#that's going into the to-do list

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

the fact that shakespeare was a playwright is sometimes so funny to me. just the concept of the "greatest writer of the English language" being a random 450-year-old entertainer, a 16th cent pop cultural sensation (thanks in large part to puns & dirty jokes & verbiage & a long-running appeal to commoners). and his work was made to be watched not read, but in the classroom teachers just hand us his scripts and say "that's literature"

just...imagine it's 2450 A.D. and English Lit students are regularly going into 100k debt writing postdoc theses on The Simpsons screenplays. the original animation hasn't even been preserved, it's literally just scripts and the occasional SDH subtitles.txt. they've been republished more times than the Bible

[inkskinned]

you're in the habit of denying yourself things.

if someone asked you directly, you would say that you love a little treat. you like iced coffee and getting the cookie. you drink juice out of a fancy cup sometimes, and often do use your candles until they gutter out helplessly.

but you hesitate about buying the 20 dollar hand mixer because, like. you could just use your arms. you weren't raised rich. you don't get to just spend the 20 dollars (remember when that could cover lunch?), at least - you don't spend that without agonizing over it first, trying to figure out the cost-benefits like you are defending yourself in front of a jury. yes, this rice cooker could seriously help you. but you do know how to make stovetop rice and it really isn't that hard. how many pies or brownies would you actually make, in order to make that hand mixer worthwhile?

what's wild is that if the money was for a friend, it would already be spent. you'd fork over 40 without blinking an eye, just to make them happy. the difference is that it's for you, so you need to justify it.

and it sneaks in. you ration yourself without meaning to - you don't finish the pint of ice cream, even though you want to. the next time you go to the store, you say ah, i really shouldn't, and then you walk away. you save little bits of your precious things - just in case. sometimes you even go so far as putting that one thing in your shopping cart. and then just leaving it there, because maybe-one-day, but not right now, there's other stuff going on.

you do self-care, of course. but you don't do it more than like, 3 days in a row. after that it just feels a little bit over-the-edge. like. you can't live in decadence, the economy is so bad right now, kid.

so you don't buy the rice cooker. you can-and-will spend the time over the stove. you can withstand the little sorrows. denial and discipline are practically synonyms. and you're not spoiled.

it's just - it's not always a rice cooker. sometimes it is a person or a job or a hug. sometimes it is asking for help. sometimes it is the summer and your college degree. sometimes it is looking down at scabbed knees and feeling a strange kind of falling, like you can't even recognize the girl you used to be. sometimes it is your handprint looking unsteady.

sometimes it is tuesday, and you didn't get fired, and you want to celebrate. but what is it you like, even? you search around your little heart and come up empty. you're so used to denying that all your desires draw a blank.

oh fuck. see, this is the perfect opportunity. if you had a mixer, you'd make a cake.

[palms-upturned]

🇵🇸GAZA ESCAPE FUNDS🇵🇸

(Emoji description: two uses of the Palestinian flag emoji, end description)

UPDATE, July 8th 2024: I am no longer updating this post. My master list has now moved to this post on @vetted-gaza-funds so please check there instead!

UPDATE: I’ve hit the link limit on this post, so here is part two of this list!!

🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

(Emoji description: three Palestinian flag emojis, end description)

Laila Shaqoura: €23k/€45k

@/lailashaqoura, number 152 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Wafaa Alnhal: €24k/€50k

@/wafs-posts, number 171 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Ruba Shaban: €26k/€100k

@/rubashabansblog, number 90 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Issam Aziz: €21k/€25k

@/haifaaziz98, number 179 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Amneh Sharif: $8.6k/$90k USD

@/amnehsharif10, number 140 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Nada Saftawi: €11k/€16k

@/nadasaftawi, number 182 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Iyad Sobhe: £11k/£60k

@/iyadsobhegaza, number 173 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Dr. Nasser Mohammed: £6.2k/£50k

(terminated, formerly nassermohamed9), Verified by nabulsi

Nahla & Amal: €3k/€80k

@/jrk85, number 178 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Ahmed Iyd: £10k/£150k

(terminated, formerly ahmediyds), number 116 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Renad Magid: £15k/£25k

@/renadmagidnew, number 128 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Amira Alanqar: €11k/€20k

@/ameera-anq, Verified by nabulsi

Mohammed Hilles: €21k/€37k

@/hmzamahamed3, number 176 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Rania Ibra: £13k/£35k (LINK NOT WORKING, WILL UPDATE)

@/ranibra71, number 154 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Malk Al Zaeem: $18k/$50k CAD

@/malkzaeem, number 129 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Amal Abu Shammala: €55k/€60k

@/amalisam96, number 24 on the spreadsheet linked up top

NOTE: Amal’s family has been evacuated to Egypt, but Amal is continuing to raise funds to support her displaced relatives and to recover from losing her job and being scammed out of $20k in the process of evacuating her family. Please keep on donating to her both the above campaign and this second campaign, which has raised $2.4k/$10k!

Nael Helles: $16k/$50k USD

@/nael-helles, number 85 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Ahmed & Dina: €23k/€35k

@/zinaeleenyamin, verified by nabulsi

Hani Al-Hajjar: €31k/€50k

@/skatehani, number 75 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Mohammed Alanqer: €32k/€38k

@/mohammedalanqer, number 174 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Salaah Bilaal: €50k/€70k

@/bilal-salah0, number 132 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Shahed Muhammad: $8k/$50k USD

@/shahednhall, verified by nabulsi

Nader Shoshaa: €6.4k/€120k

@/nadergaza, number 153 on the spreadsheet linked up top (thank you to @/rubashabansblog for sending me this campaign!)

Iman Eyad: £6.6k/£60k (LINK NOT WORKING, WILL UPDATE)

@/imanblogs, number 150 on the spreadsheet linked up top (thank you to @/rubashabansblog for sending me this campaign!)

Aya Maher: €4.3k/€25k

@/ayamaher44, verified by 90-ghost

Hamsa Mohammad: €5.4k/€30k

@/hamsamohammad, verified by nabulsi

Alaa Al Khateeb: £25k/£56k

@/alaaalkhateeb, number 99 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Mohammed Hoboub: kr17k/kr300k SEK

@/mohammedhaboub, verified by 90-ghost

Youssef Helles: €2k/€23k

@/omaryousef, number 206 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Amani Hasan: $18,934/$17,732 CAD GOAL MET!!!

@/amani93hasan, number 169 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Ahmad Turk: €7.1k/€70k

@/ahmadturk00, number 96 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Ahmed Ziad: £3.9k/£30k

@/ahmed-ziad, verified by nabulsi

Mahmoud Helles: €1.1k/€50k

@/mahmoud92hells, number 198 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Sujood Odeh: £53k/£70k

@/sujoododeh, number 64 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Mohammad Al Manasra: €11k/€40k

@/save-mohammad-family, verified by ibtisams

Mohammad Awni: €2.1k/€45k

@/mohamedawnisblog, verified by nabulsi

Raghad Qanou: £3.2k/£55k

@/rhq274, verified by nabulsi

Iyad Sami: CHF5.7k/CHF20k

@/eyadeyadsblog, vouched for by mohamedalanqer

Ahmed Al Ostaz: €12k/€70k

@/4665440875, organized by @/mo98h, number 125 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Yousef Hussein: $7.3k/$50k USD

@/06679799, verified by 90-ghost

Nesma Ahmed: $66k/$80k USD

@/nesmamomen, verified by nabulsi

Abdelrahman: €7.1k/€20k

@/anqer, vetted by el-shab-hussein

Mahmoud Balousha: €14k/€50k

(terminated, formerly mahmoud26), verified by blackpearlblast

Samer Abu Rass: kr59k/kr450k SEK

@/samerpal, number 196 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Dr. Mohammed Al Deeb: €18k/€30k

@/mohammedaldeeb, number 212 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Fadi Ayyad: $18k/$35k USD

@/mayadaayyad, number 144 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Tahani Shorbajee: $16k/$50k USD

@/tahanishorbaje2, number 112 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Yazan Ashraf Abu Safiya: €3.5k/€50k

@/yazanabusaia, number 180 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Mahmoud Saleh: €4.6k/€20k

@/mide444, verified by ibtisams

Ahmed Abu Shammala: €9.8k/€100k

@/ahmed8311, number 161 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Mohammed Thalatheeni: €21k/€35k

@/mohammedtalatene, number 135 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Ahmed Thalatheeni: €4.1k/€35k

@/ahmedaltalaten, vouched for by mohammedtalatene

Mahmoud Khalaf: €10k/€30k

@/mahmoudkhalafff, number 152 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Basma Al Ghoul: kr9.2k/kr400k SEK

@/basmaalghoul, verified by nabulsi

Mahmoud Hilles: €20k/€25k

@/hillesmahmoud, number 170 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Ezzideen Shehab: €29k/€75k

@/boshradaoud1 (organizer), number 2 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Farah Haboub: $1.3k/$120k CAD

@/farahhaboub, vetted by 90-ghost

Firas Muhaisen: $1.7k/$82k CAD

@/firasmuhaisenn, shared by 90-ghost

Shaheen Family: €2.7k/€35k

@/shaheenfamily1, shared by 90-ghost

Walaa Ahmed: $3.9k/$50k CAD

@/burningnightgiver and @/ahmed79ss, shared by 90-ghost

Ghada Saftawi: €1.3k/€10,250

@/ghadasaftawi, shared by 90-ghost

NOTE: Ghada’s family has been evacuated, but it took all the money that Ghada had! This fundraiser is to support her children while they are displaced in Egypt with no savings left.

Diya Shamaly: $23k/$90k CAD

@/familydeea, verified by nabulsi

Basel Ayyad: CHF2k/CHF60k

@/basel-1995, number 214 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Alaa Ayad: $2.5/$20k CAD

@/alaa-pales, number 395 on Operation Olive Branch’s master list

Mohammed Iwais: kr15k/kr500k SEK

@/mohiwais, shared by 90-ghost

Khalil Abu Baker: €1.3k/€30k

@/khalil95, number 187 on the spreadsheet linked up top

Firas Salem: €33k/€65k

@/firas-salem, number 111 on the spreadsheet linked up top

[evilwizard]

legend tells that Thoth, god of knowledge and magic, played cards with Khonsu, god of the moon, and won 5 extra days worth of moonlight. he gave them to the sky goddess Nut (who was forbidden from giving birth on any day of the then 360-day year), subsequently allowing her to produce Osiris, Isis, Horus, Set, and Nepthys—one on each of the five days

no one knows that Thoth was up to with the whole “leap year” thing. after all, there’s no way Nut could give birth to just 1/4th of a god. unless…..

no way!!!! this has become a CERTIFIED MEDJED POST!!!!!!!!!!

𓅓𓂝𓆓𓂧𓐦

TRUE MEDJ-HEADS REBLOG!!!!!!!!!!

[thisshrimpisfryingrice]

Part 2 of crazy ass ships

[puppyeared]

horrible truth bomb dropped on my head 20 min ago

[ninja-knox-ur-sox-off]

Spider: 7890

Ultra powerful monkey boy: 0

[capt-zjaybird]

PLSS he's even got the silvery hair

Elsa is so done ❄️

based on the twitter expression meme under the cut

[lazylittledragon]

hey idk which anxious pre-t babe needs to hear this but i didn't get to when i was younger so. testosterone will not make you ugly. it won't make you a horrible person. it won't 'mutilate' or ruin your body. if you want to go on testosterone then literally all that happens is it makes you really fucking hot and REALLY fucking happy.

[anders-hawke]

— Chapter 13, ROMANCING MISTER BRIDGERTON

[bonefall]

Anyway. Bi and Mspec Lesbians aren't a hotly "debated" topic or even new to queer culture, it's just the newest thing that bullies who REALLY want to be homophobic and even racist use to justify harassing gay people they don't like.

It's the thinnest possible veneer of progressive language wrapped around TERF and reactionary rhetoric so that they can feel righteous for forming an angry mob against vulnerable targets. If you're gullible enough to fall for the newest wave of bigotry within the queer community, and turn on your allies because they're "confusing" or "invading your spaces," the SAME way they turned on bi/pan labels, trans people, xenogenders, neopronouns, and aroace people before this, then get lost.

[s0fter-sin]

everyone makes fun of soap when they find out how many hair and skin products he keeps on hand. the cabinet in his bathroom is filled to bursting and he always keeps travel sized bottles on him on missions

when soldiers outside the 141 find out, they call him precious and self-obsessed, a vain pretty boy too preoccupied with his reflection to focus on the enemy. no wonder how he got his callsign. price has given up telling him to leave them on base and just teaches him to individually wrap them so they don’t rattle against each other and give himself away

what they don’t know is that each product contains an ingredient that when mixed with any number of the others, creates potent chemical bombs. he was caught unarmed once, he won’t let it happen again

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

The Best Friend Showdown

Season four had many, many flaws. One of the big ones was the Rena Rouge vs Chat Noir conflict where Ladybug starts relying on Alya more and more, basically using her to replace Master Fu. We get a sense that Chat Noir feels inferior to Rena Rouge because of this change, but it’s never directly addressed. The most we get is this conversation from Hack-San:

Ladybug: I'm really sorry, Cat Noir. I should've told you. I mean, if I found out that you told someone about your secret identity, I'd... probably be upset, too. I'm really sorry I hurt your feelings. Cat Noir: You didn't hurt my feelings. You did everything right. 

Which is actually a really weird bit of dialogue because - as far as I can tell - nothing in the episode revealed that Scarabella knew Ladybug's identity. She hands out miraculous all the time and no one knows who she really is. Why would this time be different? Ladybug could just show up in costume, explain what's up, and then hand off the earrings while using yet another miraculous.

Anyway, the Rena Rouge vs Chat Noir conflict is “resolved” by Rena Rouge being outed again (and I guess that matters this time), leading her to give up her miraculous so that Gabriel can’t steal it away, which of course leads Gabriel to steal it away and fully disempower Ladybug’s larger team, leaving Chat Noir her only teammate.

How satisfying! This is such good, character-driven story telling!

It’s not. This is plot contrivances to the max with no meaningful character beats, but we’re not here to talk about that. We’re here to do one of my favorite things: gush about a relevant Kim Possible episode! Today’s topic is episode 12 of season one: Pain King vs. Cleopatra, the episode that introduces Kim’s female BFF, Monique!

This was a bit of a shocker for me because I didn’t realize that Kim and Monique weren’t pre-series friends. Turns out that, much like Alya, Monique is a new girl, which isn’t a bad call. This was a nice way to delay Monique’s introduction for a few episodes so that the writers could focus on establishing Kim’s relationship with other key members of the cast like her partner, Ron. Spacing out your intros is the way to go whenever you can pull it off as it’s a kindness to your audience that keeps them from feeling overwhelmed, making it more likely that they’ll remember your cast.

The other, more important similarity between Alya and Monique is that, when Kim’s hero partner and life-long friend finds out about Monique, he is less than thrilled:

Kim: I barely got to see them. Right after I hooked up with Monique, the museum was robbed by some glowing-headed animal guy. Ron: Oh, that's nice. Ron: Wait a minute, who's Monique? Kim New friend, really great. Anyway, the thief stole an enchanted ancient talisman. Ron: Whoa, whoa, back up! How can I not know about a new friend? Kim: I met her at Club Banana, then again at the museum before I chased the glowing robber. Ron: So what's she like? Kim: The robber? Ron: The friend, Kim, the "new friend".

Throughout the episode, Kim and Monique continue to bond without Ron, leaving Ron feeling left out:

Ron: Seein' a pattern here, Rufus: Kim does her thing, I do my thing, and pretty soon - we're doing different things.

Which leads him to get a little territorial:

Kim Ron! What are you doing here? Ron: Can I dine with my best friend and her new friend? Kim: Uuh, Ron, Monique, and vice versa. Ron: Bearclaw? Monique: No, thanks, I'm vegetarian. Ron: Uhm, I'm pretty sure it's imitation bear? Kim: She's joking, Ron. Ron: Good one, hahaha, ha, good one. So, did Kim tell you that I'm her sidekick? Cause that role is definitely taken by me. Monique: Riiiight. Well, in... you know I better get to class. Later, Kim. Um, n-nice meeting you, Ron. Ron: Likewise, I'm sure! Kim: What is your problem? You're acting really weird. Ron: Well, let's see. You went to the museum with Monique, not me. Monique was with you this morning, not me. Hmm, pattern? Kim: Yeah. You. Weird. Ron: No, we're drifting apart because you're excluding me. Kim: I am not excluding you. It's just that you and Monique are... different.

Noticing some similarities to Miraculous here?

So how does Kim Possible resolve this conflict?

Well, the plot of this episode resolves around Kim Possible’s version of professional wrestling, the GWA. There’s a competition going on that Kim has no interest in watching (mood), but when Kim mentions the GWA to Monique:

Monique: Why didn't you bring [Ron] along? Kim: Unless someone put a waiter in a headlock, this is definitely not Ron's scene. Besides, he had a date with "Steel Toe". Monique: He scored tickets to Mayhem in Middleton? The GWA rocks! Kim: What?

It turns out that Monique and Ron have a shared interest! Multiple shared interests, in fact! Interests that Kim does not share:

Monique: You know, I still can't believe you met Pain King and Steel Toe. Ron: I can't believe you're into wrestling. Kim: I can't believe I know either one of you.

By the end of the episode, the conflict is resolved not with Kim having to pick a BFF or with Monique somehow being demoted, but by showing that this didn’t need to be a conflict at all. Kim can have multiple close friends that she shares different interests with without any of those friends being lesser. Those friends can, in turn, have their own friendships that don’t always involve her.

It’s a genuinely lovely resolution that makes me love this little friend group because it now has added complexity. Monique and Ron are friends in their own right! Kim is not the center of the universe in spite of her main character status!

I also love that Kim isn’t vilified for having other friends or portrayed as constantly leaving Ron out of things that he'd want to do in favor of Monique. Ron genuinely would not enjoy most of the things that the girls love to do together. At the same time, Ron’s feeling aren’t treated as totally irrational either and Kim even admits to ditching him. It’s a genuine, complex conflict that is super common when someone enters a new relationship be it platonic or romantic.

Obviously Kim Possible’s version of this conflict feels far less complex than Miraculous’ because Kim Possible understood that Ron should be Kim’s one-and-only partner, so his position was really never threatened. Monique does not want to be an action hero and is never given the sort narrative weight that elevates her to Ron’s level or higher, but that doesn't matter. The basic lesson here is still relevant and super important for the intended audience of both of these shows.

There did not need to be a Rena Rouge vs Chat Noir conflict that never got properly resolved. Miraculous could have made these two friends and no, Scarabella doesn't count because Chat Noir has no idea that Scarabella is Rena Rouge/Furtive. Their relationship ended at the end of Hack-San. He didn't even know that Rena Furtive was a thing until she was in the process of being benched and that's the problem.

Kim Possible is not a team show, Miraculous is, and yet Kim Possible has better team dynamics than Miraculous. Monique could have joined Kim's team at the end of Pain King vs. Cleopatra and it would have felt natural because both Kim and Ron had welcomed Monique and formed a genuine bond with her. This is a true friend group that Miraculous can only dream of even though they've been adding new superheroes since season two.

We're going into a season with a full, massive team and yet that team has no established dynamics on the hero side. It's not a functional team! None of these characters have meaningful relationships with each other as heroes save for Alya and Nino since they know each other’s secret identities. The only relationships Miraculous cares about are the various romances and everyone's relationship to Marinette and everyone suffers for it.

The show would not have been harmed by Rena Rouge, Chat Noir, and Ladybug being a team. It was the thing I kept think after watching the Kim Possible episode. Since the team is the end game, why aren't we seeing them? It would have been so nice to have Hack-San end with Ladybug introducing Chat Noir to Rena Furtive instead of a nonsense discussion about an issue the episode didn't even address.

[tyxaar]

A compiled list of various severe crimes committed by one Mr Scar of the Good Times, exact counts pending. Cannibalism (Multiple counts) War profiteering Trading of Souls Grave robbing Fraud of multiple varieties Racketeering Arson (Like a lot of it) Unethical experimentation Acts of Terror Spiritual possession Contract killing Sale of human remains Ritual sacrifice Perpetuating Police Brutality Domestic Terrorism Oathbreaking Violation of the real life Geneva Convention Deceptive marketing Kidnapping Desecration of a sacred place Whatever tf Area 77 had going on Insider trading Extortion Patricide Matricide Unsafe building practices Holy war Desecration of corpses Market manipulation Treason Tax evasion Murder (Lots and lots) Large-scale extreme vandalism Mass enviromental destruction Political corruption Identity fraud

[xxplastic-cubexx]

Hi!! Your Cherik is so good and gorgeous 🤩🤩 If you don't mind wanna try to draw some Fall of X Cherik please?

thank you so much !!

i have a couple of ideas relating to the fall of x period specifically since theres. A Lot i wanna play with, so i hope this lil thing may be a satisfactory start :]]

and the obligatory bonus:

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

(volume warning)

this was surprisingly fun to make so i'll probably do another