#they should respect our beliefs and cut that out! not include it at all!

[malikselfindulgence]

GWEN STACY LOVERS SQUAD LET'S MFING GOOOOOOOOO🤝🏼🤝🏼🤝🏼🤝🏼🤝🏼🤝🏼🤝🏼🤝🏼🤝🏼

GWEN STACY YOURE MY FUCKIN EVERRYTTHINNGGGG !!!!!! 🤝🤝🤝🤝 any iteration of gwen stacy Ily forever and Always but astv's gwen being canon trans is very Important and dear to me

Old Ass comic sketch from Blaze's spidersona days we never finished :[

[yourmomxx]

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐕𝐈: 𝐘𝐎𝐔’𝐑𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐎𝐖𝐍, 𝐊𝐈𝐃 (𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬)

warnings: mentions of child neglect (only slight)

word count: 3.8k

Thanksgiving. The holiday of … giving thanks. The Lord said, appreciate thou ones thy art next to youth (I don’t know, I don’t speak Bible)*, and America heard: Go and grill a Turkey.

Thanksgiving is the holiday of meaningless and overbearing consumption, as well as the holiday of compassion and family.

Cooper Bradford did not remember the last time his parents had been physically present around him for Thanksgiving.

Because, to the Bradfords, Thanksgiving meant extravagant food that would be thrown away the day after, sponsoring charities because they were good people, and facetiming their only son from the hot-temperatured country they were currently in, preferably with a beach in the background.

Cooper did not mind that much, honestly.

Most kids his age would kill to have the freedom that he had. Especially if it were to include his money. He actually considered himself lucky.

So, no, Cooper didn’t especially mind that his parents were never around for a holiday that everyone celebrated specifically with their family. He just wasn’t allowed to think too much about it.

“Here, let me help you with that.” Alexander grabbed the red packet of ketchup from his struggling fingers and simply cut it open with a pair of scissors.

“There you go.” Cooper took it back.

“Thanks.”

Oliver eyed him suspiciously from the other side of the table. “You alright, man?” He asked in a low voice. The other guys were already involved in their own conversation.

Cooper noticed that Oliver never really joined them. He listened, he observed, he sometimes commented. When Alexander was metaphorically kissing his shoes, Oliver – what he thought – subtly rolled his eyes, or he hid his smirk behind a bite of food when Kilian threw a snarky comment at Jonas.

Oliver made a nice conversation partner for Cooper most of the time.

“Sure.” Cooper smiled at him to undermine his reassurance. He squeezed the ketchup over his fries to the last bit. That way, he could easily avoid eye contact. Oliver continued eating his rice, unconvinced.

Cooper Bradford was not a very good liar, against contrary belief. He never had the need to. His parents weren’t around, so there was no reason to dish them an untruthful story when he came home later than he should have, and he had too much respect for Dylan and Cameron and vice versa, to ever want to lie to them.

Despite that, he was thirteen. What sort of huge secrets did thirteen-year-olds have?

When he made his way to English, a hand grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him aside. With a small yelp, Cooper let himself get dragged next to a wall of lockers. With solid ground under his feet, he finally looked up to see Kendra staring at him.

“What’s up?”

“Do you have plans on Thanksgiving?” Cooper opened his mouth to respond, but she forestalled him. “Rhetorical question, I know you don’t. Well, until now, because you’re spending Thanksgiving with us this year.”

Cooper opened his mouth to say something, still a bit shaken from her sudden attack, didn’t know what to, closed his mouth again, and opened it again.

“Why?” Was all he managed to get out. Kendra shrugged.

“You’re over at our place all the time anyways, first of all,” She replied. “And second of all, Thanksgiving is a family holiday. And Cooper, whether you like it or not, you’re family.”

She smiled softly at him and then wrapped him in a tight hug. Cooper felt frozen in place for a second, but then his body started gaining movement again, and he put his arms around her shoulders.

He closed his eyes. Spending Thanksgiving with his family. That had a nice ring to it. He squeezed Kendra in the hug.

**

Alright, additional bullet point: Thanksgiving, the holiday of family, compassion, gluttony, and … stress.

Like so, so much stress.

One would think a personal chef preparing dinner was what kept you from that, but apparently, it wasn’t. When Cooper entered the Nolan Residence, Dylan and Cameron were rushing around, cleaning surfaces, arranging shoes, and organizing different stacks of newspapers.

Without a word, Kendra grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him towards her room. She closed the door behind them. Jake was already in there, crashing different dinosaur playfigures into each other.

“This,” she gestured around, “Is about the only place in this house they aren’t going to be excessively cleaning.” She flopped onto her bed and stretched all her limbs away.

“Geez, that feels good.” Cooper let himself fall into the beanbag.

“Is every year like this?” He asked. Kendra nodded. “Every holiday, really.” She counted on her fingers. “It goes: food plans, staff, clean, eat, clean again.”

Cooper raised his eyebrow. “I will never understand why you don’t just have your housekeepers do all of that.”

“Makes two of us.”

“So,” Kendra said, and a meaningful grin stretched across her face. “Anything new?”

Cooper sighed and leaned his head back, shutting his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Really?” Kendra pushed. “Any … girly news I should know about?”

Cooper scoffed and squinted one eye open. “If there were, you’d be the first to know.”

“Liar.” A decorum pillow was chucked at his chest. “Oliver would be.”

He chucked the pillow back, didn’t react to the accusation.

“Alright, play like that.”

Cooper didn’t say anything. He wrangled himself out of the beanbag and walked over to Kendra’s younger brother Jake sitting on the floor. “Hey, buddy,” he cooed, “What are you playing?”

Jake held up two of his dinosaur figures proudly. A muffled noise past his pacifier was the only answer Cooper got.

Cooper crossed his legs on the floor. “Can I play with you?” Jake granted him a red dinosaur with spikes on its back and sharp teeth sticking out of its open mouth, and Cooper accepted it happily. Then, with a piercing battlecry, Jake attacked Cooper’s hand.

Until Dylan called them down the stairs, Cooper kept playing dinosaurs with Jake, and Kendra watched them from her bed, absolutely losing her shit of laughter when the toddler unexpectedly body-slammed Cooper, who was only able to make a throttled noise before landing backwards on the floor.

The scenery downstairs was enchanting. Cooper gaped at the lights that threw a warm hue everywhere, and closed his eyes to relish in the smell of freshly-cooked meat.

The table was set, red napkins suiting the color scheme, candles placed in the middle, and autumn decoration sprawled all over the table surface.

Dylan and Cameron, both wearing elegant sweaters that made them blend perfectly into the warm colors of the arising season, smiled at them as they approached the table, Jake waddling between Kendra and Cooper.

If Cooper hadn’t seen it upon his arrival, he now wouldn’t have sensed the slightest note of the prior stress that him and Kendra had done their best to avoid.

Cameron picked up his youngest son with a huge smile on his face.

“Please, guys, sit down,” Dylan said. “Dinner will be served in a minute.”

They didn’t need to be asked twice. Cooper took his usual chair on Kendra’s left side, opposite Jake’s baby chair. They had fallen into a familiar pattern, unavoidable, considering how often Cooper found himself at their dinner table to eat.

As promised, only a few minutes later, multiple plates, bowls and pots were delivered from the kitchen, and placed neatly in the empty spaces between the decorations.

Cooper gaped at the different variations of pumpkin dishes, stuffing, and soups. It was probably enough to feed them for a couple days. Dylan had the same thought, because Cooper picked up how he leaned closer to Cameron and muttered, “Guess I won’t have to cook anything for the rest of the week,” to which in response, Cameron let out a soft laugh.

Cooper happily accepted the white bowl of salad from Kendra’s hands. He had realized, soon, that eating at the Nolan’s estate was, visually, the same as it was at the Bradford’s, but emotionally, so totally different.

For example, was he actually allowed to touch those ceramic bowls and get his food himself. No one distrusted him with their dishes here.

He didn’t feel the watchful gaze of others, sharply criticizing and observing his every move without ever uttering so much as a word, the soft gasps and subtle, but edged coughs that reminded him to: “Sit straight”, “Put his arms right”, “Take a smaller bite”.

He liked eating like this.

The entirety of dinner was accompanied by lively chatter – with each other, which was a crucial detail – and not merely the sound of clattering cutlery or violins playing the same Beethoven symphony over and over again.

“So, Cooper,” Cameron carefully laid his knife and fork aside as he spoke up. “I don’t know if Kendra already told you, but we have maintained a tradition at Thanksgiving for the past few years.”

He looks around the table with a sincere glint in his eyes. “One after the other, we go around the table, and each pay our thanks to the things that we are thankful for. So we never miss sight of what’s truly important.”

Cooper muttered his understanding around a bite of turkey stuffing.

Cameron dipped his head and raised his glass. “Let me start. I am thankful for my husband, who supports me through all of my days. And for the remaining bunch on this table; Kendra, Cooper, Jake. For making sure no day is ever boring.”

Kendra and Cooper threw each other a grin.

Dylan was the next to raise his flute of champagne. “I am thankful for my husband, who is a big help for me in everyday life.” His eyes drifted over to his side where his husband was seated next to him. Dylan smiled a smile that reached his eyes, so subtle and warm, and loving. He placed his hand over Cameron’s on the table. They shared two small, private breaths. Cooper felt as if he was interrupting something sacred between them.

Then, Dylan turned to them. “And I am thankful for all three of you, sitting on this table. You’re really good kids.”

It was Kendra’s turn. She lifted her glass of strawberry juice solemnly. “I’m grateful for – my family, obviously. And my friends. And Sushi,” She added. “I love Sushi.”

The rest of the table chuckled. All eyes were now on Cooper, who held up his apple juice as well.

“I’m grateful for this invitation, and for my family,” he vowed.

When he said that last part, he let his eyes linger on Dylan and Cameron for a little longer. They both threw him soft, loving smiles. Cooper’s insides felt nice.

“Dada!”

Kendra was the first one to burst out in laughter, when Jake suddenly yelled out, and it seemed to infect the entire table like a wildfire. Cameron reached over and lifted his son out of his chair, blowing raspberries in his belly and making him giggle uncontrollably.

Cooper watched them with a huge smile on his face, one so big that his cheeks hurt. But he just couldn’t bring himself to stop.

A family like this, and their relationship, this was what he craved.

He didn’t mind his parents not being there because it didn’t make any difference for him anyways.

Were the Nolans so warm and bright, open and cheerful, his house was cold, and it was lonely, and sharp around the edges. And it didn’t matter if Doyle and Laura Bradford were present, physically. They weren’t there.

“Ah, that reminds me, Cooper,” Dylan suddenly said and dabbed the corners of his mouth with a napkin. “Your parents called me this morning.”

And just like that, the mood around the table suddenly shifted.

It wasn’t much, it was merely a slight tilt, like the petal of a flower on a ripple in peaceful water, but Cooper noticed it. He had started getting good at noticing these things.

Dylan continued. If he was aware of the shifting feeling, Cooper wouldn’t know, and Dylan didn’t point it out. “They said to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving and that they’re really sad they can’t join us today.”

“So why don’t they just call him themselves?” Kendra muttered, her face turned downwards ahs she poked around in her food, as if that would prevent anyone from knowing she said it.

Cameron threw his daughter a sharp look.

“Because, as well all know, since I have explained it before, where they are right now, they can only take one phone call a day. And since they also want to talk to your father and me about what’s going on with you and the world, they would rather call us than you.”

He turned to Cooper and his eyes softened. “But they do miss you very much, Cooper.”

He did his best to conjure up a smile.

Jake gurgled when Cameron placed him back in his highchair.

Cooper had a math test a few days later, one he didn’t study for. Math was too hard for him, and useless in the future anyways. And he knew exactly how to make better of the situation.

No biggie.

It wasn’t until he was sitting in Principal Ablin’s office and the old man called Dylan in for a conversation, that Cooper thought, that maybe it might have been a biggie.

“You know, if could take your trust fund away, then I would. And I would grill it in front of your eyes like barbecue.”

Dylan had arrived a while after Ablin had contacted him about Cooper’s situation. He opened the button on his suit jacket and took the seat next to Cooper’s in one of the uncomfortable wooden chairs in Principal Ablin’s office.

Dylan’s voiced was a low hiss as he leaned over to his Godson.

Cooper made it his mission to avert his eyes from either of them. Ablin wore an apologetic look on his face.

“We would have called his parents, but, well. The Bradfords are not easily accessible these days. Probably out donating some money, am I right?” Principal Ablin was the only one to laugh over his joke.

Dylan regarded him with a critical gaze.

Ablin cleared his throat. “Well.”

Dylan sighed and adjusted himself in his seat.

“Spill it, Ablin,” he said, “How much detention does he have to expect?”

“Detention?” Ablin let out another barking laugh. “Oh, no, no detention for him. He’s getting suspended.”

“Excuse me?” “What?”

Ablin looked between the two of them sitting in front of him.

“Mr Nolan, your son-“

“Godson.”

“-paid other students to purposely fail their own math exams so he didn’t have to study for them. Despite the fact that this is a plan I have never seen a seventh grader think of, not to mention fulfill, it is a severe violation of our codes, and held back countable students from proving their full potential and earning the grades that they deserved.”

“You can’t just suspend him, though. Right? I mean, there has to be something he can do?”

Ablin shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Mr Nolan.”

Dylan sighed. Leaning his elbow on the armrest, he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Alright,” he muttered. “And how long will this suspension last?”

Ablin folded his hands. “Until further notice. We will be in contact with you.”

Dylan nodded. “Alright.” He slowly rose from his seat and buttoned his suit jacket closed. Ablin stood as well, and shook Dylan’s hand goodbye in a firm grip. “Thank you for contacting me, Principal Ablin,” Dylan said. And with a glance to Cooper, he added, “I assure you that there will be consequences for his actions from our side as well.”

Ablin nodded. “Thank you for coming. Have a nice day, Mr Nolan.”

Dylan raised his hand in Goodbye, and left the office after Cooper, who squeezed himself past the door, eyes firmly cast to the floor.

With a click, the door fell closed behind them. And everything was silent.

Cooper still didn’t look Dylan in the eye. His heart was racing in his chest and, for the first time he realized that the tiles on the floor were unevenly patterned.

He heard Dylan breathe out a heavy sigh and his expensive dress shoes move over the floor. The slightest sound seemed to be echoing from the walls like gunfire.

“Sit down, Cooper.”

Cooper looked up and saw Dylan sitting on a bench next to a wall. It was the one he had waited on, prior to being called into Principal Ablin’s office and getting the verbal beating of his life. Slowly, Cooper made his way over and took his place down next to him.

For a bit, neither of them said a word.

After a while, it was Dylan who spoke up first. “What were you thinking?” He asked Cooper into the silence.

Cooper was not able to make out the tone of his voice, it was exhausted and at the same time pressed as if it took him much power to get his words out. Yet, they were calm, in a strained way.

Cooper managed to look up. “You’re not gonna yell at me?” He asked.

Dylan shook his head, not looking at him. “I once swore to myself that I would never, ever yell at my kids. No matter how bad it got.”

“So you’re not mad?”

He scoffed. “Hell yeah, I’m mad! I’ll gladly repeat my question from before: What the hell were you thinking, Cooper? Paying other students to flunk their tests?”

Cooper shrugged. His cuticles seemed suddenly very interesting. “I just didn’t want to study. Math is hard.”

“And have you ever thought of the consequences that might have for those people you used?” Dylan asked him.

“I mean, they were the ones who accepted the money!”

“Yes, because they’re thirteen! You wave a stack of cash and they’re gonna go after it like hungry piranhas. But, Cooper, these guys might’ve ruined their final grades. Because you wanted yours to be easier.”

“Please, some got kicked out of the Mathlaton, that isn’t too bad.”

Dylan took a deep breath. “Maybe not for you, but it could mean something to them.” He turned to properly look at Cooper.

“These are real people, kid. With plans, and feelings, and ambitions. It starts with a little bribing at school, and later, you use money to achieve anything you can buy with it. But, Cooper,” He put a hand on his knee, “That’s not what I want for you. I don’t want you to be a person that just does, and lets the flood wash away everything behind them. I know you and I know you’re not that person.”

Dylan stopped and looked back out into the hallway, as if it were a landscape that he was certain to study, rather than the red-brown multitude of piles and stone.

Cooper didn’t say a word. Silence stretched between them like heavy smoke.

He took in his Godfather’s appearance. Black suit jacket, white shirt, ironed pants, and dress shoes. A loosened tie, that had probably been fixed properly in place before he had walked into the principal’s office to hear about his only godson’s suspension.

“Did I pull you out of a meeting?” Cooper’s voice cracked around the edges when he spoke for the first time in a while.

Dylan blinked hard, as if Cooper had just snapped him out of a deep trail of thoughts and looked him heavily in the eye.

“Don’t worry about it, kid,” was the only thing he said, and then stood up. Cooper followed.

“Let’s get you home. We’ll decide on a suitable punishment when Cam is back from work.”

The car ride back to the Nolan Estate was silent, merely the upbeat rhythm of Led Zeppelin tuned a beat through the car. Cooper wasn’t in the mood for ‘Immigrant Song’ now, but it seemed to calm Dylan down.

**

Cameron was mad when he got home that night. It visibly took everything for him to not slam his – very expensive – bag with his – very expensive – laptop inside on the countertop as he marched into the living room, where Cooper was already waiting on his verdict.

Funny, considering Cam was a lawyer.

“What. Were. You. Thinking?” The man gritted out through his teeth, pacing over the rug while Cooper was slumped on the couch.

He opened his mouth to defend himself, but Cameron forestalled him.

“Actually, don’t answer that,” He said, “I probably don’t even want to know.” He screeched to a halt, and fixated Cooper with his eyes, which was somehow way more intimidating than the amount of pacing from before.

“You know, back in my day, when you wanted to cheat, you just wrote the most important shit on your forearm and hoped the teacher wouldn’t notice. But actually paying people to-“

He cut himself off in his frustration. “I really hope you know that this behavior will have consequences, young man.”

That’s when Dylan stepped next to him from where he’d been standing a few feet away. He laid a hand on Cameron’s shoulder as if to ground him into a calmer state. “Actually, we’ve talked about that already,” He explained to his husband, also looking at Cooper now.

“And after a while of contemplating, we figured that it would probably best to keep him here for a while, just so we see what exactly he’s doing. He’ll be grounded, obviously, and I figured we take his allowance away for-“

“No, no, wait,” Cameron interrupted his husband by placing a gentle hand on his arm. “I have a better idea.”

Cooper started shuffling nervously under his piercing gaze. “Am I going to prison?” He asked.

“Oh no, honey.” Cameron’s tone was uneasily calm. “You are going somewhere way, way worse.”

“Cooper Bradford, you are grounded. Also, help Oliver wash my car!”

Katie Otto was many things. A housewife, a mother, an occasional judge of other people. But she was no slave to the Westport norms. Not even when it came to her Spring Gala.

So, yes, when the Nolans called her to have an eye on Cooper as punishment for his little stunt at school, who was she to say no to that?

After all, in her opinion, nothing really compared to sitting by your window on a breezy afternoon, drinking coffee, and watching two bratty teenagers rake dead leaves.

Also, it wasn’t even considered child labor as long as they didn’t work more than eight hours a day! God bless America!

From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes I gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this I hosted parties and starved my body Like I'd be saved by a perfect kiss

The jokes weren't funny, I took the money My friends from home don't know what to say I looked around in a blood-soaked gown And I saw something they can't take away

-You’re on Your Own Kid, Taylor Swift

another chapter this week because it's my sister's birthday! enjoy!

tagged: @ficsnships @amorhedera7

* just as a Disclaimer: I do not intend to offend anyone with this sentence. I, myself, am Christian, and English is simply not my first language so I really have no idea how it is or is not written in the "holy book". Then again, if you are offended by this, maybe you should circle back and think about the fact that you're reading gay fanfiction right now.

[demondeaths]

so let me go towards the morning star ... with hope it won't disappear.

#𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐒.  a private, independent and heavily selective roleplay blog for an original portrayal of lilith from hazbin hotel. a mix of canon divergence and compliance, somewhat headcanon based. written by juniper: she or they, 23. mature and potentially triggering themes will be present but appropriately tagged, please read rules before interacting.

mains ... @archorcist !

rules found below the cut!

DISCLAIMER & CREDITS. this blog is unaffiliated from the main series or any writers / creators but the writing and graphics are my own with the psd by fossaed ! i request very kindly that you do not steal anything i have created, including headcanons and graphics. mun will never equal muse.

FOLLOWING. private, selective and mutuals only. i practice both mains and exclusives, however prefer to stick to mains unless we have known each other for a long time or our portrayals have become extremely intertwined (angel is my only exception as she is my world and can have everything of mine!) i will softblock you if i intend to unfollow you, though you are welcome to message if you are uncertain if such is the case. i don't mind duplicates following me but interactions would require some plotting due to the fact i'm not entirely sure how this sort of interaction would work out!

PORTRAYAL. this blog will remain a mix of both canon compliant and also divergent and information found on it is heavily subject to change as to what appears in the series. liliths character has mainly been discussed in past tense and mainly created via assumption or beliefs from each person, the way i interpret her current situation may be very different from others! i am open to fighting and/or battle threads, but any grievous harm should be consented to before placed in writing. things will possibly change as the show progresses, so please don't be surprised if my headcanons at some point contradict! shipping is a possibility but i will be heavily selective romantic wise, though anything else is pretty much fair game.

THEMES & TRIGGERS. all triggers will be tagged appropriately under trigger /. i will try my best to tag them but i may ultimately forget! this blog will overall dabble in the discussion of biblical imagery and religious themes. i refuse to even write topics relating to homophobia, transphobia and the like - please respect this or you will be hardblocked. i take no offence if you choose not to follow this blog but do my others!

mun. juniper, 23. i use a mix of she and they pronouns. if i am not here, you can find me around!

[wheatstar]

Hi im putting warrior cats into my oc world!! Some notes: any animal can have some random other features but i mostly default to wings or horns because i like the way they look. They can be genetic but sometimes it just happens too. There is never two elementals of the same element at once, so when Brokensun died another elemental of war was born somewhere else, and later died at the same time as Lionblaze's birth. Vampirism on SOL rarely leaves the Wasteland (which is across the continent) but sometimes it pops up in the Green where the clans live, mostly in places the canopy is especially thick. Vampirism is both something that spreads and a mutation that just happens. Prophets come in three types: past, present, and future and they have visions of their respective directions. I wanted Dovewing to also be an elemental but present prophet just fit too well. All prophets cry blood, thats not just a Dovewing thing. the reason the leaders are called sun instead of star is below cut along with some other explanations

Problems that I needed to solve:

1. No humans:

SOL's humans went extinct a looong time ago, so Firesun's (Firestar) origins need to be changed dramatically. The elements that need to be kept include a coddled life, looked down upon by the clans, but something he can leave at the drop of a hat. My main idea is that "kittypets" are from civilizations that have buildings and economies and such, which makes the clan cats think their lives are soft unfulfilling. I'm just going to say there's another group of cats that's more like an actual town instead of a clan that Firesun's from. The clans go out of their way to not interact with this town and the town does the same.

2. No nighttime/moon/stars

Yeah this one's big. Here are my general changes:

StarClan -> SunClan

Star suffix -> sun suffix

Names with night or moon must be changed

SunClan cats become clouds instead of stars

Gatherings take place every thirty days. Days on SOL are split in two just like ours, but they're both different daytimes for the two different suns.

Sunstone/Sunpool (Moonstone/Moonpool) meetings are determined in the same way.

3. The Afterlife Problem

Lastly, the existence of afterlives was something I struggled with fitting into the world, but ultimately it can fit, it just needs to be tweaked a little. SOL generally doesn't have provable afterlives, but because StarClan is so important to warrior cats, I decided I can work something out. Ghosts on SOL only stick around when they wholeheartedly believe they have to for some reason (unfinished business and all that), so the SunClan cats believe they should be in SunClan after death so hard that it just happens. The Dark Forest works in a similar way. I'm letting the leaders have their nine lives because magic. It's still mostly about belief though. Cats that don't believe in SunClan don't go there.

[ghostofhallownest]

listen idk if it’s worth the discourse but like…y’all remember in 2014-2016ish when queer infighting on this site was at a new height? how “activism” was bullying asexuals and aromantics and “weird” genders and neopronouns (well, except the “acceptable” ones)? how respectability politics turned into a reason to tell kids to kill themselves, or that being raped would fix them, or that they were straight/“basically” straight and therefore unwelcome, how “the A stands for Ally” was a preferred position to including aroaces in the LGBT umbrella…i could continue, but the trauma our own community inflicted on its own members isnt the point.

i think we act as though that era of purging our community of unwanted members under the guise of “activism” tapered off and was relegated to extreme corners of the internet. however…tumblr’s leftist politics don’t seem that different to me? the posts i see are reactionary, with little willingness to accept that even overtly bad things are complicated. they’re excuses to be angry and to have that anger fueled and validated because so many of us are angry and feel powerless, and posting feels like doing something; it’s “activism” as “spreading awareness” but…i don’t think it’s productive?

so many of the posts i see spouting leftist theory buzzwords are just…repackaged purity culture and respectability politics and are so far removed from the way the real world operates as to be useless except as ragebait.

it’s not only morally wrong to encourage imperfect allyship, it’s a symptom of gaslighting from said potential ally. anyone with a lukewarm opinion on queers is just as bad as the fascist who wants us dead. children refusing to cut their parents off because of their queerphobia and conservative beliefs are blinded by attachment to an abuser. “he’s a little confused but he’s got the spirit” is dying out; if your dad is conservative but working on your pronouns and slowly working on your friends’ pronouns but he still thinks Reaganomics will save us all, he wants you dead actually and you should cut 👏🏼 him 👏🏼 out👏🏼 !!

everything that happens online is obviously 100% reflected in real life, so you can’t write or draw or even think that; did you know op of this fandom gifset is a terf, aren’t you going to delete it, aren’t you scrupulously checking yourself, it’s your job to manage who sees every single user’s content btw, and if you dont ur probably a terf or at least as bad as them.

idk guys. is this not what conservative echochambers also sound like? their radicalism is morally reprehensible, ours is pure and good and necessary, right? right? because Evil and Good are the only two categories and everything fits neatly into each, right? “the reading comprehension on this site is piss poor” as a badge of honor is funny haha but when conservatives get facebook brainrot that’s a symptom of conservatism and not something we could ever fall victim to ourselves…right?

god, im so tired.

[ahiddenpath]

Do you think it's fair to ask others, even strangers, to treat you with kindness and respect, or is that a bit presumptuous because other people don't owe you anything?

Oh, is this one of the qs off that list? Nice, those are some bangers! Thanks for the ask <3

I'm going to answer at length beneath the cut, but here's the short version:

Of course humans owe each other kindness and respect. Of course we owe each other humanity. In fact, humanity can't support itself without cooperation.

However, the difficulty is knowing:

-What is humanity (basic kindness and respect) vs taking on too much?

-What are healthy boundaries?

This trend of, "I don't owe anyone anything!" is really worrisome, man. I guarantee you that literally no one is an island- and I also guarantee that a large percentage of people who espouse this belief feel that others owe them basic kindness and respect, and likely more. But let me try to break all of this down; it's kind of a lot?

Note: I am a scientist, specifically a molecular biologist. I am not an expert in evolution/history/culture. I Googled a lot of stuff, but don't consider me an authority, lol! Also, I can only comment on American culture.

-Why humans owe one another humanity

I'm going way back on this one, fam. Humans have been evolving for... Apparently, at least 160,000 years (that's just modern homo sapiens, this number is far larger if you go back to hominids). Back then, we couldn't buy pre-made goods and services at the store; groups of humans survived by splitting tasks. Some hunted, some foraged, some made clothing, some cooked, some cared for the young and elderly and sick, etc. If humans didn't closely cooperate for the shared goal of group survival, they... well, they died. And the more individuals died, the less likely the group was to survive. This group survival arrangement went on for at least 160,000 years, remember.

The idea of suburbanization seems to have started in the 1940s-50s, at least in the states, along with the rise in the cultural importance of the nuclear family. The problems with spreading out and dividing large human groups (towns) into small ones (households) include:

-Isolation and loss of community

-Ingroup vs outgroup thinking (ie, fear of people beyond the town, or even the household)

-Physically removing people from resources and help, which is especially devastating for vulnerable populations (children, elders, disabled people, anyone who is othered in any way)

And probably a bunch of other things!

Obviously, this is a gross oversimplification, but suffice to say that the shift from community focus to household focus, at least in America, is a very recent and brief part of human evolutionary history. Thinking of our units as the household, rather than the town, seems to have led, in part, to antisocial behaviors that, unsurprisingly, make life more difficult for everyone.

If we don't treat others with kindness, then we can't be surprised when we are not given kindness. If we don't help others, then we can't be surprised when we find ourselves alone in our time of need. Have you ever seen those social media posts that say, "Modern adults have to do all the tasks alone that were once split among families and even towns?" Well, I'm not a sociologist, but yeah, it sure seems that way. We all somehow have to get to work, get our kids to daycare, take care of everyone's medical needs (with what money???), feed everyone, clean, do errands, and more, alone. It didn't used to be that way! There are reasons why we're all so damned tired and burnt out. Chief among them is that help is not at hand without a hefty price tag, because our trusted unit starts and ends at our own front door. And this isn't anyone's fault; American culture is set up this way.

Now, I also believe that we should help each other out of compassion, but even on a basic survival level... Yeah, we owe each other humanity. We suffer at the group and individual level when we don't offer others basic kindness and respect.

However, despite my strong stance on this, um... In practice, it's difficult.

-What is humanity (basic kindness and respect) vs taking on too much?

Oof, now we're at the hard part. I personally have struggled my whole life with being kind vs hurting myself to please others. At the risk of getting too real/personal, I am a cis woman, and I was explicitly raised to have no opinions/desires, to bow to the group, and to take care of everyone. In my mid twenties, I realized that I tensed whenever someone approached me, because I knew they likely wanted something from me. And why wouldn't they? I had unconsciously trained them that I would "happily" help with whatever they wanted. They didn't know about my resentment and perpetual exhaustion.

And the worst thing was probably being a source of emotional labor. Kindly listening can quickly escalate to being everyone's unpaid therapist, and that takes a serious toll.

I'm in my mid thirties now, and I was in therapy for years. I still don't know exactly when to prioritize others vs myself, and what is basic kindness vs extraordinary effort. Everyone probably has their own thresholds for this one, but "treat others how you want to be treated" sounds like a decent starting point?

But no one can help others with an empty cup, so learning to take care of ourselves is a must.

-What are healthy boundaries?

I am not a therapist, and I'm still learning this myself, so this is 100% opinion, but...

I think we owe everyone basic kindness, but those big favors... Well, you can't keep giving forever to someone who doesn't give back. That's not a village, right? That's a pit. If someone approaches you for help and you feel scared or tense instantly, that's a sign that something is wrong.

When I started learning and employing boundaries, I quickly became less popular, lmao! Some people get angry and upset when you start saying no, and may "drop you" as a friend or acquaintance. This is actually far better for your mental health in the long run. As a general rule, if you find yourself anxious about interacting with someone in particular, and especially about telling them no or something they won't want to hear... You likely need boundaries with that person.

A boundary is basically like... Teaching people how you want to be treated. I often see people mistake boundaries as telling other people what to do, but in reality, you can never control other people.

Let's say you have a friend who is chronically late.

Not a boundary: "You can't keep being late!"

Boundary: "If you are more than 15 minutes late, I will leave/start the activity without you."

Boundaries center on your behavior, which you control. Generally, a boundary is established after a problem is proven to be persistent, and you've already tried gently asking for respect.

I admit that, in my own journey, I've pivoted too hard away from being helpful and open. I'm searching for that happy medium of supporting others while prioritizing taking care of myself. But everyone deserves basic kindness and respect, and humans don't thrive while isolated and distrustful. All of this is complex, but please, don't forget to be kind to yourself and others.

We're hurtling through endless space on a blue marble together. Let's keep it real, babes.

Thanks for trusting me with such an important q <3

[rikeijo]

Today's translation #84

Yuri!!! on Life

Sayo Yamamoto x Mitsurou Kubo conversation

Part 6.

K: But actually even when we talk about manga, it's not that I draw it because there is like a particular meaning there to why I draw it. It's all about using your libido/life energy, making it explode, and channeling it into your works… If you don't do this, there's only death. That's the essence of being a creator. You've said Daisuke Takahashi stirs up your imagination, but I don't think that the message you wanted to convey is necessarily that you want to make everyone watch all Takahashi's performances or to compare them [either she means "to other skaters' programs" or "one of his programs to another of his programs", it's not clear], right?

Y: These two are completely separate matters. The thing that made me the happiest, is that anime fans who weren't at all interested in figure skating, started to watch figure skating together with us. I absolutely didn't think that I want our viewers to do it, or should I say, I believe that wanting your viewers to behave in a specific way is such an impertinent thing to do, that I don't ever think that at all, but after the anime has ended a lot of people did start to have an interest in real-life figure skating and that's what made me the happiest.

K: Yes, yes! It's not that it was the only purpose in making Yuri!!! on ice, but I'm very happy that after watching Yuri!!! more people go on "pilgrimages" to see "sacred places" connected to the anime or watch real-life figure skating.

Y: Schedule-wise, we were creating the anime at the very last minute. That's why there are also scenes, which were created because we had to make the production easier. For example, because we have those Instagram pages and images from Sleeping Beauty during Popovich's monologue an we were using this specific editing technique called "cutting", I was told that it's impossible to include any more skating scenes, so I just said "okay, then wait a moment. I'll draw [the new version of storyboards] now" and I drew the storyboards on the spot, so then I could have [more skating scenes] included in the editing process. This is how we were creating the anime - writing it was like a "rush construction work" kind of thing. That's why there isn't anything so wild like a "agenda/a specific aim [we wanted to achieve]" by making this anime.

K: An agenda/aim… You can think that because of "reasons", we had to make certain decisions, but sometimes it's like "no, not because of those reasons".

Y: We were in a place where we didn't have much choice. I was working with this belief that if we didn't include as much skating scenes as we are able to animate then making this anime would actually be pointless. That's why, while causing the staff members a lot of troubles, I was working as hard as I could at that time, sincerely giving my best.

K: That's what I'm saying… There isn't a single creator out there who includes as much scheming in their works as the audience believes they do.

Y: No, no, no, there isn't. Absolutely, there isn't. But, it's still true that I have an enormous respect for figure skating, so while working I was thinking that as long as I stay true to that, then it's all fine.

[Notes: I'm not a big figure skating fan or anything, but afaik, at least in Jp, Takahashi's fans and fans of that other Japanese figure skater, who became ultra popular after Takahashi, didn't like each other very much. While fans who don't read interviews and so on may think that Yuri!!! was inspired by that other skater, as you can see in this conversation (especially part 4.), the creators (especially Sayo) while being explicit about supporting all skaters, seems to be a big Takahashi fan... So this and some other things led some people to believe that the creators are actually anti-that other skater and instead push their faves agenda in the show. I believe this may be why Mitsurou's mentioned Takahashi in this context, that "oh maybe the anime was made to influence people in specific way", to which they answer "lol, conspiracy theories".]

[afallenangelwhoheals]

i have always been someone who loves to research topics as much as i can, and when growing up as a jw, that was hard for me. i wanted to research things related to religion but was constantly told to "be careful" or to "only look at things on the website (jw dot org)". this led to me having a very isolated, and ignorant view of many religions, including ones that no longer exist or are at least rarely heard of.

as i was starting to question things, in my PIMQ(physically in, mentally questioning) phase, i learned about the book of enoch. i have not read any apocrypha all the way through, however i love to look at summaries and things and learn generally the belief systems there. i was surprised by the deep dive i could do, but due to still struggling with my guilt, i used research purely based on jw dot org. gnosticism, of course, is viewed as apostate literature and it is greatly mocked by jws on the website. i also began to mock it, but was also greatly intrigued by it anyways. fast forward to me now being a PIMO(mentally out), who has, for the last damn close to two years (if not that already) been trying to undo my toxic jw thinking and allowing myself to research whatever i wish, wherever i wish (with reputable sources) i feel as though i have come to a certain peace that i did not have before.

gnosticism is a very interesting thing, and the common beliefs among gnostics were cool and i respect them greatly, but i feel sad for those who were imprisoned or murdered because the majority of christians viewed it as evil.

that aside, i have also researched paganism, a little of buddhism, hinduism, and many more.

that peace that i mentioned, it's this feeling that i dont have to stick to a single religion. because ultimately, so many are the same just Different Fonts, and i feel like when humans believe but do not enforce, that is when we are happier. i want everyone to believe as they please, and for us all to exist together and share our knowledge and beliefs with each other. maybe we will learn things we didnt before, lessons we'd never known, and we exchange this information lovingly. i have hope that one day this will be far more possible, and i think looking to the future with optimism will encourage this to be more possible.

as for my own beliefs, (more under the cut, if you are interested)

i dont exactly believe in any one religion or set of specific beliefs. however here is a list of what i believe.

i think reincarnation is possible, that when we die that is not the end and perhaps we can create an afterlife that brings us the most peace. i think gods are possible but also not set in stone and if they do exist they're nothing we can comprehend until we are not restricted in a human body. they're definitely not dictators. i think magic is real but not like what we see on tv. i think kindness should be the priority in life. i dont think astrology brings demons into the house. i dont believe anyone is superior over another, but that we are all the same. i think politics can be used for good and we should fight for what's right, but be careful of being blindsided and try not to fall into a pit of hatred and spite. i think everyone should have the right and freedom over their own body and what they can do with it (abortion, gender affirming care, etc). Sexuality should be celebrated, not demonized.

and that's the basics! it's very very different from my old beliefs that i was raised to have. but im happy with them. and i am happy for anyone who agrees or even disagrees with them! i wish for anyone who has religious trauma/grew up in a strict religious environment but has now left, to explore what other belief systems are out there. not to convert, but to learn and to figure out what makes us happy and find peace <3 whether it's we pick things to believe from other religions and mix them together, or simply choose none of it all, which is a wonderful choice too. i dunno. ramble over haha

[longest-nights-again]

How to interact with my blog

Hiya. I'm not sure what you could call me on here. Night is fine I guess. Anything is fine as long as it is an actual name. Or just a cute nickname. I'm not picky.

Some general rules:

Do not use derogatory language to me or others in my comments.

I am part of the LGBT+ community. It is my belief this community also includes asxual and aromantic people (demisexual bean here). I also personally use Queer to describe myself. Language can be reclaimed. If you do not like the label Queer to be used for you, I will not. However, kindness is expected and I will not argue on this.

I make 18+ content (writing) and might reblog it as well. I am no ones parent. Minors should not interact but if you are here, please leave this is not for you.

Basic respect is expected. Failure to follow any of these rules will lead to being blocked without negotiation. I might be behind a screen, but I am very much a human.

How can you interact with me?

My DM's: Always open, should one want to talk about our common interests (will be marked in bio/pinned eventually). Mentioning any of the topics that I do not want to interact with, will lead to being blocked without any discussion.

Asks: Yes, feel free to send me an ask. I will only take asks concerning plot concepts, my stories and prompts. Anything else will be deleted, refer to my DM's if you you want to rant about our shared interests. I might not respond to your ask at all if I am busy, so sorry, but that is just how this works.

Requests: I do not take them. You can give me a story prompt, but unless it interests me I will just ignore it.

Sharing: I'd be honored if you shared my content. Reblogging only. Don't repost, especially to other sites. You can find me on Ao3 at "Longest_Night". My blog is 18+ so sharing my content with minors is not okay. Minors should not interact with my blog at all. While I can not stop you, I will do my best to make sure everyone is safe interacting with my blog.

Tagging and trigger warnings: I am trying, but not an expert in these. In fact, I think I'm pretty bad at this. If you want to help me, feel free just be kind. Comments or DM's are both acceptable. I will never make fun of anyone requesting more trigger warnings. If you are not sure if the newest thing I posted is safe for you (for my own content it will be under the cut) you can DM me as well. I will be kind as I expect of everyone else. Any missteps will never be intentional and will be fixed.

So what else. I am a pretty liberal blocker, which is my right and I advice everyone to do the same If you don't like my content or the things I reblog.

What NOT to mention! (I do NOT want to discuss these, I will not write about these.):

Asexuality not being a part of the LGBT+ (they are, even if my stuff is not for some of the aces, you are welcome)

TERFs and TERF rethoric (I am agender. I'm pretty sure I upset them already. They can fuck off)

Shipping real-life people

Underage characters in sexual situations (both with other children or adults, both are a no-no)

Rape/non-consent, dubious consent ((consensual, informed and discussed non-consent fantasy only)

Serial killers (loving them, thinking they are interesting. I don't care, get out, stop talking)

True crime (Don't care sorry)

Things involving bodily fluids (Might seem odd considering what I write. It's just not for me. Grosses me out)

Other extreme paraphilias (you know which i'm talking about)

Okay that was a lot. Congrats if you read it all! TLDR is, just be kind, don't be a dick, don't mention the things I asked you to. Aside from that, I'm very willing to talk about writing prompts, so come pop by, if this hasn't scared you off yet.

[chefclemenza]

Recipe for Arugula and Fennel Salad

Making the perfect Arugula and Fennel Salad should only take approximately 15 min . It’s considered an Easy level recipe. Below are the ingredients and directions for you to easily follow. The Arugula and Fennel Salad recipe can feed your family for 4 servings.

There are many different ways to make this Arugula and Fennel Salad recipe. Once you’re familiar with our recommended ingredients and directions, you can add your own twist to this recipe to make it your own! We’ve also listed potential Cookware items below that might be necessary for this Arugula and Fennel Salad recipe.

Arugula and Fennel Salad Popular Ingredients

1 large fennel bulb

1/2 red onion

1 bunch arugula

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 small piece Parmigiano-Reggiano

Steps for making Arugula and Fennel Salad

Trim the fennel bulb and reserve the fronds. Cut the bulb in half and remove the tough inner core. Using a sharp knife or a mandolin cut the fennel into very thin slices and put them into a large bowl. Cut the onion into very thin slices and add them to the bowl. Add the arugula to the bowl and give it a good toss. Pour in the olive oil and lemon juice, season it with salt and pepper, and toss it again to coat all the ingredients; put the salad onto a large platter. Using a vegetable peeler, shave thin pieces of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and scatter them over the salad. Garnish with the reserved fennel fronds.

Popular Categories for this Recipe

Easy Appetizer

Appetizer – An hors d’oeuvre (/ɔːr ˈdɜːrv(rə)/ or DURV(-rə); French: hors-d’œuvre (listen)), appetizer or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d’oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d’oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the meal, or they may be served before seating, such as at a reception or cocktail party. Formerly, hors d’oeuvres were also served between courses.Typically smaller than a main dish, an hors d’oeuvre is often designed to be eaten by hand.

Easy Side Dish Recipes

Side Dish – A side dish, sometimes referred to as a side order, side item, or simply a side, is a food item that accompanies the entrée or main course at a meal.

Healthy – Health, according to the World Health Organization, is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity”. A variety of definitions have been used for different purposes over time. Health can be promoted by encouraging healthful activities, such as regular physical exercise and adequate sleep, and by reducing or avoiding unhealthful activities or situations, such as smoking or excessive stress. Some factors affecting health are due to individual choices, such as whether to engage in a high-risk behavior, while others are due to structural causes, such as whether the society is arranged in a way that makes it easier or harder for people to get necessary healthcare services. Still other factors are beyond both individual and group choices, such as genetic disorders.

Vegetarian – Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, and the flesh of any other animal), and it may also include abstention from by-products of animal slaughter.Vegetarianism may be adopted for various reasons. Many people object to eating meat out of respect for sentient life. Such ethical motivations have been codified under various religious beliefs, as well as animal rights advocacy. Other motivations for vegetarianism are health-related, political, environmental, cultural, aesthetic, economic, or personal preference. There are variations of the diet as well: an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet includes both eggs and dairy products, an ovo-vegetarian diet includes eggs but not dairy products, and a lacto-vegetarian diet includes dairy products but not eggs. A vegan diet excludes all animal products, including eggs and dairy. Avoidance of animal products may require dietary supplements to prevent deficiencies such as vitamin B12 deficiency, which leads to pernicious anemia. Psychologically, preference for vegetarian foods can be affected by one’s own socio-economic status and evolutionary factors.Packaged and processed foods, such as cakes, cookies, candies, chocolate, yogurt, and marshmallows, often contain unfamiliar animal ingredients, and so may be a special concern for vegetarians due to the likelihood of such additives. Feelings among vegetarians vary concerning these ingredients. Some vegetarians scrutinize product labels for animal-derived ingredients, such as cheese made with rennet, while other vegetarians do not object to consuming them or are unaware of their presence.Semi-vegetarian diets consist largely of vegetarian foods but may include fish or poultry, or sometimes other meats, on an infrequent basis. Those with diets containing fish or poultry may define meat only as mammalian flesh and may identify with vegetarianism. A pescetarian diet has been described as “fish but no other meat”.

Salad Recipes

Arugula – Rocket (British English) or arugula (American English) (Eruca vesicaria; syns. Eruca sativa Mill., E. vesicaria subsp. sativa (Miller) Thell., Brassica eruca L.) is an edible annual plant in the family Brassicaceae used as a leaf vegetable for its fresh, tart, bitter, and peppery flavor. Other common names include garden rocket (in Britain, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, and New Zealand), and eruca. It is also called “ruchetta”, “rucola”, “rucoli”, “rugula”, “colewort”, and “roquette”. Eruca sativa, which is widely popular as a salad vegetable, is a species of Eruca native to the Mediterranean region, from Morocco and Portugal in the west to Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Turkey in the east.

Low-Carb – Low-carbohydrate diets restrict carbohydrate consumption relative to the average diet. Foods high in carbohydrates (e.g., sugar, bread, pasta) are limited, and replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of fat and protein (e.g., meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, cheese, nuts, and seeds), as well as low carbohydrate foods (e.g. spinach, kale, chard, collards, and other fibrous vegetables).There is a lack of standardization of how much carbohydrate low-carbohydrate diets must have, and this has complicated research. One definition, from the American Academy of Family Physicians, specifies low-carbohydrate diets as having less than 20% carbohydrate content.There is no good evidence that low-carbohydrate dieting confers any particular health benefits apart from weight loss, where low-carbohydrate diets achieve outcomes similar to other diets, as weight loss is mainly determined by calorie restriction and adherence.An extreme form of low-carbohydrate diet called the ketogenic diet was first established as a medical diet for treating epilepsy. It became a popular fad diet for weight loss through celebrity endorsement, but there is no evidence of any distinctive benefit for this purpose and the diet carries a risk of adverse effects, with the British Dietetic Association naming it one of the “top five worst celeb diets to avoid” in 2018.

Low Sodium

You might need the following Cookware

In this section we’ve listed Cookware items that might be helpful to make this Arugula and Fennel Salad recipe (or similar recipes). If certain tools or utensils are not applicable, then ignore and choose relevant items.

Cooking pots

Frying pan

Steamers

Colander

Skillet

Knives

Cutting board

Grater

Saucepan

Stockpot

Spatula

Tongs

Measuring cups

Wooden Spoon

from Crabbie Recipes https://underspicycrab.com/salad-recipes/arugula-and-fennel-salad-recipe/

[natashacoco]

Natasha: I've followed for awhile and noticed no one has asked for your sage advice and let me tell ya, I need some. If you don't have the space please don't feel like you need to respond though. I know over the past few years things have been heavy and tough for everyone. If you are able to share any words of wisdom with me, I appreciate it, but if not, I understand and want to respect your boundaries. I am in a relationship with a man who I love and care for very, very deeply. (Part 2 coming)

He is quite a bit older than me - we're 18 years apart. We've been together for two and half years now (I'm 32, so it's not a grooming situation, at least not in my eyes). He has a preteen daughter from a previous relationship who I am also now very close with. I could give you a full list of the positives - true gentleman, caring, aligned on political views and beliefs, is an incredible father. You're probably wondering what the issue is then. This is where I'd like to put a TW for SA... (I put my response under the cut due to the TW)

My partner, prior to me meeting him, was accused of SAing a woman about 20 years ago. He denies it, and is very pro-women's right and believing victims. His friends obviously back him up. The woman went to the police and filed her report, and after an investigation it was determined that there was not enough evidence to prove he did SA her. I found this out about four months into our relationship, from him. He was very open about it all, and while unsettled at the time, I feel I pushed my emotions aside. He knows I was SA'd by a person who should have protected me while growing up, and he said he wanted to make sure I knew. I really did appreciate this. And I really, really want to believe him. I have since he told me all that time ago. But recently in therapy something came up (for me) and I am struggling very much. I know what it's like to not be believed, I am VERY MUCH someone who supports believing the victim. I have never met the woman who is involved nor do I know much about her. However for the last month, it's been gnawing away at me that I am choosing to believe the accused. I think it's the whole being a victim myself and not wanting to support someone who may have gotten away with assaulting someone. At the same time, I feel like I know him so well and I really, really love him. I can't see him ever doing such a thing - but I mean who does see this in their loved ones? It doesn't mean they are not capable of it. He is very patient with me as I go through these feelings. He is not aggressive, and he's so understanding. But I can tell it hurts him that this has come up again, and that I don't necessarily believe him or that I'm questioning him. But I can't stop the nagging feeling. However I also love the life we've built - the one that includes his daughter and our family and our love and support for one another. I just, don't know what to do? I don't know if this is something I need to work through, or if this is a relationship that cannot thrive because of my lack of trust? I want this to work so bad - I've never had a relationship that has been this good, this comforting, this supportive. And I've never felt like he's lied to me about anything. He is the one who, after I shared my traumas, brought this up and gave me time and space to digest and make my decisions in the first place. And I don't know how I was okay with this then and now am not. What do I do? Where do I even start? Am I blowing this out of proportion? Am I part of the problem that prevents women from speaking up or getting justice if I stay and choose to believe him? If he did do what he was accused of... is there redemption? Can he have changed? Is it fair for me to even ask that or make that decision? Again, I know this is a lot and it's not a light topic. If you do not have space I apologize for laying this on you. If you do have advice to share, I will gladly accept it. Thank you, either way, for sharing a bit of yourself on this page <3

You’re absolutely fine anon, I’m here and always willing to help out anybody with some advice and I’m happy that you feel like I could maker a space for you (and anybody else out there as well). I’m going to be honest with you anon, I’ve never experienced something like this, however I will try and give me advice with what you’ve given me to the best of my ability. 

First and foremost what you’re going through is completely valid and I just want to point that out. I’m so sorry about what’s happened to you in the past. You’re a SA survivor yourself, so of course the feelings of wanting to 100% believe the victim is understandable and valid. You’ve been there before and know what it’s like to not have somebody believe you, so it’s only natural to want to do the same for the woman as well. You’re not blowing this out of proportion for having these feelings and thinking this way nor are you continuing the trend that prevents other survivors from getting the justice that they deserve. I know you mentioned that you’ve never met this woman or don’t know who she is, but it sounds like you do want to meet her, is that right? Are you wanting to speak with her to know her version of events? Do you want to meet with her as some kind of closure and or deciding factor? (just asking for some more info on the situation). As for your concerns about the redemption, I’m not sure that it’s something that you can do for him if he did actually SA the woman who had accused him all those years ago. (Again, I’m not too familiar with anything related to SA so I’m sorry if I’m not exactly answering this in a way that makes sense.)

From what I know and have experienced before is ALWAYS, ALWAYS trust your gut and your gut feelings. We generally know ourselves the best and it sounds like this isn’t something that you want to die down again. SA is a very serious topic and issue. I think that the fact that your partner came out and told you about the accusation against him shows that he’s not trying to hide anything from you, that he’s been upfront with you about it from the beginning. I think it’s good that he told you rather than it coming from somebody else as well (if that makes sense.) Communication is really important in a relationship and it’s good to see that he is trying to do that with your relationship. I think that you should do the same with him, be open and honest about how you’re feeling. You said that it’s been nagging at you for some time now so I think that you should bring it up to him and have a conversation about it. Possibly have a session with your therapist in a group setting (or maybe get a recommendation for one) to help express how you’re currently feeling as well. I think that it would probably be the best option, especially having somebody there as a third person completely objective of the whole situation, that way each of you can get a perspective on how the other is feeling. As much as he may hate the fact that this is being brought up again to the surface even though you guys have talked about it in the past and he gave you the time and space to take it in, it’s still something that can and is still have a lasting affect, even for those not directly involved. What is your partner’s view on the situation, if you haven’t already spoken to them about it? 

As you’ve said anon, you love the life that you’ve built with him so far within the last couple of years of dating him, and this is also including the fact that he has a daughter that more than likely sees you as another motherly role in her life. It sounds like the feeling you’re harboring will only start to intensify and could spill over in a negative way. The last thing that you want to do is constantly feel like you’re giving up part of your life to a relationship that may not go anywhere, or you feel like you’re walking on eggshells due to you bottling things up inside. That could lead to resentment that you may not even know you have, or it could potentially cause other triggers for you and your relationship (again, based off what you’ve sent in). 

Overall, the best thing to do is talk to your partner and let them know that you’re still having some thoughts on the topic and could potentially want to speak to somebody about it together if that’s something you want to do in the near future as a possibility. The relationship you have together isn’t just one sided, it’s you and them as well as the family you’ve been growing together over the last few years. Trust, communication and healing is an important part of moving forward and I hope you find the peace you’re looking for anon. 

Please feel free to message me back off anon, or keep it on if you feel more comfortable. Until then, best wishes. 

All the best, 

Natasha

[logicalbookthief]

Christmas Movies Ranked by How Anti-Capitalist They Are

It’s a Wonderful Life

Movies that make you want to pick a fight with the 1% and also weep with joy. Absolutely a classic and anti-capitalist at its very core. Will convince you we need to start oppressing landlords again.

“Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about... they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't think so. People were human beings to him. But to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they're cattle.”

SAY THAT!!! George Bailey said fuck landlords, all my homies hate landlords, they have NO rights. Local man believes poor people are human, dedicates his life to helping them, and in his time of the need literally the whole town comes together to support him and his family. Class solidarity ftw!

“Remember no man is a failure who has friends.” Bitch I CRY EVERY GODDAMN TIME. 

10/10

Home Alone

Soundtrack goes hard, the wacky hijinks even harder. 

Loses points because the bandits had a prime opportunity to seize and redistribute some of the wealth from this ritzy Chicago neighborhood and instead they focus their energy on trying to kill an 8-year-old who outsmarts them at every turn.

2/10

Elf

A family favorite in our house. Touches on the overworking and mistreatment of employees through Greenway Press – Walter forced to choose between being with his family on Christmas Eve or losing his job, it’s implied Deb has a pet grooming business on the side to makes ends meet despite being a receptionist at a NY publishing company, etc.

Honestly most of the points come from Jonie’s underrated yet highly relatable storyline. She works in retail, exhausted and cynical towards the high-paced Christmas season which gives her little to no relief or reward, since she’s surviving on ramen noodles and using the employee showers because her water was cut off. Not expanded on enough to be considered a true Marxist piece but the effort is appreciated.

5/10

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Although the meme is correct in that Rudolph’s red nose becomes desirable only once it proves to be useful, it does get points for exposing the harmful nature of forced conformity and those alienated by these capitalist ideals -- Rudolph, Hermie, the island of misfit toys -- are given a place to belong despite the perceived “flaws” that before made them undesirable.

Also the elves definitely have a free dental-plan now thanks to Hermie and are hopefully on their way to unionizing. Fucking superb you funky little misfit.

6/10

Klaus (2019)

Turns a member of the bourgeoisie into a man I’d trust to carry my mail. Respect for postal workers this movie contains was ahead of its time.

 No direct takedown of the establishment but a heartwarming message -- “A true selfless act always sparks another” bITCH I may be crying -- that emphasizes the importance of giving to others even when there is no selfish motivation to do so, which is inherently anti-capitalist.  

8/10

The Santa Clause

Scott Calvin starts as a toy executive who takes part in the commercialization of Christmas. He was probably a business major so automatically loses points.

The Santa dynasty itself seems to operate under the cutthroat rules of the business world where you must overthrow (or in this case, throw him off the roof) the former CEO in order to seize power. 

Elves have not unionized or seized the means of production by the end.

0/10

A Christmas Carol 

THE ORIGINAL. Charles Dickens was not even in the neighborhood of fucking around with this one. CREATED the anti-capitalist Christmas genre!!

Rich man treats his employees like shit and gets terrorized by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. Force him to redistribute his wealth by dragging him through a montage of his most epic fails -- oh, hey, remember when your fiancé left you? -- and make him listen as all his employees and relatives complain about his stingy ass. 

They end this slideshow by throwing this dude into his own grave. DIRECT ACTION. 

Like damn, the ghosts really said, “If you hoard your resources and ignore those in need when you could directly improve/save lives with no cost to yourself, you will die ALONE and you WILL pay for your crimes in hell.” Literally watching this movie is a catharsis for anyone who is or has been poor and working class. 

I’m including all versions of this movie but a special shout out to the Muppet version because it fucks the hardest. 

100/10

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Listen I’m not even in realms of joking with this one. This movie is THE anti-capitalist film of the holiday season. 

WhoVille commercializing Christmas and a fixation on consumer culture to the point where anything and anyONE who cannot be commodified -- aka the GRINCH -- is alienated? The Whos rediscovering that people should be cherished over material items once it all is stolen and they must confront how empty the holiday has become??

Cindy Lou becoming disillusioned in Christmas -- at an age that coincides when many children (those who celebrate Christmas at least) lost belief in Santa and had to wrestle with what the holiday means with the magic gone and they’re more aware of the rampant consumerism that taints the season?? Her resolve to find a meaning that goes beyond material consumption because if a holiday founded on goodwill doesn’t extend that goodwill to everyone, even those society deems undesirable, then what’s the point???

The Grinch despising Christmas because he is unable to participate and isolated from the Whos and also the better qualities within himself? His alienation serving to demonize him further as it allows the public to narrow his valid criticisms of the holiday down to him being different and thus inherently predisposed to evil?? And hmm isn’t it interesting that a LOT of this demonization comes via Mayor Augustus “generously paid for by the tax-payers of Whoville” Maywho, Mr. 1% himself.

The upper vs working class divide evident in the light show competition between Martha May and Betty Lou Who?? The opening scene of the shopping frenzy that mirrors our own consumerist culture and overworking of retail/poster workers??? This entire monologue:

“That's what it's all about, isn't it? That's what it's always been about. Gifts, gifts... gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts! You wanna know what happens to your gifts? They all come to me. In your garbage. You see what I'm saying? In your garbage. I could hang myself with all the bad Christmas neckties I found at the dump. And the avarice... the avarice never ends! ‘I want golf clubs. I want diamonds. I want a pony so I can ride it twice, get bored and sell it to make glue.’" 

MARXIST KING. MENTION IT ALL.

1000/10

[laur-rants]

As we get closer and closer to the release of In Space with Markiplier, which will invariably be very successful, will be a huge, exciting thing that everyone will get some form of enjoyment out of, and is highly creative and innovative...

I’m seeing this weird, and slightly uncomfortable trend in Mark’s youtube comments that Mark should, for one reason or another, get a Netflix deal, and how cool would that be, etc etc.

And while however nice that thought may be... it is not a good thought to have. It feels as if people who continue to assert that Mark’s work would somehow be, I don’t know. Better? More accessible? If it was a Netflix original.And if people really think this... They’re missing the point of what Mark DOES, as a creator, on the platform he has chosen to create on.

Mark does not want you to have to pay for his content. Period. He wants, with all his heart, for his content to remain FREE AND ACCESSIBLE. Mark, as a creator, is someone I highly respect because he has a vision, and he has passion projects that yes, he pays people to help him create, but not only that, but he offers this content to the world, the universe, to anyone with access to youtube, FOR FREE.

No paywall. No membership. You get this because its FREE.

Netflix is not free. Netflix is exploitative to creators, it is horrible to its animators who never get paid enough, it is big budget, it does not properly promote its indie work that finds its way onto the streaming service, and when something does ‘poorly’ in their eyes (doesn’t get enough ratings) it is cancelled. It is not a website (though it can be watched on browser). It is a BUSINESS and it is a SERVICE.

Mark’s work, whether it be let’s plays or skits or drinking maple syrup by the jug, has been free content. He strongly insists that his work REMAIN that way. He wants his passion projects to be somewhere where NOBODY will pull the plug on him, where NOBODY will ‘cancel’ his next season (no i’m not talking about unus annus, im talking about his main channel, plus he CHOSE to delete that channel after a year, that was the point of that creative project in the first place but you never had to pay to see it), where HIS creative endeavors can flourish and inspire. He doesn’t need more money and he knows this. That’s why he doesn’t ASK for our money just to view his works.

To assert that his work would somehow be BETTER if it was streamed on Netflix is, quite literally, missing the entire point of Mark’s channel. This is his living, yes, he encourages people becoming members of the channel -- of course, as any patron-esque system would. But Mark never wants someone to actually have to PAY to see his work. He even puts out FREE COMMENTARY on anything he creatively makes, showing people how he edited Wilford Warfstache and Damien, and hyping up the actors and creators he collabs with. FOR FREE!!! I cannot stress this enough. People buy Blu-Rays with extended cuts and director’s commentary for $60-120 dollars a disk and here is Mark, giving more than that, for nothing more than a simple search and click on his youtube.

THIS MAN WANTS HIS WORK TO BE FREE. HE WANTS IT TO BE SEEN BY WHOEVER WISHES TO SEE IT.

So please, for the love of God, if you like Mark, stop asserting in his comments that he should go to Netflix. Netflix would give him nothing more than money (which he already has) and ultimately alienate his core audience (either because its on a different platform now, and thus removed from the competing platform, or because lo and behold NOT EVERYONE PAYS FOR NETFLIX) and would also cut into his core belief and his core purpose: To offer what he makes, for free.

I respect Mark a lot because he sticks by all of this so strongly. So strongly, even, that he is visibly distressed that In Space is seen by some as a paid service. It’s FREE! Mark’s work will always be free. And if we want it to stay free and accessible, the last thing any of us, Mark included, wants, is a Netflix deal. Trust Me.

[hislittleflower-throughconcrete]

So i have kind of a weird question that probably doesn't have a clear-cut answer, but i wanted to ask anyway since it's been weighing on my heart for a while

I have some friends who are Catholic, but their actions towards others sort of contradict that. I'm not saying they're bad Catholics or anything because we aren't the ones to judge, i'm only looking at their actions and giving objective views on them.

They tend to be... idk how to say it, but immature? spiteful? towards others who have wronged them or don't share the same opinions as them. They tend to use one's sexual preference, political background, or past actions against them and say "this is why i hate them" or "this is why they're so bad." And it breaks my heart, because those are just these people's actions. It's not their inherent worth as a human being.

And it makes me even more sad because usually these ideals are just what these people think will help others. For example, one of these people who my friend disagreed with was pro-choice while my friend was pro-life. They rolled their eyes and said (paraphrase) "well of COURSE they're pro-choice, they're so stupid" without understanding WHY they were pro-choice. Look, I'm pro-life too, but I can put myself into the other person's shoes and see WHY they think that. They want to help women in hard situations, and they believe that is the best means to do so. I can appreciate that viewpoint, even if I don't agree with the means, and this can allow for a deeper, more respectful conversation to take place. My friends just don't see that.

I used to turn a blind eye to it but now it's starting to affect our every day conversations. One of these friends keeps grudges from years ago, and another is getting borderline mysoginistic and demonizes those with dofferent ideals to the point where they're singling out Catholics in their own friend group. I just don't know how to deal with it anymore.

I don't know if I should "call them out" on their behavior because it's become so imprinted into their personality that I'd basically be asking them to change an entire portion of themselves (and this makes me sad, too). I'm considering just distancing myself from them. Any tips, comments, or shared experiences are appreciated

This has been languishing in my inbox for a while, so I'll start by giving a big apology. The more involved an ask is, the more I usually want to give a detailed and nuanced answer, and it's easy to say "I'll have more time to dedicate to it later" and never do. My bad.

You are describing something that I really identify with and have gone through myself. I think, especially when brought up in a Catholic bubble or immersed in a very devout circle with little interaction with non-Catholics besides social media, it can be so tempting to discuss "the other" in uncharitable ways, particularly if you don't have a framework to empathize with them. Empathy requires being able to picture and understand someone else's background, beliefs, upbringing, and experiences of others, and the more you are separated from people with different lives than yours, or selectively engage with "the other" on social media platforms that lend themselves to hatefulness, the more empathy falls by the wayside.

When you believe Satan's lie that you discovered the truth on your own, believe it on your own, and adhere to Church teachings on your own, it can be tempting to be judgmental of others who do not. But the reality is that God has GIFTED us everything - including our encounter with the Truth, our ability to understand it, and our openness to it. The reality that it could have been me on a street corner yelling "my body, my choice" - if I had been given different parents, upbringing, education, or trauma, it would have been. People lose sight of that.

I would disagree and say that your friends are bad Catholics, in the sense that we all are bad Catholics in some way, and that is the particular way your friends are failing to live out Christ's love and Church teaching. I would definitely begin to distance yourself from them, and if you feel called to, have a discussion with them about empathy being the way to change minds and hearts. But it is possible, especially if they are quite far down the rabbit hole, they would disregard the importance of empathy altogether. In that case, praise God that you were able to recognize that your friends are headed down an un-Christlike path and forge ahead to find friends who have a healthy view of what it means to live out the gospel.

[a-queer-seminarian]

Do you believe that God condemns anyone to Hell, or are we all going to wind up in Heaven?

Short answer? do i believe in hell? hell no!

[id: a cross stitch of the infamous "Hell Is Real" sign in Ohio, but with the word NOT added so it reads "Hell is NOT real" / end id. I sewed this cuz i have to drive past this dang sign every time i drive home and it makes me so cranky.]

___

Long answer?

The concept of hell has become less and less probable to me over the years. it seems like such a human solution to the problem of sin, not a Divine one.

This past year as i've studied the concept of prison abolition --

see Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis (free pdf online)

and, for a Christian view on how fundamentally messed up the US's prison system is, see Rethinking Incarceration by Dominique DuBois Giliard. (There are short vids and study guides for the latter, if reading isn't your thing / if you'd prefer those over paying for the book.)

-- and i find that many of the arguments against human prisons could also be argued against hell, which is really just The Ultimate Prison. Hell seems much like the punitive system we've got going on here, blown up to a supernatural size.

In Rethinking Incarceration, Giliard says that dealing with systemic problems and collective sin by choosing which individuals are The Problem and proceeding to Get Rid Of Them by chucking them in prison -- or hell -- is an unjust human solution, not a Divine solution.

He relates this to the harmful theology of penal substitution -- that the reason God became incarnate in the person of Jesus was simply to take the blame for all our wrongdoing -- to be the surrogate, or substitute, for the punishment all humanity would otherwise have to receive. But, Giliard writes,

Penal substitution is most problematic because it makes God’s response to sin too much like our own. It is a sort of recasting of God in our own image, as opposed to allowing the divinely inspired Scriptures to speak for God’s motives. Marshall also writes that “restoration, not retribution, is the hallmark of God’s justice and is God’s final word in history.”

God's justice is not that punitive kind of justice, but restorative. Jesus's whole life, and death, and resurrection together brings justice into our world because through all of it, the relationship between humanity and divinity was restored -- not because Jesus took the punishment that God would have slammed down on us.

{edit: I have a second post addressing how there are indeed parts of the Bible that depict God as punishing individuals or groups. Still, punishment is never the motive of Divine justice in scripture.)

If punishment is not God's justice, and neither is severed relationship, then hell, the ultimate punishment & place of isolation, is not God's justice.

Meanwhile, we can see the bad fruits of our punitive justice systems here on earth -- what happens when we accept that society is divided into "criminals" and "good people" or "citizens." As Giliard writes:

When we lose sight of the grace and mercy exemplified on the cross of Christ, people who have violated right relationship become irredeemable “criminals” to fear, avoid, and quarantine. When “criminals” are viewed as the social cancer infecting our communal health, safety, and thriving, we cease to see and affirm their humanity. Rather than fellow image bearers, we see “criminals” as hazardous elements contaminating our neighborhoods, and they thus must be purged by any means necessary. Michelle Alexander writes, “Criminals, it turns out, are the one social group in America we have permission to hate. In ‘colorblind’ America, criminals are the new whipping boys. They are entitled to no respect and little moral concern.” ...

I see similar things happen when people pretend they can guess who is going to hell, when they divide humanity into the heavenbound and the hellbound.

(I won't go into it here but it needs to be noted: think about who is seen as prison-bound, how our system sets up certain groups, such as Black and Latine persons & other persons of color, to end up in prison; and then think of who is often seen as hellbound, such as LGBTQA+ persons & non-Christians. Bigotry is tangled up in all this, which is what Giliard's book largely focuses on when it comes to mass incarceration.)

when we assume we know someone is doomed to hell, we give up on them. we cease to see them as one of us, and one of God's beloved children made in Their image. i'd rather assume there is no hell and find out i'm wrong about that later, than live as if i thought there were a hell if there isn't.

and of course, if we assume we ourselves are headed to hell -- particularly by fearmongerers who teach that being LGBTQA+, or Black, or disabled, or not Christian, any manner of things sends you there -- well. i think the bad fruits of that are quite clear, including how it leads us to despair, to fall into the pit of self-loathing. we either punish ourselves and isolate ourselves and harm ourselves by trying to fix what is not broken, or we say "fuck it, i'm going to hell anyway" and cut ourselves off from certain community.

_______

Prison is an easy solution, but not a fruitful one. Same with Hell. It's an easy fix, but not a viable one.

Throwing certain Bad Irredeemable Humans into the pit won't make the humans who are left fit for God's Kin(g)dom -- we all have work to do on ourselves and as a collective community.

God calls us to the much longer and more difficult work of repentance, reform, and rebuilding -- here and now and in the world to come.

Again I turn to Giliard:

Scripture consistently reveals that restoration, not punitive punishment, is at the heart of God’s justice. Biblical justice does include retribution, but not exclusively. Biblical justice cannot be solely defined by it. The more accurate description of biblical justice is restorative justice. Biblically, justice is a divine act of reparation where breached relationships are renewed and victims, offenders, and communities are restored. Justice, therefore, is about relationships and our conduct within them. Justice asks, How is righteousness embodied and exuded in how I live in relation to God, neighbor, and creation? In fact, Scripture could be read as the narrative of God’s restorative justice unfolding in the world.

No prisons. No hell. No punishment for punishment's sake -- but resources provided to make repentance and reconciliation possible. No severing of some humans from the rest of humanity, or from the Body of Christ -- but restored relationships.

_____

Will the restoration happen before heaven begins? Maybe. Then I'd say there is some sort of purgatory state in between (because purgatory isn't a place of punishment, but of, well, purging away all that is corrupt and harmful). But not a permanent hell. Not a place made for punishing or discarding.

______

because the belief and fear of hell has done so much damage, i refuse to hold to a belief in hell. and hey, if it turns out there is one, fine! it doesn't change how i should live my life:

in the end, whether hell is or is not real, i should live my life the same way -- loving God, neighbor and creation with all that i am, and doing my part to live into God's Kin(g)dom where the oppressed are lifted up, and the oppressors have their own violence exposed to them for the evil it is so that they may begin the hard work of reforming their ways.

____

For more excerpts from Rethinking Incarceration, see this Google Doc.

for more stuff about hell, see my hell tag over on my other blog.

[ootahime]

what is utahime’s role in the future? — a prediction (manga spoilers)

part 1 (unedited)

I WAS ABOUT TO POST IT BUT I ACCIDENTALLY DELETED IT AND I WAS SO HURT FR!!!!! I HAD REWRITE THIS ENTIRE THING </33

part 2 is here!

in this post, i will be analyzing the information we’ve been given about utahime so far to form a prediction about her future role in the jujutsu kaisen series. if you’re as interested in utahime’s character as i am, please feel free to keep reading :3 (i’ll also be talking about her relationship with gojo a bit too)

soukatsu_ on twt!

kaikaikitan on twt!

utahime iori is a semi-grade 1 sorcerer working as a student supervisor/teacher at kyoto jujutsu high school. she loves drinking beer and going to karaoke. she’s also close friends with shoko and she’s not particularly fond of gojo most of the time. what else do we know about her?

hates sweets (funny she’s the complete opposite of gojo)

she’s great at singing and it’s a huge part of her technique

squabbling with gojo became a reflex :3

everyone absolutely adores utahime

loves watching soccer and baseball

a terrible drunk (worse than naobito zenin)

gojo is her main source of stress

let’s dive into her personality and abilities!

chapter 65

before i get into it, i think it’d be best if i were to explain the timeline because a lot of people seem to be confused about this one particular thing. utahime is born on february 18th, 1987. contrary to popular belief, she is not 3 years older than gojo. it is november 2018 in the story because gojo was sealed on halloween. if gojo was born on december 7th, 1989, that would mean that right now, he is only 28 years old. he has yet to turn 29.

the year is 2007. gojo satoru is a second year at tokyo jujutsu high school. the japanese school year begins in april which suggests that gojo is only 17 at the time (even if it’s not april, it doesn’t look like winter yet so it’s unlikely that he’s already 18). utahime is 20 because it is past february. she is a 2nd grade sorcerer at the age of 20. that’s not bad at all!

chapter 65 introduces young utahime and mei on a mission together within a cursed site. in real time, they’ve been gone for two days which is a cause of concern for gojo, shoko, and geto because the two haven’t contacted anyone since the beginning of their mission.  the two begin to suspect something is wrong because the hallway markers they’ve set in place disappeared, and no matter how far they travel within the halls, the end is nowhere in sight.  mei theorizes that the cursed spirit is overlapping the space as they travel forward.  utahime agrees with this speculation and proposes a plan to escape the cursed spirit’s grasp by moving erratically.  notice how she says that if one of them should escape, they can try to attack from the outside or call for help.  if utahime was not capable of inflicting damage on anything then she would have told mei to escape and attack if she can while she waited to be rescued.  however, she didn’t.  she included herself in the sentence which leads me to believe that she is capable of going on the offense if needed.  

keep in mind that at this point in time, mei is a grade 1 sorcerer.  she is knowledgeable about all things involving jujutsu because she is experienced and skillful.  we can see this aspect of her character illustrated when she theorizes that the cursed spirit is messing with the space they’re in.  she chooses to go with utahime’s plan because she agrees that it’s the best action moving forward.  this verifies that utahime is an intelligent girl that’s able to get along with pretty much anyone.  

her intellect is demonstrated once again in chapter 79.  she was able to deduce the possibility of there being more than one traitor and the fact that one is probably a higher up.  she also narrowed down the mechamaru as the mole of kyoto not because he was acting suspicious but by process of elimination.  she thought thoroughly of his technique and how easy it would be for him to manipulate devices small enough to be undetectable.  

sure you can argue that she should already know all her students’ abilities and whatnot but you have to admit that it’s hard trying to sniff out the traitor when no one is acting suspicious.  in addition to that, how did she know that there was a traitor in the top brass?  i would have never guessed that tbh LOL (maybe bc im an idiot).

okay, now that we have established that she’s intelligent, let’s answer a more important question.  is utahime weak?

chapter 33

if gojo calls utahime weak, does that mean there is some truth to it?  well it is true that she is weaker than him because he’s the strongest and all.  in my opinion, he’s just teasing her.  he probably found that calling her weak is what really riles her up.  maybe i’ll talk about why he loves teasing her so much in a later post.  but anyway, gojo calls everybody and their mom weak.  he even said jogo was weak and we know how powerful that guy is.  gojo’s words alone do not indicate much about utahime’s power.  in fact, i don’t even think he has seen her use her technique yet.  he’s probably only ever heard of how it works.  this is what i think their conversation about her technique was like:

gojo: hm?  ur cursed technique is singing?  can u show me?

utahime: what!  no way!  

gojo: why not?

*one of the classmates tells him that she can only use her CT once in a while because it consumes a lot of energy*

gojo: hahaha!  u have to conserve cursed energy to use ur CT?  why are u so weak, utahime?

utahime: i!  am!  your!  senpai!  respect!  me!

what i’m trying to say is that gojo loves poking fun of people.  we should not believe him when he calls someone weak because compared to him, everyone is weak.  

this is a little off topic but let’s examine him telling her, “and you don’t have the nerves, utahime.”  i think he’s trying to say that there’s no way she’ll ever do something like that because she’s not the type to put her students in danger.  remember the soft expression and relieved smile on her lips when she said that she was glad the students were safe after the kyoto incident?  gojo was directly in front of her so not only did he hear her say that, but he could have seen the look on her face too.  even if he told her that she didn’t have the guts to betray the school to get on her nerves, he knew that utahime simply cared too much about the students so he ruled her out as a suspect right away.  this is why he ultimately decided to confide in her and ask her to help him.  

i’m a person who loves over-analyzing things.  i really enjoy the dynamic between gojo and utahime.  they’ve known each other for more than 11 years and although they always bicker, there is an unspoken feeling of trust between the two.  gojo can do anything and everything by himself because he is truly the strongest person alive, but he still knows when to rely on others.  him deciding to entrust utahime with such a job implies that he believes in utahime’s abilities.

chapter 52

she’s not using any cursed energy here--not to our knowledge at least.  this is just pure skill.  she was able to swiftly evade the swing from haruta.  he was surprised himself considering the fact that he was right behind her.  how do we know her CT isn’t speed?  after haruta swung at her, we can see that some of her hair got cut off.  if she was using her CT then speed should be her specialty.  she should have been able to completely avoid the attack altogether but she didn’t.  of course this isn’t a wow moment because jujutsu sorcerers should know how to dodge attacks, however, i’m just trying to get the point across that she’s not a defenseless person without her technique or others.  let’s not forget that semi-grade 1 isn’t a weak rank either.  you can’t simply be recommended to be a grade 1 sorcerer if you only can support others.  

chapter 48

i want to bring up this panel. it suggests that utahime and takuma are sorcerers who have not experienced black flash and therefore, do not understand the essence of cursed energy as well as those who have like gojo and nanami.  i find it strange how takuma and utahime were used to represent sorcerers who haven’t experienced it yet.  is the purpose to demonstrate that there is a clear difference in skill between adult sorcerers like utahime and takuma compared to gojo and nanami?  i could be nitpicking but the order of todo’s statement doesn’t line up with the sorcerers being shown.  let me explain in depth.  todo starts off by saying, “for those who have experienced black flash as compared to those who have not...” wouldn’t it make more sense to show gojo and nanami on the right side to represent sorcerers who have experienced black flash?  that was mentioned first, after all.  gojo and nanami should appear when todo says “for those who have experience black flash” while utahime and takuma should be shown right after to personify the second part, “as compared to those who have not.”  i’m just making it more complicated than it actually is LOLOL i’m sure it really just means they haven’t experienced black flash yet, which is completely fine.  i also find it fascinating how they used utahime to contrast gojo.  with nanami and takuma it makes sense.  nanami is someone takuma looks up to, he wants to gain nanami’s approval before he deems himself worthy of a promotion. what about utahime and gojo?  what’s the purpose of comparing those two together when it’s obvious that gojo knows more about the essence of cursed energy more than anyone else?  i might be delusional whoops

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let me know what you guys think?  this is only a part 1 so i haven’t gotten around to answering the question.  i’m pretty much done with the second part, i just need to revise it a little.  i think after i post part 2, i’ll try to interpret all the gojo and utahime moments in the manga >.<