don't think that's really fair.

I prefer to base my opinions about someone on a case by case individual basis. I have met some wonderful people from all various walks of life and different political views. I think it's also good to keep in mind that even people inside of a political party may not always agree with everything the party believes or represents.

Going back to Austin --

I choose to look at who Austin the man is, and everything that I've seen of him so far over all these years have been nothing but positive. I see how he treats both men and women. I watch how he treats people from various diverse backgrounds. I saw how he boldly spoke out about racism and "White Privilege" during the murder of African-American George Floyd back in 2020. I have also paid close attention to how he talks to others, how respectful he is of everyone, and how he doesn't treat anyone differently (not even his fans) no matter their position in life.

I have seen how he gave a homeless man food in the streets, how gentlemanly he is with women (i.e. opening up car doors, helping older women up on stage, etc.), and how kindly he speaks of everyone (don't think I've heard him speak badly about anyone tbh). I've also seen how gracious and loving he is to his fans. Friends of mine who have met him in person have echoed the same thoughts that he really is a sweetheart to everyone and how wonderful it was to meet him. I've also heard how everyone in Hollywood who meets and works with him describes him as being very "kind".

I've even looked at his old tweets and Tumblr posts! You can even find his old tweets and Tumblr posts online from when he was a teenager to a young adult, and all of them are so wholesome and adorable. 🥰 While some celebrities are out here getting canceled for their old scandalous Tweets from years ago, with Austin, even as a young guy, you never found him saying anything misogynistic, racist, fat-phobic, mean, or just plain rude online. He's usually always been very positive.

All of these things combined go on to paint the picture of a man who really truly is just genuine, kind, down to earth, and good-hearted. 💕 🥹

I know some people might not feel the same way that I do, and I know that Austin isn't perfect, but based on what I've seen of Austin, he really does seem like just a good guy.

I don't really follow closely what celebrity family members post or who they follow, but I think it's very important to realize that just because your family member has a particular view, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have that same exact view also.

Just something to think about! 😊

[notthatalex]

I think the biggest difficulty with having guests on reddit stories compared to cast is that people have ranging parasocial relationships with cast and are ergo more charitable to them. Or even when they disagree, they don't mind as much. While they don't have that with guests and are much more likely to be genuinely mad.

To be fair for some people, it is actually the other way around where their parasocial relationships lead to them getting more hurt because they feel like they got betrayed by a friend or something.

And obviously, when guests are on, they always have the same opinion as Shayne and the other cast member. And fans are therefor also disagreeing with cast, but then the focus of discussion is mostly on the guest. And the focus the cast gets is in form of "disappointment".

So it is more a charitabilty issue for most I think. That people use the term "vibes" so much when talking about how they don't like guests is really emboldening that viewpoint for me. (I have a slight personal gripe with the term and people using it to express opinions tbh)

I really don't think cast has less often bad takes, but I do think people interpret that "going back and forth/ exploring different viewpoints" ping pong play they do on that show a lot way worse when it comes from guests. Or like just straight-up jokes.

This isn't a comment about if smosh should have guests in gen btw. I am kinda neutral about that. It's a comment on how peoples preemptive charitabilty influences their judgment on the takes.

I am kinda neutral/pos on the guest thing, like if it is someone I know or like I am excited and if I don't I really care. This is kinda a tangent but I also think people miss the mark when they talk about how the smosh audience doesn't care/know about tiktokers and should only have youtuber guests. The reddit stories audience definitely does care about tiktokers. It is their wide net show, like I watched the new episode with my sister today, who only watches reddit stories from smosh. She knew the guest, while she didn't know who Trevor was.

Anyway I wrote this because I go out of every reddit stories episodes disagreeing with some takes more or less, but I mostly see people voice disagreements when guests are on and this is my attempt at analyzing it. If anyone wants to chime in and disagree or add on I would welcome it. Still not fully formed opinion it. Malleable and squishy opinion one could say.

[heebiegeebee]

LONG PERSONAL POST AHEAD

What I am about to discuss is likely highly triggering, upsetting, and from what I have seen and read over the years, both in person and online, not the common or universal life-experience.

I am aware that my experiences are quite unique and hyper-specific, but that should not preclude me from being able to openly talk about them, especially on what is the equivalent of a personal blog/journal post.

I am going to preface this with the note that I do not intend to source much of anything beyond what I already have handy (if that, as I am kinda just free-writing as I go, so if I mention something thats relevant and on-hand, I'll add it, but outside of that, either you're already hyper-aware yourself of what I'm talking about, or you can very easily go and verify it yourself if it's something that has "made the news"/can be sourced in actual history books/papers/articles/interviews/etc and not just regurgitated on wikipedia by propagandists) because I have learned that no amount of TURNING YOUR POCKETS OUT will change the mind of someone who has no interest in changing their mind or hearing yours out without desperately waiting for their moment to pounce.

Do it yourself. Or don't. I don't care anymore and I don't care to be silenced for the remainder of my life just to make you, o reader, comfortable.

Anything not mentioned as something sourcable is my own life experience and opinion, and can absolutely change given enough reason and experience to*. Anyone who considers themselves to be a reasonable and educatable human being should be capable of admitting the same. (*the opinions can change, not my personal lived experiences; lenses can change, sure, but the facts and acts cannot, unless you're re-writing history) Names are altered, changed, or in some way obfuscated enough for plausible deniability for use of other names.

I don't know how to "after the cut" something, so this is the final warning. I am not afraid to block a motherfucker, and at this point I welcome another ZiOnIsT bLoCkLiSt if it keeps me from seeing y'all's wildly uninformed and outright antisemitic bullshit takes. Good luck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is gonna be scattered. Maybe I'll rearrange paragraphs or sentences, but my brain is a jumble of pain, and so too will this be.

Husband and I got into yet another political argument last night, and it finally sealed the deal for me. I'm getting the fuck out of here by hook or by crook.

I have been involved in leftist politics since I was in junior high. My very first protest was when I was 12; I protested the Bush administration for its bullshit "war" in the middle east after 9/11. I marched in Los Angeles in the rain banging a bucket drum screaming NO BLOOD FOR OIL and the fight hasn't stopped since. One of my very first political drawings was a daisy (purposefully evoking the daisies peaceniks would slide into the gun barrels of state/gov enforcers in the 60's) where the petals and leaves were bombs. A bit on the nose, sure, but I was a kid! My heart was and very much still is in the right place, so I've been told. Nowadays I'm just angrier about it, and am no longer beholden to the "non-rights" of childhood (CHILDREN HAVE RIGHTS!!! ANYONE WHO SAYS OTHERWISE IS LYING TO CONTROL AND SCARE CHILDREN INTO COMPLIANCE AND THEY ALWAYS WILL BECAUSE IT UNDERMINES THEIR PERCIEVED AUTHORITY OVER SMALL VULNERABLE HUMAN BEINGS)

I never stopped either, it just took different forms as I gained or lost abilities to travel, donate, educate, etc... I won't put everything I've ever done here because 1) that list would be very long, and 2) it would absolutely dox me. TBH, if someone is dead set enough to do it, they could probably dox me off this post, but as I said, I just do. not. care. anymore. There is nothing left for you to take from me now. Pick these bones clean until they sun bleach.

It is for these reasons I feel zero need to defend my leftist beliefs when someone who has known me for almost 15 years now, and credits me with their political stances refining and/or changing in some manner to be far more left/progressive than they were, (including but not limited to them becoming more involved in direct action and education themselves) suddenly throws all that out the window because they don't like having to be on their backfoot when caught unprepared for an argument THEY STARTED and opts to call me a "zionist nationalist" as a gotcha. When I threw on heavy sarcasm and loudly proclaimed "why yes! I, who vehemently opposes borders and check points and governments and thinks people should be able to freely travel and live wherever they choose, and champions land back for history's various displaced or ethnically cleansed minorities, is totally a zionist nationalist! You've found me out!" husband promptly changed course (of course!)

Why not just call me a kike at that point if you're gonna disregard everything you know about me so quickly (and so often??? which you end up backpedaling on when the fight is over???) Because no amount of me saying "I want the Palestinians to be free from both their own/external terrorist orgs masquerading as govs AND the israeli gov so they can't be used as cannon fodder or a get out of jail free card anymore" will change the mind of someone who already has your role carved out for you. (he also took umbrage with me saying the names of specific actors in the israeli gov, but that i wasn't naming individual hamas members and affiliates by name??? meanwhile husband just says "state of israel"; no "the" beforehand, and he does NOT do this with other world govs or countries...???)

I pointed out once again how he's called me a terrorist (for simply saying minorities have the right to defend themselves! NOT ATTACK OFFENSIVELY, but DEFEND themselves! {I was referring specifically to the Black Panthers open-carrying in CA at police stops at the time!}) and now he's using "Zionist" as an attack, which shouldn't matter to him anyway as he considers himself a non-zionist (which is fine! as a jew he has that right!)

But he's upset because I called him a Hamasnik! I explained that I called him that after he defended Aaron Bushnell's antisemitic screeds (the legit ones, not the faked profile) and ignored that even Bushnell's own friends quoted him as saying he was "someone who bounced from one extreme to the other" after getting out of his xtian cult, joining the military, and becoming engrossed in I/P propaganda, to which husband replied by saying "well it's a real shame no one will hear his message now 😔" what, pray tell, is the REAL MESSAGE aaron fucking bushnell has to offer that you CANNOT find anyone better to point to???? Why am I the bad person for doing the due diligence and researching instead of parroting? HUSBAND'S THE ACTUAL GOVERNMENT-FUNDED EDUCATOR, SO WHAT'S HIS FUCKING EXCUSE?! "oh its a real shame hitler was so misunderstood" ass comment... so yeah, HAMASNIK. What fucking else would it be??? YOU ARE DOING THE WORK FOR HAMAS BY PARROTING THE SAME PROPAGANDA! this shouldn't be that hard to grasp!

Husband is so wrapped up in being right or "catching me" that he has completely thrown his own fucking brain out and cannot think through things logically. But sure, I'm the overly emotional one! The fact remains that throughout our relationship, husband has taken every instance to undermine me, undermine the things i know about and have experienced firsthand (don't get me started on his ignoring and downplaying blatant antisemitism and transphobia/biphobia just because he wanted friends!) No wonder he is the way he is, and now that he's converted, this too will be my fault.

AND YES. I am going to say that I fully believe that once someone becomes a jew, THEY ARE A JEW, full-stop! BUT! that does NOT preclude or absolve someone hurting their own ingroup, nor does it mean there are not internal conflicts that arise from these very same stances. We cannot ignore that the individual responsible for writing the Protocols was LITERALLY A CONVERT! Do I think all converts are guilty? FUCK NO. Do I think we should forego conversions and become more insular? NO! but what I DO want to know is what the hell are rabbi's doing to ensure the prospective jews-by-choice have unpacked their internalized (usually some flavour of cultural xtian, though not exclusively) antisemitism? Cuz lemme tell ya, we had another at my synagogue who, once they were official, took that opportunity to tell US we have NO IDEA what it's like to BE A MINORITY, and HAVE YOUR ANCESTORS MURDERED, ENSLAVED, RAPED, DISPLACED, LAND AND WEALTH STOLEN etc because her ancestors were conversos AND WE'RE JUST WHITE PEOPLE.

Like, sorry, did you join a marginalized people to one up them in oppression olympics? Are you assuming everyone's genetic makeup and ancestral background here? WHY ARE YOU ASSUMING EVERYONE HERE IS AND ALWAYS WAS WEALTHY?? Why when I pull you aside to commiserate after I had your back this whole time are you throwing me under the bus, too? Is it the racism? I think it's the racism... (I'm sure I'll elaborate on our congregation's ex-cop, air bnb landlord, born-again-jew-whose-more-jewey-than-the-rest-of-us in the future, but that's for a different time. Fuck her all the same though)

My rabbi is highly respected, both in the US, and abroad, and has physically traveled to report back on the shitty conditions our government has forced migrants and refugees into. He is also someone who I respect for how he spent his youth, as it was very lefty-crustpunk and anti-capitalist. He caries many of those ideals still with him today, but he obviously has to represent an entire congregation, and isn't keen to be tossed out by the very few who swing their money-dicks around because WE. ARE. STRUGGLING. but he's not silent on our morals and virtues by any means... If this guy has already spat out not one, but TWO jews-by-choice who hold antisemitic beliefs, then what the fuck does our future look like? I pointed out to my husband that he joined a PEOPLE. Those people come from somewhere. Those people have longed to return to that somewhere. Those people are fighting to be recognized and respected as a sovereign NATION (meaning PEOPLE), and are being undermined by those who claim to champion those same causes for other marginalized minority groups. Those people are OUR PEOPLE. Why are you undermining US??? Have you literally learned NOTHING in all of your studies? Will you suddenly agree with the new trend of taking the Happy Merchant and other antisemitic caricatures/tropes and saying it's actually really islamophobia and not antisemitism? Is that not supercessionist enough for you at this point? I mean I shouldn't be surprised considering husband smarmily stated so matter-of-factly AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS WAR "well they say the Palestinians are the Jews of the middle east" LIKE WHAT?!?!?!? TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ACTUAL JEWS OF THE MIDDLE EAST, YOU FUCKWIT. I mean, talk about adding insult to injury, for fucks sake...

Husband comes at me about the BUND, as if I think or ever alluded to them "deserving death" (?!?!?!) when all I pointed out was THEY TOO specifically undermined their own existence to fight for something (that in a more tolerant and accepting world I would be %1000 on board with -- HERENESS!) that ended up backfiring on them only because they TRUSTED that by minimizing or handing parts of themselves over to appease the masses who continued to view them as other would somehow SAVE THEM. Any victim or survivor of abuse can tell you that it simply doesn't work that way (HINT HINT). It's a noble and a lofty goal; one I truly highly respect... but to ignore facts and think "this time'll be different!" before said society has grappled with its own hatred and internalized biases is beyond a sign of madness, and it does no one any good to pretend otherwise. Do you also believe the south has no more sundown towns? Or that New York doesn't have any of its own? Or that racism doesn't exist in America since Obama was elected those two times? Will a female president finally mean there is no more misogyny? What if women and trans people just subjugated themselves during the Trump presidency? Surely that would save them, because they're not causing a ruckus or bucking the system if they just go along with it, right? Is the trans woman politician currently sitting in... is it the house? Suddenly going to really shake things up in favour of trans people by allowing the House to ban her from the women's restroom? What's the limit in application of the same mentality? Is there one? Why or why not? Explain your answers, and I guarantee you you'll be sounding like Graham Linehan trying to smugly define what a chair is.

Husband did not expect me to pull out the fact that the Palestinian Identity was specifically manufactured to cause chaos and instability in the region, and that their own govs, as well as surrounding islamic govs have gone on the record and admitted the same, usually coupled with the pronouncement and promise to fight and kill and die until either there are no more jews, or no more palestinians (not muslims/the muslim nations, not zionists, not israelis... specifically jews and palestinians... shows you how little they care for palestinian blood if they specifically are so expendable, but no other variety of muslim/islamic nation is! funny that...) He thought this was some sort of gotcha, because even though he acquiesced the fact that an Identity was CREATED specifically to counter another identity, that did not mean they weren't entitled to live in peace and self-govern. WRONG AGAIN! I actually DO think that even though it is made up, sure, give them their own state! He tried to bring up bi-nationalism, but like, even the palestinians have said they don't want that? Do you even listen to the people you pretend to be speaking on behalf of?

It was even funnier (read: MADDENING) to hear him say that Pan-Arabism ISN'T a good thing, and that so many countries having the xtian cross on their flag, or crescents on their flags (denoting the religion of the colonizers, naturally) is BAD, and so too is the Caliphate flags! But hopefully those regimes fall too! But lets ignore the Palestinian flag design, pay no attention to the colonizer behind the curtain! ahhhhh inconvenient truuuuuths whyyyy

I have reached my limit. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, linguistically... it's all been for naught. It didn't matter that I put my body on the line to defend black lives multiple times, both in official and unofficial capacities. Or got hospitalized in defense of gay marriage in CA. Or have gotten myself permanently on a "random screening" list any time I am forced to travel by air (i have harmed myself specifically to avoid air travel because of this and the sexual harassment I receive from agents as a gender non-conforming person) Or made it to the point where feds show up at my door. It didn't matter that I marched, protested, donated, transported, educated, LISTENED AND LEARNED, etc etc etc. It was and has always been a grift to silence and pull the ladder up after your group "makes it".

Honestly, and I say this as someone who their 3 closest friends for a decade+ are all marginalized/PoC: there is a serious issue amongst the left where we seem to think that racism is falling at the feet of only white people, regardless of what side of the political spectrum they are on.

I also say this as someone who:

grew up feeling safer in non-white spaces than otherwise (nowhere is safe now),

friends growing up, even as I moved counties/states, were almost all overwhelmingly disenfranchised minorities and immigrants/refugees

whose family literally provided solidarity, in word and deed during the Civil Rights movement (both in the south and in CA),

grew up hearing the exact same shit that gets said to poor PoC (i'll never forget my mom's face when a white woman behind her called her a welfare queen in front of us [I was a child, btw... and my mom is legally disabled and my father was in prison at this time])

had family go into sexwork because of what I listed above (and dad wasn't even arrested at this point, we were just that poor, even in JEW HAVEN "EVERYONE'S RICH!" LOS ANGELES)

literally got beaten up/threatened/harassed by both whites and PoC for being JEWISH, both in my childhood (being choked by my teacher for "taking the lords name in vain" in kindergarten! {i actually hadnt, and this isn't even the first instance of antisemitism i experienced!}) AND as an adult in LEFTIST ORGS

The list goes on and on, truthfully. And it fucking HURTS.

What are we going to do?

The ex-cop-landlord-born-again convert said I really helped her humanize sex-workers and johns, then turned around and dismissed any and all life experiences I had because ... "white"?

Multiple LEFTIST orgs, both local and multi-state, both new and well-established from the 70's, doxing me to other orgs because I refused to agree "Jews are white" and have had "no problems in the US for the last 100 years" and "have no culture/language/history of their own", and because I used self-defeating humour in a private group text exchange and "all sarcasm is violence hidden behind language" or whatever (that's also a story for another time)

...

SICA said I can see the future. Multiple times. She wants to be a politician in AZ and has started amassing a following and gets invited to speak in group education "tiktok" seminars! She's also a failed artist and relies on AI to educate her. Her own husband admitted to me she has become antisemitic. I am no longer accepted as "part of the family".

GEL... well, there's too many examples there from housing them on and off for ~5 years. They have zero prospects and won't from me anymore since I've given up on bleeding myself dry for them, but they are charming and absolutely influence people to their side because they appear unassuming and harmless due to their own disabilities and soft-spoken nature. They had to be told not to incorrectly identify a Desert Eagle as a *insert sneer* Jewish gun rather than Israeli. I am no longer accepted as "their chosen family".

ANE said I am the only real punk he's ever met. Multiple times. He's getting a doctorate in History; specifically HOLOCAUST studies, so he too can go and be a professor! He used me to help him through his half-white xtian-adjacent guilt trip as he was visiting death camps in Poland. You're welcome for my universalized jewish pain, as well as my absolution for your guilt because a restaurant nearby served pork! I am no longer worth consideration as a friend, and he used his medication alignment as an excuse to weasel out of the convo. That was 4 months ago.

Husband said I am g-d's conscience personified. Recently. He thought he could "save the DSA" after defending their NYC march where the guy held a swastika up and sieg heiled, and last night said that he could "save me". He no longer believes he can save the DSA, but seems to have turned me into his secret "save their soul" cause... yeah dude, you really unpacked your baggage before jumping into an ethnoreligion you joined for the love of arguments and finally gaining an identity you can acceptably wrap yourself in now since the "queer relationship" label was waaay too much for you to comfortably handle/defend... oop, too bad leftists decided that jews dont count once again!

My own father, who I finally reconnected with after 25 fucking years, is dating (and is engaged to, somewhat) a woman who defended "Zeitgeist: The Movie" as a "truth bomb that everyone needs to see" and "fucking fantastic", and wonders why I have no desire to have either of them in my life anymore. His statement of "I can't control what other people do" : just like you couldn't control your sister trying to forcibly convert your two children via bombardments in the mail of jesus/xtian shit? Or "so everyone who disagrees with you is an enemy?" : motherfucker racism and CONSPIRACY THEORIES FROM THE MIDDLE AGES isn't merely a "disagreement"??? and what's more, he has no idea I volunteer WEEKLY with people who don't believe I should exist, because my goal is to FEED HUNGRY FAMILIES AND CHILDREN SPECIFICALLY, their baggage be DAMNED. The church my synagogue partners with every year for the "free community holiday meal" is FILLED with racists and supercessionists who admit to infiltrating jewish spaces INTENTIONALLY, and describes their children enthusiastically enjoying ribs "like an old black woman" AS THEY ARE SERVING THOSE SAME COMMUNITIES, but no one will listen, so I just do my volunteering because at the end of the day, that's one less hungry person. You wanna talk to me about "enemies", when you used your adjacent-judaism/your actual ethnic background of Sicilian+Algonquin as your ID while you were in prison? WHY ARE YOU UNAWARE OF THE PROBLEMS YOU YOURSELF EXPERIENCED BUT DENY HAPPENING TO YOUR CHILDREN? Just because one attacks with a knife and the other with words that HISTORICALLY become LAW, you think I don't know how to work and live amongst ENEMIES?! You have just as much of a "can't tell me shit" as your GF has.

Adopted family isn't much better either. I have had to swallow the fact that I am INCREDIBLY uncomfortable with someone who uses their position in school systems to send "troubled, unreachable youth" to the beginnings of a carceral life because she gets "police crackers" out of it (for those unaware like I was, apparently cops give out cards that can be "cracked" as a one-time-use thing to get out of a ticket or whatever). She has no idea that I too nearly ended up that way TWICE. Once was for "smoking pot on school grounds" (it wasn't pot, and I admit my gifted-child-fallen-from-grace protected me thanks to one Dean who I had regularly chatted with {I was a weird kid who was just enough out of step with people my own age}, while the 2nd Dean specifically tried to have me expelled BECAUSE of my perceived whiteness, as THIS was the chance to EVEN THE PLAYING FIELD!) and the second time was ABSOLUTELY because of my perceived whiteness when a cop decided not to put me on probation for skipping school. What never entered the convo, at any point, for any of these authority figures was that I was actively being ABUSED AND NEGLECTED, with undiagnosed CPTSD (and possibly some flavour of autism), and had ZERO avenues for expressing myself that didn't somehow get me into trouble, physically assaulted, or thrown into a mental hospital. DOES SHE EVER CONSIDER THATS WHAT SHE'S BARGAINING A SPEEDING TICKET FOR? SOME UNDERSERVED KID'S LIFE???

I can't take it.

What the fuck am I supposed to think when all of you throw me out of your life or downplay your anti-social crimes when I call you on your bullshit then?

I've nothing left to work with here. My leftism means nothing in this country because it will always be tainted with "other". I would rather die surrounded by like-minded strangers in a different country that has a high likelihood of being destroyed if many many people, both in power and not, get their wish. What does that say about the state of where we are as a society? What does that say about the state of where I am?

Does it even matter?

[softguarnere]

HEY BABY GIRL!!!!

It's your girl, your sweet cheese, your good time gal (someone please shut me up omfg). Now...you know i am a Joe Toye lover, and if you've seen me recently...he is the only man on my mind. I was wondering if you might indulge me a little with a Joe Toye x reader where they're besties since young and both end up being paratroopers together but then something happens and he thinks he's lost her but she's actually fine and maybe like fluffy reunion...idk tbh i'd take anything you write and eat it up so do whatever. Love youuuuu xx

Seven

Joe Toye x reader

A/N: OMG BELLA I MISSED YOU!!!! 💖 WELCOME BACK BABE! And of course we have a fic with a T Swift reference for you hehehe (This is written for the fictional depictions from the show - no disrespect to the real life veterans!) Thanks so much for the request, and I hope you like this 💕 Warnings: mentions of war, death

You would kill him if you knew where he was right now. And yet, here he is. Trying to reassure and comfort your mother while sipping coffee from her finest set of teacups. The same teacups, he’s now realizing, that you used to serve him water in as children, calling it tea while the two of you played house, discussing the workplace as if you had any idea what went on there, while the adults around you struggled through the lack of those very places during the thirties. It could just be a coincidence, but after spending most of his life around her, Joe Toye would like to think that he knows your mother better than that.

“And you know how hardheaded she is,” your mother is ranting, cutting a fresh slice of poundcake and placing it on Joe’s plate. “She isn’t going to listen to me. Or anyone for that matter, now that her mind is made up.”

Oh, Joe knows exactly how hardheaded you are. In no small part thanks to the times that he accidentally clobbered that very head during neighborhood football games.

“(Y/N) feels good about this, Mrs. (Y/L/N),” Joe says, unsure of what he’s supposed to say during your mother’s hour of need. She’s right, after all – your mind has been made up, and it will not be changed.

“But do you?” Your mother fixes him with a hard gaze, raised brow and all.

You were with Joe when he went to enlist. He had watched your eyes sparkle when they fell onto the sign stating that women should inquire within about an exciting new opportunity that would allow them to serve their country like never before. And he had been by your side when you both left the building, both holding papers and smiling at the thought that you would be becoming paratroopers – together.

“Yes. (Y/N) is strong. She’ll be good in – “

“Joesph,” your mother interrupts. The façade finally falls as she collapses into the chair across the table from him, head in her hands. “She’s my baby! What if something – oh, God forbid! – happens to her? I couldn’t live with myself.”

Joe is by her side in an instant. When he announced that he was joining the Airborne, everyone had clapped him on the back and congratulated him. You have not had the same experience. While everyone keeps assuring Joe that he’ll do great things, the same people have been cautioning you to be careful. Some have even warned you that you should just give up now. And it’s all only served to strengthen your determination, with every underestimation making you more sure that this is what needs to be done.

All that is to say, Joe has no clue what to say to your mother. She needs to be comforted. But he’s out of his depth.

“I’ll watch out for her,” he finally manages.

Beneath the comforting hand that Joe has placed on her shoulder, your mother freezes. Watery eyes gaze up at him. “You – you will?”

“Of course.” The two of you have grown up together. You’ve always been friends. Why would he stop looking out for you now?

Your mother throws her arms around his neck, wrapping him up in a tight hug. “Oh, thank you!”

Joe is struggling to come up with something more to say when the sound of the front door opening and shutting saves him. Your footsteps echo through the front of the house as you call out in greeting.

“Ma! I’m home!” Stepping into the kitchen, you cross your arms, leaning onto the doorframe as you let out a loud sigh. “Wow, you would almost think that Joe is the child that you’re sending off to war instead of me.” You smile, and anyone could see how much you love your mother.

She wipes her teary eyes and pats Joe’s arm as he stands, returning to his seat. “I’m going to miss having someone around who doesn’t get into trouble all the time,” she teases as she cuts a slice of poundcake for you.

Something about the change of topic tells Joe that she would rather not have you find out about their conversation. His watching over you can be their little secret. And a job that he’ll readily accept.

After all, he tells himself as he watches you laugh at something your mother says. You would do the same for him.

--

The adrenaline from taking Brécourt Manor still hasn’t worn off yet. Joe is laughing at something that Guarnere said as they head back down the road. Something about this moment makes him feel invincible. This is why he chose to become a paratrooper, he realizes.

More men and women have congregated in the town since he’s been gone. Finally glancing at his watch reveals that he’s been gone most of the day. Wow, really? It didn’t feel like the assault took that long at all. At least it kept him busy, instead of sitting around here, waiting.

Joe scans the crowd, hoping to catch sight of you. When he doesn’t immediately spot you, he stops one of the other female paratroopers as she passes.

“Hey, Lilian. You seen (Y/N) around?”

Lilian pauses, her pretty green eyes widening slightly. “Oh. No.” She bites her lip, holding back something more.

“What is it?” Joe presses.

Her hesitation is not a good sign. Then she blurts out, “No one has seen her since the jump.”

“You mean – “

“She was supposed to be in my drop zone – but she wasn’t.”

The reality of it all sets in. (Y/N) didn’t reach the drop zone. Did she even make it out of the plane? God, he promised your mother that he would look out for you. Yet, here he is, with no clue where you might be.

He may have only just reached Europe, but he’s already failed his mission.

--

The dust is settling over Carentan when the incongruous cheer and subsequent peel of laughter hits Joe’s ears. Somewhere off in the distance, someone is celebrating. Meanwhile, he’s guarding Doc Roe as the medic moves along the streets, inspecting the bodies strewn over them to see if there’s anybody still alive that he can help.

“Thanks for doing this,” Roe says as he stands once more, moving on to another body.

“Hmm?” Joe snaps his attention back to the moment at hand. “Oh, no problem.”

Except there is a problem. He’s trying to catch a glimpse of every face as Doc Roe checks the bodies. He tries to make out names on dog tags, dreading that one of them might belong to you. He couldn’t stand it if he found you here, like this. What would he tell your mother? How would he ever erase that awful image from his mind? Of the little girl that he once played house with, lying motionless on these cold streets? It’s no better to imagine you going down in a plane doing a fiery corkscrew as it nosedives to the unforgiving soil of a foreign land. But at least he didn’t have to see that.

The terrible job done, he follows Roe back to the rest of the company. Despite everything that just happened, a few smiles can be expected, along with congratulatory words. But this is more than that.

A small group of men mill about, talking, smiling, as they watch a smaller group of the female paratroopers huddled together in a group, all talking loudly and looking excited. From the corner of his eye, he can see Doc Roe glance at him, but before the medic can ask what’s going on, the crowd parts and Joe freezes.

There, in the middle of it all, is you.

“(Y/N)?” It comes out louder than he means for it to, and his feet are already carrying him, double time, in your direction before he realizes what he’s doing.

You look up, your eyes widening. “Joe!” You launch yourself at him, throwing your arms around his neck and pulling him in close.

Something rushes through Joe’s chest like a flash of lightning, too many feelings at once. There’s shock, relief, and something that he can’t quite name. Not caring about getting written up for fraternizing, Joe hugs you back, holding you close, lest you slip away from him again.

“Jesus Christ. I thought I lost you,” he says into your hair.

“I’m fine, as usual. Can’t believe you would doubt me like that.” Your voice is light, teasing, but your grip on him tightens. The usual confident swagger doesn’t leave your voice, but you admit in a quieter voice, “I, uh – I missed my drop zone. Had a hell of a time trying to find the rest of the company. But here I am!”

When the embrace ends, Joe still isn’t ready to let go. He leaves his hands on your shoulders, studying you. And you, for your part, hold onto his webbing. “I was just worried about you, is all.”

You nod. “I was worried about you, too. I – “

“Easy Company!” A booming voice interrupts. “We’re moving out!”

Quickly, while everyone is distracted, you raise yourself up on your tiptoes and press a kiss to his cheek. Heat rushes to Joe’s cheeks. He feels his eyes widen. You just smile at him, casual as can be.

“We’ve been friends since we were seven. You can’t get rid of me that easily, Joseph.” Then, you rejoin your friends, leaving him to replay the scene over and over in his mind.

He turns to watch you go, unable to move his feet from where they suddenly appear to be stuck to the ground. He’s held in place by the weight of his realization – the emotion that he couldn’t name was love, for you.

[y3ahwhat3ver]

Been seeing this over and over and it's sort of been annoying me but. Valentino and Alastor are not even remotely comparable. Like. Look I may be a bit biased bc I like Alastor and don't like Valentino beyond the funny moments he has but like.

Okay. Alastor sucks. Like he's a violent dickhead but part of that is that he's very restrained in his violence. The only times we see him do anything outright violent are when he/the hotel are under attack and then his one moment with Husk. His relationship with Husk gets brought up a lot when people make the comparison but to me like.

Throughout the show you see Husk talk shit to Alastor, literally all of the time. He heavily dislikes him (in my opinion a major part of that is bitterness over losing his own title just to become subservient to Al) but he doesn't ever really seem scared of him, beyond the one moment. He and Alastor have known eachother for years and it's pretty clear to me that Alastor sort of just. Let's him say whatever as long as he doesn't hit A Limit. Alastor's own contract is something he's very clearly sensitive about and Husk bringing that up when he was already in a bad mood. I'm not saying the way he treats Husk in this scene is good, or right but just that it makes sense in context.

I guess what really does it for me is Niffty as well? Like it's so clear she loves Al, quite literally crawling all over him and crowning him. They have a very sweet relationship in the show. She's comfortable enough with him to freely speak about her own feelings ("I really like them Alastor. They let me put on roach puppet shows without booing")

You just get the sense that like. Alastors relationship with his contractee's is. Maybe not the most outright friendly but it's not inherently violent.

And then you compare that to Valentino. Valentino is violent, but worse he's impulsive. And also kind of an idiot. Like the first time we see him it's Velvette calling Vox to come deal with him bc the man is on a rampage and killing her models. He has to be talked down from going to the hotel and killing everyone there. (Already a bad idea image wise but like. With the literal Princess of Hell in that hotel it's like. What was your plan for after that Val. What was your plan for after you attacked the only heir to the throne, the literal daughter of the devil. Christ.)

The difference here is that the only contractee we see him interact with is Angel Dust, and their relationship is fraught with abuse. Physical, sexual, and psychological. Valentino enables his drug addiction because it makes Angel more compliant. Even when he is not being violent towards Angel himself, he's still perpetuating that violence through the work he has Angel do (literally the everything about Poison makes me kind of sick to watch. Tbh, like great song but i cannot watch the mv without getting kind of upset. And look there's a conversation in there about sex work, and specifically SAFE sex work but that's not really what this post is.)

Like. There's literally a line in the show about Angel being WATERBOARDED at work. ("You know, Val, he's into that waterboarding shit now - I don't know, it's a kink." - episode 6 welcome to heaven) And this is JUST Angel's perspective. You don't see Valentino's other contracts but from the way Angel is treated, it's kind of clear that he does shit like this to anyone under his control, and thus anyone who cannot tell him No.

Look. You get the sense that Alastor is a dick, but there's no implication that he takes Niffty and Husk out back and beats them when he's aggravated (with them or otherwise.) We literally watch Valentino assault and threaten Angel because there is someone stronger than him [Valentino] who is trying to get him out of work.

[Edit (June 2nd, 2024): I want to clarify that I do like loser, baby and also Husk as a character and this is more abt my grievances with fandom comparing the two. In series, Angel needed that discussion with Husk and even thought their situations aren't 1:1 or even really that similar, it's still clear that Husks attempt to like. Empathize with him worked for Angel. That is all, thank u and goodnight]

[snarky-art]

im sorry but where does the whole solarian/lunarian thing come from? i see a lot of people put that in their rewrites but i have no recollection of that in the show? is it from the comics or something?? im admittedly not the biggest fan of it but i straight up dont know where it came from

I actually dunno tbh

I just think a lot of us don’t like empires and see the fact that there’s a separation in how Radius and Luna’s positions are talked about and ran with it

For me personally (this could be how others view it too, I just don’t know because I haven’t asked anyone else really), I also know Stella is a huge daddy’s girl in the show and has a stronger connection to him and by proxy her sun stuff, and given the way the show phased out her moon powers and in the Nick rewrite, completely erased them, I took that and ran with it to mean there’s more shame or discouragement associated with moon based magic on Solaria. Given it’s literally called Solaria,, as in, Sun shit, and there’s no mention of the moon in their royal court stuff or in general, I felt like that only made the idea for the discussion surrounding Lunarian stuff as lesser even juicier given the implied context.

I love a good commentary on how empires and monarchs are evil too and political intrigue is a huge part of my rewrite. It’s super present in my everyday life and it only made sense to me to include it in this stuff because, yeah, politics are everywhere, and it’s going to be EXTRA loud if the girls are doing realm saving stuff that effects literally every planet and group out there as a result and a few of them are literally government figures.

@charmixpower has pretty much everything from the comics memorized so I’ll ask er if there’s anything in particular from those that made it happen for people or you can send er an ask, but I have no idea tbh I’ve only skimmed some of them and they were mainly Bloom centric in plot because I’m basic lol

Anyway tho it’s fair if you don’t like it obviously. To each their own! And you are more than welcome to make your own version if you aren’t already that doesn’t include that! I’m always excited to see more people’s takes on Winx Club I am not normal about this show clearly and I never will be lol

Edit: was just talking to one of my friends about this and they pointed out that their rewrite doesn’t really have this dynamic if you wanna check theirs out! Their blog is @kitrewritestheinx:)

[jemdeserveslove]

Sarah J. Maas is much more comfortable and better at writing multiple pov's books

I wrote this TWO years ago and never posted, but I think it's still valid, so I uptaded a bit. Welcome to my TED talk: if you love or hate Rhys, this is for you!

I was inspired to write this due some discussions I have seen here lately surrounding Rhys and the pregnancy plot in acosf, so I'm gonna throw my two cents here. Honestly, I don't think I have a very formed opinion on this. I don't agree with what Rhys did and I think it was wrong, but I do think it was on his character to do so. When I was reading acosf, I remember thinking how it was such a Rhys thing to try to come up with a solution to the problem before saying it to Feyre, especially considering that it was a life/death situation. NOW, that's not really a good thing, cause Feysand's whole thing is how they treat each other as equals and Rhys's attitude kinda of went agaisnt that.

Of course, there was the whole "let's not stress the pregnant person out, cause that won't do any good to anyone", which, let's be honest, it's true. But, still, I remember thinking how ewww it was that literally EVERYONE knew about that (hell, I think even Helion knew, right?) except for Feyre. And, yk, it's her LIFE, so she should know (obvs).

NOW, here's what I really wanted to talk about. I think one of our biggest issues surrounding this is the lack of reaction from Feyre. I think it's said in the narrative that she and Rhys had a huge argument about it, but that in the end it was cool. And that's really bad. For us, the readers, it was like "some really serious stuff" BOOM "unicorns and rainbows", we didn't get to see any of that

And the thing about this (and correct me if I'm wrong, cause it could be fake news lol) it was stated that they cut out a lot of scenes that sjm wanted to include, I suppose as bonus chapters, and those scenes were especially Feysand scenes. But her editor thought it was better to cut them out, because that would have diverged the attention from Nesta and Cassian (which, sort of did for some people anyway, but whatever).

And I think this is such a big mess and it's some bad writing in a way. I don't think sjm is a bad writer, quite the contrary, I enjoy her writing very much. But the issue with ACOTAR is that we had three books solely with Feyre's pov, so everything we know about all the characters were because of her and we sort of only had her character growth (if you get what I mean). And, now, we're having this trasition with each new book with two new pov's, and it seems that it's not really covering everything that it should cover to tell the story. ACOSF held a attention on Feysand that I understand why they did it, but if they're going to put a lot of weight into them to that specific story, they should've added more scenes with their pov's.

And, for me, everything comes down to sjm being a lot more comfortable in writing stories with multiple pov's. She did that with ToG and CC. To make a personal comparison with her latest books, hosab had a much better structure than acosf and I think the plot flew a lot better. I can't say the same for hofas, but I think the problem there was the unequal weight of the povs (Tharion and Ithan compared to the rest lol). But in ToG is done beautifully! Of course, sometimes we don't care about certain povs, but that's normal.

Anyway, really excited for some acotar 5 news and tbh, looking foward as to how we can slander Rhys again lol (I love him, ok)

[kiestrokes]

Queen of Tears: KieLo Discussion Post

‼️ Potential Spoilers Below ‼️

Anyone who is watching the show is welcome to join in the discussion🫰🏼

1. Why is Kwan always the annoying little brother 😂 I need to see this man play main love interest or second lead that works his butt off to get the girl.

2. Them having all the son in laws prepare the memorial food was wild...but also amusing. His "What a waste of talent." 😅

3. That blue suit of hers is everything.

I am dying over the hunting episode. Her fan girling over her own husband. Him being afraid to go upstairs. Two idiots.

Colorblind Daddy is even more sinister in this 👀 the dog scene had me so nervous.

NOOO IT WAS THEIR BABY 😭

Nvm her brother also died?

I am caught up 🧍🏻‍♀️

Just kidding I forgot to post this so Pt. 2:

Her brother AND her baby died, I think. I really truly do not like her mom. I hate the whole boy mom culture.

Omg. Auntie found out. BOYYY. The auntie isn’t going to make it, she's going to slip up.

I cannot stop thinking about how much I love Haein's makeup, it's so minimal in this way that gives off royalty vibes. All the props to the makeup artist and stylists.

DUDE (gn) every time they show us another person who is in on the plot I gasp. My brain has been so fuzzy from the new meds that I am not figuring things out before like I usually do. and I am kinda enjoying it tbh.

Ok so I do have a theory though, stepmom is bad. Colorblind daddy is her child she gave up for adoption...the apple does not fall from in fiction stories typically.

@still-with-koo