#social death by a thousand cuts for those kids

[qweerhet]

side note, i don't actually think most JROTC officers even grow up to join the military, so it's really doubly fucking batshit that the us military spends so much fucking money and manpower funding the Child Abuse Machine in public schools without even getting significant recruitment out of it. what exactly are you guys getting out of this (rhetorical question, i know it's hegemonic power and public support via normalization, inserting themselves as individual authorities in the most vulnerable children's lives, in the same way youth pastors help the church maintain hegemonic social control regardless of whether kids in youth group grow up to be in that particular church or not)

[randomfoggytiger]

"I find it tasteless that you don’t really care what KF did to those young people as long as your golden boy comes out looking alright...."

"You’ll defend anything adjacent to D. I see a lot of arguments that do not have anything to back it up, like he probably acted inappropriately while drunk at a party before and so what? I’m taking about MP (who said she was drunk?) being unable to control herself because she needed everyone to know she was with D and touches his dick in her spare time. Disturbingly, that’s what seems to give her self-worth. All that is why she’s not very likable or tolerable. Evidence shows that chiropractic adjustments do more to harm than help, but as long as people feel they work everything is hunky-dory? It alarming that you don’t care about real harm being done to people’s spines because it’s D’s gf’s father providing the service? I can’t respect people who push any of that bull crap."

-@iwantapenguin, 2024

Lie, verb: lied; lying. To make an untrue statement with intent to deceive. To create a false or misleading impression.

Slander, verb: slandered, slandering. To make false and damaging statements about (someone).

Gloves off, then. But next time, tag me properly so I can be notified that you are going to abandon a civil discussion and resort to violence.

Post I'm responding to here (and tangentially, here.)

I shall also give you the curtesy of quoting you directly so that everyone can judge for themselves if my claims are valid, fair, or truthful.

**Note**: I do not begrudge anyone feeling disgusted or grossed out by age gap relationships: the majority of those relationships start from a bad place, continue in a bad place, and are doomed to fail or take both parties down with it. However, the accusations flung against David and Monique without merit-- not those that are or were provably awkward or roughshod -- are a waste of my time, energy, and brain power. Give me proof or give me death.

First: "Whataboutism?" Wherefore art thou, 'Whataboutism'?

Next: "People who post their family’s whole lives on social media for attention or to make money are vultures." Except Monique doesn't get a cut off of management deals, engagement, or even ads. DD and his kids have posted pics of their personal lives, homes, and vacations, as well. They not only let Monique continue to post pics and videos, but also respond to (West) or engage with (David) them. And hi, yes, hello, I also despise family vloggers because they exploit children who can't consent.

Next: "MP has thousands of followers she does not know, so private her account is not." ...What? You can have a private account and still have followers without following them. I know people who operate their dinosaur Facebook accounts like that, young and old generation; and they're most certainly private citizens. I know youngins and oldins who operate their Twitters like that. You probably do, too, or at least know someone who does. I'm hungry for facts, but nothing's been proven with that statement.

Next: "D is so clueless he didn’t know that Gillian was taking BTS pictures on TXF’s set to post on Instagram." David didn't know GA was posting their bts vids online, true; but he was also the one who brought up that she was "always taking pictures and videos" when they were discussing fan engagement; and he and she both laughed over it while he assured Gillian he was okay with "it", regardless.

Their exact dialogue, transcribed:

David: "You know how stupid I am? How innocent and naive I am? You would take a video and I'd go 'oh, cool'."

Gillian: *smiling* "And not realize that I was gonna post it?"

David: *smiling*: "Yeah, and then you'd post it. It'll be like, 'Oh. Well, I should have taken a look at that one.'

Both: *laughing*

Gillian: "Well, you never complained so I thought you were okay with whatever...."

David: "I AM o-- y'know, none of it was terrible; but it was like, I never think to do it."

Also, he clarified in May 2015 (before, as you theorize, Monique could have gotten her hands on his phone or publicly posted about him) that he doesn't trust social media because of the assumptions, misinterpretations, and no-going-back nature of technology: "The 54-year-old actor, who has daughter West, 16, and son Miller, 12, with ex-wife Téa Leoni, admits he only uses Twitter because he was ''prodded to do it.'' The 'Aquarius' star said: ''I'm skeptical of Twitter. I'm prodded to do it, and so I do it. But I feel like there is an opportunity to screw up constantly. You have to be careful. It doesn't go away anymore! I tell my kids the same thing.'" Not because of some high-minded but too-lazy-to-accomplish-her-schemes gold digger posting his private business behind his back.

Next: "A few of his daughter’s friends unfollowed her after the sneaky filming started. The photos are already out there for many people to see curtesy of MP, so I’ll document her ridiculous behavior." Perhaps. I don't discount it. But if David didn't have a problem posthumously with Gillian filming him then, and if he still doesn't have a problem with Monique filming him now-- and I know he doesn't because I've watched him play to the camera in some leaked vids others repost here or there-- it would make sense, logically, why West engaged in the same behavior then and now, on her own and with Monique. Some days he might not want to be on camera for all posterity-- indirectly implying that lightheartedly to Gillian in the above transcript-- hence the leg and feet filming.

Again, we. don't. know. If she's a monster or he's a monster, I cast them off into the abyss. But we, the public, have no actual, factual information of... anything, really, other than rumors, speculations, or opinions. What we do know is: he was fine with Gillian posting, even after being made aware of it. He's fine with West posting his apartment and their family activities. He was fine posting a pic of Miller to his own account. He seemed fine with West's boyfriend posting an intimate father-daughter hug for Bucky Dent's premiere. And he seems fine with Monique posting since then.

For every mention you have of West and her friends not engaging with Monique years ago, she most certainly does now. And you can't hide that fact behind West using her father as a leg up in the industry without bringing Tea's contacts from both entertainment and finance into the discussion. Tea who, by the way, has been more than cordial and civil in each outing and sighting with David, saying they're friends, saying they still love each other, telling him he's a good influence and father to West, etc. Even after the timeline you allege he started dating Monique. Even after the other dating timeline you allege she gave fans in a conversation somewhere. Even after he flew in and out of New York before the pandemic. Even after spending the pandemic locked down with his son.

Next: "The photos are already out there for many people to see curtesy of MP, so I’ll document her ridiculous behavior. I’m not his gf, I’ve made no vows to him. He likes to make money on voicing his feelings and opinions. While I’ll continue to comment on a public figure." 'Ridiculous behavior', you say, about an adult posting milestones or cute pictures and videos to her Instagram. Interesting. If she were trying to launch her own career-- which you and your responders have said before she would, a couple times, without anything coming to fruition (the archives don't lie)-- your argument would have a leg to stand on. But then again, David and Tea talked about explicit sex (and their sex lives) back in the day; rolled atop each other on a crowded, public beach; sold David's bottom-as-brush paintings for charity; and promoted her charitable causes during their various movie interviews... so, I would still retract half a point.

Next: "She should have the loyalty, respect, love and care to not use him for attention." Would you say he used her for attention during his performance the night before Bucky Dent, pointing at her and waiting for her response during one of his songs? Did he use her for attention during his recent stories about their private lives on recent podcasts? Did he use his children for attention on his podcasts? Did he use Tea for attention during their collaborations? Did she use him for attention to promote her friend's brand during their recent family vacation? If we broaden this out to its conclusion: do the Obamas use their children or each other for attention, setting aside their 'loyalty, respect, love, and care' for each other in order to do so? Or do they just say or post what they want within personalized limitations that are narrowed or broadened as relationships shift and grow?

Next: "He’ll hold her hand or leg in public now that his mother isn’t here to witness them. How romantic." David's stated in the past his mother didn't listen to what the talk shows said or read what the papers wrote about him. If you want to be really technical, he's also said she had dementia or Alzheimer's (can't recall which specifically) for a few years now; and that it was so advanced by the time of her death that she didn't recall one day from the next. Would she have disapproved? You bet your bottom dollar she probably did. She also would have disapproved of him being as explicit and cussy as he was for decades; and she would more than likely have disapproved of him getting tattoos; and she would have most definitely disapproved of all his youthful, adult, and older adult sexual shenanigans, innocent or not. That didn't stop him before.

To be even more technical, most of the pap shots of DD and MP are taken at Soho House and Erewhon Market, two celebrity hotspots that managers, publicists, and paparazzi use to prearrange meetups in order to get the celebrity's name out there in advance of the next promotional tour, as well as merge their interests to get a split of the photograph proceeds. (I covered the topic here.) All David has to do is show up--ultimately, they're business strolls. He's annoyed (even angry) at having to do it; but he still holds up his end of the celebrity bargain 'cuz that's Hollywood, baby. And he's always brought Monique along with him.

Next: "He pushed her hand away when people were looking before...." Continuing on my train of thought. The other times he and Monique were caught unawares by paparazzi (his band at the airport, Vancouver, the beach, etc.) were during the Revival hype. Monique didn't try to snuggle up, grab his hand, or get too close most incidences. The hand move you're referring to was, I believe, after a live show when he was super-duper keyed up, wanted to leave, and was followed (semi-circled?) by fans. Yeah, it could be a sign he wanted physical distance from her... except he acted out the exact same routine with his kids whenever they got papped or surrounded by a crowd: walking ahead of them, retreating into himself, not touching anyone unless they were feeling insecure or scared, looking serious or annoyed unless talked to or joked with. It was a clear pattern to me, so I guess I'm surprised you didn't notice it, too.

Next: "...and made her hold his arm like he was her gramps." I have an older couple-- 70s-- who have been married forever and still hold each other's arm like that, preferring to keep any romantic overtures tightly under wraps. I knew other older couples who would think that's rubbish or insanity. I know other young couples who are physically affectionate in public; and others who, again, would prefer to keep contact to a minimum. I've seen, read, or heard of every shade in-between; and I know you have, too. Maybe David likes how it makes him feel. Maybe Monique likes reenacting Austenian period dramas. Of all the accusations brought against them, this amuses me the most.

To be even more technical, I can pull up preeeeetty much all the paparazzi pics between he and MP in chronological (not release, they were reshuffled) order to prove that he initiated more contact with MP than the other way around, stemming as far back as 2017.

Next: "They didn’t have to have contact with Tim once he started dating their mother but they always did." First of all, I challenge you to prove that assertion. Second of all... why is that the focus of your question? Why did or didn't they have to? That's an assumption equal to the kids having no contact at all with MP for years. We don't know.

Tim said on a podcast that he and Tea shared a trailer to catch a nap early on in their relationship. Their coworkers suspected they were dating the entire first season, long before they announced it publicly (five-six months later around Christmas.) Tea and David previously married each other within eight weeks. Tea moves fast. We don't know how fast; but we do know one source alleged she and Tim were an item since summer (July) of 2014. David then filed for divorce in August, citing an "irretrievable breakdown of the marriage" (meaning Tea was ready to move on, that's her prerogative); and she and Tim spent Season 1 fake kissing but looked like they were "really kissing", according to an onset actor friend. All this to say, pretty sure Madam Secretary's pilot filmed in May; and if she and Tim were "on" by July, etc., it stands to reason she moves at the same pace as she did with her first husband; then David; then (presumably) Tim. Meaning, we don't know how much contact the kids had with Tim; but it was probably, likely, a lot. Monique, meanwhile, lived primarily in California; and she and the kids had separate worlds, we assume, until West graduated and started forming her own relationship behind the scenes. Miller seems to have followed suit; and the rest is history. All of those are provable facts because we have what David and Tea have said about and done with each other; what Tea and Tim have said about each other; what observers have confirmed or denied on all angles of the situation; and what the kids were doing then and doing now.

Next: "She smoked, loved red meat, wasn’t a gym rat etc. It’s just a little thing, not marriage ending but people fair better the more similar their habits." Your previous implication in the comments of our last chat here was that they wouldn't have lasted long because David couldn't mold Tea into the woman HE wanted. You assume he cheated, cheated, cheated until rehab, then cheated, cheated, cheated some more until their second and final breakup (despite the fact sources from her side said the final dissolution was due to her love not being the same as pre-rehab, not that he'd kept acting reprehensibly), then hooked up with a 19-year-old mercenary social climber that, somehow, waited two years before accidentally leaking where she and her boyfriend would be working out (in a reply to the owners of the Instagram gym they would be going to... which means someone had to have been stalking who she was talking to in order to find that information, hm) so he could no longer hide her away like a dirty secret. Those aspects of Tea were brought up to subtly back your larger point, which was to lay the blame at David's feet one way or another. If he deserves it, lay it there. But prove that he deserves it.

Next: "MP is at his beck and call, she will also twin him without hesitation." MP at his beck and call? ...Or maybe she's down to fly free to any cool new location, down to fly wherever he is because he's her boyfriend and she loves him, down to enjoy a financial freedom we mortals could only dream of having, etc., etc.? Assumptions on all sides; and, again, no proof.

Next: "They didn’t follow each other before because they didn’t interact in real life either. She had to leave when they were visiting up until 2022 and 2023. They didn’t have to have contact with Tim once he started dating their mother but they always did." Never denied that was the case. Still don't buy there was some grand conspiracy happening behind the scenes to keep the kids away from the disgusting age gap relationship and the dastardly, evil machinations MP was concocting on her evil Instagram account. I need hard proof before I believe assumptions.

Next: "Regarding Téa you are assuming she must be ok with MP because she’s good with D but I’m pointing out that she admitted she still wanted to strangle him sometimes for the things he does on a national television show" I never said Tea was okay with MP, just that she's more than okay with David despite his relationship.

Also, Tea's throttle comment disproves your angle, actually. Might as well throw it in here because that's a point you've not let go.

Tea's comment with full context:

In fact, the exes are on very amicable terms and talk almost every day, they even shared a rental home with all of their family over the Christmas period. But this doesn't mean the pair's current relationship is always smooth sailing. “On occasion, I want to throttle him,” she said of her former hubby. "But in any real relationship with someone you love, that’s true.”

Tea's quote the previous year, fresh from divorce:

"Listen, David gave me the two greatest gifts on the planet; I don't know how I could ever hate him. We've always loved each other, and we adore these kids," the 'Jurassic Park 3' actress said of her children, Kyd Miller, 12, and Madelaine West, 15. "I'm not playing stupid-I understand feelings can get hurt and things can get icky. We've had our moments like that. But these kids are too important, and he feels the same way. I know it," she continued. "He's a good guy."

Next: "Of course MP showed everyone the second she first hung out with both of them to no one’s surprise." This doesn't hold up in court, either, because West and her boyfriend gushed over MP all summer. West would have complained to her mom or dad if she felt uncomfortable with the video posted; and neither parent have would let that happen again. Furthermore, guess who was relaxed, smiling, and engaging with the camera, other than Monique? West. Guess who hugged up on Monique while her dad and Ben Stiller celebrated Bucky Dent's release with a performance? West. Guess who gave Monique a happy Happy Birthday message? West. Guess who attended a Taylor Swift concert with Monique? West. Guess who went with her to London to, as you say, "babysit" Monique? West. Guess who celebrated her birthday in New York with, you assume, Monique? West. Guess who'll be elsewhere with Monique in future? Probably West.

Next: "What are you taking about fixing things because of what’s written about her? She made fun of people for saying her friend was her boyfriend because they were disgusted by thought of David dating her and didn’t want to believe she was for real. So that was proof she was reading a few tumblrs when her name was first revealed." Logical inference but incomplete reasoning, I believe. David knows exactly what was said about his House of D movie; David knows what everyone was saying and has said about him during his rehab, reunion, and divorce; Tea knows what might be said and forbids Tim to talk about her in interviews; I know and you know what is being said about each other, which is why we're here (but at least I'll respond to you properly with a reblog or @); and Monique knows what people say about her because she possibly Googled herself or, I don't know, took a look at the vitriol in her comments section-- a few of which you've reposted in the past so even I got to see them. Lovely times. Again, no definitive proof.

Next: "How am I supposed to know if she’s read my blog? But what a dedicated reader you are." Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment instead of a barb. I began poking around your archives right around the time you made a post trying to debunk my David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson seasonal palette posts. (If you're trying to put me off, consider that you brought up our difference of opinion once again in the midst of an entirely separate talk about Monique and David's relationship.) You didn't have the curtesy to @ me then (and now); but I started scrolling while waiting for you to respond, came across a host of information, and decided to come back later to iron out some details. Needless to say, you can't passive-aggressively point a finger at me when your posts are supposed to be public to begin with, not even coyly private like you claim Monique's Instagram account is. One pointing forward, three pointing back, after all.

While we're on the topic, I also caught a lie you told during our previous conversation. Back in 2019? you put a cryptic message saying you didn't believe David and West were close because of Monique; and when West posted the next day for Father's Day, you followed up with another cryptic post hinting MP was reading her Tumblr detractors; and when another user called you out for that, you denied, denied, denied that was your intent; and then you confirmed that that had been your intent to me (in essence, restating that you believe MP keeps up with her anti Tumblr accounts and pressures DD's kids through him to post nice family tributes so they'll cover for her manipulative tactics actively destroying everyone's hunky dory life.) It's the same train of thought as "Gillovny is married"; except your theories are couched with half facts instead of pure insanity.

Next: "She’s never looked anorexic to me so thin yes but not too thin. D was only shockingly thin after Téa left him for good in 2011. My criticism has alway been to question the men in her life and her surroundings pushing her to get plastic surgery and to over exercise which made her much slimmer than she was before. Is that constructive enough?" Yes, actually; because this ties beautifully into my next point about your warfare tactics.

Indirect aggression is a form of aggression that hides behind "my opinion" or "my two cents" to bully others without receiving backlash. While it can be used in sexually competitive environments (in same sex bullying, for example), it mainly extends to interpersonal groups, families, and anonymous online forums. To quote National Library of Medicine: "According to Björkqvist [15], females prefer to use indirect aggression over direct aggression (i.e. verbal and physical aggression) because this form of aggression maximizes the harm inflicted on the victim while minimizing the personal danger involved. The risk to the perpetrator is lower because he/she often remains anonymous, thereby avoiding a counterattack. As well, indirect aggression harms others in such a socially skilled manner that the aggressor can also make it appear as if there was ‘no intention to hurt at all’." I recommend reading the study: it has a few fascinating things to say about perceived threats and thinness, as well.

The study continues: "Indirect aggression is circuitous in nature and entails actions such as getting others to dislike a person, excluding peers from the group, giving someone the ‘silent treatment’, purposefully divulging secrets to others, and the use of derisive body and facial gestures to make another feel self-conscious." While I can't see your face while typing out a post, your words do a sufficient enough job: "When has she ever been stunning honestly? She’s comparable to Perry Reeves and Suzanne Lanza. Average, a little masculine, thin and no sagging. The face doesn’t matter to men like David, nor intellect."

Another quote from a study published on PubMed Central: "In indirect aggression, the aggressor often uses others in the social group to harm the target and may avoid direct confrontation, whereas in direct aggression, the aggressor either physically or verbally confronts the target." Examples? Posting one's opinions about another person indirectly to their blog by not, say, tagging or addressing the 'opposition' directly, leaving them to be told about it or stumble onto it later before they can defend themselves... that might, perhaps, fit the bill. As would calling David and Monique names; then, when given pushback, telling detractors they don't need to care about your opinions, anyway. (For the record, I don't. Just found it fascinating to study the oh so subtle shifts of your narrative back and forth. That compliment's a freebie, by the way-- I try to hand out at least one in each negatively bent post.)

Don't get me wrong: if Monique were a provably bad person, I'd dust off my hands and let you have at. But for all your opinions, you have very few facts; and the mess-ups, flubs, or ill-thought actions on MP's part you have mentioned are so disparate and scattered-- and rarely repeated-- that they look less like condemning incidents and more like overblown reactions to mundane or innocent mistakes.

And before you write off my points by claiming I'm claiming you're jealous of Monique or some such nonsense, one of the above studies openly acknowledges that indirect aggression is not built on the premise of intrasexual competition strategy: "...developmental psychologists have tended to not conceptualize females' use of indirect aggression as an intrasexual competition strategy."

Next: "Again with the whataboutism." Art thou 'Whataboutism'?

Next: "So you were at the after party to see people’s reactions and parties where D’s been drunk?" No, and neither were you. You were also not at David's apartment when Monique and the kids might or might not have been there; you were also not in the room when David and Tea and the kids discussed Tim or Monique; and you were also not in either Monique's or David's head during the posts, blocks, unfollows, refollows, etc. decisions that were made. I merely commented on the fact that you have brought up his drinking before events in in the past, your reactions to it, others on here's reactions to it, and David's circle of friends, and what I do and don't know of said friends' behavior in the past.

Next: "D and T were inappropriate but consensual. PM pulled G’s bikini bottom down when she was trying to close the umbrella and I slammed him for that too. She was humiliated and embarrassed when the pictures were released." Conflation. David and Tea were surrounded by people in both instances, knew others could see them, and didn't care, inappropriate or not. Peter Morgan and Gillian were on a private vacation; and their privacy was infringed on by the paparazzi and media. For all the negative talk that came out of that incident, not one person stated that G was unwilling, visibly uncomfortable, or angry at Peter Morgan for doing so; only that she was "humiliated and embarrassed" after the fact. The problem in BOTH situations is that PM and MP were groping their partners in what they took for granted as private situations-- I have a casual understanding of David's friends and wouldn't be surprised if they didn't care about her or his antics in the long run-- and were filmed without any parties' consent.

Next: "D did not know what MP was doing, he almost spilled his drink jumping back away from her and he did not look like he enjoyed that trick in a room full of strangers." I saw the video a couple times. Did you not catch his smirk once he realized she wasn't trying to tickle his stomach but was doing a game to end up at his junk? It wasn't a polite one, either. If she had intentionally crossed a boundary and made him uncomfortable, I condone that behavior.

Next: "Defending that kind of public humiliation is repugnant." That's a lie, and you know it. Not once in our conversation have I taken the position of condoning, endorsing, or rug sweeping manipulative, abusive, coercive, or other boundary stomping behaviors. They are repugnant to me; and though being called 'repugnant' doesn't make a dent because you have no proof to back up your claim. And, frankly, it speaks to your character that you would try to blacken mine.

Next: "I find it tasteless that you don’t really care what KF did to those young people as long as your golden boy comes out looking alright."

Excuse you, that is a lie and slander.

In the comments of our previous conversation, I stated over and over he was a pimp. He should absolutely rot for what he's done. But you assume that Monique is just as guilty: benefiting from a business relationship with him, sweeping his treatment of other girls under the rug, using a victim's story to score back pats for herself. The reality is, the victim sided with Monique, both when MP supported her in the comments and when MP posted her own Instagram story sharing she'd been "there" before. Foregoing the obvious conclusion, you posted their first back and forth with other comments tearing Monique apart as the secret villain in this tragic story. That's disgusting, in my opinion. I tried to understand why you got to that conclusion; but if not only her friends, not only her coworkers, but the victim HERSELF is standing by Monique, then it is not the time to vindictively insinuate she exercised the same mean, grasping, oily tactics as her former boss. Further, that she was exploiting someone else's tragedy and trauma for her own gain.

Next: "She can be immature and also be a user who uses situations to her advantage." To quote you once again: that's a lie. Prove it. You can't. You can only assume what her intent, motives, and actions are based on your inference of her character.

Next: "...the old greasy celebrity rocker KR was trying to push on them." You can't prove that; and until you can, I can sit here and say it's a lie. It's your inference against mine.

Next: "She did not say she was mistreated by her boss." I never said her boss mistreated her. I never even got that indication from the post you spread around. She related to her coworker's experience through her personal one. Just because KR was an absolute monster to other girls doesn't mean he was a monster to all of them: monsters, abusers, and manipulators pick on the weakest person who has no one to stand behind and back them up. Her father, for instance, would have been a not insignificant buffer. He's well-connected in California, or so you imply by saying he's met David before. And it stands to reason he would be, supplement and wellness culture being what it is in the Golden State.

Next: "According to you MP was an adult and mature enough so she should have know what those special favors from the boss looked like to everyone else." Let's not get into the "his family and friends should have known Ted Bundy was a horrible person" of it all. No one knows what they're not aware of. I have a close, close family member who grew up adoring an abuser because he'd never abused her; yet was horrified and had to process the fact her other sibling was being used for everything short of penetration. To quote a good ol' Aslan meme: "Do not cite the deep magic to me, Witch! I was there when it was written."

Next: "She wrote a short perfunctory show of support for damage control and went back to thanking her lucky stars she now has an easy life of privilege living in a multi-million dollar Malibu home by the ocean thanks to her boss at SLO." First: prove it. You can't with any degree of fact. Second: I'd be thanking my lucky stars, too. So would you. So does everyone who's been in a tangential situation to an abuser and escaped unscathed-- so unscathed that they didn't even know the boss was perpetuating abuse. And that can at least be proven because, as you say, MP's boyfriend was still buying from that shop days before everything broke out; and she publicly empathized with and received empathy from the victim right after. Has the victim made a scathing comment calling out Monique later? Nope. Bet they're still on good terms, too.

Next: "What else does a very rich 54 year old man want from a 21 year old but lots of sex and an easy relationship with someone who doesn’t know any better?" Lots of sex, an easy relationship free of the complicated dynamics of children from other relationships, and someone to love and love him. Seems logical to me. What is unacceptable in age gap relationships are the predators who aim for 21-year-olds (or 19-year-olds, as you posit) because they pull women their age and can't aim lower; and who lock 'em down and knock 'em up as quickly as possible so they can't escape. Or those who say "yeah, sure, I'll marry you" while dragging their feet until the girl (as they see her) gives up and stays or gets up and leaves. If the latter, they start fresh with another young woman who might not see through their routine bag of tricks. David, for all his faults, has stated his intentions up front and publicly: he's not marrying again. He still wears the ring tattoo from his previous relationship. He relived the trauma of a broken home through his own actions. He still can't dwell on the pain his kids went through during that time. Unless he decides to change his mind, Monique's outta luck. Yet, I don't believe she cares as much as you do if they do get married or not. Certainly not as far as either of us can prove, anyway. By the way, Tea and Tim haven't married yet, either; and they've been together provably longer than Monique and David.

Next: "She was male celebrity obsessed, younger but she went with the one who came into the shop and showed interest." Prove it. You can't. Let's say that's the case: she would've hopped to a new person long before now. David's got friends, she's gone to his parties, she's met his people. Opportunists don't sit long with a second option when they get an opportunity to grab for their first. I read your old posts about her Twitter/Instagram follows; but none of you take into account if she was following other people and pruned those people out as her interests changed. You also can't prove when she followed those accounts: the next day after she opened her account? A month after? A year after? I have accounts open I've never used; I have family and friends that do, as well. Let's say she opened it right away and began using it: again, when did she follow those accounts? Were those celebrities part of a collective that her boss or coworkers said came into the shop? Did she prune out the others after seeing them in person? Why? Because you assume other celebrities are immune to her masterfully unskilled manipulation, but David wasn't?

Next" "You’ll defend anything adjacent to D."

That's a lie.

Prove it. He had to go into a sex addiction program because he hurt his wife and kids. He talks about saving the planet yet doesn't take more than bare minimum actionable steps himself. (What he does in his personal life is of no concern to me; but it is hypocritical of him.) If he backs up Chris Carter against Gillian in the Revival controversy, I will lose a qualitative amount of respect for him (because there is actual, factual proof of wrongdoing on Chris's part to his longtime friend and mother of his goddaughter.) He has blind spots, faults, weaknesses, and failures like any other person.

Next: "I see a lot of arguments that do not have anything to back it up, like he probably acted inappropriately while drunk at a party before and so what?" No, my comment was even you have picked at DD for drinking before his shows. That even he has probably acted on impulse before or during a party. That even he didn't seem too bothered after he realized MP wasn't tickling him. That his expression changed when he saw someone filming their interaction. I also pointed out his and Tea's post-rehab reconciliation shenanigans of equal and greater caliber (having a jolly time at a public ballgame and rolling on top of each around other beachgoers.) I also pointed out that GA had a Portofino moment. Would I grab my boyfriend's junk if we were in public? No. But David did with Tea. The only difference between those situations was DD and T had the power of denial on their side while MP was not afforded that luxury. You called her behavior trashy; but posting someone's junk grab to the internet without their consent is trashier to me.

Next: "Disturbingly, that’s what seems to give her self-worth." Prove it, with testimony and evidence other than assumptions you and other Tumblr, Instagram, or Twitter jockeys assume and interpret. Give me a firsthand witness of her behavior. Give me a former friend or a colleague. Give me a family member. Give me someone other than people on Twitter being blocked by DD's account and assuming it's her. Further, give me proof what they were saying before they were blocked: I don't give mercy to people being snide, snarky, or vile and boohooing about it later. You don't, either, so I'm sure you'll respect that quality.

Next: "Evidence shows that chiropractic adjustments do more to harm than help...."

That's a lie, and a pretty brazen one.

WebMD, MayoClinic, Medical News Today, healthline, and more medical websites and journals have articles promoting chiropractic methods, as well as the warning signs like any other medical procedure. The only disclaimer they put up was that chiropractic adjustments haven't shown a conclusive improvement in athletic achievement.

One of their articles state: "All chiropractors must earn a postgraduate degree (DC), taking up to 4 years to complete, and are required 90 semester hours of undergraduate coursework, and some programs require a bachelor's degree. All states also require chiropractors to be licensed." And all medical doctors and nurses are required to be licensed if they practice medicine; yet, bad apples slip through the cracks. It's slander to paint me as a blackhearted, single-minded, "let them eat cake" person towards victims of possible scammers, manipulators, and frauds just because I don't fall in line with your viewpoint. Further, you indirectly lump me in with your public statements about her "snake oil salesman" father without having any proof whatsoever that chiropractic practice is detrimental other than a few studies-- which I hope you didn't lie about looking up, too-- that the medical community doesn't even stand behind, while using them as your sword and shield. All because you didn't have concrete proof against Monique's father, all because Monique is dating David, all because you don't like their relationship.

More quotes and linked studies from healthline: "For example, in a 2015 study, researchers found that a group of 544 people in chiropractic care reported a high level of satisfaction. ...A 2016 study found that the Cobb angle in a group of five children with scoliosis improved after 8 weeks of chiropractic treatment. Noticeable improvements were seen after 4 weeks of treatment. ...A 2017 case study examined the effect of chiropractic treatment on a 27-year-old woman suffering from back pain, neck pain, and headaches caused by hyperkyphosis posture." They even provide guidelines to find a chiropractor-- "Ask for recommendations from your doctor, physical therapist, or other healthcare provider." And-- "Ask your friends, coworkers, or family members if they have any recommendations."

Next: "Evidence shows that chiropractic adjustments do more to harm than help, but as long as people feel they work everything is hunky-dory?" Prove it. I have genetic backproblems riddling the maternal side of my family; and my great grandmother, a nurse, and her daughter, my grandmother, both had their spines slowly realigned over time with chiropractic procedures. From an almost noticeable hunch to an almost straight line.

Next: "It alarming that you don’t care about real harm being done to people’s spines because it’s D’s gf’s father providing the service?" I also have a maternal family member who suffers from severe back pain every day but can't afford treatment where she lives. You know how I help? Reflexology. Every time, it takes her back from a ~8/10 to almost nothing-- and this from a woman hypersensitive to her body's workings and with an incredible pain tolerance. And yet, I'd be the first person to sign her up for surgery if I could. I regularly push her to seek medical attention for the most minor inconveniences.

CONCLUSION

I'm sorry to say that you are either: A. blinded by my lack of agreement into misinterpreting my words to fit your own narrative-- which is really probable, actually-- or B. willfully telling lies, to yourself or others, because it helps you feel like you've come off on top of an argument.

I'm not interested in creating a rift or a war. I'm also not interested in lies, slander, gossip, and bullying disguised as "this is my opinion."

You can attest I've been nothing but kind, overly so, in the past; and that I didn't ever strike out unless you struck first-- and even then, only to mimic your words or phrases back to you.

I do not respect your opinions: they are baseless and poisonous.

I do not respect your tactics: they are beneath you and I.

I do not respect your lies and slander: that is a given.

Fare thee well. I'm sure we shall speak again.

[alexandradel7]

Literally one of the last posts is "vile worm", because of what a man in Westeros wants to do to a girl who is 13 years old, who has already been married officiously since - period - according to the laws she is a woman (it's early, but it's already ok in Westeros damn) and her smile and consent is the necessary thing for a man here. Do you think I'm talking about Petyr? Tyrion here. :D It's just the fandom picking a target for their negative experiences from irl that they can spout off. Instead of understanding the character and the freaking context.

By the way I think Sanasa's consent and smile is needed for Petyr as well. But he's a jerk character, antoganistic, so he doesn't deny himself the pleasure of kissing the girl he likes, knowing that it might be uncomfortable to refuse because she depends on him so much. Sansa, in the social conscience of Westeros - a woman - who was already a bride, who was already being climbed on by a naked dwarf. I'm not saying the orders of the time are cool, I'm saying this character (I'm talking about Petyr now, well Tyrion too) isn't a grooming paedophile lol. The problematic stuff here is that he was complicit in her father's murder. But for Sanasa there are no problematic things here, she knows nothing like Jon Snow. Everyone in Westeros is problematic. Sanasa considers him as friend. She's not disgusted by him. Well I already wrote about that here. I honestly don't think Martin wants to write a story about grooming, in a world where many Lords' wives are about that age. Besides, people in the Middle Ages were a lot less infantile than they are now. (much) 13 then and 13 now are different 13s in terms of world perception and upbringing. Now at 17 is a lil kid. Before, it was already a man capable of leading an army of thousands of men. Rob is 16.

‘Romeo and Juliet’ - Juliet was 14 years old, Romeo was 16.

Instead, I'm pretty sure this is a story about the beginnings of feelings. Petyr, who probably hasn't fallen hard for anyone else besides Cat, focused on power, recalls those feelings when he almost lost his life because of it.

His heart has probably become very cold and he can only believe in lust. Brothels and whores where intimacy is sold for a few coins and feelings are simulated. Pretty ironic work for a man who has a scar all over his body from real feelings.

I wonder how Martin will show it. Maybe he won't show it as sensually as I think he might. Maybe ‘’Littlefinger‘’ will win with calculation. But Martin said no, ‘he'll never let go of Sansa,’ I believe. I think Sansa is the first person at all to touch him deeply in a dozen years.

Well, then the question then is how he will demonstrate those feelings, how careful he will be in moments of crisis. Just so you understand, I find ‘cutting off Petyr's head and killing him’ by Sanasa's hands incredibly banal and boring thing. Like any strong conflict between it is incredibly boring. What new and interesting things can be learned there? She'll scream, he'll try to calm her down, she'll turn the table over, she'll try to escape, from the castle (death and\or rape by some vagrants, ofc there could be a positive outcome), he'll lock her up. Turn into a tyrant and stop being a Limon dude. Jeez. Okay. I've been bored with angst stories for the last two years. She can cheat and escape, they'll be looking for her. Anyway… meh.

Much more interesting that Petyr will actually help Sansa survive in this world, and be sincere about it.

Petyr was involved in her father's death. Which of course is a huge elephant in the room, lol. I don't think he really cares about other people's lives, especially Stark lives. Although I think some cruelty is part of life in medieval times where people died all the time. Cat wished death on a little boy just because she was so angry about the affair. A wealthy woman who had everything, including food and warmth for her family wishes the boy dead. Psychopathy, no? No, just medieval. So Petyr's cruelty, given his scar and long time among the nobility, is understandable. But Petyr may care about those he feels are important. Giving lemons, featherbeds. By the way these signs of his attention are much deeper, he is from a poor family, the fact that he has someone important and the ability to give something to this person - I think for him it is a special thing This much more interesting dilemma is his real feelings in his cruel heart and everything around him. He is Lord Paramount of the Trident now, but he's literally flashbacked to when he was 17. I think he's greedy, he's going to treasure his feelings. After all that was one of the triggers of his path to power. I can't be with her because I didn't have power, status like Stark. When Stark inflicted his wounds, the river carried his blood away. Now he's King of the River himself. And the river princess's daughter, a little redfish, swims beside him. Anything could have gone wrong, but everything went lucky for Petyr. I wonder how Martin will kill him. And I don't want this character to die a miserable death.

At least it won't impress me much. Much more I'll feel from his death when it's so touching, so honest, that it resonates with the beginning of his story. (or not to die at all, only to die of old age in his castle looking at his grandchildren)

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

Because I know few people will see this and it’s getting late and the dash is crazy

Just a reminder that a certain someone (like someones in the past) also chose a public kind of life. To the supernova extreme that Taylor’s is, no, but this is the industry they chose as their vocation too, and this is the partner they chose to love from the outset.

Does that mean this someone deserves hate or harassment from her fans? No. Even if he had done something truly heinous which there is no indication of yet. But to also act as if he or any of her past partners are shrinking violets plucked out of obscurity as truly private citizens and her fame was a noose around their necks is completely disingenuous. These are not accountants or teachers or doctors who relinquished privacy upon meeting her. These are professionals in the entertainment industry who are seeking a level of public life to further their careers, in the sense that they have work in film and music and modeling and sponsorships and public appearances in service of those careers. Should commenters online be civil to any of these subjects when interacting with them? Absolutely. But let’s not pretend they haven’t chosen part of this life, and a certain public life would be an expectation of any they chose.

To act like Taylor’s dedication if not outright embracing of some of these aspects for her own career is a loaded gun is hurtful to her. (And to women in general in the industry.) I said this the other night, but Taylor has been mega-famous for over a decade; even if she were in a lull post-1989, that was still more attention than any human will ever experience in their lifetime. Choosing to jump into a relationship with her is an inherent acceptance of that, and forcing her hand in an effort to remove that — the intensity of which she for the most part has no control over — is unfair, and no wonder she’s pissed if it came down to that. I used an analogy that it’s like choosing to date someone with kids: they’re a package deal and by choosing them, you’re also accepting the full package. If you can’t handle it at that point of your life, the greatest kindness you can offer is to move on gracefully before everyone gets more hurt. Taylor’s life is no mystery in this respect, and choosing to date her but reject the core parts of what make her her — the appearances, the performances, the collaboration, the constant churn of projects to keep the creative juices flowing, etc. — truly could be death by a thousand cuts. Especially if for every inch she gave the person took a mile.

What I’m trying to say is: people shouldn’t be flooding these subjects’ social media accounts and dragging them, or harassing them on the street or whatnot. But, these are all grown ass men. Part of them (yes, even that one) want parts of this kind of life. If not, they would stick to plays in the west end or truly indie flicks, and not starring in leading roles in hyped tv shows or chasing after Hollywood movies with Oscar-darling directors. Or attending promotional events or participating in ad campaigns. They have agents and publicists and managers and all the trappings of celebrity. Everyone deserves their privacy absolutely, and I certainly sympathize with that level of intrusion because it seems unbearable to a dull normal like me. But, the parts that are a fundamental foundation of your career — performing, networking, supporting each other at events — shouldn’t be weaponized against Taylor because she’s at least honest about wanting it. We really don’t need to be protecting these men for the things Taylor is villainized for. These men may not admit it, but they chose to do the same kinds of events Taylor does, albeit on a much smaller scale.

I’m not saying it isn’t awkward that Taylor may be airing some dirty laundry in her upcoming music. But, for all we know, she may have reason to be pissed. And again: this isn’t new behaviour for Taylor. She’s always written music about her life. If someone isn’t comfortable with that from the outset, maybe they should have rethought their motivations. I don’t want to make assumptions, but thoughts are definitely thinking.

In short, stop babying men who choose this life to take down the women who embrace it.

[the-mirage-forest]

Short Story Time!

Wrote a short story last week about Shi and some of his backstory + the aftermath, here's a link: Google Doc

I'm not sure if I'll publish future ones also in google doc, making one long post with it is probably unviable for them, archiving them on Ao3 feels like a decent option but I don't know how tagging would work.

Anyway, because I haven't posted the bios for some of these characters in a VERY long time-some bios getting edits and the almanac unintentionally being hard to access (oops)-Bios and context below the cut! I'd highly recommend at least reading Shi and Saturn's at least.

CONTEXT CUT

SHI & DEATH WELLS

         One of the 11 Wielders of The Mirage, Shi is the Wielder of Death. Wielding death itself both metaphorically and literally. Unlike other Wielders, Shi’s scythe is sapient.

        On one hand, Shi is a clean freak,  judgemental, but intelligent and greatly caring of his family. Usually keeping Death in line and keeping the house where he and his siblings live clean, sometimes babysitting the rest if Saturn is out in public. Spending the rest of his time with Scuro, tends to flub up his english, though Scuro will always be there to correct him.

         On the other hand, his scythe is also judgemental, bossy, mocking, and just the (literal) tool embodiment of an a-hole. He can talk and communicate both regularly and telepathically to Shi, usually giving snarky comments and insults towards his siblings.

       Shi’s story begins in Mexico around the 1940’s-1960’s, living in poverty and by himself. Shi sees an odd creature, mouselike but not quite. And chases it into a Mirage portal. However, this particular portal was unstable, sending him back thousands of years into the Mirage. as much as Shi wanted to leave. There was a pull that was keeping him there, something was calling him.

          So he followed that pull to an old, crumbling crypt. There was where Shi would meet his soon-to-be best friend, Scuro. The Wielder of Shadows, was guarding the crypt. Despite the goo monster at the crypt speaking English (Which Shi didn’t understand), Shi continued on almost robotically. With Scuro threatening to use their powers to throw him back where he came from, but never actually doing so because they don't have the heart to. Quote:“Hey! Go away! I’ll kick you right out of here! I will! I’m not kidding! I will!” 

         Reaching the crypt, there’s a looming ominous scythe standing by itself upon a pile of rubble. Scuro, quite tired of seeing things die from this scythe. Tackles Shi as he grabs it. Sending off an explosion threatening to collapse the crypt and sending Scuro into a wall. This was Death itself, the Last Trial Scythe. Though accomplishing the impossible of not being turned to bones the moment he touched the scythe unlike those who came before him. It was coming up on Shi, upon being called reckless by this angry scythe. Shi becomes something of a verbal dagger and starts sassing an ancient object until the object asks him to “Take responsibility”. To which Shi, not understanding what this actually meant, said yes. So, Shi got up from this whole ordeal. Becoming the Wielder of death, accomplishing what even The Overseer thought was to be a fruitless waste of time.

SATURN WELLS

I’m not sure why it took me so long to write about the Overseer himself, but it did. This is Saturn Wells, the only Overseer of The Mirage. Very old, very anti-social full-time Overseer and parent. Doesn’t really sleep much, but it’s usually only a few hours long when he does.

          5’, birthday unknown, weighing 186 lbs. Saturn’s extremely wise and intelligent at his job. But also a very caring stay-at-home parent, we’re not sure why he cares so much about his own kids. They’re adopted, and he knows they might die and he’ll have to start all over, so why does he even try? According to him “I don’t care if I’ll have to take care of them forever throughout every life. I still want them to live happy lives, every time.”.

     His care for the Wielders and the two Starborn are still odd by an Overseer’s standards, though. Most of the time they’re left in someone else’s hands.

      It’s worth noting that he didn’t create the Xiilunes, while only he knows of their origins he simply gains a mortified look and never speaks. Although in the few cases we’ve seen him with the goo(s), he’s unable to control them, much less make them spread.

     As said before Saturn’s extremely wise and intelligent. However his knee jerk reactions definitely aren’t the best in the world, often leaving him with large problems. Such as when he took the starborn in without realizing he would have to parent them, though he doesn’t particularly regret that one. He does however, have a tendency to become anxious and reacts very poorly to stress. Even small things tend to put him on edge, while very soft and caring for his family. He hates having to interact with the public otherwise, social anxiety and all that.

     Lives in a house out in a secluded area, like a hermit and opposed to going out in public. The house has a special spell on it, whoever walks near it in a three-mile radius is unable to leave without his permission. Instead just walking right back to it.

Has pretty bad stress-eating habits and feather-picking habits, and a fear of abandonment, which has gotten bigger in the last few years. Compared to most Overseers, his poor health has led to his magic being a bit weaker than it should be…

SCURO WELLS

WATAWNA WELLS

The “younger” of the two Mirage starborn, Watawna Wells is technically the 2nd-to-eldest sister to the Wielders despite not being one herself. Despite this, they still treat her more like an aunt figure. As she seems to have picked up on her father’s (Metaphorical) softer side.

7’2”, born a few milliseconds after her sister (Something that’s frequently fought about), Watawna spends her days as a pediatrician (focused on the magic side of things). She seems to have her interests drift from place to place and then loop right back around, unbeknownst to anyone. She was a poisoner for a short time, but quit because unlike her sister, she has a better moral code.

Watawna’s something of a kooky aunt figure, the type of person who collects shiny rocks, the type of person who’d get distracted by all the lost stuff they found while cleaning their room. Yes, she’s those types of people with a side of care and bubbliness. Probably intelligent, but really doesn’t act like it. Personally I think she’s a bit oblivious sometimes…but I’ve heard that if she does get mad she crawls along the walls/roof chasing people like a demon in an 80s earth horror movie. Sadly, I can’t say if this is true because it’s literally impossible to annoy her at all that it's annoying in itself

Being a starborn, she’s extremely powerful in her abilities. Most of her abilities makeup what we all know as Hollowlantern Magic. Just like regular Hollowlanterns, she also needs leaves to power said magic. 

The relationship between her and Tempest certainly isn’t tense, they may not act like it but they stick together through and through no matter what. It’s impossible to see one without the other nearby, although fights have certainly happened. Some leaving lots of damage and in some cases, casualties. Both are also of equal strength, although neither really show it. In fact at first glance it may seem more like Watawna is the weaker of the two siblings, but no matter how you cut it. They’re the same in their abilities.

Lives in a house with Tempest that’s nearby Saturn’s house, roughly 4 miles away.

TEMPEST WELLS

This is Tempest Wells, one of the Mirage Starborn.  Being 0.00000561 milliseconds older (And more responsible in general, but how petty do you have to be to figure that specific number out?)than her sister, she’s considered the older of the two. Standing at 14’1, Tempest’s just an inch above the average Hollowlantern height.

Born sometime around October 22-24th alongside her sister Watawna. She’s one of the few starborn to still exist in this universe, starborn are beings born from magical forces getting caught in a supernova. Resulting in one or more beings of various forms to be born, however, they’re often highly deformed and weak at birth. Tempest and Watawna were extremely lucky, only being born without faces. Something easily fixed from Saturn’s knee jerk reaction of carving their faces, which (somehow?) didn’t kill them. Out of the two, Tempest is considered to be the unfriendly one. Unlike Watawna, Tempest really doesn’t care about others, not that she can’t. She just doesn’t like to. While definitely brash, gruff, and a bit quiet. She has shown to be much calmer and sometimes has a heart. A much better listener than speaker for someone who needs to vent, as opposed to Watawna, who’s version of comfort is…all over the place.

While not extremely aggressive of everyone around her, she most certainly doesn’t like them, letting her pessimism and lack of tone control. Well, control how she speaks. As you can tell, Tempest has a very pessimistic outlook on life. With Watawna there to “remind” her. 

       Moving on from her personality, no one really knows what’s underneath Tempest’s hood. It’s so old, and well kept, still holds together pretty well from what I’ve seen. Supposedly she got it as a birthday gift and hasn’t been seen without it since, hell even Watawna’s curious. We’ll probably never find out, because even if it goes down to her ankles it’d still be impossible to sneak up on her much less yank it off. 

(I’m not sure if I’ll be in trouble for saying this, but while Tempest is a surgeon at O’Ghost General Hospital, I’ve found some evidence she may be a hitwoman on the side…so if you never hear from me again randomly, that might be why…)

[tsunflowers]

I finally finished reading dhalgren. what an incredible book. there just isn't anything else like it. I really think dorohedoro might come closest but dhalgren is both more meandering and more incisive. there are parts that feel completely surreal but then there are parts that cut to the core of social unrest in America in such a way that you wonder if the surreal parts have a meaning you aren't seeing

I read it bc it was on a list of top ten scifi novels people pretend to have read. you shouldn't pretend to read it, you should just read it. but it's hard for me to explain what I found so appealing about it. even if I describe things that happen in it I'll miss important stuff and I won't be able to convey the experience of reading it

it's about a city called bellona, which used to be one of the top ten cities in America but then something happened to it that disconnected it from reality. now there's only a thousand people mostly living in abandoned houses and looting from empty stores. people come to visit from all over for their own various reasons and one of those visitors is a man with amnesia who takes on the name "the kid" or "kidd." before he gets into the city he has sex with a woman who turns into a tree and acquires a weapon called an orchid which is like claws over his hand and appears without him putting it on sometimes. these things are not explained but they happen

once in the city he drifts around getting to know the different groups who call bellona home. theres disorganized hippies in a public park. there's a gay guy who lives in a shack behind a row of meat hooks. there's a white family who are living in a bubble refusing to see the reality of the city they're in. and there are the scorpions. scorpions are sort of gangsters, but they don't really claim territory or deal drugs. they're just a pack of people who all live crammed into one house and look out for each other and sometimes go on runs where they smash up buildings. and they wear holographic projectors that look like dangerous animals, like scorpions. kidd becomes the leader of a group of scorpions, and he also gets a girlfriend and a boyfriend. he's in a stable polycule for the back half of the book. also a lot of the book is about the creative impulse and whether your words stop being your own once they're published and interpreted. bc kidd writes poetry almost compulsively but has mixed reactions to people's responses

I think I would be remiss to rec this book without trying to provide some content warnings. I think I'm probably going to miss a few things but the book does include: heavy use of slurs (mostly n-- but also f-- and a brief appearance of an anti-Asian slur), sex with minors (the main character dates a teenager), child death, racial violence, explicit descriptions of rape, consensual but degrading sex, and gun violence. also the main character describes going to the bathroom more than maybe any other book I've ever read

it's heavy, and it's 800 pages, but if you're even a little intrigued by any of this I think you should try reading it! as strange as it can be I found it very readable. the dialogue feels natural and is often very funny. it's not actually an impenetrable brick of a book but it's completely its own thing

[white-weasel]

Saw Saturday has come yet again, this time we watched Saw VI:

First off, this movie was so aggressively 2008-2009 in its theme I was FLOORED. Of course there were the predatory lenders, loaning out money to those they knew couldn’t pay it back (direct reference to the housing crash in 2007/2008) and then I got hit with the words “preexisting condition” and literally went “oh fuck the affordable care act doesn’t exist yet.” So definitely was interesting to get a blast from the past with social commentary that was very much based on popular public discourse at the time (not saying predatory lending and American health insurance aren’t also issues now just… a different kind of issue/focus)

I cannot believe that Strahm’s hand survived that entire crushing room so in tact. Then again I did not watch Strahm’s actual death at all because I’m too much of a baby about broken bones, but just seeing the rest of the corpse… man Hoffman got pretty lucky with that one

Perez didn’t die in 4/5 I fucking called it!!! Like I said, if I don’t see your body idc, you’re alive in my book

Still, I’m surprised that they revealed that bit of information to Hoffman. I guess at that point they were running off the assumption Strahm was Jigsaw’s accomplice and thus Hoffman would be a trusted ally in the investigation but man

Speaking of, Hoffman was sooooo sus this entire movie it was almost comical. I mean, it’s probably just because you as an audience member know Hoffman’s whole deal but still

Another Saw trap gauntlet! I think it’s interesting that as the movies moved more towards focusing on John Kramer and his crew as the main characters, rather than those in the trap, the traps have turned into multiple tests rather than just one. It makes sense from a story telling perspective though because that way they don’t have to explain multiple people’s deals why they’re in these traps and can instead just focus on one

With that, I think this was my favorite of the trap gauntlets yet! Actual tough decisions for William and I feel like it mixed the moral choices being put forward by 3 about saving people, while also making the decisions tougher/have more consequences like 5. I really liked the maze where in order to let her pass through he had to redirect the steam and burn himself and the shotgun carousel trap where he had to impale his hands in order to save just a fraction of those on it.

I was staring at the teen boy with his mom who have been put in that cage room with the acid and was like “He looks familiar but idk where I’ve seen him before” a few scenes later my friend just blurts out “oh my god that’s Rodrick from Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and we literally had to pause to take in that information

Once again though, not sure how I feel about more John Kramer lore being added, but this at least didn’t stand out to me as being Too Much yknow. It makes sense that there was a slimy insurance guy who screwed over thousands of sick people and also did it to John, who was a close friend. Didn’t break anything pre established too much

Idk if this was intentional but the whole thing about the knives used to cut the jigsaw pieces out being different for Hoffman vs John felt like it was kinda a reference back to John telling Hoffman that the blade on his pendulum was inferior. If Hoffman had just followed John’s lead and used a surgical precision knife, the right tool for the job, to cut up that latest victim, the discrepancy wouldn’t have been raised and they probably wouldn’t have even thought about re-examining the Seth Baxter tape

The scene in the audio technician lab? So good. Once again Hoffman is being so so sus but also he’s cornered. I do have to question the logic of letting Hoffman hear the actual incriminating evidence when it’s pretty obvious they suspected him at this point, but it led to an iconic moment so I will take it

Rip Perez for real this time :( genuinely did like her from what we saw from her and I desperately wanted her to own Hoffman’s ass

Did NOT expect Hoffman to have basically blackmailed Amanda into killing Lynn (and thereby killing herself) back in 3, but now that I think about it it makes sooo much sense. It never 100% clicked with me why Amanda did that with how I read her character, but knowing that she was making the choice between her father figure/mentor/person who’s approval she wanted most in the world hating her or killing Lynn, things have fallen into place better

Jill was MUCH more involved with the Jigsaw operation than I had previously thought. It was basically like a fucking murder family up in there lmaoooo

Hoffman in the reverse bear trap was unexpected!! And the fact he beat what was supposed to be an unbeatable trap for him??? Actually a little bit insane. (He and Strahm both surviving “unwinnable” traps? They’re perfect for each other) I cannot wait to see what Jill’s reaction is gonna be when he eventually shows up and is like “I lived, bitch”

We’re reaching the point where my friend doesn’t remember what happens in the series (she watched some of the movies year ago) She said she very clearly remembered 1-3, would remember things as they came up in 4, and now only remembers stuff from Jigsaw since she saw that one in theaters. However, she loves hearing me ramble about my theories and then likes to look things up about the movies so she can know ahead of time if I’m right or not lmao

In her words “See, I knew you would like these movies, not because of like the traps or the gore or anything, but because of the crazy shit that happens in the plot. It’s fun seeing you go crazy about the twists and then spiral until we watch the next one.” And she’s absolutely 100% right

[baglove]

(via cat lovers Mask by mohammed elhachimi)

funny, cute, fear federal feel feeling few field fight figure fill film final finally financial find fine finger finish fire firm first fish five floor fly focus follow food foot for force foreign forget form former forward four free friend from front full fund future, game garden gas general generation get girl give glass go goal good government great green ground group grow growth guess gun guy hair half hand hang happen happy hard have he head health hear heart heat heavy help her here herself high him himself his, a ability able about above accept according account across act action activity actually add address administration admit adult affect after again against age agency agent ago agree agreement ahead air all allow almost alone along already also although, always american among amount analysis and animal another answer any anyone anything appear apply approach area argue arm around arrive art article artist as ask assume at attack attention attorney audience author authority available avoid away baby back, institution interest interesting international interview into investment involve issue it item its itself job join just keep key kid kill kind kitchen know knowledge land language large last late later laugh law lawyer lay lead leader learn least leave, left leg legal less let letter level lie life light like likely line list listen little live local long look lose loss lot love low machine magazine main maintain major majority make man manage management manager many market marriage material matter may, civil claim class clear clearly close coach cold collection college color come commercial common community company compare computer concern condition conference congress consider consumer contain continue control cost could country couple course court, cover create crime cultural culture cup current customer cut dark data daughter day dead deal death debate decade decide decision deep defense degree democrat democratic describe design despite detail determine develop development die difference different, bad ball bank bar base be beat beautiful because become bed before begin behavior behind believe benefit best better between beyond big bill billion bit black blood blue board book born both box boy break bring brother budget build building, business but buy by call camera campaign can cancer candidate capital car care career carry case catch cause cell center central century certain certainly chair challenge chance change character charge check child choice choose church citizen city, myself name nation national natural nature near nearly necessary need network never new news newspaper next nice night no none nor north not note nothing notice now number occur of off offer office officer official often oh oil ok old on once one only, enough enter entire environment environmental especially establish even evening event ever every everybody everyone everything evidence exactly example executive exist expect experience expert explain eye face fact factor fail fall family far fast father, history hit hold home hope hospital hot hotel hour house how however huge human hundred husband i idea identify if image imagine impact important improve in include including increase indeed indicate industry information inside instead, sort sound source south southern space speak special specific speech spend sport spring staff stage stand standard star start state statement station stay step still stock stop store story strategy street strong structure student study stuff style subject, shake share she shoot short shot should shoulder show side sign significant similar simple simply since sing single sister sit site situation six size skill skin small smile so social society soldier some somebody someone something sometimes son song soon, third this those though thought thousand threat three through throughout thus time to today together tonight too top total tough toward town trade traditional training travel treat treatment tree trial trip trouble true truth try turn tv two type, difficult dinner direction director discover discuss discussion disease do doctor dog door down draw dream drive drop drug during each early east easy eat economic economy edge education effect effort eight either election else employee end energy enjoy, onto open operation opportunity option or order organization other others our out outside over own owner page pain painting paper parent part participant particular particularly partner party pass past patient pattern pay peace people per perform, cat, love, success successful such suddenly suffer suggest summer support sure surface system table take talk task tax teach teacher team technology television tell ten tend term test than thank that the their them themselves then theory there these they thing think, animal, tie dye hippie hipster rainbow tumblr cool peace trendy colorful cute shaka trending trippy beach blue pastel hippy dye funny hang loose indie jeep ocean tie aesthetic boho fashion girly good vibes love popular positive surf vibes weed adventure bohemian, dope feminism girl green groovy grunge hand happy hawaii kawaii life loose mandala meme music nice pale peaceful pink purple space summer tiedye trend tye die tye dye vintage 70s 90s artsy be happy black california car colors drugs festival florida food, fun good goth hang hearts hippies instagram la logo lsd marijuana meditate new york peace sign pineapple psychedelic pun quote retro script shoes sign stay woke tie die top selling travel traveling tropical typography vibe water waves white woke yellow zen, 1960 1970 2019 3 420 60s aestethic alex morgan alien aloha anatomy apples atlanta atlantis avocado avocados awesome backgrounds ball basic beautiful bernie birkenstocks black and white bloodshot bob bob weir bones bong brandy melville bright bright side, bro bud buddha buddhas bumper ca cali calligraphy calm cartoon case chaco chacos chakra chakras chance the rapper chic chicago chill chill out city claire andrews claireandrewss classic clout clout goggles college colour colourful country cowabunga dancing, skeleton dark blue dead head death designs disco dolphin donut doodle dorm down drake dude edm elephant elephants emoji eno equal pay eyes fall fat buddha fist floral flower flowers font four stars fries fruit fry funds fye gd50 girl gang girl girl girls

[newstfionline]

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Maple Syrup (CTV News) It was a bumper year for maple syrup production in Canada, where producers have made 79.1 million litres of maple syrup. To translate for Americans, that’s 20.9 million gallons of a fascinating tree-based alternative to high-fructose corn syrup. The maple syrup harvest is up 53.8 percent over 2021, and is the highest yield on record. Quebec was responsible for 91 percent of that figure with the province claiming to produce 72.3 million litres of maple syrup, which means it made 19.1 million gallons.

Tens of thousands without power after California earthquake (AP) Tens of thousands of homes and businesses along the Northern California coast remained without power Tuesday evening, nearly a day after a powerful earthquake jolted people awake and shook homes off foundations, injuring at least 12 and leaving many without water. “It felt like my roof was coming down,” Cassondra Stoner said. “The only thing I could think about was, ‘Get the freaking kids.’” When the ground stopped moving, Stoner’s family was fine—a daughter even slept through the racket. But when she showed up to work at Dollar General, she found tiles had fallen from the ceiling, shelves were toppled and the contents of the discount store she manages were scattered on the floor. The magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurred at 2:34 a.m. near Ferndale, a small community about 210 miles (345 kilometers) northwest of San Francisco and close to the Pacific coast.

DEA seized enough fentanyl to kill every person in the U.S. in 2022 (Washington Post) The Drug Enforcement Administration said Tuesday it has seized more than 379 million potentially fatal doses of illegal fentanyl this year, as Mexican drug-trafficking organizations continue to flood the United States with the cheap synthetic opioid responsible for record numbers of U.S. overdose deaths. The agency said it has confiscated more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder and 50.6 million illegal fentanyl tablets so far in 2022. That was twice the number of tablets seized in 2021, when more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses. Two-thirds of those deaths were caused by fentanyl, according to U.S. public health data.

Zelenskiy visits the U.S. (Bloomberg) US President Joe Biden welcomed Volodymyr Zelenskiy to the White House Wednesday in the Ukraine leader’s first trip abroad since Russia attacked last February. Biden voiced hope for a “just peace,” but the visit comes at a critical stage of the war: Ukraine has faced a barrage of missile and drone attacks targeting civilians and energy infrastructure in recent weeks, leading to power and water cuts in brutal winter weather. Zelenskiy has pleaded for more advanced weapons systems to blunt Russian attacks and for additional energy and economic support. As for Putin, who has called up hundreds of thousands of untrained recruits to reanimate his stalled attack, he contends Russia has “no limitations” on military spending, and urged his army to continue the war.

Mexican ambassador expelled from Peru over meddling claims (AP) In a roller-coaster day for Mexico’s relations with Peru, Mexico announced Tuesday it had granted asylum for the family of ousted Peruvian president Pedro Castillo. Hours later, Peru declared the Mexican ambassador to Lima persona non grata and ordered him to leave within 72 hours. The Peruvian foreign ministry said without elaborating that Castillo’s wife, Lilia Paredes, was under criminal investigation in the South American country, where corruption allegations had dogged her husband’s administration. Paredes and the couple’s two children were at the Mexican embassy in Lima. Peru said it would allow the family to leave for Mexico, but could later demand Mexico extradite Paredes Navarro if she were to eventually face any charges in Peru. Peru’s foreign ministry said in its social media accounts Tuesday that it was expelling Mexican Ambassador Pablo Monroy because “of the repeated statement by that country’s highest authorities about the political situation in Peru.”

U.K. nurses strike over pay, testing a health-care system in crisis (Washington Post) The British newspapers are calling it the “winter of discontent.” Huge strikes are creating chaos in hospitals and standstills at transit hubs, as walkouts by firefighters, baggage handlers, paramedics, driving examiners, immigration officers, bus drivers, construction workers, mail carriers and railway conductors mount. The public has been warned to avoid train travel on Christmas Eve. Most worrisome for the government—and the public—is that nurses have just gone on strike, too. Teachers are threatening work stoppages early in the new year. Workers in wide swaths of the public sector are in open revolt against 12 years of “austerity budgets” by the Conservative Party and the soaring costs of living in 2022. Energy prices are so high here that the government stepped in to cap and subsidize home heating bills so that people wouldn’t freeze in their flats. During the worst years of the coronavirus pandemic, millions of ordinary Britons stood on their doorsteps during harsh lockdowns to bang pots and pans and clap their hands for National Health Service workers, hailing them as front-line heroes. Now the nurses are saying they need more than applause. They are burned out, overworked and underpaid, they say, and want a real raise to keep up with inflation, which has topped 10 percent.

Putin orders FSB to step up surveillance of Russians and borders (Reuters) President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the Federal Security Services to step up surveillance of Russian society and the country’s borders to prevent risks from abroad and traitors at home. Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s Security Services Day—widely celebrated in Russia—Putin said the “emergence of new threats” increases the need for greater intelligence activity. Putin instructed the FSB to maximise their “use of the operational, technical and personnel potential” to tighten control of the society. The FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, has already been operating in Russia as an expansive surveillance and censorship apparatus and Moscow’s invasion in Ukraine has involved a large swathe of the security services. Since the start of the war, demonstrations and dissent have been swiftly quelled in Russia, with more than 1,300 detained in September at protests denouncing Putin’s military mobilisation of 300,000. In a rare admission of the invasion of Ukraine not going smoothly, Putin said that the situation in Ukraine’s regions that Moscow moved to annex in September is “extremely difficult” and ordered the FSB to ensure the “safety” of people living there.

Surrender to a Drone? Ukraine Is Urging Russian Soldiers to Do Just That. (NYT) Tens of thousands of drones have been employed across Ukraine to kill the enemy, spy on its formations and guide bombs to their targets. But this month the Ukrainian military began a program to use drones in a more unusual role: to guide Russian soldiers who want to surrender. The program had its genesis in late November, when the Ukrainian military released footage of a Russian soldier throwing his weapon to the ground, raising his hands and nervously following a path set out by a drone overhead, leading him to soldiers from the Ukrainian army’s 54th Mechanized Brigade. A few weeks later, the Ukrainian General Staff released an instructional video explaining how Russian soldiers can surrender to a Ukrainian drone, and it is now part of a wide-ranging effort by Ukraine to persuade Russian soldiers to give up. The program, called “I want to live,” includes a phone hotline, a website and a Telegram channel all dedicated to communicating to Russian soldiers and their families.

Snow piles deep in northern Japan (AP) Heavy snow in northwestern Japan since the weekend has left at least three people dead, stranded hundreds of vehicles on highways, disrupted trains and left thousands of homes without electricity, officials said Wednesday. The powerful weather system brought heavy snow to Japan’s northern coastal areas since Saturday, with snow piling up more than 2 meters (6.5 feet) in parts of Niigata, Yamagata and Aomori prefectures. Self-Defense Force troops helped clear Niigata highways, where hundreds of cars and delivery trucks were stuck in lines stretching more than 20 kilometers (12 miles), and to provide other support. Local volunteers also helped to provide food and other necessities to those stranded inside their vehicles for hours. With improving weather conditions, road closures were lifted Tuesday, but another snowstorm is forecast to affect the region toward the weekend.

Taliban Bar Women From College Classes, in a Stark Reversal of Rights (NYT) The Afghan government on Tuesday barred women from attending private and public universities, officials said, in the latest severe blow to women’s rights under a Taliban administration that has all but reinstituted the hard-line rule the group maintained during its first stretch in power during the 1990s. The move is the most recent sign that the Taliban’s leadership has cast aside any intent to moderate, and it is the realization of fears that 20 years of Western human rights and governance initiatives would be undone after the Taliban took power last year. The new government in recent weeks has reinstated Shariah law, carried out public floggings across the country and conducted one public execution. All that is likely to threaten the influx of badly needed international aid that has kept Afghanistan from the brink of famine as it grapples with a devastating economic collapse.

Children among 547 detained Syrians declared dead—rights monitor (Reuters) Ever since Yehya Hijazi and his two sons were detained in 2012 by the Syrian government, their relatives had clung onto the hope they were still alive and might be released one day. But after a decade of silence from the authorities, their hopes were shattered when the independent Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) monitoring group contacted the Hijazi family to tell them it had obtained death certificates for all three. The SNHR said the documents confirming the death of Yehya and his sons were among 547 detainee death certificates issued by the authorities since 2017 that it had obtained from whistleblowers within government departments. The rights group said the documents provided answers to the fates of hundreds of missing people. The war in Syria spiralled out of a 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule and has killed over 350,000 people, uprooted more than half the population and forced millions abroad as refugees. Tens of thousands are estimated to have been held in Syrian government detention centres, according to the U.N. commission. Detainees are often held incommunicado, leaving their families wondering about their whereabouts, or if they are even alive, the commission and families of detainees have said.

Biden’s strategy for a far-right Israel: Lay it all on Bibi (Politico) President Joe Biden and his aides have a plan for how to deal with the far-right, anti-Palestinian tilt of the incoming Israeli government: make it all about Benjamin Netanyahu. The Biden administration will hold the presumptive Israeli prime minister personally responsible for the actions of his more extreme cabinet members, especially if they lead to policies that endanger a future Palestinian state, two U.S. officials familiar with the issue told POLITICO. Netanyahu is the person U.S. officials will publicly turn to, refer to and rely upon for any remotely serious talks on issues ranging from Israeli settlements in the West Bank to Israel’s relations with Arab states, the officials said. The Israeli politician has, after all, stressed that he’ll be running the show. The Biden team’s approach underscores the complexity and the growing fragility of the U.S.-Israeli relationship. Israel’s role as a security partner, as well as its role as a haven for the Jewish people, means any serious break is not feasible, no matter how radical its government. But the rightward trend in Israeli politics is also eroding what was once strong bipartisan support for the country in Washington, especially among Democrats who are increasingly willing to criticize Israel despite blowback on the campaign trail.

Biotechnology risks (nti.org, economist.com) In recent years, the cost of DNA synthesis has continued to plummet, new suppliers have emerged in countries around the world, and bench-top synthesis devices that make it easier for scientists to print DNA in their own labs are now commercially available. Safeguards have not always kept up. Even more concerning, one of the main barriers to a step-by-step blueprint to assemble that DNA into a transmissible, lethal virus could be no more than a paywall in a peer-reviewed academic journal. Many journals continue to publish the latest science on how to tinker with pathogens to make them more transmissible or virulent, and how to make them from scratch. These developments are taking place in the context of accelerating bioscience and biotechnology advances that are revolutionizing the capability to engineer living systems. These can have real potential benefits in improving human health, fostering economic development, and combating climate change. However, these advances also pose significant risks of deliberate exploitation by malicious actors or through inadvertent misuse.

[fleetingvow]

The nonexistent veins of this blog runs purely on angst. If you’ve come looking for written works of that category, please feel free to name the fics that have piqued your interest! A fair warning that the author’s first language is not English therefore perfection is not guaranteed, but that’s the beauty of it, is it not? Angst is an art of imperfection meeting a scale of perfection, or otherwise — if that makes sense.

Be reminded that this author writes under a nome de plume, which means all personal information are meant to be anonymous and not meant to be disclosed to the audience. This detail is relevant to those who wish to send an “ask” regarding the writer.

This blog’s works include gender neutral and female insert reader fics written about: Wednesday Addams, Evelyn Deavor, Anthony Lockwood, Henry Creel, Brienne of Tarth, Robin Buckley, Kang Sae-Byeok, and ( formerly and not anymore ) Camilo Madrigal.

Wednesday ‘ Wednesday Addams

BITTER SOLITUDE

Wednesday has always loved being alone. She enjoyed the company of solitude and the opportunity for something haunted in the eerie silence, but somehow your presence was missing. Did she do something wrong? ( Angst, Female Reader Insert. )

DEAD OF NIGHT

In which you and Wednesday open up to each other as comfort after you woke up from a nightmare, replaying the moments in the forest when the hyde attacked you not so long ago. ( Slight Angst, Fluff, Comfort, Female Reader Insert. )

DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS — I and II

wednesday addams never cried for anyone, not until she held you fighting for your life, desperately trying to stay alive to return the whispered confession. ( heavy angst. character death. female reader insert. )

WISH I NEVER MET YOU

a massive fight — you and wednesday never had that before, not until now that the walls almost crumbled down from the shouts being passed on back and forth. it could have worked, but then came the statement that ended it all for good. ( in progress. heavy angst. female reader insert. )

PRIORITIES

ever since wednesday got tangled with the monster mystery, her priorities seemed to turn into shambles as she brushed off your existence to get to the leads of her case, even if it meant kissing other people to do so. ( in progress. angst, cheating (?) toxic wednesday, toxic reader. )

Encanto ‘ Camilo Madrigal

JUST ANOTHER BOY

You were the new kid in Encanto and your family already tried to help building up the community by coming up with an idea of a school for the children in the small town. Whilst trying your best to survive education, you met a rather weird and awkward boy from the very famous family; The Madrigals. It was strange how he was outgoing and easily social to the others but you. Nevertheless, that's what made him interesting. Then, he just got weirder. ( Fluff. Gender-Neutral Reader Insert. )

FALLEN DEBRIS

After the disastrous dinner where Mariano and Isabella were supposed to come out engaged, you and Camilo had an extremely heated argument about Bruno after defending him causing your relationship to deteriorate completely. You were there when Mirabel and Abuela fought causing the downfall of Casita — you along with it. And when Camilo found your unresponsive figure underneath the piles and rubbles of the fallen shelter's debris, well . . . ( Heavy Angst. Gender-Neutral Reader Insert. )

FLEETING PROMISE

You were anything but mortal, and when you met a strange young boy, the light you provided only became brighter. But see, the thing is, you were strictly prohibited to be involved with any human interactions. So, when something found out that you talked to Camilo not just once but every night — much worse, felt things for him, you had to deal with the consequences. Before you disappeared, he had made a promise; a promise to let his heart reside in you forever until death do you part. But when you came back a decade later, there was nothing else you could do after you witnessed a purely uttered promise become a fleeting belief you clung onto for faith that even someone like you ever deserved mortal feelings such as love. ( In Progress. Heavy Angst. Gender-Neutral Reader Insert. )

Stranger Things ‘ Peter Ballard

AFFECTIONATE DISDAIN

Peter didn’t like the way you stood as if you owned the world. It was meant to be his. Not you. He hated your eyes all the way down to the tip of your toes, but as he had no choice but to put up with getting stuck with you, how was it that the way the light reflected on your angle changed? You were brighter than the daylight shine, and he was disgustingly allured by it. But no, you weren’t going to make him crumble. ( In Progress. Fluff. Enemies to lovers. Partial slow-burn. Gender-Neutral Reader Insert. )

ALLURE

Who knew that you could meet your strange neighbour again? Only this time, he wasn’t so quiet nor friendly. He was older, more dangerous — and just as you were about to kill him as a mission, your wants got in the way. Both of you couldn’t resist. Maybe that’s just how alluring you were. ( Romance. Angst? SLIGHT NSFW. Gender-Neutral reader insert. )

THAT WAY

You were once prepared to throw your life away just for him to look at you the way he did another. It took him years to realise. It took him years to feel what it was that you couldn’t feel twice. He knew it was too late, but he had to tell you somehow, even without talking. ( Angst. Gender-Neutral reader insert. )

GHOSTING PRESENCE ' Robin Buckley x Reader

You both had a massive fight, and the fact that you moved in together made it more difficult to handle. For the rest of the day, no one acknowledged anyone. The space between the walls were silent, and as you went to bed facing the opposite sides, she just knew it had to end. ( In Progress. Angst. Female Reader Insert. )

Squid Game ‘ Kang Sae-Byeok

MIRROR SHARDS

You’ll never forget the metallic taste of your lips joined into one as she choked back on her groans with your fingers pulling the large shard of glass from her side. ( Drafted. Slightly explicit. Fluff, Angst. Female reader insert. )

Lockwood & Co. ‘ Anthony Lockwood

DEAD WEIGHT

The reader’s skills got rusty and with anthony breathing down her neck all the time, well, things that were better off unsaid were spoken. that’s when four became three. ( Angst. Female Reader Insert. )

GHOST OF THE PAST

in which anthony recalls the tragedy of the only person who stirred his blood and thoughts. the girl who stayed young forever. ( heavy angst with a character’s death, specifically the reader’s. unproofread. )

[captaindibbzy]

Ok so my brother lives in a rather nice area of a otherwise shit location, and they have a WhatsApp group full of busy bodies who are all very keen on gossip and what's going on in other people's gardens.

This is very similar to the area we grew up in, where there's a very specific hyper social group of people who need to know why you've got a ladder at the back of your house, and the only reason they could know that is if they're literally watching you with binoculars.

And we're talking back and forth about why people are like this and I launch in to my social animals theory which is that when you are a social animal you have your in crowd and your out crowd, and you have your core group and your edge group.

So when you're a cow or a zebra or a monkey, you've got your socially powerful in group: matriarchs, patriarchs, etc And the group looks to them to set the standards. And then you've got your weaker members of the group: disabled, sick, odd looking, odd behaviours. And quite often in the animal kingdom those odd members are bullied and belittled. They are the last to get food, they are over groomed, they get hurt with beating from the core group, or they are completely kicked out of the collective all together. Appeasement is often the reaction to this because being on your own is death in the wild, so often these weaker members will suffer the abuse cause it's better than being dead.

Now one of the hallmarks of the advancements of human civilisation is the point when disability was not a death sentence any more. Someone who broke a bone could be given time to rest and heal because people cared for them rather than left them behind, or someone who is born disabled would be allowed to grow up regardless of whether they can contribute because they are loved. This is a "waste" of resources and we chose as a collective to do it over and over again.

So when people try to exert control over a situation that is happening close to them, but does not actually concern them, I think of this instinct among herd animals to "correct" the behaviour deemed undesirable by the collective, and back it up with the threat of exclusion and/or violence if compliance is not given. It's why bullies in school can spot an autistic kid before a doctor can, and why white communities freak out when a POC moves in (Different! Scary!!!) and why there are, like, 13 different kinds of fork (the in crowd knows how to use them correctly).

Which is to say: this behaviour is the rule of beasts. Be fucking civilised and move beyond your base instincts ye gobshite monkey. We spent thousands of years learning how to be better than this and you're trying to regress. Pull up ya grown up pants. I promise the lion isn't going to eat us all cause I don't cut my lawn as often as you want me to.

Busy bodies and homeowner associations are signs of barbarianism and a regressive tribal attitudes.

[dameronology]

wait on {din djarin x reader}

summary: boba fett is a good therapist, and din djarin is spectacular at being nosey. the result? a much needed conversation. perhaps there’s a silver lining. {kinda based on this song}

warnings: angst, language, swearing, s2 spoilers

this one hurts a lil bit but i promise the ending is happy. enjoy!!

-jazz

The air between you was thick, not unlike the beskar that the Mandalorian was wearing. 

It was funny, really, because you’d never minded the armour all that much before. Your ability to see straight through it and see Din Djarin for what he really was had been what made him fall in love with you, and you with him. Now, it felt like a barrier between you. Inches of thick metal and fabric, shielding him from the world around him. From you. The one person he usually held closest to his heart; the one person he’d let see his face for the first time in years. The man was hardly a conversationalist at the best of times but he’d opened up to you. Shared his world with you and intertwined it with yours. Built something with you that you'd both protect with your lives. 

Now, he was straying away. Forever attached by an invisible string, but with galaxies and galaxies between you. Even though he was mere inches from you, sat two seats over, there was a chilly air; if your relationship was a warm, welcoming house, the atmosphere he’d plunged you both into was the cold winter’s night on the other side of the glass. You wanted to go back, to drag him inside and slam and bolt the door behind you. Instead, you were forced to watch through the windows, knowing what was there but never quite truly getting close enough to let it envelope you. 

You couldn’t hold it against him. The last few weeks had been rough on you both, and it only come to a head today. Grogu had been taken by the Imps and the Crest had been blown up before your very eyes. It was one of those times that truly and wholly showed the difference between you and Din: you sought him out and he pulled away. You’d learnt a long time ago not to follow him. You wanted to. Fuck, you wanted to, but you’d learnt the hard way that it was a bad idea. 

Despite the icy silence and ache for your kidnapped toad son, you were still grateful for the fact Boba Fett had offered his ship as transport and shelter. You weren’t entirely sure what his deal was, but Din seemed to trust him, and so by extension, you did too. Things were a little cramped in the hull of the ship, but there was a spare sleeping quarters for you and the Mandalorian to squish into, assuming he’d let you. You didn’t want to ask him, because you were scared of the answer. 

Instead, you found yourself sat out on the dusty plains of...wherever the hell you were. Boba had parked the ship up overnight so that you could rest; it seemed to be some kind of desert planet. Not too different to Nevarro or Tatooine, but perhaps a little colder. The sky had long faded to black, casting a darkness over the sandy plains ahead of you. The chilly air was a welcome contrast against the stuffiness of the bedroom - it wasn’t even hot in there, just filled with some kind of inexplicable tension. And not the sexy kind; the regular, all-consuming type. You could feel it slowly etching into your frontal lobe, sinking in its claws and giving you a stress head-ache. Letting out a few deep breaths, you let the gusts of cold wind blow over your bare arms. 

‘A little cold out here, isn’t it?’

The voice was gravelly and unfamiliar, but one that you knew belonged to Boba Fett. 

‘Yeah, maybe.’ You didn’t turn around to look, instead letting your eyes stay focused on the distance. There was nothing ahead. Just darkness and sand. ‘Fresh air is nice, though.’

‘Or maybe the air inside is bad.’ He countered. Boba took a seat on the rock beside you, jokingly whacking his knee against yours. ‘What’s on your mind?’

‘Just...what happened today, I suppose.’ You replied. ‘We lost the kid, and our ship.’

‘You’re handling it better than your Mandalorian.’ He replied. 

‘I don’t think he’s my Mandalorian.’ You snorted. ‘He’s just...he doesn’t normally deal with so much at once. I think he just needs time to process it all, you know?’

‘Perhaps.’ Boba said. ‘And do you always make excuses for him?’

‘I beg your sweet pardon?’ You turned to look at him. 

‘Forgive me if I’m overstepping, but I’ve always been an observant man.’ He began. ‘I saw how you immediately went to him, to check on him, and how you fought beside him,  yet he’s barely even looked at you.’

‘Ouch.’ You muttered. ‘You might be observant you but certainly do not tread lightly.’

‘My apologies.’ He curtly nodded. 

‘It’s not always been like this.’ Your words felt forced. You were making excuses. ‘And it won’t always be.’

‘You know him better than anyone, or so I assume.’ Boba reminded you. ‘But don’t be afraid to remind him what he has, despite what he’s lost.’

He was right. Din could be distant, and he could be fucking ignorant without even trying, but you hadn’t strayed from his side once. Not for a second. It could be frustrating to deal, with but you loved him with your whole being, in a soul-consuming sorta way, and you knew he was capable of coming around. Your mother had always preached songs of love being patient and kind but as you saw it, it was frustrating, and at times the most inconvenient thing in the world. You must have had the patience of a saint to deal with him. He was just lucky he made it worth it (and that underneath all the armour, he wasn’t too bad to look at. It certainly helped his case). 

You let out a sad laugh. ‘I couldn’t. Di - Mando already struggles to express his feelings and I’d only make it worst if I said he wasn’t doing it well enough.’

‘You know your worth.’ Boba said. ‘Only you can decide if he appreciates it enough.’

‘He does.’ You quickly replied. ‘I know he does.’ 

He gave you a doubtful look, one that said I think you’re bullshitting, but I won’t disagree. He was simply sharing his observations, even if they were a little much. But the man hadn’t had any proper social interaction for a long time, so you could hardly blame him - and he had a sort of wise air to him, like he’d been round the block a couple times. He certainly seemed like the sort of person you should listen to.

‘I’ll leave you with this: the life of a Mandalorian is complicated.’ He dusted off his knees, before standing up. ‘You should make sure it’s worth it before you fully commit.’

‘I-’ you tried to speak, but you were cut off by the sound of a twig snapping under someone’s boot. Why the fuck were there twigs in the desert? More to the point, why was that your immediate thought? 

You both sharply turned around, coming face-to-face with a Mandalorian. Not a Mandalorian, but the Mandalorian. The one you’d just been talking about. The one whose heart would have been broken into a million tiny pieces if he’d even a word of what you just said. And, from the way his helmet tilted ever so slightly to the left, you figured he’d heard more than enough. Fuck. 

'Don’t let me stop you.’ His modulated voice wavered ever so slightly. ‘I’ll see you inside.’

He turned on his heel, heavy steps taking him back towards the Slave I. To anyone else, his body language hadn’t changed, but you could read him like a book. A complicated book, and one that was missing more than half its pages and was in a dozen different fucking languages, but one you’d read a thousand times. Understanding Din Djarin was hard, and you’d only just begun -  barely touched the surface in fact - but it was more than anyone else could say. 

‘Wait!’ You leapt up, almost comically falling over as you rushed after him. 

Sensing that his presence was probably not welcome, Boba returned to his seat on the rock, silently hoping that Fennec Shand was either a) asleep, or b) had enough common sense to stay the fuck out of the way of whatever was about to go down. 

‘I swear to maker if you shut that door -’ you were cut off by...the door shutting in your face. Djarin: 1. You: 0.

You let out a small groan, slamming your fist against it. 

‘Okay, maybe I deserved that.’ You quietly muttered. ‘But will you please listen to me?’

Silence. 

‘Fine.’ You splayed your fingers out against the metal. ‘Ice me out, Din Djarin. I’m more than used to it by now.’

There was a gruff hmm from the other side of the door. Had he really just taken offence to that?

‘It’s funny, really.’ You continued. ‘Because the part of that conversation you didn’t hear was me defending you. Like I always fucking do, because I know that despite everything, you’re a human being and you love me.’

There was a small thud, as though Din had placed his hand in a similar position to yours.

‘But Boba has a point.’ Your voice fell to a whisper. ‘I keep giving and I get nothing back. Instead of letting me in, you just shut me out and I know you’re upset at what he said but for the love of everything holy in this shitty world, do not prove him right.’

It was a risky ultimatum, and not one you’d seen coming. Your chest had tightened as soon as the words left your mouth, because you knew that if Din stayed silent, that was it. You’d have to let him go; to accept that you would never get back what you putting in. Before, you were able to convince yourself that you were okay with that but maybe, just maybe you weren’t. Waiting around for something that had no guarantee of happening was like beating a dead horse that had no guarantee of coming back to life. The only thing that was promised was emotional exhaustion and then eventual death. You would have liked to have found something between those two waypoints - whether Din Djarin could be the one to give it to you? You didn’t know. 

After a moment of silence, the door finally opened, and you came face to face with him. Like actually face to face with him; no helmet, no armour. Just a loose tunic and tired brown eyes, matched with lazily-shaven facial hair and knitted brows. That was Din. Your Din. 

‘Can I just...can I just talk for a moment?’ He asked. ‘I have something to say and I want to get it right.’

‘Of course.’ You nodded. 

‘I’m not hurt by what you said.’ He stated. ‘I know I don’t show you enough love and it hurts that I don’t know how, but I am trying. I promise you that much.’

You gave him a tearful smile. ‘Yeah, I know.’

‘I just wish that you could say it to me and not to him.’ He murmured. ‘I don’t want you to hold back on anything, ever. You can always come to me. Even if it’s about me.’

‘I get that.’ Your eyes fell to the floor. ‘It’s just that I know you’re trying your best and I’m scared you’ll think that your best isn’t enough.’ 

‘It’s not.’ Din’s words took you by surprise. ‘It’s not enough, but one day, I hope it will be.’

‘I don’t know what to say, because if I deny it-’

‘- you don’t have to say anything.’ He cut you off. ‘I want to give you the world. And I will, if you’ll be patient with me.’

You took every word as gospel as he said it. The Mandalorian was a lot of things, but a liar wasn’t one of them. And to his credit, every promise he’d made to you before, he’d delivered on. You didn’t doubt for a second that this one would be the same. It wasn’t even naivety or wishful thinking. 

‘I mean, I’ve come this far.’ You tried to crack a joke. You finally looked up from the floor, his brown eyes meeting yours. 

‘I love you.’ He took your hands in his, words firm. ‘That’s all I can give you right now. I’m sorry.’

‘Din.’ The words barely come out as a whisper. ‘Never apologise. Please never apologise. I just...it’s nice to hear it, you know? A little more often than every time you almost die.’

‘Are the words enough on their own?’

‘Yes.’ You squeezed his hands. ‘Because I know you mean them.’

Din wrapped his arms you, pulling you tightly against his chest. It was warm and soft, miles away from the cold armour that so often greeted you. He held you tightly and with a new kind of might you were previously yet to experience, clinging onto you as though it were the last time. It wasn’t - it was far from the last time. Rather, it was the first time. The first time that he’d spoken of a future with you, or fully promised himself to you. You knew you would get there one day. You’d just needed him to say it himself before you could believe it. 

Din Djarin was giving you tiny little pieces on himself each day, and one day, you would have all of him. 

tags: @meshlababy @bo-kryze @poestardust @aqueencomplexx @princessxkenobi @cosmic-rich @captn-andor @buttercup--bee​ @maharani-radha​ @kat-r-in​

[samuel-de-champagne-problems]

What about a first kisses blurb??

okay this turned into almost a whole one shot (sorry) so i put a cut

word count- 1.4 k

pairing- spencer reid x she/her reader

--

There wasn’t a way out of it.

Spencer could only think that he’s embarrassing his team. He’s reminding the entire FBI Bureau just how unathletic he is. Despite being an esteemed academic, all Spencer really is, is a skinny kid who can’t tell the difference between a shortstop and a first baseman.

Spencer also didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of Y/N. In front of Hotch is one thing, and even Derek. The last thing that Spencer wanted was to be brought back to high school with taunting teenagers laughing at his ineptitude. He knows, deep down, that Y/N isn’t the kind of person to make a mockery of him

She’s kind and understanding, and has this way with people that makes everyone feel safe and loved. Gazing across the field, Spencer watches Y/N cover what Derek explained was third base. He stood in the outfield, a too tight glove squeezing his hand and a baseball cap on his head. She notices him staring and waves over energetically. Derek must have noticed too because he starts to shout their way.

“Hey, Reid! Look alive,” he yells, looking athletic and strong in his sports clothing, everything that a girl like Y/N would want in a man, “stop daydreaming, Spence,” he shouts, a chuckle telling Spencer he’d teasing.

Watching the rest of the FBI agents run, catch and throw the baseball all with the dexterity and athleticism that Spencer could only dream of, Spencer does the math in his head. The quick statistics tell him that the next batter has a 57% chance of striking out. And if that happens, Spencer is the next at bat. And if he’s at bat, Spencer might as well just start digging his own grave in the field.

Just as the math predicted, the batter strikes out. Derek shouts the line up, Spencer being the first name that he calls. Like he’s walking to his death, Spencer picks up the baseball bat and takes a couple practice swings.

“Hey there, slugger,” Y/N says, walking up to the metal cage, “you’re going to need one of these,” she says, holding up a helmet.

“Wouldn’t want to scramble my brains,” Spencer says, attempting to make a joke, albeit nervously.

“That or mess up that gorgeous face of yours,” Y/N says with a shrug of her shoulders, as she shoves the helmet in his hands.

“Or-or that. That’s an unlikely possibility, though,” Spencer whispers, terrified that the shake in his hands reveals too much. He doesn’t want to read into it, but noticing things is in his nature.

“I wanted to give you something for good luck. A kiss, if that’s okay with you,” Y/N asks, holding Spencer’s hand awkwardly as he clutches onto the helmet. He nods fervently, unsure if this is even real or if it’s a magical dream.

“Okay,” Spencer says, closing his eyes and letting Y/N kiss him. He anticipates feeling her lips against his. For the first time, he’ll get to feel what it’s like to have someone so close he can feel their eyelashes against his skin. He would be able to see the flecks of different colors in her eyes and hear her sigh if he was brave enough to wrap his arms around her, pulling her in even closer.

But it never comes. She kisses his forehead instead and it’s so fast that it’s over before Spencer could even feel it. He’s not upset, but maybe a little disappointed that he truly thought, for even a second, that a girl like Y/N could love a boy like him. It’s self-doubt that settles in despite the burning sensation on his forehead where her lips just were.

Derek slaps him on the shoulder, cheering him on and steering him towards home plate.

“You got this, man,” Derek says, as the ball comes soaring in front of Spencer’s face. With a whack, he hits it, further than he’s ever hit the ball in practice. It flies through the air gracefully and Spencer almost forgets to start running until, from the scream of the crowd he hears Y/N’s voice cheering him on.

It all happens in a flash. Derek’s smiling from ear to ear. JJ and Hotch, their co-coaches, watch happily as Y/N hands out gatorade. Spencer, standing off to the side, makes his way to the far end of the dugout. Elle and Derek rounded up a couple other agents for drinks at the bar, but Spencer declined. It’s embarrassing to go to the bar and constantly be carded in front of his peers, who never get asked. It just reminds Spencer that he’s just a little boy whose heart is ready to take flight from a kiss that’s hardly a kiss. It’s the kind of kiss that a mother gives their kid, not the kind of kiss that you dream of the girl you love giving you.

As if she could read his thoughts, Y/N plops down on the bench next to Spencer. She’s smiling, her face shiny with sweat, but still beautiful and full with life. Spencer thinks he must be rather foolish to think she’d ever want to kiss him.

“You didn’t want to go out with Derek and Elle,” Spencer asks, wondering why Y/N’s hear and not with their co-workers.

“Nah, I’m going to have much more fun with you,” Y/N tells him, “you want to come over? We can make popcorn and watch movies. I promise it won’t be an underdog save game kind of movie, it’s kind of too on the nose,” she says, chuckling at her own joke.

“You want to spend time with me?” Spencer asks, thinking that Y/N must have gotten hit on the head without a helmet on to voluntarily want to hang out with him.

“Of course I do,” Y/N says, nudging him on his shoulder, “you’re funny, cute, and kind. Why wouldn’t I want to spend time with you?”

Spencer blinks, unsure how to answer that question. It’s the first question that he doesn’t know the answer to. He has a sneaking suspicion that if he sticks around with Y/N, there will be a lot of those.

“Spencer,” she says, standing up to face him, “I’d like to get something out of the way. It’s something that I should have asked you a long time ago,” she tells him, cupping his face gently. Spencer, normally not able to read social cues the best, understands this one completely.

“Yes, please,” he says, hoping that he doesn’t sound completely desperate, “please,”

Spencer stands up, and brings his hands to cup Y/N’s face, mirroring her motions. They stand there, hesitant and nervous, not sure who will be the one to make the first move. Spencer’s lips hover over hers and he can feel her breath on his lips, tempting him to just move a millimeter closer. She kisses him, leaning in and kissing him with such passion, you’d think she’d had bottled it up for years. Spencer doesn’t have anyone to compare it to, yet he knows he’ll never want to be kissed by anyone else again. She’s curious, yet considerate to his shy mouth. Giving him the time to explore, learn and trace, Y/N let’s Spencer set the tempo.

She drops her hand from his face, letting it hang at her side. Spencer drops his too, afraid to do the wrong thing, afraid that he’ll mess up and send Y/N running laughing the other way.

“You’re a good kisser,” Y/N says, kissing his cheek through a smile.

But she doesn’t run away, she doesn’t laugh, she doesn’t call him a weirdo for being 23 and not having a first kiss.

“Thank you,” Spencer says, unsure if that’s what you’re supposed to say when you get your first kiss from someone that is thousands of times more beautiful than yourself.

“Anytime,” Y/N says, “and I really really mean that. Like in the middle of the work day, just tap me on the shoulder and point towards your mouth, or like right now again. I’m game, Spence,”

She grabs his hand. Their pinkies link like puzzle pieces that have found their perfect match. And it’s better than any touchdown in the history of baseball.

[bustyasianbeautiespod]

Episode 5 Transcript: Carmen the Sewer Lady

[intro guitar music]

G: Hello, my name is Grey,

C: and my name is Crystal,

G: And this is Busty Asian Beauties, a Supernatural commentary podcast, where I, someone who has seen this show several times,

C: and, I, someone who only knows the show through social media, discuss every single episode of Supernatural from start to finish. Also, we are both Asian.

G: We are both Asian.

-

G: So for today's episode, we are discussing Season 1, Episode 5: “Bloody Mary,” written by Ron Milbauer and Terri Hughes Burton, directed by Peter Ellis.

C: I'm not familiar with any of those names.

G: Oh, they were both the writers for Season 1 Episode 2.

C: Oh, well, I have a grudge against them now!

G: [laughs] This and that are their only episodes of Supernatural, I think.

C: I guess they're probably heavier on the horror side because I think this is one of the few Supernatural episodes that I felt somewhat scared by, and I know episode 2 had some decent jumpscares, so that makes sense.

G: Yes. I also was a bit scared-

C: Yeah!

G: -actually, because we are doing this podcast, right? The whole time I was watching I was like, "How many times do I have to say Bloody Mary?"

C: Right, no, the whole time I was like, "Well, luckily my computer screen is matte, so it doesn't count as a mirror, so when I'm talking about the podcast, as long as I don't look at my phone screen, which is reflective, I'll be okay."

G: I come from a very superstitious country and family, so this whole thing really freaked me out because of the whole superstitious element. So now I'm like, "Actually, how long between each Bloody Mary are we allowed to give? Like, how many pauses are we gonna do?"

C: [laughing] But- okay, okay. Also, Sam and Dean solved it in 2005, so we're safe.

G: Yeah, so we're safe. And it was centralized in Indiana and Toledo, Ohio, so it's fine.

C: Yeah, right, so we're good.

G: I'm eight thousand miles away!

Before we start, Crystal?

C: Yeah.

G: What were your expectations before going into this episode?

C: Okay, I knew it was a Sam-centric episode, so I was very excited about that. I assumed that it would be based off of, you know, the Bloody Mary figure in urban legend. She was kind of big when I was in middle school, I believe. I also knew that, for some reason, she only attacked people with a terrible secret, and that this is the episode that we were gonna learn that Sam sort of had these psychic visions that predicted Jess's death. And I also saw some glittery gifsets of Sam crying blood which I thought looked really neat, so I was looking forward to that.

-

G: So we start in Toledo, Ohio, as I've mentioned. We open with a bunch of kids playing Truth or Dare in a sleepover. One of them dares the other to say Bloody Mary three times in the bathroom mirror, saying that if you do that, she appears and scratches your eyes out. And then one of them goes to the bathroom and does the Bloody Mary, and her two friends start knocking furiously at the door in an attempt to scare her. So, you know, it's just a bunch of kids goofing around. They all have a little laugh, etc etc, and then one of the dad- well, the dad of one of the girls, Mr. Shoemaker, asks them to tone down the noise.

C: Yeah, and he has bad vibes.

G: He has horrible vibes. Rancid.

C: Let the kids have fun!

G: While he walks back to his room, he passes by a couple of mirrors, and we see- dun-dun-dun!- a woman's figure looking at him. So he goes to the bathroom and notices that the veins under his eyes are popping out. So we cut back to the girls having a sleepover, right. Lily is the girl that is Mr. Shoemaker's daughter, and her sister comes in—so also Mr. Shoemaker's daughter.

C: I have a question about her sister. Is that what hair looks like in 2005? Was that what teenage girls were supposed to do with their hair, because I was like, "What decade are we in?"

G: I loved her look, though.

C: I mean, it was very fun, but I was like, "This feels vintage or something."

G: No, I think it was 2005. She has the look of someone that I would look up to as someone cool back in the day. She's very Y2K but the opposite of Juicy Couture, you know?

C: I only knew what half of those words meant. [G laughs]

G: She goes upstairs, and this sister—her name is Donna, which we find out much much much later, but her name is Donna—and she finds a pool of blood outside the bathroom door. She goes to inspect it and finds her dad dead.

C: And screams.

G: Yeah, and she screams. There was- there were a lot of classic horror screaming in this episode.

C: Right, because, I mean, this is an episode with a lot of teenage girls as characters, and I feel like all of the classic horror screaming is done by teenage girls.

G: What did you think of the teenage girls in this episode, by the way?

C: I.. I don't think they were very realistic.

G: Yeah, but they were stereotypical for the era is what I would say.

C: Perhaps so. Perhaps so. I just- I recall being somewhat off-put by Charlie as soon as she showed up. I was like, "Is that how people talk?" But maybe in 2005, it is.

G: I thought they were fun, the teenagers, because they all have very different personalities. They were very well differentiated. Charlie was this very fearful, you know, believer, and Donna was a skeptic, and Jill was, you know, "Sam and Dean are cute, and you're such a freak!" Yeah, the way she spoke was very, again, Y2K, as I like to say.

C: Yeah, they were all- they were all very much teenage girl archetypes, I would say.

G: Mm-hmm.

C: And I mean, we get to Jill's death later, but I feel like another, I think, horror movie thing is that, you know, how in horror movies, what, it's like the quote-unquote "slutty" girl dies first? I feel like, right, she talks about Sam and Dean being attractive, then they have her take off her pants, and then she dies in her underpants, which is so sad for her? But yeah, I feel like they very much played it up with all the teenage girl horror tropes this episode. Also, the 12-year-old girls... Okay, I don't know, was I just a very sheltered teen? Because I was not talking about making out with boys at age 12. That was way too early for me to do that.

G: I literally- [laughs] I have never talked about making out with boys with anyone.

C: Yeah, right, I, yeah, I've not had that conversation a single time. At age 12, I was definitely too busy screaming "ew!" every time Maria and the Captain kissed in "Sound of Music" to have that kind of conversation.

G: Yeah, I also was the kid who goes "ew" at everything, even until now! [both laugh] And I'm not even a kid anymore!

C: Oh, no, currently... Currently, if I see a kiss on screen, I start covering my eyes before remembering that I'm an adult.

G: I know, I know. Me too. I don't think we're the specified, what, like a sensitivity reader for this episode.

C: [laughing] Right, we are not- we are not a good model of what 12-year-old girls were like.

-

C: Now, we're at a scene that is tinted blue and looks absolutely awful. And it's, um, yeah, so basically, we're seeing Jess's death again but with a terrible filter on it, and then she's breathing a bit, and then she's asking "Why, Sam? Why, Sam?" and then bursts into flame. And Sam wakes up in a start and it turns out that it's a nightmare and he's been having these nightmares all the time.

Speaking of Jess breathing, was she completely dead when she was pinned to the ceiling?

G: Did she have this stab wound in her stomach like Mary?

C: She did have a stab wound in her stomach.

G: Mm. So I'm assuming she was dead on the ceiling.

C: Okay, yeah, so I guess Sam just added the breathing for a bit of guilt and horror.

G: Sam just added the voiceover.

C: Oh, yes, Sam also added the voiceover for the drama of it all.

So yeah, Sam wakes up in the Impala, and Dean's looking at him, seeming concerned, and says, "Sooner or later, we're gonna have to talk about this." I was like, "Aw, it's so nice that apparently when they're younger, they're actually willing to talk about their feelings and be somewhat healthy." They lose that soon.

G: I- this entire episode, I was enamored by Dean.

C: Yeah, me too. I was like, “Healthy communication and checking up on people and being normal? Wild.”

G: In a scene later, I actually started tearing up, like it was that deep for me.

C: Aww. Awwww.

G: So we'll get to it when we get there, but yeah.

C: I think I'm more enamored with Sam this episode, but Dean wasn't bad.

-

C: So they are in Toledo, Ohio, and they are trying to figure out how Mr. Shoemaker died. They head up to the morgue where his body is held.

G: So they walk into the morgue, which is in a beautiful building, and Dean introduces themselves as med students who are here to see the Shoemaker corpse. So the person they're talking to is stubborn and won't let them in to see the corpse, so Sam bribes the guy, and it works! Did you recognize the bill by the way? I don't recognize American currency so...

C: I wasn't paying too much attention, but I thought they were 20s. So he straight up handed this guy like, yeah, 60 or 80 dollars, which I think is too much for a bribe, honestly, but.

G: Wait. I'm doing the conversion in my head right now [laughing], so it's like, around like, 1200 pesos, 1500 pesos, and that's- I think that's fine?

C: I think it's quite a lot of money, honestly, for a bribe, but do morgue techs make good money? Maybe if morgue techs make a lot of money, then it's not that bad, but it's a lot! I would probably- if I was bribing someone, I'd probably just slap down a 20.

G: Okay, this is my correction, by the way. It's not 1200 it's like, 2500, which is a lot. That is a lot.

C: Yeah, it's a lot of money.

G: Almost 3000.

C: I think it's very cute that Sam's engaging in bribery after he judges Dean in episode 1 for doing credit card fraud, and then judges Dean right after the bribery for winning money in poker.

G: Yeah.

C: Like Sam, get over it! [both laugh]

G: I mean he did earn the money, even if he earned it in a poker game. Come on, Sam.

C: Right, like he literally earned it!

G: So they see the Shoemaker corpse, and the eyes were liquefied, and there were no signs of struggle, etc etc. And they get the police report by again bribing the guy some more, which like, you already gave so much money, dude.

C: I know!

-

C: Now they are heading out from the hospital, and Sam considers that it might just be a medical thing, but Dean says that's not possible, like every time Dad's inspected something like this it's always been supernatural. They head to the funeral of the guy who just died, in their leather jacket flannel getup [both laugh], despite the fact that they bought suits last episode and probably could change into them.

C: So they go to the back to talk to the Shoemaker daughters, Donna and Lily. They claim to be coworkers with Mr. Shoemaker and ask Donna about any symptoms of stroke before her dad's death. Then, Lily says that it's her fault and reveals the whole Bloody Mary story and says that it's her fault that he died. Dean says that oh, well it's not your fault, Lily, 'cause your dad's not the one who said it. And then they head out inside the house to inspect.

G: So they take a peek at the bathroom, and they start talking about the Bloody Mary legend. And Sam is the one doing the exposition.

C: Speaking of, was Bloody Mary a thing in your childhood?

G: Uh, I think it was a thing, but it wasn't as pervasive. I personally did not believe it because, I guess, just in my locality, there were other things to believe that were more believable, you know?

C: Yeah.

G: It felt very American, the fact that it's in English and everything. It's like "Bloody Mary." Like, okay, [C laughs] but we have like, nuno sa puns, we have aswang, we have tikbalang, like, you know, there are things that I was more likely to believe.

C: Yeah, I guess-

G: But our fam- like I said, our family was- is- very superstitious, and also believes in the supernatural.

C: Right.

G: So it still did affect me in the fear way because I was like, "oh, remember the Bloody Mary?"

C: Yeah. I feel like the main urban legend figure in my childhood was this girl from one of those chain mails—you know, like, forward this to 10 people or the ghost will kill you—named Carmen. And I remember forming a little club-

G: [laughs] I never heard of this.

C: I think this was very localized-

G: Okay.

C: -and created by one person on the internet. But I remember forming a little club at my weekly Chinese school where I claimed that Carmen was living in the sewers near where we had our recess, and every day we had to chant and feed some of our snacks to her to keep her appeased. [G laughs] And I don't think I believed it! I think I just enjoyed having everyone else throw their snacks in the sewer!

G: Our- my childhood, um, beli- my childhood whatever was in my school. Like, you know, how for some reason, I don't know if this is international or just in the Philippines, but for some reason, there's this rumor that literally in every school, there's a rumor that your school was once a cemetery, like...

C: I don't- I don't remem- I don't think that's a thing.

G: Like I thought it was- it was very local. I thought it was very local, I thought I was just in my school, and then I went to high school to a different school-

C: And there was also that legend?

G: And we were there, and apparently everyone was like, "oh, our school was a cemetery too!" [laughs]

C: Now that I think about it, I feel like there was a rumor at my high school that we were above catacombs? So yeah, maybe just every school has something like that.

G: Yeah, and then the rumor is that, in the bathroom, we had a little girl who haunts it, and I do remember not wanting to go to the bathroom [C laughs] because of that rumor, yeah. That was our school thing. But at home, we- we- at home, we had, if this is common- we had the ancestors thing, so like, your ancestors visit you. So like, it's just that kind of stuff, like, normal stuff.

C: Yeah.

G: I say normal but like, you know what I mean, right? Like that's typical stuff.

C: Yeah, no, no, yeah, like, chill stuff. They're not gonna kill you, you just have to leave out some fruit and incense or whatever.

G: Yeah, exactly, you just have to throw salt when they're getting a little bit feisty, yeah. Shit like that. Anyway...

C: Nice, yeah. Anyway, where are we? Oh, they were talking about the Bloody Mary legend, yes.

-

G: Yeah, they're talking about the Bloody Mary legend, and while Sam says the name, Dean does this bit where he points the mirror at Sam while Sam is about to say Bloody Mary. [both laugh] And then Sam pointedly moves the mirror away from his face and starts referring to Bloody Mary as "you know what," which I thought was so funny.

C: It's so cute.

G: Yeah, go Sam!

C: Um, while they're talking, and, well, they're leaving the bathroom, Charlie, who is one of Donna's friends from the funeral, shows up and asks them what they're doing here and who they are. She reveals that Mr. Shoemaker lived by himself so- or sorry, worked by himself, so there's no way that they could have been coworkers, and threatens to start screaming unless they answer her questions. Then they tell her that they're looking into Mr. Shoemaker's death and they think that something honestly unexplainable could have happened. Charlie asks, "Who are you? Cops?" and Dean says, "Something like that." What did you- what did you think about that scene? I was like, "I'm going to save that scene. I feel it's going to be useful in Supernatural criticisms in the future."

G: Yeah, I think it's, you know, they are, in a way, monster cops, right?

C: Yeah. They're fantasy cops.

G: Yeah.

C: They decide who lives and who dies and what the rules of humanity and goodness are that allow you to be a monster that lives or a monster that gets shot by one of their many guns. But also, I feel like at this point in the show there aren't really any morally gray creatures? Because ghosts it's like, well they're already dead and they're killing people. I feel like later when we get to vampires and werewolves and creatures that I feel like could very much coexist with humans as long as they had some kind of feeding mechanism put in place, then I feel like that's when it gets worse?

G: Yes, I think at this point, because they're just playing around with already typical lore, we don't get much complexity because, you know, Bloody Mary is just a common lore and then they just do a little twist, or that it's local, you know, shit like that. Later on it gets a bit more fuzzy. But at this point, there's two things I noticed at this point was: One, they don't do morally gray characters yet. And two, they have not done a single salt-and-burn.

C: Yeah!

G: Which I thought was interesting, especially this- like we already discussed the first part, but the salt-and-burn part is interesting to me because later on in the show, it's literally all that they do at some point. Like they just salt and burn, at least as far as I can remember. Of course there's always gonna be a twist, but it's pretty much just salt and burn to the point that it's part of the brand of the show already. The fact that they don't start with salt and burns, you know, at the beginning of the show, is pretty interesting.

C: Yeah, like I assumed in episode 1 that they were going to salt-and-burn the woman in white because I knew that as the Supernatural approach to ghosts. And yeah, they haven't done a single one of those yet.

C: So then Sam and Dean give Charlie their number and says that she should call if anything weird happens.

G: So they end up in the library where they're talking about the lore, which is that, you know, Bloody Mary is a woman named Mary who died in front of a mirror. So at this point, literally that could be anyone anywhere. So many people can fit the bill. So they mention that they're gonna have a hard time researching, and Sam is like, "No, not with the computers," which they check and are broken, so they are gonna have a hard time doing research.

-

C: Now, we're to Charlie and Jill—who is another one of Donna's friends���having a conversation on the phone. Jill says that Sam and Dean are cute, and Charlie is talking about Donna's dad's death. Jill starts making jokes about Bloody Mary, and then when Charlie gets scared, decides that it would be funny to go and say it three times into a mirror. And then first we hear Jill scream, but then it turns out she's just playing a prank on Charlie. She hangs up, and then, yeah, so she starts changing for bed, and...

G: Fall Out Boy starts playing...

C: Wait, was that Fall Out Boy?

G: It was Fall Out Boy! I can't believe you don't know Fall Out Boy.

C: I didn't recognize the song.

G: It was, uh, "We're Going Down Swinging." I don't know the actual title, I think it's "Sugar..." I don't know. I don't know the actual title of the song, but it's a Fall Out Boy song.

C: I don't think- I just- I don't think I've really listened to much Fall Out Boy, but yeah, okay, so she's listening to-

G: You were not a Fall Out Boy fan? That is so unlike my perception of you as a person. [laughing]

C: I- wait, what about me screams Fall Out Boy fan?

G: I don't know, you look like someone who would have been into like, the emo, you know. You know.

C: Interesting. No, I was never really into the Fall Out Boy or MCR or anything scene. Honestly, I feel when I was younger, I mostly listened to Taylor Swift, which was- which I regret greatly now.

G: Now that is unlike you.

C: It is unlike me, but that was when she was in her- her Fearless stage, you know, not her current whatever.

G: To be fair, okay- okay, I'm just going to clarify that Grey is a Taylor Swift fan, so if any Taylor Swift fans feel alienated right now, I'm right behind you. It's fine.

C: And I'm gonna clarify that I am not a Taylor Swift fan, and I hope everyone feels alienated. [both laugh] Well, no, actually... Actually, we cover... This is- this is our representation. Representation of Swifties and non-Swifties.

-

C: Um, yeah so she's getting changed for bed. Sadly, she takes off her pants, and then we see Bloody Mary in the mirror. And then Jill sees her reflection, and it's not actually matching her. It's wearing a sinister expression and staying quite still, but it's still her. And then the reflection-

G: It's such a good shot.

C: Yeah, it's such a good shot. I was like, "This is such a clever way of doing this."

G: I was so impressed. I've seen screenshots of this scene, and I was- like every single time I'm like, "That's from Supernatural? It looks so cool!"

C: I know, I was like, "This is- this is high quality stuff." Also, I'm impressed with the filming crew for this episode because I know that filming mirror scenes is difficult because you have to make sure you don't get the camera and the film crew in the mirror, so I think you have to splice together a lot of different parts. Good for them for all their hard work this episode!

C: So Jill's creepy reflection’s eyes start bleeding and accuses Jill of killing a boy, and then she sort of chokes to death-

G: -while blood drips out of her eyes. Okay, so we go back to Sam having the exact same nightmares as earlier, just a bit faster.

C: I really want to know the reasoning behind the blue.

G: [laughs] Yeah.

C: Why?

G: The blue tinge. Okay, let's- let's analyze it, right?

C: [laughs] Yeah.

G: [laughing] I have no idea how to start.

C: Well, you see, the curtains are blue because Sam is sad about Jess's death. Is it-? I don't- blue flame is hotter than yellow and orange flame even though it seems cool, so it's about- it's about unexpected reveals. I don't know. [both laughing] I don't know. It just looks so bad.

G: It does look quite bad, but it is good differentiation of like, "This is a nightmare, and this is not a nightmare," you know.

C: But also I feel like at the beginning, the point was that you don't know it's a night- you're not supposed to really know that it's a nightmare until Sam wakes up. So in that case, I feel like it would make sense to use the original filter.

G: Mm... no, but we know it's gonna be a nightmare-

C: Yeah.

G: -because Sam has had nightmares before, so.

C: That's true.

G: I don't- I'm not defending the choice, like I think it does look bad, but if you want good shots of Jess dying in the ceiling, you already have it in the first episode, so it's fine. AMV makers, you're fine, you know?

C: [laughs] Very true.

G: So he wakes up in a motel room and berates Dean on why Dean let him fall asleep while doing research, and Dean's like, "Because I'm a good brother." And Dean asks him what he's dreaming about. Sam deflects again like he did earlier, and Dean does lore stuff reveal, which is, the only reveal that he does is that they haven't found anything at all relevant to the case. And then Sam receives a call. It's Charlie!

C: It's Charlie.

So they go to the park to talk to Charlie, and she tells them about Jill's death and how it matches Mr. Shoemaker's, and also how she said Bloody Mary three times before said death. Charlie says, "It couldn't be because of that. I'm insane, right?" Dean says, "No, you're not insane" and Charlie says "Oh god, that makes me feel so much worse." And at this point I was like, "I like Charlie. I like Charlie a lot."

So Sam and Dean enlist her help to break into Jill's room so they can inspect it, and she lets them in through the window. They're looking around for something. They have the night vision on on their camera. So Sam's in Jill's bathroom and sees that there seems to be trickles of blood running from behind the mirror. He removes the mirror from the wall and then peels off the back of it and sees on there that there is a handprint and the words Gary Bryman written on it. And then they find out that that's an 8-year-old boy who got run over by a car which was in fact Jill's car, but-

G: Yes.

C: She- it was a hit and run, so she left. And then they go to Donna's house and look at the back of the mirror there, and it's the name Linda Shoemaker and the handprint, who they find out when they talk to Donna was her mother. And also then Donna's quite mad at them for asking, for being there, and she yells them- yells at them to get out of the house.

G: Okay, the implication here is that Mr. Shoemaker killed his wife, you know, because Donna's mom Linda died through an overdose of sleeping pills, as Donna said, but the implication is the father is responsible somehow. But they twist this a little bit later that-

C: Oh, yeah.

G: -he's not necessarily- he could be not necessarily responsible, he could just be guilty, like he feels guilty, not necessarily because he was actually at fault, just like Charlie later on.

C: Yeah, maybe their mother was just very depressed, and he kept that a secret-

G: Yes.

C: -or exacerbated it somehow, and then she committed suicide or something. Yeah, we don't know.

G: And it's never revealed, and I actually do like that. That it's never revealed. It keeps a little bit of a mystery in the episode.

C: Yeah.

-

G: Anyway, Dean does a nationwide search now for a Mary while discussing the lore with Sam- the lore being what we just said earlier. They find a Mary Worthington in Indiana who died in front of a mirror, so they go visit the cop who investigated the case and we get exposition.

C: For some reason he's totally fine with these randos coming into his house and asking him about this cold case. How did they get in?

G: He said they were reporters.

C: Reporters, yeah, but like, oh god, you bought suits, please just wear them sometimes.

G: So Mary was 19, a pageant girl, wanted to be an actress, and was killed alone in her apartment by a person who cut her eyes out. We get more exposition from the police officer and that he thinks is the local surgeon who she may be having an affair with, Trevor Sampson. And this doesn't really matter in the plot, but it's- I thought it was a nice touch. Did you think it was nice or did you think it was like, "ooh, what's the- what's the point?"

C: I thought it was- I thought it was a nice touch. I enjoyed the backstory. I thought that it was a good... it made her a lot more sympathetic, and we understand her motivations and how those could have gotten twisted while she was dead of wanting to kill anyone who had a secret about a death.

G: I thought it was like- I'm a fan of mystery stuff, like I was a Nancy Drew kid, I was an Ace Attorney kid, you know, all that stuff. So I was really into this. I was like, "Ooh, a mystery!" Anyway, we get what we're actually there for, which is the information that Mary was not buried. She was cremated and their mirror was returned to the family. So they can't do a salt-and-burn because the bones were cremated. And they figured out that maybe it's the mirror that she's attached to.

C: So now we're at school where Donna and Charlie are talking. Donna's still very angry that Charlie let Sam and Dean into her house and is also talking about the Bloody Mary thing. Charlie tells her not to say it and Donna's like, "You're crazy, I'm going to say it three times in the mirror." And then she does. Charlie says, "Why would you do that?" and Donna says, "Oh my god, there really is something wrong with you." Very- very mean teenage girl moment. We see Charlie walking through the school, and Bloody Mary is in the reflective windows. Then she's in class, and she sees Bloody Mary in her little makeup mirror.

G: Which- why would you bring out the compact mirror at this point when you know what's happening, right? She's- she's shaken...

C: I guess she just wanted to check.

G: She wanted to check her eye shadow, you know?

C: No, like, she wanted to- she wanted to check if it worked this time?

G: Oh, okay, you're right.

C: Yeah.

G: Yeah, maybe so.

C: So yeah, she checks, and she's in the mirror, she's freaking out, screaming, she picks up a stool and smashes the window of the classroom, which I thought was very good; I enjoyed that. And then her teacher's trying to get her to calm down, and she sees Bloody Mary in the reflection of his glasses. So she runs home, still- still yelling quite a bit.

-

G: So we go to Sam and Dean. And Sam is calling Mary's brother for the mirror who reveals that he sold the mirror to a store in Toledo, so that's the connection.

C: Yeah, just one week ago.

G: The greenscreen in this scene is so bad, by the way.

C: Oh my god, I know. I could see the edges of Sam's face. Like there was an outline. There was lineart.

G: On Dean's side, it's fine,

C: Yeah.

G: But on Sam's face, it looks so bad.

Anyway, they receive a call from Charlie, which, you know, we already know that she's freaking out. So they go to Charlie's house, cover up every mirror in it, and Sam uses his [whispers] ASMR voice to reassure Charlie that Mary won't come after her as long as he doesn't look into a mirror.

C: Yeah.

G: The way Sam speaks in this scene was, I thought was so funny. He- he's like, [whispers] Mary is fine. Like, what- what are you doing, Sam? Why are you whispering, bro?

C: I mean, honestly, I thought it was kind of sweet, like I- he was trying to be comforting, like... Ugh, this is very cringe, but honestly, I was kind of twirling my hair and giggling... [G laughs] Like I thought that he did a good job doing the soothing voice, but to each their own.

G: I hated it because he was like, literally he was doing ASMR, and I was like, "Dude, just speak up! Use your mouth, bro."

C: He didn't want to startle her!

G: Ugh, fine.

C: He was- he was trying to keep her heart rate down, her breathing slow. He was- he was trying to have a good bedside manner.

G: Good for him.

-

G: So Dean interrogates Charlie about what happened in her life to warrant guilt over someone's deaths. So apparently, Charlie had a boyfriend who threatened and pushed through with suicide after she broke up with him. So that's Charlie's backstory.

C: Yeah. I remember writing down "this is so depressing and sad."

G: I know! It's very sad, isn't it? Sorry if this episode isn't funny.

C: Yeah.

G: This episode is very sad.

C: Yeah, I don't know how to be funny about this episode 'cause I feel so bad for Charlie!

So she's crying, and then they leave, and they discuss how Charlie's boyfriend's death isn't directly her fault the way that the boy's death was Jill's fault in the hit and run. So they decide that the ghost probably just operates by some pretty broad rules of "if you have a secret about someone's death, then you die." Sam decides that the best way to get rid of Mary is to first summon her to her original mirror before smashing it, and Dean's like, "okay, sure, but who's gonna summon her?" And Sam says, "I will. She'll come after me."

G: Oooh!

C: Oooh! Yeah, no, he's got the- he's got the whole locked jaw, unblinking emotional thing going on, and Dean, yeah, no, is a good brother, and goes "okay, that's it" and pulls the car over to have a bit of- a give Sam a bit of a pep talk, and says, "this wasn't your fault, you have to get better, this is going to kill you." He says, "If you want to blame something, then blame the thing that killed her, or hell, why don't you take a swing at me? I mean I'm the one that dragged you away from her in the first place." Which is, aww, Dean.

G: This is the part where I started tearing up. I was like, "Oh my gosh... It's a brother moment, guys!" [spluttering] I was- I was tearing up.

C: God, yeah.

G: I love a brother moment.

C: Also, yeah, no, Dean really just wants people to beat him up all the time. Like he really does.

And Sam says that he blames himself because he could have warned Jess about her death. Dean's like, "that doesn't make sense, you didn't know what was going to happen, and this isn't a secret, so this isn't going to work." And Sam says, "I haven't told you everything," but he says he won't tell Dean the rest "because it wouldn't really be a secret if I told you, would it?" Dean does not want to go through with the plan, but eventually, Sam convinces him by saying that Charlie and a bunch of people are going to die unless Dean lets him do this.

G: As you said earlier, the acting in the scene was very good. Sam's face... man, I've made that face, you know?

C: Yeah.

G: Like, when my mom was verbally trying to get something out of me, and I'm refusing to say anything, like, the locked jaw, the everything; it was so good. And I was like, "Oh, look at him. Look at him!"

-

G: So they reach the mirror shop and starts looking for the mirror. Sam finds it and thus, you know, calls out "Bloody Mary" three times. Ooh! And Dean had to go out because cops showed up because he tripped the alarm, and I'm just gonna combine these scenes together, but they're actually separated in the actual storyline. So the cops showed up and he says, "Oh, I'm the boss's kid!" And the cops go "Oh, you're Mr. Yamashiro's kid?" [laughs] And then-

C: We got our- we get our first Asian character, everyone! Representation!

G: Yes. Hello Mr. Yamashiro! Hi sir!

C: Hi Mr. Yamashiro! Do you want to guest star on our podcast?

G: Exactly! For being the first Asian character on Supernatural.

C: I know you didn't show up on screen, but you're really important to me in my heart.

G: So he insists he is adopted, and gets- gets tired of this bit and just kicks the shit out of the cops. Anyway, back inside, Sam is still standing in front of the mirror, and Bloody Mary starts showing up on the different mirrors in the store, which he, you know, um, smashes every one of them. His reflection starts moving, and then he starts choking and tearing up blood. So mirror Sam reveals that Sam had nightmares for days of Jess dying, and the mirror Sam says, like, "You're so desperate to be normal, to believe they were just dreams. How can you ignore them like that? How can you leave her out to die? You dreamt it would happen!" So this is our reveal that Sam had premonitions, right?

C: Yep. Dean shows up and smashes the mirror.

G: Yeah, in a very cool shot. Like it's sideways, and he smashes it-

C: Oh, yeah.

G: - and it looks very good.

C: Yeah, the shards are very nice, the way they reflect the low light.

G: Dean goes up to Sam and holds Sam's face, and he calls him Sammy, and Sam says it's Sam-

C: It's Sam.

G: Which I thought was so- so cute. So Dean starts to carry him out, but Mary comes back, and both Sam and Dean collapse to the ground. Which, I hate this.

C: Yeah, she crawls out of the mirror in some kind of stop-motion effect-looking thing?

G: No, I think Sadako. It's Sadako, right? You know who Sadako is.

C: It's what?

G: You know Sadako.

C: No?

G: She's- she's very famous in the Philippines. She's a Japanese character who crawls out of television sets.

C: Oh.

G: So she crawls out of the TV, and she attacks you or eats you or whatever.

C: Oh, geez.

G: Literally, Bloody Mary looked like Sadako in this, I don't know, in this- in this scene, and I was like, "Slay."

C: Do you kn- what- how old is Sadako? Do you think that Sadako originated as like, a "you kids spend too much time watching the TV"-?

G: I think Sadako was like, early 2000s, actually. Anyway, I hate this part because Dean also collapses, and I was like-

C: Yeah!

G: "This is Sam's episode! How dare you collapse!"

C: Where's Dean's dumb little secret about a death, huh? Huh?

G: Yeah, and later on, Sam was like- Dean was like, "Oh, you have to tell me your secret," and Sam should have been like, "You tell me your secret."

C: Yeah! You tell me your secret!

G: So, Dean points the mirror at Mary, and it awakes something in Mary, and her guilt for killing everyone that she has killed overcomes her, and she dies.

C: Yeah.

G: So Dean smashes that mirror again and cracks a joke about six hundred years of bad luck.

C: Which, I mean, it kind of-

G: Not inaccurate.

C: It kinda does happen! I mean, well, I think if we add up their times in hell, it still doesn't amount to 600 years, but maybe they have a really bad time in heaven as well.

G: We are "heaven is actually Chuck's doing" endgame truthing.

C: Yeah, The Good Place is the sequel to Supernatural; they just changed the names and the actors.

-

C: So now we're to Sam and Dean driving Charlie back to her house, I'm assuming. Did that, like, scare you for a second? Because I didn't notice Charlie at first, I didn't notice Charlie at first, then I was like, "Oh my god, the woman in white is back?!"

G: I know exactly what you mean. And I was also like, "oh my god!" And then I realized it was Charlie and I was like, "oh, okay."

C: Yeah, I was like, "oh, it's just our good friend Charlie."

Charlie's being driven home and she heads out. When she steps outside, Sam says, "Charlie... Your boyfriend's death. You really should try to forgive yourself. No matter what you did, you probably couldn't have stopped it. Sometimes bad things just happen." And Charlie smiles and goes away. It's very nice of Sam, 'cause the whole time when she was revealing her backstory to them, I was yelling, "Somebody tell her that it's not her fault! Oh my god!" But they just didn't say anything, and she kept crying, but at least they finally got to this part.

G: I was also waiting for someone to say "it's not your fault!" and the whole time... And when they were in the car, when they were in the car, and they were like, "it's not her fault," and I was like, "why didn't you fucking tell her?"

C: Yeah. I wrote down in my notes in all caps, "why didn't you say that to her face??"

C: Dean tells Sam "That's good advice," 'cause, you know, he's supposed to get over the Jess thing. But we'll- we'll find out later that this is not a "sometimes bad things just happen" situation; this is a years-long longcon situation. Dean asks Sam to tell him what the secret is, and Sam says, "Look, you're my brother, and I'd die for you, but there are some things I need to keep to myself." Which, I feel like there's a lot to unpack there. Do you want to- what did you think of that line?

G: First off, I remember this scene as Sam saying, for- I- "You're my brother, and I love you."

C: Aww.

G: So when he didn't say "I love you," I was disappointed. I was like, "where's the ‘I love you,’ bro?"

C: Aww.

G: But I get that, like they're not that "I love you" type, so it's fine. "I'd die for you."

C: Yeah, right. My first- my first thought, due to only caring about Cas and Cas is the only thing in my entire world-

G: Oh yes! That's my second thought.

C Yeah, yeah, okay, right! In "The Man Who Would Be King," when Sam says about Cas also like, "He's my friend, and I'd die for him, but we should still be cautious that he might be working with Crowley," I was like, aw, this is like, a Sam thing. He says that he'd die for people instead of saying that he loves them. Oh no! I'm glad- I'm glad we both had the exact same thought due to caring only about one character in Supernatural.

C: Okay, why do you- why do you think that Sam said "there are some things I need to keep to myself"?

G: I actually didn't think about it. I just thought like, of course you have some things to keep to yourself, right? I think there's- there's the thinking that Dean might think of him as “other.”

C: As a monster.

G: Yes.

C: Right. I was thinking that too. Because I feel like at this point in the show they don't get deep enough into monsterhood and hunting for us to come to that conclusion, but knowing what I know about the rest of the show is like, yeah, I feel like Sam is afraid that Dean is going to start seeing him as less than human because he has psychic abilities. Yeah, he's going to either distance himself or try to train it out of Sam or study Sam or something. I don't know if that was the writer's intention here yet, maybe so, but yeah, no, I guess it's- it's interesting to think about in the context of future happenings.

-

G: So- so they're in the car, right, when this conversation is happening. And then we get the iconic, iconic scene-

C: So good.

G: Where Sam looks out the side of the window, sees Jess on the side of the road wearing what the- the outfit she died in, the nightgown. And as the car passes by, we see Jess at the side of the road. What a slay.

C: Yeah.

G: What a beautiful scene.

C: What a slay.

G: The music, the slo-mo, everything; it was so good. And then the episode ends.

-

G: So, what did you think of this episode?

C: I thought it was very good for a Supernatural episode.

G: It was good.

C: I was pleasantly surprised? Yeah, I thought the horror was done well, and I think Sam's acting and the backstory of all the characters was done well. Yeah, twirling my hair and giggling at every time Sam's on the screen. Just- just good stuff.

G: Yeah, I also thought it was a good episode. Not- I'm not just saying that because it's Sam-centric, but I know we've been [C laughs] an asshole to Dean.

C: Yeah, we've been rather... but we were nice to Dean this episode! Don't say I never did anything for you, Deangirls.

G: Yeah [laughs]. Well, I think it's a good episode because of the horror elements are good, like it freaked me out a little bit, that's something.

C: Yeah, no, I was genuinely on edge.

G: Yeah, and it- it wasn't like they were repeating stuff like in last episode. I thought, like every scene was organic, but still fresh, you know? That doesn't make any sense, but whatever.

C: Also, this is such a low bar, I think, but I think because this is Supernatural, I was expecting a lot more misogyny with the character of Mary. Because I heard that, for example, she won a lot of beauty pageants, and I was like, "this is where they reveal that he cut out her eyes because she was very vain about them and thought that they were beautiful on her," but no, they don't- that's not why; they don't really say anything about it. So I was like, "ah, thank god." And then when Dean turns the mirror on her, I was so scared that the writers were going to do a misogyny moment where like, she's horrified at how she looks now, and that's what defeats her? But luckily, no, it was just the- it was just the guilt over killing people. I was like, "Oh, thank god. They were normal about women." [G laughs] They weren't normal about Jill, but they were normal about Mary.

G: Yeah, the Jill part was the only part that was like, a bit uncomfortable to look at.

-

G: Okay, so Best Line/Worst Line? What's your best line?

C: I liked basically everything that mirror Sam said to Sam um, you know, the whole "you killed her, you wanted so bad to be normal, how could you ignore that?" So yeah, just all of it, I thought was very good, I thought it was a good reveal of Sam's guilt and also his mindset while he was at Stanford. What was your best line?

G: I would say maybe my best line is "Mr. Yamashiro." [both laughing] I genuinely love that line. Because you took the serious route, so I'm gonna take the comedy route, and I thought that bit was actually really funny. Like I laughed out loud.

C: That was pretty funny.

G: The worst line of the episode. What's your worst line?

C: Uh, I think my worst line is when Jill says that Sam and Dean are cute.

G: Oh my god, I was gonna say exactly that.

C: Just because of the way it plays into the horror tropes of the "slutty teenage girl" dying first.

G: Also I would rather Sam and Dean not be attractive in the narrative, you know what I mean?

C: That too! I despise when shows keep bringing up how attractive their characters are.

G: Because I feel like there's a line, right? There's a line between what's actually happening in the universe and what we're seeing.

C: Like everyone's going to be more attractive on TV on average because that's what the acting industry is like.

-

G: So, uh, okay, I'm gonna look it up, but what is your guess on the IMDB rating?

C: Well, this is- yeah, like I was quite impressed by this episode, so I don't, like, but... I feel like in the past, we've always rated things below the pilot, just because the pilot seems to be highly-rated, but I feel like this is- I liked this more than the pilot, but I don't know-

G: Yeah, me too.

C: - if the general audience liked it more than the pilot. So I think I'm just gonna say a pilot rating, 8.7.

G: I would go 8.5, just because, well, just because. Let's see.

G: It's an 8.4! I was almost there.

C: Oh wow, you were really close. Ugh, people liked it that much less than- wait, okay, what did- what did "Phantom Traveler" get again?

G: "Phantom Traveler" got an 8.2.

C: Okay, "Phantom Traveler" got an 8.2, okay. So is "Bloody Mary" the second highest rated-?

G: The second highest so far. Which pans out. That makes sense.

C: I think it was better than the pilot, but oh well.

-

G: So that's it for this episode of Busty Asian Beauties. Next time we will be talking about Season 1 Episode 6: “Skin”! Oh my god, you guys have been waiting for this, probably. I know you Deangirls have been waiting for this. [both laugh] Leave us a rating or review whenever- wherever you get your podcasts.

C: Follow us on social media! We are on twitter at twitter.com/BeautiesPodcast and on Tumblr at bustyasianbeautiespod.tumblr.com.

G: You can email us any feedback comments or inquiries at bustyasianbeautiespod@gmail.com. Uh, this is the first episode we're recording where we're actually out as a podcast, so I just also would like to thank everyone who has listened to the first few episodes. I'm super grateful, thank you so much.

C: Yes, and also, I think, according to our release schedule, this is going to be the first one released in the new Lunar New Year, so happy Year of the Tiger, guys.

G: Happy Year of the Tiger! Okay, that's all, see you guys next time! Bye!

C: Bye!

[guitar music]

[dragon-ball-meta]

Yes, a Reddit post. I’m sure so many of you are shocked that our colossally bad take came from there, (and probably from Toyotaro’s burner account lol), but nevertheless, here it is. How to even begin to unpack this... Okay, here we go: 1. Goku’s was hardly the only one who didn’t want to stop Gero. Vegeta literally threatened to KILL anyone who DID try to stop them. Tien wanted to fight them to test his limits. Goku’s desire was to fight them, yes, hello, this is Goku, But he also refused to just find and straight-up kill Gero when he TECHNICALLY hadn’t done anything to warrant it yet. And, as we actually came to see, that’s not an entirely unwarranted stance; things changed between these two timelines even without direct intervention. Unlikely as it was, it was possible that Gero may not have gone through with it. There have been entire books and films on this topic.. 2. This stupid claim just refuses to die. At what point in any part of the fight with Goku and Cell was it even IMPLIED that Goku could have won? Goku stated he’d been going all-out in his fight with Cell, when the Cell Jrs arrived and started attacking, Goku was getting bodied even though they were only about as strong as Vegeta or Trunks, who were both far below him when at full power. Goku could not have beaten Cell. ONLY Gohan could. The boy even said that he’d thought Goku and Cell were both not fighting seriously because they looked to be moving slowly to him. Gohan was already stronger than Goku, before he ever turned SSJ2. Period. And for the love of GOD, STOP with this “severe emotional trauma” nonsense! Gohan had been watching people die, his friends no less, since he was FIVE. In fact, seeing that at FIVE is FAR more likely to have given him any severe and lasting emotional trauma. PICCOLO is more likely to have caused this than Goku. Yes, the Piccolo the OP even then tries to claim is the paragon of fatherhood. Gohan was already afraid of his own anger, he always had a dislike of fighting and hurting people. The thing that shook the boy the most was watching his dad die and knowing it was partly his fault. Even then, he grew up into a healthy, well-adjusted man with his dream job and a family. Just STOP pushing your headcanons onto him for two seconds! 3. THINKS he could have killed Buu. Opted to try to teach those still alive a technique that would enable THEM to kill Buu and keep protecting the Earth even after he was gone. Could have killed Vegeta, yes, and sent him to hell and left Bulma and Trunks broken-hearted. Instead opted to try to reason with him first and allow him to think he’d finally caught up to him so he’d stop obsessing over their power gap to the point of SELLING HIS SOUL TO AN EVIL WIZARD TO GET THE EDGE.. And now, for the completely asinine reasons Goku is eeeeevil: 1. You’re acting as if this isn’t just Goku. That is LITERALLY Goku. Always HAS been Goku. He treats EVERYNE as a peer and potential friend and ADORES the idea of trying to fight strong people. Note that he also ASKED for a spar, didn’t just “attack” or something. This also has nothing to do with a thirst for “power”, it has to do with Goku trying to test himself and push himself to be the greatest warrior it’s possible for him to be. This is the same mentality that had Goku excited for the Tenkaichi Budokai, that had him excited to face Vegeta, that had him spare Piccolo and Vegeta for the sake of  rematch against such a great opponent someday. This is not some sort of development that happened post-Namek, and it’s by no means Evil. Also, how tf did VEGETA supposedly warn him when Vegeta was back on Earth and nowhere to be found?  2. Again... this is just Goku. This is how he is. That doesn’t mean he didn’t care about the plight of others though; Goku doesn’t just sit back and ignore suffering he’s been made aware of, and he helps his friends. But yes, the idea of facing HIMSELF was exciting to him; possibly his ONLY chance to compare his progress to another “version” of himself.  And... I’m sorry, but Goku erupting into a fit of rage over his family’s murder is invalidated because he was mad it used HIS body? Really? NO KIDDING I’d be extra pissed if some psychopath took over my body and murdered my wife and little boy! Who WOULDN’T be pissed about that? The last thing his wife saw was her husband’s face grinning as he cut through her and their son. The last thing Goten saw was his daddy GLEEFULLY murdering him. The fact that he flew into the biggest rage he’d ever had since he first fought FREEZA over this shows how much that hurt him. The fact that you think it was entirely about the use of his body and not their deaths shows a piss-poor ability to analyze what you see on screen, ESPECIALLY as he was upset but mostly indifferent hearing how Zamasu stole his body UNTIL he told Goku he murdered his family too. THEN he flew into a rage. This is also going to invalidate an upcoming point, so pin this.

3. Aaaand... we’re right back to the Tournament of Power itself. The Tournament that literally no one foresaw as having those results. The one that as stated to actually buy one universe that was gonna be wiped anyways a fighting chance to survive, and later turned out to be a massive morality test to allow ALL of said universes to survive. Nevermind that though, this OP here asserts that Goku KNEW it would result in that, was TOLD it would even (he literally was not I am so sick of that claim), and didn’t even KNOW they COULD undo it and STILL wanted it! This is easily the most hardcore anti-Goku stance I have ever seen on this topic This isn’t just chiding him for being ignorant or not listening to warnings (again, not applicable), it’s accusing him of KNOWING Genocide would happen and actually WATING that in the name of a few fights.  This being his stance is further illustrated by his assertion that Goku is indisputably a sociopath. Let’s look at the definition of a sociopath, shall we? “A person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack of conscience.” This is not Goku. OBJECTIVELY not Goku. Goku is far from anti-social, and very much has a strong sense of right and wrong, hence his desire to intervene when he comes across people suffering. Hence why he sought justice for the murder of Upa’s father. Hence why he felt IMMEDIATE REGRET after hearing what the consequences would be for the losers of the ToP, and WHY HE FLEW INTO A RAGE OVER THE MURDER OF HIS WIFE AND SON. Goku is capable of sympathy, empathy, and grasps the concepts of right and wrong. A sociopath he is not. And, of course, the stupid assertion that Goku is a bad father and Piccolo and Vegeta are the REAL examples of fatherhood... which is also erasure of Gohan and Krillin, neither of whom assaulted their daughters, tossed them into the wilderness to fend for themselves, forced them to be fighters and face homicidal aliens at age 5,or nearly let them and their mothers fall to their deaths because they were too absorbed with finding and killing an enemy to prove their superiority. To cap it off, Vegeta and Piccolo have somehow inexplicably become the “symbols of hope” in the series, trying to stop an evil, unhinged Goku from annihilating them all, and he asserts that Vegeta became the REAL hero during... the Cell Saga? The arc where Vegeta literally helped Cell become perfect? And was the hero in the arc where he sold his soul to Babidi, helped resurrect Buu, AND murdered hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent people JUST to make Goku mad enough to fight him because he refused to? You know, the thing you actually used as a point of criticism for... GOKU, and are clearly abdicating Vegeta of any and all responsibility for?  Folks, I’ve seen some bad takes in my day, but it’s very, VERY rare to find one this unhinged and frankly inept in one place. This is nuclear levels of Bad Takes here. Just... wow. 

[atelier-dayz]

When you have the time/feel up to it, would you mind sharing what the parallels between Jedi and mandalorians are? Pretty please? 🙏

AYE HELLO I WOULD BE HAPPY TO \o/

So this is rough since most of it is straight C&Ping from my spreadsheets so hopefully you’re not expecting an essay LOL

And this doesn’t include the stuff that I made up for my own stories like Mando’paru vs the Seven Forms of Lightsaber combat, etc.

Starting off with these two excerpts from Star Wars Insider 86:

“Across five millennia, the Mandalorians fought with and against a thousand armies on a thousand worlds. They learned to speak as many languages and absorbed weapons, technology and tactics from every war. And yet, despite the overwhelming influence of alien cultures, and the absence of a true home world and even species, their own language not only survived, but changed little; their way of life and their philosophy remained untouched; and their ideals and sense of family, of identity, of nation, were only strengthened. Armour is not what makes a Mandalorian. Armour is simply a manifestation of an impenetrable, unassailable heart.” - Mandalorians: Identity and Language, published by the Galactic Institute of Anthropology 

and 

"But the Mandalorians are an exception. They adopted a culture and became completely defined by it. Their nearest parallel, ironically, is the Jedi – with whom the Mandalorians have had so much antagonism and conflict." 

1) The Jedi and Mandalorians are two cultures in which they grow/expand their numbers through adoption. They, as a result, absorb a lot of different alien cultures. And members do draw from their home cultures (Shaak Ti and Ahsoka, Luminara and Barris, etc) but there's also a distinct culture of their own. 

As pointed out in those excerpts, while Mandalorians have/had the Mandalore system, a major part of their identity is as nomads, a diaspora. And the Jedi don't really a "home world" in a sense. They have/had Ilum, but that’s not an inhabitable planet, and they are based on Coruscant, but people wouldn't consider them Coruscanti. 

And there's not one species that defines them, as Jedi or as Mandalorian. Instead each of them are bound together by their culture and philosophy. 

(more under cut because it’s Long)

1.5) To reiterate, the primary means of expanding their numbers is through adoption. And! Both cultures highly value their younglings / foundlings. Kids are Very Important.

2) There’s the Mandalorian saying "Aliit ori'shya tal'din" or "Family is more than blood.” Pretty straightforward, found families are a Thing for Mandalorians.  And while the Order doesn't disparage against blood ties (see Depa and Sar, Tiplar and Tiplee, etc) blood relations aren't what they use to define family! 

Along the same vein, another Mandalorian saying "Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori'wadaas'la" or "Nobody cares who your parent was, only the parent you'll be." As SW Insider 86 states, “Mandalorians believe that you are what you do, not what an accident of birth dictates." Similarly, for the Jedi, it doesn't matter where you come from; it's about what you choose to do.

3) Varying however much in adherence, both cultures have a code they live by. The Resol’nare for the Mandalorians, and the Jedi Code -- whatever that specifically entails since we don’t have many details about it. (For those in the back, no, it’s not the same as the meditation mantra.)

4) The Mandalorians hold the education, the raising and nurturing of children (beyond schoolwork, really preparation for life and survival) (referred to as bajur), to such importance as to have it as one of the six acts in their code. As for the Jedi, they very clearly place great important in teaching and learning. To quote Obi-wan, "teaching is a privilege. And it’s part of a Jedi’s responsibility to help train the next generation.” An important part of a Jedi Knight includes teaching initiates and/or taking on a padawan to pass forward the knowledge they have as well as to learn from their own students. 

Which leads me appropriately to the shared emphasis in learning, in self-improvement and personal growth. Yoda says in one of the Age of Republic comics, “Good, questions are. Ask them we must. Certainty in our understanding, to arrogance it leads. To the dark side." As for the Mandalorians, there’s a post by freckledmcree that articulates the idea much better, but they have a philosophy against arasuum - which is stagnation. For them, to live is to constantly adapt and grow, because that’s how they can survive and that’s how they become darasuum or eternal.

5) Which is a good segue into their philosophy on death! On a superficial level, both the Mandalorians and the Jedi cremate their dead. And in regards to death, the Mandalorians have what I’ve been referring to in fic as the Litany, something they recite in daily remembrance: “Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum.” (“I’m still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal.”) They also have a phrase about the dead as “Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la” or “Not gone, merely marching far away.” So death isn’t The End for them, merely a different journey. As for Jedi, one of the first basic beliefs we learn from the OT and onwards is that a Jedi doesn't really die, they pass into the Force. They continue on, following a path they all travel eventually.

6) Mandalorians and Jedi both have a physical object that distinguishes them as them. There’s the beskar’gam for the Mandalorians, and the lightsaber for the Jedi. However! To again quote SW Insider 86, "Armour is not what makes a Mandalorian. Armour is simply a manifestation of an impenetrable, unassailable heart.” A Mandalorian without his armour is still a Mandalorian. Likewise, to quote Cal, "Having a lightsaber isn't what makes you a Jedi." A Jedi is more than just their lightsaber; it’s their philosophy and knowledge and etc that makes them a Jedi!

7) Gender and gender roles are NOT a thing in Mandalorian culture. (I’m ignoring the gender roles bit in SW Insider 86 because screw you KT.)  I can't imagine gender and the typical social constructs we think of that come with gender holding much importance to Jedi either.

Also attraction, for a Mandalorian, is based on character rather than physical appearance. Which I also imagine to be the case for Jedi if they chose to pursue relationships.

8)  Training begins when they're young for both Mandalorians and Jedi, and they’re considered ready to venture out into the galaxy in their teens - roughly speaking. Mandalorians are considered "adults" at 13. Jedi become padawans and go out on missions sometime in their teens, though we don’t have a specific age range. (Typically older than 13 before the Clone Wars happened if we’re basing off remarks about Ahsoka in TCW.) 

When a Mandalorian becomes an adult, they go through a rite of passage in military and survival skills that make them legally adults. This sounds similar to, of course, the Jedi Trials for a padawan to become a knight.

9)  Both groups suffered the effects of genocide. It seems the Sith/Empire targeted any groups that would pose a threat to their power/rule, and these included the Jedi (Order 66 and the hunting of any FSs afterwards) and the Mandalorians (The Night of A Thousand Tears and afterwards).

10) Aaand this one is silly BUT if you want to keep a low profile, wear a poncho! 😂