#this is bullshit who celebrates labor day

[saintashes]

bye this is why the american education system is awful. two weeks for christmas break (okay fine sure one week for winter break and then another for christmas)

but not a Single day for eid!!! what the actual hell even an asynchronous day would be better than this!! and i have five exams as well like there is no enjoyment whatsoever for me tomorrow :/ even a day off for mlk day (which is very good! i will not disregard this) but nothing for EID :///// like alright okay fine Whaaaateeeevvveeerrr! forgot that this is not my nation My Bad

[rapunzelbro]

A Sacrifice For a Friend Angel Dust x Reader 2

This is super angst sorry not sorry part 3 will be up later in the week or two I decided to switch to story format

Masterlist Taglist

1 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 5 6 Statement

“WHAT THE FUCK Y/N!” Angel Dust was late. By the time he got to where you were that sick fucks fog pulled you down to who the hell knows where and Angel’s chains appeared before they shattered “Goodbye Angel Cakes, seems like a bitch did actually love you after all..” Valentino just had a smirk, the contract signed with his name, Anthony, suddenly appearing, getting set ablaze as the ashes hit the ground “Enjoy freedom bitch” Valentino disappeared. Angel was just stuck in silence as the tears began to pool up is his eyes “No I no..” he struggled to get his words out, his breathing labored as he slowly begun backing away from the spot you were preciously, staring at the space like he could still see you “this wasn’t- this wasn’t how it was supposed to happen you’re so reckless damn it! You know that right? You just.. you..” his voice was mumbling as it turning into sobs “Why did you leave me Y/n?”

He drank a lot that night, he almost lost all his progress with quitting his drug addiction, he didn’t know what to do. The guilt just consumed him entirely that he just was left questioning why. His room was torn apart out of the frustration he was left in. The rest of the hotel found out about the news later on, they never saw any of the signs of Y/n changing and becoming distant. Part of Husk felt responsible that he didn’t force Y/n to stay at the hotel that night, he knew something was wrong, he knew what stupid shit you’d be willing to do for Angel Dust.

His stubbornness on not getting involved caused all this bullshit to follow through, he didn’t have the heart to tell Angel Dust or any of the hotel. Charlie was the first to go into your room after you were finally gone, the photos on your decorated door remain, ones with you and Angel Dust together, ones you took with the entire hotel. She decided for Angels sake it would be better if she took them down. Entering your room hit her like a rock. It was so empty, like someone was moving out or just moving in, It was nothing like how you had it before. The once pink and glamorous room that resembled a lot of Angels room, was bleak dull and boring. That alone broke Charlie’s heart to see the progress even if it was a little, go away. She remembers when you first arrived how you said you weren’t going to be here long so why the fuck should you decorate? You said you were going to jump here and there, but that’s before you met Angel Dust. You two spent the last two weeks decorating your room to perfection, you were always next to each other and there for each other, she remembers when you first made your decision to stay and try to be redeemed. She had such a proud smile and had a cake in celebration, that was captured in the photograph that once was on your door. But now you were just gone. She could only worry about Angel Dust and how she had to be strong for his sake.

Angel didn’t leave his room for days and that’s when Husk went to investigate, he wanted to give him time but if he didn’t come out soon he wasn’t sure what would happen. He didn’t knock, he just opened the door to see multiple bottles of liquor on the ground, he’d lie if he said he wasn’t relieved there wasn’t any drugs in that mix, he didn’t want to see him go that far down. Angel was just on his bed with Fat Nuggets cuddles up to him, as he just laid there silent. “Angel” Husk started before Angel visibly tensed up “The fuck do you want? Haven’t you heard of knocking” he didn’t bother to look at him, he didn’t want to look at anyone. “You’ve been up here for two days, what the fuck I want, is to make sure you’re okay” Husk replied annoyed crossing his arms looking at his silhouette. Angel didn’t respond to him for a while but Husk remained in place waiting for whenever he is ready “Why… why did Y/n do it Husk? Please tell me.. why would they do this..” Angel weakly said, trying to not break out sobbing again “Angel I wish I had the answer to that, but you knew how crazy Y/n could be, they said it once before at the bar, they would risk their life for those they loved. Y/n did just that..” Husk tried to explain before Angel jerked up glaring at the man “I never asked them to! Do you remember me ever fucking saying that shit!” He yelled, startling Fat Nuggets who jumped off the bed and retreated elsewhere “No but they knew you wanted out. Y/n was the one who took care of you and knew the most. Y/n’s room still has their stuff in it.. I didn’t know if you wanted in there but if you wanted to go through her remainings you can.. there’s food downstairs if you decide to head down there” Husk left after that and Angel just sat up wiping his tears standing up and going into the mirror. God he looked like shit, he would be caught dead if anyone saw him like this under his contract with Valentino, but now he doesn’t have to worry about it. He doesn’t have to worry about coming home bloody and bruised. It still didn’t make any sense to him why you did what you did. He left the room after trying to fix his appearance, he didn’t care as much right now as he went to your room. His heart ached more the closer he got to your room, he didn’t see the photos there anymore, the ones with the hotel all together and the ones with him and you. When he opened the door he instantly started sobbing when he saw your stuff in boxes and the once lively room looking absolutely lifeless. He tried to look through the boxes but it only caused him to break down more. He didn’t know if his heart would ever recover..

Angel Dust tag list: @vendetta-ari @brithedemonspawn @satansmanager @storydays @saturnhas82moons @zamadness @fizziepopangel

[suzukiblu]

Winner of the "🎧❓️" poll: "meow", which therefore means another round of "stray cat strut". (( chrono || non-chrono ))

Tim really doesn’t like pets, though, so even the likelihood of Damian being on his best behavior today isn’t making him feel any better about being stuck at this event right now. Or rather, he doesn’t like how a lot of people treat their pets, and at an event like this, there’s a whole lot of people around with both their own pets and other people’s, not to mention all the ones the rescue brought. 

Seriously, there’s just . . . so many pets here today. It’s bad enough when especially entitled socialites insist on bringing their pets everywhere, but for a pet-focused event, no one ever seems to leave them at home. Tim’s already seen half a dozen rabbits, at least twice as many birds, a matching pair of fennec foxes, one or two reptiles, and more dogs and cats than he could shake a bo staff at, all of which are rare and ridiculously expensive purebreds. 

The pets the actual rescue brought aren’t anywhere near that fancy, of course; they’re just here for the photo ops and sympathy points. Or just the appearance of “sympathy” points, maybe, given how many of the upper-class attendees and potential donors in attendance are people that Tim knows for a fact have the moral backbone of a chocolate eclair created with slave labor cacao, butter with uncertified palm oil, high-fructose corn syrup, and GMO wheat deliberately bred to be sterile all put together by a bunch of underpaid workers on unpaid overtime for a celebrity chef who hasn’t even seen the five-alarm health code violation of an industrial kitchen/production line they’re all working in. 

Not that Bernard has ever gone on any incredibly-detailed rants about the food industry around him or anything. 

Fuck, he misses Bernard. Why couldn’t he bring Bernard to this stupid event? What’s the point in having the world’s best fiancé when said best fiancé isn’t allowed to come to the stupid events with him just because of one incredibly brief two-hour explanation of why the mayor should be ritually sacrificed to Dionysus for breaking literally every single campaign promise he'd made to everyone below the one percent made to the mayor’s wife? She’d agreed with him, for crying out loud!

. . . alright, so her filing for divorce the next day had probably looked bad, publicly speaking. Like, in theory. 

Tim still thinks it’s bullshit he can’t bring Bernard to another event or gala for another two months. As ever, this situation would be much less annoying with Bernard in it.

[blueberry-pride]

Referring to this~

OMG! I read the Q&A but IS IT TRUE? Im so excited 😳👉👈 Ummmm may i req then? Not for the event, but just a general req 😌 A scenario/hcs of Leona with fem!s/o where s/o needs comfort & gets spoiled cz she's having burnout due to all of the incidents on NRC~ I hope this is not too much, if u want to change the plot it's ok, thank u & have a nice day 😳✨

I See Right Through You...

Leona x FEM! S/O

warnings: leaning on to very angsty, cursing, personal issues

Berry: I'M FINALLY BACK AA-💀 just wrapped up some things and you should have some of the requests from the events roll around within the month or so 😣 I changed a bit of it but the overall theme is the same just something that hits a little too close to home ;=; Special Thanks to my lovely friends Len and Luna who helped me out with this one ❤️❤️

"This isn't me wanting some semblance of pity, You can keep it for all I care- I'm so goddamn tired but did I ever ask to be in Twisted Wonderland? Oh don't get me started..." "Did I ask to be Crowley's clean up crew? Did I ask to be in the middle of every. fucking. issue?"

"Sometimes I'd like to be the damsel-but sevens forbid the woman wanting to be saved from all the stupid stress of this world."

"Well I'm so sorry for complaining over a job I didn't ask for but hey- we're in a magical school full fun and dreams, cuz that's sure to make up for ALL the unnecessary emotional and physical labor!" Your voice cracked as you forced a cheery smile.

Leona wasn't expecting you to snap at him when he wanted to mess with you for just a little bit. He had observed you from afar for quite some time now. And most importantly, he wasn't a stranger to people putting up a face for other's sake.

His emerald gaze would glint over your figure as he studies the creases in your eyes from all the work you've been doing. He'd always wondered how much you could take, often times giving you snarky or witty advices in hopes to get you out of your doormat cycle.

He admitted what the Head-mage was doing is a bit too far. He was kinda impressed on how you pushed on with that fiery and stubborn heart of yours.

A sadistic part of him wanted to see when you'll break

He wanted to see you bite back

He anticipated it even more when multiple students come to you for help increased by the day;

You nodded along as Ace and Deuce were once again asking help in doing their chores back at Heartslabyul, you laughed it off as one of their usual antics.

You happily agreed when Kalim invited you to one of his many celebrations despite just finished with your cleanup at Ramshackle, your smile didn't reach you. Those glassy eyes of yours, shifting downwards to hide the reluctance.

It was an asshole move of him in all honesty.

Not lending out a helping a hand but he knew you were capable. For fuck's sake you got him AND his dorm to help you out during Azul's little "tantrum".

He wanted you to overcome this on your own. However, he had an oversight on how much you can take on the world alongside his bullshit attempt of support.

Leona had happened to pass by a class with the door wide open, his lions ears perked at the ongoing conversation.

"Phyn, you're in our group." One student spoke up. "Oh hell yeah, thanks dude!" Another cheered, followed by the sound of a high-five.

"-And I guess that's everyone.. Oh (Y/N)..hmm I guess you and Grim would be a duo, every other's group is already filled up." "Uh.." You chuckled with a loppy smile. "No worries, at least I get to stay in my dorm this time." The class chuckled at your comment and nodded along. As the groups filed out chatting amongst each other, he took lighter steps walking closely behind you.

It wasn't until you reached the entrance of Ramshackle is when you finally noticed him. Which led to the situation right now. "Why the long face herbivore, where's the can-do attitude I know and adore~?"

Your hands balled into fists, shaking as tears were running down your eyes.

"This isn't me wanting some semblance of pity, You can keep it for all I care- I'm so goddamn tired but did I ever ask to be in Twisted Wonderland? Oh don't get me started..." "Did I ask to be Crowley's clean up crew? Did I ask to be in the middle of every. fucking. issue?"

'Shit...' He said mentally.

"Let's...do this inside. We don't want anyone gawking at ya like this." He laid a hand behind your back inside and joined you not before he scanned the area for any curious on-lookers.

He leaned against the side of the wall of the living room, listening to your continued rant. Throwing hands and even had the strength to throw away the innocent coffee table in the middle, Its legs breaking into splinters as soon as it hit impact onto the cold hard floor. "-WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME WHO HAS TO FIX THINGS?" You exclaimed towards the pillow you threw towards the ground.

"Helping fix things is nice and all.." You sniffled. "But is it really so wrong to want that shit in return?"

He knew it was bad but he wanted to see how far you're flames would burn him. He wanted it to hurt-what you've been going through, he knows he can take it.

"You're ranting to the wrong person, go off on Crowley, yell at your classmates for ignoring ya. Tell that red-head and blue-haired friend of yours to fuck off and do their own stupid chores." "Be fucking selfish for once herbivore, Treat yourself to a nice nap-"

"-Oh what? like you? I'm not you Leona." You retorted back. "For fuck sakes you were born here-you were supposed to exist in this plane of existence while I got chucked out of mine." "You say I exist here but I'm one of the least wanted given my 'cheery' attitude. At the very least I know when to stand my guard." You huffed as you sat on the couch, tears still spilling from your eyes. "Is this your way of helping me? because I could clearly feel the love right now..." Leona let out a dry chuckle as he walked over to you. His imposing figure casts a shadow over you but as you gaze at his eyes, there was a lingering feeling of warmth. "Dont be like me." He shook his head. "Sevens, I hope you don't end up like me, but what I'm trying to say is..." His voiced trailed as he looked at your shaking form.

A memory sliced through him for a second. For a brief moment he saw his little self all those years ago in the visage of you. "In a campus full of these jackasses in NRC-including myself sometimes, I... I see right through you." He awkwardly patted your back. "I know it sucks but don't do that shit to yourself where you thought 'hey, I know who to look for if I'm in a room full of folks I adore, but who would look for me?'" Leona had a distant look as he stared at the broken table in the middle of the dorm. "Look for yourself first, look for that little corner of your room to be selfish with what you want to do. Worry about the details later." You cleared your throat as you steal a soft glance at him "You may not be the best and most unlikely to look for advice." The air seemed to change as the both of you share a soft laugh. "But you get right to the point...even though you could've done something much earlier." "What's the fun in that?" He raised an eyebrow. "Besides, You don't need a king's help in chess, a queen...has all the moves she needs."

Leona was surprised to hear your melodic laughter, belting out through your still falling tears at his small comment. "Oh my God Leona you did not just-" You wiped a tear as you smiled at him. He felt a flutter in his chest from the way you're looking at him now. "Well you did just say, I'm not the best." He smirked.

The tense feeling in his shoulder now dissipated as he settled himself on the couch strangely close to you, a tiny voice inside him wondered why. Seeing you smile even though you just murdered the poor coffee table not too long ago is a sign to him he did his job.

It's certainly weird but it's you. People may not look for you or choose you in a room full other characters from their lives, but you can trust that there's always a lion beastman just out in hallway, willing to stand with you through it all.

[imastrangeone98]

So it's time for some bullshit- for some reason, I wanna see Jing yuan (my luck on getting him was so gooooood im so happy just thinking about it 😍) have a lover who owns a bakery :D minors gtfo there will be smut later (cuz it's me lol)

It's a small, humble shop tucked away in the corner of the Central Starskiff Haven, yet every day, without fail, lines would form from opening to closing time. Customers would wait patiently to order the most popular item on the menu: a dozen salted egg custard buns, piping hot from the steamers.

You serve and serve, always keeping an eye on the clock so you can greet your most favored guests. And they arrive like clockwork: Yanqing, who eagerly bounces toward you just as you close the shop temporarily for lunch, and Jing Yuan trailing behind him with a lazy smirk on his lips.

The young lad never fails to thank you every time with a larger-than-life smile that makes his eyes crinkle around the corners, skipping away with several fresh buns in hand.

His mentor, on the other hand, doesn't disappear as quickly. He helps you set up your small break table, placing your lunch on top, and flits about the kitchen to whip up a pot of freshly brewed jasmine tea before seating himself across from you. And he listens intently at your stories about your customers: the one who always seems to lack spare change, the one who is currently celebrating the birth of a child, the one who seeks some stress relief from the labors of the artisanship commission through food, the one who flirts constantly with you to both your amusement and annoyance. (Jing Yuan's eye twitches just the slightest at this particular one, so you quickly change topics).

Whenever you think to stop your stories, which must be so much duller compared to his grand tales of warfare and negotiations, he gently grabs hold of your hand and presses it his cheek, tilting his head to press kisses to your knuckles. A silent encouragement to keep talking. So you do, regaling him with tale after tale until your lunchbox is empty and it's time to reopen.

He helps you clean up the table and packs away your lunchbox for cleaning, sets aside the empty teapot, and heaves a great, resigned sigh. You laugh at the dread in his eyes of returning to the Seat of Divine Foresight, so you grab the back of his neck to pull him in for a deep kiss, licking at the bottom of his lip for good measure.

When you pull away, you're both gasping for air, a small string of saliva connecting your mouths together still. Yuan stares at you, hearts in his eyes, and pulls you in for another kiss. Then another, and another, until he's tugging at your shirt, whining for you to close the shop for the day and return home with him.

The ache between your thighs begs for you to agree, but you know better than to give into his whims too easily. Especially knowing that the reward will be all the sweeter with patience. So with one final kiss to his addicting lips, you send him off on his merry way, a promise to reunite later on lingering in the air and in both your minds as you reopen your store, already sighing at the long queue beginning to form, and Jing Yuan returns to the Seat of Divine Foresight, eagerly anticipating when he can leave once more.

(again it wouldn't be me without some horrible smut- everything up to here is gn!reader, so plz do not read further than this if fem!reader is not your thing. Again, it's fem!reader from this point on- you have been warned)

"Be patient, you said," Yuan hisses into your ear, thrusting harder into your sore cunt. He moans, deep and hoarse, right by your ear, and you squirm in his grip. But he shuts it down immediately, forcing your head deeper into the pillows. "I've been patient. Don't you think I deserve a reward?"

Each word is emphasized with a powerful thrust of his hips. You would've smacked your head on the headboard if he didn't have such a tight grip on your hair as he took you from behind.

"Yuan," you heave, but whatever you want to say is brutally fucked out of you. His hips slam the air out of your lungs, and you have to scrabble onto your wobbly arms to catch your breath. That is, if he doesn't push your head down into the pillows yet again.

"Hold... hold still," your lover whimpers above you. "Just a little... more-"

Yuan angles himself, and suddenly, his cock is hitting deeper inside you. You swear he's reaching your cervix, and you yelp. He's close. You can sense it even in your lust-fueled haze.

Yuan's thrusts increase in speed and ferocity, sore cockhead ramming repeatedly into your sensitive spot. You squeal and cum hard, legs shaking from the force.

He moans, hips jolting against yours as he spills inside you. It's hot and so filling; if you weren't so cockdrunk, you could've felt it in your belly.

He huffs, pants warm on your ear. You feel him press kisses on your skin before his hands gently wrap around your midriff, lifting you up and turning you on your back. You gaze up at him blearily: ruddy cheeks, heaving chest, hearts in his eyes. He smiles at you gently before collapsing on top of you with a hearty guffaw. You wheeze at the solid weight of him, and jokingly slap at his arm before succumbing to his whims.

You nuzzle into his neck, and you swear that he purrs at your touch. "You seemed like you enjoyed yourself~" you can't help but tease.

He hummed in agreement, turning on his side to grin at you. But it quickly disappears into a childish pout. "We could've been 'enjoying' ourselves much earlier if you just came home with me..." he grumbles.

A sly smile crosses your lips, and in an instant, you pounce on him. When he turns on his back, you jump into his lap and grind on his softened, sensitive cock, moaning at the stimulation on your sore clit. He groans, hands flying to your waist to keep you still.

"Then let's just enjoy ourselves now~" you whisper in his ear, sliding up until the tip of his length catches on to your hole.

And Jing Yuan, the mighty general of the Xianzhou Luofu, does nothing but throw his head back and moan as you send him to another high.

[gotham-ruaidh]

Little Bit Better Than I Used To Be

Catch up: Chapter 1 (Starry Eyes) || Chapter 2 (Save Our Souls) || Chapter 3 (Dancing On Glass)|| Chapter 4 (Merry-Go-Round)|| Backstage (1) || Backstage (2) || Chapter 5 (Danger)|| Backstage (3) || Chapter 6A (Love Walked In) || Chapter 6B (Without You) || Backstage (4) || Chapter 7 (Stick To Your Guns) || Chapter 8 (Time For Change) || Backstage (5) || Chapter 9 (Take Me To The Top) || Backstage (6) || Chapter 10 (Home Sweet Home) || Backstage (7) || Chapter 11a (Nightrain) || Chapter 11b (Nothing Else Matters) || Chapter 12a (Handle With Care) || Chapter 12b (I’m So Tired of Being Lonely) || Chapter 13a (Angel) || Chapter 13b (She’s My Addiction) || Chapter 13c (Patience) Chapter 14a (Where Do We Go Now?) || Chapter 14b (Where Do We Go Now?) || Chapter 14c (Where Do We Go Now?) || Chapter 15a (Dreams) ||| Also posted at AO3

Chapter 15B: I Sing A Song of Love

Wilmington, North Carolina

Labor Day Weekend, 1988

~~~~~~~~

When I cannot sing my heart I can only speak my mind

- “Julia”, The Beatles (1968) [click here to listen]

“How was Alec?”

Jamie drew back the covers of Dougal and Gillian’s guest bed, bending to kiss his wife’s bare shoulder. “Good. He’s been producing a record for a local New York band – some punk kids he saw at CBGB. He wanted my advice on something.” He settled against the headboard, rolling his shoulders. “He also said that Faith took some really good photos at the wedding. I asked him to send them to Colum.”

“Hold these for me?” Claire slipped off her rings. Carefully he took them, watching her rub lotion into the palms and backs of her hands.

“I know you don’t like it when I take them off, Jamie, but it’ll just be for a moment. I’ve been feeling so dry since we landed.”

He shrugged. “I don’t mind. And I hope the dryness is something you can get used to. If we’re really serious about the house.”

Dougal, God bless him, had introduced them to Amy – real estate agent extraordinaire, and former patient at The Ridge (“white wine,” she’d explained in the car from the airport. “I thought I had it under control until I crashed my car into the house I was about to show, right in front of the clients, and two empty wine bottles rolled up from under the seat”). Amy was smart, and low key, and had lined up showings for six beautiful homes tucked away in the mountains.

So much to think about.

But they had time, now. All the time in the world.

“I can get used to anything, Jamie. When I want to.” She held out her hand, and softly, gently he slid her engagement and wedding rings back onto her finger. Kissed her knuckles.

She smiled. Reached out to trace her name tattooed over his heart. The only tattoo on his chest – proudly visible to the world on the nights he played without a shirt.

“Would you add our wedding date?”

His heart raced beneath her thumb. “Maybe. But I was thinking that I could save the space for something else.”

She quirked an eyebrow.

He smiled.

“Maybe – the names of our children.”

Her thumbnail grazed his nipple. Eyes searing into his.

And then his mouth was on hers, sharing breath and laughs as they struggled under the thick comforter to find each other.

Sometime later, he slipped from her to turn off the lights in the room. Paused to light the candle on the bedside table. Heart stuttering with love as the shadows played across his wife’s smiling, sleepy face.

“What was the first tattoo you ever got?”

He tangled his legs with hers. “On the top of my left arm. The name of our band. Me, Ian, and Angus all got it at the same time.”

He shifted a bit, and she squinted in the candlelight – but there it was.

“That’s adorable.”

Jamie snorted. “Angus was the one who wanted it. We’d just signed our record deal, after three years of playing shitty club after shitty club, and getting stiffed by promoters who didn’t pay us, and dealing with some real next level bullshit. So we went out to celebrate, and Angus downed half a bottle of tequila, and Ian and I helped him with the other half, and before we knew it we were on a quest to find a tattoo parlor.”

She smiled. “And you and Ian got them by accident?”

He traced the long, sloping line of her clavicle. “Fuck no. Angus cried like a baby because it hurt so much. And then I wanted to show him how it’s done. And then I bulled Ian into it. It’s still the only tattoo his has. Jenny was so mad. But she’s over it now.”

“Does Angus have any more tattoos?”

“I have no idea. Why don’t you ask one of the groupies?”

She pushed him gently. “Stop. Charlotte and Molly are actually really nice girls. I think they genuinely care about him. From what they told me last week, they had a wonderful time in Aruba.”

“Please tell me they didn’t share any specific details.”

She rolled her eyes. “I know they’re both on the Pill, because they asked me for a prescription when they learned I was a doctor. Kind of awkward when I told them my license had been suspended, but I helped them get what they needed.”

Jamie buried his face in Claire’s shoulder. “That’s good. But I really don’t need that mental image. They’re both a foot taller than him, for God’s sake. How does that even work, in bed? Sounds like a complicated math problem.”

She kissed his forehead. “From what they told me, it’s not an issue.”

He shifted up, mouth finding hers in a kiss.

“Will it ever stop, Claire?” he whispered against her lips, after a long, long while.

He didn’t need to be more specific.

“I don’t know, Jamie.” She kissed him, long and sweet. “I really don’t. But I don’t want to ever find out.”

--

Two A.M. Neither could sleep – too much on their minds.

Sometimes it was like this on the road.

They speculated why. Too much post-show energy. An uncomfortable bed. Because no substances were available.

Or, as Jamie would say – too much life to live, to waste by sleeping.

“Play for me?”

He kissed her forehead and crawled out of bed, toward the guitar case.

She recognized it from their time at The Ridge. A bit of mother-of-pearl inlay on the neck. Sides worn with time and love.

The guitar he had written all those songs on, at The Ridge. The songs he had always played to her first, in the early morning before everyone else woke up. Feeling like the two of them were the only people in the world.

The same songs he now played, night after night, for thousands of people.

Every time still felt like the first time.

She sat up a bit in bed, leaning against the headboard. Watched Jamie sit beside her, candlelight playing over his arms and chest and hips.

“Any requests, Dr. Mrs. Fraser?”

She smiled.

“Surprise me.”

He smiled back. Thinking.

Strummed a few chords. Thinking.

Launched into song.

Half of what I say is meaningless

But I say it just to reach you, Julia

Looked up at his wife.

Her beautiful, beautiful face stricken with pain and grief.

He lay down the guitar. Pulled her to him, skin on skin.

Holding her, smoothing her hair, as she cried.

“Sshh. I’ve got you. I love you. Sshh.”

She took a deep, shuddering breath.

“My mother was named Julia,” she whispered into his neck. So softly that he felt it, more than heard it.

“I’m sorry. I never asked you about it. I didn’t mean – ”

“The White Album was the first record I bought with my own money. I used to listen to this song and think of her.”

He pulled her a bit closer. Wanting her to crawl inside his skin.

“I wonder sometimes what my life would have been like, if she and my dad hadn’t died when I was five.”

“If you would have become an addict, you mean?”

She twined her fingers with his. Thumb tracing his wedding ring. “If I would have married Frank. If I would have become a doctor. If I would have become an addict. If I would have met you.”

“All what ifs. You can’t drive yourself crazy that way, Claire.”

“It hurts, Jamie.” She closed her eyes. He kissed the tears sliding down her cheeks.

“I know, Claire.”

“I really wanted her to be at our wedding.”

“I know.”

“And your Mom, too.”

Ellen Fraser had died when Jamie was eight.

If anyone understood, it was him.

“Yes. I’m sorry. I never want to cause you pain, Claire.”

She took a deep breath. “I know, Jamie. And you couldn’t have known about the song.”

He kissed her cheek. “I can play another one.”

She shook her head. “No. I want you to play it. I need a new memory.”

He smiled. Gently turned her around so that he sat against the headboard with her back pressed against his front. Reached out for the guitar and settled it across Claire’s knees, his hands reaching around her to find the strings.

He strummed a bit. She relaxed a bit.

“You know, John Lennon wrote this song for his mother. She was also named Julia. He lost her when he was a young man – and he mourned her the rest of his life.”

He kissed the shell of her ear. Played another chord.

“It’s OK to mourn, Claire. And to remember.”

Began singing, low and quiet, into her ear.

Half of what I say is meaningless But I say it just to reach you, Julia

Julia, Julia, ocean child, calls me So I sing a song of love, Julia…

Safe in his arms.

“Love you,” she whispered, starting to drift away.

He finished the song. Carefully set the guitar on the carpet, and eased her back onto the bed. Holding her so close, so gently. A wonder.

“Dear God, I love you.”

[mdhwrites]

Would you mind talking about the found family aspect of toh (or the lack of it in your opinion?)

So… I want to start by just mentioning that the Found Family Trope is new enough IN REALITY that its exact definitions are hard to really claim. What is required for a narrative to count as a found family narrative isn't very well defined in part because people are still figuring out what found family means in real life. Is it just a best friend you're really close to? Is it someone who's bailed you out of the worst place you've been in your life even if you've only talked five or so times for more than five minutes?

And worse yet, the concept of family IN GENERAL is very personal to most people. We may have an idea of what it is but is that the ideal family? Reality? How they treat you? Etc. like that. And taking all that confusion and emotion to a narrative is dangerous because you can just claim "The characters believe this" and it becomes hard for an audience to argue even if some part of them disagrees with it.

But we do need some level of definition to even talk about it so what is my personal definition for it? How do I think it should be defined versus a best friend in media? Well… I think it's a person that you tie into your identity, rather than simply you get along with. An attack on them is an attack on you. Even more importantly, it's reciprocated. They would also back you up in almost any circumstance.

They are your port in a storm. Even beyond possible romantic interests, they are who you trust PERIOD. It needs a deep amount of connection and is something you earn in a story, more than is simply there. You need interactions between these characters that progress their characters, tackle their fears, etc. like that AND have the characters around them show understanding, care and growth on such subjects because those people also care about you.

It is COMPLICATED and you cannot half ass it. It took an ENTIRE SEASON of half episodes for Amphibia to really sell just how much the Plantars were Anne's new family to make the family trip as effective and meaningful as it was. To make it so when Hop Pop calls Anne his kid, you don't even blink or celebrate because it feels natural for them to use titles that are so important.

As a note, the episode of AMPHIBIA that made me realize TOH didn't accomplish this was "The Day at the Aquarium". An episode that could have essentially been a clip show about the whole family reminiscing on the mistakes they can now laugh at, dangers they've been through together and the growth as people they've had. And watching it made me ask "Could… Could TOH even do this sort of episode with King, Eda and Luz?" And… I don't think so.

So let's finally actually get into this. Now, I will actually say S2 does it better… But the foundation is REQUIRED for this trope. After all, it's easy to have characters call each other family and treat each other like family if they just start doing it. But is there an arc into that? If there isn't, then these characters claiming this with each other isn't going to feel valid to the audience. After all, as an author you can claim anything you want. If you have not sold the concept to the audience though, they have every right to call bullshit on it. Some people question whether Luz, Willow and Gus are actually friends because of how little Luz gives a fuck about the other two, reaches out to them, etc. and that's a MUCH lower bar to clear.

So… Where do Luz, Eda and King start? Well, luckily that's not very hard. By actions and words, the relationships start with

Eda seeing King as an agreeable tenant and Luz as free labor,

King sees Eda as a powerful minion who's couch he can sleep on while Luz is just a minion,

and finally Luz sees Eda as a mentor and King as a puppy/novelty and both of them as an outlet for her fantasies.

And this is a fine starting point. It fits who the characters are (retcons about Eda and King's past aside, as contradictory as they are) and the world itself. It also allows them to start as actually pretty antagonistic with each other. King doesn't care about anyone other than himself, Eda just wants to make a quick buck with the minimal work she has to put in and Luz easily gets bored by the other two and fucks off to do what she wants. It kind of makes all three look worse which helps allow them to have more growth as characters.

The bigger problem is that it takes EIGHT FUCKING EPISODES for this to change. That's the whole point of Once Upon a Swap. They still look at each other as barely people at that point, like their problems mean nothing to each other and they're all annoying to each other, so now they need a change of perspective. That is the point admittedly of almost ANY swap episode but it is the explicit, narrative point of Once Upon a Swap.

And if you wanna argue with me, here's a quick rundown of the seven episodes previous (I'm mostly ignoring the opening jokes of episodes because this is about something deeper than those casual routines you get into with roommates or friends. This is about a deeper respect than you're going to get through a bunch of puns.):

Ep. 1: Sets these relationships.

Ep. 2: Mocking Luz for wanting a fantasy, sending her off to do work and King is focused on sleeping and snacks. They save Luz not because they have a care about her but because, you know, they're not evil people who are just going to let a young girl bite it. It does have a good ending with them overlooking the Isles but it hardly changes how they've treated Luz this entire episode, nor how they will treat her going forward.

Ep. 3: You have Eda and King making a point of how many bad bets Eda puts on King because it amuses her while Luz goes "Your teaching blows, I'm going to magic school." Theoretically, she learns to listen to Eda but looks pointedly at Adventure in the Elements

Ep. 4: Luz proves how little she respects or sees King as a person as even while he's teaching about demons, something Luz ostensibly should be interested in, she's too busy goofing around and squealing about how cute he is. They also screw over Eda by stealing from her and really throw into question how long King has lived with Eda because he never knew about the curse or elixirs before now in a proper way… somehow. Saving Eda and showing basic respect to King happens by the end but again, that's kind of the bare minimum to being good people. Like… You should give basic humanity to a stranger, let alone someone you're living with who you theoretically told to make this lesson for you.

Ep. 5: This one makes a very good point about how little Eda has taught Luz while Eda continues to shit on things that make Luz excited. She has no interest in the things Luz cares about and only through literary torture does she decide to go. You have King who fucks off entirely and only defends Luz as far as his own pride goes, to the point of having a joke right before episode break of "Oh, you're gonna lose" because once Luz started being his champion and a good minion, he stopped caring because he'd gotten what he'd asked and so salvaging the cupcake was a higher priority.

Ep. 6: Luz uses the house for a sleepover against Eda's wishes, with enough reluctance to show proper respect to Eda while still being a teenager, and… otherwise not much? Not wanting a tenant to be owned by someone else is, again, kind of basic when it comes to humanity so I don't even have much to say about the Eda and King stuff and Luz barely interacts with the other two in the episode.

Ep. 7: Luz straight up ditches the other two for the library while they have to deal with Bat Lady kids and… That's it. Luz doesn't interact with the other two and the other two are being comic relief.

And… I'll admit that this sounds harsh but when not looking for found family, it's all fine. In fact, a lot of it is entertaining to varying degrees, gives them unique personalities that are a bit different from most cartoons and gives the main cast almost a mercenary feel towards each other which is pretty unique. It actually functions just fine narratively.

Unless you're trying to tell me these people are going to become anything more than best friends. Because eight episodes of barely giving a shit about each other, of showing more than what would be expected on the neutral alignment line of D&D, isn't a great start to put it mildly. This gets worse when you remember that Season 1 is 19 episodes long so you spend close to half the season like this.

And remember: By the end of Season 1, Momma Eda is supposed to really be taking full force in how she sees Luz and King is supposed to want Luz to never leave. The found family aspect is going to get a lot strong going forward so we only have really until the S1 finale, when ALL of these characters are willing to die for each other, to turn this around.

King isn't even in the next episode in any real role though. The ninth episode is the Gus episode. Where Luz spends the entire time at Hexide and Eda decides to see about getting Luz no longer banned. Now, for Eda, this is actually good growth because she's willing to recognize the importance to this, not only for Luz as a person but also to Luz herself and so is willing to put effort into something Luz cares about. It's something that most would probably be willing to do for a friend.

But now we're actually halfway through the season… And we still have FIVE Hexide episodes. Five episodes where Luz fucks off to hang out with Hexide kids and the closest to Eda and King doing anything with Luz in these is chaperoning Grom, which isn't much, facilitating the brain jump spell and doing comic relief with Gus, and King and Gus helping King with his stage fright.

And again, none of this is bad… But it's not building a foundation for calling these people family. It's not even building a foundation for being friends outside of the silly jokes that Luz and King develop mostly off screen.

And while back fill and retcon can be used to help with things, your audience is going to remember the larger interactions more. So… What larger interactions DO we have?

Well, King gets three more in the checks episode list ENTIRE SEASON of interactions that are majorly with Eda or Luz. Four if you REALLY stretch it and count his 'role' in Young Blood, Old Souls, though he doesn't exactly do much. Otherwise, you have him using Eda's curse to his advantage for selfish purposes, him becoming famous and telling Luz and her ideas to fuck off until he's in trouble with his deadlines and finally Small Problems which is just a complete mess and actually shows off the problem with what's happened so far because even as early as that, King is claiming Luz isn't spending enough time with him… And why should she? What have you two done together? Actually, even better yet, WHY SHOULD YOU CARE!? You two have barely done anything on screen together, let alone anything that has been super positive or a major bonding moment for one another.

So… King's a bust. What about Eda at least? Momma Eda is crucial afterwards so at least her relationship with Luz is strong, correct?

Actually, fun aside, I haven't checked writing that leading statement so I actually don't know. Let's find out together.

…

……..

Okay, I swear this isn't a bit but… Even if you include Small Problems, Grom, and Escape of the Palisman… She has four. That's not a joke. It's actually more of a reminder of how much time Lilith takes up in the second half of the season. It also makes sense because Eda is just entirely out of commission for the last two episodes and seven episodes are already taken up by either Hexide or King.

So the one episode left to her… Is Adventure in the Elements. Where Luz doesn't listen to her or respect her. Grom is the next closest and it's spent with Eda mostly mocking Luz and chaperoning. So...

I actually ask all of you to look at an episode list yourself for a refresher but besides bits at the start or end of an episode, PLENTY if you're justifying them being friends… How much does the Owl Family really interact with each other? How good is their relationship going off what we've actually seen in the episodes?

Again, for selling them being friends, that's enough, especially for the S1 finale. Luz is a good person and wouldn't want to leave her mentor in worse shape than she first got there. For Eda, Luz is a final chance to have made a positive impact on the world and to claim that a part of her will go on after the curse consumes her. The two giving their lives for one another works on that wavelength.

But it's not because they're family. Not even close. And that is fine… Until the show leans into claiming Found Family was always a theme of it. When it very clearly wasn't.

Not to me at least. And again, starting from EPISODE ONE of S2, the entire family is treating each other better and with more respect than they ever did in S1, and the S1 finale is a good enough reason for that shift. They're now actually friends.

But it will be six episode after that where Luz and King are called Eda's kids, and one of them changes their last name, and Eda doesn't reject any of this. Six episodes to go from friends who are finally giving a shit about each other… and three of them are Hexide episodes. And besides Eda and King getting some Palistrom wood, they still the format of Hexide episodes (I'm counting Hunting Palisman in this) of having Luz just be away from the other two. Hunting Palisman doesn't even have a B plot with them, Escaping Expulsion does no character work between Eda and King and I don't think King and Eda even show up in Looking Glass Ruins.

So… No. I think the show proudly proclaims that it is found family, that Eda is truly Momma Eda through and through, it's writing checks that its actions have left it woefully prepared to cash.

And if it never tried writing them, none of this would have ever been a problem. But being Found Family makes it more special, doesn't it? And being able to be called special has often been more important to TOH than actually following through with the elements that would have made it special. And this is what makes deep diving analysis on this show so exhausting. *sigh*

[demonicintegrity]

So I have watched ep 4 of Harry and Meghan last night. (I know I’m late, life is like that lmao)

What strikes me again is first is the formula of the first episode of each volume being almost split. The first is half is quite happy and then something goes wrong.

(I also didn’t pay attention to the wedding as it was happen so this was kinda my first actual look at it. Very pretty! I’m glad the wedding remains a very happy memory for them. As does Meghan being able to talk to the late queen casually and see a good grandmother figure in her)

The next is thing is Meghan echos a sentiment I also have, that who would take a tabloid seriously? Perhaps it’s a British thing, because among my American friends is that kitschy tabloids aren’t good for anything serious. They’re there for when you’re waiting at the salon and you’re bored. Or you skim the headlines when you’re checking out at the grocery store. But then again, as soon as youre invested in celebrity drama the source doesn’t matter too much. And this isn’t to say Americans don’t read tabloids, I think a majority of us just get that sorta thing online and see it as a separate entity. Physical tabloids aren’t as popular here as the documentary says they are in Britain.

From there is the birth of Archie. I never realized they (and by they its seems mostly Meghan) were called selfish for not wanting a photo op so sooner after labor. I can’t believe they wanted her to give up the doctor she had built a relationship with to have that photo op.

And here’s where they say something interesting. When trying to find a compromise of the birth plan for the media(!?) no one stops them, but also implies that the tabloids will be fine with it. And then they weren’t. And of course Meghan is one to take the fall for it because -checks notes- she didn’t want to compromise her doctor??? Have two days with her newborn son and not have to be The Duchess for two seconds?? Labor is exhausting and it takes weeks to recover. But of course, this family is expected to preform at every single moment.

Fucking insane. It’s not even racist bullshit you’re not surprised by anymore. It’s straight up entitlement to other people’s lives. And on one hand that shouldn’t surprise me because American media and masses are about the same, but on the other hand holy shit.

(I keep going about this episode for a w h i l e hence the read more)

Harry makes a really good point, it’s not “do you condone this or not” it’s “what have you done to try and stop it?” Because I didn’t see nor recall a single statement to the press asking them to chill out. Clarifying that Meghan and Harry are actually loved and valued members or disputing rumors and lies. Obviously they can’t do every one but it seems like they haven’t tried to do one.

This is an institution that knows it can keep benefiting from it if it shut ups. Let’s it run it’s course. This is a family that are willing to be bystanders because that’s how they were raised to be. Lil mascots to parade around for the people’s morale and entertainment. And this is why Harry’s the bad guy, he’s a lil too open about not liking that.

Someone in the younger generation of a dysfunctional family is almost always the one that’s fed up. That’s fed up life isn’t fair, that’s fed up their family isn’t in their corner, and that’s fed up no one does anything. And this turns them into the problem child. Everyone thinks Harry’s so mad because he’s whipped for his wife, when in reality this is just the snapping point.

It is so isolating when your family doesn’t stick up for you, especially against bullies and harassment. I cannot imagine how much worse it feels when it’s an entire institution and staff as well.

As much sympathy I and others have for the royal family for having to deal with a media spotlight from birth, it runs out when they repeatedly choose “keeping the peace” or other ways of not stirring the pot instead of their family. Everyone knows they were unfairly treated, and yet they chose to watch instead of doing anything. No wonder Harry seems so resentful of his family.

I truly believe if just two or three members said something. Not even consistently, but every now and again, slowly the media would ease up. The climate would change. They have power and influence but seem never up to doing the work to do something that just ever so slightly goes against the traditional flow of things. Which tells Harry he was never worth even the bare minimum of a defense. And y’all wonder why he’s so bitter about it.

(I think I’ve mentioned it before but it’s worth repeating, we are witnessing a fallout of a dysfunctional family. At the core I think that’s all this will ever be. It just gets more complicated because of royal politics. But at the end of the day its family drama.)

Meghan never wins with the media. Whether it’s day to day things or a kind gesture from her friends. She never wins. It was pointed out time and time again how her and Kate could be doing the same thing but she was always the bad guy in it.

And then there’s the Australia tour. And here’s what I didn’t know, that they became more popular than the rest of the family. And that’s why they painted her as a diva. Like I said, she never wins even when the media seems to be in her favor for two seconds.

(My grandmother shrugs that off, saying it would be hard to not be a bit of diva with being handed servants and so much influence. Maybe there’s a nugget of truth there, but I have my doubts it’s to the extent of what the tabloids are saying. And of course, no one seems to care about if the others are divas.)

And then we get the documentary on the South Africa tour. Now this I remember reading tweets and tweeting about. It is awful suffering through depression, especially if you’re not used to it. It’s even worse when no one seems to care. The only one who cares enough to ask is a reporter who is at least in part motivated by pulling an interesting dialogue, even if entirely well-meaning.

The conversation I became apart of on Twitter was in response to criticism towards the two, mostly Harry, for not providing for her or getting her help. Back then I said, how do you expect him to navigate this? Get mental health help is an obstacle, especially more so when 1) youre really busy and 2) youre in a royal bubble so what do you know about these things? Lord knows if he was ever shown any good coping skills outside of “deal with the camera.” I don’t blame him for having a hard time helping her, it’s a hard thing to help with. I hope she’s feeling better.

Now of course this episode clarified that Meghan wasn’t allowed to get help. And it makes sense, there’s still a stigma in getting therapy and help among everyone. Of course if the press knew they’d have a field day with it. Still, she should’ve gotten help. Even if it was someone in that family other than Harry checking in on her, or offering her advice on how they dealt with the pressure. But that doesn’t seem to have happened.

Suck it up buttercup ain’t exactly a helpful mantra when dealing with thoughts of suicide. I can attest to that.

And that’s why Meghan and Harry will never not have a following. Most people can relate to at least some aspect of what they’re going through. A lot of people deal with racism, or deal with depression, or deal with shitty shitty families who turn their backs on them. They will always seem like a real person vs the rest of the family which seems so detached. That’s why they’re the people’s. That’s why people believe them, they have and always will be much more genuine.

[nessaiscute]

theres something speically iroinc bout being trans right now, like i have to act like im not bout to be carried off to some camp to be killed have my life family and meds taken away, and everyone around me just wants me to act like everything is normal. like the worlds not going to shit and i still have to cook and clean and play games and be exicted for things and act like a silly game with a gay character means a damn thing and that in the next twenty mintues my dad could break down my door grab me by my necck and throw me in a cattle car. i have to ignore all the people on the internet who are hoping celebrating this but hey magic wizard game amirightlads??

its becoming harder and harder to do literal anything without my gf i think my mental state would be much much worse, trans people have to be braver then any marine right now but unlike marines we dont get any notice or anything like that. and our families just dont care its all bout laudnry cook food make sure everything is nice and tidy please help me with my thing but i dont wanan hear shit bout your crap. people are choosing to just ignore the real issue either they dont care or standing up makes them uneasy and they dont like being a target. and before any terfs get in my notifs telling me to detransition or some shit it has nothing to do with my hrt its YOU acting like its the end of the fucking world that trans women exist a concept thats been a thing since the start of time its you passing laws preventing me from just existing telling me its all bout kids meanwhile child labor is back and school shootins happen every day but yall stopped caring bout that after the tennesse one cause the shooter was trans. its bout the fear of just living right now i dont want to die i want to exist i want to be happy im more happy then ive ever been but all yall can see is some made up bullsht in your head cause ‘lamo men creepy’ its bullshit its stupid and im just so so tried of it

[alagaisia]

And another thing. I know it’s unpopular right now to criticize individual choices as contributing to waste and pollution and overuse of resources and climate change, etc. But I am going to.

I was brushing up some environmental stats/discussion questions in a kids’ activity packet for work the other day and when I was looking for some up-to-date and sourced things to sub in for what was in there, I found a National Geographic study from I think 2008? (Ironically I don’t have the source available to me right now because I was at work) that found that the average American- based on surveys of regular people on individual consumption, right, not stuff done by American corporations or celebrities- uses between two and twenty times as many material resources in a year than somebody in the rest of the world. Twice as much as someone from France. Twenty times more than somebody from India. There were other countries surveyed and mentioned with numbers between that that were all inarguably developed/industrialized/“first-world” countries.

I saw a post on here this evening that asked “what’s a little luxury you buy when you can? Something a little bit fun or expensive that you just can’t have enough of?” And I was all set to talk about the chai latte concentrate I like to splurge on from Costco which is much more expensive and I go through it more quickly than tea bags but it’s just really delicious. And then OP finished the post with “mine is phone cases.” What????

You’re buying and collecting phone cases? Something you can only use one of at a time? Made of plastic and cheap enough that they’re definitely primarily made by people being paid next to nothing for their labor? Something that is not going to be usable long term because phones do not last more than I suppose several years at best? And that having lots of them doesn’t like convey any sort of utility or advantage because I can think of barely a handful of vague situations where one phone case might have different features from another that makes one more or less convenient in different situations and you might want to switch them out. But only if you couldn’t find or afford a phone case that included all of your desired features at once, which if you’re wasting who knows how much money on “never having enough” phone cases, you could have done.

And like, I don’t know if OP was American. And I know tons of things use plastic and are useless in one way or another but it just struck me as such a specific example of such specifically wasteful behavior like. You don’t need that. Nobody needs that. And there are worse things and more wasteful things and yes corporations are bad and everything else. And I am more environmentally conscious of small things like that than most people I know (and yet I still drive to work every day because the bus would take two hours. Curious I am very intelligent meme etc.) and it’s unrealistic to expect everybody to do everything all the time all of that I know all of that.

But this study had also talked about how Americans, the most wasteful demographic on the literal planet, are also the people a.) most likely to believe that individual choices and consumption do not make an environmental difference, and b.) least likely to feel any guilt over their use of resources.

People who use and waste less than half of the amount of useless junk each of us uses in the US feel more compelled to pay attention to and limit their use of energy and material resources than we do. And not hypothetical billionaires or corporations or whoever. Regular people.

We live on a planet with a lot of finite resources! And we are wasting so many of them on dumb useless bullshit like single-serve individually packaged fucking idk pudding containers or getting a new cell phone every six months or buying your kid a rubber duck or three every time you go to target and a hundred other small things that people in specifically the US just don’t think about and they SHOULD. And I know we can talk about how some people need those single-use plastic squeeze tubes of apple sauce, and I’m sure it’s true. I’m not saying anyone should go around to individuals and question and harass them about their choices. But we should all be thinking way, way more about our own personal choices and the choices made by our families and social circles because the fact remains that 90% of kids would be just fine with a bowl of apple sauce poured from a big glass jar.

[isitwrongtotrytopickup---dragons]

!!! Please read with an open mind.

Consent has not always been "for purchase". As someone who grew up indigenous and who's work focuses on decolonization as an adult, what you're saying sounds like a very colonial and capitalistic view on consent. You're not a machine that just "has skills" and it's "consent depends on payment", there's no coin slot. Consent is far more complex than that and your skills are not inherent to you, they're learnt. Much like the concept of consent itself. Learnt. In a particular social context and culture.

Before colonization, our idea of consent had nothing to do with payment. There was no "if you pay me then I will..." because consent has to be freely given, without "ifs". My main problem with what you describe is that it sounds like putting payment first and consent as a secondary result of payment. When consent cannot be the secondary result of anything to be freely given, it has to be your primary concern.

It's not that consent cannot have conditions, of course it does. But those conditions you set for yourself have to be decided for yourself and not coerced into you by the system you live in.

The socioeconomic context in which you'd be giving consent is the problem here. There is no consensual "if you pay me I'll do this thing I hate" because there's the capitalistic guillotine above your head when you make this choice. The countless consequences of not having a source of income. Your access to food, shelter, health, all is limited.

In pre-colonial societies, this didn't happen. In fact, now you got it backwards. You do a job because you want to dedicate your life to this pursuit. You choose your profession freely. And then because that profession is important for the well-being of the entire rest of the community or for whatever reason the fruits of your labor are valued and appreciated, all the others will support you in whatever capacity they can (offering in exchange the fruits of their own labor, from their own different professions).

Those "unwanted" jobs that are tiresome or "gross" or for whatever reason most people don't really want to do, we do in community, because it's often things that we all have in common and we all need to do or get done, and so we do them for our communal wellbeing. Even things that some enjoy and some don't, we did and still do in community. That way, those who enjoy it also enjoy the company, and those who don't, don't have to do it all by themselves. And nobody was getting paid or coerced into any of it. From cleaning every corner of a house to funerals to delivering messages from town to town to working in the fields. Communal work and communal events.

It's all cool if you choose to do something nobody else wants to do, and you just so happen to be paid for it because others see it as necessary and are grateful that you chose to help them with that. Work first, appreciation from a communal need guarantees that you'll receive something in return (not necessarily payment in the western idea of $$$). What is not ok is to be forced into a capitalistic system then coerced into doing something you don't want to do because you need the money to live. There is a difference. And pretending that difference doesn't exist or that there are no other possible systems to live in perpetuates capitalism and colonialism.

The reality is, not only are most people incredibly separated from the concept of community and communal living, in this individualistic capitalistic society that the idea of having a group of people you trust helping you to clean your home, let alone your toilet, sounds crazy to some, but also people just don't see how many jobs we have today are not needed, like, at all. They only exist as new ways for billionaires to fill their pockets even more.

Billionaires are creating new bullshit every day (see crypto, AI, god knows what else now) and that creates "new job opportunities!" which people celebrate and all, but is crypto truly needed for human survival? no. Does it have any cultural value? no. Does it hold any real weight for the wider community? no. But people are still going to get paid for working on it. People chase the money, a million goes to the billionaire's pocket and a penny goes to the worker, and when it's hard to come by pennies in a particular field due to "competition" and artificial scarcity, they create a completely new bullshit job to give people some other unnecessary thing to do that will give them money to chase after, and the wheel of capitalism keeps turning.

The money can never be the focus if you want an ethical and sustainable work. There's no ethical consumption under capitalism and there's no consent under capitalism. I wouldn't say that "that's not a bad thing" unless you consider capitalism your preferred and desired system to live on.

It sounds like a pretty self-destructive thing to me, heck, it sounds like a pretty ecologically damaging thing to me. And I would personally qualify those two things as bad, for the person and for the environment. But that's just my view as an indigenous person. Obviously some people like, say, white billionaires, would beg to differ.

Consent has always been for purchase and that's not a bad thing.

I did not scrub toilets out of the goodness of my heart. My consent to do so was for sale, we agreed on a price and then I did it.

I did not deliver newspapers out of the goodness of my heart. My consent to do so was for sale, we agreed on a price and then he fucked me around so I quit.

This applies to all work. You have skills, consent to use those skills for someone else depends on them paying you.

[magicalgirllove92]

You know, the 11th season of My Big Fat Fabulous Life is almost here on the day after Labor Day and there's a new trailer.... Things will get heartbreaking and extremely ugly. My first thought of this trailer as Glenn Thore says goodbye his late wife Babs who passed away in December of last year but filmed a damn funeral for tacky reality TV show... That's disgusting, embarrassing, disrespectful, emotionless and super gross, I mean, come on. Funerals are for private used only just like my grandma's celebration of life when I went to Mexico for anniversary prayers to support my mom and also she's more mature than Shit Whit Thore, no livestream or shitty untalented reality TV show. Although they've should used filming butterflies or doves as of sign of Christian or Catholic human went to heaven but the goddamn casket. That's fucking gross and emotionless creepy. Even Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 and 5-part John Aniston tribute episodes on Days of Our Lives is much better emotional than disgusting 11th season premiere of Warner Bros Discovery's worst show that has bad influence towards girls. Girls who was born in the late 80s and early 90s used to be huge fans of Whitney Thore but after that, they'll better off with their childhood heroines The Powerpuff Girls, Totally Spies or even Disney's action comedy Kim Possible, so was pop stars like Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Selena and Taylor Swift. The Thore kids decided to make her heartbreaking dad cheer up, an pick-me-boot adventure call bucket list. Just like the 2007 movie starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson various stuff from skydiving to tattoo which was wholesome. But from wholesome to trashy soap crap when Glenn is visiting a woman who is a daughter of Vietnamese woman he fall in love out of wedlock and. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ She's was the half-sister of Whitney and Hunter! Reddit users are having a field day to continue mocking her hugest fat ass until the show is over for good. My eyes are roll for this toxic cringe. 🙄 Shitney is bullying her faked friend who is 29 drinking his morning coffee. Glenn's bucket list when his kids and Shitney's friends are having a whirlwind trip to Switzerland and... I'm laughing at the cringeful moments possible because the trailer ends with dramatic music. 🤣🤣🤣 Poor little Whitney suffered an health issues all because of her obese bullshit (My message to her: don't blame PCOS) and the fucking helicopter fit for prissy narcissistic princess arrives at the nick of time as she went to Switzerland hospital. What the fuck!!! I thought the early seasons were decent but later.... drama bullshit about me me me and even toxic nonhealthly feminists are praised Whitney Thore while normal healthy feminists are scolded her (used to be fans of Whitney Thore but they've rage quit). After the trailer was online Whitney post it on Instagram either I'm laughing cringe or petty or felt bad but either way, I'm about to find out why. The answer is petty. Whitney's haters don't hate Glenn and Hunter, they hate her. Glenn answers it which was inaccurate. His late wife is an reality TV star while Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II is historical figures, he cannot compare famous figures to the hypocritical unlovable fatso's lovable mom. I'm afraid that the 11th season of My Big Fat Fabulous Life will be doomed to failure because it's on its last legs and used fans of Whitney Thore are done with her.

[theoutletonmychest]

Found my initial live thoughts on watching the mess that is Book of Boba Fett from a year ago.

A show that would have been fine with any other character.

But they did him so dirty, along with other issues that I have not seen a lot of people talking about in favor of celebrating the found family part of the show.

What the actual fuck, show? So, first, you white savior Boba fuckin' Fett, [I know he's not white. But the trope of the outsider from a "more civilized society" coming in and fixing everything is exactly the same.] a bounty hunter best known for working with Darth Vader and disintegrating people. I understand choosing Tusken Raiders as a stand-in for Clone Troopers. No problem. So, they take him prisoner. For slave labor. I guess. Then he kills a big dumb monster. Suddenly he is not a slave. How progressive. Then he learns their ways. And brings them technology. Hey, is this sounding like a 1950s western yet? Then, he and the natives take down a train trespassing on the Tusken's ancestral lands. He goes on a vision quest. He wears their clothes. He is of the tribe. Disney invents a new tribal dance for the kids to imitate and everyone forgets they're slavers. And all the murders are written off with a single line, "Other tribes have chosen violence!" Perfection. Beautiful. And then, the very next episode, all the totally-not-evil-slavers-who-never-murdered-anyone-because-we-know-them are murdered off-screen. Before we can remember their actual past actions. Including the child with the toy gaffi stick. Who, I remind you, literally held two people as slaves and directly led to the death of one of them. Angelic choir music plays over the scene. Because they're angels. What the actual fuck, Disney. What the fuck? How did this get made in 2022? It's just the same old bullshit from 70 years ago mixed in with the cultural shifts of the 90s and early 00s and dressed up in a Star Wars outfit. What am I watching? Also. We know nothing about our main character. And all his decisions have been quests assigned by other people. He is so flat I wouldn't be able to see him if he turned sideways. But maybe that's a slow burn. They have done some setup there. But geez. People have been praising tf out of this. I wasn't expecting so much oof. HE WAS LITERALLY IN A JESUS BLESSING POSE WHILE BEING WRAPPED IN NATIVE GARB.

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Like. They somehow portrayed the natives as savages and helpless angels who need a savior from the "modern world" simultaneously. And then killed them all while the savior was away. It is almost funny how oof it is.

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He just said, "That was a bit heavy-handed, don't you think?" over a simple threat of violence towards a repeatedly stonewalling character. This is the big scary bounty hunter everyone's dreamt about for 45 years.

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"And remember. No disintegrations. They're a bit heavy handed." - 2022 Darth Vader, I guess.

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Star Wars just did a car chase scene where they plow through two people carrying a plate-glass window. In 2022. I'm so glad it's out of George Lucas's hands. He would have done something silly. What am I watching?

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WE HAVE FRUIT STANDS. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. I REPEAT. WE HAVE FRUIT STANDS.

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I'm going to be honest. None of this is what I expected from a spin-off of The Mandalorian. I can't handle another episode right now. Woof.

That's how far I got the first day. I really wasn't expecting much from the show, but the problematic shit, then the Looney Tunes shit, then the complete erasure of Boba Fett's soul as they replaced him with someone who looks like him, but isn't him...

Oh my gods they cloned the Fett.

I wish the transhuman stuff was more explored and they had more personality. They were basically just an aesthetic for Boba to wear and it really didn't work for me.

He also spent the entire season being the town's gopher which, again, is not what I expected from a Boba Fett at the end of his life, even with the supposed rebirth. You don't actually lose your past when you go through something like that.

You make a decision.

Boba Fett from the show doesn't make decisions.

I really did not enjoy this. And it's 100% because they Teen Titans Go'd it. Used a visible name people care about to do whatever they wanted.

Mandalorian worked. If this was the show you wanted to make, do it with a new character that fits better. Have an ounce of respect for fans of the universe. Star Wars is huge and has room for all kinds of stories.

It doesn't have to be the same characters pasted into scripts that don't work for them.

Blah.

[actualmermaid]

Hey Christians

I am once again getting reports that some of you are appropriating Jewish holidays and traditions, and 🌠 you should immediately stop doing that 🌠

Since I'm also a Christian, maybe you'll take this better from me. I usually see this behavior from people who are white, American, and/or Evangelical-adjacent, and I suspect that you're messing around with Jewish stuff because you feel alienated from your own cultural background, whatever that may be. You belong to what is essentially the big-box-store version of Christianity, and you're probably hungry for something that feels more "authentic." That's 100% understandable! But it is not a reason to appropriate traditions that belong to a community that has not shared them with you!

Luckily, there are some pretty easy ways to get acquainted with your own cultural heritage through traditional Christian observances.

Get acquainted with the traditional liturgical calendar. Our observances are structured around the solar year, and historically, these observances were tied to the patterns of agricultural labor. Religious festivals also had seasonal significance: the birth of Jesus coincides with the lengthening of days after the winter solstice, the resurrection of Jesus coincides with the rebirth of plants and animals in the spring, and so forth. The more you learn, the more you realize how much we've lost/forgotten!

If you know where your ancestors came from, you can research how folk-religious festivals are practiced in those parts of the world! What foods are eaten? What games are played? What stories are told? If there's a church associated with "your" cultural community, you might consider visiting them around important festivals and learning what they do. Remember, you are a student, and you should still approach these observances with respect and openness!

Here's a non-exhaustive list of things to try if you're feeling the temptation to appropriate a closed Jewish practice:

Instead of observing Rosh Hashanah because you're feeling left-out by the lack of major Christian holidays at this time of year, start looking forward to the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi (October 4). Here in the US, it's common for churches to hold a special "Blessing of the Animals" service or a "St. Francis the Peacemaker" service, often in cooperation with churches from other denominations! It's a lot of fun!

Instead of trying to host your own Passover seder (I have a horror story about this that I will refrain from sharing out of respect for my Jewish friends), just celebrate Easter like the rest of us! Easter, not Christmas, is the most important day in the Christian liturgical year. There are MANY ways to celebrate Easter in a more "traditional" way than you might be used to.

Celebrating Hanukkah as a Christian makes you look fucking stupid! Don't do it! Instead, if you want a multi-day traditional Christian observance, our things are the seasons of Advent and Christmastide! Again, depending on your cultural background, there are lots of ways to "practice Christianity" around this time. Fasting (similar to fasting during Lent) and lighting the candles on an Advent wreath are easy ways to start.

Don't try to observe Torah, that's not our thing! If you want to practice more "rules," consider trying out one of the many Christian fasting traditions (NOT the "Daniel Fast," which is basically a crash diet attached to some very bullshit theology), praying the Daily Office or using prayer beads, or wearing a head-covering in church. ("But I'm not Catholic," you might say, but if you do some research you'll discover that none of these things are unique to Catholics! You're not Jewish either, but that's not stopping you from messing around with their stuff!)

Before you come at me with excuses about this not being "biblical" or whatever, keep in mind that many Jewish observances are also not "biblical"! If you really want to try out a Jewish holiday, you should make a Jewish friend and let them invite you, but it's pretty hard to make Jewish friends if you're constantly trying to steal their shit! (The last 2000 years of Jewish-Christian relations are hard proof of this!)

[synallactic]

The meat looks how Cordell's cheek felt mulling over his tongue. Forgive him if he doesn't dig in right away. He could chalk it up to the elegance in the way Hannibal's fingers curl around a fork, knife as the oar leading fine minced chunks in from the tide of sunny side but he'd be half right.

More mesmerized by the hint of teeth beneath his lip as he takes his first bite. The pulse of muscle leaping between jaw and temple as he chews. The marinade of flavors settling over the flat of his tongue as he swallows.

Wondering too who the third guest is. If there is any at all. That's the brilliance of Hannibal's mask. They'll never know which of them swallowed his unfortunate victims. So to hell with it, all of them did. Lip half curls in amusement at the thought of the pale faced afficionados and their faux horror. Knowing damn well none of them hid their curiosity well enough.

Will catches his lips at the rim of his glass for show, wrapped around pristine crystal without the supplication of another drink which he takes now with an over exaggeration of forethought.

He's stopped asking who's on the menu and when, more interested in the basics of supposition and his peek behind the veil to tell him when its his turn to shell out some part of himself. Even more curious to see if he'll recognize it.

And what Hannibal's expressions will tell him then. Like what it's doing now. The meat wasn't personal, a source at best. Easier than going to the grocery store. The satisfaction is at his own cunning elevation of the dish. Who knows meat better than the butcher?

Would Hannibal celebrate every labored swallow, carve him slow till there's nothing left to keep alive? Slower than Gideon? Would it be a love letter like Bedelia? Could he stomach it at all.

He can hear the Tattlecrime bullshit headline of the day: They're On Their Honeymoon Now But Wait Till Desert.

That's right. Bâtard-Montrachet down the hatch.

First bite's the hardest to work through. Slimy, so raw it's still fighting to avoid his teeth, he chases it with a bite of bread and decides imitation is key. No one knows etiquette better than the host.

"Have you decided what our new lives are going to be? Can't play tourists forever."

He takes the flattery on his dimpling chin; it’s refreshing not to pretend humility. It’s a mask to take with lessers and, as any theater, takes a social commentary stab at stratum.

In theory.

’ He underestimated you. ‘

Better put, he overestimated himself.

But even now, be it for his Captor Crawford, Will resorts to empathy. Where else to, in his case? The sympathetic nervous system requires patterned spikes for equilibrium. Abusive ones cleverly touch immortality through it—Hannibal is rewiring Will’s into more productive: pair hunters.

’ Resentment has a dangerously variable latency period. It comes from perceived injustice and the longer it’s inert, the more radical the boiling point will be. ‘

The bottle of Montrachet retires to the true center of the table, two Wills’ torso lengths away. To soothe the loss:

’ And then it becomes something else altogether. ‘

Congratulations.

’ Bon appétit. ‘

He forks in. The sunny yolk in its dented bun of meat tears like blinding paint down its injured side. He boards two inches of steak tartare onto a palmboat of toast.

Watching Will’s slender gun wrist, the one that strains to strings on the job whether the job is fur-soaping or refashioning Francis Dolarhyde into a patty, Hannibal’s palate traps a crunch.

[shamebats]

Nadja's was the only #girlboss arc I've ever enjoyed and I really don't get it when people say they did her character a disservice or thought it was sexist. Yeah, she failed and embarrassed herself in the end, and it was amazing!

"Girlbosses" are just bosses who happen to be women, they exploit employees and fuck their customers over all the same. No matter what they might say, they're still motivated by greed, it's not any different because women are inherently moral and good. Nadja was just more straightforward about her intentions than every other CEO of some shitty cash-grabbing business that tries to market itself as morally superior because they have women in charge but then mistreats workers and union-busts just like the male-led competition.

Women can be greedy, tyrannical bosses and portraying them as such isn't sexist by default.

The Wraiths were the actual badasses here, none of them asked for any of that night club bullshit but they still did all the work while Nadja, in typical girlboss fashion, sat around doing nothing but steal profits and bask in the success when things were going well.

When the Wraiths unionized, I was rooting for them, not for Nadja. When Laszlo tried to get a better contract for Baby Colin Robinson, I was rooting for them, not Nadja.

She wasn't meant to be a sympathetic character because she never had good intentions. People like her only want money and power, no matter who they have to hurt to get it, and it's fun to watch them fail.

Nadja's arc was a pretty good criticism of the "girlboss era" and its aftermath. If you were unironically rooting for her while she was being an abusive ass towards everyone around her in a selfish pursuit of wealth, it might be time to take a step back and try to see the big picture. I'm not saying this to be mean, most of us were exposed to that particular type of media brainwashing, especially 80s-90s kids, me included.

The thing about girlbosses is that, in real life, most of them turned out to be horrible, tyrannical bosses who created toxic, abusive work environments. They always have been, even as they were being celebrated by the media as role-models and champions of feminism. Nobody ever cared about the workers, who were the ones actually responsible for the company's success.

"The push to move beyond the girlboss is an acknowledgment that a slight expansion of college-educated women’s access to venture capital or mentoring opportunities was never a meaningful change to begin with, or an avenue via which meaningful change might be achieved. Being belittled, harassed, or denied fair pay by a woman doesn’t make the experience instructive instead of traumatic."

"Making women the new men within corporations was never going to be enough to address systemic racism and sexism, the erosion of labor rights, or the accumulation of wealth in just a few of the country’s millions of hands—the broad abuses of power that afflict the daily lives of most people."

- from The Girlboss Has Left the Building by Amanda Mull.

I think the writers did a great job highlighting just that, while also putting a very important emphasis on the power of collective bargaining.

The takeaway is that Nadja's club couldn't survive a day without the workers and performers. It was her vanity project but the work was being done by other much more skilled and hard-working people. That's the true reality of literally every "aspirational" girlboss story you've ever read