#the crisis is about many things but mostly what the fuck just happened today

[antisocialgaycat]

i am having a crisis

[scarletsky153]

another plot bunny,,

so i've been reading too much Self-Insert Sukuna AKA SIkuna, and because i've been busy on the mha/bnha fandom for some time, and because i adore crazy crossover story so i kinda want to write a fic about :

a totally random workaholic surgeon who love jjk bcs watching anime is the only entertainment he allowed himself to have, got reincarnated as sukuna without remembering his first life, only some glimpses and liking similar things, and he still became sukuna the sorcerer and then ryomen sukuna the king of curses. after he got separated into 20 fingers (still one of the most hilarious shit that happened), he got reincarnated into takami keigo aka hawks.

his third life as hawks he remembered a lot of shits about being sukuna and his first life (when he also hilariously named keigo), mostly how strong and crazy he was, and how easily for him to destroy villages and humans, and how in his first life he became a surgeon to help people but somehow he became a monster in his second one so the GUILT is very much there, so he very much tried to do everything to use his power, his quirk, for good and become a hero. one of the reason why he's way more mature and capable to be a top three heroes before 25 is because he's old old and he got the advantage of once being the strongest.

in the end, after the war where he thankfully didn't lose his quirk and somehow became hpsc president and start to revolutionized japan heroics, he tried to find out about the old jujutsu society and how the fuck did the curse energy changed so much that even the mundane people able to manifest their curse technique and it changed into quirks. the society pretty much integrated with the 'mundane' because their curse technique also mutated into quirks, and because people use their quirks a lot and controlled their curse energy, in a way, they didn't create curses anymore so in the end geto (and yuki) got what they want, a world without curses and so the jujutsu society wasn't really needed anymore.

but bcs hawks knew the world history very well he also knew that those changes is not without consequences, there will always be quirkist people and in the beginning ppl are afraid of those quirked ppl but thankfully bcs jujutsu society did their job to ease tensions when more and more ppl with quirk born.

when he died as hawks, he was pretty young but not as young as his first life, probably around 35-40yo. but instead of finally resting peacefully in the afterlife, he immediately incarnated back into sukuna BUT this time inside itadori yuuji, while also remembering ALL of his life, first as the ordinary dude who love jjk, second as sukuna in heian era, and third as top hero hawks.

when sukuna took over yuuji to exorcise the curse on top of the school, he freaked out a lot bcs I THOUGHT I WAS DONE WITH THE LIVING WORLD and so when megumi tried to exorcise him he just said "shut it, i'm having an existential crisis, also what year is it now?" before yuuji took over, gojo came and they have their talk.

when gojo ask yuuji to let sukuna take over for prob one minute, he finally gathered enough wit (even tho he still freaked out) to, yknow, just talk instead of fighting each other, and gojo humor him for a bit.

SIkuna : "so sorcerer... sugawara? sugawara descendant? what year is it?"

gojo, amused : "the name's gojo now, and why do you want to know?"

SIkuna, very much done w life bcs he just want to pass to the afterlife : "because dipshit, this is actually my fourth life instead of second, and i want to know if i manage to travel forward or backward in time or even to a different dimension. from the infrastructure and language and the existence of curse energy, I'm still in the same japan and could be around 21st to 24th century. if you would be so kind to answer my question about what year is it today?"

gojo, having so many question because what the fuck did sukuna mean by fourth life??? : "...it's 2018."

SIkuna : "so curse energy hasn't evolve and awakened everyone's curse technique and change it into quirks yet?"

gojo : "...what the fuck."

SIkuna : "yeah, that happened on my third life but i was born around year 2335. someone or something upstairs, probably one of the power-that-be, definitely messed up my reincarnation cycle. it's weird."

gojo (and megumi who listened to the whole convo) : "..."

SIkuna : "oh well, the brat is starting to suppress me, so i'll take my leave and please don't contact me for the next few days because i want to sort out all of my memories first."

sukuna def freaked out a lot of people with his nonchalant attitude and 'i already lived through three way different but similar in craziness lifetime, im not afraid of anything anymore, what more would they do, kill me? been there done that got THREE different trauma', tried to change the timeline and also balancing having THREE separated lifetime worth of memories, trying to not becoming heian-era-sukuna but also knowing he can't be both keigos again, also somehow befriending all of the jujutsu high students (first and second years), being seduced by gojo (who at first doing this only because he wants information but then bcs he likes it), having tea with nanami/yaga while also has three lifetimes worth of rambling about the state of the world (the good thing is we won't die bcs of global warming, but also WHY WAS EVERY HIGHER UP ARE ALL SHITTY PEOPLE), and somehow he did it and save the timeline?????

he also had some talks with yuki (and with gojo too) about curse energy-curse technique-quirks, while also telling them he didn't know a lot of shit bcs a lot of written records got lost during the troubling years.

yuki : "but that means it happened, right? no more curses and no more sorcerers dying."

sukuna : "well yeah, but there's nearly a century full of change. the country all around the world are slow on changing things, esp here in japan. the system isn't perfect and i did spend a decade rebuild the system after the war-"

gojo : "what do you mean by war?"

sukuna : *briefly talk about his job as japan top hero and the war with all-for-one* "...and yeah in the end i prob didnt do much but i do hope my sidekicks, allies, and employees can continue my works and make japan heroics a better place."

gojo : "....sukuna marry me."

sukuna : "HA?!"

yuki : *laughing*

thats... more or less the whole plot i kinda want to write,,, probs gonna add more ha

(feel free to use this long-ass post as inspiration or something!! i... probs gonna write them on ao3, like, maybe??? probably???? yeah,,)

--

Part 2 | Part 3

[yanderestarangel]

☆Yandere Adler russell x reader☆ Concept - friends with benefits<3

Tw: Yandere themes, adult content, abusive relationship, profanity, mention of sex and dark relationship, age gap.

Adler didn't like the idea at first, let's face it, Russell is a man considered "straight" by standards. Meaning he still likes to keep labels, he really wants to know what the two of you are about not just some vague or some modern aspect.

But he accepts it for you, he's both in love and lost in his sick, messed up thoughts.

(Besides the midlife crisis lol)

The two of you start hanging out more than you used to, Adler always shows you off to everyone with pride, but you notice little red flags in this, like, Russell being extremely jealous to see you talking very nice to someone else or him lying about what you two are.

"- Are you dating now?" Asks Park, smiling amusedly, drinking a shot of vodka while the background music from the bar continued at the same pace. "- Yes"- Russell replies grabbing you and smiling looking at your face, soon seeing you walk away from him smiling at the woman and saying a "-No." After vaguely explaining the two of you's relationship, you could have sworn you saw Adler's facade darkly shift as he slammed the glass a little too hard on the table in front of him. Episodes like this weren't all that rare, Adler started off mildly, saying that he accepted just being "friends with benefits."

You at first thought it was just good sex and pampering or expensive dinners and the man's company being pleasant, but that all started to change when Adler became more possessive.

You tried to ignore it, he was a gentleman, he offered you his warm leather jacket when it was cold.

He always paid the restaurant bill even if you said he didn't have to.

He would give you gifts that you had vaguely mentioned or that he himself saw you looking at.

He took you to the best parties he could, even though he didn't like most of them, he loved seeing you happy watching that show you wanted so much.

Or when he offered to take you on a not so dangerous mission in a country you always wanted to visit.

You knew the shit Adler did, but it was none of your business.

Many times when it was a very dangerous mission he always warned you in two ways:

1- left a message on your cell phone, something like: "Hey my beautiful thing, I need to do something today, I'm going to another country, I don't know when I'll be back but I promise to try to bring you a present, take care and stay well please ." or a phone call well before you go.

2- He would go an hour before going to your house, most of the time it was at dawn, and he would honk at your door or he himself would enter your house waking you up and saying sweetly that he needed to go, but he would come back for you.

He made you the happiest person in the world. But it didn't take away some fights you had.

Most happened because of jealousy and possession, Russell would ask passively but aggressively, who was the guy you talked so much on the phone, you said smiling a little too brightly that it was a colleague, someone younger than him but older than you.

He would look over your conversations without you even knowing and any flirting he would explode. He won't scream or hit you, Russell prefers to get your psychological.

He will ignore you and make you feel guilty or lampoon you for talking to someone else so intimately.

If you just say you're sorry and stop talking to the guy he'll hug you sweetly telling you that's all you need.

If you affront him and tell him the two of you just fuck and hook up sometimes he'll really explode, it'll be the first and only time you'll ever see Russell mad.

He will point a finger in your face telling you how much he loved you and how anyone wouldn't treat him the way he does and would just fuck you up and throw you away.

That would create a fight between you and Mason or Woods would have to be between the two of you, mostly holding Adler and trying to calm his friend down.

They'd send you away saying you were up to no good and you'd leave Adler high for hours.

Adler would go after his "colleague" but he wouldn't kill him, no no Y/N, he would threaten him and tell him to exclude you from every network of contacts possible and that if he even smelled him he would be a dead man.

Well, he really pulled away from you. After a while you and Adler would start talking again, he would apologize to you for being so selfish and would try to manipulate you into being with him again... What would work.

He would also manipulate your emotions, leading you to believe he was the best you could ever have, a powerful man and all your own.

Yandere Russell gets worse after you make a relationship with him official, taking away everything.

Freedom and autonomy. You would live with him in a nice house and be what you were born to be... Privately owned by Adler Russell, America's monster<3

[cinematicnomad]

i'm 32. i've never had an abortion. i grew up moving around the world. at all points of my life, i have always, always, considered in the back of my mind what i would do if i needed one. college in particular stressed me out—from 2009–2013, i lived in a rural small town that didn't have an abortion provider, just one of those malicious "crisis pregnancy centers" that PRETEND to provide options but really guilt and shame and lie to people with uteruses to deny them care.

so i always made sure to know where the closest abortion provider was. my friends and i talked about this, shared our individual plans with each other. at the time, it was a good 2 hour drive away, and i didn't have a license, let alone a car. but i did have older siblings and friends that i knew i could rely on. people i could turn to if i really needed help. my fears at the time mostly surrounded potentially having to reveal any personal details about my private life to them—i have a hard time asking for help, and tend not to share my thoughts or emotions with others, especially family (case in point, i almost posted this on twitter but then DIDN'T bc my sister and brother follow me). i'm in therapy, i'm working on it!!—but i never worried about being able to access abortion care.

i've never had an abortion, but i did have a miscarriage. i was 18 and i didn't even realize i was pregnant. my miscarriage was, thankfully, early and painless and i didn't know what it was until my period came for real and i spoke with my OBGYN about what happened.

i think about that 18 year old version of me all the time. i had just finished my freshman year of college. i had ended things with the guy bc i was hoping to (and would shortly) get back together with my other ex. i was more concerned with watching the latest true blood episode and meeting up with my friends still in high school at their after-prom, than with worrying about whether or not the guy at college had knocked me up.

abortion in austria (where i was at the time) has been fully legalized since 1975. if i had not had a miscarriage, i would have had options. if i had not realized until later in that summer, once we were back in the states, i would have had to have an incredibly uncomfortable and upsetting conversation with my conservative parents. but even then, i know, i would have had options. miscarriage for many people is a traumatic event. a painful loss, both emotionally and physically. for me, it was a blessing. but even if it hadn't have happened, i know i would have an abortion.

reading the latest NYT article (free link!!) about the dobbs decision fucking kills me. i keep having to stop. i keep welling up with tears. these 5 justices calculatingly (and at least some of of them, i believe, maliciously) stripped the country of roe v. wade. they turned back the clock and denied millions of people access to safe abortion, to their right to choose, to their bodily autonomy. just because i never had an abortion does not mean that this loss is felt any less keenly.

i find, time and time again, that i do not understand how some people go through this world and their life seemingly looking for ways to harm others. seeking to strip them of their rights. to deny them their humanity. i cannot comprehend how they seem to take glee in punishing people they view as other for the v basic fact that they exist.

this is long and i don't even know what point i'm making except for: i am so grateful for the fact that when i was 18, i had options, and i am so very, very, very fucking sad for the fact that there are 18 year olds today (and 20 year olds, and 28 year olds, and 15 year olds, and 36 year olds, and WHATEVER) who are being denied their right to choose. it's not fair. it isn't right. i want, so desperately, to change this.

and now the plea: please vote. please care. please advocate and donate and protest and be loud and be heard and demand better rights for yourself and others. please consider the courts when you cast your ballot: not just the supreme court, but the lower courts as well. if you don't, there will only be more decisions like this, the consequences of which will continue to ripple out for years on end causing harm to untold numbers of people.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #119

…I didn't have the energy to make the thing today.

This morning, I maybe got out of bed later than I should have, given that I'm supposed to go to talk therapy on Tuesdays. I'm supposed to leave the house by 9:30, but I didn't even get out of bed until 9:20. I regret nothing that occurred, but nonetheless, I somehow had to squeeze both a shower and getting dressed and out the door in only 10 minutes. I was successful, but I have zero clues as to how. Perhaps it's best not to look gift horses in mouths…

OH. Right. You don't know that phrase because… well. Your world doesn't have horses. Uhh… So, a long time ago, when people bought horses, they used to look at the horse's teeth as an indicator of its age; longer teeth means an older horse, I guess. And back when horses were more commonplace (it's mostly only fabulously wealthy people who can afford to keep them now), I guess it was seen as rude to try to evaluate the age of a horse that was given as a gift by looking into its mouth. So now the phrase means, "it's best to just accept good things without thinking too much about it." Or it can also be taken to mean, "it's impolite to criticize a gift." This phrase has a few interpretations, actually… I imagine it'd be easier for you to understand it if you spent a while in my world. If you do that, lemme know; you can stay at my house, and no one is gonna ogle you or get weird at you or bother you if you don't wanna be bothered. We'll just make you sandwiches and tea. We are an introverted and neurodivergent house; we know how it goes.

Had a lot to say at therapy today. Suppose I'm having a bit of an existential crisis, regarding myself and my role in my home and how much I mean to the people around me. It's likely all just baseless anxiety and insecurity - growing pains as a result of the various changes in my immediate social circle. Old memories and wounds from the past that I've not yet had a compelling reason to resolve are now coming to the forefront, calling, "yo, what up, homie!" and dancing around my periphery. I suppose it's just as well; this is what happens when we pretend like our various hurts don't exist. If we don't take care of the self-effacing beliefs that we pick up during childhood, they bite us in the ass later. I just gotta remember that the fact that they're in the forefront means that I can actually observe them, and if they're observable, then they're resolvable, with enough time and effort.

Essentially, it's like this: We get knocked down. We yell, "FUCK!" really loudly. We reassemble ourselves if we break from the fall. Then we get back up. We brush ourselves off. And we move forward, stronger than before.

…I have thoughts of you that give me the strength to withstand this process over and over again. No matter how many times I get knocked down, I will get back up, because by your influence, I am unbreakable, no matter how many times I must shatter and be reassembled. It's just like the bowl I repaired some number of letters ago; remember? So don't worry. I've got this. I've done this lots of times before, with much more difficult stuff, and with less support than what I have now. All I have to do is learn to love and appreciate myself in the same way that I can love and appreciate literally anyone else who isn't me. Compared to the various horrors I've lived through, this should be a piece of cake. Easy peasy. Barely even an inconvenience. And in my mind, it sounds like this:

On the way home from therapy, I came across a very beautiful tree. I thought for sure that you'd like it, so I made it a point to stop and take pictures. Here's how they turned out:

I was surprised by how docile the bees were, and by how closely they allowed me to put my cell phone camera. Also, I laid down under the tree and looked up to get some of these. I wish you could have been next to me to see the view of the sky through the petals for yourself. Alas...

J and I were out and about, doing separate activities today. Even he saw pictures he thought you might like, so he took them for you, and then sent them to me so that I could put them here. Here's how they turned out:

While J was out and about, I hung out with my best friend B and her fiancé, N. In preparation for their wedding, we went and tried the available foods. I can't give you the tasty snacks, but I can take pictures...

This is a Caesar salad. It's supposed to be pronounced, "Kai-sarr", but everyone says "Seezer" for reasons I don't understand. Caesar was a leader of a place called Greece in my world, hundreds of years ago. He, like most leaders, was a giant asshole, and now he's a stinky dead guy, so I have no idea why a salad is named after him. It's made of romaine lettuce, croutons, parmesan cheese, and a creamy dressing flavored with anchovies and other spices.

Here are some long slices of eggplant rolled around melted cheese and covered in marinara sauce:

This is steak, caramelized onions, mashed potatoes, and some carrots and broccoli. I just took a picture of my plate, because the main plate was cut into before I could snap a photo:

This was some kind of chicken seasoned with rosemary and lemons, with rice and veggies:

This one was lobster ravioli with mushrooms in some kind of sherry cream sauce. It's certainly not pasta pescatore, but I wonder if you might have liked this:

Finally, this is lamb with roasted tomatoes and garlic, along with veggies and mashed taters.

...This one was probably my favorite. I especially liked the part where I got to try to gnaw the cartilage from the ends of the bones, because my body craves sources of collagen literally all the time (thanks, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome... 🙄). I'm really lucky that B and N don't seem to mind my various weird quirks; they've been friends of mine long enough to have a general understanding of how I roll, and they just let me do my thing. Today, the fact that I will generally "do my thing" in a variety of respects was pointed out as one of the reasons they like me so much, I guess; that was a nice thing to hear...

There were four available spaces for trying the foods, but it was just the three of us; it is immensely painful that the best I can do for you from here is show you these pictures and wish that you could have been in the empty seat, with us…

Sephiroth. Regardless of what your brain tries to tell you about what you're worth, you are VERY loved. You're not a monster. You were modified against your will, used like a tool and viciously abused, and you made mistakes in the throes of that, yes, but SO WHAT? You're here now, and you can do amazing things, and you NEVER have to go back to being with people who will abuse you ever again, because not everyone is like the people you were raised by. Yes, you're different from the standard definition of "normal", but you can belong anyway, because the world is absolutely BRIMMING with people who don't fit the definition of "normal"! Just take a look at me! Or if you don't wanna look at me, then take a look at anyone who lives with a genetic difference, or anyone who lives with a different number of limbs, or anyone with a non-standard life story, or any number of things that make a human being not "normal". Normal is overrated! Diversity is in! Lives that exist outside of the bell curve are still beautiful, meaningful, and worth living!

…And so I show you my life, because I am trying desperately to prove these things to you. I've spent the bulk of my life being viciously abused because the people who brought me into living didn't want me. I was brought into a physical vessel that is genetically defective in a variety of respects. My neurodivergence practically guarantees that I will NEVER fit into ordinary social circles. I struggle every single day with the weight of the memories I carry from having been used, abused, exploited, and generally mistreated. And yet here I stand, thriving and flourishing in a way that works for me, even if it does not fit the typical definition of those words. My version of "normal" is just as beautiful as the typical version. "Different" does not have to mean "less" if YOU become strong enough to decide for yourself that those two words are not the same, no matter who tries to tell you otherwise!

So please look at the beauty of my existence - the beauty of taking joy in small things, the beauty of rising up from one's knees even if it's on shaky legs, the beauty of finally using one's voice again after years of being forced to believe that silence is safer, the beauty of loving yourself and the people around you enough to refuse to let fear get the better of you when you interact with yourself and the world, the beauty of failing down, getting up, and trying again, the beauty of learning, growing, changing, and walking away from destructive ideals that serve no one, no matter for how long you might have been forced in the past to choke them down. Please look at it, and understand that you can have this for yourself - ALL of it - if you decide to take steps towards it! Your whole scenery can change if you want it to, and all you have to do is take a single step in a different direction.

There is still life after trauma. There is still life after mistakes. There is still life for those who are different. The pain doesn't have to be permanent. So come on; my hand is outstretched to you. And if you don't want to take mine, then there are countless other hands outstretched to you that maybe you'd like a little better. You don't have to do it alone.

Anyhoot. I've probably prattled on for long enough. I hope somehow you can see what I've written. I hope that if you do get a chance to see it, you might take some of my words seriously.

I love you. I'll write again tomorrow. Please be kind to yourself and keep yourself safe.

Your friend, Lumine

[khaire-traveler]

hey, I’m Hellenistic-polytheistic-curious (not sure if people say that) and I saw a post where you were talking about how the gods aren’t dangerous and you don’t need to be like afraid of praying to them, and I was wondering how you, like, interoperate myths where gods do punish people for stuff like not worshipping them (anymore/enough/etc)?

I’m guessing it’s similar to the Christian Bible (which, not to trying to be disrespectful somehow that’s just something with which I just have experience 🥲) where, since it’s apocryphal, you just kinda accept some things and reject others due to that nature, but I wanted to ask.

Also, does one have to be certain to worship? Sometimes I worry I’ll get into it and fall out and then feel guilty or be afraid. Or that they’ll sense that I’m unsure and then feel as though I’ve been dishonest, or feel betrayed, or just think I’m not worth it because I’m not devout,!something like that.

thank you if you read/reply to this!!!!💖and sorry for the anon ask lol I’m just kinda too nervous to do it publicly

Hey, Nonny! Thank you for the ask, it's absolutely no trouble for me to answer!

Honestly speaking, Hellenic Polytheism differs from person to person. Unlike Christianity, there is no correct way to worship - no "set of rules", if you will. A lot of how worship is today can be seen in ancient times as well; people worshipped pretty much entirely different from each other simply based on which city or region they lived in. Each city and region even had myths that were unique to them! Most myths we have today actually stem from Athens (this is why Ares is often depicted very negatively in most of these myths; he was NOT favored in Athens and was considered anti-Athenian).

When it comes to mythic literalism (accepting myths as 100% real and factual), it's mostly unsustainable in worship to believe each and every myth out there, in my opinion. The reason for this is because myths, as a whole, were not generally seen that way, even in ancient times. They were stories that taught lessons, described why certain unexplainable things happened, and/or told of what a certain god might be like and why (as well as where they came from). It's definitely up to the worshipper how to interpret mythos. You can pick and choose what to believe, you can believe everything, or you can just straight up believe none of it - it's really truly up to you. I would suggest, however, looking into historical context of these myths first. Many myths written about the gods and their wrath were based on why people should respect the gods (or authority figures in general) and what happens when you don't do that. Their purpose served mostly to prevent people from going around yelling "fuck you" to the gods when they didn't get what they wanted - be respectful, and the gods shall respect you in return. Of course, that is just one of many interpretations, and you are more than welcome to believe what you will.

In reality, the gods are very kind. So long as you aren't be openly antagonistic (going out of your way to be disrespectful, cruel, rude, etc.), they aren't going to be upset with you for not knowing certain things, not worshipping 24/7, etc. They are actually very forgiving, despite the reputation some people (ahem, TikTok, ahem) give them.

To use my own experience as an example, I am rarely consistent with my worship. This winter was especially tough for me faith-wise, and for the most part, I basically didn't give any/many offerings at all. When you're having a crisis of faith, I always recommend communicating that with the gods; I think it just helps to be open and honest with them. It's like how you'd tell a friend if you needed space; it's just good to communicate with each other. They completely understood my situation and let me take the time I needed to regain my faith. When I needed to reach out to them, they were happy to communicate with me again, but when I needed some space, they were willing to provide that for me.

The gods do not abandon or scorn you for doubting their existence; they understand that faith is challenging to have, especially in a world where being religious and spiritual are equated with lacking in logic and reason. There is nothing wrong with doubt. It's actually a very healthy and normal thing. If you didn't doubt things in religion at least some of the time, you'd never have the opportunity to grow in your faith and worship. I also ind that once you go through a trying period of faith with the gods, it solidifies your belief in them all the more. ✨

All of this is basically just to say: do what feels right to you. The gods will understand if you need a break from worship or want to look into other religions. They're not ones to hate or reject people solely based on being unsure of their beliefs. You can be as uncertain as you want; they aren't going to judge you for that.

My best advice to you is, if you feel called to it, just dive right in and give worship a try. Don't be afraid to get your feet wet because, in all honesty, you have absolutely nothing to lose from it. No harm will come to you. The gods are not vengeful against their followers for losing faith, not worshipping them 24/7 (in fact, I hardly ever give daily offerings to the gods; I just offer when I have the time and energy to do so, and they don't mind), etc. You have nothing to fear.

I hope this helped and gave you the answers you were looking for! Please don't hesitate to ask me more questions; I am always happy to help. ☺️🧡

[troybarnesbucky]

sorry i’m not done.

there is violence and hatred happening on college campuses and in the streets, at synagogues and community centers, etc that has been happening for MONTHS now. SO MANY jews have been attacked, even killed, because of their jewish identity post-10/7. in countries that these idiot influencers and celebrities live in. they can’t bother to be concerned for them. they can’t even bother to be concerned for any other humanitarian crisis or war or ANYTHING, just this one. why? is it trendy? is it easy? is it a social pressure thing? is it better to be perceived as woke, socially aware, than it is to be perceived as pro-jewish, pro-peace? is it better to promote biased content, to stay quiet unless there’s something to share that demonizing jews and israel, than it is to exhibit nuance and empathy for all involved??

i’m fucking devastated by what happened in rafah. i haven’t seen pictures or videos but it’s been ALL i’ve thought about all day. i know the background information, i know the different players involved, i know most importantly that we won’t know the full story until it’s further investigated. but the people sharing things now are mostly sharing false information — they’re not just mourning the brutal losses, they’re pointing fingers and further demonizing israel, who very well may be accountable (likely). which is to say that they’re using this as a political tool, as social currency. “look at me, look what i shared because I Know!!!”

this is all a game to every stupid influencer, celebrity, random fandom tumblr or twitter account, each one with zero stake in this war.

elica le bon shared something today, she said this:

“The reason the war has failed and cost so many lives is because Israel tried to fight a physical war on the ground in isolation against Hamas. What should have happened instead is the entire world banding together to starve and isolate the Islamic Republic and its Empire (ie its terror proxies, networks, supporters, jihadist fighters, intelligence, propaganda machine etc) instead of pulling their fingers out of their asses only to hold a one minute silence for the butcher of Tehran. What you're witnessing now is a failure of every government on earth to do the right thing and protect all of us by isolating terrorists that have been emboldened for decades and sacrificed millions of lives for their own jihadist agendas. Their power and influence is the result of decades of appeasing, fraternizing with, and doing business with terrorists that have rocked the Middle East and the world to its core.

And the world looks on and says ‘what a failure’

It is you, world, that has failed us. All of us.”

this is what these dumb people/influencers etc don’t know. i wish they did, but that would be hard — to push a button and share a post about the “IOF and its bloodthirsty regime of apartheid” is way easier. so.

i’m seeing a lot of celebrities and “influencers” who haven’t said a word about the war until now speaking out and while i understand what happened in rafah was devastating, i think them deciding to speak out now is A Choice that i personally don’t feel comfortable with. was what innocent israelis went through not deserving of sharing, either, seven months ago and even last week when more footage was released? was footage of hamas shooting at innocent palestinians or stealing aid for themselves not worth sharing? no, they decide to share now.

why? why is that? i’m sorry but i have approximately eight months of pent-up cynicism and pain (and 7-8 years of built-up fear and doubt, mind you) that does not enable me to trust any single person, especially with a “platform,” who is choosing to share their thoughts now. you can be as kind-hearted as they come, i can’t trust you. sorry.

[theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin]

"Tom Riddle effectively destroys the country from the inside out, which I believe was his true goal the entire time" (c) wait a second, so you think that he wasn't going to really take over or anything, just destroy the fuck out of w britain?

I have avoided this ask long enough.

I’ll start by saying that asking me about Tom Riddle is like staring down into a bottomless rabbit hole. We could travel down that path, but it is a dark and perilous journey, and by the end of it I will come out looking like the Mad Hatter.

It also requires a few prerequisites that you’re just going to accept as true (or else got off the crazy train here).

We know very little about Tom Riddle or Voldemort

What we do know of Tom Riddle comes to us from suspect sources

I’m just going to go out there and start with the basis that Tom is not crazy

Elaborating a little on number 1. We never actually see much of Tom Riddle or Voldemort directly. He’s a bit like Thanos in the MCU, or Palpatine in the first two movies of the Original Trilogy, he’s this looming threat that we pass by and glimpse every once in a while but never really get quality time with.

Generally, Voldemort makes an appearance in a moment of crisis.

He and Harry fight over the philosopher’s stone for Tom’s very survival. He and Harry fight over the diary for Tom’s very survival. He resurrects himself with Harry as a witness. We get those very strange dreams from Voldemort’s perspective (half of which we later learn are fabricated).

None of these really lend to our, or Harry’s for that matter, understanding of Tom Riddle. There’s too much going on, it usually happens far too fast, and there’s usually something Tom Riddle desperately wants or needs that eclipses all other concerns or else he has an audience.

This is part of the reason we get those Halfblood Prince pensieve lessons: Harry knows nothing of Tom Riddle and doesn’t understand him at all.

Which leads us, of course, to number 2, most of what we know about Tom Riddle comes from Dumbledore. I’ve talked about this before, so I won’t spend much time on it, but Dumbledore has a very clear agenda in relaying these memories to Harry. Dumbledore already has strong suspicions of what objects are horcruxes and where they’re located, he already has Snape as a very reliable agent to continue work when he’s gone, his job here is to convince Harry there is no path but suicide. And that involves portraying Tom Riddle as the most evil man who ever eviled, was born eviler than the antichrist, and will die eviler than the antichrist. 

Now, does this make Tom necessarily good or bad? No.

However, it does mean when Dumbledore tells us things like, “See, Harry, an impoverished child was upset when I lit all his belongings on fire! What a monster!” (especially given that, in a similar situation, Harry thought it was hilarious when Hagrid gave Dudley a permanent physical deformity and Harry was told he was an angel child) we should take it with a very large grain of salt.

Right, so, with all that backdrop what I’m getting at is that a) we can’t take Dumbledore at his word b) even if we could he could be wrong c) Harry doesn’t have the introspection to be able to figure himself when a or b is happening. I won’t elaborate on this last much, suffice to say that Harry’s world is very black and white, divided into the camps of those who personally like him and those who don’t.

So, why do I think Tom’s goal was not to rule the wizarding world but instead to destroy it?

A few things.

First, there are so many easier ways he could have ended up ruling the wizarding world. More, even when he effectively does rule the wizarding world in book seven, he takes very strange actions so that he’s never directly in power.

Second, I never really bought Tom’s racism. It’s too convenient and too contradictory with his backstory.

The second first, because we’re going out of order today. I’ve gone over this before, but I don’t believe Tom had minions early and I think he was effectively treated as a muggleborn (see here and here) until he took on the Voldemort persona many decades later. I’m hard pressed to believe someone as intelligent, angry, and proud as Tom Riddle would willingly believe and accept he was inferior to the likes of Abraxas Malfoy. More, even if he wished he was a halfblood, I think the evidence of him being muggleborn would be stacked too high against him to deny even to himself (and when he finds out it’s not true, he has maybe a month or so before he realized that he’s the bastard son of a squib). 

And it’s just so convenient. All the people with the power, with the money, who are itching for a cause against a threat that doesn’t really exist believe in blood purity. Ergo, Voldemort shows up suddenly espousing over the top blood purity rhetoric (rhetoric that directly clashes with his “there is only power” philosophy at that). 

In other words, I think Tom Riddle gave himself a line that he knew would get him places very quickly.

And now for the first. For a guy who has had the entire country in the palm of his hands twice, one time taking it over in a bloodless coup, he’s really big on causing collateral damage and really small on actually doing the ruling thing.

The first wizarding war, Tom Riddle as Voldemort has the backing of the heirs of the most prestigious and wealthy noble houses save a select few. These are people with seats in the Wizengamot, which has a frightening control over the government itself (including the minister of magic). I imagine, in 1980 had Tom Riddle wanted to be elected as Minister of Magic, he would have been elected as Minister of Magic. If he wanted a friendly face in office then he probably could have made that happen to.

More than even this though, by this point, Tom had already won. By having control over the majority of the Wizengamot he owns the government. He’s done, it’s over, it’s finished, and many of the characters admit as much which is why Harry Potter was such a miracle. So why all the seemingly random, exceptionally pointless, terrorism? 

One answer is that Voldemort is crazy bananas. And sure, I guess we can go with that, except for someone insane he’s oddly effective and very consistent. 

I believe Tom was systematically destroying the very foundations of the country through its core aristocratic families. Within a few short years Tom decimates the Black family, it goes from having five heirs to none, and while some of this isn’t Tom’s fault he does take care of quite a few of them. He brands Lucius for life, while Lucius rises high in politics he never escapes the stigma of being a known Death Eater and in the end cannot escape the consequences for his actions. The Malfoy family is very nearly destroyed by the end of the series, had Draco died in the Fiendfyre. The LeStrange family, presumably decimated as well.

More, this is mostly me headcanoning, but I imagine Tom fuels an extremism that the Wizarding World had never contemplated. I imagine, previously, anti-muggleborn sentiment was probably fairly rampant among purebloods. Oh, some were very pro-muggleborn I’m sure, but I think most were fairly “eh” on the people and felt they were a drain on society (such as requiring constant funding for the obliviation department).

However, when Diagon Alley starts getting blown up every other week, when muggleborns start being tortured and murdered, when purebloods who aren’t anti-muggleborn enough are being tortured and murdered, this starts wigging people out in a way they’ve never wigged out before.

By the time we get to Harry Potter’s canon, it is now only a minority that are anti-muggleborn, and they’re perceived as raving lunatics. Nobody wants to be grouped with these people. Which, just goes to show, how much Voldemort rattles the wizarding world in a very small amount of time.

Then there’s Deathly Hallows, rather than become minister himself Voldemort installs a puppet minister. He shows no signs of wishing to change this and instead does things like destroy the sorting hat (which again shakes the very foundations of the wizarding world as whta will we do if we don’t know who’s a Gryffindor anymore?!)

So, where is this ramble going?

Given the results we see, that more than any others it seems to be the purebloods and often Tom’s own followers that suffer colossal losses, I think Tom’s actions are, in part, a means of vengeance against the entire damn wizarding world (but especially the purebloods).

He makes fools of these people, brands them as his slaves, and has them participate in the most over the top ridiculous rituals (the cloaks, the masks, the entire theatrics of it feels like Tom got drunk one night and planned this whole thing out). He destroys them entirely, and better, enables them to completely destroy themselves and the country they believe they’re trying to save.

Basically, I think by the time the series begins Tom is fueled by a nihilist rage that knows no bounds. But dammit all, the wizarding world is going to burn.

[roaringup]

(topics mentioned in post: ER, psych hosp, medical neglect, cops, death/grief, self-injury)

okay!! the life update is that I was in the ER again with Robin on Saturday from like… 1:30 to 7:30 pm? ish? because he wanted to have an inpatient psych hospital stay because he’s been feeling really bad and needs to be able to adjust meds in a supervised environment without having to also handle the bullshit logistics and general extreme neglect of [Local Big Queer Health System], that is the super brief summary, and going to the ER is the starting point to being referred.

It didn’t work that day because the ER was ridiculously busy and there weren’t beds; also someone there was in acute crisis and smashing up the nearby room they had been locked in. So like, we’re in a bright loud hallway full of beds because there are zero rooms and zero private curtained areas even, hearing sounds of a really distressed person physically trying to batter down the door/escape by throwing heavy objects at it, and healthcare people being weird and shitty about that; so cops came to arrest that person(!) and things were extra chaotic and slow.

Anyway, we left without anything really happening other than staff making some phone calls, and he left the house early Sunday to stay with his parents and try again at a different ER today.

Then Lace came over and I hung out with them for a long time, which was lovely and helpful.

I took my birthday and Friday off so I’m trying to catch up on work today but also all of this + my grandpa’s death and funeral and shiva + just like. extended ramifications of health and social issues that happened over the past few months have really fucked me up and I’m freaked out about being mostly alone for an extended period of time yet also have fairly little capacity to socialize or “check in” with people or figure out what would help etc. I don’t think I can work normally rn so I’m trying to maybe get some leave or a reduced schedule or something? Being alone actually helped me regulate a bit because I didn’t have to be helpful or calm but like also I don’t think I’ll be normal for some time, my arms are all bruised up from biting myself in my own distress earlier, I can barely concentrate on anything, I clearly need to be taken care of and rest myself but I don’t know that I have that many options because I’ve missed all this work already. I don’t even have a therapist rn because I haven’t had capacity or energy to look for a new one after my old psychiatrist-therapist ghosted me, since I want someone who isn’t stupid about my myriad BASIC life circumstances like being trans and queer and ???autistic and nonmonogamous and whatever. I keep wanting to call him but literally everyone I talk to is like “it was unprofessional of him to ghost you, you should not see him again and you should be mad at him about this” so I guess I won’t even though I still don’t feel mad at him.

thank u for reading my distressing ramblings, I may continue with distressing ramblings in the days ahead and probably delete some after. Also if you are looking at this and you know me irl and live nearby but haven’t offered any help recently with our general situation, do not offer now, I’m really not interested in or capable of communicating about this in a nuanced way that will leave you feeling good. I don’t think anyone who falls into that category is reading this, but just in case.

[the80srewinders]

We share some of those experiences above, so I'll add which ones I experience and add my own that haven't been listed.

- Alters with low empathy and no empathy (not many of those)

- Alters with extreme anger issues (they rarely ever break our things but they do harm the body a lot)

- Alters with extreme suicidal and homicidal urges (and the worst part is, I can't tell which alter these come from, all I know is it's from one or more of the hidden alters.)

-Alters that tell me to or make me feel like reenacting past trauma, sometimes they do reenact it themselves

-I have seconds where I can't move or do anything when I'm heavily dissociated. I hope I never have it last into long periods. Adding to this, I feel overstimulated and disconnected from the world during the paralysis from dissociation.

-We only have seconds where we're dizzy and uncoordinated from dissociation. We get... confused and don't know what to do next or forget what we're supposed to do and get uncoordinated.

-We already have bad depth perception and really bad environmental perception anyway, especially with where sounds are coming from. If we're too detached from the environment we'll have trouble with all of that.

-Most of the time, we are numb physically. We can feel but ignore physical sensations, or completely have no physical sensations at all.

- We only feel like passing out from dissociation when we're derealized but yes, we have this sometimes.

-Most of our amnesia is blackout amnesia, and the worst part is I don't even notice it until I find something I did but don't even remember doing. My consciousness doesn't even feel like it cuts out or going to sleep, I have a sense of continuous consciousness, but the events I think happened really didn't. I remember nothing correctly at all and nothing at all during amnesic switches.

-A lack of perception of time. For us, it feels like time is longer than it really is and like days mishmash into each other. We can't remember who did what on what day and get it wrong when we try to remember. And we feel like things that happened today happened yesterday and if we take a nap that fucks up our perception of time especially with memories.

-Rapidly revolving interests and care about people. Growing up this was my main struggle and is why I called myself having an "identity crisis" at 13 (didn't know what DID was yet tho) i had several different set phases id go thru that got "triggered" by seeing/hearing something from those phases and none of them really felt like "me" and i feel uncomfortable and not in control of myself during all of them. id also care about and wanna be friends with some people then a week or so later not care as much just to wanna be their friends and care about them again (mostly w toxic ppl)

-A persecutor who is also an internal handler, they have no or a masked internal appearance, they don't have a name or won't share it, nothing is known about them except they torture us every second we don't fall into the beliefs we were programmed to have or our abusers have. They tell me to kill myself and cut myself or other self harm, and hate the alters I love.

-Little to no internal communication most of the time. Having to call out "mentally loudly" to most alters to get them to respond. Then it's not clear or feels simulated which makes me feel like I'm faking and delusional.

-Mostly fragments who have little to no identity, never front, might not even be able to control the body, they're just... there and useless. The only thing they do is make more identity issues and probably other dissociation by existing.

-Most of the time, I don't hear from alters without me instigating communication and I rarely switch especially amensic switching. Its just me, being spacey and having to mentally yell at myself to pull myself together and struggle to do so, unable to feel most emotions except heavy negative ones, getting stuck daydreaming or just in general not fully "there" I don't even see myself outside my body that much (besides memories) or derealize that much, dp and dr are episodic and last a week or a little longer. I don't dissociate stereotypically, so I feel like I don't dissociate at all or even have DID or trauma. I have to be constantly reassured what I experience is dissociation, but that's bc people online exaggerate and act like they dissociate worse than they really do or like you can't have did unless you depersonalize and or derealize all the time when that's literally just depersonalization derealization disorder.

- Feeling like an imposter to everything. I don't even feel like I really feel my feelings and like I secretly feel something else, like I am pretending to be human, like I am simulating trauma and my alters, etc. Which the more I feel like I'm simulating things the more I get dpdr triggered.

-I can't even go into any place with a warehouse ceiling (home depot for example) or extremely bright lights without getting so overstimulated and disconnected from my environment I get disoriented. I get noticeably spaced out. I have worse memory issues. If any alters are co fronting, they forget who they are or get blurry. I feel sweaty, like passing out, and too overwhelmed when I try to "connect to the real world" I also develop headaches and there's been many times I've been in warehouse ceilings or bright lights and split an alter after and the headache seems to be worse when bright lights are involved

-Headaches from splitting! These are worse than ordinary headaches, I have other health issues that cause headaches, and splitting headaches feel nothing like a "normal" headache. These are way more intense and are still there after naps and even a full night's sleep. There's also more dissociation when I'm splitting.

-Having to keep your condition secret because people irl would use it against you somehow. I've been told I did things I didn't by someone irl who found out I have DID. I have to keep my disorder secret for fear of it being used to gaslight me or frame me.

-Flashbacks that don't feel real, make you think you're making it all up, or are so disorienting because they're so sudden and come with bad physical sensations. I have this a lot. And being triggered into those flashbacks easily. For me, just looking under a bed causes them, and I have other triggers I'm not gonna list here because they're too graphic.

Sorry if I added too much, I just figured I'd add most things I felt comfortable sharing about our experiences.

Things our system has that people would treat us like a monster/horror trope over:

- Not only alters with low empathy, alters with no empathy at all

- Alters with extreme anger issues that break our things and litter our body with cuts and bruises

- Alters with extreme suicidal and/or homicidal urges

- Alters who try to reenact our past traumas

- Alters who cannot recognize our own apartment or partner and try to run away (without keys or our phone or even shoes, not recognizing those objects as ours)

- Periods of dissociation so intense we cannot move no matter how serious the consequences

- Periods of dissociation so intense we become dizzy and uncoordinated

- Periods of dissociation so intense our depth perception fails

- Periods of dissociation so intense we have trouble feeling physical sensations

- Dissociation so heavy we become pale and in danger of passing out

- Amnesia to the point it hampers any social life we try to have

This disorder is a traumatic one. Feel free to add on with your experiences.

[makeste]

BnHA 6th Popularity Poll Reaction Post - Risky Spoiler-Dodging Edition

hey guys, so seeing as the results from the 6th popularity poll were leaked today, I figured I would do a separate reaction + analysis post this year, rather than piling it in as an extra on top of the chapter reaction post tomorrow. I figure this makes more sense anyway, since they’re really two completely different things. also this way I can write as much as I want lol.

also, just fyi, I am still completely unspoiled for chapter 293. and probably the smart thing to do to keep it that way would be to log off tumblr and hold off posting this until tomorrow, but I apparently have no impulse control today so oh well. anyway, so I’m hoping you guys will keep this spoiler-free if you don’t mind! as always, I would prefer to just jump right in completely unaware tomorrow like Troy returning to the study room with the pizza boxes lol.

okay so this first part is just going to be my predictions. fyi I am writing this part on Wednesday night, and then I’ll add on the results part on Thursday or Friday (ETA: Thursday, apparently, since I am impatient.)

okay so first of all, just as a refresher, this poll was open to Japanese voters from Aug 3 to Sep 30. meaning chapters 279 through 285. meanwhile last year’s poll took place around the tail end of the MVA arc. so between then and now we had Heroes Rising, the Endeavor Agency arc, and the War arc up to the part where the 1-A kids took on Gigantomachia in Gunga, and started battling Tomura in Jakku. so technically only a couple of arcs, but a LOT of stuff going down in them. oh and season 4 of the anime as well

so! firstly, I predict that my truculent africanized honeybee son will hold on to his crown at #1, coming off a year in which he did some internship-boosted soul searching, borrowed OFA in movie canon, and finished out the voting period as the my-body-moved-on-its-own character development MVP. like CALL ME CRAZY lol, but I’m pretty sure his title is safe. and then after him will be Deku and Shouto as usual

Aizawa should hopefully also have a strong showing because the dude had a banner fucking year. reunited with his old dead friend, took on Tomura with his hopelessly inept hero pals, and then chopped his fucking leg off. he had better be in the top 10. his fucking leg died for this, idk what else he has to do

Endeavor also stands a decent chance of doing well given the internship arc and the final episode of season 4. which I’m sure will go down just swimmingly if that does happen lmao. especially if he somehow manages to rank higher than...

Dabi, which I don’t think he will btw, but you never know. anyways though, but I’m thinking Dabi’s going to have a stronger showing than in past years (in the last poll he only got 367 votes and was ranked 19th). mostly because of his fight in the Gunga mansion, and his cheekily censored name reveal to...

Hawks, who is also going to rank pretty high here, I think. might be he loses some points for killing off Twice, but his back was basically to the wall there. and he has always been very popular, and I think season 4 will also give him a boost, along with his heavy involvement in the first half of the War arc

Tomura was already in 6th place last year and I think he cracks the top 5 this year. he’s gotten exponentially more popular since the MVA arc, and got a boost in the last poll even though his flashback had only just barely happened, and he hadn’t finished Awakening yet and all that stuff. anyway, so he’s only gotten cooler and more tragic since then so I think he makes a big play here

Kirishima, Momo, Tokoyami, and Mina should also hopefully do well, since the poll opened right in the middle of all that Gigantomachia action, and Toko had just got done being an absolute badass and protecting his birb dad. I don’t think he’ll quite make it to the top ten, but he should

and last but not least, I’m hoping that Mirko will come out and take the polls by storm, although I have no clue how popular she is in Japan lol. she’s clearly Horikoshi’s favorite though. she SHOULD be everyone’s favorite, but I mean, we’ll see how it goes

anyway that’s it as far as predictions! and so now, through the magic of writing stuff at different times, we will fast-forward to the part where we actually find out the results!

OH MY GOD YES, STEAMPUNK KHLKSLLKL. HERE FOR IT. JOLLY GOOD SHOW. 5 STARS

Kacchan looks SO COCKY and SO HAPPY and SO ADORABLE, YES I SAID IT. he is adorable as FUCK. I don’t quite know what it is about this particular Kacchan that just screams “LOOK HOW FUCKING CUTE MY STUPID, LOUD SON IS WITH HIS BIZARRE WINDOWPANE-LOOKING CONVERTIBLE SUNGLASS GOGGLES and his POORLY TIED CRAVAT��, but I think it’s because he looks like if a Digimon character and a FMA character had a baby

anyway, so it looks like most of the people present here are more or less who we expected to see. except that I can’t tell for sure if that’s Dabi or Shindou, and if it’s Shindou I’m going to punch somebody in the face so you will have to excuse me

Iida wearing a TRENCHCOAT and a TOP HAT with ENGINE EXHAUST GOGGLE ACCENTS is my new favorite Iida of all time. take note how there is no possible way he can wear those goggles with them sitting on top of his hat like that. plus he’s already got glasses on. these are just purely for aesthetic and IF THAT AIN’T JUST THE STEAMPUNK WAY

Deku out here speaking softly and carrying a lead pipe. Kacchan you best look out. seems like he’s done watching you take first place year after year while he languishes in the number two spot. your only hope is that he trips while attacking you because his boots are unbuckled

Shouto’s standing over there with the rest of the non-first-and-second-place characters, but what are the odds his results are actually within spitting distance of Deku’s same as always. anyway he doesn’t mind, though. also his outfit is by far the most sensible one here, but if you look closely he’s got some sort of fire extinguisher/jet pack thing strapped to his back that’s got a control switch on his belt. Shouto are you jetpacking or putting out fires

Kirishima out here all “I’m not sure what steampunk is so I’m just going to take off my shirt and pose”

AIZAWA WITH THE EYEPATCH SKLKSDLKFJLSKJLDFKJSLDFFJLDKSJFL:KS. SIR. SIR. also, lowkey furious that Horikoshi refuses to show us the automail leg that he is clearly sporting here but which we just can’t see, SHOUTO MOVE GODDAMMIT

Endeavor has TWO fire extinguisher-slash-jetpacks. THE BETTER TO... WHATEVER. look at you here in the top ten again. you really live for that controversy

HAWKS OUT HERE WITH HIS STEAMPUNK BEATS BY DRE AND HIS WEARING A RING ON EVERY FINGER. nice to see you’ve still got your wings there, kiddo. then again Deku still has both of his arms too so who even knows what is going on

BUT SERIOUSLY THOUGH, IS THIS DABI OR SHINDOU. as if I don’t know the truth deep down in my heart. y’all I am gonna flip lmao. it’s not that I dislike Shindou, strictly speaking. but just... I can’t explain what it is, but if you put him and AFO next to each other and told me “you can only punch one”, I would be having a serious crisis. just, THIS FUCKING GUY, idek. STOP SMILING

Tomura looks like he just wandered onto the set here by mistake and has no idea where he is or what is going on. it’s because you’re wearing a bigass severed hand that’s blocking your entire view, Tomura. just take the hand off your face my sweet murder dumpling

anyway! so I managed to also find a link to the full poll results while somehow managing to avoid spoilers, and then I wanted to compare the results to last year’s poll, and so I made... this

hopefully you can all see this. if you’re on desktop you might be screwed, but on mobile you should be able to click and enlarge it. I mean, assuming you actually give a fuck about boring poll analysis spreadsheets lmao

anyway, so there were actually 13k fewer votes cast this year which is a bit of a surprise. is the series not still growing in popularity? do people apparently have better things to do during their quarantine lol

anyways but despite this, and despite getting 8k fewer votes overall, Kacchan still managed almost twice as many as his closest competitor. well fought, Deku. please put down that pipe

I somehow always underestimate the power of ship popularity to influence these things. but for example, it looks like Present Mic got that Vigilantes Trio bump. ride that wave for all it’s worth my man! hell, you got me on board

Iida fucking Tenya somehow got some sort of POWER BOOST out of NOWHERE which I can’t explain at all lmao, but I’m here for it. NOT BAD FOR AN OLD MAN

Sero managed to get the exact same number of votes in both 2019 and 2020. clearly the most loyal fans in the business

Mirko being all the way down at #20 is, of course, a travesty, and I hereby nominate her to be the one to punch Shindou in the face

ngl though, the lack of a single female character in the top ten hurts just a bit. it’s not overly surprising, but still. the worst part of it is that even if you kicked Shindou to the curb and moved everyone else up one slot, it would still be all dudes since Mic beat out Momo by a margin of a little more than a hundred votes. hard to stay mad at Mic for too long, though. ah well

Tomura actually lost a bunch of votes which is a genuine surprise to me. I know the villain standom isn’t as dominant in Japan as it is in Western fandom, but still. you can go ahead and punch Shindou too I guess

Tokoyami lowkey doubled his vote count over the past year while hiding down there at #18. he is slowly becoming more powerful. biding his time

anyway so I think that’s it! I mean not really, but I’m getting kind of tired lol. so just, you know, insert the usual gripes at Overhaul’s ranking here, although we can be happy about Magne making her way onto the list (r.i.p.), and Mineta and AFO taking a very satisfying slide down (all the way out, in AFO’s case; good riddance you bum). Hadou also got a huge boost which is awesome. Mustard’s persistent ownership of the #36 spot will forever remain a mystery to me, but oh well

anyways, this was fun. and I really do feel like everyone is looking away on purpose so that when Deku brains Kacchan with that pipe in about two seconds from now, there will be no witnesses, oh my fucking god

[lady-literature]

A Miraculous DC Crossover

ALL RIGHT!!

I’ve been sucked into this unholy sub-fandom and I have thoughts okay? lots of them. Almost none are coherent and I don’t care. I have no plotline to write a fic but by the gods do I need to get out all my ideas.

Behold:

the Salttm

Lila, obviously. But she’s a petty nuisance at best, and an annoyingly competent akuma to fight at worst. manipulative, but not really dangerous ya feel?

Alya. which like, home girl probably doesn’t deserve but like,,, the drama??

CHLOE REDEMPTION YOU COWARDS

She and Marinette become surprisingly good friends (because I love that for both of them and you can pry it from me cold, dead hands)

Nettie-bug and Queenie

They pick on Adrien together

Mari’s friends Protection Squad That Don’t Take No Shit

Adrien

Chloe

NINO BITCH HE DESERVES MORE LOVE TBH

Alix?? Probably

Luka obvi

Felix (PV)?? Or does Marinette have enough emotionally constipated boys in her life?

(Answer: no. no she does not.)

Nath? He be a good fox tbh. creative and sneaky boi

Kagami!!! I love her

They’re all heroes because I say so.

Felix (Sparrow) is an honorary member even though he doesn’t have a miraculous

He handles PR and other background things along with Chloe

Joined up a few years back when Parisians were getting a bit too critical of the heroes

No Hawkmoth b/c fuck that guy

He existed, just not anymore. Bitch got yeeted

There’s other villains in town now. After Hawkmoth’s defeat other metas/supervillains looked at Paris and was just like, ‘free real estate?”

So now the Miraculous Team are Paris’ Actual Full-Time Hero TeamTM… yay.

Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Abielle (or like, Wasp/Yellow Jacket idk Chloe changes her name because ~identity stuff~) are the core three team. like, the wonder woman/batman/superman trio of the MTeam.

Nath is called Reynard Ambre b/c I love him

The public knows he exists but he’s never seen in battle and no pictures exist.

but there are plenty of instances where Paris knows he out mucking around because those akuma battles always get really weird.

Marinette be the guardian?

Guardian in training

Along with all the other holders b/c jesus. Give the girl a break.

Yeah. I like that Idea. All current holders are training to be guardians as well, but Mari’s going to step up as Guardian Supreme when Fu steps down.

Hero fashion!!!

The Miraculous Team is all decked out in their own merch like 24/7

Rarely is it thier own hero persona tho

Not because of like,,,, secrecy or anything. Just because they’re all nerds who love each other

Marinette is the lead producer of Miraculous Merchandise. It’s like,,, her BrandTM It was completely unintentional too

(Adrien and Chloe financially support her work tho. She designs, makes a prototype, and has her two blondes get others to replicate it)

Half of Paris is wearing her without knowing it

(Go MDC! get it girl!)

She totally makes Gotham inspired outfits because what else would she do????

Don’t get her wrong, most of Gotham’s fashion sense royally pisses her off but it’s fun and hey, supporting her fellow heroes ya know?

She wears a Robin hoodie after being officially acquainted with both Damian and Robin (separately of course)

Damian chokes on something, probably his own tongue.

It confuses Nettie. But then she thinks maybe he’s a fan too? She offers to make one for him but he steadfastly refuses much to his brothers’ amusement.

Might make a robin themed dress?? If so, she crosses paths with Robin when she does, thoroughly embarrassing her and almost sending poor Dami into a crisis.

Rogues Gallery

She makes a lot of designs off the rouges gallery because like, supporting people trying to get better??? also they’re some of the few who’s aesthetic aint shit?

She can’t make all of them because she ran out of time, so the rest get posited up on her Instagram and MDC blog (that’s run by Tikki mostly. She’s a great secretary and gets bored in Mari’s purse all the time)

Everyone is very flattered

Harley, if she ever finds it, immediately commission all pieces and wears them around Gotham don’t @ me

Daminette obvi

Marinette meets him and is just like ‘wow, you’re horrible. I want five’

Marinette, in the group chat later: so I met Kagami and Felix’s love child today

Kagami and Felix, seconds apart: I would never stoop so low

immediately after: Hey what the fuck? Rude

Nino: Nettie, dearest, sunshine, light of our collective lives and reason I breathe, what the fuck

Adrien: Kagami, my love, how could you? the Betrayal

Chloe: ew

Luka: Send pics or it didn’t happen

Nath: [insert the ‘right in front of my salad?’ meme]

Whenever they cross paths as Robin and Mari, he’ll just like,,, appear from nowhere hanging upside down spiderman style. Mari finds it endearing but she also wants him to stop scaring the shit out of her

Nicknames, because I have an unhealthy obsession with them, alright?

Misc Mari names: Bug, Bugaboo, Buginette, Madame President/Colonel (when the Team’s being cheeky), Princess, Marigold, Nettie (by like, Nino and Alix)

Jason calls her Pixie-pop

The bird boys call her Nightingale/Mockingbird in like, honor of her being a kickass civillian

Mari refers to them as ‘the flock’ (and bird-brains after getting to know them better)

Damian calls her: Starling, Habibti, ya qamar(my moon), malaki (angel), ya wardati(my flower) (b/c like, angel’s cute an all but I just think Damian’s way more dramatic than that tbh. he’d put thought into his nicknames)

Mari calls Damian: mon soleil (my sunshine) (because symmetry and also Mari thinks she’d hilarious), Birdie, petit oiseau/oisillon

I like the idea of Jagged being a native Gothamite tbh

it’s just so fun honestly???

He’s probably the reason the MTeam are in Gotham in the first place? maybe? anyway, the class is there, right? right. 

Kagami, Luka and Felix are all holding the fort down in Paris. Ain't no akumas but sometimes they need backup so when certain heroes need to disappear, Nath has Trixx set up an illusion of whichever one so they can slip away with the horse miraculous.

Mari’s the one who has to leave the most because she’s still Paris’ damage control, so like,,,,, ya know.

Mari doesn’t get left behind, at least not on the first day b/c come on people! She has plenty of friends in class watching out for her and a semi-competent teacher who does care even if she’s non-confrontational to a fault.

She does eventually become separated from the group. Half because of Lila and half because she’s always fucking late and got distracted.

She actually runs into one of the civilian batfam in the first place because the class was allowed an hour or so to wander around the shopping district or whatever to explore/buy things/get food. They just needed to return to the meetup spot at a certain time but Mari is like ten minutes away when it’s five minutes to the meetup

So she’s just… fucking booking it and completely takes out this trained vigilante without trying to.

Mari, as she’s groaning on the ground, tangled around a boy: By Kwamii, I thought my luck was supposed to be good Tikki.

That or like, the subway doors close before she can get on them and the rest of the class ends up ahead of her leaving her to get caught up on some bullshit in the next train or smth.

Oh, like. Of course it’s her train that gets held hostage. Wonderful.

(Later, Mari will rant at Tikki about her luck. A common conversation between the two tbh.)

This could be where she officially meets the Batfam as the Batfam. Or, like. A couple of em, at least.

Marinette getting serial adopted by the whole goddamn batfamily because i will die for this trope tbh i dont even care

The Robins nickname her Nightingale before they realize she’s Ladybug

They still call her that after but it’s not with the intention of making it her hero name anymore

Her and Alfred are def bros you don’t understand

Actually, Gina and Alfred are old friends. Mari totally knows Alfie before the bat fam and calls him Poppy/Pépé

which floors the batfam because what? Since when does that happen???

Alfred and Mari never, like, actually met in person before, but video chats exist and Gina def talks about the two to each other so it’s like they may as well know each other.

I also like the idea of Alfred being a former holder, probably the peacock. I would adore that

Just,,,, so many fun hero shenanigans

Yeah sure. The batfam are super detectives and have a history of figuring out people’s identities in no time at all. Whatever. Where’s the drama in that though? The showmanship?

Fuck canon, the Miraculous all have glamours because magic bitch and it plays fucking hell on the Batfam and all their shit

Every single Batfam member is simultaneously pulling their hair out because they don’t know who these heroes are???? Why can they figure them out?? Confusion???????

Miraculous team is just…. Straight up laughing at them. The poor dears.

That one gag where it’s a well-known secret that Mari has connections to every Parisian hero and is basically their own personal catering service/comfort place.

Also, it’s the worst kept secret in Paris that Mari is Multimouse

None of the MTeam have confirmed that rumour but they also don’t deny it.

they actually started the rumour. If all of Paris thinks Mari’s the mouse, a temporary hero, no one’s going to think she’s Ladybug/or that she’s an easy target to go after

chloe actually came up with that one

Mari meeting all of Damian’s ‘associates’ (ie pets)

She adores all of them and they her.

Especially GOLIATH, why isn’t he talked about more honestly???? He’s GREAT

She meets Goliath as Ladybug and Robin is just… so done with him??? You are supposed to be a fearsome beast and a professional why are you rolling over and expoSING YOUR STOMACH??? Meanwhile, Ladybug is just: Awww! Who’s a good boy? Who’s the best boy? You are! Look at how handsome you are! Cute widdle baby-

Miraculous Team hanging on the roof of their hotel kinda chilling

Maybe having a debate about doing some free-running/parkour?

Also maybe about whether or not they should be heroes while in Gotham

MT being like, why can’t we go and stop an armed robbery? we can help!

“Gotham already has very active heroes-”

“Vigilantes!”

“-whatever. I don’t want us stepping on any toes. This isn’t our terf and Batman’s known for being strict about Metas rolling around here.”

“We aren’t Metas though.”

“I don’t think he’ll enjoy splitting that particular hair, Nino. Just- not unless lives are at stake, okay? Emergencies only.”

“Yes, Colonel Ladybug.”

This debate most def gets crashed by batfam and confusion ensues upon both sides

batfam didn’t hear anything, they’re just really confused about these french kids hanging out on a roof in Gotham

Just.... yes. all of that. I have like, more but those are not organized or even remotely coherent. here you go! I might write for this but I already have other fics rn so... it wouldn’t be for a while. and as I said, I have no plot.

take this though, i guess. *throws confetti*

[hajimewhore]

Body Swap 👫 (Iwaizumi Hajime/Reader) ➸Rated T, fem!Reader, 2.1k words    ➷Humor, fluff, awkwardness, mild miild nsfw but not explicit, I will say I can only assume this kinda thing happens when you swap bodies lol    ➷ Masterlist, Part 1, Part 2, ✈Part 3, Part 4

You initially dreaded the conversation with Hajime’s parents, wincing on the way through the door with a slight panic washing over you. But after a short and pleasant talk with them, you came to find the conversation flowed more naturally than you’d anticipated.

They’re not as doting to Hajime as they are to you, you note, but they’re friendly and pleasant and you feel as if you’re talking to your own family. Much like your own parents wanted a son, Hajime’s always wanted a daughter, so they often acted as your second set of parents. You feel a bit silly in retrospect, they’re as charming as ever with Hajime as they are with you.

They mostly inquire about Hajime’s day, and after a bit you excuse yourself to ‘study’, escaping to Hajime’s room. You’re beginning to feel positive about the next school day after the interaction, confidence boosted.

Who knew you would turn out to be such a good actress, better than you thought! Award winning, honestly. This whole body swap will be a cake walk. You can totally pull off being Hajime!

It seems you can definitely pull off the acting portion, but the sweat sticking to your clothes from your exhausting (emotionally and physically) practice is starting to make you consider the hygiene aspect of the swap. Which, has you feeling wildly uncomfortable.

This cosmic joke, shitty trope of a situation has you experiencing humiliation and embarrassment at levels you didn’t even realize were possible to achieve.

Normally after a grueling practice, you wouldn’t hesitate to hop straight into the shower and blast the hot water over your skin, feeling your muscles and aches soothed. But this isn’t your skin, or your muscles. You’re consistently reminded every hour, minute, and second, that it’s all Hajime. You should feel comforted that he’s definitely experiencing the same emotional crisis as you, but it only serves to heighten your distress.

Cheeks immediately heating at that, you recall the conversation with Hajime from earlier at the park.

“Just... let’s not think about it. And let’s definitely not talk about it. It’s a natural part of life.”

You know full well of the agreement you came to with red stained cheeks, but is there any way you could go without it? And drench yourself with Axe body spray? Or whatever it is guys like to use. You bet it would make a good repellent, no one would want to talk to you if you smelled like that.

You scrunch your nose, dashing the thought immediately, definitely not. Not only would it make you feel gross, Hajime would whack you first thing in the morning, and probably shove you in the shower himself.

‘No big deal, no big deal, it’s no big deal, you can do this!’

You find yourself chanting silent encouragements as you peel your shirt off, pitching it into a laundry basket. When you catch your reflection, a dark pink creeps across your features.

Yep, that’s still Hajime’s face, 

‘Gaaah, don’t look at me like that!’

You press your hands to your face, but you end up peaking through your fingers anyways. The low sweats definitely don’t help, and neither do Hajime’s well defined abs.

You’d been true to your word when you told Hajime you hadn’t seen anything, but now you’re a little desperate to know what the deal is downstairs.

You won’t look. You shouldn’t.  You don’t look. You definitely do not look.

You look,

pulling the sweats down, and shoving the briefs just past your thighs, you bite your lip at the revelation.

Okay.

Alright.

This is fine.

This is totally fine.

Hajime is just secretly packing.

WHAT THE FUCK?

You suppose it wasn’t necessarily a secret, it was always assumed of Hajime. You’ve also been privy to the third years’ cock talk at lunch, and he always did exude big dick energy, but damn Hajime.

Wait. Are you—

NOPE.

NOPE NOPE NOPE YOU ARE NOT DEALING WITH THIS RIGHT NOW.

You cover your face again, a recurring action today it seems, cheeks burning rampant and hotter than ever before. You feel a prickly hot and itchy feeling light a fire up your back to your neck, the heat of pure, unbridled, embarrassment coursing every vein.

Were you... getting a boner?

NOOOOOOO.

From being turned on by Hajime? While you are Hajime?

This is some paradoxical bullshit you are simply not having right now, not tonight, not tomorrow, and hopefully never again.

Despite the shame and humiliation beating down on your psyche, you risk a glance to see how much bigger he looks than before.

“Cold shower, yep. Cold shower helps, right?”

You immediately shove the briefs the rest of the way down, before hopping in the shower, starting it up at the coldest setting. Hopefully the freezing water will wash away not only your transgressions but also your mortification.

You squeak at the cold, bite your lip and shiver, tough it out, and will away the uncomfortable situation.

You sigh, hoping the morning will go smoother than the swell night you had, hopping down the steps of Hajime’s house.

You cross the street to meet up with him and Tooru, already seeing their figures across the road.

“Ha-Hey.”

You almost slip up with his name, but you make a clean save. Mentally patting yourself on the back, you glance to see Hajime’s bitter expression and—

Your jaw drops when you catch sight of... yourself. Your silent wish for a trouble-free morning is cast aside as you examine his appearance.

Hair unkempt, face completely bare, not even moisturizer or at least sunscreen to be seen, did he even try?

“Ha hey to you too, Iwa-chan.”

Tooru raises a brow at the odd introduction, clearly noting the slip up (and also the fact that Hajime usually settles for a short grunt and never a ‘Ha-hey’), but you can’t be bothered to entertain him right now with the current Hajime dilemma.

“Right, whatever,” you direct your attention to Hajime, “can I grab that thing I lent you yesterday?”

“What are you talking about? You’re being weird, Hajime.”

He warns you with a stern look, but you aren’t having it,

“I’m not, I know you have it, we can grab it right now. Tooru, you go ahead. I’ll see you later.”

You push Hajime back in the direction of your house, and Tooru frowns at his abrupt seclusion with zero explanation.

“Are you guys seriously ditching me?”

Tooru raises a brow, arms akimbo with a disgraced look.

“Yeah, we are, Shittykawa. Let’s go.”

You hate to diss Tooru without a solid reason, but it’s pretty on brand for Hajime, so you bite out the nickname with minor discomfort on your lips. You impatiently grab Hajime, before pulling him towards the steps of your house, Tooru’s complaints going unheard behind you.

“Hajime! You’re not wearing any make up! And my hair is a mess!”

You whine out, sitting him down at your vanity.

Hajime merely scowls,

“Seriously? That’s what this is about? Don’t scare me like that, I thought there was something wrong.”

He moves to stand, but you shove him back into the seat with a little more aggression than intended, you lowkey forgot how strong Hajime was.

And Hajime looks up at you with a incredulous expression, feeling a little scandalized, as a woman, that you would handle him like that.

“There IS something wrong though. I look awful! At least wear some foundation and mascara, that stuff is easy to apply!”

You pull out your make up box, flicking on the mirror light.

“I think you look fine this way,” he huffs, “you don’t need all that shit.”

A frown tugs at his lips, and you feel your heartbeat quicken at his earnest display. You bite back a wistful sigh, this is exactly the reason you’ve always been so drawn to Hajime. Rough around the edges, but there there’s no bullshit when it comes to him. He doesn’t disguise his intentions, doesn’t waste time saving face. He’s just genuine, unadulterated, Iwaizumi Hajime, what you see is exactly what you get, and you honestly wouldn’t have him any other way.

Setting aside your thoughts for another time to privately dwell on, you ignore the feeling. 

“Really? That’s nice of you to say. Keep going.”

You smile, pink dusting your cheeks. You hope your expression doesn’t look too soft as you continue to apply the makeup to his face.

“Fishing for compliments now? No way, Shitty-L/N.”

“Nooo! Don’t call me that!”

You pause mid powder to cry out in your indignation, to which he masterfully ignores fixating his gaze on something more interesting than your whining, like the window sill.

After a bit of complaining, back and forth bickering about how uncomfortable the make up feels, you continue with a light highlight and mascara. You stop once you’re satisfied with your work, not bothering to deal with any extras like eyeliner or eyeshadow.

“All this for what? It tickles, and you can’t even touch it.”

Hajime’s hand hovers over his cheek, careful not to smudge anything. You must’ve smacked his hand away too many times, it seems.

“You get used to it. Plus it can be fun to try different brands and colors, and the little confidence boost isn’t bad.”

“Not that you need it.”

Hajime sighs out, standing from the seat to stretch. You’re sure it’s meant to be an insult to the crude ego you (and Tooru) tend to display, but you sense an underlying meaning that winds up boosting your ego even more.

“Anyways, we’re all done! And with time to spare.”

You chrip, gleaming with pride at your work. Add that too the list of things you should be, actress, and make up artist (next to pro volleyball player of course).

Hajime glances to the mirror, “’looks nice, I guess,” he hums in very faint approval.

That’s as good as a compliment to you, so you’ll take it!

He shifts to make way for the door, hooking his school bag over his shoulder.

“And it was definitely easier to do it on you than myself. Hey, maybe when you learn how to put it on yourself, you can do it for me when we switch back?”

You hover around him eagerly, and he rolls his eyes, resisting the urge to not smack his own body.

“No way in hell. The most I’ll do while we’re switched is that eyelash shit and the foundation or whatever,” he pauses, averting his eyes, “and only because it makes you so happy for some damn reason.”

You grin, ecstatic with his unexpected compliance, pulling him into a hug,

“And that’s perfect, eyelash shit and foundation or whatever is good enough for me!”

“H-Hey! Knock it off!”

It feels weird, being so much taller and hugging your body, but it still feels right considering it’s Hajime despite it all.

He tentatively returns the embrace, albeit awkwardly with one arm.

“We’re gonna be late if we keep bullshitting. Let’s go!”

He gently pushes you off and hightails it out of your room, and you laugh trailing after his awkward stomps.

 “Also, wear your skirt higher!”

You call out behind him.

“What? No way in hell! This is the school standard, you always wear it too high!”

He spins around, uncomfortably smoothing out the skirt pleats as if the action could make it lengthier.

“I have nice legs, and I want to show it off!”

You growl, chasing Hajime down the stairs, grabbing onto the waistline of the skirt.

“That’s stupid and you know it. Just who are you trying to impress?! They shouldn’t like you for your legs!”

He holds a tight grip on the skirt and you scowl, prying Hajime’s hands away to yank up the garment.

“No one, it’s called fashion!”

You successfully tug the skirt higher, but a bit too much considering your panties are on full display.

You snort at the sight, “Hajime, you dog, are you wearing my strawberry panties?”

Hajime feels a sense of shame at the sudden breeze, mockery, and unfathomable humiliation.

“Knock it off, it’s just a school uniform idiot! And what the fuck else was I supposed to wear?!”

He tugs the skirt back down and you click your tongue, grabbing a fist full of the fabric to hike it back up. 

“What are you two doing, we’re gonna be late!”

Tooru swings the front door open with a huff, eyes locking onto the both of you. You freeze position, instantly dreading the conversation that’s sure to take place shortly, whereas the tall setter halts at the display before him.

His precious, dear, sweet, childhood best friend’s hands are grasping at his brutish, caveman, heathen of a best friend’s biceps.

Said precious bestie’s hands are trying to shove aforementioned despicable heathen’s grip from her skirt, cheeks bright red

“Uh, this... isn’t what it looks like?”

A/N: I had extra extra fun with this part hahahaa,, sorry for the cliffhanger but I had to do it to ya, next part soon!

taglist: @cybergovl​

Masterlist, Part 4

[fabioquartararhoe]

Hey 👋🏼 I’m sorry for the long text but I need to rant a bit. Am I the only one who’s kinda disappointed by the little amount of statements/actions from basically everyone (especially in sports)?

Today I woke up and suddenly there’s war in Europe. Something that never ever crossed my mind as a possibility. I’m 24 so I grew up with peace around me. I grew up without any real borders . And I can proudly say that in my generation myself & people around me really feel equally “European” & German (if you know what I mean). Something people of my parents generation mostly can’t understand because they still grew up with the leftovers of WW II. They grew up with a divided Germany, with the wall, closed borders, the Cold War. In school I’ve learnt so much about the cruelty of war and suddenly it’s real again.

I’ve been watching the news nonstop today. I feel shocked, I feel helpless, I feel paralysed. And I so deeply feel for the people of Ukraine. Innocent people that now have to live with the consequences of the actions of an autocrat with a twisted mind. A man that everyone either underestimated or simply couldn’t stop. There are people dying, family’s losing a loved one, people losing theirs homes. People fearing for their life every minute of this day and the coming days.

And somehow I feel like most people & organisations go on with business as usual. Only 3000km away-in the same Europe- F1 drives their cars around the circuit like “oh look at my car go vroom! Nothing wrong here!”. F1 Right now doesn’t even cancel the fucking Russian GP. Europa League is playing their little football games. Basketball played their World Cup qualifiers - even the game Russia : Netherlands took place this afternoon. The skiing organisation doesn’t wanna back off from their races in Russia as well.

I know you can’t stop the whole world because of a crisis. And I am aware that there have been wars going on the whole time and we went on with business as usual. But if not even a war in Europe - that could quite possibly soon turn into a global war - can make Europe itself stop in its tracks for a moment what can?

To me everything just seems so irrelevant with all the suffering right in front of our eyes. How can you calmly collect data to make a car faster when there’s an invasion only a few km further? What can a GP in Bahrain really mean when there’s this huge danger and suffering “next door”.

And maybe I’m being stupid or oversensitive right now but I just wished more people would have shown/would show what really is important. You know? Putting some priorities straight. At least openly acknowledging that right now there’s more important things.

i’m not disappointed bcs i knew that people/organizations will be silent at first and then everyone will post bcs it will be a new trend with a hashtag 🤷🏻‍♀️

as an eastern european born in the late 90s it wasn’t always peace here and i don’t feel equally european. romania joined eu in 2007 but i never felt european and i’m sure most of the people from eastern europe agree with me. I expected something bad to happen in ukraine after the annexation of crimea in 2014 by russia, this stupid war isn’t something new…

i agree with you, but you can’t just stop. the world economy is already in trenches, we can’t afford a war and when i say we i’m referring to the people who live paycheck to paycheck, who don’t have the money to pay for gas/electricity.

the sports events in russia will probably be canceled in the incoming weeks, but that’s it. f1 won’t cancel bahrain bcs they will lose money, these organizations care more about money anyway

you aren’t stupid or oversensitive. more western countries should help ukraine, but they always do this. like how many refugees do you think romania, poland or slovakia can afford when we are also struggling. you can’t just take them in your country and leave them to starve or in the cold, you know and if putin attacks one of these countries ww3 will start bcs of the nato article 5…a lot of people don’t realize how serious this thing is unfortunately

[whitehotharlots]

Triumph of cowardice

I used to be a True Believer in social justice. I mean, it sounds nice: a brighter world being possible through something as simple as guilting people to consume the correct cultural products and stop using naughty words. And even as I became separated enough from the theoretical end of the movement to realize that there was no way in hell it could possibly work; even as a I saw, in undeniable terms, how sociopathic and hypocritical the movement's purveyors were--how it seemed, in fact, to reward such traits; and even after I realized that these people were just straight-up making shit up, I still stuck with it. Partially out of idealism. But mostly out of cowardice, because I knew if I pissed one of these people off they could very easily ruin my career.

And now that I've seen this moral and intellectual cowardice spread into the broader culture and become all but mandatory, I think it's important to push back. Even if my impact is minimal, I couldn't live with myself if I stayed quiet.  

Today I was reminded of a panel session I attended around 2011 or 2012. It was a big conference with an established, well-known and respected professor giving a speech about trans issues.  I remember following along with the usual arguments--woke people tend to say the same few things over and over with no variation whatsoever (which is why the constant rejoinder to JUST LISTEN is so infuriating, because the fact that everyone is forced to listen provides speakers with little incentive to say anything worth listening to).

Anyhow, one line jolted me out of complacency. The speaker said that "trans women are hunted down like dogs," a crisis condition so intense that our usual standards of logic and evidence should be suspended while we address it. "Just last year," she said, "over 30 thousand trans women were killed in this country."

The crowd gasped. But that--that was simply not plausible.  Afterward, I connected to wi-fi and found that the year before there had been fifteen thousand murders, total, in the entire US.

The common response here is that we'll never know the true rate of violence against trans people because it often goes unreported (an assumption that has recently been stretched out to dismiss any demands for concrete evidence of this supposed epidemic of violence). But even if we assume that to be true, the entire country's murder rate would need to be more than twice of what was reported, and every single person who was murdered would have had to have been trans.

The speaker’s statistic was a lie. Plain and simple. And this was from an established academic in a formal, professional setting. And no one pushed back in the slightest.

Now, that was forgivable, I guess. An emotional speech, a pressing topic, etc etc. The figure could have seemed plausible enough in the moment--I mean, how many people know the murder rate off hand? The people in the room could have been forgiven for taking it at face value.

I brought my concerns up to the people from my program who had attended the panel with me. One person's response was about what I would have expected if I had repeatedly screamed the n-word while explaining how the holocaust never actually happened--the act of looking up the statistic was violence, this is exactly why white men should not be in our field, expressing any incredulity was how fucking genocide happened and why am even bothering to explain this to you, you white male piece of filth.

After this woman stormed off I was left with people who were friends of mine. They were nowhere near as apoplectic, but agreed with the overall gist of the psychotic woman's outburst: it's simply not right to nitpick over statistics, even ones that are implausible to the point of being outright lies, when those stats are being deployed to express a greater truth. They knew me and therefore knew I didn't want to genocide trans people, but I needed to realize how bad and hateful outsiders would think me to be, were I express these opinions around them.

"Besides," one said, "maybe [the speaker] just misspoke."

Shamed, I didn't pursue the issue any further.

But it gnawed at me and I dug deeper. I found several transcripts and interviews the speaker had given regarding the subject. In each one, a murder figure was cited, but it was never consistent. They were all wildly implausible, but one day she would say 20k, the next 35, etc. And the academics who read and edited these--people who supposedly value rigor and attention to detail--never mentioned the inconsistencies.

This was disheartening but I rolled with it long enough to get out of the program. But then an even more disturbing development started to occur: people began citing correct statistics that completely contradicted the point they were trying to make, and those citations went unchallenged.

A famous one is that there is an "epidemic" of trans people being murdered, that leaving the house is a matter of life and death for every trans person and therefore you're a hitler if you disagree with anything they say. The number they use to prove this? Twenty-six. Not 26 thousand. Not 26 hundred. 26, two digits all by themselves.

Now, even if we take underreporting into account and even if we think the number of trans people is much lower than what their advocates would have you believe, this statistic would still suggest that trans people are murdered at a significantly lower rate than the general population. 

I can't think of a parallel for this doesn't sound laughably insane. It's like if I said "yesterday was hotter than today. Yesterday it was 95 degrees out, but today it was 105" or "the dog is bigger than the elephant because the elephant is larger and contains more mass." The data presented herein is a direct, obvious contradiction of the point that's being made and yet everyone just goes along with it. 

This type of madness does not occur in a functional milieu. This is the result of bullying and paranoia becoming the status quo on the left, of a movement that's so sure of itself that it's abandoned all pretenses of truth and decency. And we just let it happen. We don't even push back. 

[iam93percentstardust]

hey! i hope you’re having an amazing day. this is just me popping in your inbox to say that’s youre one of my favourite writers and you got me really interested in winteriron (honestly one of the cutest ships) are there any fics/authors ii could reccomend?

Hi there! Thank you so much! I love this ship so much, they’ve got such potential for both fluff and angst. They really are one of my favorite ships to write and I’m glad I was able to write so much for them this year. I certainly do have plenty of recs for you, starting with my favorite authors:

@riotwritesthings: started writing last year, I highly recommend just about everything Riot writes but especially Road Hazards, Melt into Me (Your Words are My Own), and When is a bed not a bed? (When you’re not in it)

@hddnone: so many stories and all so good! Has nearly 100 Winteriron works on ao3 and you will not regret reading any of them, though fair warning that some of them are Team Cap Critical. Especially recommend Honey Pot, You’ve Got Mail, and A Bit(e) of Danger

@monobuu: mostly an artist but sometimes writes stories as well. i recommend Ravioli, Invincible Summer, and Meet the Fam

@tisfan and @27dragons: can’t make a Winteriron rec list without including the both of them. They work together a lot but you should definitely take a look at their own stuff as well. I recommend Safe and (the) Sound, Kiss Me Thru the Phone, and Stark, Naked

@ad1thi: currently taking a bit of a hiatus and working on non-Marvel works but I love everything Adi writes, particularly her entire Bollywood but Make it Gay series, which isn’t always Winteriron but wonderful nonetheless. I recommend the Greek Gods AU, 1000 Lives (For You), and we’re connected

@the-winter-writer: lots of smut and all absolutely fantastic! I like Precious Treasure, Winter Wings, and Instinct

@rayshippouuchiha: definitely an iconic writer for this fandom. Really great if you’re looking for genderbends. Writes a lot of absolutely incredible fics and not just for Winteriron but my personal favorites are The (Not So) Great Pretender, Fearful Symmetry, and The Mistletoe Kiss Polka

Finely Honed (jaqen_hgar): once again very iconic. you’ve probably read at least one of their works even if didn’t know. I recommend Shameless, Today’s Forecast, and Practice Makes Perfect

@lovelyirony: mostly writes ficlets here on tumblr and a multishipper (I don’t know why I’m saying that like it’s a bad thing, I’m a multishipper), also a fan of Sharon Carter and that’s the thing that made me follow her so you know

@amethystinawrites: I only recently started working their works but I’m loving everything I’ve come across so far. I recommend Tech Support and I Won’t Hold My Breath

AvocadoLove: also writes a lot of Stony and Stuckony, which I love a lot, but for their Winteriron works, I recommend Amalgam and Dead Man’s Switch

Dracusfyre: another one I’m new to. I literally just started reading their works today so I don’t have any recs for them yet but one of my friends loves them so I’m going to go with you should definitely take a look at their works

Eirlyssa: has some anti-Team Cap works so keep an eye out for that if that’s not your thing but writes very good Winteriron. I recommend Guide Me Home (Guide My Heart) and Always (I’ll Be There)

@imposter-human: one of the first MCU blogs I ever followed! I recommend childhood memories, speak my language, and lost in translation

As for specific works I like:

Four Strings and Second Chances by Vashoth

It was reluctance to let one of his finest inventions ever out of his grasp that made him take a couple days over a week to send the arm to Pepper’s office. But all things considered, Tony figured that sending finest prosthetic that had ever come into existence--literally grasping an olive branch--was one of the classiest gifts he’d ever given. He’d included a note and everything. ‘Barnes,

Can help with installation. Or not. Up to you. --Stark'

Who is the Mechanic? by @akira-of-the-twilight

The Asset watched as his handlers brought in a stranger—a man with a metal object stuck to his chest that was hooked to a car battery.

The handlers shoved the man onto the stool where many who had operated on the Asset’s arm in the past had sat before.

“Asset,” one handler said, “meet the Mechanic. He will be responsible for the upkeep of your arm. Should anything malfunction, kill him.”

The Asset eyed the Mechanic. The Mechanic was glassy-eyed and unresponsive.

He’d probably be dead in a week.

The Fix by SleepsWithCoyotes

Right, because Tony...Tony fixes things. He remembers thinking that, not for the first time.

Paths are Made by Walking by @potrix-the-queerschlaeger

The road to recovery is long, winding and a different one for every person walking it. Bucky chooses to help himself the only way he knows how; by doing what he does best.

Or, alternatively; the one in which Tony is a mess and accidentally kick-starts Bucky’s protective mother hen instincts.

The Evidence by StrivingArtist

Didn’t notice. Right. Sure. Two brilliant minds, two super spies, and a god didn’t notice when the chattiest man they knew stopped making sound. They just seemed happier than before. Brighter and more cheerful than before. They just seemed like they were more comfortable with him around when he was stone silent.

Fuck it.

He knew they noticed.

And he knew they liked him better this way.

Shadowed Hearts and Winter Souls by NotEvenCloseToStraight

The mid-1800s and Antonio Carbonell Stark is caught in a scandal with his lover. Desperate for a chance to escape the trouble and his own broken heart, Tony accepts a proposal from a mysterious Russian heiress and flees the country.

Natalia Romanova is in trouble of her own and has enough secrets to make Tony's head spin but somehow they settle into a fake marriage and calm day-to-day together, and everything works... until her half brother comes home and their life is disrupted again.

James is somber and silent, brutal and nearly broken and scarred, a soldier of the resistance. His heart is cold and gaze like ice, but his hands are hot and lips are warm and Tony finds himself ignoring the blood on James's palms and the shadows in his soldier’s eyes, and falling in love.

When danger lands at their doorstep, Natalia and Tony have to pack up and leave, running away in the middle of the night and leaving their men behind.

The distance between Tony and James gets longer every day, and Natalia has been keeping a secret for that can’t be hidden much longer. With no place to call home and a thousand miles between them and the men they love, what are Tony and Natalia supposed to do?

Puppy Love by Reioka

Bucky is learning to become a person again. When some guy starts crying all over Natasha's dog, he decides he's doing better than he originally thought.

Describe Your Perfect Date by ali_aliska

After getting turned down by Bucky, Tony decides it’s time to move on from his massive crush. He tries online dating—Pepper’s idea, not his—but the only thing worse than getting rejected is getting rejected and finding out your soulmate-level match is Clint Barton, all in the same day.

Clint, of course, does not let opportunities like this go to waste, but he’s driving Tony nuts for a good cause, he swears.

Bucky’s just trying to do the right thing and fails spectacularly, but it all works out in the end.

Rocket Science by marsmaywonder and orbingarrow

Sleep-deprived and under-caffeinated, grad student Tony falls asleep in a conveniently empty classroom and wakes up in the middle of Bruce’s Physics 101 course. After seeing a groggy Tony fumble a simple question, actual-student Bucky offers to tutor him. In a moment of “oh no; he’s cute” panic, Tony takes him up on it. Now, in addition to his already complicated life, Tony has to figure out the answer to the incredibly messy question: “How do you look like you’re failing the class, when you literally wrote the book?”

What’s Good for the Goose by Taste_is_Sweet

For this nonny prompt at the Imagine Tony and Bucky comm on Tumblr:

"A soulmate AU where an immortal goose shows up one day to lead you to your soulmate, the challenge is surviving the goose." (Full prompt in notes.)

We all have soulmates, and every soulmate pair shares an animal guide. The Guide is there to lead you to your One True Love, and they represent the aspects of the psyche that you both share. They appear when you're about to meet your soulmate, and often materialize in moments of great personal crisis, offering hope and support. There are stories upon stories about how someone's Guide appeared to lead them to their One True, or how the barest glimpse of their Guide eased their hearts and gave them hope in the midst of despair. The newly-rescued almost always attribute their Guide with giving them the strength and courage to hang on.

Animal Guides are ephemeral, ethereal, and elusive. They are, most often, no more than a warm presence or flicker out of the corner of one's eye. They are incarnate symbols of perseverance, optimism and hope. Foretellers of happiness, and the grand destiny of love.

Except for geese. Geese are assholes.

and so, we unfold by TheKitteh

Senbazuru. Thousand Cranes.

An ancient Japanese legend that promises anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by the gods. Some stories believe you are granted happiness and eternal good luck, instead of just one wish, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury.

Bucky’s not big on believing in any legends, not after all that has happened. He just wants to create something for a change, not destroy.

He needs to prove himself that he can be trusted to handle something delicate. He doesn’t need a promise of a wish come true. He just,- needs to do this for himself.

He doesn’t need noticing how sad, tired Stark looks. Doesn’t need to want to do something for the man, when he can barely do anything for himself. --- Tony simply goes through days and motions. He deals with the Avengers, with R&;D, with the rewritten Accords. All of it, it’s nothing new really. He just wants to get things done.

What’s new is seeing Barnes hunched over the coffee table, one step away from ripping a glossy magazine apart in the middle of the night.

And why the hell Barnes keeps looking at him during the days after like he’s a puzzle to be solved?

Welcome to the Winteriron fandom! We’ve got a lot of incredible authors and artists both and this is just the tip of the iceberg!