#participate when they dont want to and arent especially a part of it

[mx-paint]

.

[the-s1lly-corner]

Sleepover w/ the digital circus cast

been a while since ive written this style of post for tadc, but im on my computer again so hopefully writing so much wont be too grating! reminder that i do not currently take requests for the entire cast in one post-

notes: reader is gn, not really romantic, written with the idea that everyone is having a sleepover in the main area of the circus

cws: bugs

caine

does not sleep but he wants to feel included, hes the one providing the games and activities for the night, as well as bedding for everyone to use

pretends to sleep, probably totally incapable of sleeping unlike the circus members... fake snores to try to sell it and make it convincing but all it does is it keeps everyone else awake

the games mentioned are usually an exaggerated and insane version of them- truth or dare but if you lie or refuse a dare you were given you get locked in the cellar/j

oh he definitely would try to get some juicy conversation with you or another circus member- god forbid you show some small sign that youre crushing on someone, hes not going to leave you alone

even worse if he finds out you actually do and who it is

his version of spin the bottle might get a little insane, knowing him.. definitely rigs it lands on whoever you like

pomni

not very interested, but if this takes place post episode 2 shes more inclined to join everyone for the night to get to know everyone better

if you two have grown close she sticks with you during the insane games caine has set out

completely opts out of any games that look way too intense but she probably gets roped into it by some of the others- or simply being swept into the chaos

sleeps off to the corner a bit away from everyone else so she can at least try to get a good nights sleep

if SOMEONE (jax, or even caine) gets too overwhelming or annoying she just gets up and goes to her room... you might be able to coax her back out

ragatha

as mentioned in jax's section, she offers to let you lay next to her if jax is bothering you

if you ask her, she does your hair before you go to bed. brushing through it and if its long enough she ties/braids it up for you

if you have a sleep set- unlikely given that they cant take their clothes off but we can pretend caine snapped his fingers and changed everyones clothing or something- she compliments how it looks.. if its cute or if it looks comfortable

if youre still awake and open to it she talks to you quietly when she cant sleep, its actually a nice change of pace against the chaos of when everyone else was awake

you dont talk about much, you just check in on each other and ramble about nothing in specific... keep it down or caine will come on over and try to insert himself

jax

hes the reason the cw is here, hes going to put bugs in your blankets if you guys arent sharing his room. if the two of you are in your room, or if you guys are in the common area hes going to do it.. or put something else thats unpleasant there..

thinks its funny, knowing him he might actually laugh a little off to the side as you thrash your sleeping bag around

snack hoarder, especially if theres candy- good luck trying to get more than a handful from him, hes not much of a sharer

tries to play everything off when someone offers to let you come lay down next to them for the night- likely ragatha

tells the most grotequse and horrifying stories before everyone else goes to sleep

"first person game mcs dont blink" is said as everyone is trying to unwind or something along those lines

kinger

has the softest and comfiest pillows and blankets, from his fort of course! likely sleeps in it rather than out and exposed on the floor with everyone else

makes it a little larger so you can crawl inside with him- its a lot calmer in here than anything thats happening out there

small talk, you both talk about your interests though due to kingers nature the conversation bounces around a lot

he doesnt participate in the games for the most part, especially if its after a high energy adventure... hes a little drained after the day- physically and mentally

sleeps with at least an arms length of space between the two of you unless you tell him youre comfortable with him being closer

dad snores

zooble

not very interested, probably stays in their room for most of the night if not the entire night

if theyre around when jax is telling scary stories they just roll their eyes... theyve heard worse

zooble being a horror/disturbing media fan headcanon my beloved, they probably try to one up him... though theyre not taking it very seriously. theyre not all that interested in winning, but jax is and hes going to get annoying

if they go out and interact with everyone else, theyll go to their room when theyre ready to sleep. they dont want to sleep on the floor in some sleeping bag.. offers to walk you to your room if the horror talk got to you

gangle

sits in her own corner doing her own thing, you can convince her to join in on the more tame games if you promise to stick with her

sticks around with you after that but like... lingering to the side, not really glued to your side because she doesnt want to invade your personal space or make you feel uncomfortable

very quiet if you offer to let her lay down next to her in the night

its a little less awkward if her comedy mask isnt broken but knowing how fragile it is, its unlikely

refuses to participate in any games like 2 truths 1 lie or truth or dare- she just knows jax is going to hang whatever she says over her head even if hes not the one asking her questions

[theorahsart]

Jsyk I have zero tolerance for shame culture/'cringe culture'. Its cruel and most of the time unnecessary. Its ableist. Its the perfect way to shut down creativity, curiosity/open mindedness, and shut down the positives to mental health and society that come with that.

When you participate in this idea of shaming people over whatever line you have decided in your personal comfort zone they have crossed, you're participating in the same culture that:

Bans queer books for kids

Stops a decent sex education, which leads to people harming themselves because they're too ashamed to ask questions/learn

Makes people think its okay to beat up trans people just because they feel disgust

Stops people with depression from expressing those feelings through a healthy (but cringe) outlet such as poetry or writing

I started with the big things it impacts, but theres the smaller things too, like making someone feel ashamed of their poor art skills and never wanting to draw again. Or making someone feel too scared to cosplay, or outwardly enjoy that thing that makes them get up in the morning cos theyre too scared other people will think theyre 'weird'

I see people do these smaller things a lot and I dont think they see how its connected to those bigger things.

I guess I do because Im old lol And grew up in a time where it was very wrong to be queer and neurodivergent. But we went to these 'cringey' spaces that other people made fun of, because they were spaces where you could be as ugly and weird as you liked, and then through those spaces we learned how to get rid of shame. And then discovered we were queer and neurodivergent. And so built this culture you see now where kids are so lucky as to openly apply and explore labels with much more safety.

If they arent hurting you or anyone else, or they aren't disrespecting your boundaries, dont shame people.

If you dont like smth thats totally fair, just block the person and move on.

Dont make a big song n dance where they can see. Dont make them feel ashamed for being weird.

Just dont take part in that, its not cool and I find it especially contradictive when nerds/queer/neurodivergent people go out of their way to make fun of other peoples harmless interests.

[sutherkins]

what dating peter sutherland is like part two 💌

• be prepared to have everything done for you whether you ask him to do it or not

• did you offhandedly mention the list of chores you need to do? dont worry about it, peters got it covered

• he likes to cook for you

• before he started dating you, he actually had no clue how to cook anything that wasnt super simple like boxed pasta

• in the early stages of the relationship he took cooking classes to get better and while hes not a professional, he can make you some pretty good homemade meals

• in return, you like to exercise your hobby for baking and make him a lot of sweet treats

• he loves watching competitive baking/cooking shows and no one can tell me otherwise

• you both love to watch them together and will wait until both of you are free to catch up on any episodes you missed

• he’s extremely supportive

• going to a pride parade? he’s there to support you (and everyone there) and have fun!

• a protest perhaps? he’ll stand right next to you with his own sign

• he loves dogs

• he loves being in nature

• any time he gets hurt he recites the names of his favorite basketball players to distract himself from the pain

• his favorite place to be is with you at his cabin

• he loves to give you gifts every once in a while especially if he notices that you’ve been eyeing something specific but havent gotten it for yourself yet

• staying in with you is his preferred way to have a date, hes not fond of being around people too much

• he’ll 100% take you to a restaurant, fancy or otherwise, if you want him to

• most of the time theyre diners or small businesses

• peter knows what having a panic attack is like so he for sure will help you out and have techniques and methods for you to try when you’re having one yourself

• this is inspired by @underoospeterparker wonderful period comfort fic that i requested and its that he will literally take care of Everything

• he’ll put a pad in your underwear for you so it’s all ready to go when you need it

• he’ll warm up a heating pad as soon as you ask

• buys you your favorite snacks and some extra pads or tampons (or whatever you use) when you start your period

• peter is like a human furnace so you like to lay on top of him like he’s a living heating pad for your tummy — he enjoys it very much

• he drives you to your therapy appointments and waits in the car until youre done

• he never asks what you talk about in therapy but you usually tell him anyway

• there arent really any secrets between the two of you

• there might have been some things neither of you wanted to talk about at first but eventually you both share them with one another

• peter is actually really funny and always tries to make you laugh

• playing against you is the only time he feels like he’s good at basketball 😭

• “you’re the one who didnt get into the nba!”

• “at least im tall enough to qualify!”

• he pokes fun at your short stature whenever he can

• peter is 6ft tall so he towers over you

• as hot as he thinks you look when you’re wearing his clothes he also finds it hilarious because theyre so long on you

• shirts? they reach your knees

• pants? always have to be rolled up at your hip otherwise you’ll step on the fabric at the bottom and trip yourself (you did this once and peter was very concerned but also couldnt stop laughing)

• he doesnt look after himself the way you think he should, so you’re always paying attention and making sure he’s eating/hydrating when he needs to and getting enough sleep

• i feel like one year for halloween you make him dress like spiderman because they have the same name and you dress as mary jane and do the iconic upside down spiderman kiss

• you’ve basically christened every single room in his apartment

• he might not like every single hobby you have or everything you have an interest in but he’ll always participate if you ask and you do the same for him

• you own skin safe markers and sometimes when you get bored you like to color in his tattoos. he actually really enjoys it and finds it relaxing

• speaking of tattoos

• when he realizes that you’re the one for him and that he wants to be with you for the rest of his life, he gets a tattoo of your initials on his arm

• when you find out about the tattoo you immediately book an appointment for yourself so you can get his initials tattooed on your hip or maybe your wrist

• when he sees it for the first time he thinks its so sexy that you have his initials permanently on your skin that he makes you orgasm like 5 times

• he knows you love homemade personal care products (soap, bath bombs, things like that) and will buy them for you all the time

• you always call him on your way home from work or whatever it is your doing that day and if you’re stressed he’ll set up a relaxing bath for you for when you get home

• and he goes all out

• he goes through your stash of products and even has new ones ready to add to your collection, a nice lavender bath bomb, some rose petals, ect

• he sets up a speaker to play relaxing music and even puts a small table next to the tub thats got some of your favorite snacks on it along with a bottle of water

• he loves to cuddle

• he is literally so needy when it comes to you and just wants any kind of affection he can get from you

[dateamonster]

like man i dont agree with everything ipos is saying here (mainly, i dont think horror is or consistently has been inherently leftist by nature) but i think just by sharing his experiences he does a really good job of exposing the hideous reactionary underbelly of that subfandom of horror nerds who consider themselves somewhere on the centrist-to-liberal spectrum but "just dont see why everything has to be so Political these days 🙄".

i think a lot of people falsely associate the concept of conservatism with only the most extreme maga-hat-wearing outward bigots, and that part of the reason they do so is because it makes it easier for them to ignore the conservative views of themselves or their favs. and this has basically always been a thing. i can guarantee most if not all people who have ever participated in some form of fan culture have had a moment where someone criticized a person or piece of media they enjoy and their gut response was to go "they were clearly joking! they didnt mean it that way! youre the weirdo for seeing it that way!" when like. thats the point. sometimes people, even the people you love, have a moment where their biases jump out, and since you love them you want to defend them. you imagine some sort of mob of overly sensitive keyboard warriors coming for your fav and by extension you, so you get defensive before anyone can fire the first shot.

and tbqh i think we're about to see behavior and mindsets like that a lot more frequently in the wake of huge swathes of actors and celebs showing their asses about the ongoing palestinian genocide. its not just some overzealous fans of a shitty youtuber, its about a more general fan culture of people who think of themselves as good, smart, conscientious, socially liberal or even leftist, but probably not especially political, who when challenged about their support of xyz regress into the most base form of conservatism thinking-- why should i have to change? things are fine the way they are! youre attacking me by forcing me to think critically about other peoples perspectives and experiences! arent mine good enough? how can you say im the aggressor when youre the one bringing up topics that scare me?

oo baby horrors coming to get you one way or another.

[there-goes-trouble]

FACT CHECK

I hate it when someone posts a link and makes a claim that the LINK TO A SOURCE ACTUALLY REFUTES IN THE PAGE LINK:

Just in case we wanted to address the gender/politics lean using Pew again. This does not address the religious points made but the gender and voting divide.

This goes to the Second Commenter's point; men DO vote more conservatively more often. Especially if theyre religious. This is TRUE.

In this case, I have to count the Last Commenter's claim that 'men are less religious' as FALSE. Its even across the 12 categories listed, men lead in 6 categories as do women.

Across religious and racial (but not gender/sex) lines: the Second Commenter is CORRECT that its majority white men that vote GOP.

The closest that I could find for the 'atheist men don't believe so differently from religious ones that theyll vote differently' claim the Second Commenter made, i could find this:

Surveys have consistently shown that many Americans view religion’s declining influence in society as a bad thing. “Nones” tend to vote less often, do less volunteer work in their communities and follow public affairs at lower rates than religiously affiliated people do. But the latest data shows that on a variety of measures, lower rates of civic engagement are concentrated among “nones” whose religion is “nothing in particular.” Atheists and agnostics tend to participate in civic life at rates matching or exceeding religiously affiliated people.

For the Second Commenter's point regarding the non religious not generally voting differently to conservative religious folks enough:

Majorities of atheists (65%) and agnostics (56%) are ideologically liberal. Among those who say their religion is “nothing in particular,” the largest share identify as moderate (46%).

Overall, 62% of “nones” identify as Democrats or lean toward the Democratic Party. Atheists (78%) and agnostics (71%) are more likely to be Democrats or lean Democratic than are U.S. adults who identify religiously as “nothing in particular” (54%).

And since most athiests n agnostics are men:

I have to count that involement claim as statistically FALSE based on THIS DATA, BUT NOT the stuff the Last Commenter provided. If i were trying to disprove the 2nd commentor THIS is the data I'd use to do it.

However;

The link these graphs are from regarding the "nones" show that engagement among nones vs athiests is very different.

If we go based off of solely not being religious, men (51% of nones, 44% of 'nothing in particulars') who arent strictly atheists overwhelmingly tend to be less engaged on the whole:

Among ‘nones,’ those describing their religion as ‘nothing in particular’ (not atheists and agnostics) often tend to be the least civically engaged.

I believe this is what the Second Commenter means (if you dont mind my taking liberties); 'being non-religious does not adequately correlate with progressive community involvement, or doing something about the parts of a majority-religious society enough to act like it'. If this was the second commentor's meaning, i consider that to be SUPPORTED. In addition; a non-insignificant amount of 'nones' are moderate, which politically has not helped minorities like women.

Piggybacking off this, to the Second Commenter's point about misogyny and atheism; this is a well-documented problem, and is TRUE:

This is an article from 2016, but bears historical relevance and a throughline that is here today. Not only have women faced persecution for atheism, but since its a white boys club as the article mentioned, that persecution typically came from men even within atheism.

[fruitpunchjollyrancher]

my shitty treatise on "ants from up there" and gale dekarios

this is the gale album of all time. and i WILL elaborate. (also warning im only posting this because i have been obsessed with this fucking album and gale for a WEEK and need it out of my brain. im probably not going to explain too many lyrics and i get nervous expressing my ideas because tbf to me it seems quite obvious but ofc i can explain, assuming anybody reads this post)

"Concorde" immediately stood out to me like oh this is so gale. i dont even think i need to explain how gale this is. the rest of the song is super gale too, i just don't want to include screenshots of the entire song

"Bread Song" has a LOT of worship imagery and also below alluding to appearing fine but rlly inside he is not well <3

oh my god. "Good Will Hunting". the mentorship but also wanting her to depend on him a little but it's unfeasible, weaving a whole life in his head that can never be because mystra will never see him as an equal... also the pre-chorus 👍 i am so well

"Haldern"... i literally dont know how to explain my feelings about this song in relation to gale pls someone tell me u see the vision

"The Place Where He Inserted the Blade" is more headcanon/my interpretation but im just gonna focus on the parts that i think everyone can agree on. first 2 lines arent super applicable to mystra but ig i can rationalize it as her being detached from the world/not rlly participating (i.e. why didnt mystra just stop the absolute herself (im aware its because ao doesn't like it when they meddle, im smoking that true forgotten realms pack trust me)). but the MAIN part of this song that is so gale to me is the vines breaking bones, bones heal, our school friends sign our cast on the playground, my body is yours. like holy shit being a chosen of mystra is a huge fucking deal and despite the pain it can cause (that he doesnt even notice because "tied me up slow with your vine stuff / it takes a few years") but it's definitely encouraged among wizards/mages in any circles he was in and by elminster ("we tell all our school friends / and they sign our cast in the playground"), then of course the last line breaks my heart. rest of the song is also rlly fucking good please listen to this album.

"Snow Globes" has more religious imagery but tbh i dont know precisely how i feel about it in relation to gale so im just gonna skip it

"Basketball Shoes" shows a more hopeful future but still #suffering because thats just how it is. concorde being mystra/his relationship to her tears his life to shreds, defines his life, leaving him with nothing. keeps seeing her everywhere (wizard stuff, his damn earring, he's always saying "by mystra" like bro you're intersecting at the market town on purpose atp (i get it)). i interpret the part after that line break (idk why genius doesnt just say its a different verse, don't quote me on this idk anything about music theory) as post-game where he's still Not Great but it's better and moving on, there is a future. doesn't look to mystra anymore (throughout album especially in good will hunting and bread song the s/o is mentioned through headphones, wifi passwords, phone calls, so "never look at our phones anymore" means he isn't thinking of her anymore or trying to curry her favor).

alsoooo should mention that i didn't include the part of "The Place Where He Inserted the Blade" that mentions a lunch metaphor in relation to panic attacks and possible cheating so the "feelin kinda normal with a packed lunch" is doubly meaningful, he isn't freaking out while making lunch anymore

this verse is tav (or whoever u romance as gale origin idgaf)/gale as he is trying to find a new object of devotion in his romance. "the clamp" could be many things, from reminders of mystra to all his perceived inadequacies to lost opportunity to become a god w/ the crown of karsus.

third section of the song im kind of undecided on w/ gale like we got the religious imagery again, could interpret "generous loan/crippling interest" as mystra's deal for him to return the crown of karsus in exchange for no orb. but yea idk yet

and that is the entire album (- chaos space marine, i didn't really think of anything related to gale when listening to it but it's still a great song, PLEASE listen to this album). so yeah if im horribly wrong on any of my takes be sure to send me hatemail k thanks bye

[avathestarwarrior]

i'm confused, whats making you think that were forgetting you? people are going to think your fine after time passes unless you want people to always think your in a constant state of something being wrong. you have to reach out for us to know, we cant read your mind.... i think you may have imposter syndrome… saying that were are are lying to you when we have nice things to say about your art and characters. like… deep down you think everyone is making up there care for you because you somehow dont believe you deserve it. like this comes from self hate. you but you have to remember, those are hateful thoughts that are sabotaging the love people do have for you, and is holding you back towards what uyo care about like your art.... Honestley? your art may not be the issue here.i think its your mindset and attitude. your going to need to learn to love yourself if you ever want to eccept that others do, or youll just push everyone away by calling us liars and rejecting genuine effort on our part this isntt meant to be an attack towards you but, it really needs to be said. people here has always been nice to a lot of people, no matter skill Thats probably why artists who suck more than you do at art are getting Interactions but you aret, which by the way is a really rude o say your friends suck like ahta. this attitude of yours could totally be why people arent talking with you ithink to the oc tournament a few moths ago when you kept saying i'm going to lose anyway and kept putting yourr self down the whole time that negativity makes others feel bad and just takes away the fun. i remember feeling bad myself when i had my main character participate because i knew you would beat yourself up over it and here you are doing the same with your art. is not selfish to want frind its not selfish to want to better art And no you shouldnt lie about how you feel just to make people happy But what is absolutly harmful is attacking yourself everytime it go quiet and putting those who care about you down. it makes it were those thoughts do become true, were people do start to not like you because you have no faith in them when they tried to work with you and even worse, it continued that cycle of self sabotage so its done again and again. that s your hiking As someone who thought i was a good friend of yours until seeing this i am hurt... . i want to keep folowing you but it hurts to being called a liar even after our character interactions in the past maybe take a step back and maybe work on yourself before bringing this up again. the problem isnt your art, it isnt others lying to you and it isnt YOU either... the problem is this mindset and negative attitude of yours that needs to be stopped if you want any hope in that changing, especially your freindships maybe work on improveing your art after yourself....

Thank you for this long ask/venting. I guess I was indeed being a bit selfish and just not trusting others. Maybe I should really change up my attitude after all. I'll try my best to just stop thinking negativily and to just "enjoy" art, not being pressured about it. Thank you again for this. But I think for now, all I need is a bit of a break. But like, IDK if I would like to take a break since I would realllly be behind all the updates of other characters and all, so yeah, I'll just be less active here. But don't worry, I'll still be posting random stuff! So yeah-

[likeadog]

eschaton academy: divinity on earth

i will say lucifer and virtue arent the only fallen angels. Its rare, but theres a few throughout time that have been felled for falling in love with humans (or maybe even other beings) while being angels. Especially if this passion led to nephilim (and angels really have to pull a lot of cosmic strings to make offspring with an organic being, so its sort of a marker for how serious it was). So they exist, just really rare, and then nephilim can go on to have families, so divinity can run (albeit in small amounts) in certain bloodlines.

It's not really a spoken rule; its more that angels, by the natural order of things, are turned to god the way ants are turned to their queen. It's more the breaking of that order than the fact its a relationship. Archangels, as ascended humans, are allowed to have relationships, but offspring is strictly forbidden except in exceptional circumstances, to avoid mortals getting ahold of too much divine power (which then would ultimately be used for both good and bad, violating the very nature of divinity). Its happened in the past, though, just also really rare. So if people want nephilim ocs or a nephil-twice-removed its on the table lore wise

Theres also been angels felled for other reasons, but as beings of passion, love going wayward tends to be more common than things like greed or gluttony (And by pulling cosmic strings i mean they literally manipulate the fabric of the universe. Not supposed to do that) Its also more common among lesser angels, but thats not to say a seraph falling in love is impossible. You just really gotta be a keeper. Offspring with high ranking angels can suffer health complications the same way virtue's mortal form is barely holding itself together when she taps into any kind of divine power. It can be difficult for the flesh to contain the spirit The creation process also depends. If the mortal question can carry a child and is willing to, it'll be an almost-immaculate conception (because its an angel and not God, its not entirely "immaculate" the way christ's conception was). If the mortal party cant or is unwilling to carry the child the angel may retreat for some time to weave the child together from light and angel egg silk to become flesh. This process is much longer and puts the couple at a higher risk of discovery (because the angel lessens participation in Angel Activities to make time to weave), but the resulting child tends to be better at handling any divine abilities… although they also tend to be very strange to other people in the same way a changeling might be. Their biology is for the most part human; the initial child woven from divine materials is the basis for a transubstantiation thing While demon/angel relationships are about as rare as human/angel ones, offspring is much much less common, as demon/angel offspring tend to be fundamentally unstable and cannot form due to inability to unify the the polarizing nature of the parental parties. Those that do make it tend to be incredibly strong, but somewhat shortlived, as their abilities and ambitions can send them down in a blaze of glory

Demon/human offspring and relationships are way more common because demons think its fun and an easy way to sow discord, but high ranking demons rarely participate because once again, handing someone in the mortal world access to that kind of power could lead to even their rules being broken. Also when youre Thee Devil you dont really see humans as worth your time Lust, surprisingly, has the least amount of offspring, but thats because they much prefer to create these forbidden relationships than be in them. They cant use their arrows on angels effective as of the last incident, but lesser demons and humans are free game. (The incident was not, in fact, a forbidden relationship. Lust shot a seraph, and when you shoot a computer running on Nuclear Passion with an arrow meant to increase passion, things can go… haywire) Like hooking your computer up to a reactor core. Blood relation to celestial beings has no outcome on where they go in the afterlife, also. Its about what they do with it. And being in a relationship with one doesnt either, although this is a contentious legal debate in the celestial sphere with a lot of failed regulation proposals and discussion of precedent The Great Bench Flipping Incident of 1345, one of few examples of angelic wrath in action and giving us the first known celestial translation of "YOURE OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MIND" was one such debate. The angel involved was tried for a potential demotion, but the court agreed the other party was, in fact, "out of their goddamn mind" (Theophania was not the angel in question but she was present and on the bench of judges who passed the final verdict)

[mooifyourecows]

my mom is super pissed and super dissapointed BUT knows i wasnt involved and understands why i didnt act differently so i think ill be okay with her. my sister who wasn't involved (my older sister) is super pissed, but again not so much with me but mostly with my other sister because she did participate , but my older sister did scream at me for a few minutes, which made her a little less mad, and i desereved it. she also cant yell at my other sister because shes actially fucking crazy when she has to face the consequences of her actions and would likely do something irreversable because she feels like shit about what happened nd my older sister knows that, which kind of pissed her off more, but i think itll mostly be okay.

ive also decided i will not see any of those people aside from my sister outside of school, and will not speak to them or interact with them unless they initiate, and i will keep it short. im tired of being dragged into shit that i dont wanna be a part of. also that boy did take responsibility for one of the things used being his, so hopefully my sister and i will not get drug charges , but my 'friends' literally said they lied to the police. i dont know if thats true or if they just dont want everyone to think they snitcehd , but i refuse to be involved with people who think its okay to break the law and when they get caught, to do it again. theyre stupid and i cant deal with that. especially when half of them are shitheads who dont like me anyways.

ive also decided to see if i can tutor after school and also write handwritten letters to the officers superintendent and principal to attempt to get my reputation back. i know you said it doesnt matter, and its probably pointless to even worry about, but i do really care what these people think of me, and i want them to trust me and believe in me and support me. i am nothing without my reputation and intelligence at this school. all these people have known each other since diapers and have lives to fall back on. they have family farms and loyal friends and support from their community. i dont have that so i want to earn support and loyalty and this is the only way i know how.

i really appreciate the support through all my struggles ive shared with you. even thought you arent in my life physically and youre just some cool person i know from the internet who writes silly stories i like , its nice to feel like someone cares about you. ive always found it difficult sharing my thoughts and feelings, especially with adults mostly because i didnt want to be judged, and i dont feel judged with you, and i can get advice from someone with more life experience. thank you for that. i hope youre doing well, especially after your surgery(?)

I'm proud of you for setting up new boundaries and distancing yourself from those people. But I hope you also know that its not fair for your older sister and mom to use you as a scapegoat because your other sister isn't mentally stable enough to take her fair share of the punishment. Just because she can't handle it doesn't mean you should have to handle double the dose of yelling and anger. That's not healthy, especially since you were already an unwilling party to that whole experience.

And I hope you realize that you have worth and value outside of what people think of you! It's okay to be concerned with your reputation but keep in mind that nobody will truly understand the real you because they're not in your head all the time. They will judge you on only what they see and believe about you so it's impossible to curate a perfect image. But that's okay! People aren't meant to understand one another to such degrees anyway. It's alright to be flawed. We are all just works in progress, trying our best to make the most of what we've got

You'll understand this more and more the older you get. And your desire to be seen in a good light by others will fade as you realize that yours is the one true opinion that REALLY matters. Once you start liking and respecting yourself, everyone else can take a long walk off a short pier 😌

Stay positive! Things can and will always get better 🖤

[gaetoeinhaler]

𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬

983 words

all demon brothers & female reader

angst. i guess. kind of a self indulgent piece. idk bout yall, but i dont exactly like lilith :/

_________________

sighing, i set down my cup and stared at the demon brothers in front of me. the topic of how we became friends; from how it went from us not even talking to each other to how we graduated to making pacts with each and every one of them. once, again.

i know they only like me due to having their sister’s dna and heritage in me. especially belphegor. it was the main reason they fully accepted me for who i was. but, if they knew how badly i despised their own sister, i don’t believe we’d even be in this spot. they’d think differently of me. hate me, even. though, this is our last night together. for, the program ends tomorrow and i get sent home.

it’s best to tell them now, then continue on with this lie.

“you know, if i had told you this information sooner, you all wouldn’t think of me as such a close friend.” i interrupted their cheery conversation, already expecting the outcome.

“whaaat?” asmo’s feminine-like voice rang within the air. “of course we’d still like you, (y/n)!” he quickly reassured me. though, that would change quickly.

“what makes you say thar, (y/n)?” lucifer questioned, placing his silverware on his plate. all fourteen eyes of the brothers’ were focused on me.

i took in a breathe, readying myself for what was to come. “i hate, no, despise your sister.” i spoke. the room went quiet instantly, their eyes wide, some with their mouth agape. of course that’d be their reaction. i continued, knowing they wouldn’t exactly say anything with their shocked selves. “i’m not lying, this isnt some sort of prank.” i clarified. “i hate your sister.”

i stopped them all from talking, knowing that their sister is a sensitive part of them. “i don’t really care about the fact that i’m related to her in some sort of way. it’s as if as soon as you knew that i was related to her when she was reincarnated in the human world, you all changed how acted around me.” i explained, eating the rest of my food and setting my silverware down.

“you all became more accepting of me, wanted to be around me more. just because i was related to her.” i spoke, standing from my seat. “and quite frankly, that upset me. its as soon as i’m related to someone such as her, you all are a completely different person. different on how you act towards me. like me more. just because of that.”

picking up my plate, silverware, and cup, i head towards the kitchen so i could clean up my plate. “though i’d say that, just to let you all know how i’ve been feeling. and quite frankly, i kind of wished she left me dead after belphegor choked me.” i shrugged and walked in the kitchen. i set my dirty dishes in the sink, turning the water on.

pouring dish soap upon the sponge, i scrubbed and washed the dishes clean. one by one. whilst doing so, i thought about what tomorrow would be like. i could guess the brothers would avoid me, due to the fact that i hate their sister is still setting in their minds. i sighed and shook my head, knowing tomorrow would be an ugly day.

_____________

walking into the student council room, i saw simeon, barbatos, diavolo, solomon, and luke. i smiled softly, walking towards the five of them.

“hello.” i greeted, allowing my presence to be known. “good afternoon, (y/n).” diavolo replied. “have you seen lucifer? he hasn’t replied to any of my calls lately.” he frowned, his arms crossed. i shook my head. i havent heard a thing of the lucifer, or any of his brothers, since last night. “what a shame. he and his brothers should be here to say their goodbyes before you leave.” the demon lord shook his head with a sigh.

i nodded, but didn’t mind it too much. i couldnt care that much, if honest. if the fact that me being related to lilith really made them like me, then when i said i didnt like her, dislike me, then so be it. i’d rather be liked for who i am, not who i’m related to.

a portal appeared within the room, simeon and luke’s head turning towards it. luke tugged at simeon’s wrist, signaling that he was more then ready to leave.

the two angels bid their farewell, and soon left. solomon following afterwards. it soon became only me, diavolo, and barbatos left within the room. the portal for me appeared, ready for me to leave. i turned to the two demons, giving them one last smile.

“its a shame that lucifer and his brothers still arent here.” diavolo sighed before smiling back. “thank you for participating in my exchange program, (y/n). i hope you had a great year here.”

i nodded. “i wish you luck on your journey in life. may your wishes come true.” barbatos spoke. “don’t forget, if you need help, you have friends here in devildom to help you, (y/n)!” diavolo reminded me.

i smiled and nodded, bidding my farewell before exiting the demon world. i learned things, and lost things. that being, i lost the brothers’ liking in me. though, i only really gained it because of who i’m related to, not for who i am and will be.

it seems we weren’t meant to be friends, whatsoever. and i can live with that.

[cyburnya]

CALLING OUT SOMEONE NAMED MARIUS.

hello! this is going to get a bit graphic. i dont know how to add a readmore, but like. im just. i need to get the word out.

why didnt I talk about this earlier? because i only recently realized i was groomed by him. only recently did it dawn on me what actually happened between us.

this is marius. he is 26-29 (i dont remember). i was 14, now i am 16 (17 on the 9th).

i am not sure where he is now, but when i knew him, he was very active within overwatch communities. he plays junkrat and reaper, from what i remember.

we became fast friends over a long dead server called pocketwatch, which is a whole other can of worms.

we began to ship our characters. i played reaper, he played junkrat. i personally have little issue with shipping characters with adults so long as they arent above 20 now, however i had no sense of that concept as i was just coming off of being groomed by someone else.

it was fine for some time, until he made the suggestion to create a n///s///f//w server. i agreed, thinking it was just fine. my mind had been skewed by past experiences and he took advantage of that fact. he took advantage of me.

i have no proof of the server, but i have proof of conversations regarding the server and n//s//f////w topics.

i know i was participating. i know. but i am not the adult here. another adult was in that server, you know. and they did nothing for so, so long, until they finally got me kicked. and im thankful for it, but no one else took action. and it hurts. a lot. i hate it. im sorry.

i wont give the adults name out. i dont want to.

while this was a mistake on my part, 16 is still a fucking minor, marius. i do not remember telling you i was 17. my age was 14-15 very clearly on my introductions.

he paid me to do roleplay as well, 50€ worth in lootboxes to do roleplay. I dont know what to make of that. its kind of funny. but it's disgusting. i hate this i hate this

god i just

dont know what else to say i guess. stay away from marius. if you're in the overwatch community especially. if you're in any other community and see him, please block him. please.

and marius? dont fucking comment. dont try and reach me. dont try and find me. you fucking groomed me. fuck off. fuck off.

thanks. thats all.

-hound.

[patriotsnet]

What Percentage Of Republicans Are On Welfare

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-percentage-of-republicans-are-on-welfare/

What Percentage Of Republicans Are On Welfare

Democrats Return The Favor: Republicans Uninformed Or Self

Republican States Are Mostly on Welfare

The 429 Democratic voters in our sample returned the favor and raised many of the same themes. Democrats inferred that Republicans must be VERY ill-informed, or that Fox news told me to vote for Republicans.;;Or that Republicans are uneducated and misguided people guided by what the media is feeding them.

Many also attributed votes to individual self-interest whereas GOP voters feel Democrats want free stuff, many Democrats believe Republicans think that I got mine and dont want the libs to take it away, or that some day I will be rich and then I can get the benefits that rich people get now.

Many used the question to express their anger and outrage at the other side.;;Rather than really try to take the position of their opponents, they said things like, I like a dictatorial system of Government, Im a racist, I hate non-whites.;

Average Spending Of Welfare Recipients

Compared to the average American household, welfare recipients spend far less money on all food consumption, including dining out, in a year. As families with welfare assistance spend half as much on average in one year than families without it do, there are some large differences in budgeting. Families receiving welfare assistance spent half the amount of families not receiving welfare assistance in 2018.

The Gop Push To Cut Unemployment Benefits Is The Welfare Argument All Over Again

The White House is on the defensive over accusations from Republicans that expanded federal unemployment benefits, which were extended through Sept. 6 as part of Bidens $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, are too generous. The GOP argument is that people receiving the $300 weekly benefit have little incentive to return to work. The criticism from Republicans has gotten louder in the wake of a disappointing jobs report.

Its an argument that echoes similar claims conservatives have been making about government assistance programs for decades that people are taking advantage of the system in ways that allow them to collect checks while sitting back and relaxing.

As Washington pays workers a bonus to stay unemployed, virtually everyone discussed very real concerns about their difficulties in finding workers, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday. Almost every employer I spoke with specifically mentioned the extra-generous jobless benefits as a key force holding back our recovery.

But Democrats counter that millions of Americans need that money to get by. More than 20 million jobs were lost in the early months of the pandemic; 10 million American workers are currently unemployed, the Labor Department says.

Democrats say the sudden demand for more workers from businesses is outpacing the number of workers that can get back into those jobs, especially since many schools arent fully open, and many workers cant afford child care.

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The Politics And Demographics Of Food Stamp Recipients

Democrats are about twice as likely as Republicans to have received food stamps at some point in their livesa participation gap that echoes the deep partisan divide in the U.S. House of Representatives, which on Thursday produced a farm bill that did not include funding for the food stamp program.

Overall, a Pew Research Center survey conducted late last year found that about one-in-five Americans has participated in the food stamp program, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. About a quarter lives in a household with a current or former food stamp recipient.

Of these, about one-in-five of Democrats say they had received food stamps compared with 10% of Republicans. About 17% of political independents say they have received food stamps.

The share of food stamp beneficiaries swells even further when respondents are asked if someone else living in their household had ever received food stamps. According to the survey, about three in ten Democrats and about half as many Republicans say they or someone in their household has benefitted from the food stamp program.

But when the political lens shifts from partisanship to ideology, the participation gap vanishes. Self-described political conservatives were no more likely than liberals or moderates to have received food stamps , according to the survey.

Among whites, the gender-race gap is smaller. Still, white women are about twice as likely as white men to receive food stamp assistance .

How Democrats And Republicans Differ On Matters Of Wealth And Equality

A protester wears a T-shirt in support of Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who is part of … a group of Democrats looking to beat Trump in 2020. Photographer: John Taggart/Bloomberg

If youre a rich Democrat, you wake up each day with self-loathing, wondering how you can make the world more egalitarian. Please tax me more, you say to your elected officials. Until then, the next thing you do is call your financial advisor to inquire about tax shelters.

If youre a poor Republican, however, you have more in common with the Democratic Party than the traditional Wall Street, big business base of the Republican Party, according to a survey by the Voter Study Group, a two-year-old consortium made up of academics and think tank scholars from across the political spectrum. That means the mostly conservative American Enterprise Institute and Cato were also on board with professors from Stanford and Georgetown universities when conducting this study, released this month.

The fact that lower-income Republicans, largely known as the basket of deplorables, support more social spending and taxing the rich was a key takeaway from this years report, says Lee Drutman, senior fellow on the political reform program at New America, a Washington D.C.-based think tank.

Across party lines, only 37% of respondents said they supported government getting active in reducing differences in income, close to the 39% who opposed it outright. Some 24% had no opinion on the subject.

Also Check: Democrats News

Bases Of Republicans Antidemocratic Attitudes

shows how Republicans antidemocratic responses in the January 2020 survey were related to education, political interest, and locale. These relationships provide only modest support for the hypothesis that allegiance to democratic values is a product of political activity, involvement and articulateness, as McClosky had it . Although people with postgraduate education were clearly less likely than those with less education to endorse violations of democratic norms, the overall relationship between education and antidemocratic sentiments is rather weak. Similarly, people in big cities were only about 5% less likely than those in rural areas to endorse norm violations, while people who said they followed politics most of the time were about 7% more likely to do so than those who said they followed politics hardly at all. Given the distributions of these social characteristics in the Republican sample, the most typical antidemocrats were not men and women whose lives are circumscribed by apathy, ignorance, provincialism and social or physical distance from the centers of intellectual activity , but suburbanites with some college education and a healthy interest in politics.

Social bases of Republicans antidemocratic attitudes.

Key indicators of latent dimensions

Political bases of Republicans antidemocratic attitudes

Translation of ethnic antagonism into antidemocratic attitudes in Republican subgroups

Welfare Accounts For 10% Of The Federal Budget

Many Republicans claim that social services expenditures are crippling the federal budget, but these programs accounted for just 10% of federal spending in 2015.

Of the $3.7 trillion the U.S. government spent that year, the largest expenditures were Social Security , health care , and defense and security , according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities .

Several safety net programs are included in the 10% spent on social services:

Supplemental Security Income , which provides cash support to the elderly and disabled poor

Assistance with home energy bills

Programs that provide help to abused and neglected children

In addition, programs that primarily help the middle class, namely the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit, are included in the 10%.

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At Least 60 Afghans And 13 Us Service Members Killed By Suicide Bombers And Gunmen Outside Kabul Airport: Us Officials

Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. At least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops were killed, Afghan and U.S. officials said.

Welfare Spending By President And Congress From 1959 To 2014

Republicans’ Facts About Welfare Are “Not Factually True”

America faces many problems today. The current economic recovery has been the slowest since the Great Depression, the national debt has surpassed $18 trillion, and the federal government continues to spend more than it collects. While its not unusual, unethical, or unconstitutional for the federal government to operate with deficits at times, the question is why does Washington continue to overspend? Is there a legitimate reason or is it neo-politics? In this article, well take a look at spending on welfare programs during each presidents term from J.F.K. to Obama. Well also look at the party in control of Congress. Which one was the biggest spender as it pertains to welfare programs?

The Dark Side of Social Benefits

Politicians love to sing their own praises and for a very good reason. Otto von Bismarck, the first Chancellor of Germany, made an astute political observation in the 1880s when he stated, A man who has a pension for his old age is much easier to deal with than a man without that prospect. Bismarck openly acknowledged that this was a state-socialist idea and went on to say, Whoever embraces this idea will come to power. Thus, the strategy of using legislation to gain votes was forever embedded in the political landscape.

Welfare Spending

Lets take a thorough look at federal welfare spending from 1959 through 2013. The following graph includes spending for two data points:

Democrats in control: 13.7%

Republicans in control: 3.5%

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What Is Governments Role In Caring For The Most Needy

Nearly six-in-ten Americans say government has a responsibility to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves. Do these views vary depending on whether the respondent has personally benefited from a government entitlement program?

These data suggest the answer is a qualified yes. Overall, those who have received benefits from at least one of the six major programs are somewhat more likely than those who havent to say government is responsible for caring for those who cannot help themselves .

When the analysis focuses just on just the respondents who have received benefits from at least one of the four programs that target the needy, the gap between entitlement recipients and other adults increases to eight percentage points .

Some larger differences in attitudes toward governments role emerge when the results are broken down by specific program, though in every case majorities of both recipients and non-recipients affirmed that government has the obligation to help those most in need.

For example, nearly three-quarters of those who ever received welfare benefits say government has a duty to care for those who cannot care for themselves. In contrast, less than six-in-ten of those who have never been on welfare agree.

Similar double-digit gaps surface between non-recipients and those who ever received food stamps and Medicaid .

How Come We Are Red And Blue Instead Of Purple

Republicans to live outside of urban areas, while Democrats tend to prefer living inside of urban areas.

Rural areas are almost exclusively Republican well strong urban areas are almost exclusively democratic.

Republicans also tend to stress traditional family values, which may be why only 1 out of 4 GLBTQI individuals identify with the GOP.

63% of people who earn more than $200k per year vote for Republicans, while 63% of people who earn less than $15k per year vote for Democrats.

64% of Americans believe that labor unions are necessary to protect working people, but only 43% of GOP identified votes view labor unions in a favorable way.

The economics of the United States seem to have greatly influenced how people identify themselves when it comes to their preferred political party. People who are concerned about their quality of life and have a fair amount of money tend to vote Republican. Those who have fallen on hard times or work in union related jobs tend to vote for Democrats. From 2003 to today, almost all of demographic gaps have been shifting so that Republicans and Democrats are supported equally. The only true difference is on the extremes of the income scale. The one unique fact about Democrats is that they are as bothered by their standard of living as Republicans tend to be.

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States Have Shifted To The Right

Democrats are floating a plan to tax stock buybacks.

Even excluding health insurance which some experts argue should not count people in this patch of Appalachia draw between a fifth and a third of their income from the public purse.

Perhaps the politics of welfare is changing up to a point. Democrats made big gains this year in elections for the House and several statehouses, running largely on the promise that they would protect the most recent addition to the safety net: the Affordable Care Act, including the expansion of Medicaid in many states. But championing the safety net does not necessarily resonate in the places that most need it.

Take Daniel Lewis, who crashed his car into a coal truck 15 years ago, breaking his neck and suffering a blood clot in his brain when he was only 21. He is grateful for the $1,600 a month his family gets from disability insurance; for his Medicaid benefits; for the food stamps he shares with his wife and two children.

Every need I have has been met, Mr. Lewis told me. He disagrees with the governors proposal to demand that Medicaid recipients get a job. And yet, in 2016, he voted for Mr. Trump. It was the lesser of two evils, he said.

About 13 percent of Harlans residents are receiving disability benefits. More than 10,000 get food stamps. But in 2015 almost two-thirds voted for Mr. Bevin. In 2016 almost 9 out of 10 chose Mr. Trump.

Program Goals And Demographics

Larger group differences emerge when the results are broken down by age and income levelsdifferences that are often directly related to the goals of specific benefits programs.

For example, adults 65 and older are nearly three times as likely to have received an entitlement benefit during their lives as those adults under the age of 30 . Thats not surprising, since nearly nine-in-ten older adults have received Social Security and78% have gotten Medicare benefits. Both programs were specifically created for seniors with age requirements that limit participation by younger adults.

Similarly, Americans with family incomes of less than $30,000 a year are significantly more likely as those with family incomes of $100,000 or more to have gotten entitlement help from the government . Again, this difference is not surprising, as assisting the poor is the primary objective of such financial means-tested programs as food stamps, welfare assistance and Medicaid.

Also Check: Why Do Republicans Wear Blue Ties

Which Party Are You

The average Republican is 50, while the average Democrat is 47.

55% of married women will vote Republican.

GOP candidates earn 59 percent of all Protestant votes, 67 percent of all white Protestant votes, 52 percent of the Catholic vote, making them a Christian majority party.

Only 1 out of 4 Jewish voters will support Republicans.

If you are white and have a college education, there is a 20% greater chance that you will be a Republican instead of a Democrat.

American Republicans have been found to be among the most generous people on earth, and not just financially. Republicans also provide more volunteer hours and donate blood more frequently.

Here is what we really come to when it comes to political party demographics. It doesnt matter if youre a Republican or a Democrat. What matters is that everyone is able to take advantage of the diversity that makes the United States so unique. Instead of trying to prove one way is the only correct path, both parties coming together to work together could create some amazing changes for the modern world. Until we learn to compromise, however, the demographic trends will continue to equalize and polarize until only gridlock remains. If that happens, then nothing will ever get done and each party will blame the other.

Taking The Perspective Of Others Proved To Be Really Hard

The divide in the United States is wide, and one indication of that is how difficult our question proved for many thoughtful citizens. A 77-year-old Republican woman from Pennsylvania was typical of the voters who struggled with this question, telling us, This is really hard for me to even try to think like a devilcrat!, I am sorry but I in all honesty cannot answer this question. I cannot even wrap my mind around any reason they would be good for this country.

Similarly, a 53-year-old Republican from Virginia said, I honestly cannot even pretend to be a Democrat and try to come up with anything positive at all, but, I guess they would vote Democrat because they are illegal immigrants and they are promised many benefits to voting for that party. Also, just to follow what others are doing. And third would be just because they hate Trump so much. The picture she paints of the typical Democratic voter being an immigrant, who goes along with their party or simply hates Trump will seem like a strange caricature to most Democratic voters. But her answer seems to lack the animus of many.;;

Democrats struggled just as much as Republicans. A 33-year-old woman from California told said, i really am going to have a hard time doing this but then offered that Republicans are morally right as in values, going to protect us from terrorest and immigrants, going to create jobs.

Recommended Reading: Did Trump Say Republicans Were Dumb

[iridescentides]

hi again dia! happy first day of december ❤️💚 i wanted to ask you what, in your opinion, are the 5 most underrated dcoms? i remember you saying before that you've watched all of them so i'd love to hear your opinions 😊 - 🎅🎁🎄

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH secret santa you are so good! asking me all the best questions 💜

okay so i literally had to make a list of all the dcoms i consider underrated and then narrow down a top 5. theres lots of dcoms that i love, but that i think got the right amount of attention and care (like lemonade mouth and the teen beach movies, for example), so this list just focuses on ones that deserved more hype for their quality level.

5. The Cheetah Girls: One World (2008)

okay so even as i type this i feel like a hypocrite. i have only watched this movie one time. BUT i can acknowledge that its one of the most criminally underrated dcoms ever, tons of people didnt watch it simply because raven wasnt in it. thats why i avoided it as a child, and i didnt get around to watching it until i did my big dcom binge in 2016. and it was so good. theres a really long post floating somewhere around tumblr full of specifics on why its actually the best cheetah girls movie (my favorite is the second one purely out of nostalgia), so to paraphrase some points from that post:

its a solid example of cultural appreciation, rather than appropriation, as the girls go and learn about bollywood and indian culture together

the indian characters arent treated like props or unimportant sides, they get their own agency and storylines that are important

the songs are good!!!

basically this movie was overlooked and slept on even though in terms of role modeling and social value, and just like the first two cheetah girls movies it was important and impactful.

4. Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (2011)

okay so as someone whos very neutral and occasionally negative-leaning towards the hsm franchise (mostly bc its overhyped and not really representative of all dcoms), i was pleasantly surprised by sharpays fabulous adventure. this is another one that i know lots of people skipped right over and dont hold with as much esteem as the main hsm franchise, and that doesnt sit right with me.

i do not agree with the “uwu sharpay was the real victim in hsm” arguments bc in their efforts to look galaxy brained the people who say that overlook the fact that she was a rich white woman who used her power and status to exercise control over opportunities that should have been fairly and freely available for all; they were not “making a mockery of her theater” in the first movie, they were literally just kids who wanted to try out a new school activity that everyone was supposed to be allowed to participate in; and despite allegedly learning her lesson and singing we’re all in this together with everyone at the end of the first movie, she literally showed no growth in the second movie as she fostered an openly hostile environment and favored troy so heavily that it literally cost him his friends, all as part of yet another jealous plan to take things away from people who already have less than her. she was NOT the victim in the main franchise, and she did not seem to exhibit any growth or introspection either.

and that!!! is why sharpays fabulous adventure was so important. in focusing on sharpay as the main character, they finally had to make her likeable. they did this by showing actual real growth and putting her outside of her sphere of influence and control. we saw true vulnerability from her, instead of the basic ass “mean girl is sad bc shes actually just super insecure” trope (cough cough radio rebel), and this opened us up to finally learn about and care about her character. throughout the movie we see her learn, from her love interests example, how to care for others and be considerate. she faces actual adversity and works through it, asking herself what she truly wants and what shes capable of. and in the end, when she finally has her big moment, we’re happy for her bc she worked hard to get there. she becomes a star through her own merit and determination, rather than through money and connections. this movie is not perfect by any means, but it is severely underrated for the amount of substance it adds to sharpays character.

3. The Swap (2016)

okay i know im gonna get shit for this but thats why its on this list!!! just like sharpays fabulous adventure, its not perfect and definitely misses the mark sometimes, but it deserves more attention and love for all the things it did get right!

the swap follows two kids who accidentally switch bodies because of their emotional attachment to their dead/absent parents’ phones. and while i normally HATE the tv/movie trope of a dead parent being the only thing that builds quick sympathy for a young character, they definitely expanded well enough to where we could root for these kids even without the tragedy aspect. we see them go through their daily struggles and get a feel for their motivations as characters pretty well. as a body switching movie, we expect it to be all goofy and wacky and lighthearted, but it moves beyond that in unexpected ways.

the reason the swap is on this list is for its surprisingly thoughtful commentary on gender roles. its by no means a feminist masterpiece, and its not going to radicalize kids who watch it, but it conveys a subtle, heartfelt message that deserves more appreciation. the characters struggle with the concept of gender in a very accurate way for their age, making off-base comments and feeling trapped by the weight of expectations they cant quite put their finger on. we watch them feel both at odds with and relieved by the gender roles they are expected and allowed to perform in each others bodies, and one of the most interesting parts of the movie to me is their interactions with the other kids around them. as a result of their feeling out of place in each others environments, the kids inadvertently change each others friendships for the better by introducing new communication styles and brave authenticity. 

the value of this movie is the subtle, but genuine way it shows the characters growing through being given the space to act in conflicting ways to their expected norms. ellie realizes that relationships dont have to be complex, confusing, and painful, and that its okay to not live up to appearances and images. jack learns that emotional expression is good, healthy, and especially essential to the grieving process. one of the most powerful scenes in the movie comes at the end where, after ellie confronts jacks dad in his body, jack returns as himself to a very heartfelt apology from his father for being too hard on him; the explicit message (”boys can cry”) is paired with an open expression of love and appreciation for his kids that he didnt feel comfortable displaying until his son set an example through honest communication. this is such an empowering scene and overall an empowering movie for kids who may feel stuck in their expected roles, as it sets a positive example for having the courage to break the restrictive societal mold. for its overall message of the importance of introspection and emotional intelligence, the swap is extremely underrated.

2. Freaky Friday (2018)

this is my favorite dcom, and probably my favorite movie at this point. ive always assigned a lot of personal value to this movie (and i love every freaky friday in general), for the message of selfless familial love and understanding. i know i can get carried away talking about this topic; i got an anon ask MONTHS ago asking me about the freaky friday movies and i wrote a super super long detailed response that i never posted bc i didnt quite finish talking about the 2018 movie. and thats bc on a personal level, i cant adequately convey all the love i have for this movie. so i will try to keep this short.

first lets state the obvious: the reason people dont like this movie is bc its not the lindsay lohan version. and i get that, to an extent, bc i also love the 2003 version and its one of my ultimate comfort movies, and grew up watching it and ive seen it a billion times. i even watched it a couple days ago. but the nostalgia goggles that people have on from the early 2000s severely clouds their judgement of the wonderful 2018 remake.

yes, the 2018 version is dorky, overly simplistic plot wise, a bit stiff at times, and super cheesy like any dcom. the writing isnt 100% all the time. the narrative takes a couple confusing turns. the song biology probably shouldnt have been included. i understand this. but at the heart of it all, this movies value is love. and its edge over all the other freaky friday movies is the songs.

on a personal level, the movie speaks heavily to me. i cried very early into my first viewing of the movie bc i got to see dara renee, a dark-skinned, non-skinny actress, playing the mean popular girl on disney channel. that has never happened before. growing up, i saw the sharpays and all the other super thin white women get to be the “popular” girls on tv, and ultimately they were taken down in the end for being mean, but that doesnt change the fact that they were given power and status in the first place for being conventionally beautiful. so, watching dara renee strut around confidently and sing about being the queen bee at this high school got to me immediately. and in general, the supporting cast members of color really mean a lot to me in this movie. we get to see adam, an asian male love interest for the main character. we have a second interracial relationship in the movie with katherines marriage to mike. ellies best friend karl is hispanic. and we see these characters have depth and plot significance, we see them show love, care, and passion for the things they value. the brown faces in this movie are comforting to me personally. additionally, the loving, blended family dynamic is important to me as someone in a close-knit, affectionate step-family.

but on a more general level, this movie is underrated for its skillful musical storytelling and the way it conveys all kinds of love and appreciation. in true freaky friday fashion, we watch ellie and katherine stumble and misstep in their attempts to act like each other. its goofy and fun. but through it all, the music always captures the characters’ intimate thoughts and feelings. the opening song gives us a meaningful view into ellie and katherines relationship and the fundamental misunderstandings that play a role in straining their connection. ellie sings about how she thinks her mom wants her to be perfect, and her katherine sings about all the wonderful traits she sees in her daughter and how she wants her to be more open and self assured. this is meaningful bc even as theyre mad at each other, the love comes through. the songs continue to bring on the emotional weight of the story, as ellie sings to her little brother about her feelings of hurt and abandonment in her fathers absence. the song “go” and its accompanying hunt scene always make me cry bc of the childlike wonder and sense of adventure that it brings. for the kids, its a coming of age, introspective song. for katherine who gets to participate in ellies body, its a reminder of youth and the rich, full life her daughter has ahead of her. she is overcome with excitement, both from getting to be a teenager again for a day, and from the realization that her daughter has a support network and passions that are all her own. today and ev’ry day, the second to last song, is the culmination of the lessons learned throughout the movie, a mother and daughters tearful commitment to each other to love, protect, and understand one another. the line “if today is every day, i will hold you and protect you, i wont let this thing affect you” gets to me every time. even when things are hard and dont go according to plan, they still agree, in this moment, to be there for each other. and thats what all freaky friday stories are ultimately about.

freaky friday 2018 is a beautiful, inclusive, subversive display of familial love, sacrifice, and selflessness, and it is underrated and overlooked because of its more popular predecessor.

1. Let It Shine (2012)

this is another one of my favorite dcoms and movies in the whole world. unlike the other movies on this list, it is not the viewers themselves that contribute to the underrated-ness of this movie. disney severely under-promoted and under-hyped this movie in comparison to its other big musical franchises, and i will give you five guesses as to why, but youll only need one!

let it shine is the most beautifully, unapologetically black dcom in the whole collection. (i would put jump in! at a notable second in this category, but that one wasnt underrated). this movie was clearly crafted with care and consideration. little black kids got to see an entire dcom cast that represented them. the vernacular used in the script is still tailored mostly to white-favoring audiences, but with some relevant slang thrown in there. in short, the writers got away with the most blackness they were allowed to inject into a disney channel project.

the story centers on rap music and its underground community in atlanta, georgia. it portrays misconceptions surrounding rap, using a church setting as a catalyst for a very real debate surrounding a generational, mutlicultural conflict. this was not a “safe” movie for disney, given its emphasis on religious clashes with contemporary values. it lightly touches on issues of image policing within the black community (cyrus’s father talking about how “our boys” are running around with sagging pants and “our girls” are straying away from god), which is a very real and pressing problem for black kids who feel the pressure (from all sides) of representing their whole race with their actions. its a fun, adorable story about being yourself and staying true to your art, but also a skillful representation of struggles unique to black and brown kids and children from religious backgrounds.

on top of crafting a fun, wholesome, thoughtful narrative and likeable protagonists, let it shine brought us what is in my opinion the BEST dcom soundtrack of all time. every single song is a bop. theyre fast, fun, and lyrically engaging. “me and you” is my favorite disney channel song of all time due to its narrative significance; i will never forget my first time watching the movie and seeing that big reveal unfold onstage, as a conversation and a plot summary all wrapped into a song. the amount of thought and care that went into the music of this movie should have been rewarded with a level of attention on par with that of other musical dcoms.

if disney channel had simply cared about let it shine more, it couldve spanned franchises and sold songs the way that other musical dcoms have drawn in success. i would have loved for a sequel that explored and fleshed out cyrus’s neighborhood a little bit more, and maybe dipped into that underground scene they caught a glimpse of. i wanted a follow up on the changed church community once cyrus’s father started supporting his sons vision. i want so much more for these characters and this world than disney gave them in just one movie.

for its bold, unabashed representation of blackness and religion, subtle, nuanced presentation of race-specific issues, strong, likeable characters, and complex, thoughtful songs, let it shine is the most underrated dcom.

and because i made a full list before i started writing this post, here are some honorable mentions:

going to the mat (2004)

gotta kick it up! (2002)

tru confessions (2002)

dont look under the bed (1999)

invisible sister (2015)

[37q]

i have a few thoughts about terminology, uncited of course because i dont have the literature on hand right now, but its mostly just like, intuiting said terminological variance and development. anyways its about gay, lesbian, butch, and fem/me. i think a lot of times people ask or wonder aloud why certain things are called lesbian or gay, like a lesbian relationship or a gay bar, because they feel as though it implies that bi people cant be a part of these things. however, i think theres a misconception about why those things are called lesbian or gay that arises when you prioritize identity nomenclature over lifestyle nomenclature.

for example, its not that lesbians have a monopoly on lesbian social functions, its just that "lesbianism" is a circumstance of intimacy between two women. the "reason", if you could claim theres a "reason" for any organic social evolution, lesbian eventually became the term used to describe women who exclusively sought out intimacy with other women -- distinguishing them from women who sought out intimacy from more than just women -- is because, well, "lesbianism" is all they did. similarly, gay relationships arent relationships comprised of two gay men, its a relationship comprised of two men in general. its describing the gender composition, not the identity composition. (as a side note, this becomes more complicated when reading 70's-90's lesbian feminist theory that cites heterosexuality as an institution or a social function, referring to the gender composition rather than the identities of the participants. this can be compared to "same-sex marriage" rather than "gay marriage", the former of which i think is actually more meaningfully descriptive.)

the functional circumstances here are whats most important for what language we use to describe these social realities. if someone doesnt want to conceptualize or articulate their sexual identity, let alone call themselves "gay" or "lesbian", its important for describe social functions or spaces in ways that denote its gender makeup so that they know what theyre getting themselves into. i think relative description is incredibly useful for things, whereas for people a lot of times having a static or fixed term for themselves is helpful to get the point across. but the fact that these social things may use differing lingo from what you call yourself doesnt mean you dont fit there. its all about the contextual gender composition and what youre looking for in that moment.

this brings me to butch and femme. aside from the fact that butch and femme have long been used outside of "lesbian" contexts (i.e. woman / woman) such as in drag and ball functions, there are accounts that provide evidence to qualify the notion that a fixed lesbian identifier must precede the use of these specific sub-identifiers. one example, which i think encapsulates it well, is that a lot of femmes in the oft-discussed ~lesbian bar scene~ in the mid 20th century had husbands, and they maintained these marriages with men decades into their lesbian affairs, later on sometimes even telling their husbands about their late-night or home-alone proclivities.

the reason i bring this up is because, when they were in the life, these women were femmes, especially when you take into consideration the centering of butches in these romantic and erotic circumstances. femme, and butch, denote(d) more than just mere "gender presentation", among other things they denote(d) the social role you occupy/ied in circumstances of eroticism or intimacy with other women AND the social opportunities that youre offered and you take based on what you feel is appropriate for your gender role in society at large. this is especially true in how one earned their living, such as factory work, "turning tricks", or secretarial work. now heres the catch: while these butches called them femmes, and other femmes called them femmes, i can guarantee you when they went home to their husbands they were just their husbands wife. this vacillation in identifier between social contexts isnt a way of invalidating these womens experiences, its just that a womans lesbian desire and lesbian-specific erotic function didnt really have a meaningful place in the household with their husband. they had their spaces that they frequented to fulfill that part of themselves. this, i think, shows the historical imperative for developing identifiers for people who happily lived such lives, whether they were married to men or sought out casual relations with both men and women.

as for the relevancy this has on contemporary sexual nomenclature? to put it simply, one is butch or femme in contexts -- sometimes, but necessarily, intimate -- between women. the reason a lot of lesbians make an exclusive claim to butch and femme is because their lives are exclusively centered around women. they never leave the life. however, in the aforementioned contexts, if youre looking for a butch were not gonna ask your sexuality, or even if you identify as femme. its just obviously apparent social roles that provide a framework for our social interactions. however, even if a bi woman is a butch or a femme when with other women, when theyre with their boyfriend or husband theyre just, like, normal. and thats ok.

[nonbinaryresource]

ive been thinking abt this for a little while & have been needing to ask someone abt it. i am nb & have always considered myself trans but recently ive not been vibing with the trans label bc i am so sick of seeing ppl exclude & invalidate nb ppl. ik that i shouldnt stop doing smth just bc other ppl r being assholes but its so tiring to see ppl constantly say how u dont belong or arent valid. srry this is long & kinda rambly i just dont really know how to feel abt it

I will directly address your ask, but I’m going to start by telling you a story about my journey with identifying as asexual and queer.

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When I was about 11, my friends suddenly started drooling over magazines and calling people hot, and I didn’t know what it was, but I knew I did not feel whatever it is my friends were feeling.

Until I was about 16/17, this part of me remained a mystery to me and to my friends. I never had crushes, I never found people hot, I never liked complimenting people physically, I was uncomfortable with sex on TV, and I didn’t even like platonic touch. Now my group of friends were all repressed and closeted queer folk, so I didn’t have to deal with “being left behind” as my friends dated. But the later we got into high school, the more my friends began discovering and exploring their sexualities.  A freshman became a part of our friend group and was openly trans and gay. One friend came out as gay. Another as bi. They started commenting more and more about other’s looks and having crushes.

Still, there was nothing on my end. My friends used to think I was just being vague and secretive because this is what I tended to be like. I don’t think they’ve ever realized how much of it was that I truly didn’t know or understand what my lack of sexual feelings meant or that it could even mean anything. I used to just consider it a “nothingness” of myself. Until, by complete chance, I came across the term asexual. I immediately connected with it. It explained so much that I didn’t even know I needed explained.

I came out quickly after that and I was really excited and happy and proud to know who I was and what how I felt meant. My friends were great and supportive. My mom was a little ignorant but overall supportive. AVEN was great and a community for me. But if I tried to talk about it anywhere else online…

Well, the effects of how people treated me would fester for years. See, I came out as asexual before exclusionism (the specific movement of anti-aro and anti-ace erasure and gatekeeping from lgbt+ spaces) was a movement or a named thing. Yet exclusionist attitudes were exactly what I faced. My queer friends all completely accepted me as one of them and I helped co-run our school’s new GSA with the rest of them. But online, as a teen, I was facing 30+ year olds telling me I wasn’t queer and that I was just trying to seem special and that I needed to shut up about my asexuality and my experiences and that I wasn’t valid and that asexuality wasn’t a real thing and that even if asexuality was a real thing it wasn’t valid and it certainly didn’t matter.

I graduated high school and went to college and was no longer really in touch with my group of friends. I therefore completely cut myself off from any lgbt+/queer community, even though a friend invited me to join the college’s queer association. I stopped participating so much in online asexual spaces. I become wrapped up in other things.

A couple of years went by and a lot of things in my life changed. By chance, mod applications for a blog about aro and ace headcanons for a fandom I enjoyed came across my dash. I had extra time on my hands and thought I could help, so I applied and was accepted. This increased my exposure to the aspec community again and thrust me back in… just around the time exclusionism was becoming a specific and named movement of bigotry.

At the same time I resisted these ideals, I was also still hurt and unhealed from what I’d gone through as a teen. I internalized a lot of the hatred and gatekeeping. I was so hurt and so tired. I just wanted to be able to exist in peace. And people I considered myself one of were harassing me and dismissing even my biromanticism. So I struggled with my identity and my asexuality. I did not specifically become an exclusionist, but I turned my back on the lgbt+ community and spaces. I did not consider myself lgbt+ because I learned that doing so only brought pain and upset and made me feel alone and isolated. I didn’t speak a lot on exclusionism or inclusionism, but at some point I did make a plea to my fellow aspecs to just let the larger community go and be our own community and accept that maybe we could be straight. I did it out of desperation and hurt, wanting to stop feeling targeted and attacked and to stop seeing the fighting on my dash and in the tags. I just wanted us all to be happy and feel accepted and supported.

On that post, one wonderfully kind and patient person opened up a discussion with me, explaining their own hurts over exclusionism and being so damn exhausted of them and fellow aspecs being targeted and excluded and written out and not supported and feeling like they had to split their asexuality from their other queer identities and how being asexual was a part of them and how it had strongly shaped their experiences, especially with realizing and coming to terms with the other parts of their queer identity. And through their raw honesty I came to realize… I had never stopped to process the harassment I had faced and the pain and hurt that cut me so deeply.

It was a changing point for me. I realized that I had handled my pain in a bad way and had ended up lashing out at other aspecs instead of the people who were actually hurting me. I realized how much I had hurt myself and held myself back and cut myself down and dismissed parts of myself trying to fit into the box exclusionists had laid out for me, as if I could ever made them happy enough to stop harassing me and just let me exist. I cut myself down for them, but the truth is that exclusionists don’t just want aspecs “out” of the community. They want to hurt us. They want us to hurt. They want us to doubt ourselves. They want to feel strong and powerful, and they feel they can achieve this through bullying us. Perhaps some, like myself, are trying to appeal to their oppressors by pointing out another vulnerable group they could target more/instead. They are passing on hurt instead of standing up to it and so they are actually festering in hurt instead of changing anything.

Today, I am a staunch inclusionist. I understand myself and the issues aspecs face much better. I am a more compassionate person regarding the confusion and upset aros and aces have over their identity and their place in the world. I feel more stable and confident regarding my identity as an asexual - and now as an aromantic - queer person who is lgbt+.

But it was a long, hard, difficult journey to get here. It was full of a lot of turmoil. I wish I would have had a happier journey where I felt more supported and accepted, and I hope I can help provide more stability and support for future generations to not have to go through what I did.

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My point (or one among a few, anyway) is that I deeply and personally understand how you are feeling and the decision facing you now. As someone who went through a very similar experience, my advice to you is to take care of yourself and to prioritize your mental health.

It’s okay if you can’t handle identifying as trans right now. Maybe you do need some space from the label (and definitely from the hatred and gatekeeping). Maybe you need to pull back from certain communities or blogs or discussions.

However, I will say that not identifying as trans may not bring the peace you desire. It may end up making you feel even more isolated. Not identifying as LGBT+ certainly didn’t help me. It was reactionary and it only made me feel like there were less spaces for me. That said, you may find peace in this. But I think the bigger action to take is to separate yourself from those who are saying harmful things more than to separate yourself from a label you feel really suits you. Use your block button liberally. Don’t force yourself to partake in spaces where gatekeeping is allowed or encouraged. Follow and listen to more people who are inclusive.

I think burnout like this is unfortunately pretty common. You do not have to force yourself to face this hatred or exhaustion because you think it’s the right thing to do. It’s okay to pull back and just take care of yourself. Just work on some self-care. Work on building up a community of people around you who don’t resort to bigotry and hatred and exorsexism and gatekeeping and identity policing. Engage only with what you can actually, honestly handle.

We will confront and move past this bigotry only by acting as a united front. The responsibility for improving things isn’t on any one person’s shoulders. And no one needs to be on the front lines 100% of the time, especially at the cost of their own wellbeing. Take care of yourself and rest now before you completely burn out and break down.

You do not have anything to prove, okay? I have both hope and faith that there is a lot more to your journey - a lot more good things and a lot more happiness and belonging. Take whatever time it is you need to help heal yourself and recover from the hurt and harassment that’s been plaguing you. You are important and you matter, much moreso than whatever label you use at whatever point in time. It will be okay.

I am here for you.

~Pluto