#seems that that moral compass like all things applies to all BUT me

[kavehater]

I was looking at a slideshow and it just hit me that nobody ever said to me that they don’t actually want me to kms and that it genuinely felt that they meant it except one person very recently

[galactic-rhea]

It's ranting hours sunday for me: Y' know, I think when people complain soooo much about Padmé getting with Anakin, they're failing to see a lot of things. BUT ESPECIALLY...That it was her choice, and if speaks a lot of her character and personality.

She was already done dirty by the movies by getting so many deleted scenes, but then if you try to take away the agency she had on marrying a human disaster or her choices, like her forgiveness/understanding, it's actually undermining and flattening her character.

The fact is that she's actually very similar to Anakin, she's stubborn, deeply traumatized, compromises a lot for the sake of others and loves beyond reasoning. We, the audience, know that Anakin will become Darth Vader and one of the most iconic villains of history; so everything he does can be seem as a red flag that really isn't there.

From Padmé's POV, Anakin has done terrible things, but it's capable of incredible acts of love and compassion. They're in circumstances that aren't normal at all, she was queen at 14, and he was born a slave and joined the space wizard monks and his normal is kill or be killed. Our modern and omniscient POV can't be applied onto them because there's no point of comparison in this sci-fi-shakespearen tragedy-soap-opera-fantasy.

Besides...she was actually right in the end, and I don't believe is "feminist" or progressive to take away a big part of her core personality, that actually had repercussions in the whole story, and make her out to be either unaware and naive of marrying a monster, or (the worst one, imo) being jedi-mind-tricked-brainwashed-abused by her husband.

The "right, correct, girlboss and queen" actitude does more damage than help, leave Padmé to be a person. A person who wanted to have a fairytale romance with some guy who would fight for her and makes her laugh.

Also, the hell why you wanna blame her for something Anakin does, come on. That's a whole other can of worms, though. My point is, that trying to avoid or re-work-or re-contextualize the fact that she chose Anakin despite him literally telling her about murdering a whole village, is actually changing a big chunk of her personality traits.

She was a child queen, then a politician at the edge of an inminent war, manipulated by the same guy that groomed Anakin into a massive murderer, saw her people being taken into camps, had assasination attempts weekly and had to rip off of her individualism by becoming a public figure, giving up her sense of being a person by having several almost identical decoys, she had to stop being just Padmé to be Queen and then Senator Amidala and she did all of that showing little to no emotion.

Then Anakin does all what she herself had to rip off of her in order to be a politician: Honest, passionate, and able to show emotions; like love or anger.

She has morals and she represents democracy and justice, in a way. But I fully believe that inside her she had the same passionate anger and love capable of burning the galaxy that we know Anakin had, which makes them different sides of the same coin, and I think she realized that. Anakin perhaps didn't , as he never stopped of seeing himself as a slave and therefore inferior, whereas he held Padmé very highly, but I think Padmé saw them both as equals. She didn't have a "I can fix him" mentality, she had a "We're the same, we're both lonely, confused, hurting and scared of losing everything. And if he's like me, then I know he can do the right thing for love."

In other words: She was as insane as her husband, she only seems normal because she wasn't put into the monk warrior order and groomed by the devil for over a decade. (And I don't mean insane as, 'she's crazy for loving a murderer' harley quinn style, I just meant it on a daring, hopeless romantic and tenacious way)

[elysiansparadise]

Hi again! Can you tell me what does Jupiter in 9th house mean besides being drawn to religion and philosophy? Already thank you for the answer!

Hello love. Sure, I can tell you about this placement.

Jupiter in the 9th house

This astrological position shows a native with a fascinating mind, not only because of the high intelligence they have, but also because of the inquisitive attitude that the wearer has. They tend to be curious people, quick to learn and with immense enthusiasm for new and complex ideas. They are attracted by the strange, the new, what is not as simple as it seems. They are fascinated with intellectual challenges, with what keeps their mind in constant learning. They feel driven by that desire for personal growth, to know themselves and create a path in which to become the person they aspire to be. They question everything around them from a very young age. Many of them, although they appreciate points of view different from their own, will always seek to find what resonates most with them, they seek to define the truth on their own. It is worth mentioning that these natives, from a very early age, have that sense of justice deeply embedded in them, not hesitating to speak their minds when something is not correct under their moral compass. Likewise, they will never try to control other people, allowing them to express themselves and be authentic.

They tend to be people with a lot of knowledge in different areas and can stand out a lot for their intelligence and skills in a specific area. It predicts great success for them in their college student years, whether due to the experiences they will live, socially or academically. Academically they may not have significant problems, and, if Jupiter is well aspected, they may be easily liked and appreciated by teachers. These natives will be good at research, teaching, psychology or in general any activity that puts their mind into action. Many of these natives have a passion and talent for writing, and may be presented with the possibility of publishing or presenting their work to others. It is very likely that these natives have the ability to learn languages, as well as a taste for cultures other than their own. There are great possibilities of traveling abroad, attracting friends, mentors or influential people in your lives who come from other countries. They will not like simplistic or very mundane concepts, as they will prefer to choose to delve into the depths of something, and this not only applies to their interests, but also to themselves and other people. Something that is said a lot about this placement is that long trips are not only exclusive to the physical, but also to the spiritual and personal.

With Jupiter in this house it is common for people to choose to study things related to the humanities, social sciences, law or topics related to the law. Many of them have the philosophy of either doing things well or not doing them at all, and that is something they apply in different areas of their life. Despite how open-minded they can be, they are very blunt and clear people when it comes to their beliefs. They have very well defined what they want and do not want in their lives and what they are not willing to experience again. They may have a strong inclination towards spirituality and the search for universal truth. People can explore different religions, spiritual practices or even philosophical currents. Being in one of its domicile houses, Jupiter can shine easily, bringing luck, opportunities and a lot of wisdom to the life of the native. Ideas are very likely to come spontaneously to your minds, especially when you least look for them. They can easily be inspired by things that others don't see appeal or greatness in. They know how to appreciate the little things in life.

[scrupulosity-comics]

your comics are lovely because so much of the discussion around certain ocd obsessions (on the internet and elsewhere) seem so fucking unnuanced, lol

Idk. Sorry if this is intrusive. But yeah I also struggle with scrupulosity+ harm ocd and I sometimes get really fed up with people insisting on simple answers (if you’re doubting it you’re probably a good person/ just live with the uncertainty) without recognizing that sometimes you *have* to have a method of at least estimating your impact on other people and if your brain is hell bent on confusing your capacity to notice actual impact with its bizarre overestimations it can make living on the world really hard, lol

I guess with time I’ve managed to find ways that make sense to me to simultaneously keep myself with some kind of moral framework while also not being too rigid and accepting partial uncertainty, but I feel like philosophy and talking with friends who *don’t* know the Correct Advice For People With OCD helped me a lot more than standard psychiatric advice, lol

Anyway. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Extremely relatable and funny

Also, imho, adding complexity to perspectives tends to be better to the world than subtracting it, lol

God yeah I do Not find most OCD support or advice helpful or relatable. I know several people who’ve had really good experiences with ERP therapy but my therapist and I found it nearly impossible to come up with socially and psychologically safe ways to start exposure response prevention. She had me write “I am committing micro-aggressions” on a card—I still joke about it.

Obviously I’m glad that some people are helped by the simplistic stuff. I just find it frustrating when people expect them to also help me reason with obsessions and compulsions that are inherently politicized or interpersonal. A lot of people are upset by racism but still do or believe or say racist things! People apply compassion and empathy towards societal evils all the time! I have acted on impulses I regret before!

[the-catboy-minyan]

So if all Hezbollah members, including civilians that never saw combat (and people who owned a pager but weren't members of Hezbollah), can be classified as terrorists and any innocent child that gets killed when you attack those members are at fault for being in "such close proximity to terrorists to get hurt" even though those bombs were activated when the members were just just doing normal daily task in public such as grocery shopping then can we apply this logic to the IOF?

Can we blame all non-combatant soldiers for the massacres done by other soldiers and can we target those soldiers when they're off-duty in shops, schools, hospitals and if an Israeli child got killed or injured then its their fault for being "in close proximity to terrorists" or does that logic not work because only Christians and Muslims can be terrorists?

Also calling people being disgusted by you for making jokes about this terrorist attack "hatemail" and a "Jews are baby killers" thing (when you're literally laughing and justifying killing children) is laughably pitiful, you get 1/10 for self-victimization.

Plz try harder to not shame your colony of self-victimizers, you can't let those dead children steal the attention from you.

bitch you know what Hezbollah is, right? you understand the concept of terrorist organisations, right? fym "civilian hezbollah members"??

also lmao IOF I see who I'm talking to here

the fact that you're literally projecting how the antizionist movement treats current and former IDF soldiers and using our own arguments against us, it's just hilarious to me. the IDF is an actual military force with branches and roles of people that will never have to hold a gun in their lives except for the mandatory first 5 week training period. my friend reached military age and she's literally about to go serve in a dog shelter, a regular fucking dog shelter, like a volunteer job but getting paid by the government for it.

again, I'm not talking to someone about "think of the innocent children who died from an attack that hit 99% terrorists" from a person who didn't confirm if they cared about civilian israeli lives. over 100k people displaced, >1400 people murdered and raped horrifically, or are we not human enough in your eyes to deserve compassion?

any civilian being harmed is horrible, but you literally can't make an attack on that scale while guaranteeing 0 collateral damage, I did not personally make jokes on that situation, only shared ones I found on reddit, and I would not cheer if the attack did significant collateral damage, and from reports it seems that other people got hurt only in extremely specific situations. you'd fucking cheer if it was done to the "IOF" even if it harmed more kids than soldiers, so don't give me a fucking lecture over my morals, there's a block button at the top right.

these type of jokes are so out of character for me anyways, this is not something I usually joke about, but I had a horrific day yesterday and yknow what I think it's funny to think about how terrorists lost their balls from pagers. the VAST MAJORITY of people sustained minor injuries from that attack, the vast majority of the terrorists who carried their pagers barely even got harmed, this is really the hill you wanna die on? that an attack that barely grazed people is evil because of circumstances outside the attackers' control?

[the-martyrfication-of-the-matron]

Zenix’s little tangent in Episode 35… doesn’t entirely make sense. Or at least I don’t like parts of it and so I’m gonna bitch.

Tw I speak a little bit about abuse and cults at the end.

Zenix: “I’m sure garroth told you… didn’t he? How he found me? He must have… you were always his favorite. Isn’t it funny how he found me around the same time the old Lord was murdered?”

That’s just the beginning of it, of course.

But… Zenix saying this doesn’t really… fit.

SKs kill people in order to gain immortality (typically guards who kill their lords, but it’s established in episode 31, Criminal Brains, that it’s not only guards and not only lords). This is usually someone they knew in their human life, that’s just how it’s always been with SKs, that’s the whole… tragic romance of them. Whoever they dedicated their mortal life to will be the sacrifice to their immortal life.

Whether Zenix is saying he showed up in Phoenix drop shortly before or after he killed the lord is nothing to me, because either way, it’s clear they don’t have that bond. Even Azura states that Zenix swore himself to GARROTH. And the later established lore that sks have permanently red eyes after killing their person doesn’t even apply to Zenix in this case, because he had brown eyes the entire time we knew him, up until they clearly decided that he was the one who murdered the old lord and scrapped Vylad’s involvement.

Because up until this point… all evidence pointed to Vylad. From flashbacks of him standing outside of the old lord’s house with a flint and steel to Sasha basically outright saying it, everything has pointed at Vylad. And I’m not saying twists are a negative, red herrings are fun, but nothing good ever comes when you mix jesson and red herrings… clearly. So this was just… not a good twist. I’ve been keeping track of a lot of stuff and there just wasn’t enough for me to justify it as something pre-planned. But if someone else has another opinion I’m happy to hear.

This is something they do a lot with Zenix. Even with the original reveal that he was a bad guy, they retconned Brendan’s statement of events to make him look worse. They turned Zenix using him like a human body shield into Zenix going out of his way to hurt Brendan, though it didn’t need to be done. It just made him seem unnecessarily cruel.

And now they’ve retconned who killed the old lord to make Zenix look worse again. And I think this is because Jesson cannot cope with moral ambiguity.

Vylad and Zenix are the two most morally ambiguous characters up to this point. Zenix has an evil lean, no doubt, but a lot of his actions lack any known motivation, especially his kind actions, or moments when he does things that are objectively good but… we don’t know why, in order for us to actually understand his moral compass. Sure he is evil-aligned, but he is clearly not fully evil. He has shades of grey… and so does Vylad. Vylad clearly has a good lean, but we don’t know enough about him, and we know he is evil-aligned (he is shown to be peers with Gene and Sasha in earlier episodes) so it’s very… vague. Hazy. Morals? Questionable.

But then Jesson went— HOLD UP! Make Zenix explicitly bad by stating that he was the one to kill the old lord because he wanted immortality… and make Vylad explicitly good by stating that he was the one who hindered Zenix from killing more people.

It wss more interesting when Zenix was just some guy who did bad stuff and had an unknown backstory, and some people rooting for the good in him.

And when Vylad was spooky as fuck.

But that’s too much nuance, give a clear morality to the gay men.

Dont make SKs interesting by giving Zenix red eyes for attempting to kill the man he dedicated his life to! No! Don’t expand the lore by making it obvious that the reason that SKs have to kill their loved ones is to mirror cult/abuse tactics that distance the victims from any real support system they could have to escape! Dont give Zenix red eyes even though he failed at killing Garroth because the bond between them is irreparably damaged despite Garroth’s denial of it! Don’t do that! That’s too much nuance!

[sepublic]

Homesick!

I just gotta say I love the pun of this episode’s title; I thought Homesick would allude to it being about Luz missing home, but it was actually a joke on Hooty being sick!

That said, we DID get what would’ve been our first look at Manny, as well as an early version of Camila lore! Turns out she was going to be a nurse, but in the end I think I like veterinarian better. Still, I remember discussing healing back during S1A as a potential track for Luz because of this, so to see that theme be apparent with both parents was cool!

Manny’s face being shrouded also seems to indicate that the dramatic reveal behind him -the illness- was always planned, at least since the pilots. Luz said he drove an ambulance, past tense, which seems like some dark irony given he probably needed one at one point. Remember how some of us theorized after Reaching Out that the Abomaton alarm reminded Luz of an ambulance siren related to her father? Man… On the plus side! We can guess Camila and Manny met through their professions, so we could try applying that to canon as well! Compassion is such a Noceda trait I love it.

Likewise, I appreciate how these two leaked storyboards have Luz and Eda covering for each other! One sticks their neck out because something means a lot for the other, but the other decides it’s not so important they’d sacrifice the one for it… With this episode, Eda doesn’t want Luz to look like a dunce but Luz is honest and can’t bear to see her mentor be mocked either, and is trying to take responsibility for what she feels is HER mistake too! It’s really sweet seeing Eda inadvertently teach Luz the Healing glyph.

Speaking of, it seems we would’ve gotten individual glyphs for all spells, as the fandom once assumed! I guess the show did glyph combos to explain why Luz doesn’t immediately find everything, as well as create a sort of fun system behind Luz having to mix and match things. And we even got to see what we always wanted; Luz making an ENORMOUS glyph around her enemy! Goes to show my speculation that since glyphs rely on the magic around them, they aren’t physically taxing; Something we see brought up with Eda’s own magic.

Caduceia reminded me of an early Hermonculus, being a teacher who didn’t really care much for the actual students and even seemed to enjoy mocking them! She looks like Raine, so much that I wonder if the design was repurposed for them because it was such a nice one! I dig the play on Caduceus, with Snakeslie as a palisman! Snakeslie looks so much like a worm on a string. Given Luz and Caduceia are both healers, it’s neat they have a snake in common, though Caduceia’s seems to allude to her being a snake (liar); Her palisman’s name is literally Snakeslie. Snakes lie. Glad to see Stringbean with the positive rep!

I also love the gag of King calling himself the King of whatever’s convenient, and it was really cute seeing him want to prove his own worth! Because two witches, it’d be easy to feel like he has nothing to offer, which is part of Sense and Insensivity in canon! There’s parallels between the A and B-plots, with Luz and King feeling ineffectual and their owl friend supporting them, only to be helped as well! Eda and Owlbert are linked and hell so are the demon hunters and Caduceia!

The House Demon lore was neat, even if it was stuff we already figured out with canon; House Demons being like hermit crabs, and also rare! Seeing healing magic be used to make someone sick and even control their mucus/phlegm was disgusting yet fascinating! And I was delighted to see the demon hunters again, they’re underrated side characters imo and we even got a crew nickname for another one of them!

I also like the bit of the moral here; That sometimes, it’s not that a student is bad or isn’t trying, sometimes the teacher is failing them. Maybe some people think this generation is raised too soft and coddled, but I think it’s an important reassurance for a lot of kids who struggle and blame themselves for it; I’ve taken teaching classes before, and we were taught to be vigilant with ourselves as potentially inadequate for students. It’s the onus of the teacher to adapt to a kid’s needs after all, and actually care!!!

What an unexpected delight! I never imagined the crew made storyboards for additional episodes and not just the pilot! This one has no voice alas, but it’s better than nothing and I feel storyboards have such a nice charm to themselves as well! I really thought the pilot would be my last episode review, but I keep getting pleasantly surprised and gifted by this show…!

[laughroditee]

Okay, so this is a screenshot of Barry Sloane’s Spotify playlist that he made for Captain Price. He included “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails, which I thought was very interesting. I’d given some thoughts on a previous post reblogged from @staytrueblue about what I thought concerning the implications of its inclusion, but I thought it would be fun to make a headcanon of just how closer!price would show up in bed in fics. I wrote a lot of this at 3 AM when I was plagued with sudden insomnia, so I apologize if anything is hard to follow or, conversely, over-explanative. My brain juices are very bad. I hope I’m doing this right.

So, let’s take a look at the song lyrics in chunks and apply them to Price.

CW: we get a little religious, but it’s more like him worshipping you and not an actual religion. I just thought I’d warn you if that sort of talk bothers you. (It’s in the song lyrics, so…)

You let me violate you You let me desecrate you You let me penetrate you You let me complicate you

So we have some pretty negative, violent words here like “violate,” “penetrate” (which, we know what that means in this context obviously), and “complicate.” Still, it’s the inclusion of “desecrate” that I want to focus on here. To desecrate something is to “to treat a sacred place or thing with violent disrespect” meaning that closer!price views you as something sacred. Conversely, he’s applying all of these negative, violent words to himself, turning himself into not only an aggressor but one who acts against divine or holy things. In other words, he sees himself as a sinner or something profane. (We’re moving with the vocabulary of the song here.)

So why would closer!price think of himself in this way? Well, let’s look at one of his quotes from Modern Warfare (2019):

"We get dirty and the world stays clean. That's the mission."

John chooses to make this soul-sacrifice willingly. And he chooses this every time so that other people don't have to. This is His Duty™️. And he does it without complaint. But just because you choose something doesn't mean you like it. John is always driven to do The Right Thing™️, at least by his own moral compass, even if it means disobeying orders or shooting a US General in the face for betraying his team. (Chaotic Good king.) However, no choice is without consequence, even if it's merely subconscious. So, going by this line, closer!price views himself as dirty, and I think it's more than just blood on his hands. The atrocities he’s performed in order to protect his country and the world take their toll on the soul. But he accepts that.

At the same time, closer!price sees you as clean. He thinks you're out of his league, that he doesn't deserve you. He could be almost apologetic about wanting to be with you at first, not wanting to disrupt your nice and clean life with the darkness of war that lives within him. He might even resist you for as long as possible.

(Honestly a lot of this runs parallel to how I tend to interpret Simon, but there are a lot of differences there too. Simon, I think wears his dark underbelly very openly – just look at the guy’s design FFS, and personality. But Price’s shadow seems less obvious than Simon’s, and maybe that’s due to the latter’s additional childhood trauma on top of his military trauma.)

Getting back to the lyrics, let’s narrow in on the first parts of those lyrics: “you let me.” closer!price needs your consent, because if you let him “violate/desecrate/penetrate/complicate” you, someone so pure in his eyes, taking such a miserable sinner like him into their body, then he must have some chance at redemption. The path to his absolution lies in your acceptance of him into your body.

I broke apart my insides (Help me) I've got no soul to sell (Help me) the only thing that works for me Help me get away from myself

We get more into the broken/soulless imagery here, and his desperate desire to escape himself. Where else would he escape to but into you?

closer!price would probably want someone outside of the military, a safe haven when he's home and away from the battlefield. He wants to have a piece of that world he's keeping clean, even if he doesn't feel like he deserves it and feels separate from it. You are his link to his own humanity, which he feels is actively eroding with every mission.

closer!price would think you're cute talking about your normal civilian life, but not in a patronizing way. He takes it as evidence that his sacrifice is worth it. That, because your life is quiet and mundane, he’s doing his job right.

closer!price would also try to keep you as far away from his work life as possible, to protect you and keep you clean, not for him but for your own good.

I wanna fuck you like an animal I wanna feel you from the inside I wanna fuck you like an animal

Barry also included many songs on the playlist with “beast” in the title, which goes back to the whole “I’m not human, I’m an animal” thing, echoing that loss of humanity.

My whole existence is flawed You get me closer to God

closer!price may not be a religious man, but fucking you is transcendental for him. Every time is a blessing. Every noise you make is a benediction.

He isn't needy as much as he becomes existential, as if being inside you were a matter of his continued existence on this plane. He becomes weak in this moment because this becomes a fight for his soul. (Not that he would force anything, because that's not okay.)

He would worship your body, your temple, filling you with his cum as if this is how you draw the sins out of his body. And he is absolved. For now.

You can have my isolation You can have the hate that it brings You can have my absence of faith You can have my everything

Here, we’re seeing this idea of giving over to the divine (which is you). The stripping away of all the bullshit that’s in closer!price’s head as he’s lost in fucking you.

you tear down my reason (Help me) it's your sex I can smell (Help me) you make me perfect Help me become somebody else

Here, you can see him getting more animalistic or primal from the loss of his ability to reason (what are humans known for if not their power to reason?) to enhanced senses. You take away all of that for closer!price in an all-encompassing, deconstructive way. He sheds his identity when he’s with you, that identity of “Captain Price, soldier.” This is more of a “universal oneness” concept than a Biblical God here IMO; “help me become somebody else” is a plea for rebirth.

I wanna fuck you like an animal I wanna feel you from the inside I wanna fuck you like an animal My whole existence is flawed You get me closer to God Through every forest Above the trees Within my stomach Scraped off my knees I drink the honey Inside your hive You are the reason I stay alive

Boy’s not afraid to kneel. He will treat you like the deity you are. He basically lives for your p/bussy and is a giant fucking munch; I don’t know what else to say.

[sugudoe]

Hey there! New follower here 👀 heard your ask is open (disclaimer: it's been a while since I've sent asks so I forgot how to format these) I was wondering if you could matchmake me with a character of your choice 🫶🏼

My characteristics:

• I'm an academic girlie and like helping peoplel around me (I take a lot of leader roles in uni)

•I can be quite bitchy in a way because I don't tolerate shit (or you can call it headstrong)

•I think I have a pretty good moral compass

•Very reasonable and logical when it comes to problems

•People say that I'm an independent woman (I am but I also secretly want to be babied by my S/O

•Plays volleyball

•Physically chubby but confident with my body

•Loves books, reading, and dancing

Thank you so much! On another note I hope we can interact more in the future, I'm looking forward to new moots/friends on this app🫶🏼🥹

hii luv, first of all, i want to say that you seem like a role model, i love intelligent strong woman! and pls, let’s interact, i would love to as well.

✶ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: nanami and gojo.

ps: this are different relationships, not a throuple.

The thing that made Nanami Kento entranced by you was your strong input on whatever displeased you. Some people might think you’re an unpleasant company, but he loves to hear your complains on anything, mostly because he shares them as well. You both are the couple that “tsk.” whenever anyone pisses you off, and side eye each other, as a way of saying “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

This man loves your independence, he is a feminist (that’s a fact), he encourages you to do anything in this world, says it’s all yours to conquer. But, let’s be real, you haven’t payed for anything since he started to take you out. You dare whine, although is something you secretly loves, Nanami just smirks. He knows you, this facade you are putting only makes his smile larger. Nanami believes your money is yours and his money is for the both of you.

Your relationship is a very mature one, something the two of you are grateful for, because whenever a problem arrives or there is a slightly miscommunication, you sit down and talk your feelings to the other — that’s how you both have engraved in your minds the other’s mannerisms.

Whatever your job is, your academic inclination makes you his students’s favorite person to go whenever in need of help. Yuuji is always scratching his head with homework but you teach him well, Megumi is smart himself and just need clarification in some topics, while Nobara tries to girly talk with you. Your way of teaching her is through painting her nails and pretending the subject is gossip, as a result, her grades are top of the class.

Nanami tries to give you space when the students are over at your house individually, studying in your dinning table, but he’s always pulled by something and sits on your sofa, catching glimpses of you teaching, it makes his heart swell with pride and love — he hopes in the future is you with your babies, actually.

Nanami, as said before, loves to spoil you. He knows all your tastes, once every three weeks he stalks your cart from your favorite stores’s app and chooses what to buy. All is gifted to you with a bouquet of different flowers surrounding your favorite one and sweets. The audacity he has to be the most perfect man ever.

He does take you by surprise with a small weekend getaway for a little island, presenting you with tanning, all massages he can provide and playing volleyball with you. He is not as good as you, but Nanami can make some points. He blames the sand or sun on his skin, forgetting he have sunglasses on.

You love your body, Nanami loves it more. He likes to buy the dresses for your most expensive date nights, all eyes on you, but only his matter. He knows that, that fuels him a lot. Seeing you in summer dresses and bikinis does make him salivate — is summer, hot and sweaty, but he is by your side all the time. You haven’t applied sunscreen on your self since you arrived, his hands do it for you.

Every night on the trip, and every night on your home dates, Nanami and you are always at some point slow dancing to a calm song in the background, while you both whisper love confessions and asks about the day. He kisses your head every chance he has, and you peck his lips in response.

Loving Nanami is an easy task, you both fit each other perfectly, like mind reading. He loves to spoil you and at the same time to let you be the strong woman you are, letting to baby you inside your house, where all he does is hug you and say many many many “I love you.”

────〃✿ FUN FACTS.

◛ ₊· What made him fall for you was you snapping and shouting at Gojo — it was also the first time ever he saw you.

◛ ₊· He has a collection of watches to wear on special days, some of those he bought with a matching bracelet to always use with you.

◛ ₊· You used to be a jujutsu sorcerer, by your headstrong and moral compass, I think you would leave it all at some point after meeting Nanami to purchase a normal career, he hopes secretly to do the same some day and starts a new life with you.

◛ ₊· In the future, you both would be living in a coastal area, he is going be a bakery owner, making pastries, and his most famous piece is named after you.

──── ✿ ──── ✿ ──── ✿ ────

Gojo Satoru loves to be an annoying ass, but annoying you specifically has his knees weak. It’s not that he is an asshole, he just likes to pretend to be so he will get a reaction out of you — he always succeed.

Let’s say that you are still studying, maybe even purchasing a doctorate. Satoru is the proudest person ever, but he still will come behind you on your desk and kiss your most sensitive spot on your neck and behind your ears. His tactic works, unfortunately.

Every exam season, on your last one, Gojo always comes picks you up in his clearly expensive car, with bouquets and chocolate. He once tried holding a sign of “so proud of you” but you threatened to empty his snack drawer.

Gojo is a sucker for your “bitchy” personality. Wether is directed to him or anyone else, he loves how snappy you become and your comebacks. That’s why he loves to get you worked up, kissing your angry self is something he desires from time to time.

You try to make sure your boyfriend knows how important your independence is for you, but Satoru doesn’t care. He sends you the money for your whole school tuition, so you can leave your part time shitty job and focus on college (you begrudgingly accepts), he wants you to achieve your dreams, and hard work is really important to build character, but Gojo thinks you already are perfect and humble, and you have the right to have things easier — he is begging for you to use his money.

He pays for everything the two of you do, he only lets you pay for his sweet treats from time to time. Satoru loves the date nights and random trips to anywhere in the world, but mostly he actually loves paying for anything college related, he wants you to achieve your dreams. Besides the tuition, he gives you a new notebook, ipad, comfortable clothes, pays for any side courses you may want to take and study trips for conventions.

Satoru may be annoying, but he is the most supporting person ever. If any presentation you have is open to the public, your man is going. After, he gives you a lot of hugs and takes you out to dinner in any place you want.

Gojo does enjoy to test your buttons, but in sincerity, you would’ve never chose any other way! A man who worships any achievement of yours, that encourages all your desires and still, at the end of the day, hidden in your apartment, treats your as if you were a delicate flower to his touches and kisses, yeah, you are not letting him go — and he doesn’t want that either.

────〃✿ FUN FACTS.

◛ ₊· Gojo first thought of you was how pretty you looked with a scowl on your face.

◛ ₊· If given the chance to change his eye color, he would chose yours.

◛ ₊· Whenever you are studying in your house, he likes to sit by your side. Once he told you that he read somewhere the best way to learn something, is to teach others. He may be lost in whatever you are explaining to him, but he is wonderstruck with how smart and perfect you are.

◛ ₊· He loves to feed you his favorite candies so he can kiss you after and taste them on you.

◛ ₊· Satoru is easily satisfied! You once paid for strawberry ice cream, randomly, and he was the sappiest person on the planet for the rest of the day.

[paragonrobits]

I was rewatching the 2nd episode of Hunter the Parenting and I was thinking about how Pyotr isn’t that weird looking for a Nosferatu and it hit me that all of the Sabbat group here are deliberately contrary to how their Clans normally function, both in the sense of stereotypes about them but also in the way the outlooks fostered by those Clans don’t apply to them in a way that doesn’t quite feel like the way Antitrubu (Vampires who go against the grain of their Clan’s normal political leanings by joining the Sabbat if they are normally Camarilla aligned) tend to do

Pyotr is the obvious one and the one who sparked this whole avenue of thought. The first and most obvious case is that he’s weird looking but not as much as expected for a Nosferatu. He looks odd, yes, but huge eyes, a somewhat skeletal face and exposed teeth is incredibly mild by the standards of the Nosferatu. The fact that he’s something of a sexyman here also adds to it, since the Nosferatu curse (whether in this setting or in Requiem) manifests as instinctive revulsion so its not the sort of thing that gets found attractive except through sheer charisma, and he’s so determined to be a monster that he doesn’t even bother to try that.

The second bit though is that he is the most loose-lipped of the vampires, barring Ape’s attempts to be a Sabbat speaker so much that he annoys the others. He doesn’t just drop terminology like Ape, he actively explains things to them and tries to win them over to the cause by just telling them all about the vampire condition, albieit from the Sabbat’s warped perspective. This is notable because the Nosferatu are widely known as the Clan of information brokers. They do NOT just tell stuff like this. They know everything. A Nossie just telling info like this is deeply subversive.

Additionally, he is the most overwhelming evil of the Sabbat and while that is expected for the Sabbat, especially someone as fanatical as he seems to be, the Nosferatu have a reputation for being more moral. Not that much in this setting, true; they ARE still vampires. But the rejection and being forced to live in the shadows tends to make the Nosferatu more inclined to notice the plights of others and feel compassion in a way other vampires often refuse to, and they can’t pretend they’re something better. They’re monsters, and acknowledging this makes it easier to be something more than just the beast that haunts the blood. Pyotr on the other hand is remarkably cruel and unpleasant to the point that of all the TTS characters, he bears the most resemblence to the DARK ELDAR of all things!

Ape is a stand out example. Firstly, while he’s odd looking its a bit weird that he LOOKS so human; its honestly hard to tell he’s animalistic and not just a weird looking guy if you don’t notice his teeth and claws. The Gangrel in this edition developed permanent animal features whenever they frenzied, and even a young would-be Sabbat should look absolutely inhuman, and yet he doesn’t ,which indicates he’s probably not quite as genuine about it as he tries to act. The second bit is that he’s kind of a dumbass; the Gangrel are genuinely a Clan of cagey, cunning survivors and they tend to be smart, since you have to be smart to survive as a Gangrel; Requiem goes a lot further with this. but a meathead Gangrel is a pretty big difference given that the signature Gangrel character was Beckett, who is a professional scholar.

On a more tragic level is Shitbeard; its been noted he was most likely a highly moral man who felt passionate enough about learning that he went to college later in life, only to have that mortal life taken from him when he took part in a blood drive. And this ties into his biggest grief, the feeling of losing his mortal mundanity and the pleasures of being truly human, when as a Brujah he should have the easiest time holding onto those feelings. The vampires of this setting are often depicted as creatively sterile and burned out, with difficulty maintaining genuine passion for anything other than bloodlust or darker pursuits, but the Brujah are deeply passionate to a degree that it can imbalance them into destructive rages. Not for nothing are they the ones that keep the Anarch Movement going; they can muster a raw passion most humans can’t match, let alone a vampire. (Werewolves probably have them beat, though.)

So for Shitbeard to so intensely feel and mourn everything he’s lost is deeply tragic, because he should have the easiest time keeping in touch with what once kept him human.

This brings us to Kevin, who is the most different from the usual expectations to such a degree I honestly think it’s likely Alfabusa and the rest sat down, worked out the Tremere’s normal stereotypes, and wrote a character that flaunts them at every measure. The Tremere are proud, arrogant and widely disliked assholes that are so broadly evil that the very concept of a likable Tremere is, itself, kind of shocking, given that they tend to be arrogant and disdainful to everyone and everything. Kevin, on the other hand, is a very likable guy.

Tremere are also tightly linked to heirarchy and the dictates of their sires; while Kevin has worked his way free of it, the Pyramid is such an integral part of the Tremere mindset that this is even more shocking on a huge level.

He’s compassionate and attached to animals, when casual cruelty is very common to the Tremere. He’s as human as a vampire can be while being in modest standing among the Sabbat, he tends to use his Dominate powers in surprisingly nonviolent ways (i meant he did try to stab Big D but in the world of darkness, a delaying tactic at all is pretty humane), and perhaps most noteworthy, it’s not clear if he can use thaumaturgy, the blood magic of the Tremere. He clearly knows ABOUT it and he’s very defensive, but he has very clearly not used it at all, which is odd for a Tremere, they’re very stuck up about it. This is possible given that since he has a clear low ranking among his fellows, its possible he was only given the most basic training in thaumaturgy before he cut his own way loose and finds it better to exploit Dominate rather than more bloody skills.

[flyboy254cnchtv-blog]

So, I've been processing things over the past few days. I thought I knew my country, but I didn't. If anything, it proved me so wrong that I've been waking up nauseous, puking, forcing myself not to sob. I'm not one of the people most in danger, but the people I care about are. So I'm gonna go stream of consciousness, and please forgive me but I need to get this off my chest somewhere. For the love of all that's sacred, don't leave us. If you need to keep yourself or your loved ones safe, do it, do not feel like that's wrong. But you are needed. You are valued. You should not let those monsters in human flesh tell you your worth. I served in the Marine Corps, and in the service I learned. I learned about "the talk" every black family in America has to give their children for when they will, will, be stopped by a cop. I learned that so much of our military is made up of the children of those who came here searching for a better life. I learned that so many of my comrades are gay, lesbian, bi, and were better Marines that I could have ever hoped to be.

This freed me from the shell I'd been raised in. Whatever lies my Irish-Catholic parents tried to feed me didn't scan any longer. The only thing I learned to take from them is that immigrants, all immigrants, deserve to exist.

I will not call myself an ally, attempting to apply that appellation to oneself feels vapid and self-absolving. I will not get everything right, because I still have to learn a lot. But I know that for now, I will wake up, shake my boots off, and do what I can. Because my friends, my family, will need me to be as strong as I can.

This will not be easy. There will be moments where we will all ask if we can even go on. We can't lie to ourselves that somehow it will all work out. We need to get together, plan, and organize where and how we can. Our foes believe we are weak. Their mistake is that this is what they think of compassion, of morality, of simple decency.

You are valued. You are here. I want to see a world where you are able to be free, happy, and safe, no matter who you are. I posted earlier the quote from Bobby Sands. "Our revenge will be the laughter of our children." I do believe that. Because the woman I love says I'm the one she wants to bring up children with, and the only way that happens is if we cast down the false idol they have raised.

I still believe in the ideals in the Declaration of Independence. That the Constitution is a living document made to be changed, to be amended so that it can adapt to the times. I swore an oath, and I'm too damn stubborn to just accept that these terrors will persist. I'm not a leader, but I know how to follow orders. Point me in the right direction, and I'll do what I can.

Whoever reads this, you are not alone. You will never be anything less than human. The fact that your very existence, your happiness, fills them with such a rage is what I want to help you keep alive. If you're a person of color, if you're LGBT+, if you're a woman, know that there are still enough of us out there who want to help. Who want to know how. We got decked last Tuesday, but one slug to the jaw doesn't end the fight. This isn't Frasier vs Ali. This is Rocky vs Creed, and we're going all twelve. It'll be easier, and worth it, if we all go along together.

They think we're out, but already there are organizations, movements, local communities rebuilding and prepping. They are proud, and they have ripped their mask off now and brag of the evils they will inflict. We will use their words against them, and we will know that those who supported them have nowhere to hide. They wanted this, and they're going to get it. We need to be ready to get back to work after, whatever may come.

I hope you forgive me for what must seem like a ramble. I hope that you stick around, too. This fight is not, and will never be over until the last trace of their hate and propaganda is wiped from the face of the earth. Stay smart, stay resilient, and stay human. We will survive, and we will hear the laughter of the children before we know it.

[co-mixed]

Daredevil by Chip Zdarsky Pt.2

This doesn't work without Part One

If you have read it, let's get back to the characters... and there are still serious spoilers

Daredevil/ Elektra 

This lady is working towards her redemption. After she showed up to help Matt and recruit him for The Fist to (be the king!), she gave him a chance to go to prison. It sounds bad but in their world, I guess, it was a good thing. She gives him the opportunity to decide whether he wants to pay for his crime by taking it upon herself to protect Hell’s Kitchen. I was legitimately audibly surprised when she showed up at the hearing and let Matt know that she both knew his identity and bought 90% of the neighborhood.

She had ulterior motives, of course, but it still felt genuine. It’s something she would never have done before and something that shows us and Matt that she’s ready for change. Speaking of, this run is full of wow moments. The next one actually comes right after, when Elektra becomes the new Daredevil. She wanted to earn Matt’s trust so she not only took care of his neighborhood but stuck around to do his job while he was resting in a cell block. With the costume and everything.

The detail I loved most was how she modified her sai to be blunt. It’s a small thing that I hadn’t noticed right away but it just proves the point – she wants to step away from being an assassin and do something good for a change. 

She goes full Bruce Wayne too, she gives away jewelry and adopts a kid. That doesn’t last because, unlike Bats, she realizes quickly that all the violence and “channeling your anger” don’t do any good for a kid.

Elektra makes a pretty great Daredevil. She feels like a more solid fighter, more likely to win. “Without fear” applies to her more because she’s done it all: died, killed, came back, succumbed to darkness, fought it. She has nothing to fear but her own limitations. Which she does, it’s quite a change for her to limit the violence and refrain from killing. But she is wearing the DD logo and she is representing him. She shows the people of Hell’s Kitchen that even without him on the streets, they are protected. That’s a hell of a thing. 

Elektra is new at that and is looking for her own take on Daredevil. She isn’t like Matt at all. 

Cole North

Now he’s a new character and one of the best ones in a while. Plus, he’s also a narrator in the run. He arrives as a cop from Chicago who has to catch and arrest Daredevil. He’s a very by-the-book detective, he believes in the procedure and well, he’s in for a ride. Right away he encounters crooked police on one side, a criminal mayor on another, the whole criminal underground, and vigilantes to top it off.

He sees Daredevil as someone who positions himself above the law, which comes at a time when Matt is starting to doubt said law. And they make for an interesting dynamic. Daredevil saves North from a bunch of his colleagues and kickstarts North’s downfall as a cop. Which is hey, also his rise as a decent person. Cole North is a fantastic addition, truly. He’s something that Daredevil’s been needing for a while since he never listens to Foggy or his girlfriends. He even, and again I’m jumping ahead, appoints Cole as his moral compass. A pretty decent idea, although Matt will probably mess that up too. 

Back to Cole North though. He goes through a transformation that’s masterfully shown through his thoughts (and let me tell you again, how much I appreciate different perspectives) and actions. It’s not his book but he’s one of the most memorable characters there. And despite never learning Daredevil’s true identity, he stands by his side, believing it’s possible to change the world. 

The next step is actually leading towards what seems to be a massive event. But I’ll be ready to talk about that after I finish it. 

This, Zdarsky’s run and Devil’s Reign - an event dedicated to heroes battling Fisk, are some of the best Daredevil comics out there. They don’t play around with Matt’s lighter side anymore and I, personally, like it. There’s something incredibly stylish and dramatic about Daredevil’s life going all the way off the rails. 

It leads to darker art and atmosphere, to more mature stories - I like that and that, to me fits the character. 

Zdarsky carefully navigates his way through further character development steps to lead to a relevant discussion of social/political issues. It feels well-paced and allows the narrative to flow freely. 

The fact that he introduces multiple narrators makes the story richer. We don’t just get one perspective and thus, one point of view, we are forced to at least attempt to sympathize with everyone. This pushes readers out of their comfort zone and gives additional depth to the villains. 

Meanwhile, Daredevil himself gets something new, something he hasn’t done or tried before. And even then, he still can’t escape his patterns. It’s as beautiful and entertaining as it is frustrating. But this is the kind of frustration you’d experience towards a friend who keeps making mistakes. That feels familiar and in a way, nice. 

The main artist on this run is Marco Chechetto. His work feels heavily inspired by manga but at the same time, it utilizes the best elements of Western comic book art. This symbiosis works well for this specific run. Chechetto’s ability to brighten up the color palette and darken the image when needed is something that allows the stories to play out both in text bubbles and in frames. It adds emotions and even adjusts them. Splash pages and dynamic battle scenes feel like real action. Throw in some street views and pretty epic full-height shots and you get a truly epic book. 

There are temporary artists, who take over for one or more issues like Mike Hawthorne. In his case, the change was hardly noticeable because the main color scheme was still followed. I believe in terms of style, there were just a couple issues by another artist that felt off to me. 

All in all, like I said, one of the best Daredevil runs. 

[gavfleetout]

I will never shut up about this, but I cannot for the life of me understand why Ezra did not join Thrawn, or why they didn’t have thrawn not just be on a random planet, but command it. Or even if not that why they didn’t do literally anything other than what they did for the latter half of ahsoka s1.

My main issue is they had almost nothing happen to these characters for 10 years beside growing a beard and getting leveled up. I have specific changes I would make, but that’s the crux of it.

Thrawn is afaptable, and I believe if he was stranded on a forbidden land, he would secure the situation and make sure things were safe, and plot a course back home. Only Thrawn and his men had TEN YEARS on this planet. Thats a lot of time to just be chilling in your start destroyer. It feels like it’s more in character for Thrawn, who plans for every contingency, to amass and expand his forces. Recruit warlords and organize the planet in a way where he has more control over the situation, and more allies and resources to draw upon. He can still be looking for a way home, but after all this time, you can’t tell me he wasn’t trying to make sure that if return was truly impossible, he would still have his backup plan ready.

That brings me to Ezra. Ezra, at his core, is all about protecting people. He is full of compassion. So why do I think he would willing side with Thrawn? Because while Thrawn is not overly considerate of preserving lives, he is not wasteful with them either. And considering the planet they arrived in was so lawless, I can see a version of events where Thrawn convinces Ezra (who quite literally has no other options and probably expected to die after s4 let’s be real) that if they bring order and justice, different from the empire’s version of it, they can truly help the people of the planet. Even the Victorian snail guys.

But why would Ezra believe this? He’s seen Thrawn’s destruction first hand. Except that was when Thrawn worked for the empire. And Thrawn doesn’t care about the empire per se, he cares about ensuring a safe galaxy for his own people, the Chiss, who are not involved in galactic affairs or even known by most of the galaxy. I feel like if Thrawn made a concerted effort to empathize in order to win a desperate, victorious Ezra over, he could. And I think Ezra’s own want for justice and control and his own past temptation to the dark side would make the offer seem more appealing. HOWEVER I believe that Ezra would do his best to ensure a morality so applied to their new planet’s mini empire. He would do his best to limit thrawns abuses and probably look out for farmers and the little guys especially.

Thrawn would look out and see world that needs to be corralled and materials to be used, Ezra would look out and see a world suffering, and I think the two could make their efforts align.

But why do I think this is better? While I don’t know if it is better, it is more complex. 10 years change a person, and I don’t think Ezra would be the same after all those years when the only remnant of his home are the imperial forces. (Not that every character should be gritty and dark after a time skip, that’s stupid) I don’t think this change contradicts his character, and only adds to the dissonance when he and Sabine reconnect. To her, him joining Thrawn is a betrayal of their entire space family. But to Ezra, in that situation, it could have been the most Ezra thing to do. I also wish they’d expanded on Ezra and Thrawn relationships more, because Ezra being one of the few people to ever defeat Thrawn so utterly is an accomplishment, and I think Thrawn would value him as an ally and not just let him wander off with the snail men.

So yeah, I think having neither Ezra nor Thrawn having done or changed in any primary way over the span of 10 years is dumb and they should have had them be doing something. Preferably something angst and character drama building. Like they didn’t have to go tHis route, but they could have done something more interesting. Like cmon, you telling me Ezra just letting people get attacked by bandits and Thrawn hasn’t organized this misshapen planet into an efficient system?

[qqueenofhades]

Leftists are genuinely so transparent with their misogyny, it baffles me. Someone made a point about how Bernie Sanders and Nancy Pelosi are very close in age but only one of them constantly gets hounded about their competency and ability to be a politician, and these people are like "hm but Bernie Sanders thinks everyone deserves healthcare and Nancy Pelosi doesn't" what??? Where does that information even exist beyond the smear campaigns the leftists have made up in their heads to insist the Dems (Pelosi, in particular) suck and justify hating them? It's like... even when the Dems do something good, and take the right position on an issue, these people are just waiting to find some way to rearrange it to fit their narrative that they actually hate them and it's only people like Bernie Sanders who genuinely give a shit.

not to mention thinking everyone deserves healthcare and actually working to make that happen are two different things. Bernie can have all the "correct" ideological positions in the world, but it doesn't seem like he's done much to advance most of them lol

Well, yeah. That's why they are useless dickweeds at best and and unrepentant enablers of fascism at the worst. They gleefully latch onto any lie, mischaracterization, exaggeration, or other bit of propaganda that makes the Democrats look bad and themselves feel Exaltedly Special and justified in not sullying their hands with a flawed democratic process. They don't give a shit if the actual world goes to hell, as long as they still have the Bestest and Most Special Ideas. Which serves the aims of both the actual right wing machine that feeds it to them and the organized Russian troll farms that feed it to THEM. And yet.

Give me a hundred Nancy Pelosis, arguably the most effective Democratic politician in living memory, over Bernie Sanders, he of the blindingly obvious once-a-month Guardian op ed and literally nothing else in the way of substantial policy, while tacitly or openly encouraging his supporters to withhold their vote as "punishment" for any candidate not him. I will say in Bernie's favor that he has changed his tune ahead of 2024, but it is the least of what he owes everyone for contributing to the clusterfuck of 2016 as substantially as he did. So.

And lol yes, the Online Leftists, known for their radical compassion and empathy to all people! They're too busy policing fellow leftists for Thoughtcrime or any other impulse to actually take a tangible action (which might therefore be Morally Problematic) to ever actually once apply compassion to a real person, let alone those who don't agree with them in some part already. In fact, they are perfectly happy to let the people they are supposed to be caring about suffer the increasing effects of nationalized, racialized, homophobic, misogynist, xenophobic white supremacist fascism, as the proper punishment for not being Leftist enough and voting for the Democrats, who they (as noted) eagerly sabotage and undercut far more than the Republicans. So yeah.

[mrfengi]

This Jenny Nicholson video is amazing because it is a 4 hour deep dive on a niche topic which manages to explain why the topic is relevant and worth 4 hours of frequently funny rumination.

Part of what makes Jenny's videos work is anger - for the most part it's framed and sometimes obscured by quips, asides and carefully built deadpan arguments, but Jenny's deep nerd fondness for certain things does not ignore the ugly bullshit nor deny how it pisses her off. Her general affect seems detached but it's just speaking at one volume level most of the time, maybe cause she knows her core audience is not into frequently, randomly shouty essayists. Anyway, when she raises her voice it's a thought out choice and in this case it's often open anger (at least relative to her usual delivery). In this way Jenny reminds me of @twiststreet - because the primary tone is a naturally comedic and seemingly detached one, but that's just how the author processes things. When necessary he'll be more direct and it's pretty clear there's some kind of moral compass and a lot of bullshit pisses him off, even if he can also laugh about it. Some of my favorite posts are openly mad to a most vulnerable degree, but the reason they are powerful is all the prior posts making similar points in a more artful and humorous manner.

These days I've been thinking a lot about anger and the take, pundit, sharing thoughts business. Like if you get too into the "speaks truth to power" bullshit you end up a Keith Olbermann or Rachel Maddow or Dennis Miller or Ricky Gervais, smug assholes who are often speaking "truth" for power. And it's not just a lack of humor, but forgetting that Emily Dickson thing "success in circuit lies".

Jenny is obsessed with theme parks and other odd ephemera, like the pop culture Easter Shows of this one church, but through that she engages her fondness for research, journalism and larger themes. And she's amusing & has tight timing even when running 4 hours. Abhay has managed to be a snarky yet earnest casual blogger for over a decade (or is it two?) with a reformed interest in comics, certain youtubers, current events, dad TV shows like Will Trent through which he also confronts horrific BS that bubbles up everywhere. Both have been around and still sane much longer than when Olbermann's reheated "at long last have you no sense of decency" bit turned trite and then ugly (to be fair, that was less than a year). Part of it is they know their lane and stick to it while still noticing the entire world. Maybe it's also cause they are known but not mega successful so it's easier to remain grounded. Some big names manage that - Anthony Bourdain comes to mind but look how that ended. Okay this is now long and earnest and nowhere near as tightly edited as the two people I praise. If I have any conclusion it's this: look, so many of us are angry about the way things are going, right? Even if some are drawing wrong or evil conclusions, I get that rage. And I get the need to commiserate about that anger for solace and maybe survival. But if you have the rare opportunity for even one other person to read your words, it helps to be more than that. You can't cram every angle and tone into every post - especially microblogs - but overall be more, have a life and thoughts beyond those points and those points will be better made. Only a few preachers are actually good at it, y'know? The rest of us have got to have a sense of humor and doubt about ourselves in order to not go sour, I think. This applies to more than posting. It's a way to be in the world. It's a not entirely applicable to this long post, but gonna end with a Walt Kelly quote: "As our people move in all directions with great grim purpose the safety valve of humor seems to be missing. Humor is not escape. Sleep is escape. Humor is relief. The laugh of finding out the other fellow is funny because he is the enemy is not enough."

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Tuesday :) Ep been wanting to get to. Anytime we get little more depth to them and Tim as a character I’m a happy girl. I forgot s2 only has 20 not 22 eps HA We’re almost done which is insane to me. Feel like we just started s2. So after this one we have 3 left in this season. What a trip. Let’s delve in shall we?

2x17 Control

Thanks to Nolan our couple starts their day off with some foot patrol. Grey wants them more engaged with the community. Tim lets her know that while he finds foot patrol annoying he agrees this is important to do. That it creates trust and likability therefore they get more help. Lucy seems real impressed with his answer. I always love when Tim impresses Lucy with his insight. Also when she makes sure he knows how enlightened she finds him. She's hot for Tim in these moments haha

Lucy loves when he shows her his moral compass about this stuff. I said it last review Tim as a person is very attractive. It's definitely huge part of her draw to him. A random guy comes up to them asking for legal advice. They stop and address him. Lucy fully expects Tim to answer this man’s question. I’m rolling when he tells this guy they’re movie extras’. Lucy’s double take is too damn funny. How she kept a straight face idk. He’s such a grumpy old man sometimesI love it. Or as Aaron says in s5 he’s like the old dude from 'UP' LMFAO I love you Timothy Bradford haha

Lucy's smile when he tells her they’re not google is too cute. We all know she loves her grump of a man. She’s enjoying him cracking a joke with a side of heart eyes to go with that smile. Look at him cracking jokes. So proud. Their comfortability level at this point is off the charts. His sense of humor is so fun to see. (He cracked me up too. I laugh every time.)This came out all on its own. I love him so easily making one around her. Lucy is quite amused and enjoying it herself.

Side notes I love about this scene. The ever wonderful height difference I legit can’t get enough. How damn in-sync they are as they’re walking together. Honestly the entire scene. Look at them. Lastly a fan favorite the the lack of personal space. Within inches of each other at all times. Like moths drawn to a flame. Always gravitating back to one another. Their physical chemistry without touching always floors me.

We rejoin them still on foot patrol. Lucy asking Tim if Rachel was disappointed she canceled on her last night? Trying to justify to Tim why she ended up bailing on their bar plans. Clearly residual PTSD from Caleb manifesting into her doing this. She’s clearly wanting to be relieved of the guilt she feels for canceling on her.

Tim is usually that person for her with his insight and telling her like it is. Not this time...She doesn’t get the reply she wants unfortunately. Just Tim being a lying liar who lies, when he says they don’t ever talk about her. Ok honey we believe you…I’m sure he actually talks about her more than Rachel would like. Lucy is offended with his cavalier answer LOL

Their convo gets interrupted by a dope stealing Girl Scout cookies. He runs and ends up in someone’s windshield. One of the little girls shows up from the troop to help them. Tells them they can use her scarf and pen as a tourniquet. Even tells Lucy where to apply it. Pretty impressive composure for a kid haha

Tim’s face is my favorite part when she asks if she can get a badge for this? He’s not sure what shocks him more. Her knowing how to do this or asking for a badge for it haha Lucy’s smile back at Tim is pretty cute. I feel like this will be them as parents when their kid does something that shocks them haha

The fire dept. arrives and so does Emmett Lang. Not gonna lie everyone he is smokin. I remember first time I watched this episode, I was thinking holy hell this man is attractive. Lucy deserved someone on this level of hotness to re-enter the dating world with. He is instantly flirty with Lucy. Telling her his condolences for Tim being her T.O. (good thing Tim misses this part ha) Lucy has zero problems flirting right back with him.

Honestly good for her. This is so needed post-Caleb. She’s crashing Jackson’s date plans and canceling on Rachel. She needed something to get her back on her feet. Just like Rachel was the perfect person for Tim post-Isabel. Emmett was for Lucy in the aftermath of 2x11. Girl needed a win and to feel it was ok to re-integrate back into the world of dating. Quite the score to start back up with if I do say so myself ha

They flirt some more at the hospital. Emmett basically asks her out and Lucy panics. Lies says she has something going on. Oh my girl. That PTSD is showing and I can’t blame her. Just hate seeing it affect her. Tim comes up and says it’s time to go. He says bye to Emmett and Lucy makes the connection they know each other. So she leans on her lifeline since she’s having doubts.

Tries to ask Tim about Emmett. Says he seems nice. Trying to get a beat on him through Tim’s eyes. Tim doesn't understand her line of questioning at first. Just giving short answers that give her no depth. He's thinking nothing of it until she gives him that look above. Then he quickly pieces together what this is.

He instantly disengages about it. Telling her 'No.' Not S1 Tim 'I could care less about your life.' disengaged. More 'I don’t trust myself to give you the right advice.' kind of distance. He wants no part of this. Lucy seems so upset he won’t talk to her about this. This scene is funny in how he cuts it off. How upset she seems. The pointing of his finger. Sadly we know the deep kernel of truth he feels to that final line of the scene.

The weight he’s still carrying around about her abduction. He doesn’t trust himself to vet Emmett for her. Since in his mind he failed so spectacularly with Caleb. He’d rather pass that emotional responsibility off to someone else. The weight that’s already on his soul is crushing...he can’t add to the load. Oh my broken boy. I wanna give you the biggest hug.

Lucy breaks my heart when Jackson tells her he needs alone time with Sterling. Lucy realizes she’s a third wheel. Has been for awhile now. She is horrified by this. Luckily Tim saves her with an OT opportunity. Joining the DEA operation Nolan and Harper are running. Lucy instantly jumps on it. She looks so upset walking away from Jackson. My poor girl. I want to give her a hug. I wanna hug them both in this one. This OP was blessing in disguise for her to do though. We get the best part of the episode during the stakeout.

Lucy is "on the phone" with Rachel saying all the things she wishes Tim would engage her on. He’s shaking his head as she rambles on. It’s so funny. Telling “Rachel” she’s been using Jackson and Sterling as a crutch. That together they make the perfect BF. Saying how they’re safe and that's why she keeps choosing them. My heart. Tim interjects 'Who are you talking to? 'Cause he knows it’s not Rachel.

John interrupts asking if they want coffee? He is going on a run. Lucy is her adorable self and asks for a chai tea latte all excited. Tim cuts her off saying this is a stakeout he's not going to Starbucks LOL Lucy rolls her eyes at him. He’s such an ass sometimes but I love him dearly rough edges and all. John is so sweet tells her he’ll see if he can find her some vanilla creamer LMAO

Lucy returns instantly to her fake convo and Tim can’t take it any longer. Has to call her out in the most Tim Bradford way he can. By calling her and proving she isn’t on the phone…Lucy is mortified but answers LOL Poor girl she just wants to talk it out with her person. I’m a lot like Lucy in the way that I need to talk things out. If I don’t they’ll eat me alive. I have a compulsive need to confront things and not let them fester.

It’s good to have that person you can talk it out with. If you don’t you start to self advise and that’s never good. Tim is that for her. Her sounding board. To her she has a problem she reaches for the lifeline that is Tim to sort it out. So him denying her that catharsis is messing with her. Why she created this fake convo. It got his attention so in the end it worked.

What kills me the most with this scene is both their reactions honestly. Lucy for being utterly shocked Tim would think his opinion had lost any value post-Caleb. To her it never ever occurred to place any blame on him. To trust his gut or opinion any less because of her DOD trauma. Breaks my heart Tim doesn’t see this before they have this conversation. That he truly believes his opinion has lost its value in her eyes after Caleb.

Lucy is astonished he would think she doesn't want his POV. She lives for it. Its the most important one in her life. Tim is so very vulnerable with her with his follow up answer. So proud of him for this vulnerability BTW. Nothing scarier than being emotionally exposed with another person. You can see it written all his face. That guard is down. We see the toll this guilt has taken on him. He unburdens his soul to her. Tells what has been eating at him for months.

That his advice pushed her towards something that could’ve ended her life. Since then he has devalued his place in her life. Doesn’t find himself worthy to advise her in personal matters. He fought against it for so long. Then he gave in and Caleb happened. In his mind proving why he never should’ve gotten involved in the first place. Chiding himself for getting close to her and having that closeness which put her in danger.

Lucy truly had no idea the guilt he'd been carrying since 2x11. It’s six episodes later. At the earliest that's 6 weeks at the most its a little over 2 months if we include her recovery time. The latter is the more likely timeline. That’s a long time to be carrying a burden she never placed on him. She can't stand that he's done this to himself. Lucy immediately wants to put him at ease. Trying to offload that burden and chuck it far away. It never once crossed her mind he would take the sole responsibility. Because not for one second did she ever blame him for it.

She vehemently reassures him it wasn’t his fault. He could be told by everyone under the sun it wasn’t his fault. He wasn’t going to stop mentally flogging himself till Lucy forgave him. She is all the things he needs in this moment. Letting him know she thinks it’s ridiculous he would blame himself, that no one had any reason to suspect Caleb for what he was, and overall what happened wasn’t on him. Lucy is taking that weight off his shoulders and throwing it away. Never allowing him to pick it back up again.

He looks so damn relieved and honestly very vulnerable after she absolves him. It helps him start to close a self inflicted wound. Eric the king of facial expressions killing me softly in this scene. His eyes and the way he looks at her when she said wasn’t his fault. *heart clutch* He couldn’t even look at her till she said that. Then when he does he's in awe of her. Like he can't believe she doesn't blame him but is so grateful for her saying as such.

I love her also sharing it wasn’t hers either. It was not at all. (Growth for her too.) Looks like he's biting back his emotions when she lets Tim know how valued his opinion is. It's so sweet. He needed his sunshine human to apply some balm to his wounds. No one does it better than Lucy. She’s complimenting him while also reliving him of the guilt he’s been harboring for much longer than she would’ve liked.

Had she known this she would’ve absolved him the day after honestly. No way she would've wanted him carrying this guilt day in and day out. Her opinion matters so much to him. He NEEDED to hear her say these words. It had to come straight from Lucy or he’d never let it go. She reassured him that not only did she not blame him but his opinion was one that matters most to her. Two things that were in question for him. Quelled the storm in his soul.

It’s scenes like this that are the true building blocks to their foundation. Why they end up working so well in s5. I will die on this hill of loving every single moment of this slow burn. I’m so glad we had 4 seasons to truly make them rock solid. It was so necessary for them as a couple. I don’t regret the wait at all. Because piece by piece they were building toward ‘The Really Beautiful Place’ Lucy calls their relationship in 5x18. Everything happens for a reason for them before we get there. This is just another wonderful facet of it.

The minute he’s granted access and allowance to give her advice he doesn’t hold back. His way of showing he cares too. I love them so much for their ability to just bounce back like they do. After a deeply emotional and vulnerable chat they're right back to the banter. Easily fall back into teasing one another. Tim basically says in not so many words Emmett isn’t good enough for her.(I mean no one is but Tim lets be honest.)

Lucy probes and asks why he thinks that? Tim doesn't hesitate in the slightest. Saying he’s a firefighter for god sakes LMFAO. Clearly has a prejudice against them. For whatever Tim reason that may be. Lucy being all cute saying 'Yeah that’s what makes him so hot.' ha She’s not wrong the man is fine af.

Tim gets defensive and says he doesn’t want to talk about this if she gonna be contrarian about it. Which is Tim speak for being jealous let’s be real honest. Lucy doesn’t hesitate to call him out on it. God I love her. Jokes he’s just threatened by his ‘hunkiness’ I mean he is….his reaction alone proves that he is. It’s ok Tim she still thinks you’re smokin too. She just can’t have you just yet haha

I love them ending this scene on a funny bantery note. Shows how much Tim cares about her. The fact that he is allowing this conversation to even take place proves that. Indulging her in this. They’re so married with their banter. I Iove them sfm. Soulmate behavior the way she teases him about everything and he allows (and loves) it. We leave the scene smiling and laughing at these blissfully unaware idiots in love.

Harper has Lucy and Tim chase what they think is the decoy vehicle once their stakeout is made. They soon realize the decoy vehicle has their target and Nolan’s CI. They end up getting T-Boned in the pursuit of it. Hurts to watch. They're both knocked out cold. I adore how the first thing Tim asks when he comes to is if she’s alright. Always puts her first. The soft way he says ‘Chen’ then asks if she’s ok. It’s the little things I love so very much. ❤️

Emmett arrives on scene flirty as ever with Lucy. She decides to be honest with him. Tells him why she declined his date offer. That her social life is complicated right now. He is smooth af with his reply. Tells her once it’s not he’ll still be interested. Their scene ends pretty cute. This is so good for her. I’m really happy to see her get back out there. She really needed him to help her get over her DOD hump. Just like it’s nice to see Tim happy the same goes for Lucy. I love them both individually as as much as I do together. This cute flirt session is well deserved after all the trauma she’s been through.

Thus ends our episode for them. Such a damn good one for them. I love their building block episodes. They do depth and growth like no other. How I love them so.

Side Notes-Non Chenford

Nice to see Angela get her foot back in the door for Detective. Well earned after her fallout in S1.

Harper SL's and her backstory. Getting to watch her in UC action always fun to watch.

Thank you to those who take the time to like/comment and reblog. Means the world to me. Fuels me to do each review.

See you all in 2x18 :)