#sense of entitlement

[ickusdemon]

So Sam clearly thinks people who are suicidal can just seek help what a luxurious thing people cant always afford . People can be suicidal with some one like you shit talking them but not every one can get help like your claiming you have no idea how mental health works or the system. Your clearly having a impact on peoples lives yet you clearly don't care about others mental health just your own and your goons

[pulp-art-from-an-english-writer]

[critical-skeptic]

Plástico

Rubén Blades is an artist whose work transcends time, geography, and language. To call him merely a salsa musician is to miss the profound depth of his message, a message that critiques the human condition with unflinching precision. His 1978 masterpiece Plástico, a standout track on the seminal album Siembra, co-created with Willie Colón, is more than a song; it is a mirror held up to society, reflecting the superficiality, materialism, and moral decay that have come to define entire generations. I was born in 1979, so the song is a year older than I am and still today is as relevant as the few years later when I first heard it in the early 1980s—a song I’m proud to say was one of many influences in my childhood. With biting yet poetic lyricism, Blades dismantles a plastic world of false values and hollow appearances—a critique that resonates just as urgently today as it did nearly half a century ago.

And therein lies the tragedy.

The Timeless Tragedy

The timelessness of Plástico is not a testament to the genius of its creator alone, though Blades deserves every accolade for his clarity of vision. It is also a damning indictment of a society that refuses to change. How is it that this song, written decades ago, could have been released today and still feel painfully relevant? The answer lies in the perpetuation of the very values Blades so eloquently dismantled: superficiality, selfishness, and a pathological obsession with instant gratification. The “pareja plástica” of his lyrics, the couple consumed by appearances and devoid of substance, may have been archetypes of their time, but they are not relics. They are the forebears of a culture that has metastasized, infecting every corner of modern life.

Blades’ critique wasn’t just about individuals—it was about systems, ideologies, and the forces that drive society toward emptiness. The young, plastic couple of Plástico came of age in the era of booming consumerism, when the Baby Boomer generation was rewriting the rules of society. And what did they write? A manifesto of entitlement, wastefulness, and anti-intellectualism. They were the torchbearers of an era that took humanity’s fringe tendencies—superficiality, waste, self-interest—and turned them into the dominant culture. They didn’t just ignore Blades’ warnings; they became the very embodiment of his critique.

A Generation's Legacy of Waste

This is where the timeline becomes especially grim. The Boomers were young when Blades wrote Plástico. They were the ones dancing to his music, oblivious or indifferent to the fact that they were the very people he was describing. Today, many of them remain firmly entrenched in positions of power—political, economic, and cultural. The selfish values they championed in their youth have only calcified with age, shaping institutions and systems that perpetuate the same superficiality, materialism, and indifference.

They are, quite literally, the same people. The same generation that consumed recklessly in the '70s and '80s, ignoring warnings about environmental collapse and societal decay, now clings to their entitlements with a death grip. They have built systems of consumption that replicate their values across generations, ensuring that their mindset continues to dominate long after they are gone. Social media, influencer culture, and the relentless churn of consumerism are not new phenomena; they are the logical evolution of a world molded by their values.

The Death of Accountability

And what of their legacy? Look around. The planet is groaning under the weight of their waste, both literal and metaphorical. Democracies teeter on the brink of collapse, eroded by the very anti-intellectualism that Carl Sagan warned about decades ago. Sagan’s voice, much like Blades’, went largely unheard, his poetic warnings about the fragility of civilization dismissed by a culture too busy chasing instant gratification to care about its own survival. Neil deGrasse Tyson and others have tried to carry his torch, but the message remains the same, as if humanity is caught in an endless loop of willful ignorance.

The Boomers’ failure to heed these warnings is not just a matter of indifference—it is active resistance. Acknowledging the truths laid bare by Blades, Sagan, and others would require confronting their own culpability. It would mean admitting that the American Dream (and its global counterparts) was built on unsustainable exploitation: of resources, of people, of truth itself. But instead of reckoning with this reality, they’ve chosen denial, doubling down on the very systems that created the mess we’re in.

Exporting the Virus

What makes this denial even more grotesque is how it has been exported. The Boomers’ consumerist ethos has gone global, infecting cultures far removed from the suburban sprawl where it was born. The “plastic couple” now exists in every corner of the world, a testament to the viral nature of their values. And yet, for all their moralizing about “personal responsibility,” this generation has shown a remarkable inability to take any responsibility for the world they’ve left behind.

Their entitlement knows no bounds. They’ve taken every last drop of the planet, metaphorically and literally, and still feel justified in demanding more. They balk at the idea of climate action, not because they don’t understand it, but because they know it would mean sacrificing the comforts they feel entitled to. They cling to archaic mentalities, not out of ignorance, but because these mentalities serve their interests.

The Breaking Point

The result? 2024 may very well be remembered as the year democracy and the environment reached their breaking points. The Boomers’ refusal to change���or even acknowledge their role in perpetuating this crisis—has pushed the world to the brink. They are the architects of a system that prioritizes short-term gains over long-term survival, and they show no signs of relinquishing their grip.

Plástico remains timeless not because humanity has failed to progress, but because one particular generation has refused to let it. Rubén Blades, Carl Sagan, and countless others have shouted into the void, their voices as clear and poetic as ever, but their warnings have gone unheeded. The plastic world Blades described in 1978 has not just endured—it has metastasized.

And so we find ourselves here, in a world built on waste and ruled by denial, staring down the collapse of everything Blades warned us about. The tragedy is not just that he was right—it’s that he still is.

[political-confetti]

if yall go into the inboxes of random jewish folks and ask for their opinions on the palestine/israel conflict just because they’re jewish, fuck you. genuinely, fuck you. stop doing that. you aren’t supporting palestinians by harassing random jewish folks on the internet, you’re just being an antisemitic asshole. y’all are doing the exact same thing as assholes who would go up to random muslim folks after 9/11 and ask them their thoughts on the taliban. it’s fucking gross. if you actually care about victims of the war, donate to charities or funds. share posts and information about the situation. don’t fucking harass jewish people.

[marzipanandminutiae]

Pro tip: when you tell your parents that you bought “a Fabergé egg“ for your sister for Christmas, be sure to specify that you mean a mass-produced collaboration between whoever owned the Faberge trademark in the 1990s and the Franklin Mint, so they don’t have a heart attack on the other end of the phone

[mylordshesacactus]

Like when I talk about the level of negligence here, please understand.

These are a group of the most obnoxiously privileged people in the universe, who paid obscene amounts of money for the sole purpose of gawking at a mass fucking grave and acting like this made them Awesome Explorers Who Did Totally Real Science while gushing about how it’s just like a movie with zero respect or reverence for the reality of what they were seeing. Just for the cool factor.

So when I say that the level of arrogant disregard for their safety on the part of the company that knowingly, willingly sent them down there in unsafe and unrated death cannisters while lying to them about it is so egregious that the entitled billionaire pricks who fucked around and found out have my complete and total sympathy as victims?

It’s that bad. It’s very, very fucking bad.

[messiahzzz]

friendly reminder that creators within fandom (whether it be gifs, edits, meta, fanfiction or fanart) choose to take time out of their day to provide you with new content for free.

it’s easy to take it for granted since it only requires a few seconds/minutes to scroll through your dash, but it’s important to remember that behind that there are often hours, if not even days, of work and dedication.

[acourtofthought]

Elain

“I belong to no one."

Azriel

"The Cauldron chose three sisters. Tell me how it's possible my two brothers are with two of those sisters, yet the third was GIVEN to another".

[the-daily-dreamer]

The thing about the breakdown of the Rhaenicent relationship that is talked about but I think is still severely overlooked is the key role that both girls/women (specifically Rhaenyra) play in its destruction.

Because the fandom focuses in on this narrative that the relationship broke down solely because of the ambitions of men. And aside from that fueling the annoying idea that all women are inherently passive victims that suffer because men are ambitious and violent, it’s simply wrong.

While the catalyst was certainly Otto’s ambition and Viserys’s weakness (and perversion), Rhaenyra and Alicent’s relationship truly breaks down because of Rhaenyra’s entitlement, self-serving nature, and inability to see outside of herself and her experiences and Alicent’s (in my opinion reasonable) reactions toward this over time.

The beginning of the break down comes from Otto forcing Alicent to comfort the king and Viserys knowing his desire for her is wrong and forcing her to keep quiet about their visits until he decides to marry her without her prior knowledge or consent. And Rhaenyra (and the fandom) sees this as the ultimate betray against her by Alicent. Rhaenyra holds more resentment against Alicent for the engagement than she does against her father. Why is this? Some might say that it’s because she’s closer with Alicent and therefore would expect more from her than her father (whose relationship with her has been broken by the murder death of her mother). But I don’t think that’s fully the case.

While Rhaenyra having a higher expectation of Alicent may be a reason for her increased and unequal resentment, I think the main reason is that Rhaenyra cannot fathom Alicent could do this because she has never been in this position. Rhaenyra sees this as Alicent being complicit in the deceit and seduction because Rhaenyra would simply rebel. She can’t understand why Alicent wouldn’t simply say “no” to her father or betray the king for her. Rhaenyra’s world view is very blinded by her privilege. She simply thinks Alicent should and could defy her own father because…Rhaenyra has and will again. Rhaenyra is able to disobey her father and get away with it so why can’t Alicent? Ignoring the fact that a crown princess has vastly more power than the daughter of the hand, Viserys is a weak and compliant parent compared to Otto’s manipulative and stern nature. It’s easy for Rhaenyra to disobey because the consequences are either nonexistent or very mild. Alicent doesn’t have this luxury and privilege but Rhaenyra can’t conceive of it.

But also, Rhaenyra sees her father as…her dad. Not the king. Rhaenyra sees it as easy to defy him and his orders because he is her father first and her king second. But for Alicent that is the king. The most powerful man in the world. Defying him could have disastrous consequences for her and her father. But because Rhaenyra doesn’t force herself to see things from another’s perspective, she doesn’t see it as Alicent being beholden to the man who could (if he wanted to) ruin her family or kill her and her father but rather her friend not betraying her dad.

After this we see Alicent be the one to continuously try to extend an olive branch and support Rhaenyra behind the scenes. Asking for Rhaenyra to have the option to choose who she marries (a privilege and kindness Alicent, herself, and every other woman in this universe hasn’t had). Reaffirming Rhaenyra as the right choice for heir when Viserys is questioning his decisions. Defending Rhaenyra against rumors that would damage her reputation. And all Alicent gets in return is snark, anger, and lies (leading to Alicent’s isolation and suffering in court).

Which leads to event two that breaks the relationship: Rhaenyra’s entitled behavior and lying. Alicent spends a great deal of her time coinciding her husband in favor of Rhaenyra. But Rhaenyra, seeing herself as exceptional and above the rules, continuously acts out in ways that hurt her standing. Most especially with her decision to go out and try to sleep with daemon and then pushing Criston to sleep with her.

Alicent is the one to be transparent with Rhaenyra about the “rumor” to get her side. Something Viserys would simply not care enough to do. Rhaenyra, knowing her actions being confirmed would be disastrous, tells half truths to Alicent who is all too eager to believe and support her friend. Even worse, she uses the memory of her mother, something she knows Alicent holds incredibly sacred, to further convince Alicent that she’s telling the truth. And this decision by Rhaenyra to lie (over something she knows Alicent holds dear and has used multiple times to try to connect with her) to protect herself directly harms Alicent as her father and only ally in court is kicked out and ostracized. But that’s not Rhaenyra’s concern. While Alicent has given a lot of effort to protect and defend Rhaenyra, Rhaenyra is far too focused on her on wishes and desires to care about the impacts her choices have on anyone else.

And that’s why when Alicent finds out that it was a lie, a lie that got her father taken away from her, she goes full scorched earth and wears the green dress. Because she realizes that Rhaenyra will never stop being entitled and self-serving. She realizes that all this time and effort she has put into fixing things with Rhaenyra and defending her is completely one sided. Because Rhaenyra can only see things from her perspective and can only see things based on how she can benefit even to the detriment of others (herself, her father, Criston, etc.).

Then the final nail in the coffin is the birthing of bastards. At this point Alicent has had her eyes opened to how Rhaenyra will do as she pleases without considering the consequences (to herself and others) and then she watches Rhaenyra flagrantly birth obvious bastard after obvious bastard, pushing the children she was forced to have further and further down the line of succession behind kids who objectively should not have the throne. And it makes her bitter and jealous and as she should be. The fandom is too obsessed with marking Alicent as the reason the relationship was destroyed because she was unnecessarily jealous of poor Rhaenyra who was just so brave to do as she pleased!

But it’s a spit in the face to Alicent. That Alicent was pimped out and forced the have children with a man she didn’t love at the ripe old age of 15 hole Rhaenyra is free to take a lover and birth obvious bastards and get away with it. She has every right to be angry. Not because she thinks all women should be submissive and bend to patriarchy. Because she is watching how privileged Rhaenyra is before her very eyes while she was forced to suffer the way almost every other woman has.

While I acknowledge that Viserys and Otto are the catalyst for the breakdown of Rhaenyra and Alicent’s relationship. Rhaenyra’s flagrant disregard for others and her entitlement are what truly break the relationship until Alicent is no longer willing to be submissive and accepting of Rhaenyra’s behavior. And this in turn, causes her to make choices that service her and her children. The way Rhaenyra has always done and always will.

The breakdown of rhaenicent was always inevitable regardless of which men were involved. Because at their core, Rhaenyra would always put herself first and Alicent would always come to the realization she is no longer willing to be a doormat.

[tripleaxeldiaz]

i think the collective 911 New Season Resolution should be to give the show room to breathe. yes sometimes things happen that don’t make sense, or characters make decisions that are annoying. but in almost 100 episodes of this show, rarely has there been anything done for no reason or something that wasn’t circled back to at one point or another. maybe we can just trust the writers with their own material for like a minute. and maybe if we don’t like it we can just stop watching and stop making how upset we are everyone else’s problem

[canisalbus]

If I remember correctly you created Machete around 2007-2008. But when did you create Vasco? (I'm sorry of this has been asked before, I couldn't find anything)

First finished pictures of Vasco are from 2018, but even before that I had been thinking it would be interesting if Machete had had one (1) romantic relationship in his youth before he was ordained. I just didn't have a name and design for him yet.

In the earliest sketches of Vasco, he first looked a little bit like a bordercollie, then like a spaniel or a setter. He had a darker color palette as well, sort of chestnut brown with white markings, but combined with the overpowering whiteness of Machete he looked kind of impassionate and drab, so I kept making him warmer and lighter until he became the golden boy he is today. The name came later, I just thought Vasco sounded friendly and charismatic. (Also the old finnish word 'vaski' means brass and bronze, and even if it's a tedious connection and doesn't factor into their canon at all, it felt too fitting to me personally and I had to go with it).

[willyhoos]

metamy is insane. like.

what if i was the hero you loved gone wrong. defeated and destroyed. rebuilt as my own greatest enemy. what if i lost everything. what if i had been reprogrammed to despise all i had once fought for. what if i couldn't even remember why i had fought at all.

and what if you were made of roses. what if you represented every beautiful thing i once died trying to protect. what if you wore flowers in your hair and cared for small creatures and had eyes the color of the forests i used to call my home. what if you were everything i once loved.

those memories are just out of my reach. infuriatingly. maddeningly. but if anyone knows who i am (who i used to be) it's you. if anyone can make me feel like who i used to be (who i really am) it's you. i can't speak, i can't breathe, i can't remember anything (but you).

you are the world i have been ordered to burn. i am the weapon you have chosen to resist. i was (am) the hero that you loved.

you are my only memory. i will do anything to make you believe me.

[gaffney]

miguel diaz is both robby keene's strongest advocate and the one who makes him feel like he’s constantly falling short, and i just don't know how to feel about that

[athena-xox]

If you have think that people not following their destiny is unfair to those who want to follow their destinies because their choice is taken away I don’t know if you can be saved cause WHAT THE FUCK

[mistigrisunshine]

thinking about that scene from seeing red and how it’s the worst thing you could do to a ship. like the literal worst thing. worse than one half of the ship dying. the one thing you can’t come back from. also arguably the worst thing you could do to a beloved character. that’s partly why decades later people are still angry about it, still feel betrayed. i think it’s a testament to how good a ship spuffy is, and how good a character spike is, that the love for them has prevailed, that it could survive this.